Is Pang the best arcade port ever?

[Gilbert]

Originally Posted by str0m

Gilbert - They have Strider at the Arcade Club Leeds (which is shut atm as tier 3 sigh)

That's a cool game to have there! I want to visit one of those Arcade Clubs one day. We don't have any down South sadly. There have been retro arcades in London but they seem to close down a lot.

Covid makes me worry all the Retrocades will shut down. I hope they can get rent reductions.

[DamienD]

Originally Posted by Gilbert

That's impressive you even found Strider in the UK. I actually never saw it in the arcade.

I am Australian, and grew up in Sydney.

I came to London on a 2 year working holiday visa in 1999, got sponsored, blah, blah, blah, and am still here...

Where I lived in Sydney there used to be a video shop that we would hire movies from every night with my father. There were 3 x Arcade machines, which would get changed every month or so.

Also, there was also a bowling alley close by that had 50 x Arcade machines.

So from probably 8 years old until 19 I played / experienced a shite loads of classic Arcade games

When I discovered MAME (and other Arcade emulators) in 1997, I was over the moon; and purchased a HotRodSE

[davidgilmour]

Originally Posted by DanScott

Arkanoid
Marble Madness

I especially logged in to tell you that this is the only correct answer! These are the only 2 “perfect” arcade conversions on the Amiga!

[saimon69]

Originally Posted by davidgilmour

i especially logged in to tell you that this is the only correct answer! These are the only 2 “perfect” arcade conversions on the amiga!

iyo

[DanScott]

I'd just like to take this time to say that I'm not associated in any way, shape or form with David Gilmour, or any other member of the band Pink Floyd for that matter !

[jotd]

ironically those 2 graphically perfect ports play like crap with amiga mouse or joy due to the lack of

- paddle/dial for arkanoid
- trackball for marble madness. I mean, those BIG blue and red trackballs of the arcade game they rocked

I mean, the ports are excellent, but the arcade versions bring a special controller, and using the mouse or joy to play the game ruins the experience imho.

So Pang isn't 100% perfect but plays 99% like the arcade because same joystick control. Same for Toki (after whdload 2 button jump patch, else it's frustrating)

[manossg]

Even though Toki is a very cut-down version of the arcade original, I always prefer the Amiga version because I can use up to jump, thankfully. Also, the Amiga music wipes the floor with the arcade music, imo.

My favorite arcade conversions are Pang, Marble Madness, Rodland, Rainbow Islands...and Tiny Bobble.

[jotd]

I always prefer the Amiga version because I can use up to jump, thankfully.

... and accidentally jump when firing at birds (and getting killed because of pressing "up" before "fire"). That can't be...

[manossg]

Originally Posted by jotd

... and accidentally jump when firing at birds (and getting killed because of pressing "up" before "fire"). That can't be...

If you keep pressing fire while aiming, there is no way to jump accidentally*. And I had no trouble completing the Amiga version. And today, even if I have a nice 2-button joystick, I still go with the up for jump every time.

*of course, up for jump is better only if you have a good stick. Else, I can understand these controls being difficult.

[jotd]

Agreed, I was okay for up for jump with my excellent wico joystick (Gods, Magic Pockets, and other atari/amiga native platformers) but sorry not for arcade adaptations (Ghosts&Goblins, Toki). I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on that particular point

Generally speaking arcade adaptations which had to change the controls (because few people had 2 button joysticks until 1993) are harder to control and frustrating. I loved Mortal Kombat port (with 2 button) though. They could squeeze the moves in 2 buttons. Overall not a bad port on A500. Colors suck but plays fine.

Nowadays up for jump with a joypad is a big no no. joypads are the reason a second button is needed for jump. I got used to joypads, even if decades ago I only used the wico for my favorite games. BTW wico has a second button too.

[manossg]

Well, depends on how well the aiming was implemented. For example, IIRC in ghouls'n'ghosts you could aim in the arcade, but in the Amiga version it was impossible not to confuse aiming with jumping, so you always ended up jumping when you didn't mean to. Midnight Resistance aiming was a bit clunky but efficient if you got used to it. For Toki aiming was never a problem for me and, even though I could complete the arcade version as well (I played it to death bitd), I will always pick the Amiga version. Same goes for all these platform-type games (Rainbow Islands, New Zealand Story etc), where my platform of choice is the Amiga, mainly because of the controls.

Actually, nowadays I tend to stay away from games that don't have up for jump, even if they are excellent (Claw, Earthworm Jim and Curse of Issyos spring to mind). So I guess a man's dessert is another man's poison.

A500 MK was pretty good with 1 button. Yet I agree that 1 on 1 beat'em ups are somewhat better with 2 buttons. Same goes for shoot'em'ups where you can use the 2nd button for a special attack without having to reach for the space bar.

And yes, I can imagine up for jump and diagonals being a nightmare on joypads. :S

[jotd]

up for jump is the norm on the amiga, no wonder why you're staying on it the only arcade game that had up for jump that I remember is Green Beret aka Rush'N'Attack, probably because there were already 2 buttons taken for weapons and 80's arcade cabinets rarely had more than 2 buttons beside the superb joystick. Damn I loved those iron-bar + black handle joysticks.

I completed Chaos Engine (again, after 25+ years) with a joypad a few months ago, so I guess diagonals are not that bad with joypads, but with my wico it seemed easier

[turrican3]

i think about double dragon 2 and golden axe.
Golden axe is a terrific conversion when you think about the difficulty.

[saimon69]

Originally Posted by DamienD

What do you mean? I'm sure earok added your music to the latest version.

Well, there is no longplay of the non-cd version in youtube

[saimon69]

Originally Posted by jotd

Marble madness was an awesome port of the arcade (probably using arcade assets for graphics AND code too) done in 1986 under Electronic Arts label. Only the music was really feeble compared to the arcade (sometimes it's the other way round), and I wonder if the amiga is able to perform the same music as the arcade anyway. A challenge for J.M.D / Saimon69 or DJMetune ?

Whoops i lost this at the time!
I could try to get similar sounds but not the same ones since MM is not supported by hoot, therefore i have to go in Deflemask and try to recreate the waveform - plus amiga MM need the replayer changed since i suspect is using .smus files instead of mod AND need to be run in NTSC mode

[jotd]

If you have the music modules, I can certainly try to adapt the music replayer. I already could remove the music

problem is the sfx. I'd have to rip them and use phx ptplayer for them too or there will be conflicts. Or... replace them by the real arcade sfx. That would be another improvement.

[saimon69]

Any idea where i could get the Marble Madness music files and what player supports them? (pretty sure hoot does not but cannot be sure of it)
Found he soundtrack as vgz files but do anyone know a vgm/vgz player that allows me, like hoot, to turn on/off single channels?

(btw about the OTHER project you know, am thinking for a NTSC version for 1200 that uses only the two base megs of chip RAM, for now just with the new music and hopefully we can find a way to tweak the maps too)

[rothers]

It's such a shame Ghosts and Goblins got poor reviews, it's an amazing conversion. Sign of those times I guess, people thought it looked dated so it must be bad.

I wonder if Capcom restricted them from using upgraded graphics, or if it was just never thought of in that time period.

We always used sega controllers and I remember using the action replay to switch some 'up to jump' games to use the second button.

[PatmanQC]

One that I haven't seen mentioned was klax which was fantastic. Super off-road is extremely close to the arcade game as well. Shadow warriors, pac land, PAC mania and Toki are right up there as well.

[saimon69]

Originally Posted by PatmanQC

One that I haven't seen mentioned was klax which was fantastic. Super off-road is extremely close to the arcade game as well. Shadow warriors, pac land, PAC mania and Toki are right up there as well.

After i seen the Arkanoid port, at the time thought Klax was going to be an easy one and another 1:1 to arcade BUT they reused ST assets, so is just 16 colors (and is not even a seemingly demanding game) instead of 32/64 - so was a bit disappointed, and that is how picky Amigans are born... -_-