The Equalizer

2024 marked the 40th anniversary of Jet Set Willy. 🏆
Initially I had planned on something a lot more elaborate to celebrate this however for various reasons I decided a standard game with a few simple changes would fit nicely.
 
There is a time limit of two hours game playing time enforced. If Willy runs out of time (at 12:00AM), the game is over! This is indicated with the game freezing and the word 'time' flashing for a few seconds, leaving the player in no doubt what has happened.
There are 150 items to collect. Care was taken to place these mostly sensibly without detracting from the original game feeling. Also, some item shapes per room have changed, the main reason being at least one item shape looks like two bottles, so if and when Willy collects one of these it will count as two in his collection.
The main loop was modified (thanks N.S for your guidance) giving a reasonable speed boost during play.
Other changes and small fixes include:
The four original bug fixes were applied with the change of not having an invisible item in The Hall.
The rope top height was altered to prevent Willy leaving via the top of the room when he is not intended to.
Aborting the game displays the Game Over page before returning to the title screen.
The pause bug was remedied by preventing the game auto-pausing
By default on starting a new game, the in-game tune is switched off. Enabling it will be respected so that starting a new game will remember the players choice.
The status area was altered slightly, namely the room descriptor was moved down one row, room names were centred and the lives remaining were moved along one block.
The usual text flicker back to 000 objects / time on losing a life or entering a room was altered to prevent this being so visible.
Some internal changes to sprite location, mainly concatenating them hence no gaps between.
Title screen tune changed a little bit (in-game music used) and in-game music from re-release version (MM in game tune)
Upon reaching Master Bedroom and landing on the bed, the bug whereby Willy could get stuck has been rectified.
There is one additional room that is accessible but its not necessary to visit it. This was done as a way of avoiding a 'teleport' effect , the alternative as seen in the 2015 bug fixed version required some earth tiles adding which I wanted to avoid.
 
Lastly, it is quite possible within the time limit to complete the game. I have played a few times and averaged around 10 to 15 minutes game time remaining without really rushing around.
 
I hope my small celebratory 2024 JSW version is welcomed!

When Matthew wrote manic Miner he released the game originally with Bug Byte. When he re-released the game with Software projects some small changes were made to the graphics.
 
This version is not a new version of the game and its main novelty is the ability to swap between the versions of the game.
 
Whilst I made minimal change to the games playing style or data I changed some of the ways that the game plays.
This is not a simple edit of the game it is a rewrite but leaves the basic data intact.
 
I have added :-
item collection sounds.
sound effects for being hit by the solar ray
sprite collision sound effects
heavy landing sound effects.
death collision graphic and sound effect
an extensive cheat.
an explanation to why you have died
an animation of the high score being added
a redraw of the title screen (fixing the keyboard graphics)
a title screen animation of a spectrum analyser
a credits screen
a title screen animation showing the version about to be played (Bug Byte graphic or S.P. graphic)
a sprite mask on the main character
a redesign on how the screens update (to stop sprite glitching)
the list of changes is extensive (Some listed above) the overall feel will still be that you are playing the original Manic Miner.
 
This file is listed elsewhere on this site, Having been asked by several people where this file is listed, I realise it needs to be placed in the Manic Miner Download section so it can be found easier.
Addendum To include extra keys - 
 
Each game play alternates between Bug-Byte and Software Projects. The version can be seen as an animated graphic while the title music plays.
To enter the cheat -- start game, and in the Central Cavern  type 6031769. If the cheat value is accepted a purple boot will be displayed.
Once cheat is enabled. It stays active until the computer is switch off or the computor rebooted.
To activate icons.
Press 1 - Toggle fast turn   indicated by an icon on lower right with Miner Willie's legs and arrows
Press 3 - Toggle tool kit activation - allows collapsed floor rebuild - press 9 to rebuild a collapsed floor
Press 4 - Toggle Medical tool kit activation - This stops normal death events.
Now the more convoluted keys.
Press 9 and hold, now press the 1 key - the Cavern shown will be the previous cavern - if on the Central Cavern if will move to the Final Barrier
Press 9 and hold, now press the 2 key - The cavern shown will be the next cavern. - If on the Final Barrier it will move to the Central Cavern 

Note the 1 key icon toggle - does not need the activation of cheat - it is always available.
 

The last update of JSW2+. This version was written to correct escaping the "Off licence" in the final game sequence.

After watching Manic Miner Ports by RetroGamerDiaries I wondered if it would be possible to convert these levels back into the original Spectrum format.
The levels are from the Oric-1, Dragon 32, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro and the Gameboy Advance releases and tries to replicate them as close as the original 48K game mechanic allows.
Here are the levels and the systems they came from.

Follow the post here 
 

He's Back... In an all new old adventure!
This follows on from the Lost Levels and Lost Levels DS in that it is a conversion from another system in this case it is the Sam Coupé version.
After the first 20 levels that follow the original Manic Miner, there were another 20 called The Deeper Caverns then another 20 called Down, Down, Deeper and Down.
This gives the game its title Manic Miner: Deeper and Down as Manic Miner: The Deeper Caverns and Down, Down, Deeper and Down was a bit of a mouthful.
As before it tries to do this as close as the original game mechanic allows but this time using the JSW64 128K game engine as some features like trampolines and switches were impossible to replicate in the original game engine.
There is a demo version of The Deeper Caverns for the 48K which is included in the .zip file as initially it started here. The gameplay order, screens and sprites are slightly different but all levels are playable.
The Deeper Caverns
The Gameplay follows the order of these next 20 levels, level 20 The Final Frontier is used as a link into Down, Down, Deeper and Down so the top of this screen is slightly different to the original Sam Coupé version.
Here are the level screens in gameplay order.
01 The Hollow Chamber
02 The Office
03 Cheese-Plant
04 The Dodgy Mine Shaft
05 The Big Drop
06 Order Processing Department
07 The Rocky Outcrop
08 The Twilight Zone, Part I
09 Son of Kong Beast
10 Trainspotters' Paradise
11 Battle of the Bits
12 A Night on the Tiles
13 The Twilight Zone II
14 Dante's Inferno
15 The Freezer
16 Blue Stick-Waggling Bananas
17 Round The Bend
18 Teddy Bears' Picnic
19 The Clock Tower
20 The Final Frontier
Notes:
Some of the levels with Trampolines have been modified to prevent falling too far.
Kong falling from the platform has been changed for something else. Pull the switch and find out.
Levels with a lot of sprites, switches or items will be slower.
 
Down, Down, Deeper and Down
This follows on directly from The Deeper Caverns with an additional 20 levels.
There is an ending level (Up Up and Away) but it is not playable, like JSW the game just stops here (until the air runs out and then it loops).
Here are the level screens in gameplay order.
01 In Xanadu, did Kubla Khan ?
02 Bleugh
03 Wibble Flowerpot
04 Wibbly Wobbly
05 Caveman Willy
06 No Way Back ?
07 Bouncy-Bouncy
08 Son of Bride of Kong’s Revenge 2
09 The Haunted House
10 The Mouse Trap
11 The Bonus Round
12 Still No Way Back ?
13 The Pink People Eaters
14 April Showers
15 Bottom of the mine shaft
16 The Building Society
17 The Control Room
18 The Assembly Plant
19 The Computer Room
20 The end of Willy as we know it ?
21 Up Up and Away !
Notes:
The items in the The Bonus Round had to be reduced as it exceeded the limit for the overall game.
Because of this additional items have been added to other levels.
The Pokes for Infinite Lives, WRITETYPER and finishing the game without collecting all the items will work.
Follow the post here
 

 

Manic Panic.
Plays on ZX Spectrum and similar hardware.  Runs and plays in48K
This game could have been written when the originals of Manic Miner, Jet Set Willy and Jet set Willy 2 was written. It does not need the memory or hardware of the expanded versions of the ZX spectrum.
 
very very brief note:-
  
   
The original plan was to create a full sized playing screen game. An upgrade on the 2/3 screen playing area of MM and JSW. 
I decided to continue the story of Miner Willy.
Willy Started out exploring in Manic Miner, and hit the jackpot. He then splashed out his monies on a new mansion which was explored in Jet set Willy 1/2 and 2+. 
In the present day his memory of the past is playing tricks on his mind. Did he switch any of the robots off in Manic Miner?
In Manic Panic I leave you to find out. What he does next
 
 
Whilst the basic code was easy enough to write, I did encounter problems with breakup on one part of the screen. This problem nearly caused me to to cease writing and scrap the idea. I persevered and after two weeks I had most of the basic code.
The game has multiple playing modes 0) Trainer, 1) Normal, 2) Expert, 3) Ace , 4) Lantern, 5) Torch. Each mode differs from the others modes in a specific way.
Outline, based on how I remember the code.
Modes
0) Trainer -- Full oxygen ---- Slow oxygen depletion ------ Oxygen depletes on contact - (-2) sprites - No final Bonus - No end game
1) Normal --- Metered oxygen - Normal oxygen depletion ---- Oxygen depletes on contact - (-1) sprite -- Final Bonus ---- End game ----- enables ace mode
2) Expert --- Metered oxygen - Faster oxygen depletion ---- No contact allowed (death) - all sprites -- Final Bonus ---- End game ----- enables ace mode
3) Ace ------ Metered oxygen - Very fast oxygen depletion - No contact allowed (death) - all sprites -- Final Bonus ---- End game ----- playable only if another mode was completed.
Extended modes - added as a novelty
4) Lantern -- Metered oxygen - Normal oxygen depletion ---- Oxygen depletes on contact - (-1) sprite -- Final Bonus ---- End game ----- enables ace mode
5) Torch ---- Metered oxygen - Faster oxygen depletion ---- No contact allowed (death) - all sprites -- Final Bonus ---- End game ----- enables ace mode -- oxygen depletion stops if static.
The extended modes adds a lot of code. And are based on the idea that the caverns are dark and are illuminated by Willy in two ways.
In lantern mode the cavern is completely Blued out. Willy can use the light that is attached to his helmet and illuminate the cavern. The light will point in the direction of Willies travels. If Willy is walking Right the the beam of light from Willies helmet will also shine to the right. Conversely for the left. When Willy is static and is not moving horizontally Willy can rotate the beam of light in either direction. The keys for rotating the beam of light are the keys "H","J","K","L" - with "H" and "K" rotating in one direction and "J","L" rotating in the other direction. The rotation keys have inbuilt delays (similar to keyboard delays). The items are set to still colour cycle or animate in the blued out room , so their positions are always visible. The portal is also still visible.
The above (lantern) was extended into another version. The Torch version. Here the room is blacked out, which makes the surrounding platforms disappear. In order to facilitate playing in such a room, and not make it pure guesswork or committed to memory in order to play. A small area around willy is Blued out, this area shows the platform willy is standing on. The steady depletion of oxygen is stopped, whenever Willy is static (stopped) and the rotation of the torch beam can be undertaken to illuminate other parts of the screen. To further facilitate travelling around the screen, all items/objects/keys collected will briefly flash and illuminate the room when they are collected.  
I have played every cavern in Lantern and in torch mode, whilst it can add a layer of difficulty to each cavern. The fact I have completed them shows me they can be completed. The screens have not been memorised by me and since they are all relatively new, I play them with only a limited memory of how to play them each time I see them.

Changes from MM/JSW 
This list just touches on some aspects of code change.
I rewrote everything- some with better design than others.
Full screen playing area - an increase of nearly 50% Willy now has a sprite mask. All sprites can move in any direction. Room events are changed to sprite events. E.g. Kong is a sprite and not a cavern that has Kong in it. Sprite events can be mixed. e.g. Kong- Skylab - light beams etc can all exist in any cavern. Sprite events specify their own graphics. e.g. you can have differing graphics on the Skylab graphic event in the same room. Sprites can cross other sprites - without killing Willy. Sprites can cross graphics in the background without killing Willy. every sprite can define its own graphic. Sprites can be 16, 8 or 4 pixels high. Addition of worm collision sprites. Addition of time phased dropping sprites. Addition of animated items/keys. Colour cycling on items/keys cycles correctly in 7 cycles and does not repeat in cycles of eight with duplicate colours. Keys/items can animate in  1 phase, 2 phase, 4 phases. Cavern graphics allow up to 16 differing graphics per room. Cavern graphics incorporate a new style of tile - being an invisible/ignore tile. Graphics such as the nasty graphics are during game cycle allowed to act as nasties and also be ignored. -- reason for ignore tiles -- In JSW/MM - Willy can stand on any tile -- These tiles need to be ignored due to being able to survive nasty contact. Graphics do not suffer the duplication of colours bug that plague the differing versions of JSW and MM. Possible to have two differing tiles and one colour. Multiple on screen Conveyors can be animated in different places.  Conveyors can have both left and right conveyors in the same cavern. Special code added to allow Willy to straddle two conveyors and not lock the movement keys out. Air bar is depleted in a progressive manor. Depletion when full is slow. When nearly empty depletion is fast. Rate of depletion is based on the height of the oxygen. The change in speed of depletion is constantly changing. Air bar depletion is also changed by the game level played. Easy levels use a slower rate of depletion compared to the harder levels of play. Dual title music playing routine  Music routine play pitch corrected notes. Music routine illuminates correct keyboard keys. Music routine allows music tempo change. Music routine allows notes of differing length Music routine allows rests. Music routine can play notes from 5 octaves Multiple game playing modes 0) Trainer, 1) Normal, 2) Expert, 3) Ace , 4) Lantern, 5) Torch. Each mode differs from the others modes in a specific way.

Behind the scenes a lot of added code is taking care of several aspects of space management. Since this is just a short note those aspects and the details of the changes will not be added here.