Sleuth (mapped)

Inspector Clouseau

Many moons ago when the Crypt was young I stumbled upon a Berzerk game called Sleuth. It's by Larry Scholz and originally came on an ST Review cover disk. It sucked compared to the Dave Munsie conversion but I still liked it. In fact, I liked it enough to warrant spending many hours over Christmas mapping it.

However, without a trainer, I had to save my progress each time I entered a new room. It was a tedious process, and I desperately needed a better solution. That’s when Mug UK came to the rescue, kindly creating a hack for extra lives. Remarkably, the change only required 4 bytes. Not that I'd understand the jargon:

"I disassembled it using EasyRider4. Then converted the huge source file using Stew's Convert program to make it smaller.

Using Notepad++, I search for all occurrences of '5' being moved into a value. I then worked out which address the lives were (at a guess) being stored in, then looked elsewhere in the code for that same address.

Found a SUBQ.W #1, address and removed it using 2 x NOPS (4E71 twice, hence 4 bytes). Tested it and it worked the first time 🙂 "

This was a game-changer. It's remarkable how such a small change made a big difference - I could suddenly map Sleuth a hundred times faster so it wasn't long before the entire game was fully mapped - complete with all the extra details: key locations, locked doors, and bonus lives. I might be the only person left on Earth to play this quirky Berzerker, but I hope my map sparks curiosity and inspires someone else to try it.

And you should download it because Mug UK went the extra mile - Sleuth now boots up with a trainer option screen before the game begins. So I’ve created a floppy disk image (which you can optionally copy to your Ultrasatan or hard drive). Of course, it’s free to download and exclusively available first here on AtariCrypt. Now, the big question: what should I name this new disk? Arghh, surely not SleuthCrypt you cry? O_o

All credit goes to Mike Mee ~~> aka Mug UK <~~ for his fantastic hacking skills. My sincere gratitude as I doubt I would have made it past the first locked door without the extra lives (not without spending several months of my life). Okay, I imagine somebody out there is eager to play the Crypt version of Sleuth?

I sure hope so; keeping my fingers crossed. Here are all the links...

• SleuthCrypt: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/d1djl0biy8twqm030e4b4/SleuthCrypt...
• The map: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/on5on2sewc895oekjlyr3/Sleuth-map...
• Atari Legend: https://www.atarilegend.com/games/sleuth-majicsoft
• Mug UK: https://demozoo.org/sceners/2542/
• Mike's website: https://mug-uk.co.uk
• More ST game maps: https://ataricrypt.blogspot.com/game-maps.html
• Even more ST productions by me: https://ataricrypt.blogspot.com/MySTstuff/

I would never have seen the final room without a trainer. Flashy place, uh?

Can you beat me? Will anyone ever play this game again?

It was only after completing the game I noticed it was on "Novice".
I replayed on "Expert", the controls seem quicker but everything else is the same?

Yep, I have fully mapped the game and the download link is above!

Haywire

Not what you think

I was wadding through a few PD disks and saw this game. It rang a bell but I wasn't sure and booted it up to read the name "John Hodskinson". Another bell began to ring - I was starting to think I was in Notre Dame going insane with all that ringing! Then it hit me where I had heard the name before, HangAbout! Yikes, 5+ years have passed since I played that uniquely satisfying cliffhanger. I even mentioned Haywire!

This is a dead simple game that deceivingly looks like it's gonna be Defender. It's nothing like it. Sure, the landscape scrolls left/right but there are no lasers or aliens to zap. Instead, we are here to gather several cute critters left roaming the planet's surface. Okay, it's Defender but without the frantic action?

We start with a mothership deploying us in a craft that performs like Flappy Bird, struggling against gravity. This ship is fragile, even with its shield, so try to avoid hitting the ground more than five times. Creatures wander passively on the planet's surface, and rescuing them is as simple as making contact. Once on board, return it to the mothership to ensure its safety. As you advance, new hazards and challenging weather conditions are introduced. The level is complete when all the creatures are safely returned to the mothership.

There are eight planets to search while hunting for these quirky creatures, though I doubt I’ll beat this game anytime soon! Unfortunately, there’s a time limit and you all know how much I detest those. But that’s the extent of my complaints, as the graphics are modest but also amazing, gliding along at a smooth 50fps.

Haywire loots different ideas yet still manages to become something quite unique. I never expected to enjoy this daft/irritating "collect 'em" as much as I did. Am I good at it? Not on your nelly!! But I had a bunch of fun bouncing my way along a sparse planet looking for... well... to me, they look like hamsters!

Have you not played this before? Fancy something different? You've got it!! Highly recommended.

+ Demozoo has Sanity's disk stuffed full of goodies https://demozoo.org/productions/...

+ Atarimania has the ST Format cover disk https://www.atarimania.com/lists/Hayw...

+ Did you miss out playing HangAbout! https://ataricrypt.blogspot.com/hangabout.html

Hmm, level one sounds okay to me. Let's hit this hard and win!!

It took me a while to grab this screenshot - without crashing!

I got one!!! Now get that hamster back to the mothership quick!

Annnnd I hit the ground which turned my ship into a pixellated mess. Joy!

I love that John is a Lancashire lad like me!