444 replies to this topic

[FastRobPlus]

Cool comparison. I agree the color of the ST version if off. But the art is interesting! They could have used the same art as the other versions but they seem to have gone with art that more accurately reflects the spirit of the game. You clearly see someone sleeping on the commons floor, and you see the outside of the building from the window. I didn't know the ST was different and just assumed it looked like the Amiga version but with fewer colors, or worse still that the Amiga version was a direct graphical port of the 16-color ST version.

Thanks!

[Kroah]

Hi all,

The ST Version uses at least 2 simultaneous palettes. One for the view representation (exterior, buildings interior), one for the text (top and bottom). Personally, i've played the 8bits and 16bits on Atari and i've found them very similar in the gameplay. Even if the gfx are really different on Atari ST, i love them. I've played on Amiga and PC too, but found them like unfinished. The atari 8bits version is far superior from the others, but the disks accesses are killing the game.

I'm actually decompiling the Atari ST version of the game (and not the 8bits) because it progressively keeps everything in memory (easier to work on). I thought the coding was much simpler (it's a port) but, heh, it's like a mini multi-tasking environnement with function vectors everywhere. I've found lot of interactions between stats like the 8bits version does. For me, it sustains this version is really similar to the original (with some added features like spells). But it will only be confirmed when someone will have decompiled the 8bits version. And it's not an easy one.

What do you think about the differences between the Atari ST and 8bits version ?

Kroah

Edited by Kroah, Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:14 AM.

[hicksman]

FastRobPlus: Yeah, i noticed the finer details in the ST screenshot; it definately has a unique style. I'm definately going to play more of it this weekend.

Kroah: Like i said, i just started on the ST version, so i dont know too much about the differences. I DO know that its a 16b version, so it has guilds, spells, jobs and simplified combat.

I've always been going on the idea that the developers of the ports probably used the same internal logic for how the game worked as Philip did. They were getting paid to make the game work on a new platform, not dream up new ways for the character's stats to increase/decrease, you know what i mean? So, i just assume they're all pretty much the same on that front.

Going on that logic, i would guess that the only things that are different in the games are the things that couldnt translate over to the next platform well. So we have different graphics and less sound because of the graphical/audio complications on each platform.

But, thats just my guess.

I also noticed something the other day and that is during encounters where you're suprised, you actually turn and face a different direction sometimes - its more realistic that way to be suprised from a direction you're not looking, but I dont remember that in the Amiga or PC version.

[Goochman]

The ports to 16bit were paid to do the things essential. Price spent alot of time on the 'unessential' things like wind noise, the turning when surprised and many many other things that you dont notice until they are not there.

[Xebec's Demise]

Interesting little read about AR at gamephilosopher:

http://gamephilosoph...es-that-werent/

Is it true that you hear a special kind of wind in The City when you pass next to a secret door? That makes sense, and I have noticed different types of wind before, but I never noticed whether or not those changes in wind occurr when passing by a secret door.

That would be something new to me!

[Bunburyer]

Hiya! I'm new here. Let me cut straight to the potatoes of my questions. I've been a fan, off and on, of Alternate Reality: the City for several years now, though up until recently I've only been able to use the crippled DOS version. A short while ago I started fiddling with different emulators and looking at what I've been missing in terms of music and graphics-- rather an eye (and ear) opener. After studying the various 8- and 16-bit versions, I've pretty much decided the AtariST release is the best balance of atmosphere and gameplay for my tastes. No 'disk swapping', but with jobs and guild spells... and, almost full sound/music and better graphics then I've been used to. So, my problem is this: None of the emulators that run in Windows XP are able to handle the 'cracked' version of AR: City that are up for download, and the uncracked version is (rightfully, one supposes) taken as pirated by them. So I can't save, enter taverns, or any of the important stuff. Does anyone know of a WinXP compatible emulator that will run the cracked version? Or even the standard version without instantly making me an untouchable?
Second part of the question: Spells are nonexistent in the 8-bit version of the game, of course, and I barely could get any info on them while playing the DOS version. Is there a comprehensive spell list out there, including which guilds will teach which spells?

Thanks for all the information and notes already in this thread-- it's been a fantastic resource for someone new to the emulation scene!

[ijor]

Bunburyer, on Mon Aug 6, 2007 3:40 PM, said:

...I've pretty much decided the AtariST release is the best balance of atmosphere and gameplay for my tastes. No 'disk swapping', but with jobs and guild spells... and, almost full sound/music and better graphics then I've been used to. So, my problem is this: None of the emulators that run in Windows XP are able to handle the 'cracked' version of AR: City that are up for download, and the uncracked version is (rightfully, one supposes) taken as pirated by them. So I can't save, enter taverns, or any of the important stuff. Does anyone know of a WinXP compatible emulator that will run the cracked version? Or even the standard version without instantly making me an untouchable?

Try Steem. Steem can run AR fine, it should run fine cracks and the original Pasti version. If you still have problems, it might be better to follow up in the ST forum and not in the 8-bit one.

[Bunburyer]

Quote

Try Steem. Steem can run AR fine, it should run fine cracks and the original Pasti version. If you still have problems, it might be better to follow up in the ST forum and not in the 8-bit one.

Steem was already tried, thanks-- I tried several emulators before deciding to ask. That's one that ignores the cracked version and runs the uncracked as if it were pirated. But I will see if the ST forum has any further information that might help. Thanks anyhow!

[Xebec's Demise]

Demo Only version?

http://cgi.ebay.com/...em=160204242434

[Xebec's Demise]

Xebec's Demise, on Thu Jan 31, 2008 9:49 PM, said:

Demo Only version?

http://cgi.ebay.com/...em=160204242434

Anyone know anything about this? Is it a fake, where the sticker was stuck on the box and then re-shrinkwrapped? Were the AR City games even shrinkwrapped originally?

[Goochman]

My guess it was given out to a store or such to 'demo' the software and not to be resold by the store - its prob 100% complete, but a loaner copy so to speak.

[Albert]

Xebec's Demise, on Fri Feb 1, 2008 1:20 PM, said:

Xebec's Demise, on Thu Jan 31, 2008 9:49 PM, said:

Demo Only version?

http://cgi.ebay.com/...em=160204242434

Anyone know anything about this? Is it a fake, where the sticker was stuck on the box and then re-shrinkwrapped? Were the AR City games even shrinkwrapped originally?

Interesting. The sticker looks like it has glue mottling, and I'm not sure how easy it would be to reproduce that. It's been so long, I have no idea if my copies of AR The City and Dungeon were originally shrinkwrapped.

..Al

[Xebec's Demise]

Here's what looks like a complete AR Dungeon for Commodore, even down to the disk sleeves and Datasoft stuff. Ends in 8 hours.

http://cgi.ebay.com/...em=270239292321

Edited by Xebec's Demise, Sun May 25, 2008 11:59 AM.

[sniperstorm]

I just wanted to add this. Back in the day a friend of mine modified The City. He changed some of the walls to doors so you could go into a part of the city that is imposible to get to anyother way. I think there are 2 guilds in that area and some other stuff. I still have the modified city if anyone is interested.

[Rybags]

Put it up. Worth a look.

If I remember rightly, at least 4 establishments in The City were "hidden" anyway (in that you either had to go through a secret door, or they didn't have a sign above their entrance).

[sniperstorm]

Better yet. I found the guy who modified it back in the day. And it seems today still is messing with it.

He has a editor on this site.

http://www.rainbarrel.com/

[kheller2]

Didn't the utility "Resurex" do that? I think that is what it was called. Great little thing to bring you back to life w/o losing stats and it unlocked areas of the city.

[kheller2]

BTW, I might have mentioned this before.. my brother and I built a Doom wad based on the AR City map. It was stretching the limits of the Doom editors back then to have so many doors, etc. We populated some sections of the city and ripped sound effects from other Atari games. The fireballs that get shot at you are the Photons from Star Raiders.

[sniperstorm]

kheller2, on Tue May 27, 2008 10:27 PM, said:

Didn't the utility "Resurex" do that? I think that is what it was called. Great little thing to bring you back to life w/o losing stats and it unlocked areas of the city.

do you have resurex?? can you post it?

[Xebec's Demise]

sniperstorm, on Tue May 27, 2008 4:25 PM, said:

Better yet. I found the guy who modified it back in the day. And it seems today still is messing with it.

He has a editor on this site.

http://www.rainbarrel.com/

Ah, that's Jim Norris. Very cool to see he has a recent updates for Alternate Reality. The new version of AR City Map Editor is from February 19, 2008.

[Xebec's Demise]

It looks like Jim Norris has quite a bit of new content on the Alternate Reality Disassembly Project also:

http://www.diaperglu...mbly/index.dglu

[sniperstorm]

Xebec's Demise, on Wed May 28, 2008 12:18 PM, said:

It looks like Jim Norris has quite a bit of new content on the Alternate Reality Disassembly Project also:

http://www.diaperglu...mbly/index.dglu

Yes Jim Norris. I hung out with him a few times back in the day. He lived by me and was on my BBS system. I did not know he was still into this. He told me alot about AR back in the day. I beleive he had a convo with Philip back in the day too.

[sniperstorm]

sniperstorm, on Wed May 28, 2008 9:24 PM, said:

Xebec's Demise, on Wed May 28, 2008 12:18 PM, said:

It looks like Jim Norris has quite a bit of new content on the Alternate Reality Disassembly Project also:

http://www.diaperglu...mbly/index.dglu

Yes Jim Norris. I hung out with him a few times back in the day. He lived by me and was on my BBS system. I did not know he was still into this. He told me alot about AR back in the day. I beleive he had a convo with Philip back in the day too.

I just had another good laugh... I found resurex 2.0, and when I booted it up. It has a list of bbs systems. The last one ST Guild BBS is my old bbs, that is still running on telnet. LOL

[eegad]

Perhaps an odd question, but out of curiosity, does anybody have a list of the names of the months in the game and how many days are in each? (I was addicted to it in the 80s and just played around with it briefly this weekend and realized that I never completed a full year cycle....so I was curious how many months and days there were in a year in the game (City))

[Trader J]

First off, I can't THANK YOU enough for bringing back the greatest rpg of all time and my Atari 800 addiction from 1987! So many great memories brought back.

After being completely engrossed for the past four days (girlfriend is annoyed!) I find myself getting booted right back out of every establishment I enter. It flashes from 'Entering' to 'Leaving' no matter where I go and puts me back on the street in seconds.

What happened? Any fixes for this??? Was working great up until now. Please help.



-Trader J

Edited by Trader J, Wed Oct 1, 2008 4:40 PM.