Jumpman
Encyclopedia
Jumpman is a platform game
written by Randy Glover and released by Epyx
in 1983. Originally developed for the Atari 400/800
, versions were also released for the Commodore 64
, Apple II
, and IBM PC
.
The object of the game is to defuse all bombs in a platform-filled screen. Jumpman defuses a bomb by touching it. According to the story, these are placed on Jupiter
by terrorists
. Jumpman can climb up and down ladders, and of course jump, and there are two kinds of rope each allowing a single direction of climbing only. Hazards include falling "smart darts" (small bullets that fly slowly across the screen, but when orthogonally lined up with Jumpman, greatly speed up and shoot straight in his direction) and other hazards that are unique to a certain level.
Points are awarded for each bomb defused, with bonus points available for completing a level quickly. Jumpman's game run-speed can be chosen by the player, with faster speeds being riskier but providing greater opportunity to earn bonus points.
"Jumpman" was also the original name used for Mario
in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong
, which featured several elements (such as the ladders and levels aspects) that would appear in Jumpman. Randy Glover has stated that Donkey Kong was the original inspiration for Jumpman, although it is not clear that the naming commonality is anything but a coincidence.
cartridge, which was available for the Commodore 64
, Atari 400/800
, and ColecoVision
.
In 1991, Jumpman Lives!, written by Dave Sharpless, was released by Apogee Software
. In typical Apogee formula, the game consists of four "episodes", each with twelve levels—the first being free, the rest for sale. The game contains levels from Jumpman and Jumpman Jr., and a number of new levels. The game also includes an editor. Apogee was forced to withdraw the game soon after release at the request of Epyx, who still owned the rights to Jumpman.
In 1994, an unofficial PC port of Jumpman, missing the level "Freeze", was released by Ingenieurbüro Franke. An updated version which included Freeze was released in 2001.
In 1998, Randy Glover became aware of the many fans of Jumpman and started working on Jumpman II, keeping a development diary at Jumpman2.com. The last recorded diary entry was made in 2001 (jumpman2.com has been blocked from the Internet Archive
).
In 2001, Dave Campbell released Jumpman Zero, an original freeware game, for the PalmOS. A Windows beta version was released in 2003. The Windows version contains twenty-eight levels: the first level was from the original game, and all others were new, including several parodies other games. In spirit with the older games, each level has a unique hazard. Jumpman has the ability to dive and roll, and several levels are larger than the screen and scroll. The game uses an unusual graphics style that consists of 3-D renderings of pixelated graphics. The engine of the game allows new levels to be added in the form of DLL
s, but this is only possible for experienced programmers.
In 2003, the first version of The Jumpman Project, a port of the original PC game to modern computers, was released. The project is ongoing. The most recent version is 1.0.001, released in 2006.
Also in 2003, Chris Leathley developed Jumpman — Under Construction. Development updates ceased for the general public in December 2003, though regulars on the related (now defunct) web-board were given access to some newer versions. The game contains most of the levels from the original Jumpman and an editor. It has created "prototypes" for all special elements, and thus in new levels it only allows for special elements similar to those already found in existing levels. Jumpmans original programmer, Randy Glover, released a level for this Jumpman construction kit. It was the first Jumpman level he had released since Jumpman Jr.
In 2004, Jumpman Jr. was re-released on the C64 Direct-to-TV
.
In 2005, Raptisoft released Hap Hazard, described as a tribute to Jumpman.
In 2008, the original Jumpman was released on the Wii
's Virtual Console
in Europe, and is stated for an American release as well.
The Randomizer option allows the user to play all the levels sequenced randomly. The Atari 800 and Commodore 64 versions of Jumpman always start the Randomizer levels on Robots II (level 12).
After level 12, the game keeps going indefinitely with a randomly selected level each time.
There is also a "Final Battle" level, where a UFO shoots laser beams at Jumpman, and a secret level, "Ninjas", where ninjas roam the board adding new bombs.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
written by Randy Glover and released by Epyx
Epyx
Epyx, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. The company was founded as Automated Simulations by Jim Connelley and Jon Freeman, originally using Epyx as a brand name for action-oriented games before renaming the company to match in 1983...
in 1983. Originally developed for the Atari 400/800
Atari 8-bit family
The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992. All are based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU and were the first home computers designed with custom coprocessor chips...
, versions were also released for the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
, and IBM PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
.
The object of the game is to defuse all bombs in a platform-filled screen. Jumpman defuses a bomb by touching it. According to the story, these are placed on Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
by terrorists
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
. Jumpman can climb up and down ladders, and of course jump, and there are two kinds of rope each allowing a single direction of climbing only. Hazards include falling "smart darts" (small bullets that fly slowly across the screen, but when orthogonally lined up with Jumpman, greatly speed up and shoot straight in his direction) and other hazards that are unique to a certain level.
Points are awarded for each bomb defused, with bonus points available for completing a level quickly. Jumpman's game run-speed can be chosen by the player, with faster speeds being riskier but providing greater opportunity to earn bonus points.
"Jumpman" was also the original name used for Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong (video game)
is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. It is an early example of the platform game genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. In the game, Jumpman must rescue a damsel in distress, Lady, from a...
, which featured several elements (such as the ladders and levels aspects) that would appear in Jumpman. Randy Glover has stated that Donkey Kong was the original inspiration for Jumpman, although it is not clear that the naming commonality is anything but a coincidence.
Sequels, ports, and other versions
The disk-based Jumpman was followed by Jumpman Jr. on both disk and ROMRead-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
cartridge, which was available for the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Atari 400/800
Atari 8-bit family
The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992. All are based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU and were the first home computers designed with custom coprocessor chips...
, and ColecoVision
ColecoVision
The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered arcade-quality graphics and gaming style, and the means to expand the system's basic hardware...
.
In 1991, Jumpman Lives!, written by Dave Sharpless, was released by Apogee Software
3D Realms
3D Realms is a current video game publisher and former video game developer based in Garland, Texas, United States, established in 1987...
. In typical Apogee formula, the game consists of four "episodes", each with twelve levels—the first being free, the rest for sale. The game contains levels from Jumpman and Jumpman Jr., and a number of new levels. The game also includes an editor. Apogee was forced to withdraw the game soon after release at the request of Epyx, who still owned the rights to Jumpman.
In 1994, an unofficial PC port of Jumpman, missing the level "Freeze", was released by Ingenieurbüro Franke. An updated version which included Freeze was released in 2001.
In 1998, Randy Glover became aware of the many fans of Jumpman and started working on Jumpman II, keeping a development diary at Jumpman2.com. The last recorded diary entry was made in 2001 (jumpman2.com has been blocked from the Internet Archive
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
).
In 2001, Dave Campbell released Jumpman Zero, an original freeware game, for the PalmOS. A Windows beta version was released in 2003. The Windows version contains twenty-eight levels: the first level was from the original game, and all others were new, including several parodies other games. In spirit with the older games, each level has a unique hazard. Jumpman has the ability to dive and roll, and several levels are larger than the screen and scroll. The game uses an unusual graphics style that consists of 3-D renderings of pixelated graphics. The engine of the game allows new levels to be added in the form of DLL
DLL
DLL may refer to:* Data link layer, a layer in the OSI network architecture model* Delay-locked loop, a device to reduce clock skew in digital circuits* Doubly linked list, a data structure in computer programming...
s, but this is only possible for experienced programmers.
In 2003, the first version of The Jumpman Project, a port of the original PC game to modern computers, was released. The project is ongoing. The most recent version is 1.0.001, released in 2006.
Also in 2003, Chris Leathley developed Jumpman — Under Construction. Development updates ceased for the general public in December 2003, though regulars on the related (now defunct) web-board were given access to some newer versions. The game contains most of the levels from the original Jumpman and an editor. It has created "prototypes" for all special elements, and thus in new levels it only allows for special elements similar to those already found in existing levels. Jumpmans original programmer, Randy Glover, released a level for this Jumpman construction kit. It was the first Jumpman level he had released since Jumpman Jr.
In 2004, Jumpman Jr. was re-released on the C64 Direct-to-TV
C64 Direct-to-TV
The C64 Direct-to-TV, called C64DTV for short, is a single-chip implementation of the Commodore 64 computer, contained in a joystick with 30 built-in games. The design is similar to the Atari Classics 10-in-1 TV Game...
.
In 2005, Raptisoft released Hap Hazard, described as a tribute to Jumpman.
In 2008, the original Jumpman was released on the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
in Europe, and is stated for an American release as well.
Jumpman levels
The levels were categorized as beginner (1-8), intermediate (9-18), and advanced (19-30).- "Easy Does It" (one bullet is present, with several bombs to touch and ladders/ropes to get the player acquainted)
- "Robots I" (robots that move for a few seconds on a fixed pattern when Jumpman touches a bomb)
- "Bombs Away" (bombs fall from the ceiling and explode at the bottom of level if they don't hit Jumpman first)
- "Jumping Blocks" (colorful blocks float around, that when touched force Jumpman to jump)
- "Vampire" (three bats fly around in a lazy homing pattern, that are able to lock onto Jumpman)
- "Invasion" (UFOs fly around; Jumpman can shoot a gun rather than jump)
- "Grand Puzzle I" (ladders must be built from loose elements, enabling access to bonus bombs worth 5x normal)
- "Builder" (a rather empty level, but each bomb touched adds a number of additional elements)
- "Look Out Below" (parts of the ceiling fall down whenever Jumpman touches a bomb)
- "Hot Foot" (when jumping, a flame bursts from Jumpman's feet, causing part of the floor to be destroyed)
- "Runaway" (the bombs move around randomly)
- "Robots II" (robots move constantly around in a fixed pattern)
- "Hailstones" (bouncing stones fall from the sky)
- "Dragon Slayer" (two dragons chase Jumpman, who can throw spears to both sides and only jump straight up)
- "Grand Puzzle II" (four special treasures can be taken from locked rooms)
- "Ride Around" (a floating platform travels in a figure-eight pattern)
- "The Roost" (three chickens fly down at Jumpman, generally homing)
- "Roll Me Over" (barrels roll around up and down platforms and ropes)
- "Ladder Challenge" (a flying ladder is required to reach the bombs)
- "Figurit" (a difficult puzzle involving appearing and disappearing platforms)
- "Jump-N-Run" (many "smart darts" threaten Jumpman; somewhat similar to level 24, Jungle)
- "Freeze" (enemies walk around and paralyze Jumpman by touching him; "smart darts" are then likely to kill him)
- "Follow The Leader" (a number of clones follow Jumpman's footsteps about two seconds behind him)
- "Jungle" (a screenful of ropes)
- "Mystery Maze" (the room starts blacked out, with only things nearby becoming visible; there are three different maps for this level)
- "Gunfighter" (two gunmen walk around and shoot at Jumpman; he can shoot back rather than jump)
- "Robots III" (robots use reasonably smart tracking to find Jumpman)
- "Now You See It..." (getting a bomb causes platforms, ladders, or bombs to go invisible)
- "Going Down" (a platform moves down in the center)
- "Grand Puzzle III" (after getting most bombs, a gate can be taken to a special bonus round)
The Randomizer option allows the user to play all the levels sequenced randomly. The Atari 800 and Commodore 64 versions of Jumpman always start the Randomizer levels on Robots II (level 12).
Jumpman Jr. levels
- "Nothing to It": Introductory level.
- "Fire! Fire!": Platforms are blocked by fire whenever Jumpman touches a bomb.
- In the Atari 400/800 version, this level is replaced by "Electrocution": Platforms and ladders have small electrified areas causing Jumpman to move slowly. The electrified areas are invisible until touched, but exist in the same places as the fires in the alternative level.
- "Sreddal": Two ladders float up and down and must be used to reach the bombs, and they reverse direction each time a bomb is collected.
- In the Atari 400/800 version, this level is replaced by "Dumbwaiter": Three horizontally-moving platforms move between different halves of a level, with a section of vertical lifts in the middle of the screen the only way to change levels.
- "Hellstones": As in Jumpman
' s "Hailstones", bouncing stones fall from the ceiling. - "Figurit's Revenge": As in Jumpmans "Figurit", an even more dastardly puzzle involving appearing and disappearing platforms.
- "Walls": Large blocks float around and push Jumpman off platforms.
- "Zig Zag": Lots of "smart darts" that fly in a not-so-easily-avoidable zigzag pattern.
- "Spellbound": Collecting the bombs in correct order spells "EPYX JUMPMAN" and gives bonus points.
- "Blackout": As in Jumpmans "Mystery Maze", the room starts blacked out; only things nearby become visible.
- "Herethereeverywhere": When collecting a bomb, Jumpman is teleported to a wandering gate.
- "Hatchlings": From the last collected bomb, an enemy hatches and homes in on Jumpman.
- "Hurricane": A strong gale blows Jumpman to the left, along with birds trying to fight the wind.
After level 12, the game keeps going indefinitely with a randomly selected level each time.
Jumpman Zero levels
The levels are categorized as easy (1-8), moderate (9-16), and advanced (17-24).- "Easy Does It" (from the original game)
- "Followers" (a number of flying sheep move in Jumpman's general direction)
- "Disorderly" (a group of TetrisTetrisTetris is a puzzle video game originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov in the Soviet Union. It was released on June 6, 1984, while he was working for the Dorodnicyn Computing Centre of the Academy of Science of the USSR in Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic...
blocks have to be dropped to fill a trench) - "Hot Hot Hot" (lava flows down from a number of nozzles)
- "Flash Flood" (water covers most of the level, but temporarily drops when Jumpman touches a clock)
- "The Hive" (a number of bees lazily home in on Jumpman)
- "Downside Up" (a number of switches cause the level to flip when touched)
- "Tree Huggers" (monkeys shimmy up and down ropes)
- "Solid Ground" (platforms temporarily disappear seconds after Jumpman steps on them)
- "No Rush" (turtles move back and forth over platforms)
- "Clockwork" (moving platforms are tied to gearworks)
- "...Now You Don't" (as in "Now You See It...", the level starts out black)
- "The Great White North" (penguins move in predictable patterns)
- "La Garra" (a moving hook drops springing enemies and new bombs in the level)
- "The Gauntlet" (a number of deadly traps involving rotating blades)
- "Big Game" (dinosaur-like monsters walk back and forth)
- "Flicker" (the room is dark except for a circle around Jumpman, and a ghost homes in on him as well)
- "When it Rains" (Raindrops fall from the sky, and a water level goes up and down)
- "Fyodor" (a large bear chases Jumpman)
- "Infestation" (bombs clone themselves and wander around)
- "High Strung" (a chain ties Jumpman to the center of the level, and lengthens with each bomb taken)
- "A Difficult Assignment" (a parody of the game Impossible MissionImpossible MissionImpossible Mission is a platform computer game for several home computers. The original version for the Commodore 64 was programmed by Dennis Caswell and published by Epyx in 1984.-Description:...
) - "Wonkey Frog" (a parody of the game Donkey KongDonkey Kong (video game)is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. It is an early example of the platform game genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. In the game, Jumpman must rescue a damsel in distress, Lady, from a...
) - "Jump the Shark" (Jumpman has to swim in a basin and avoid an angry shark)
There is also a "Final Battle" level, where a UFO shoots laser beams at Jumpman, and a secret level, "Ninjas", where ninjas roam the board adding new bombs.
Similar games
- Mario Bros, released in 1983 by NintendoNintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
- Ultimate Wizard, released in 1984 by Electronic ArtsElectronic ArtsElectronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
External links
- Review of Jumpman (COMPUTE!COMPUTE!Compute! was an American computer magazine that was published from 1979 to 1994, though it can trace its origin to 1978 in Len Lindsay's PET Gazette, one of the first magazines for the Commodore PET computer. In its 1980s heyday Compute! covered all major platforms, and several single-platform...
, October 1983) - Images of Jumpman box, manual and screenshots
- Complete video from the C64 Version on archive.org