[File] Manic Miner - DarkLight Modification

[Spider]

Thanks. :)

 

That's slightly more elegant than my method of changing it to calling twice  for a 'beginners/easy mode' game, and leaving it at four calls for normal/difficult. I did consider calling it five times on a hard game setting but given its not that easy anyway it would be near impossible to complete the cavern if I did that.

[jetsetdanny]

On 6/18/2020 at 6:23 AM, Spider said:

Some good points. 🙂

 

Please bear in mind I'm not the author of this, my "work" was simply to build a tidy loading screen/loader and turn the instructions into two game files. The credit for the 'modification' and idea itself goes completely to Pgyuri.

 

In regard to teleport yes the TYPEWRITER does function just as well as 6031769 , I felt it prudent to build one for each main variant simply as instructions were provided for each. Should be noted the "patch code" block itself, the tzx file in the instructions zip is the same for both. The manual POKE's are obviously slightly different given the different addresses.

When one looks at the Download page of this variant, or at the beginning of the Download discussion, one sees no mention of Pgyuri whatsoever. 

My understanding is that first Pgyuri provided the code right here and then Andy made ready-to-use files, inputting Pgyuri's code modifications and creating loaders for the new files (please correct me if I'm wrong).

So I believe they should both be credited for this variant, starting with Pgyuri. I will modify the Download page credits accordingly, unless someone suggests (please speak up in the next few days or forever hold your peace!) that it should be done differently.

 

[IRF]

And then Norman Sword took the basic concept, refined it, and implemented it in some of the modes of play in Manic Panic.

[Spider]

I did speak to the author a while back, although I'll have to find the message itself (it was either email or a PM on WOS) , I think from memory and I'll correct myself here in that merely adding a name to the descriptor or third party author was sufficient. IIRC I was requested to leave my name in there too as I'd 'assembled' the games with the modified code and whipped up quick loading screens etc.

[jetsetdanny]

I'm not sure I understand 100% what you mean, Andy - I hope I do. I've added the original author's name (Matthew Smith) to the download description and I've added Pgyuri's name and your name as Third Party Authors. Thus you are both credited and I believe justice is done. However, please correct it if you don't think it's right 🙂 .

[Spider]

No, that's what I meant. Thank you for updating it. 🙂

[Spider]

I would like to see this effect applied to certain JSW rooms though, perhaps Wine Cellar (typically not that bright in real life in some cases) , maybe Forgotten Abbey for a 'spooky' effect and Under The Drive/Tree Root also spring to mind.

[Spider]

Perhaps rather than a 'hard hat with light' in JSW a torch being carried might be more appropriate if possible. Does not seem very difficult (even for me) to swap the M.W sprite out in a few rooms if needed as I suspect can grab the room number from 33824, stick it into A register then do a quick comparison for 'room x' and if it matches simply change DE to make the code pick up the 'newer' sprite. Almost identical to the existing "are we in the Nightmare Room" code 🙃

One issue might be making it appear for him to carry a torch without it looking odd. Not sure.

[jetsetdanny]

Manic Miner - Light Modification now has its own page on JSW Central. 

After a careful consideration of what really is the title of this variant, I opted for "Manic Miner - Light Modification", for the following reasons:

- It is the name Pgyuri used on WoS (although not this exact spelling);

- It is what Andy put on the loading screen (although not this exact spelling);

- It is what makes most sense (to me) as a play on words - it's a "light" modification in the sense of not being very heavy (not too much has been modified in the game's code), and at the same time it has to do with light (inside the cavern).

I've got the RZX recordings I made showing the highest documented scores I mention on JSW Central. They're not public yet, but hopefully will be made public in the next few days.

As always, I tried to do my best describing this version of the game concisely and giving credit to its creators. However, if anyone has any comments or suggestions for improvement, please let me know and I will be happy to consider them and most likely update the info on JSW Central accordingly 🙂 .

[IRF]

There is something which I meant to say yesterday in relation to the 'MM: creme de la creme' entry on JSWCentral - but I forgot - and which also applies here [EDIT: and indeed in relation to the original Manic Miner, and possibly other games using the MM engine]:

I don't see the purpose of giving separate Highest Documented Score for:

- Reaching the Swordfish;

- Re-entry to the Central Cavern [or equivalent] after completing all the caverns once.

The former just seems to truncate consideration of the final cavern before the additional points have been added to account for how quickly the player completed that final cavern.  To what purpose?

I can see the argument for giving distinct times in JSW for reaching the onset of the various game modes (all items collected/reaching the bed/reaching the toilet], because the player has some agency in between those stages - and in some modified games, pausing Willy in mid-toilet-run is necessary to dodge guardians, etc. [EDIT: Although in the JSWCentral entry for original Jet Set Willy, you don't appear to give that level of detail for Best Documented Completion Time!]

However, the player in Manic Miner has absolutely no agency to change things once they have entered the portal in The Final Barrier - the end sequence of the game simply plays out - the Swordfish appears*, and then the remaining air is counted down, and then Willy reappears in the Central Cavern.  So it seems, in my humble opinion, to be an arbitrary and unnecessary distinction to make!

*EDIT: Actually, it isn't always even the case that the Swordfish appears - if the Cheat Boot has been enabled, then the Swordfish effect is skipped!  Suppose I were to load up the original Manic Miner, activate Cheat Mode (using '6031769'), but not actually use the teleportation feature subsequently, and then make a recording of my completing all 20 caverns with a better final score than what is currently listed on JSWCentral - how would you update the site to account for that higher final score?

Edited April 15, 2021 by IRF