Author Topic: ColecoVision Donkey Kong Disassembly  (Read 3318 times)

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ClassicTVMan1981X

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ColecoVision Donkey Kong Disassembly
« on: September 11, 2014, 06:20:52 pm »
I joined this forum specifically for the subject of how the timer bonus for the ColecoVision version of Donkey Kong is computed. While Don Hodges' site has some information about that in regards to the arcade version (see here), I'm hoping the same can be done for the ColecoVision version. Both the arcade and CV versions use the Z80 processor.

What we do know is that the CV version (24K ROM) of DK starts off at 4000 bonus points on the timer, going up by 1000 points per level until the 5th (8000 points maximum). For the 16K ROM version, the bonus timer again starts at 4000 for level 1, but goes all the way to 99000 (level 96).

I'm also asking this for the purpose of finding out whether or not the CV version of DK even has a "kill screen" if you play the game long enough without losing your last life. Furthermore, I'll provide a list of other details:
* Why does Mario often fall through the up elevator on the 24K ROM version when jumping on it from the start point?
* Why is Mario able to get the hat by jumping from the girder below the lower right corner of the rivets board on the 24K ROM version?
* Why does the main background music play when the warning sound plays (timer drops to 1000 points)?

The two ASM files were created with the dZ80 disassembler.

~Ben
« Last Edit: September 11, 2014, 06:28:58 pm by ClassicTVMan1981X »

Donkey Kong Genius

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Re: ColecoVision Donkey Kong Disassembly
« Reply #1 on: September 12, 2014, 02:24:11 pm »
Looks interesting. I hope someone will chime in and be able to share an idea or two with you. Did you already interpret some of the code? To find the answers you are looking for it may require a lot of work.

ClassicTVMan1981X

  • Guest
Re: ColecoVision Donkey Kong Disassembly
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2014, 02:33:48 pm »
Looks interesting. I hope someone will chime in and be able to share an idea or two with you. Did you already interpret some of the code? To find the answers you are looking for it may require a lot of work.
No, that's why I thought I'd be able to have some of the experts who know coding so well help me.

Here's what little I know about the bonus timer on the 24K (the early version) of the CV DK: it is a 4-digit timer and is capped at 8000 points. The later version (16K) has a 5-digit timer and is capped at 99000 points.

~Ben