Old Mine Hoist
A downloadable game
This game was originally submitted to the 2022 Reset64 4KB Craptastic Game Competition.
Gameplay
The objective of the game is to lower a small hoist cage as deep as possible into an old abandoned mine.
The hoist cage swings from side to side, and there are wood obstacles on both sides which must be avoided to prevent damaging the cage. When the cage gets too damaged, it will break off the hoist cable and fall into the abyss, ending the game.
The hoist moves downwards at a constant speed, but you may halve or double its speed by pushing the joystick up or down. Note that the cage will take more damage if it hits an obstacle while moving at double speed.
Beware: Some of the deeper mining levels contain old and unstable dynamite, which might explode and severely damage the hoist cage!
Controls
Use a joystick in port two:
| Up | Halve the hoist speed temporarily |
|---|---|
| Down | Double the hoist speed temporarily |
When the game has ended, press the fire button to return to the title screen.
PAL/NTSC compatibility
The game has been developed for and tested on PAL machines. It should also work on NTSC, but will run faster.
Credits
Game design and programming by Geir Straume.
Copyright © 2022 Geir Straume
Download
Install instructions
The zip file contains a D64 disk image which can be launched in a Commodore 64 emulator such as VICE.
The MAX cartridge image file (CRT) may also be launched in VICE, and it should work with both MAX Machine and C64 models in that emulator.
A native build for the Commodore 128 is also available.
The MEGA65 zip file contains a PRG file and a D81 disk image. Both will work with the Xemu MEGA65 emulator.
Development log
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Do you know it there's a way to test it on a real max machine?
I think it must be burned into a real cartridge.
Thx for the game !!!!!!
It should be possible to create a physical 16KB Ultimax cartridge based on the CRT file, but that will require some extra hardware, of course. I haven't been able to verify that solutions like EasyFlash and Kung Fu Flash are actually compatible with the MAX Machine (or even some of the early C64 boards).
Thx for the reply.
I don't have the notions to be sure but I highly doubt that these 2 options will work. The cartridge would have to be made specifically for them to work.
Thank you very much too
I created a 16KB Ultimax cartridge using a Versa64Card and tested it on a real MAX machine, it works.
Tried with the other game converted to MAX (Wave Hero) and no luck.
Thanks for testing this on an actual MAX Machine! Very cool that it works!
A zen-like exercise in tedium. should have stayed in the 80s with it's ancient design & gameplay. the 'sound' (*EEEEK*, *EEEEK*) makes my EARS BLEED. 4/10, with better audio and graphics likely 6/10...
still one of the better one's in this compo, IF you turn your speakers off.
Very nice game and mechanics. Love the art and style. And besides that mines are always a cool setting. The squeaking sound is a clever addition. Superb!
This may be my favourite game of the competition so far. Such a great concept and beautifully designed.
Amazing, I so dig the novel idea and the murky graphics! Question: would it be totally out of the question to natively build Old Mine Hoist for the humble C128, too? It doesn't have to have any extra features at all - just a native Commodore 128 build would mean _so_ much for the C128 community, given how tiny our library of games is. It would be a huge boon and a great deal of good-will!
Sure! I had to re-arrange the memory layout slightly, but I've now added a download with a native C128 build. Please note that I don't have any Commodore 128 hardware to test this on myself, but it seems to work just fine in the VICE C128 emulator.
Thanks not only for your reply and for even considering a port, but also for doing it (in a super speedy manner, on top of that!). From what I understand, it wasn't too much of a hassle adjusting your and I hope you got a kick out of it! 🙂
On behalf of the Commodore 128 community, thank you again! 👍
You're welcome! As a little "bonus", I've also added native C128 builds of my previous Craptastic games "Wave Hero" (2018) and "Rainbow Edge Run" (2020). The latter will probably have some glitches in the rainbow when running on NTSC, though.
Wow, that’s really great! The physics must be a tough nut. 276 on my first go, Roy :P
And 328. Dynamite is nasty.
Thanks! There's no real physics (i.e. math) going on here, though. Just fairly simple code and lookup tables.
Oh wow! This is such a cool entry. Excellent work.
Only managed 192 on my first go, but I'm sure I can do better.
UPDATE: I then got 268 later.
Thanks, Roy! I'm looking forward to finally get some time to play your "BrumBrum" game this weekend!