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using Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy game engines
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Message: 6359
Author: Daniel
Date: 10/01/2008
Subject: Mirror MM/JSW / MM - JSW Conversions
As part of the process of playing and RZX-recording all of the gamma-
released MM/JSW and MM/JSW-related games, I have just completed
Andrew Broad's laterally-inverted MM and JSW and the mutual
conversions between these games, released as parts of the "Party
Willy" box-set (2004, Special Edition 2007 -
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/spectrum/download/). Here
are some comments about things that caught my attention.
1. Laterally-inverted MM and JSW
It was a very nice experience playing both games. I agree with
Andrew that "it's most intriguing how mirroring affects the
atmosphere of these games!". Playing the inverted screens also lets
you realise from time to time that there may be other solutions to
the rooms than the ones you are used to and always use, or at least
it makes you wonder whether there aren't better ways of doing things
in some rooms.
In "reniM cinaM" I noticed various instances of the cell-graphics
bug (formerly known as the block-graphics bug), (at least) in rooms
# 00, 07, 11, 12, 15 and 19 (this saves me quoting their weird
names! :-) ). I presume that their appearance is a side-effect of
the lateral conversion. A question to Andrew would be whether the
inverting algorithms should not take that into account and eliminate
the bug? And, similarly, make sure that the cell-graphics bug is
present in the conversion if it is present in the original version
(so that all cell graphics are preserved, although inverted).
is an element which is very visible to someone familiar with MM>
In "ylliW teS teJ" I noticed that there are some things which are
not inverted, such as ropes or arrows (or so it seems, at least).
This creates some differences with the original in the gameplay. I
had a nasty surprise when I discovered that you cannot climb down
from "rewoT hctaW" ("Watch Tower"), because the rope in the room
below keeps throwing you upwards, back into "rewoT hctaW". So I
couldn't take what I consider to be the most effective route around
JSW (climbing down from "Watch Tower" after collecting the items and
later exiting upwards in "Rescue Esmerelda"), and I had to use the
second most efficient route, which involved re-recording most of the
game!
Another interesting and visible difference is that you cannot drop
down onto the platform below, at the last moment avoding the HG,
in "fooR yrotavresnoC" ("Conservatory Roof"), which you can do in
the original JSW. Thus, you cannot exit downwards and you have to
look for an alternative way of collecting the topmost item
in "yregnarO" ("Orangery").
Still another example would be that you cannot jump straight up
between the two guardians on the middle platform in "yebbA nettogroF
ehT" ("The Forgotten Abbey"), on the first approach, the way you can
in the original, which slows you down just a little bit.
Due to these difference (and slightly decreased perfectionism,
probably), my toilet-time in "ylliW teS teJ" was slightly worse than
my best recorded time (without unnecessary loss of life) in "Jet Set
Willy" (8:04 am versus 7:59 am).
Another point: some of the inverted names, or parts of the names,
sound really cool! I wouldn't discard using them in a game of a more
abstract character (spelled normally, i.e. beginning with a capital
letter).
2. Conversions between "Manic Miner" and "Jet Set Willy"
The thing that struck me most about these conversions is the
difference between them in the sense of the quality of the final
result. Most of the rooms from JSW transferred to the MM game engine
are very dull - the gameplay is simply horrible due to a virtual
lack of challenges, the ability to leave the screen on one side and
re-enter it on the other side, fall down and re-enter the screen
from above and avoid death by falling (from higher than four
character rows) into a flashing portal. The game could almost
qualify for the Crap Games Compo :-) . Please note that this is not
criticism of the conversions -it's very nice to see them, and they
are very instructive. Or actually - do the conversions just seem so
dull right after playing "JSW64 Manic Miner: James Bond" :-) .
On the other hand, MM rooms fare much better in the JSW game engine,
IMO. It is a very nice feeling to be moving around in a JSW world
full of MM environment. The lack of time limit and crumbling floors
does effect the attractiveness of the rooms, but there are some nice
challenges -it took me a while to figure out how to solve "The
Warehouse", because I didn't realise the two green flowers were a
ramp. And the downwards exits back to the preceding rooms in the
form of one-block ramps are a nice solution, too.
A technical details that caught my attention is that there seem to
be some minor differences between the game engines you don't
normally think about. For example, in the real MM, in "Wacky
Amoebatrons" it is possible to walk beneath the green VG if you hold
the Right key since (before) the moment you "enter" the room.
However, in the same room transfered to JSW the trick is no longer
possible - the green nasty amoebatron kills you if you don't stop
before it.
Anyway - thanks for the conversions, Andrew, it's nice to be able to
play and analyse them :-) .
Daniel
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