Atari VCS/2600
Easter egg contest!
UPDATES!
►Our first contest winner is Kurt Howe! With a little programming"trickery", he was able to uncover the special display in Activision'sSPACE SHUTTLE. Excellent work!
►DP’s very own John Hardie has turned up Peter Niday’s initialsin Dumbo’s Flying Circus, courtesy of a little “fireside” chat withPeter himself. Peter also mentionedthat either one or both of his other 2 games may also conceal a hidden surprise. See the entry below for more info!
►The “mystery” guardian in Tutankham is none other than King Tuthimself! See the Easter egg entryfor this game for a picture of it.
►Next up are Thomas Jentzsch and Ronnie Dingman (“Stan Jr”),who deciphered the solution to revealing the last major Easter egg in E.T. It took nearly 17 years (to the day) to finally solve this riddle. It was originally mentioned via an anonymous letter sent to ElectronicGames magazine (January 1984). In1993, Jeff Adkins was the 1st known person to document hisbrief accidental discovery of the initials. His description appears in the 2600 Connection n/l, #17 (“E.T.:The Warshaw ‘sword’”). HowardScott Warshaw confirmed its existence in 1996-97, in both Slap-Dashand the 2600 Connection. Infollow-ups to both Warshaw and Jerome Domurat, neither one remembered howto trigger them. Early this year (2001) two people contacted me (Keith“Lordhtiek” and Kristine Roper) to say that they had seen them,but also didn’t know how to repeat it. OnNov. 8, I found the graphics for the initials in the code, using a programcalled ROMHACK, by Fabrizio Zavagli, which started a 24-hourbrain-storming session to find the solution. Kurt Howe (“Nukey Shay”) began disassembling the code to seehow it was triggered. Ronnie thenjoined in, trying to find them through normal playing (he mentioned that he hadstumbled across them numerous times, but thought nothing of it…), while Thomastook Kurt’s approach. Amazingly,both Thomas and Ronnie discovered the solution within minutes of each other,using completely different methods! Howincredible is that??
►Thomas Jentzsch found how how Steve Woita’s hidden message isrevealed in Quadrun. Actually,it’s not hidden at all! If youreach the 6th level (past GOONS, SNAGS, YO-YOS, NODS,and BRATS), it’s called “WOITA WAVE” (same as in Taz).He hacked the code to make a special version of the game, with unlimited livesand time, to discover this.
►Thomas Jentzsch scores again! AfterI found Bob Polaro’s initials in Sprintmaster, Thomas went towork and disassembled some of the code to find out how it’s triggered. He also proved that the rumored Pac-Man ‘infinite lives’ trickis not true. As for the othertrick, Delf Meek confirmed that the tunnel glitch does exist!
►After an extensive search by several individuals, it is fairly certain that JeromeM. Domurat’s initials do not existin the release version of Raiders of the Lost Ark, so this leaves thepossibility that any prototypes that are out there may have it. Screenshots of it (showing it in the Valley of Poison) can be found in atleast 4 publications: Electronic Games magazine, November 1982 (page 8); ElectronicGames magazine, March 1984,page 24 (picture is upside-down); Consumer’s Guide book, How to Win at HomeVideo Games, page 56, and inthe book, Videospelletjes - complete handleiding voor winnaars, onpage 52 (by Arnie Katz, Bill Kunkel and Kees van Toorn).If you have, or know of anyone who has a prototype of this game, please emailme!
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Big money! Bigprizes!
Answerscan be derived by (most) any means necessary ("straight" playing,translating the actual code, contacting the programmers, etc.). Thosemarked with a (VT) require video-tapedproof of someone playing the game (on an actual Atari system – no emulators!),whereas the others simply require step-by-step instructions on how to reveal it.
Answers for REDtitles are worth $100 each BLUE- $75 each GREEN- $25
There’s also a $50“bounty” for any heretofore unknown hidden names/initials/messages that arerevealed during gameplay in games. Checkhttp://www.digitpress.com/eastereggs/2600.htmfor a current list of known Easter eggs. Ifyou have an answer to submit, please send them to scottith@ptd.net.The contest deadline will be announced at a later date.
Good luck and happy hunting!
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BOBPOLARO's missing egg(s)
►Do any more of Bob’s games have Easter eggs left in them? The remaining titles are Holey Moley, Rampage, RealSportsVolleyball, Road Runner, and Stunt Cycle (and the Dukes ofHazzard variant).
FATHOM
►Rob Fulop claims that the “escape” ship(shown at the end of Atlantis and Cosmic Ark) is hidden in the game somewhere, but doesn’t recall how to uncover it.
HAUNTED HOUSE
►Are the programmer’s initials hidden in Grave’s Manor?
LASERGATES / RESCUE TERRA 1 / SPACE CAVERN
►Dan Oliver mentioned in an interview with the 2600 Connectionnewsletter that one of his games contained an undocumented (?) feature thatreconfigured the joystick for a left-handed player. Is this true?
►Can Laser Gates be beaten? (VT)
MISSILECOMMAND
►Copiesof this game are rumored to exist without Rob Fulop's initials in them -does anybody have one?
PETERNIDAY’s missing egg(s)
►According to Peter, besides Dumbo’s Flying Circus, there is most likelyanother Easter egg in Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and possibly CrystalCastles as well.
►According to an interview with Warshaw (in the Winter 1999 issue of ClassicGamer Magazine) a Yar will fly up through the treasure room (inside a mesa)when you start digging. It depends on the right configuration of (three?)items in your inventory. Chances are the flying Yar doesn’t exist, butis it possible that “something” happens with the right inventory?
►Has anyone discovered the "mystery" rank through playing/beating thegame? (VT)
►Is it possible to save the star base in any version? (VT)