Road Runner (Atari, 1979) - Remastered v3.0
IPD No. 3517
In my continuing quest to improve the audio and visual elements of my favorite tables, I finally finished the update to, "Road Runner" (or Roadrunner, if I'm staying true to my ornithology studies).
First off, big "Thank Yous" to a couple of colleagues, as without their permission and most importantly guidance, this update would not have been possible. Thank you Kalavera, for approving of and encouragement to remaster your already existing masterpiece! And to Xenonph, for the amazing sound mod of the previous version, as it was the inspiration for pushing my understanding of the coding for this remaster. Speaking of which, Xenonph helped me out in the 11th hour by adding some excellent timer code that allowed a fun audio queue to end the game after the last ball drains. That was the icing on the cake, and really brought the table experience full circle! Thanks, Xenonph!
I'm sure I've missed a few other contributors, so apologies and thank you as well! This is a great community of talented people who are always available to teach and guide. I've made two new friends through this project!
As the title indicates, this is a remaster. I'm a bit of a cinephile when it comes to Warner Bros. animated shorts (I don't even call them cartoons). There is a certain charm that these held from the 1930's up through the golden era of the 1950's. I worked to bring that early era charm back to this remastered version, including using the original music score, balanced with authentic sound effects in order to help recreate that feeling of watching these as a kid (or adult) while you play the table.
Starting with the graphics on the Playfield and Plastics:
- Cleaned up imperfections on the playfield surface in preparation for adding a new Wile E. Coyote character next to the Roadrunner.
- Repainted large amounts of the plastics to color correct, then accommodate the character updates.
- Updated the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote colors and style to be consistent with the original artist model sheet references.
- Included two types of Wile E. Coyote (one from the Roadrunner shorts and the other from the Ralph Sheepdog series)
- Added characters and scenes to all the previously sparse areas of the plastics, including the apron and slingshots.
- Added the wooden road sign title card from the animated short, "Fast and Furry-ous (1949)" to the playfield.
Audio:
- Removed the previous version's, "Roadrunner Show" television theme song and replaced it with music from Warner Bros. composer Carl Stalling's original orchestrated queues from the animated shorts, "There They Go Go Go (1956)" & "Zoom and Bored (1957)". These were pulled from the disc issue of, "The Carl Stalling Project" (OGG files are in music folder included in the download).
- Added sound effects from the original Warner Bros. library discs, specifically used within the Roadrunner / Wile E. Coyote animated shorts.
- And finally... Remember the first time you heard Wile E. Coyote speak? Voiced by the great Mel Blanc, he introduces himself (with a business card) as "Wile E. Coyote, Genius", to Bugs Bunny in 1952's "Operation: Rabbit". Prepare to have him introduce himself to you, each time you start a new game!
I hope you have fun playing this remastered version!
Thanks for all the support and guidance,
GaryInMotion
IPD No. 3517
In my continuing quest to improve the audio and visual elements of my favorite tables, I finally finished the update to, "Road Runner" (or Roadrunner, if I'm staying true to my ornithology studies).
First off, big "Thank Yous" to a couple of colleagues, as without their permission and most importantly guidance, this update would not have been possible. Thank you Kalavera, for approving of and encouragement to remaster your already existing masterpiece! And to Xenonph, for the amazing sound mod of the previous version, as it was the inspiration for pushing my understanding of the coding for this remaster. Speaking of which, Xenonph helped me out in the 11th hour by adding some excellent timer code that allowed a fun audio queue to end the game after the last ball drains. That was the icing on the cake, and really brought the table experience full circle! Thanks, Xenonph!
I'm sure I've missed a few other contributors, so apologies and thank you as well! This is a great community of talented people who are always available to teach and guide. I've made two new friends through this project!
As the title indicates, this is a remaster. I'm a bit of a cinephile when it comes to Warner Bros. animated shorts (I don't even call them cartoons). There is a certain charm that these held from the 1930's up through the golden era of the 1950's. I worked to bring that early era charm back to this remastered version, including using the original music score, balanced with authentic sound effects in order to help recreate that feeling of watching these as a kid (or adult) while you play the table.
Starting with the graphics on the Playfield and Plastics:
- Cleaned up imperfections on the playfield surface in preparation for adding a new Wile E. Coyote character next to the Roadrunner.
- Repainted large amounts of the plastics to color correct, then accommodate the character updates.
- Updated the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote colors and style to be consistent with the original artist model sheet references.
- Included two types of Wile E. Coyote (one from the Roadrunner shorts and the other from the Ralph Sheepdog series)
- Added characters and scenes to all the previously sparse areas of the plastics, including the apron and slingshots.
- Added the wooden road sign title card from the animated short, "Fast and Furry-ous (1949)" to the playfield.
Audio:
- Removed the previous version's, "Roadrunner Show" television theme song and replaced it with music from Warner Bros. composer Carl Stalling's original orchestrated queues from the animated shorts, "There They Go Go Go (1956)" & "Zoom and Bored (1957)". These were pulled from the disc issue of, "The Carl Stalling Project" (OGG files are in music folder included in the download).
- Added sound effects from the original Warner Bros. library discs, specifically used within the Roadrunner / Wile E. Coyote animated shorts.
- And finally... Remember the first time you heard Wile E. Coyote speak? Voiced by the great Mel Blanc, he introduces himself (with a business card) as "Wile E. Coyote, Genius", to Bugs Bunny in 1952's "Operation: Rabbit". Prepare to have him introduce himself to you, each time you start a new game!
I hope you have fun playing this remastered version!
Thanks for all the support and guidance,
GaryInMotion
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