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These rooms are quite similar

Posted: September 29th, 2019, 10:45 am
by David
A while ago I noticed that the last rooms of level 9 and 10 are quite similar:
* Both have the exit door at bottom centre.
* Both have big pillars at the same places.
* Both have the button which opens the exit in the top left corner.
* Both have a loose floor which can fall onto a button which opens a gate.

All these common parts are at exactly the same tile position, which makes me wonder if Mechner intentionally designed one of these rooms based on the other one.

Re: These rooms are quite similar

Posted: August 8th, 2020, 7:32 am
by atrueprincefanfrom18
David wrote: September 29th, 2019, 10:45 am A while ago I noticed that the last rooms of level 9 and 10 are quite similar:

[...]

All these common parts are at exactly the same tile position, which makes me wonder if Mechner intentionally designed one of these rooms based on the other one.
Maybe while he was creating the levels, he would have thought of this idea, route, level map and he used the same idea in both of the levels.

Interestingly, the event IDs don't match. They are continuous, but not the same in both the levels.

So it can also happen that while he was finding a way to end the level (Level 10), he thought of copying the same ending room of Level 9. And just to make something interesting and challenging (which now-a-days we are not afraid of anymore!) he would have added a guard.

One more interesting fact: there is always a guard between level exit door and the button to open the door. Exception is just Level 7.

If he remembers the reason, we can tweet and ask him :D
Would be interesting to hear something from him :)

Re: These rooms are quite similar

Posted: August 8th, 2020, 4:18 pm
by David
atrueprincefanfrom18 wrote: August 8th, 2020, 7:32 am One more interesting fact: there is always a guard between level exit door and the button to open the door. Exception is just Level 7.
Maybe I misunderstood something, but I found some more exceptions.

For example, on level 1, the button and the exit are in the same room, and the guard is before both, not between them.
The same is true on level 5 and 9. (*)

On level 2 the button and the exit are in different rooms, but again, there is no guard between them.
On Level 8 you meet two chompers and a gate (and the mouse) between the two, but no guard.

(*) By the way, this is different in the NES version: There the exit buttons of level 5 and 9 were moved to different rooms.
Level 5: https://youtu.be/QtM7x8ATBfA?t=640
Level 9: https://youtu.be/QtM7x8ATBfA?t=1292

Re: These rooms are quite similar

Posted: August 8th, 2020, 5:16 pm
by atrueprincefanfrom18
What I meant is that there is always a guard almost near or we can say on the previous room of the route.

Yes, Level 8 is an exception as well, but I think the reason for that maybe is the mouse.

Maybe Mechner didn't wanted to have the guard and mouse both on the same room. It leaded to unexpected behaviour? We need to check the source code of Apple II and find out what would happen.

Re: These rooms are quite similar

Posted: August 8th, 2020, 6:55 pm
by Emiliano
atrueprincefanfrom18 wrote: August 8th, 2020, 5:16 pm What I meant is that there is always a guard almost near or we can say on the previous room of the route.

Yes, Level 8 is an exception as well, but I think the reason for that maybe is the mouse.

Maybe Mechner didn't wanted to have the guard and mouse both on the same room. It leaded to unexpected behaviour? We need to check the source code of Apple II and find out what would happen.
If you put a guard in room 16 of level 8, the guard will disappear when the mouse arrives
I found it in Lihinghntom's palace

Re: These rooms are quite similar

Posted: August 8th, 2020, 7:43 pm
by atrueprincefanfrom18
Emiliano Fierro wrote: August 8th, 2020, 6:55 pm If you put a guard in room 16 of level 8, the guard will disappear when the mouse arrives
I found it in Lihinghntom's palace
First used in Repetition Of Time ;)

And by the way, I was talking about what would happen in Apple II. Maybe the behaviour could be different.

Re: These rooms are quite similar

Posted: August 8th, 2020, 7:55 pm
by Emiliano
atrueprincefanfrom18 wrote: August 8th, 2020, 7:43 pm
Emiliano Fierro wrote: August 8th, 2020, 6:55 pm If you put a guard in room 16 of level 8, the guard will disappear when the mouse arrives
I found it in Lihinghntom's palace
First used in Repetition Of Time ;)

And by the way, I was talking about what would happen in Apple II. Maybe the behaviour could be different.
Ok
I don't know apple version, besides I just mentioned a mod I know