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Name That Game Via Haiku - March 2021 Forum Thread Game of the Month


nosweargamer

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RE:  Karateka. 

I absolutely love the Atari 8-bit (and C64 and Apple) version.  But guess what?  The lag is there on those versions as well!  I played the C64 version very recently, and there are moments in the game in which you have to project your moves in advance until the lag ends.  No one ever mentions it.  The thing is, the controls are so much better that it's easier to anticipate and control.  That's the big difference.  Keyboard controls are better. 

The thing to remember about this game is the incredible animation on the large characters.  It can't use traditional "sprites".  It reminds me a bit of Star Raiders and the lag you see when it has to draw several explosions at once.  Heavy CPU usage I guess.  Jordan Mechner was pushing the limits of the machines. 

Hopefully you guys will give one of the home computer versions a try.  It is a classic.  And you can finish a game in under an hour once you know all the secrets. 

 

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5 minutes ago, RickR said:

RE:  Karateka. 

I absolutely love the Atari 8-bit (and C64 and Apple) version.  But guess what?  The lag is there on those versions as well!  I played the C64 version very recently, and there are moments in the game in which you have to project your moves in advance until the lag ends.  No one ever mentions it.  The thing is, the controls are so much better that it's easier to anticipate and control.  That's the big difference.  Keyboard controls are better. 

The thing to remember about this game is the incredible animation on the large characters.  It can't use traditional "sprites".  It reminds me a bit of Star Raiders and the lag you see when it has to draw several explosions at once.  Heavy CPU usage I guess.  Jordan Mechner was pushing the limits of the machines. 

Hopefully you guys will give one of the home computer versions a try.  It is a classic.  And you can finish a game in under an hour once you know all the secrets. 

 

I give it crap, but I actually rather like the 7800 version. I shouldn’t, but I do. I’ll try those computer versions sometime. Right now, I’m playing your OTHER favorite game. You know the one. Fowl versus PhD?

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7 minutes ago, RickR said:

RE:  Karateka. 

I absolutely love the Atari 8-bit (and C64 and Apple) version.  But guess what?  The lag is there on those versions as well!  I played the C64 version very recently, and there are moments in the game in which you have to project your moves in advance until the lag ends.  No one ever mentions it.  The thing is, the controls are so much better that it's easier to anticipate and control.  That's the big difference.  Keyboard controls are better. 

The thing to remember about this game is the incredible animation on the large characters.  It can't use traditional "sprites".  It reminds me a bit of Star Raiders and the lag you see when it has to draw several explosions at once.  Heavy CPU usage I guess.  Jordan Mechner was pushing the limits of the machines. 

Hopefully you guys will give one of the home computer versions a try.  It is a classic.  And you can finish a game in under an hour once you know all the secrets. 

 

I'm hoping to get the XE cart one day, but apparently it's rare and expensive.

 

 

The No Swear Gamer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChtJuo040EOCTVziObIgVcg

Host of The Atari 7800 Game by Game Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher and YouTube

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Just now, HDN said:

I give it crap, but I actually rather like the 7800 version. I shouldn’t, but I do. I’ll try those computer versions sometime. Right now, I’m playing your OTHER favorite game. You know the one. Fowl versus PhD?

The games that are ports, like Karateka and One on One -- I really believe they borrowed code.  In One on One, the graphics are improved on the 7800, but the algorithms and how the players move and react is identical to the 800 version. 

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3 minutes ago, nosweargamer said:

I'm hoping to get the XE cart one day, but apparently it's rare and expensive.

 

 

I don't know how you feel about multicarts - but the UNO Cart for the XL/XE computers is very inexpensive and so worth it. 

I had no idea they made a cartridge version.  I have the original floppy disk version, which I purchased new from Toys R Us!

 

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Just now, RickR said:

I don't know how you feel about multicarts - but the UNO Cart for the XL/XE computers is very inexpensive and so worth it. 

 

Right now I prefer real carts to show off in my videos, although I may bend and use multicarts for homebrews in the future. I ordered an LTO flash. 

The No Swear Gamer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChtJuo040EOCTVziObIgVcg

Host of The Atari 7800 Game by Game Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher and YouTube

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