[File] La casa di Jack / La casa de Jack

[Spider]

View File

La casa di Jack / La casa de Jack

---

These are slightly modified Italian and Spanish versions of JSW with full Italian / Spanish text translations throughout. They were both released by Load 'n' Run.

 

The Italian version, called 'La casa di Jack', was released on the Italian Load 'n' Run tape 11 in December 1984. There is no visible personal credit in this version.

 

The Spanish version, called 'La casa de Jack', was released on the Spanish Load 'n' Run tape 1_02 in March 1985. It was created by Juancho Mart

---

• Submitter
  Spider
• Submitted
  08/27/2017
• Category
  Jet Set Willy [Patched]

 

[jetsetdanny]

Andy,

 

Thanks for discussing this version and creating a TAP file from the existing .Z80 snapshot :).

 

Some points on this subject:

 

1.

 

In the original .Z80 snapshot, after starting the game, Willy keeps jumping up vertically and you can't play the game (it doesn't respond to the movement keys). After the game has been reset (and exits to the title screen), after going through the title screen and the micro cheat selection, you can play the game normally.

 

I've seen this problem: Willy just jumping up vertically, without the player being able to control him, after launching the game, in several old JSW hacks. I wonder what the technical explanation of this problem is.

 

 

2.

 

It is interesting to note that the author has taken the time and trouble to 'rename' Entrance to Hades too as well as all the other instances of wording throughout.

 

 

Andy, I would suggest changing the above wording a little bit. When you talk about 'renaming' Entrance to Hades, I thought you were referring to the room name, and I didn't know what you really meant (because all of the rooms are renamed in this version of the game) until I saw the screen in-game. I think that saying something along the lines that the author has taken the time and trouble to modify the "DIE MORTAL" message in Entrance to Hades to read "LA MORTE" (which, incidentally, is not Spanish, but Italian, similarly like the title itself; in Spanish it would be "LA MUERTE" and "LA CASA DE JACK", respectively).

 

 

Unfortunately it still has the original "4 bugs" present, although these are easily fixed if required using the standard methods.

 

Not all of them. The values of the bytes which describe the item locations in the #A4... range are modified. They have the same "layout" as in the orignal, but their values are increased by (decimal) 64, so e.g.

 

The value #B2 at #A4AD in the original JSW becomes #F2 at the same address in La Casa di Jack.

 

The value #1C at #A4C7 in the original JSW becomes #5C at the same address in La Casa di Jack.

 

So to apply the fix for the First Landing item you need to apply the value #4B instead of #0B at #A4C7.

 

I have seen such a pattern of differences before, but I can't remember where exactly. I am unable to explain the reason for it right now, although I know the explanation is very simple...

 

I have applied the fixes to the TAP file which you created and I would kindly suggest that it be added to the download options on the Download page, so that everyone interested has access to a completable version of the game. Here it is:

 

 

Jet Set Willy (Juancho Martinez Cubero) aka La Casa Di Jack) bug-fixed.tap

 

Incidentally, there is a typo in the name of the two files offered for download at this moment. This author's first surname is Martinez, not Martizen.

 

I have played the attached file to completion and I testify it can be completed with just one loss of life (in Conservatory Roof, just like all JSW variants where the Official Software POKEs have been applied, but Conservatory Roof has not been fixed otherwise). In fact, I have recorded an RZX walkthrough of it (with a completion time of 8.00 am), which I will make public very soon, in a few days' time, along with some other stuff :).

[Spider]

Thanks for the updated information. :)

 

The 'constant jump' can happen with any JSW (or sometimes MM but I'm not 100% on that) it is due to Kempston being enabled in the snapshot file and not in the emulator or vice-versa. A break/restart fixes in most cases as you've noted. This is because the 'check for joystick' check has already been done when the snapshot was taken. A sensible 'fix' for this really is to put a breakpoint at 33792 just after the DI then take the snapshot when it drops out to the debugger. This way you "cover all bases" so to speak. :) , alternative would be to move the PC back a bit I guess.

 

Have fixed authors name in both descriptor and files and added the bug-fixed version too. Thanks! :)

 

The text was also adjusted to add your input, thanks again.

[jetsetdanny]

Thanks, Andy! :)

[jetsetdanny]

Ever since I first learnt about "La casa di Jack" being 'a Spanish version of "JSW"', I have been uncomfortable with it. I never understood why a Spanish version of the game should have an Italian title. It just didn't make sense.

 

Now, having investigated the issue, I believe I have the answer. Or rather, I know the truth. The truth is (in my strong conviction) that "La casa di Jack" is an Italian version of "JSW", which also happens to have a Spanish version. I am sure the Italian variant was the primary one (hence the title in Italian), and the Spanish version is secondary, translated from Italian.

 

What happened was that the secondary Spanish version has been known amongst the JSW community for ages (at least since this page went online, probably earlier), and the primary Italian version surfaced later. The info on Andrew Broad's List of MM & JSW games is therefore misleading, when it is first stated that:

 

A Spanish variant of Jet Set Willy called La Casa de Jack is now available for downloading (thanks to Vidar Eriksen (Erix1) for making it available!). It was written by Juancho Mart

La casa di Jack (bug-fixed).tap

Edited March 8, 2018 by jetsetdanny

[IRF]

A nice bit of detective work, Danny!

 

One query: have you uploaded the same attachment twice, instead of two different files?

[jetsetdanny]

Thanks, Ian :)

 

Yes, my mistake. I'll upload the other file tomorrow (actually, it can be downloaded from here, as mentioned above).

 

After some further research (it's all here, actually, only I didn't look closely enough before):

 

- The Italian LOAD 'N' RUN tape 11 with "La casa di Jack" was released in December 1984.

 

- The Spanish LOAD 'N' RUN tape 1_02 with "La casa de Jack" was released in March 1985.

 

So it's just like I suspected: the Italian version is primary, the Spanish version is a variant of the Italian version. I believe this settles the whole issue and gives us a clear picture.

 

Furthermore, the game was called "La casa de Jack" in the Spanish magazine (printed version). So I would advocate even more using this name for the Spanish version.

 

I have downloaded the actual file of the Spanish LOAD 'N' RUN tape (to see if something more can be found there beyond what's in the .Z80 snapshot - like a custom loading screen), but it's in DSK format EDIT: I found it in TZX format, too. Spin opens it, but then nothing happens. Here it is:

 

EDIT: Attachment has been deleted. It's re-uploaded below.

 

Perhaps someone will be able to make it run and / or convert it to TAP file? EDIT: I've done it myself. Please see below. EDIT 2: It was useless work, because later on I found a TZX file I could use.

Edited March 9, 2018 by jetsetdanny

[jetsetdanny]

OK, the last thing for tonight.

 

I've managed to extract and convert "La casa de Jack" from the above DSK file to a TZX file using ZX-Blockeditor. Here it is:

 

EDIT: The attachment has been deleted, as I'm going to update 'better' versions.

 

Apparently, it doesn't have a loading screen (like the Italian version). The only difference with the .Z80 version is that it prints "PULSA ENTER PARA JUGAR" (i.e. PRESS ENTER TO PLAY) after the game has loaded and the game is only launched after you press a key.

 

Tomorrow or during the weekend, when I have time, I will have another look at the files downloaded from the above website (I'lve also dowloaded the whole Italian LOAD 'N' RUN tape 11 with various programs, including "La casa di Jack") and prepare a set of extracted / converted if necessary files (2x TAP and 2xTZX) of what I think will be files as close to the original as possible. Plus the fixed versions (so 8 files in total: 2xTAP original + 2xTZX original + 2xTAP fixed + 2xTZX fixed), to offer them as the ultimate download option here instead of the currently hosted files (if Andy agrees) :).

Edited March 9, 2018 by jetsetdanny

[jetsetdanny]

OK, here we go. Attached below are the eight files mentioned above, i.e. 2x TAP and 2xTZX versions of both files which are essentially unmodified original releases (apart from deleting unnecesary files from TZX tapes which contained many programs, and saving half of them as TAP instead of TZX) and bug-fixed releases made completable by applying the four official Software Projects POKEs.

 

La casa.zip

 

And here are the source files which were used to create them (using ZX-Blockeditor), downloaded from here (I don't know how to point to the sub-pages here, because the address in the browser always seems the same, no matter what sub-page I'm on):

 

LNR_Zx_Ita_11.tzx

 

LNR_Zx_Esp_n1_02.tzx

 

I would kindly suggest that the 8 files attached above as ZIP be hosted here, as they are the original releases (extracted from the original TZX tapes) plus their bug-fixed versions (fixed only by using the official Software Projects POKEs, with no other changes).

 

There are two interesting things I've noticed:

 

1. In all of these files, the addresses in the #A4.. range, describing item locations, are unchanged in relation to the original JSW. So in the bug-fixed files attached here the 'regular' value of #0B was applied at #A4C7 to transfer the First Landing item (contrary to what I discussed previously).

 

I am mystified as to why the addresses are changed in the two 'less original' files I had worked with previously.

 

 

2. Choosing the option of playing with infinite lives (2) in the cheat menu does not really give you infinite lives, but a very interesting effect I haven't seen before, which could actually be a good idea as an option for some future project: your lives are renewed as you move to another room (or re-enter the same one). In other words, if you keep losing lives in one room, you don't see them disappear from the status bar (lower third of the screen), but after you've lost the 8th life in this room, it's Game Over. However, if you exit to another room, your lives are replenished (and you can lose 7 of them again, and then it's Game Over after losing the 8th life in the same room, unless you move to another screen). Interesting, isn't it?

 

The bug-fixed files I uploaded previously and the file of 'La casa di Jack' copied from Darkman's compilation should be deleted from here (I'll try to do it after posting this). I am not sure what to suggest about Andy's TAP version of "La casa de Jack". On the one hand, it is certainly not the original release. On the other hand, Andy put some work into creating it, and it was perhaps the best available version at the time. So I'm not sure - perhaps it'll be best that he decides himself  :).

Edited March 9, 2018 by jetsetdanny

[jetsetdanny]

Last night I did what I postulated above, i.e. I edited the Download page to make it reflect the current knowledge about these two variants.

 

One little point now: the name of "The Banyan Tree" is the same in both variants. It is "Jack lametta alla riscossa", which is Italian. So it's an example of the 'original' Italian room name left untranslated in the Spanish version.