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Description |
Side-By-Side test
Game: Scramble
RomSet: scramble
Version:
PCB: Original Konami PCB
Mame Vers.: Mame32 V0.61, vsync on.
Test Date: 5th September 2002
Timings: Those with mame are spot on compared to PCB, even after 5 minutes,
with mame keeping up precisely with the PCB.
Colours: Definately suspect. The blue and yellow seem fine. However, when
the game starts, the initial mountains on the PCB are pinkish in colour
whereas mame is more towards the purple.
When the mountains shortly change to blue, this is the same on both mame and PCB.
Similarly, on the 'level' bar, the sectors not yet done are purple on PCB but
more blue on mame.
Also, on the high score table, positions 7-10 are purple on PCB and blue on mame.
Look at the 150-point fuel dump on the title screen ( where it gives the points
for the various targets ): On the PCB, you can barely make out the red 'fuel'
on the green tank, wheras on mame it is easy to see it ( this is because 'fuel'
is more purple in mame than the PCB where it is red ).
The sprite placement ( by checking the precise position of the first rocket to
appear in game ) is perfect.
Mame correctly mimics the PCB when the sprites hit the left hand side of the screen. They 'flick' off rather than leave smoothly.
Stars: However many times you turn the PCB on, the stars are always in the same
position and differ to those in mame.
Sound: This is where the PCB and mame differ significantly. Although the sounds are very similar, the volumes aren't ( some of these have been reported to mametesters already but included for completeness and are more accurate as I am hearing both at the same time ).
To get an idea, start the game and listen to the startup jingle. The background hum then kicks in. On the PCB, I would say this is HALF to ONE THIRD the volume level of the jingle. Mame volume is MUCH too high,
Setting the volume level of the PCB to roughly that of mame, the background sound in mame absolutely deafens you !!!!
Also, the volume of the bullets is not correct. on the PCB, I would say this is about the same volume level of the background hum. In mame, you can barely hear the bullets.
Mame correctly kills the sound of any bombs when an explosion occurs.
The bomb sound is maybe slightly louder than the bullets on the PCB. In mame, there also seems to be an intermittent problem where the bomb sound starts to 'warble' as the bomb reaches the end of its travel. Don't know if this is my machine ( Celeron 450 Mhz ) not being fast enough.
These sound errors ruin the game playing experience of 'Scramble'.
I rank this as one of the original 'classic' games and it would be nice to see it perfect !
-Gary Walton |
