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Post by Gary on Feb 16, 2005 6:03:29 GMT -5
As you know, cheat codes were always incorporated into most games in order for the testers to access later levels quickly and therefore test more efficiently.
Inevitably, these cheat codes were leaked to the magazines and thus would always be printed. We got a little tired of these 'secret' cheat codes being publicly revealed, so we had the 'inspirational' idea of making the codewords so disgusting that the magazines could not even consider publishing them.
Choice Software developed New Zealand Story and they were instructed to use the cheat code - 'motherf***ingkiwib*st*rd' (without the asterisks, of course).
Of course, the code was printed anyway and Ocean received some flack from irate parents accusing us of encouraging their kids to use filthy words.
Back to the drawing board......
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Post by roberthazelby on Feb 16, 2005 7:47:05 GMT -5
Crikey, this brings back memories.
I remember the 16-bit Hit Squad games coming with a sealed envelope which contained cheat codes etc. Certainly an interesting concept.
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Post by Mark Jones Junior on Feb 16, 2005 8:15:16 GMT -5
'New Zealand Story' on the 16-bits was great. I wasn't working at Ocean at the time but was in touch with lots of people and got sent a freebie (from Emma, I think, who had the hots for me!). I was told the cheat code and remember having to type it in for my cousins who were only little at the time. I couldn't tell them what it was, cos it was FILTHY.
When I have a go on the arcade version of 'NSZ' on Mame I can't see any difference from the one I knew on the Amiga. The conversion was top notch.
Who did the 16 bit versions?
The follow up, 'Parasol Stars' was class too.
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Post by Paulie on Feb 16, 2005 11:52:11 GMT -5
Didn't we change the cheat codes when we did the next dupe run to "FluffyKiwis"... Awww, bless....
Simon's favourite person in the whole world - Colin Gordon - wrote NZS for the 16 bits. Gotta hand it to him it was a spot on coversion.
The Spectrum version however was utter pants!
All the in house speccy programmers used to rip the piss out of each version that came in. Ugh - that scroll!
- Paulie.
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Post by Gary on Feb 16, 2005 12:17:08 GMT -5
Who did the Speccy version, Paul? Was that Choice also?
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Post by Paulie on Feb 16, 2005 12:21:42 GMT -5
Yeah Choice did all the versions except the C64 (which was Rick Palmer).
I believe Gerald Wetherup (sp?) wrote the speccy version.
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Post by Mark Jones Junior on Feb 16, 2005 12:46:49 GMT -5
I believe Gerald Wetherup (sp?) wrote the speccy version. Just had a look on an emulator and you're correct Paul.
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Post by redballoon on Feb 16, 2005 14:37:17 GMT -5
Jesus, I seem to have good memories of playing the game, too. I think that's one I'll leave well alone on emulator.....hang on, i've got the original up in the loft...
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Post by Paulie on Feb 16, 2005 14:55:47 GMT -5
I just pulled it up on Spectaculator - ick! Its worse than I remembered - where are the backgrounds!
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Codetapper
New Member
Amiga HD installer
Posts: 18
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Post by Codetapper on Feb 16, 2005 15:33:32 GMT -5
As you know, cheat codes were always incorporated into most games in order for the testers to access later levels quickly and therefore test more efficiently. Inevitably, these cheat codes were leaked to the magazines and thus would always be printed. We got a little tired of these 'secret' cheat codes being publicly revealed, so we had the 'inspirational' idea of making the codewords so disgusting that the magazines could not even consider publishing them. Actually, it doesn't matter what you hide in a games code, hackers will find it eventually. When I am hard drive installing Amiga games I always check out the keyboard interrupt (because the programmers almost never timed the acknowledgement delay correctly and it has to be re-written) and see where the game stores the keypress. You can then do a quick scan of the game to see where it reads that byte, and often it's as clear as mud when the game is comparing a string of characters against what the user is typing in. The other common trick is find where the game is taking away your lives - if you check the code around it there is often a "test if some magic flag is set and if so skip removing the life" - find accesses to that magic flag and bingo, that is where the cheat is activated. So even if the cheats were never leaked to magazines, it is only a matter of time that a good hacker will be able to find them!
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Post by Paulie on Feb 16, 2005 16:14:24 GMT -5
I think you miss the point it wasn't about hiding the cheats - after a while we told everyone the cheats (even on the phone helplines) - the problem was when a magazine reviewed a game they often didn't have enough time to play a game through so we always gave them the cheat codes so they could see the entire game - and that was the problem they tended to publish the cheats straight away rather than give the game some time on the shelves.
We thought (doh!) by putting a rather rude cheat code at least the magazine wouldn't print it - but they did anyway!
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Codetapper
New Member
Amiga HD installer
Posts: 18
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Post by Codetapper on Feb 16, 2005 20:03:27 GMT -5
Did Ocean ever send a game out to the publishers with a cheat menu built into it, and/or change the cheats between giving the magazine their version and the final sales release version?
BTW, can anybody here (Gary?) tell us the background for why Liquid Kids and Snow Bros didn't come out? Snow Bros looked the business based on the WIP previews in the magazines!
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Post by Gary on Feb 17, 2005 1:06:48 GMT -5
Ocean France were developing both of those titles. Nuff said?
Ok, let's put it this way - they're not finished yet.......
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Post by roberthazelby on Feb 17, 2005 3:36:46 GMT -5
BTW, can anybody here (Gary?) tell us the background for why Liquid Kids and Snow Bros didn't come out? Snow Bros looked the business based on the WIP previews in the magazines! I have Liquid Kids kicking around on my PC somewhere in ADF format. It looks complete to me. I remember Amiga Power running an article about games that never saw the light of day. When they asked Ocean why this wasn't released the mag were told that Ocean didn't think the current market wasn't right for this sort of thing.
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Post by fgasking on Feb 17, 2005 11:25:07 GMT -5
The guys who were doing AmigaGTW I think tracked down the coder of Snow Bros from Ocean France.
Liquid Kids was something I think they tracked down earlier.
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