1988 · Imagine Software · Commodore 64

Discoveries

Target Renegade

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Try the extra-life boundary and compare the game’s lives and credits with its documentation.

01 · Score

Secret: the extra-life test skips equality

The score is stored in hundreds of points. Its first extra-life threshold is 50,000, but the comparison requires a greater score. At exactly 50,000 the life counter stays put. Since scores are stored in hundreds, 50,100 is the next stored value. That score passes the test.

After a passing comparison, $FC00 moves the threshold forward by 100,000 and adds a life if the result stays below ten. At nine lives the threshold still moves. The live equal, greater, and nine-life test states are recorded in the analysis.

The page's rule matched the native routine in 300,000 valid score/threshold/life cases, including the highest threshold wrapping around. The live game also matched equal, greater, and nine-life test states.

02 · Edition

Secret: five lives in the supplied cartridge

The Commodore manual says three lives. This OneLoad64 EasyFlash cartridge starts with five. Initialization at $8000 loads $35, keeps its low four bits and stores five in the lives counter at $020C. The first-stage display agrees. Zzap!64 reviewed the game in June 1988 and also counted five lives: exhaustion "removes one life from his complement of five".9 The manual is the odd one out. The $ numbers identify locations in the computer's memory, and link to the Source tab.

First-stage HUD showing five lives
The manual disagrees with both the cartridge and the magazine review, and the sources read do not say why. The code finding applies to the supplied cartridge. Other releases may differ.

03 · Credits

Secret: the loading picture names other people

The game credits its makers in two places, and the two lists do not match. The title screen and the manual name Dave Collier for the code, John Palmer and Martin McDonald for the graphics, and Gary Biasillo for the music.1 The loading picture on the supplied disk names M. Lamb for the program, D. Drake for the graphics, and J. Dunn with G. Biasillo for the music.

CreditTitle screen and manualLoading picture
CodeDave CollierM. Lamb
GraphicsJohn Palmer, Martin McDonaldD. Drake
MusicGary BiasilloJ. Dunn, G. Biasillo
The loading picture with its credit lines
The loading picture drawn by the disk's picture file. Its lines read "MUSIC BY: J.DUNN + G.BIASILLO" and "PROGRAM BY: M.LAMB" and "GRAPHICS BY: D.DRAKE".

Wikipedia's list of designers holds all of these names and one more, Simon Butler.3 Gari Biasillo says that he composed all of the music and sound effects, but that as time was running out to release the game he enlisted Jon Dunn to help port the music to the Spectrum buzzer player.13 That explains Dunn's part in the Spectrum version, not his credit on the C64 picture. His interview does not mention Lamb or Drake, and the sources read do not say why the C64 loading picture lists them. The cartridge's own loader also shows a picture before the title, and the two pictures have not been compared.