Resource centre for ZX Spectrum games
using Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy game engines
Versions and minor mods of the original Jet Set Willy
jsw013
Authors: Joan Heemskerk and Dirk Paesmans (JODI)
Year: 2003-2016
Language: English
jsw013 is one of JODI's artistic Jet Set Willy Variations. It shows all of the cells in the game as letters symbolising their type (A for Air, E for Earth, W for Water, etc.).
Info about JODI and their Jet Set Willy Variations project is here.
At least three versions of jsw013 can be found among the various editions of Jet Set Willy Variations available on the web. TAP, SNA and WAV files bearing a time stamp of July 2016 are hosted on JODI's website. A SNA file modified in 2010 can be retrieved from the older versions of JODI's download via the Wayback Machine. Finally, a SNA file dated March 2003 is hosted on Andrew Broad's archived website.
The differences between the 2003 and 2010 versions include: the title screen, the Game Over screen, the title-screen music, the in-game music, Willy's sprite, changes in the way some guardians (and the toilet in "The Bathroom") look in the game and the appearance of the room "At the Foot of the MegaTree" (03), which in the 2003 version looks different from all of the other rooms.
The differences between the 2010 and 2016 versions include: the title screen, the Game Over screen, Willy's sprite, and the status bar (the lower third of the screen) including the room names.
In the further analysis, the title jsw013 will be spelled in lower case for all versions, corresponding to the current spelling on JODI's website.
Independently of its being meant to be a work of art, jsw011 can be played as a "normal" game. The protagonist (a BRIGHT white square) can pass through guardians and fall from heights safely; the only thing that can kill him (her?) are Fire cells. As a result, the gameplay is much easier than in the original JSW (although maximum-length jumps from the edges of the platforms are more difficult, because it is hard to tell the protagonist's exact position) and the game can be completed faster. There are no ropes or arrows.
The layout is almost identical to that of the original JSW. One major difference is that "Tree Root" (46) has an opening to the right, which allows the player to exit to "The Drive" (04). Other differences are that "Tool Shed" (51) is passable in both directions, while it is impossible to climb the Banyan Tree.
All versions of the game suffer from the same critical bug which makes them impossible to complete. It is, in fact, one of the bugs found in the original JSW - the rightmost Fire cell in "Conservatory Roof" (43) prevents the player from collecting the rightmost item. One of the official Software Projects POKEs (#EB47,00) fixes it.
Furthermore, in the 2010 and 2016 versions the value of the address #958E is for some reason modified from the original #BC to #83. As a result, the code checking if Willy has reached the toilet during the toilet run does not work properly and Game Mode 3 (corresponding to Willy being head down inside the toilet, with his legs kicking wildly in the air) is never activated. Restoring the original value of this address solves the problem and means, in visual terms, that the protagonist disappears at the end of the toilet run (as there are no Willy-inside-the-toilet graphics) instead of being stuck permanently (visible as a blank white square) against the wall.
The bugfixed versions are available for download below as JSW Central Specials.
The information below refers to these fixed editions and is the same for all three files unless differences are indicated.
Number of edited rooms: 60
Number of rooms accessible without cheating: 60
Number of rooms which need to be visited to complete the game: 54
("Entrance to Hades" [06], "East Wall Base" [26], "Halfway up the East Wall [32], "A bit of tree" [36], "The Attic" [41] and "Back Door" [53] do not have to be visited if the player chooses a route aimed at minimising the number of rooms visited. Incidentally, "Entrance to Hades" is not lethal in jsw013; the player can pass through it and land in "Off Licence" [00] safely.)
Number of items to collect: 80
Bugfix needed after original release? YES
Third-party bugfix released? YES
Spare lives at the start: 7
Completable without loss of life? NO
Lives which need to be sacrificed to complete the game: 1
(A life has to be sacrificed to collect the leftmost item in "Conservatory Roof" [43].)
Starting time: 7:00 am
Best documented completion time with no unnecessary loss of life: 7:48 am
Download links
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Jet Set Willy Variations on JODI's website |
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Current ZIP package on JODI's website |
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Game files of all known variants of the game, both original and bugfixed, in various formats |
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Game files of the bug-fixed versions in SNA format plus a Readme |
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RZX walkthroughs of the bug-fixed versions of all known variants of the game |
Screenshot gallery |
The 2003 version
The 2010 version
The 2016 version
