what older games still have unfinished rule sets

[pinball god]

Disregarding new games like acdc etc that may still require coding updates, are there any older games that have obvious incomplete rule sets. Also of those, are there hobbyist out there capable and allowed to modify and attempt to complete such games. Is there a black market for roms that have improved rule sets for any games?

[pinnies4me]

One obvious one is Cactus Canyon.

I think modifying WMS ROM is extremely difficult without the software that the developers used - and even were it possible, WMS has copyright in the images so modifying would probably be an issue. The workaround has been using PROC like the Cactus Canyon Continued code.

The old DE games apparently saved their data in a different way, which allowed the Star Wars code update and also the upcoming Jurassic Park update. While its questionable who holds the copyright for them, Stern as de-facto possible owner has signed off on SW, not sure how the third-party licences for those particular games was dealt with (although I think that the changes did not activate any issues as the existing data was used and re-ordered etc only).

[pinball god]

Thanks. Where do home roms fit in? Can these be an avenue to complete or add functions to a game?

[pinsanity]

Cameron Silver worked on CV Home roms in his own time years after CV was released to pad the game out. Not sure of the legalities of whether Williams gave approval for this but the roms are set up as Free Play only so not really practical for onsite installation. What I have noticed is that neon multiball rarely comes up as a mode challenge in lieu of the slightly mundane Simon Says copycat mode.



The 9.4H TZ roms have similar enhancements and I believe the only way you can play a machine with a functioning 3rd magnet via the game software. Apparently you can can also lock a flipper coil in the hold position whilst a ball is being cradled, but I've never been game to try this for any extended period of time.

Here's the 9.4H multiball sequence being manually triggered on mine:

Was this thread started as a result of the "Where's The Code?" campaign currently in effect?  

[pinball god]

No just coincidence

[Caveoftreasures]

I reckon 90 percent of 1990,s DMD games don't have the last and updated version of the factory Roms.
It equates to gameplay wise, to buying a brand new Stern and never updating code.
Both home users and operators were too lazy to add the latest Roms or didn't know they existed.

Anyone and everyone should look on the Internet Pinball Database and see what the latest rom is for their pinball machine. It can make a big difference and it really does finish the code and adds so much to a game.
Check all your machines and see what Roms you have.

I know that unfinished code on a game like Cactus Canyon is one thing, but games with the first ever Roms in it compared to the last ever programmed Roms feels very similar. Hope it helps.

[oldskool1969]

Monopoly.

[pinsanity]

Wheel of Fortune - 8 years is long enough.

[Strangeways]

Disregarding new games like acdc etc that may still require coding updates, are there any older games that have obvious incomplete rule sets. Also of those, are there hobbyist out there capable and allowed to modify and attempt to complete such games. Is there a black market for roms that have improved rule sets for any games?

Older Games - The pinball industry was more interested in catering for the operator. Rules were simple, and didn't need refinement. Having said that, the Gottlieb SYS80 /a /b had some very complex rulesets for their time. But none of them were considered "unfinished". Just very difficult to understand (during their operational cycle) - which may have been part of the strategy for players to continue inserting coins to learn the game. I remember pumping a lot of money in GTB Spirit and I still didn't understand it until recently. Code in old machines really tested the designers, or the designers wanted to push the coders. Either way, old code was never really developed until Pascal came along with his series of boards which added new features - but didn't complete "unfinished code" - more or less "enhanced" the code.

[Retropin]

I reckon 90 percent of 1990,s DMD games don't have the last and updated version of the factory Roms.
It equates to gameplay wise, to buying a brand new Stern and never updating code.
Both home users and operators were too lazy to add the latest Roms or didn't know they existed.

Anyone and everyone should look on the Internet Pinball Database and see what the latest rom is for their pinball machine. It can make a big difference and it really does finish the code and adds so much to a game.
Check all your machines and see what Roms you have.


Im not sure that  this is the case.

Some Roms have been updated or added to etc but that's not to say that a finished game didn't leave the factory... more that nerdy enthusiasts developed a game further years after its release because A: they can, and B: they like to show how clever they are.
You cant compare a Rom upgrade to A 90'S machine which was released as a full game and stayed that way for 15 - 20 years to Sterns release of half a game and continued upgrades as they  finish it.

[Caveoftreasures]

Of the fifty or sixty DMD games I purchased probably on ten percent had the latest Roms.
Even machines close to the final production run were still be shipped with early Roms even though updated Roms were available even before the machines left the factories. We're the Roms in those days more important for home owners or operators. Hard to say.
Changing various games over to the latest Roms, sometimes three or four updates later, made a huge difference with dot matrix and gameplay n scoring.
Updating Roms is the first thing to do on any second hand game.
Updating code on any Stern is also a definate must do for obvious reasons.
Maybe it was cheaper for the manufacturers back in the day to post them out to operators than to muck around pulling Roms off brand new boards and stuffing around burning the updates on new ones??

[TUF-427]

BSD is unfinished imho, and only ever L1 avail for it to my knowledge..

[Homepin]

Apparently you can can also lock a flipper coil in the hold position whilst a ball is being cradled, but I've never been game to try this for any extended period of time.

Holding a flipper for extended periods in a WMS DMD machine is no problem unlike late model Sterns. You won't cause damage as you almost certainly would with a Stern.

[Pavlov Pinball]

No Good Gofers has 6 balls but only a four ball multiball (maybe its 5). So seems that another planned multiball was never coded or the current one wasn't completed.