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Jeff Kulczycki Creator Chat - Raw Transcript
DISCLAIMER: The process to capture the chat is difficult and time consuming. Ning doesn't provide a log, nor is it possible to simple copy the chat text out of the chat window after the upgrade. So, I cannot promise I will always have the time to dedicate to this. But, here is my raw version of the transcript.
I was looking through the thread...lots of questions. we'll do the best to get through as many as we can. you ramped Jeff? Looks like a lot of people who really love the levels you did... Jeff Rothe
Great job with the site Jeff.. tomdotcom
Jeff K, thank you for creating yet another level of DK that my wife kicks my butt in Chris Moore
@tom...thanks, I need that. Jeff Rothe
:-) Jeff Kulczycki
haha..more people that care about our crazy addiction the better :) tomdotcom
agreed Jeff Rothe
wow I had no idea jeff was from plymouth awesome 25 minutes away ryan
feels like he should be in Cali or something. Jeff Rothe
there will be some questions tonight I am sure to get more newbies involved with custom code. Jeff Rothe
Hi Jeff and Welcome Shane Ritter
Thanks! Hello all! Jeff Kulczycki
Greetings Jeff - this is really cool! Certainly 'preciate you taking the time to do this! AllCammedUp
will be ready in just a second to formally start. there we go with the chopping. Ok...*let's get started* Welcome to all of you. First notes to start things off. It's a moderated chat, meaning I ask the users submitted questions all questions should have been submitted in the question thread.
Users can PM me with more questions and they will be added to the bottom of the list.
we will try to get through as many as possible in the hour we have, but there are quite a few so far.
Jeff K. Welcome!
Jeff Rothe
Good to be here!! Jeff Kulczycki
We'll ask a question and then explore it, and I'll ask you when you're ready for the next question. sound good? Jeff Rothe
If I don't know the answer can I call a friend? Jeff Kulczycki
ha ha, sure. Jeff Rothe
First question. Why did you choose Donkey Kong to create the additional levels for? Jeff Rothe
First I own the game and I love it.. I also think it lends itself well to being modified. There are several elements that can be changed You can change colors and add new and interesting objects. It's got a lot going for it compared to say Pacman or Frogger. Jeff Kulczycki
so, you placed more value on the depth of the game, not the popularity? those two things just happened to align... Jeff Rothe
Yeah, I didn't pick DK because it was popular really. I think it was just a coincidence that King of Kong came out about the same time. Jeff Kulczycki
worked out well :-). Jeff Kulczycki
interesting. next question. Jeff Rothe
I notice the fireballs behave differently on D2K than on regular Donkey Kong on the rivets screen. What changes did you make to the "artificial intelligence" (AI) of the fireballs? Jeff Rothe
I didn't change any of the AI intentionally... but I have noticed that the probability of them climbing the ladders... specifically the direction is different. I actually rewrote some of the behavoir for them early on because I had changed a level so that there was both an up AND down ladder in the same spot. You can see it at hyperspacearcade.com on the early... Refinery level. The ladders are ususally staggered which makes climbing them easier. The fireballs now had a choice to go UP or DOWN... I eventually realized that it was too hard to climb ladders that weren't staggered and dropped the idea. I think the AI is still modified though. check out hyperspacearcade.com/Article2b.html to see the pics.
Jeff Kulczycki
good extensive answer... ok...next question. fun one. Jeff Rothe
I love D2K but am not very good. Do you have any tips on how to improve my score? Jeff Rothe
It's probably a surprise but I'm really bad at D2K... I don't really play it too much. I guess I got sick of it after working... Jeff Kulczycki
ha ha. Jeff Rothe
on it for so long :-). I guess it pays to have patience and that's really my only tip. I should be asking you guys for tips!! Jeff Kulczycki
lol Shane Ritter
Ooh boy Jeff Rothe
:) Bill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
here's a doozie. Jeff Rothe
When are you going to get working on new levels for Donkey Kong Jr., or better, an original game that plays on DK hardware? ;) Jeff Rothe
Great question. I would really like to make some more DK levels... I have some other ideas and it seems to be well recieved... I hope to maybe take on some other projects soon. Who knows, maybe DKJR2? Jeff Kulczycki
Can you share them? Chris Moore
Yes... Originally I haven't added any new sprites but the new ideas I have will add some new "objects" and that's all I can say. :-) Jeff Kulczycki
ok.... maybe Jeff can expand on that more later in the thread. when he can say more about other games. Jeff Rothe
next question. Jeff Rothe
Will your California Extreme presentation on assembly/game programming ever be made available so that those who weren't fortunate enough to attend (... like me ...) could study the material? Jeff Rothe
It was great speaking at CAX. People had some great.... questions there. I've been saying for a while that I should post the presentation on my site but I'm pretty lazy. Hopefully I'll get around to it one of these days. I think I need to shrink it down... Jeff Kulczycki
I can help you as needed... time is hard to come by. ....so hopefully soon it will get posted....there are people definitely interested. Jeff Rothe
I hope to be at CAX this year so say HI Jeff Kulczycki
Next question. Jeff Rothe
Obviously Donkey Kong and Mario are the intellectual property of Nintendo. I would imagine that they are closely protected as they are still huge money makers for them. I know that NAMCO goes after anything and everything Pac-Man related. Did you have any conversation with Nintendo about using the characters, code, etc. in a game you intended to sell for profit, and if so, did you have their blessing? Jeff Rothe
Good question. I can share some details. Yes there was contact with Nintendo... I did send them the game and a "promo package" with.. artwork and concept sketches and a bunch of stuff... Things seemed positive at first but unfortunately nothing ever come of it. They have strict policies about accepting outside submissions. Jeff Kulczycki
If you all like the game then let Nintendo know... It would be nice to get them on board "offically". Jeff Kulczycki
next question. Jeff Rothe
How do you feel about the Twin Galaxies setting of six Jump Men. Personally, I think it should be the same settings as the original DK - three jump men. Jeff Rothe
Greg Erway and Blaine Locklair and I came up with the settings... ...we wanted to accomplish a couple things... 1) we knew D2K was harder and we didn't want to discourage people from playing 2) We wanted to get some higher scores. Somehow geting 34,000 on a game doesn't grab headlines like scoring 1,000,000. 3) This is the highest setting so there is no way to "cheat" you know what I mean. and finally we figured Gary at Funspot would probably want to keep the 6 man setting during normal hours for casual gamers. Jeff Kulczycki
anyone have one follow up quesion to this? Jeff Rothe
An unlimited men setting for the DK part of the ROM would be fantastic audihere
LOL! I intentionally left out the "unlimited lives" and here's why... I really wanted to take gamers back to "the day" wher you.. had to sit at a game for hours to get to the next level... ..this is what I remember from my youth... today it's all about "respawing" and death doesn't mean much in todays games...
I wanted you all to "earn" it. It's more fun that way!!!! :-)
Jeff Kulczycki
I like your reasoning Jeff K I think it's good to get some old school gaming values back into play Chris Moore
Not sure if I'll add unlimied but you never know. Jeff Kulczycki
very good.... Jeff Rothe
Ok. next question. Jeff Rothe
Did the idea to create a new version of all the dk cab art come before, during, or after you completed the new version? Did you come up with the idea entirely on your own? Jeff Rothe
I did the art myself (with the help of some cut and paste) and I knew almost nothing about creating artwork... Rich (at thisoldgame) help me get things sorted out... I used Printshop Pro which I found out is not the way to go.... I think the "pros" use Illustrator. Jeff Kulczycki
ha ha...not at all. but you do what you can, better than nothing... Jeff Rothe
I also had way too many colors in the first version... I forgot that silkscreen was a simple process.. Rich was like, "I hope you don't have more than 5 colors".... and I had like 27... Jeff Kulczycki
I decided to do artwork once the game was complete... I though it would be cool to go the full mile and try to present it as a new game... plus being a collect myself I know people like new stuff to buy. :-) Jeff Kulczycki
definitely adds a lot to the idea. Jeff Rothe
Also, I don't know when Rich is planning on shipping but he assures me it's "any day now" ;-) Jeff Kulczycki
ok. next question. Jeff Rothe
Are you aware of whether Shigeru Miyamoto has seen D2K, and what his opinion might be? Jeff Rothe
I don't know if he's seen it. I would be interested to know. I told my wife if Japan calls to let me answer it :-) Jeff Kulczycki
next question... Jeff Rothe
I see you've done lots of freeplay kits. Which was your first kit? Why? Jeff Rothe
LOL I think it was Kangaroo! I know, it wasn't exactly my best seller. LOL I think someone was asking me about it and I really took an interest. I don't even own the game! My first hacking was with Dave Hallock on Dragon's Lair Enhanched. Jeff Kulczycki
I noticed that all the springs on the elevator level starting at level 4 are identical. With each passing level after that, the springs shift positions slightly making it a little more difficult on each proceeding level to have enough time to make it up the final ladder. It appears that level 14 might be impossible to pass. Have you looked into this at all? If this is the case, will there be a v1.3?
Oh yeah, I think someone found a killscreen... killscreen....I never playing the game that long. I don't think that was done on an actually game though. Hard to get that far without savestates I imagine... Jeff Kulczycki
so, you might need a video showing this... to be able to look at it more thoroughly, if at all? Jeff Rothe
(What level) does a kill screen come up? Bill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
Jeff Kulczycki
apparently people have...? 2-3 guys look like they must have...or have been talking... Jeff Rothe
Wow. That's pretty far. I'm impressed. Jeff Kulczycki
I would say...if you guys have made it that far, get Jeff some video....to at least show him. Jeff Rothe
ok, next question. Jeff Rothe
Like some collectors, I can do some simple game board repairs, but understanding the programming eludes me. It looks more complicated than basic programming. What's the best way for a newbie to learn about game programming? Also, how did you get started? Jeff Rothe
It sounds old school but you need to learn assembly language... It's not that hard. I learned early on with my C64. There aren't that many resources out there but I'm sure you can find some ...it sort of a dying art. I feel old. Hacking into old code.. is a lot of fun though. Feel free to email me with questons. Jeff Kulczycki
I have wondered this myself... Jeff Rothe
So finding an assembly language training guide is the key, huh Mark Hooks"
old books maybe? so no specific bible type informational links that you would say, I learned a ton from 'this' Jeff Rothe
Grab a disassmbler and start tearing through stuff. I just sort of taught myself. You might find an old book on assembly in a museum :-) Jeff Kulczycki
What's a good dissassembler? Mark Hooks
I use dZ80. THere is a windows version. No frills but it's free. Jeff Kulczycki
Sure any followups? Jeff Kulczycki
I think that one might be good to expand on more... I may send you an email.... Jeff Rothe
next question. Jeff Rothe
How can I tell when Donkey Kong is about to throw a "wild barrel" in the original game? :) Jeff Rothe
Funny but I get these questions all the time. I think KoK has people shooting for High Scores and they want to get the inside scoop on how it works... Jeff Kulczycki
I got a call from Walter Day one day out of the blue... This was right after the movie was shown at CAX... He wanted to know all about how hard it would be to cheat in DK... We talked for hours. To answer your question. It's random. I know it's a lame answer but I don't really think... Jeff Kulczycki
that you can tell. Jeff Kulczycki
next Jeff Rothe
Some of the prizes seem impossible to or not worth getting. For instance, on the "heart level" there is a hat on the top right. How do you get that? Jeff Rothe
LOL. The Incinerator was the last level I did made. I sort of rushed it because Richie Knucklez wanted the game to come out... Jeff Kulczycki
I always felt that some of the prizes were located in such a way that there was no choice but to get it... It's hard but I wanted people to think "Hmm, should I try and get that?".... Like on the Foundry level...should you really get that? Probably not! There is really no way to get that. It's just for looks and balance. Or it there? Jeff Kulczycki
Jeff, I think you should add a ladar on level 1 so you can get the lower right prize Bill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
Bill..good point. Let me answer that. If I added a ladder on the bottom right so that people could go down and pick up the prize then people would just shoot across and climb UP the ladder and miss the whole "hit your head" frustration! Jeff Kulczycki
Hi Jeff, just wondering how many new core routines you added to the code? David Richardson
I really wanted the prizes to be more random too. Stay tuned. I reused MOST of the core routines. Running jumping and prize collection is all. I probably only wrote 10 or more routines. I can't really remember. Jeff Kulczycki
ok.next question. Jeff Rothe
Now that D2k has come to fruition, are there any non Nintendo titles you plan on making new levels for? we kind of talked about this a little earlier... but it's specific to Nintendo games... Jeff Rothe
I love Nintendo games. Like I said they have the tools and elemnets there that lend themselves to modifiing. Jeff Kulczycki
TRON!!! David Hernly
A Tron 2.0 would be cool? DKJr is something I think would be cool too. We'll see. ;-) Jeff Kulczycki
I try to stick to games I own. It's easier to play test them. There are lots of good ideas in here though. Jeff Kulczycki
so perhaps the better question is what games do you own Jeff K Chris Moore
DKJr.2 sounds like a great idea Bill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
yeah...actually, let's answer that. kind of along the lines of one of our questions. Jeff Rothe
When did you start collecting arcade games and what inspired you to do so? What was the first game in your collection? What was your first grail? Jeff Rothe
I own Dragon's Lair, Space Ace and Burgertime first... I started collecting because of Dragon's Lair...I used to play it at the bowling alley once a week. I would save all week to play and then some bigger kids would be hogging the machine so I would have to wait until next week. I guess I needed the game to to complete my childhood quest! :-) I have burgertime, phoenix, karate champ, qbert, TnF, Mspac, Dl, SA, DLII and a handful more. Jeff Kulczycki
wide range of possibilities Jeff Rothe
I try to shuffle them around a bit so my wife doens't notice when I get a new game. I don't own DKJR. Q3K! Jeff Kulczycki
Did you invest in creating this game and has your toolset changed any from what is detailed on the jeffsromhack website? Jeff Rothe
Toolset is the same as what's on the site... I use an assembler and an disassembler and MAME and that's about it. TURACO is cool too. People should check that out. As far as investing... I didn't really invest money....just time. Jeff Kulczycki
I know that Pauline has a habit of losing her hat, purse, and umbrella. In a future update do you think she could get naked during an intermission scene. Mario deserves it by now. Jeff Rothe
LOL. Prolly not! Jeff Kulczycki
next question. Jeff Rothe
Are there ways to predict fireball behavior based on the original code? I LOVE this game BTW. Jeff Rothe
Hey, this is rated GBill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
game BTW. Jeff Rothe
I had to change the fireball movements on the ... Jeff Kulczycki
the new levels. I wanted people to be able to jump Jeff Kulczycki
Didn't know I could jump.Bill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
Good to knowBill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
over them without dying. They're very predictable. I also... Jeff Kulczycki
had to make sure that really good people wouldn't .... Jeff Kulczycki
just sit there and jump fireballs all day to rack up points.... Jeff Kulczycki
Like on the L2 Mixer at the top...if a fireballl Jeff Kulczycki
Yeah, jump over pies to rack up pointsBill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
fireball gets going really fast you could sit there all day... Jeff Kulczycki
so I had to put somethin' special in there for anyone that tries that. Jeff Kulczycki
As far as the orignal code... Jeff Kulczycki
It is random, the fireballs change direction after so much travel, but the direction is random.... Jeff Kulczycki
random. Also I was really stumped by the "hold bounce" fireball.... Jeff Kulczycki
the one's that block the ladders and just stay there... Jeff Kulczycki
not sure but that's some wild random chance too....Never really understood that one. Jeff Kulczycki
one. Jeff Kulczycki
Use probability but there is no really way to predict. Jeff Kulczycki
ok. very good. Jeff Rothe
next question. Jeff Rothe
I know about the Easter Egg at the end with Jr. in the barrel - you shared this with me when you were on my podcast, Video Game Outsiders. Any more Easter Eggs? Cheats? Did you sneak anything else into the code? Jeff Rothe
the code? Jeff Rothe
Yeah VGO! I wanted to add an easter egg... Jeff Kulczycki
egg but I really didn't want it to be in the game... Jeff Kulczycki
game. I knew TwinGalaxies and HS people don't Jeff Kulczycki
don't always go for that. So I added it at the end. Jeff Kulczycki
the end. Jeff Kulczycki
I waited and waited to see if anyone would find it on their own... Jeff Kulczycki
no one did so I had to drops some hints. Jeff Kulczycki
It's small but its fun to look for. The end of DK is supposed to tie in with the Jeff Kulczycki
beginning of DKJR. I used DKJr to model the cage. Jeff Kulczycki
I think Jr says PAPA or something too. Jeff Kulczycki
No other Easter Eggs though. Jeff Kulczycki
You talking about the DK Jr. cage?Bill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
Yes, I tried to match the colors and shape. Jeff Kulczycki
Just saw that last night or the night before... I was like "is that DK Jr. cage and an apple/fruit from DK Jr."Bill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
very coolBill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
Yeah fruit too. Jeff Kulczycki
ok. next question. Jeff Rothe
Where are the barrels? 4 new levels and no new usage of the barrels? Jeff Rothe
The barrels are so unique! I was really... Jeff Kulczycki
afraid to touch them. How do you really follow Jeff Kulczycki
follow up with another barrel level? Jeff Kulczycki
good thought. Jeff Rothe
Believe me I thought about it though. Jeff Kulczycki
we're going to go 10 more minutes everyone. Jeff Rothe
I know some people count on them for high scores. Jeff Kulczycki
sorry no barrels :-) Jeff Kulczycki
next question. Jeff Rothe
Why did you change the fireballs? You made many aspects of the game harder but the fireballs are for the most part much easier to jump over than in the original game. I am grateful for this but it makes it hard to go back to playing the original game - it's a significant AI change. Jeff Rothe
- it's a significant AI change. Jeff Rothe
The new levels are much "tighter". I didn't want... Jeff Kulczycki
want people to "wait it out" for a fireball to leave... Jeff Kulczycki
leave...like the top one on the Foundry. Jeff Kulczycki
I gave this a lot of thought.... Jeff Kulczycki
I realized that the guys name is JUMPMAN... Jeff Kulczycki
JUMPMAN...Not WAIT AND WAIT FOR IT Jeff Kulczycki
TO LEAVE MAN. Jeff Kulczycki
lol Jeff Rothe
It may sound silly but I really wanted people to jump over them... That's why they are now jumpable...make sense? Jeff Kulczycki
yeah it would be unplayable otherwise Ben
i'm very aggressive jumping them Ben
esp after level 5 Ben
I watch people that were afraid to jump them at first... Jeff Kulczycki
it's in your DNA to stay away!! Jeff Kulczycki
ok, next question, short one. Jeff Rothe
It is DK2, D2K or Donkey Kong 2? Jeff Rothe
It is imporssible to find the HS info on TG...why did they name it jumpman, and not Donkey Kong 2? Any idea? Jeff Rothe
I started calling it D2K. Sort of like Y2K. I know it sounds corny... Jeff Kulczycki
Official it's D2K: Jumpman Returns Jeff Kulczycki
I think people just said DK2 or DKII or whatever. It doesn't really matter to me... Jeff Kulczycki
so, did you put as much thought into the name as the levels? Or saying that just stuck? Jeff Rothe
stuck. Jeff Rothe
D2K is more searchable in google then Donkey Kong 2. I put though into it... Jeff Kulczycki
mmm, good point. Jeff Rothe
plus I didn't really want to use Mario or Donkey Kong in the name. Just incase ;-) Jeff Kulczycki
but you have to know to search for t. Jeff Rothe
ah. Jeff Rothe
I think there was a Donkey KOng 2 game and watch as well. Jeff Kulczycki
I think that actually answers most / all of the questions to some degree. Jeff Rothe
we can open it up for ONE question in the last two minutes Jeff Rothe
Some people prefer to call it the pie level or cement factory, which do you prefer to call it lol ? Shane Ritter
I prefer the Cement factory...hence the Mixer...Cement Mixer. Good question!! Jeff Kulczycki
lol thanks Shane Ritter
ok...I think that's it. Jeff Rothe
Thanks to Jeff for the site and the chance to chat... Jeff Kulczycki
This has been great, thank you! Chris Moore
someone send Jeff K. a DK Jr. Board ;) Broken Token
thanks a ton go Lions!ryan
Thank you for your time! This was great fun!! AllCammedUp
no, huge thanks to Jeff, again, going over and answering so much! Jeff Rothe
Thanks Jeff Shane Ritter
And thanks to everyone for playing the game. It really makes it worth it watch you guys play! Good night! Jeff Kulczycki
Related Links
I was looking through the thread...lots of questions. we'll do the best to get through as many as we can. you ramped Jeff? Looks like a lot of people who really love the levels you did... Jeff Rothe
Great job with the site Jeff.. tomdotcom
Jeff K, thank you for creating yet another level of DK that my wife kicks my butt in Chris Moore
@tom...thanks, I need that. Jeff Rothe
:-) Jeff Kulczycki
haha..more people that care about our crazy addiction the better :) tomdotcom
agreed Jeff Rothe
wow I had no idea jeff was from plymouth awesome 25 minutes away ryan
feels like he should be in Cali or something. Jeff Rothe
there will be some questions tonight I am sure to get more newbies involved with custom code. Jeff Rothe
Hi Jeff and Welcome Shane Ritter
Thanks! Hello all! Jeff Kulczycki
Greetings Jeff - this is really cool! Certainly 'preciate you taking the time to do this! AllCammedUp
will be ready in just a second to formally start. there we go with the chopping. Ok...*let's get started* Welcome to all of you. First notes to start things off. It's a moderated chat, meaning I ask the users submitted questions all questions should have been submitted in the question thread.
Users can PM me with more questions and they will be added to the bottom of the list.
we will try to get through as many as possible in the hour we have, but there are quite a few so far.
Jeff K. Welcome!
Jeff Rothe
Good to be here!! Jeff Kulczycki
We'll ask a question and then explore it, and I'll ask you when you're ready for the next question. sound good? Jeff Rothe
If I don't know the answer can I call a friend? Jeff Kulczycki
ha ha, sure. Jeff Rothe
First question. Why did you choose Donkey Kong to create the additional levels for? Jeff Rothe
First I own the game and I love it.. I also think it lends itself well to being modified. There are several elements that can be changed You can change colors and add new and interesting objects. It's got a lot going for it compared to say Pacman or Frogger. Jeff Kulczycki
so, you placed more value on the depth of the game, not the popularity? those two things just happened to align... Jeff Rothe
Yeah, I didn't pick DK because it was popular really. I think it was just a coincidence that King of Kong came out about the same time. Jeff Kulczycki
worked out well :-). Jeff Kulczycki
interesting. next question. Jeff Rothe
I notice the fireballs behave differently on D2K than on regular Donkey Kong on the rivets screen. What changes did you make to the "artificial intelligence" (AI) of the fireballs? Jeff Rothe
I didn't change any of the AI intentionally... but I have noticed that the probability of them climbing the ladders... specifically the direction is different. I actually rewrote some of the behavoir for them early on because I had changed a level so that there was both an up AND down ladder in the same spot. You can see it at hyperspacearcade.com on the early... Refinery level. The ladders are ususally staggered which makes climbing them easier. The fireballs now had a choice to go UP or DOWN... I eventually realized that it was too hard to climb ladders that weren't staggered and dropped the idea. I think the AI is still modified though. check out hyperspacearcade.com/Article2b.html to see the pics.
Jeff Kulczycki
good extensive answer... ok...next question. fun one. Jeff Rothe
I love D2K but am not very good. Do you have any tips on how to improve my score? Jeff Rothe
It's probably a surprise but I'm really bad at D2K... I don't really play it too much. I guess I got sick of it after working... Jeff Kulczycki
ha ha. Jeff Rothe
on it for so long :-). I guess it pays to have patience and that's really my only tip. I should be asking you guys for tips!! Jeff Kulczycki
lol Shane Ritter
Ooh boy Jeff Rothe
:) Bill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
here's a doozie. Jeff Rothe
When are you going to get working on new levels for Donkey Kong Jr., or better, an original game that plays on DK hardware? ;) Jeff Rothe
Great question. I would really like to make some more DK levels... I have some other ideas and it seems to be well recieved... I hope to maybe take on some other projects soon. Who knows, maybe DKJR2? Jeff Kulczycki
Can you share them? Chris Moore
Yes... Originally I haven't added any new sprites but the new ideas I have will add some new "objects" and that's all I can say. :-) Jeff Kulczycki
ok.... maybe Jeff can expand on that more later in the thread. when he can say more about other games. Jeff Rothe
next question. Jeff Rothe
Will your California Extreme presentation on assembly/game programming ever be made available so that those who weren't fortunate enough to attend (... like me ...) could study the material? Jeff Rothe
It was great speaking at CAX. People had some great.... questions there. I've been saying for a while that I should post the presentation on my site but I'm pretty lazy. Hopefully I'll get around to it one of these days. I think I need to shrink it down... Jeff Kulczycki
I can help you as needed... time is hard to come by. ....so hopefully soon it will get posted....there are people definitely interested. Jeff Rothe
I hope to be at CAX this year so say HI Jeff Kulczycki
Next question. Jeff Rothe
Obviously Donkey Kong and Mario are the intellectual property of Nintendo. I would imagine that they are closely protected as they are still huge money makers for them. I know that NAMCO goes after anything and everything Pac-Man related. Did you have any conversation with Nintendo about using the characters, code, etc. in a game you intended to sell for profit, and if so, did you have their blessing? Jeff Rothe
Good question. I can share some details. Yes there was contact with Nintendo... I did send them the game and a "promo package" with.. artwork and concept sketches and a bunch of stuff... Things seemed positive at first but unfortunately nothing ever come of it. They have strict policies about accepting outside submissions. Jeff Kulczycki
If you all like the game then let Nintendo know... It would be nice to get them on board "offically". Jeff Kulczycki
next question. Jeff Rothe
How do you feel about the Twin Galaxies setting of six Jump Men. Personally, I think it should be the same settings as the original DK - three jump men. Jeff Rothe
Greg Erway and Blaine Locklair and I came up with the settings... ...we wanted to accomplish a couple things... 1) we knew D2K was harder and we didn't want to discourage people from playing 2) We wanted to get some higher scores. Somehow geting 34,000 on a game doesn't grab headlines like scoring 1,000,000. 3) This is the highest setting so there is no way to "cheat" you know what I mean. and finally we figured Gary at Funspot would probably want to keep the 6 man setting during normal hours for casual gamers. Jeff Kulczycki
anyone have one follow up quesion to this? Jeff Rothe
An unlimited men setting for the DK part of the ROM would be fantastic audihere
LOL! I intentionally left out the "unlimited lives" and here's why... I really wanted to take gamers back to "the day" wher you.. had to sit at a game for hours to get to the next level... ..this is what I remember from my youth... today it's all about "respawing" and death doesn't mean much in todays games...
I wanted you all to "earn" it. It's more fun that way!!!! :-)
Jeff Kulczycki
I like your reasoning Jeff K I think it's good to get some old school gaming values back into play Chris Moore
Not sure if I'll add unlimied but you never know. Jeff Kulczycki
very good.... Jeff Rothe
Ok. next question. Jeff Rothe
Did the idea to create a new version of all the dk cab art come before, during, or after you completed the new version? Did you come up with the idea entirely on your own? Jeff Rothe
I did the art myself (with the help of some cut and paste) and I knew almost nothing about creating artwork... Rich (at thisoldgame) help me get things sorted out... I used Printshop Pro which I found out is not the way to go.... I think the "pros" use Illustrator. Jeff Kulczycki
ha ha...not at all. but you do what you can, better than nothing... Jeff Rothe
I also had way too many colors in the first version... I forgot that silkscreen was a simple process.. Rich was like, "I hope you don't have more than 5 colors".... and I had like 27... Jeff Kulczycki
I decided to do artwork once the game was complete... I though it would be cool to go the full mile and try to present it as a new game... plus being a collect myself I know people like new stuff to buy. :-) Jeff Kulczycki
definitely adds a lot to the idea. Jeff Rothe
Also, I don't know when Rich is planning on shipping but he assures me it's "any day now" ;-) Jeff Kulczycki
ok. next question. Jeff Rothe
Are you aware of whether Shigeru Miyamoto has seen D2K, and what his opinion might be? Jeff Rothe
I don't know if he's seen it. I would be interested to know. I told my wife if Japan calls to let me answer it :-) Jeff Kulczycki
next question... Jeff Rothe
I see you've done lots of freeplay kits. Which was your first kit? Why? Jeff Rothe
LOL I think it was Kangaroo! I know, it wasn't exactly my best seller. LOL I think someone was asking me about it and I really took an interest. I don't even own the game! My first hacking was with Dave Hallock on Dragon's Lair Enhanched. Jeff Kulczycki
I noticed that all the springs on the elevator level starting at level 4 are identical. With each passing level after that, the springs shift positions slightly making it a little more difficult on each proceeding level to have enough time to make it up the final ladder. It appears that level 14 might be impossible to pass. Have you looked into this at all? If this is the case, will there be a v1.3?
Oh yeah, I think someone found a killscreen... killscreen....I never playing the game that long. I don't think that was done on an actually game though. Hard to get that far without savestates I imagine... Jeff Kulczycki
so, you might need a video showing this... to be able to look at it more thoroughly, if at all? Jeff Rothe
(What level) does a kill screen come up? Bill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
Jeff Kulczycki
apparently people have...? 2-3 guys look like they must have...or have been talking... Jeff Rothe
Wow. That's pretty far. I'm impressed. Jeff Kulczycki
I would say...if you guys have made it that far, get Jeff some video....to at least show him. Jeff Rothe
ok, next question. Jeff Rothe
Like some collectors, I can do some simple game board repairs, but understanding the programming eludes me. It looks more complicated than basic programming. What's the best way for a newbie to learn about game programming? Also, how did you get started? Jeff Rothe
It sounds old school but you need to learn assembly language... It's not that hard. I learned early on with my C64. There aren't that many resources out there but I'm sure you can find some ...it sort of a dying art. I feel old. Hacking into old code.. is a lot of fun though. Feel free to email me with questons. Jeff Kulczycki
I have wondered this myself... Jeff Rothe
So finding an assembly language training guide is the key, huh Mark Hooks"
old books maybe? so no specific bible type informational links that you would say, I learned a ton from 'this' Jeff Rothe
Grab a disassmbler and start tearing through stuff. I just sort of taught myself. You might find an old book on assembly in a museum :-) Jeff Kulczycki
What's a good dissassembler? Mark Hooks
I use dZ80. THere is a windows version. No frills but it's free. Jeff Kulczycki
Sure any followups? Jeff Kulczycki
I think that one might be good to expand on more... I may send you an email.... Jeff Rothe
next question. Jeff Rothe
How can I tell when Donkey Kong is about to throw a "wild barrel" in the original game? :) Jeff Rothe
Funny but I get these questions all the time. I think KoK has people shooting for High Scores and they want to get the inside scoop on how it works... Jeff Kulczycki
I got a call from Walter Day one day out of the blue... This was right after the movie was shown at CAX... He wanted to know all about how hard it would be to cheat in DK... We talked for hours. To answer your question. It's random. I know it's a lame answer but I don't really think... Jeff Kulczycki
that you can tell. Jeff Kulczycki
next Jeff Rothe
Some of the prizes seem impossible to or not worth getting. For instance, on the "heart level" there is a hat on the top right. How do you get that? Jeff Rothe
LOL. The Incinerator was the last level I did made. I sort of rushed it because Richie Knucklez wanted the game to come out... Jeff Kulczycki
I always felt that some of the prizes were located in such a way that there was no choice but to get it... It's hard but I wanted people to think "Hmm, should I try and get that?".... Like on the Foundry level...should you really get that? Probably not! There is really no way to get that. It's just for looks and balance. Or it there? Jeff Kulczycki
Jeff, I think you should add a ladar on level 1 so you can get the lower right prize Bill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
Bill..good point. Let me answer that. If I added a ladder on the bottom right so that people could go down and pick up the prize then people would just shoot across and climb UP the ladder and miss the whole "hit your head" frustration! Jeff Kulczycki
Hi Jeff, just wondering how many new core routines you added to the code? David Richardson
I really wanted the prizes to be more random too. Stay tuned. I reused MOST of the core routines. Running jumping and prize collection is all. I probably only wrote 10 or more routines. I can't really remember. Jeff Kulczycki
ok.next question. Jeff Rothe
Now that D2k has come to fruition, are there any non Nintendo titles you plan on making new levels for? we kind of talked about this a little earlier... but it's specific to Nintendo games... Jeff Rothe
I love Nintendo games. Like I said they have the tools and elemnets there that lend themselves to modifiing. Jeff Kulczycki
TRON!!! David Hernly
A Tron 2.0 would be cool? DKJr is something I think would be cool too. We'll see. ;-) Jeff Kulczycki
I try to stick to games I own. It's easier to play test them. There are lots of good ideas in here though. Jeff Kulczycki
so perhaps the better question is what games do you own Jeff K Chris Moore
DKJr.2 sounds like a great idea Bill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
yeah...actually, let's answer that. kind of along the lines of one of our questions. Jeff Rothe
When did you start collecting arcade games and what inspired you to do so? What was the first game in your collection? What was your first grail? Jeff Rothe
I own Dragon's Lair, Space Ace and Burgertime first... I started collecting because of Dragon's Lair...I used to play it at the bowling alley once a week. I would save all week to play and then some bigger kids would be hogging the machine so I would have to wait until next week. I guess I needed the game to to complete my childhood quest! :-) I have burgertime, phoenix, karate champ, qbert, TnF, Mspac, Dl, SA, DLII and a handful more. Jeff Kulczycki
wide range of possibilities Jeff Rothe
I try to shuffle them around a bit so my wife doens't notice when I get a new game. I don't own DKJR. Q3K! Jeff Kulczycki
Did you invest in creating this game and has your toolset changed any from what is detailed on the jeffsromhack website? Jeff Rothe
Toolset is the same as what's on the site... I use an assembler and an disassembler and MAME and that's about it. TURACO is cool too. People should check that out. As far as investing... I didn't really invest money....just time. Jeff Kulczycki
I know that Pauline has a habit of losing her hat, purse, and umbrella. In a future update do you think she could get naked during an intermission scene. Mario deserves it by now. Jeff Rothe
LOL. Prolly not! Jeff Kulczycki
next question. Jeff Rothe
Are there ways to predict fireball behavior based on the original code? I LOVE this game BTW. Jeff Rothe
Hey, this is rated GBill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
game BTW. Jeff Rothe
I had to change the fireball movements on the ... Jeff Kulczycki
the new levels. I wanted people to be able to jump Jeff Kulczycki
Didn't know I could jump.Bill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
Good to knowBill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
over them without dying. They're very predictable. I also... Jeff Kulczycki
had to make sure that really good people wouldn't .... Jeff Kulczycki
just sit there and jump fireballs all day to rack up points.... Jeff Kulczycki
Like on the L2 Mixer at the top...if a fireballl Jeff Kulczycki
Yeah, jump over pies to rack up pointsBill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
fireball gets going really fast you could sit there all day... Jeff Kulczycki
so I had to put somethin' special in there for anyone that tries that. Jeff Kulczycki
As far as the orignal code... Jeff Kulczycki
It is random, the fireballs change direction after so much travel, but the direction is random.... Jeff Kulczycki
random. Also I was really stumped by the "hold bounce" fireball.... Jeff Kulczycki
the one's that block the ladders and just stay there... Jeff Kulczycki
not sure but that's some wild random chance too....Never really understood that one. Jeff Kulczycki
one. Jeff Kulczycki
Use probability but there is no really way to predict. Jeff Kulczycki
ok. very good. Jeff Rothe
next question. Jeff Rothe
I know about the Easter Egg at the end with Jr. in the barrel - you shared this with me when you were on my podcast, Video Game Outsiders. Any more Easter Eggs? Cheats? Did you sneak anything else into the code? Jeff Rothe
the code? Jeff Rothe
Yeah VGO! I wanted to add an easter egg... Jeff Kulczycki
egg but I really didn't want it to be in the game... Jeff Kulczycki
game. I knew TwinGalaxies and HS people don't Jeff Kulczycki
don't always go for that. So I added it at the end. Jeff Kulczycki
the end. Jeff Kulczycki
I waited and waited to see if anyone would find it on their own... Jeff Kulczycki
no one did so I had to drops some hints. Jeff Kulczycki
It's small but its fun to look for. The end of DK is supposed to tie in with the Jeff Kulczycki
beginning of DKJR. I used DKJr to model the cage. Jeff Kulczycki
I think Jr says PAPA or something too. Jeff Kulczycki
No other Easter Eggs though. Jeff Kulczycki
You talking about the DK Jr. cage?Bill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
Yes, I tried to match the colors and shape. Jeff Kulczycki
Just saw that last night or the night before... I was like "is that DK Jr. cage and an apple/fruit from DK Jr."Bill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
very coolBill Jr. (AudioMidiMan)
Yeah fruit too. Jeff Kulczycki
ok. next question. Jeff Rothe
Where are the barrels? 4 new levels and no new usage of the barrels? Jeff Rothe
The barrels are so unique! I was really... Jeff Kulczycki
afraid to touch them. How do you really follow Jeff Kulczycki
follow up with another barrel level? Jeff Kulczycki
good thought. Jeff Rothe
Believe me I thought about it though. Jeff Kulczycki
we're going to go 10 more minutes everyone. Jeff Rothe
I know some people count on them for high scores. Jeff Kulczycki
sorry no barrels :-) Jeff Kulczycki
next question. Jeff Rothe
Why did you change the fireballs? You made many aspects of the game harder but the fireballs are for the most part much easier to jump over than in the original game. I am grateful for this but it makes it hard to go back to playing the original game - it's a significant AI change. Jeff Rothe
- it's a significant AI change. Jeff Rothe
The new levels are much "tighter". I didn't want... Jeff Kulczycki
want people to "wait it out" for a fireball to leave... Jeff Kulczycki
leave...like the top one on the Foundry. Jeff Kulczycki
I gave this a lot of thought.... Jeff Kulczycki
I realized that the guys name is JUMPMAN... Jeff Kulczycki
JUMPMAN...Not WAIT AND WAIT FOR IT Jeff Kulczycki
TO LEAVE MAN. Jeff Kulczycki
lol Jeff Rothe
It may sound silly but I really wanted people to jump over them... That's why they are now jumpable...make sense? Jeff Kulczycki
yeah it would be unplayable otherwise Ben
i'm very aggressive jumping them Ben
esp after level 5 Ben
I watch people that were afraid to jump them at first... Jeff Kulczycki
it's in your DNA to stay away!! Jeff Kulczycki
ok, next question, short one. Jeff Rothe
It is DK2, D2K or Donkey Kong 2? Jeff Rothe
It is imporssible to find the HS info on TG...why did they name it jumpman, and not Donkey Kong 2? Any idea? Jeff Rothe
I started calling it D2K. Sort of like Y2K. I know it sounds corny... Jeff Kulczycki
Official it's D2K: Jumpman Returns Jeff Kulczycki
I think people just said DK2 or DKII or whatever. It doesn't really matter to me... Jeff Kulczycki
so, did you put as much thought into the name as the levels? Or saying that just stuck? Jeff Rothe
stuck. Jeff Rothe
D2K is more searchable in google then Donkey Kong 2. I put though into it... Jeff Kulczycki
mmm, good point. Jeff Rothe
plus I didn't really want to use Mario or Donkey Kong in the name. Just incase ;-) Jeff Kulczycki
but you have to know to search for t. Jeff Rothe
ah. Jeff Rothe
I think there was a Donkey KOng 2 game and watch as well. Jeff Kulczycki
I think that actually answers most / all of the questions to some degree. Jeff Rothe
we can open it up for ONE question in the last two minutes Jeff Rothe
Some people prefer to call it the pie level or cement factory, which do you prefer to call it lol ? Shane Ritter
I prefer the Cement factory...hence the Mixer...Cement Mixer. Good question!! Jeff Kulczycki
lol thanks Shane Ritter
ok...I think that's it. Jeff Rothe
Thanks to Jeff for the site and the chance to chat... Jeff Kulczycki
This has been great, thank you! Chris Moore
someone send Jeff K. a DK Jr. Board ;) Broken Token
thanks a ton go Lions!ryan
Thank you for your time! This was great fun!! AllCammedUp
no, huge thanks to Jeff, again, going over and answering so much! Jeff Rothe
Thanks Jeff Shane Ritter
And thanks to everyone for playing the game. It really makes it worth it watch you guys play! Good night! Jeff Kulczycki
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Tags: creator chat, jeff kulczycki, transcript
Comment
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Comment by Roadrunner000 on March 17, 2009 at 3:11am -
Very cool...I was mad I missed the live chat..glad you got this down for others to enjoy...
I attended his presentation at CAX 2008 where I met Jeff in person but some more interesting questions not asked there were posed here...
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Comment by TheShanMan on March 16, 2009 at 6:42pm - Thanks a lot for capturing this. I just read the whole thing and really enjoyed it.
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