If you could mod/hack a game, what would you do?

jcterzin

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I would take my favorite cabinet (and only one I have left) Twin Cobra and make it so that when you die you don't lose every single thing you've collected. This is a top down shooter that is merciless. You die from one hit from a stray bullet or if an enemy runs into you. When this happens, your primary gun goes back to level 1 and you are just screwed. You also lose any extra bombs collected. The game starts you back at square 1 and on later levels just forget it...

I don't mind the one hit kill scenario as it makes the game intense, but I wish I could mod the game so that it would start your base weapon at the upgraded level 3 so you stand a chance once your respawn.
 
Ha, yeah, you also lose all those bonus medals throughout the level. Newer vertical shooters like Raiden, etc would eject a couple power ups when you die, giving you a leg-up with the new life, sometimes even that "P" would show up, giving you maximum gun power.

If I had the skill to hack a game, I would create new playfields for Marble Madness. Heck, even a level editor maybe. Great game, just not a challenge anymore as it is.
 
Add rotation to the asteroids in Asteroids (like deluxe does). Won't affect gameplay but damn that annoys me for some reason.

Be able to drive to the hidden fortress up a mountain in Battlezone for 1 million points.
 
I'd add more levels to Popeye. Fingers crossed for Popeye Remix in the future. :D
 
If I had the skill to hack a game, I would create new playfields for Marble Madness. Heck, even a level editor maybe. Great game, just not a challenge anymore as it is.

Yeah, totally +1 for level editor for every game! I know Arkanoid has one and I've made a few, but need to finish the job and make the rest and put them all on the game. Do other games have level editors?

Even games that have 1 giant map like APB would be great to edit the map/levels.

But for me, I wish I could change a bunch of classics to 4p games or maybe even 8p games!? Playing pac-man head to head is such a fun idea (even though that implementation is so terrible.) Warlords is one of our favorites because it's a 4p classic.

I could see games like Robotron, Tapper (perhaps with 10 bars to serve drinks on), Tempest, Mr. Do!, Zookeeper, Pepper II (you'd need 1 screen per player and maybe each level has 6-10 maps), and so on.
Nibbler would be nuts with 4! But 2 would be fun!
 
I have one of those days project.
I going to add a hardwares triggers into an arcade machine.
Meaning when something happens in the game it will flip a switch and trigger an event.

A few examples..

Clear a maze and a series of LED will twinkle in a celebration mode.
When you die in qbert, a toy qbert will fall and disappear behind the cab.
When you hit the high score of a game, a song of "We are the champion" is played.
 
It would have to be Commando.
I wish you could throw grenades in any direction instead of only straight ahead.
 
Great thread topic.

One thing I've been thinking about lately is that Bubbles and Robotron (and probably a lot of other games) could definitely use a Skill-Step-like 'continue' feature, like Tempest and Millipede have.

I play my Jrok frequently, and it's always a downer when you've finished a good game, and then have to go all the way back to the beginning and start over at the slow levels when you restart.

I think Atari had a really good idea with Skill-Step, as it keeps the momentum going, and makes it much easier to drop another quarter in an keep playing.
 
I'd add more levels to Popeye. Fingers crossed for Popeye Remix in the future. :D

Came in here to say this very thing.
Honestly, Just one extra level added to make Popeye a 4-screened game like DK, DKjr, etc. would make my day!
 
It'd be cool to mod DK to have a game to go along with my '80s mix.
80s%20Mix%20Cover.jpg
 
I'd mod Asteroids Deluxe to use a 2-way joystick for 'rotate left' and 'rotate right'

(If I really wanted to get carried away, I'd use a 4-way joystick and map 'shields' to down and 'thrust' to up.)
 
Different themes for Paperboy like a Halloween, Christmas or winter. Same game play, just a different look and obstacles.

Assault could use more levels and making the bad guys more aggressive.

Hacking the security chip for Super Off Road Track Pak. Could use more tracks also or a level editor.

Hack a Konami PCB like TMNT to play all the 4 player games or a standalone Multi Konami board.
 
Great thread topic.

One thing I've been thinking about lately is that Bubbles and Robotron (and probably a lot of other games) could definitely use a Skill-Step-like 'continue' feature, like Tempest and Millipede have.

I play my Jrok frequently, and it's always a downer when you've finished a good game, and then have to go all the way back to the beginning and start over at the slow levels when you restart.

I think Atari had a really good idea with Skill-Step, as it keeps the momentum going, and makes it much easier to drop another quarter in an keep playing.

The Robotron guys actually did a recent ROM update so it's conceivable that given the idea they might actually add a Skill-Step feature

http://www.robotron2084guidebook.com/gameplay/raceto100million/robo2k14_tie-die-romset/
 
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