29 replies to this topic

[highendsystems]

I remember Last V8 being rather difficult to play with a joystick even.

It seems like once I got to the building before the bombs fell, but can't
remember what happened next.

Has anyone beaten Last V8?

[remowilliams]

This game drove me f*ing bonkers back in the day!

I got as far as the end of screen two at some point I believe. I have no idea if there is even an end to it.

That music STILL HAUNTS ME!

[Gunstar]

The game was definately too tuff, basically becuase it didn't give you quite enough time. I always had the same problem with Electraglide too, then I tried the U.K. version (PAL) out on my modded XE and it became VERY easy for me to make it to the next levels in Electaglide now. I seems that Electraglide's timer is based on the 50hz frequency of PAL TV's, so if played on an NTSC TV (even an "NTSC version") the timer is accelerated due to the 60hz refresh. I believe this is true of the Last V8 too. I think, you may find, that if you play the PAL version on a PAL Atari or one modded for PAL, that it will also become much easier to play. Many games, both NTSC and PAL often used the screen refresh rate to keep time, so many NTSC games that use screen refresh to keep time are much easier to play on PAL (you get more time). Basically a full ten seconds is either lost or gained in this way.

Edited by Gunstar, Fri Mar 31, 2006 6:39 PM.

[Goochman]

I made it to the tunnel twice and then lost it - that was a bit*h of a game to play and yes the music haunts me!

[Avram]

The C64 version is probably similar to the Atari version so you can see the ending here - http://www.c64endings.co.uk/ - in the 'L' section.

[TMR]

The ending is the same as the C64, except without the completion jingle, so you get to the Sci-Base on the second level, drive in and get a well done message on the V8's computer screen. The Atari version is actually the easier of the two, although the shortcuts are harder to use on the first level and, if memory serves, only the first one actually works at all.

[MacbthPSW]

TMR, on Sat Apr 1, 2006 5:03 AM, said:

The Atari version is actually the easier of the two

I have to agree here.

Kind of funny coincidence - I had just set up my 130XE last night and finally got my disk drive working, so I played some of the original disks I've bought over the years for the first time. Then I remembered that a number of my C64 disks have A8 versions on the other side so I dug those out, and sure enough, I had Last V8 there. Yesterday I didn't even realize there was an A8 Last V8, and today I'm playing the copy I've owned for years on the real hardware

Anyway, I got into the tunnel on just my 4th game, years after last playing the C64 version. This version seems much more forgiving for collision detection.

Not to start any flames, is the jerky horizontal scrolling typical of A8 games trying to do the same thing (all-way map scrolling)?

[Gunstar]

MacbthPSW, on Sat Apr 1, 2006 4:24 PM, said:

TMR, on Sat Apr 1, 2006 5:03 AM, said:

The Atari version is actually the easier of the two

I have to agree here.

Kind of funny coincidence - I had just set up my 130XE last night and finally got my disk drive working, so I played some of the original disks I've bought over the years for the first time. Then I remembered that a number of my C64 disks have A8 versions on the other side so I dug those out, and sure enough, I had Last V8 there. Yesterday I didn't even realize there was an A8 Last V8, and today I'm playing the copy I've owned for years on the real hardware

Anyway, I got into the tunnel on just my 4th game, years after last playing the C64 version. This version seems much more forgiving for collision detection.

Not to start any flames, is the jerky horizontal scrolling typical of A8 games trying to do the same thing (all-way map scrolling)?

No, that's not normal Atari scrolling. A8's are normally renound for smooth scrolling.

[remowilliams]

MacbthPSW, on Sat Apr 1, 2006 11:24 AM, said:

TMR, on Sat Apr 1, 2006 5:03 AM, said:

The Atari version is actually the easier of the two

I have to agree here.

OMG, there is a harder version of Last V8?

Tell me this is some sort of sick April Fools joke!

I guess I'll have to boot the other side of that flippy and torture myself.

[sack-c0s]

's a shame the A8 music is weak compared to the C64 version - strikes me as the kind of tune the POKEY could do a pretty damn good job of.

[MacbthPSW]

Gunstar, on Sat Apr 1, 2006 6:27 PM, said:

No, that's not normal Atari scrolling. A8's are normally renound for smooth scrolling.

Panther also has the same problem - and both have variable speed scrolling. It's really smooth at higher speeds, but at lower speeds it looks really jerky. It's probably when the screen is scrolling less than 1 pixel per frame, so it'll spend multiple frames stationary and then suddenly shift. If I understand things right, Last V8 is running in a video mode with 160 pixels across, and the A8 can only scroll by whole pixels. The C64 version looks smoother because it has twice the horizontal scrolling resolution (320 pixels).

[Heaven/TQA]

mac, yes you are right.... but it is still smooth scrolling... how would you deal with lower speeds if not staying stationary for a couple of frames??? doest matter if c64-vise or atari vise scrolling...

in your terms... dropzone is jerky as well... compared to the c64...

[Gury]

I remember days of my childhood playing The Last V8 on Atari. I liked it very much, still do, little hard, but enjoyable. I checked Drop Zone, great game!

[MacbthPSW]

Heaven/TQA, on Sun Apr 2, 2006 1:54 AM, said:

mac, yes you are right.... but it is still smooth scrolling... how would you deal with lower speeds if not staying stationary for a couple of frames??? doest matter if c64-vise or atari vise scrolling...

Well, I guess my point is that the C64 can horizontally scroll twice as slow before it looks jerky like that. I'm not complaining or A8-bashing, it's just I've heard from many people about how smooth the A8 can scroll, and then when playing Last V8 on my 130XE the other night it really jumped out at me how it wasn't very smooth.

Scrolling vertically, they're equal, and both are way better than the Speccy or Apple.

[Heaven/TQA]

yup. it's correct what you have heard. this is simply a technical issue... c64 can scroll "bitwise" while atari can do "pixel clockwise" = pixel size which is in multicolour mode 2 "c64 pixel" or even "4 c64" pixel (mode9,10,11).

[Fröhn]

Heaven/TQA, on Sun Apr 2, 2006 9:42 AM, said:

c64 can scroll "bitwise" while atari can do "pixel clockwise"

Not true actually, since on PAL A8 the pixel clock is no integer divider of the color clock. Only on NTSC there is 2 hires pixels = 1 color clock cycle (thats why artefacting works on NTSC btw)

[Heaven/TQA]

well... at least my "Atari Intern" book tell me that... ok... what about this explanation... hscrol contains how many pixels antic (or gtia?) should skip before displaying the content of the specific scanline?

[emkay]

Heaven/TQA, on Sun Apr 2, 2006 6:56 PM, said:

well... at least my "Atari Intern" book tell me that... ok... what about this explanation... hscrol contains how many pixels antic (or gtia?) should skip before displaying the content of the specific scanline?

To say it in other words: The C64 has a hardware scrolling resolution of "320 pixel" and the A8 has a scrolling resolution of "160 pixel".

[TMR]

remowilliams, on Sun Apr 2, 2006 5:40 AM, said:

OMG, there is a harder version of Last V8?

Tell me this is some sort of sick April Fools joke!

I guess I'll have to boot the other side of that flippy and torture myself.

The timer is marginally looser on the Atari version (running PAL, i believe it goes whizzy on NTSC =-) so completing the first level without using the shortcuts before the bomb drops is a little easier - they're both about the same on the second level. Red Max is a bitch on both, too. =-)

[carmel_andrews]

I remember something about a cheat for last v8 (tape version) that used the break key or something (my memory cells are going)

[remowilliams]

TMR, on Mon Apr 3, 2006 4:37 AM, said:

Red Max is a bitch on both, too. =-)

AAAAAH - the other one that still haunts me - Red Max!

[therealbountybob]

carmel_andrews, on Mon Apr 3, 2006 7:31 AM, said:

I remember something about a cheat for last v8 (tape version) that used the break key or something (my memory cells are going)

I did this once to see the 2nd level too - please can someone make a file version of the Last V8 with the game hacked to the 2nd level? or better still a version with more time ?!

[Sikor]

therealbountybob, on Fri Jan 20, 2012 10:59 AM, said:

carmel_andrews, on Mon Apr 3, 2006 7:31 AM, said:

I remember something about a cheat for last v8 (tape version) that used the break key or something (my memory cells are going)

I did this once to see the 2nd level too - please can someone make a file version of the Last V8 with the game hacked to the 2nd level? or better still a version with more time ?!

Ask XXL ;P http://patch.atari.pl/index.php - some patches for few games, XXL make wish list, so - ask him for Last V8.

[Gunstar]

emkay, on Sun Apr 2, 2006 11:26 AM, said:

Heaven/TQA, on Sun Apr 2, 2006 6:56 PM, said:

well... at least my "Atari Intern" book tell me that... ok... what about this explanation... hscrol contains how many pixels antic (or gtia?) should skip before displaying the content of the specific scanline?

To say it in other words: The C64 has a hardware scrolling resolution of "320 pixel" and the A8 has a scrolling resolution of "160 pixel".

Now that happens to be true with The Last V-8 game, but isn't it resolution dependant on how fine the scrolling is on the A8 (or the C64 for that matter)? If you use Gr. 8 on the A8 then wouldn't it have a scrolling resolution of "320 pixel" too? If using A8 GTIA mode of 192x80 then wouldn't horizontal scroll be "80 pixel?"

[Bryan]

Gunstar, on Fri Jan 20, 2012 6:05 PM, said:

Now that happens to be true with The Last V-8 game, but isn't it resolution dependant on how fine the scrolling is on the A8 (or the C64 for that matter)? If you use Gr. 8 on the A8 then wouldn't it have a scrolling resolution of "320 pixel" too? If using A8 GTIA mode of 192x80 then wouldn't horizontal scroll be "80 pixel?"

No. an HSCROL of 1 is always equal to a 160 mode pixel. To scroll by 320 you'd have to manually shift the screen data.