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[File] Manic Miner - DarkLight Modification


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Manic Miner - DarkLight Modification


An interesting twist to a regular Manic Miner game!

 

Miner Willy can only 'see' what his lamp would conventionally light, making the game much much harder to play.

 

Both BB and SP variants are included in individual zip files (as .tzx tape format) as well as the authors instructions with patch file to allow this change to be applied to third party games too.

 

The .tzx's are 'ready to play' complete with loader. A small change to the original loading screen was applied too, in essence the attribution text present in the SP variant loading screen is applied to the BB version as well as the removal of the 'flash' effect from the screen itself.

 

Enjoy!


 

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The random thought of an expansion to this would be a time limit in that after taking too long the screen could revert to the blackout effect on/off a few times as a warning before actually going dark. I'm not really sure how practical that kind of feature would be in reality though.

 

The originals as above are imo an interesting change. Although the difficulty is going have increased a fair bit simply from the lack of immediate knowledge of exactly 'where' everything is ! :)

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That's a cool effect, and very in keeping with the 'mining' theme!

 

It took me seven lives just to complete the Central Cavern!  I found that dropping off the centrally-placed brick wall onto the conveyor, and then pressing (and keeping) the Right movement key to hold Willy in place whilst waiting for the yellow robot to appear, gives you an extra cell of 'forward vision', and that helped to get the timing of the jump over the robot right.

 

Most of my lives were expended trying to remember exactly where the overhead stalactites, poisonous pansies and underfoot crumbly cells are on the top platform.

 

I'd say that without a good advance knowledge/mental map of where the hazards are located, this game would be extremely difficult!

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One suggestion - for consistency, shouldn't the Descending Boot on the Game Over screen suddenly appear above Willy's head the moment before impact (rather than the player being able to see the full trail of the extended leg)?

 

Also, maybe everything should go black shortly after he's been squashed? - representing his lamp being snuffed out!  :lol:

Edited by IRF
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I note that '6031769'* works, so you can easily access/explore all the caverns - including the ones with non-black PAPER air/backgrounds. :-)

 

(*In the Bug-Byte version; presumably TYPEWRITER also works in the Software Projects variant although I haven't tried that.)

 

I did wonder whether more of the cavern might get illuminated in the Solar Power Generator, because of the Solar beam. But it seems not.

Edited by IRF
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I ran one of the versions listed above. I modified the file by changing one instruction from LD (HL),L    to    LD (HL),B.     The original opcode is used to wipe the attributes, the changed opcode just sets them all to BLUE ink. This one byte change allows you to see the method used to draw the area illuminated by Willies head lamp.   (allows you to actually play the room- within the limits of what the change in code does)

Note no other change was undertaken by me... What you see is how this program does the illumination. 

 

 

dim version.szx has the cheat already activated

dim 2 version.szx does not have the cheat activated   ---- With the mods Note change from dim2 version.szx to dim 2 version .szx

 

 

ADDENDUM 

 

The poke is    Poke 37733,112  -  Changing the value from 117 to 112 - changing the opcode from LD (HL),L    to LD (HL),B
The poke is   Poke #9365,#70   - Changing the value from #75 to #70 - changing the opcode from LD (HL),L    to LD (HL),B


 

dim version.szx

dim 2 version.szx

Edited by Norman Sword
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Good stuff Norman, although there is a quirky thing going on whereby the cells behind Willy are drawn in black INK, meaning that you can move around progressively 'erasing' the cavern as you go - see the attached recording.  By the time Willy reaches the portal at the end of the Central Cavern, the whole cavern has reverted back to how it is in the 'Dark Light Modification', and your initial 'gloomy blue cavern' effect has been erased!

Erase the Cavern.rzx

Edited by IRF
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I thank you for this version, but far too hard for me, couldn't even complete The Central Cavern. I like the effect, and it is a

good idea in theory, but in practice it ruins playability for me. How about once you have been to an area it remains lit? That would

help playability a bit.

 

Sorry, I hope you aren't upset with this.

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I thank you for this version, but far too hard for me, couldn't even complete The Central Cavern. I like the effect, and it is a

good idea in theory, but in practice it ruins playability for me. How about once you have been to an area it remains lit? That would

help playability a bit.

 

Sorry, I hope you aren't upset with this.

 

I take it that comment was in response to the initial file by Pgyuri?  Norman Sword has attempted to create a more playable version (see attachments three posts above this one), which have a 'gloomy but still visible cavern' effect.  However, that effect doesn't sustain itself for the duration whilst you try to play through the cavern, so I think that it needs another tweak.  (I'm sure Norman will come up with something in about five minutes after he's read this.  :) ) 

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Once properly executed, Norman Sword's tweak to Pgyuri's original idea should give the right level of added difficulty without making the caverns pseudo-impossible.

 

e.g. With everything highlighted in blue INK on black PAPER, you'll be able to track the movements of guardians, but the distinction between solid and crumbly platforms will be less obvious until you are on top of them (with the crumbly ones crumbling away!)

 

****

 

I wonder how difficult would it be to make the Solar Power Generator a special case cavern, with the solar beam being visible throughout with a 'highlighted' zone either side of the solar beam similar to the lit up area in front of Willy?

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