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Dig Dug +6DH Special Enhanced [2022] |
Credits :
Intro used in this crack:
Download :
Look for downloads on external sites:
Pokefinder.org
Production Info
Submitted by E$G on 15 November 2022
About the Hokuto Force Version
A request came from Miami Bass asking if we could make a special version of Dig Dug that plays at NTSC speed on PAL C64s. This NTSC feature is something we did for the Hokuto Force crack of Pooyan - another classic game written for the US market and tuned for NTSC systems.
Making a new crack for Dig Dug is something we took very seriously, because there are already many quality versions released by top tier groups. So it had to be something unique.
In addition to the NTSC speed option, we took the time to fix some bugs in the original game and focus on features that would be appreciated by dedicated Dig Dug fans – like a fix for score wrap-around above 1 million points. And for fun, we made a full speed hack for an extreme difficulty challenge.
Most of the ideas for this crack and heavy testing of the game were provided by Miami Bass. All cracking, training, and bug fixes were done by Brataccas.
NEW FEATURES
1. Play at NTSC speed on PAL C64s.
The European releases of Dig Dug were imports/licensed versions directly from the Atarisoft code. As a result, the game plays slower on PAL machines than intended from the arcade. This optional feature speeds up the game timing to match 60hz for gameplay and music.
2. Extended the score display to add an extra digit.
This fix makes it possible to score in the millions. Expert Dig Dug players can now play for hours without hitting a score wrap-around limit.
3. High score name entry and score table saved to disk.
Added a high score table display on title screen while preserving the original screen layout. High scores are saved to disk (when not using trainers).
Added high score name entry by keyboard, and high score support in two player mode.
Because the choice of PAL or NTSC timing affects the difficulty of the game, high scores are saved in two different save files depending on the speed selected.
4. Added an option to use arcade style dig speed.
The arcade Dig Dug game slows movement down when digging and speeds back up again when running in tunnels. This fixes a bug in the C64 version that leaves the player moving slowly most of the time after digging. Since this change makes the game easier, the option to play with arcade dig speed was made into a trainer.
5. Default joystick set to Port 2 with ability to swap.
The original game used Port 1, which can very rarely cause interference with the spacebar for pause mode. This changes default joystick to Port 2. However, for preservation reasons, you can toggle joysticks to Port 1 by pressing F7 on the title screen.
6. Added Extreme Difficulty speed hack.
Since we already found a way to speed up the gameplay to match NTSC timing, we were able to unlock the fastest possible speed for the game. This makes Dig Dug extremely hard, but also provides a challenge for expert players looking for something different. If you play the extreme hack and don't use any trainers, you get to save your high score.
TRAINERS
All the standard trainers for invincibility and infinite lives are in this version, plus the arcade dig speed option and the special hack.
1. Infinite Lives
2. Invincible to Rocks
3. Invincible to Monsters
4. Press C= for Level Skip
5. Use Arcade-Style Dig Speed
6. Hack: Extreme Difficulty
BUG FIXES
1. Fygar's flame breath fix.
Many 1980s era cracks of this game, including the grandaddy Broken-by-the-Bandit version have a bug, where Fygar breathes flames too many times in a row (continuously on modern emulators).
The original game uses a table outside of cartridge memory to control the rate of Fygar's flames, possibly using uninitialized C64 memory for randomness.
We filled the table with values that fix the continuous fire problem, but also allow the flames to sometimes occur twice in a row, like the arcade.
2. Performance optimization.
The Dig Dug game board is drawn with bitmap graphics, including the score display. Perhaps due to the way the original game was written for a sprite multiplexor, the score is redrawn several times during a screen. This makes it costly to update the score – enough to slow the game down with each new score digit. The original game runs permanently slower once you score 1000 points or more, usually by the first level. This optimization only draws the score if it has changed, removing the slowdown.
3. Fix stuck on level after rock drops on more than six monsters at once.
In certain conditions on the original game, if you kill all the monsters on a level by a single rock (or by pumping during a rock fall) and the amount killed is large number, you can get stuck forever on a level. This fix allows the game to proceed to the next level when all the monsters are gone.
4. Cleaned up graphics glitches.
Removed graphics glitches at boot of the game and removed a momentary large yellow flash of garbage characters every time the game displays the title screen. |
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