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Main - ROM Hacking Related Releases - Pac-Man Xtreme - Official Release Thread New thread | New reply


KaBooM!
Posted on 09-17-16 11:00 AM Link | Quote | ID: 164235

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--- SCREENSHOTS ---



"The Xtreme Realm. The final frontier."



"These are the adventures of Pac-Xavier."



"His ultimate last crucial mission:"



"To explore strange new and unique Stages..."



"To seek out new Prizes and new forms of sustenance..."



"To call the superintendant to fix these blown-out lights..."



"To directly engage the Monsters and to overthrow their rule..."



"To go boldly where no Puck has gone before!"



Okay, now that I have your undivided attention...

This particular hack started its life as a research project to improve upon a Ms. Pac-Man hack by DahrkDaiz called "Pac-Man III". Impressed by what DahrkDaiz had accomplished in the days before editing levels with the "Blinky" editor became commonplace, I realized that what I really wanted to do was not to improve on an existing hack but instead create one of my own.

Enter Pac-Man Xtreme.

Pac-Man Xtreme is a ROMhack of the Namco version of Ms. Pac-Man released for the NES. I know what some of you are thinking... "Whoop-de-do. Just another Ms. Pac-Man maze hack." Well...yes, it is. But...no, not quite "just" a maze hack, if the screenshots up there are any indication. You see, I would have never been satisfied just editing up a few levels in "Blinky" and calling it a day. I wanted my hack of Ms. Pac-Man to incorporate all the perks from "Pac-Man III" but execute them in a much better way, while adding additional functionality and game options that would make my little misadventure quite unique. All while creating something that could easily stand up to the level of a commercially released game.

Of course, what I had in mind for it was going to take far more than the balance of a weekend. And so, armed with only a rudimentary knowledge of ROMhacking, several documents including ones on 6502 ASM which I had no experience in at the time, and fresh copies of the Namco Ms. Pac-Man NES ROM file at my disposal, I set out to work. That all started in August of 2005. Yes, I'm ashamed to say I've been working on this thing on and off when real life allowed for it for well over eleven years.

And now, finally, as of September 17 2016, Pac-Man Xtreme is 100% tested and complete and ready for distribution and release. This project has seen me through three different jobs, two different residences, a marriage, a divorce, eleven full revolutions of Earth around our star Sol, and gallons upon gallons of cappuccino. Ay yi yi!

So just what is it that makes "Pac-Man Xtreme" so "Xtreme"? Well, let's take a look at its features and functions and see if we can find out...



--- FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS ---

    • Thirty-two new Stages based on twenty-eight original maze designs.
    • Stages arranged into eight distinct Zones composed of four Levels each.
    • Seven brand new prizes to chase around the mazes.
    • One new prize per four-Level Zone, all appearing at random in Zone 8.
    • A distinct "?" graphic in the right-side prize indicator for random prizes.
    • Four Stage progression play modes: Linear, Singular, Random A, and Random B.
    • Newly designed colorful title screen with loads of selectable game options.
    • Begin the game on any Stage desired, from 1-1 all the way to 8-4.
    • Three selectable blue-Monster "vanishing mazes" options, like Pac-Man Plus.
    • Brand new characters including Pac-Xavier, with classic characters returning.
    • Four selectable speed options for Pac-Xavier before the game starts.
    • Names for Pac-Xavier and the Monsters displayed on the main title screen.
    • Choose to begin the game with as little as one or as many as seven lives.
    • Opportunities to earn bonus lives every x20000, x50000, and x80000 points.
    • New status header above each maze, indicating current Stage and prize value.
    • New CPU runtime indicator, alongside the top score and game score indicators.
    • Only one free "pause" opportunity per Stage... be resourceful, use it wisely.
    • Different Monster AI. Things have changed since the days of yore...
    • Monsters' "blue" times lengthened and adjusted for fairness and balance.
    • Reprogrammed game code and mazes which utilize vertical tunnels.
    • Dynamically varying game difficulty based on player performance per Stage.
    • Special barrier pellets which can't be eaten but instead block certain paths.
    • The ability for Pac to cast relocation spells upon himself and the Monsters.
    • Opportunities to earn new spells by catching both prizes in each Stage.
    • Opportunities to earn spells and 2000-point bonuses for perfect Stage clears.
    • The ability to save and store spells for later use, up to three.
    • Begin the game with as many spells as desired, from none to three.
    • Energy to cast spells acquirable via prizes, indicated by a "CAST" light.
    • Remaining alive as being a condition for a "Perfect Clear" is selectable.
    • Complete color and graphics makeover for all characters and mazes.
    • Brand new, original twelve-frame death animation for Pac-Xavier.
    • Brand new and/or tweaked sound effects. Every game sound has been changed.
    • New original start music, unique and composed exclusively for Pac-Man Xtreme.
    • Two versions: One regular, and one optimized for the "PocketNES" emulator.
So, without further ado, here is the link to the "Pac-Man Xtreme - File Package" containing all of the .IPS files, written documentation, and other necessary materials. I would start by taking a look at the included ReadMe, which will cover the basics. All other included documentation is supplemental reading. Please click the links below. I have also included the ReadMe online for your convenience.
It is my sincerest hope you will have as much fun playing Pac-Man Xtreme as I did creating and modifying it for well over a decade plus. I've put a lot of my heart, soul, time, and effort into this project, and I do hope that it meets all of your expectations and quality standards. And speaking of which, let it be known that I exercise only the greatest of care in assuring that everything I release is 100% free of all errors, snafus, bugs, and design flaws of any kind. Thus you can enjoy Pac-Man Xtreme with confidence and peace of mind.

Cheers, and take care. Good vibes to all.


Termingamer2-JD
Posted on 09-17-16 12:23 PM Link | Quote | ID: 164236


Ropa
Banned: repeat sockpuppeting
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Since: 08-06-15
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You haven't posted for years, how's it going?

Also, nice-looking hack. Might give it a spin later if I should and make a little short play video on Dailymotion.

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Jamie Dignam

Googie
Posted on 09-17-16 11:08 PM Link | Quote | ID: 164238


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Level: 77

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Since: 02-19-07
From: Brooklyn, NY

Last post: 3 days
Last view: 3 days 		I downloaded this on RHDN, this is a really great hack. Thanks for taking the time to make it.

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Termingamer2-JD
Posted on 09-23-16 11:58 PM Link | Quote | ID: 164266


Ropa
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Since: 08-06-15
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Since Googie gave it the seal of approval I'll definitely have to check it out.
Will install it to my PSP, most probably.

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Jamie Dignam

MathUser2929
Posted on 09-24-16 04:34 AM Link | Quote | ID: 164275


Rat
Level: 23

Posts: 90/99
EXP: 63503
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Since: 12-03-12

Last post: 2602 days
Last view: 2552 days 		I like that you were bold enough to go with a new look and have unique level design too.

rosan633
(post deleted) ID: 164717

EggplantPimp
Posted on 03-02-17 09:26 PM Link | Quote | ID: 164942


Buzzy Beetle
Level: 44

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Since: 04-30-07
From: Boo York, Home Of The Big Pumpkin

Last post: 1246 days
Last view: 1246 days 		Gotta give this a spin!

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