Cohen's Towers
| Cohen's Towers | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Game No. | 522 | |
| Voting | 7.00 points, 1 votes | |
| Developer | Frank Cohen | |
| Company | Fanda | |
| Publisher | Datamost, Databyte | |
| Musician | Frank Cohen | |
| HVSC-File | /MUSICIANS/C/Cohen_Frank/Cohens_Towers.sid | |
| Release | 1983 | |
| Platform | Atari 400/800, C64 | |
| Genre | Platformer | |
| Gamemode | Single player | |
| Operation |  
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| Media |  
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| Language | 
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Description[edit | edit source]
In the game "Cohen's Towers", the player controls the messenger boy Allen, who travels through three 18-story skyscrapers, delivering the residents' mail individually to the central collection point.
But it's not enough that the elevators in these skyscrapers are open paternoster lifts, requiring considerable practice to get on and off, and that some floors are only accessible from the up-going or down-going elevator: To make matters worse, Allen also has to fend off a dog that regularly attacks him from opening doors and watch out for falling flowerpots.
At least he occasionally has the opportunity to score some bonus points by kissing the secretary who briefly stops by or nudging a sleepwalker who suddenly appears. But only after he has collected all the packages does the boss himself come by, grant him a bonus for his diligence, and escort him to the next level in another skyscraper, where the task is even more difficult — especially because the vicious dog is moving faster and faster.
Backstory[edit | edit source]
TO: Allen, my nephew FROM: The Boss O.K. Allen — you asked me for a job two summers ago and I didn't hire you. You asked me for a job last summer and I didn't hire you. So what do you do? You ask me for a job this summer! Well — I'm proud of you, my boy! That's what I call perseverance! And because you never gave up, I'm hiring you as a Mailboy — a very important job! You'll start at FANDA, and if you do a good job I'll promote you to DATAMOST. I have one other building, COHEN'S TOWER, but you'll probably never get that far. It's not easy delivering the mail around here! Look for my dog, Fear. You'll have to jump over him if you want to keep working. And you better keep working! I'll be watching your every move, Allen, so just do your job — don't play around with my Secretary — and watch for Bobby the "Corporate Spy" (he'll try to steal the mail). O.K. Allen — the job's yours. Now get to work! D.G. The Boss
Design[edit | edit source]
During the game, the screen always displays a side view of the current skyscraper. Because the building is exactly as wide as the screen, but only about 4 of the 18 floors can be shown at a time due to space limitations, the display scrolls pixel by pixel vertically whenever the player character uses an elevator or falls.
The floors are very similar to each other, so the skyscrapers as a whole appear somewhat unimaginative. However, the colors are very harmoniously chosen, resulting in a visually pleasing and atmospheric image — also thanks to the leisurely ascending and descending elevators.
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Graphics[edit | edit source]
The graphics are rendered in multicolor text mode (video RAM at address $6C00), using two different character sets for displaying the game progress (at address $7800) and the skyscraper (at address $7000). Allen, his boss, the secretary, and the sleepwalker are each composed of two multicolor sprites (Allen from sprites 0 and 1, all other characters from sprites 5 and 7); the boss's dog is a single multicolor sprite (sprite 7). All other elements of the game, including elevators and falling flowerpots, are part of the text screen.
Interestingly, the sprites are also used via a sprite multiplexer, in the form of completely black rectangles, to create a uniformly wide black stripe between the game progress bar and the skyscraper display — and to display the white "GAME OVER" text at the end of the game.
To display letters from the boss to the HR department (see animation on the right) and to announce the next skyscraper, the game briefly switches to a second screen at address $6800, using only the character set in the memory area starting at address $7800.
Sound[edit | edit source]
A pleasant three-part melody plays during the game's title screen. Otherwise, the gameplay is accompanied partly by short, two-part sequences (see section "Theme", and partly by simple sound effects. The following illustration, for example, shows the sound that plays when the player character jumps.
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Hints[edit | edit source]
The goal of the game "Cohen's Towers" is to guide the servant Allen through an 18-story skyscraper in each level, picking up all the packages lying in the hallways and delivering each one to one of the package collection points within the building. Allen receives 20 points for picking up a package and 40 points for delivering it to a collection point. The total number of points earned during the game is the player's measure of success.
The player character in "Cohen's Towers" does not have a fixed number of lives, as is typical in such computer games. Instead, the game ends as soon as Allen is reprimanded by his boss for the fourth time; the number of reprimands received is displayed in the header as "DEMERITS".
Allen must beware of encountering the boss's dog: If he fails to avoid it or jump over it in time, Allen will fall to his death and receive a reprimand. Furthermore, Allen should only use the elevators briefly, as he could otherwise be hit by a flowerpot falling down the shaft — such an accident also earns Allen a reprimand. And because the boss is constantly monitoring him, it's not advisable to take a long break during work: Even a short pause in one place will attract the boss's attention, who will berate him for his laziness after a few seconds.
Additional points can be earned by kissing the boss's secretary, who occasionally stops by — usually right after delivering a package to the collection point — (600 points; a brief encounter in the hallway is sufficient), and by nudging a sleepwalker who sometimes appears (400 bonus points). Bonus items worth 50 points each are also available at numerous locations throughout the building, and a key found in each building not only grants a 200-point bonus but also an extra life: Instead of the game ending with the fourth reprimand, the lucky finder's number of keys decreases by one, while the number of reprimands remains the same.
The successful completion of a level, i.e., collecting all packages and delivering them to the central collection points, is rewarded by the boss with bonuses of 700, 800, and 900 points for the first, second, and third skyscrapers, respectively. In the first building, named "FANDA", 20 packages must be delivered to one of three collection points; in the subsequent skyscrapers, "DATAMOST INC." and "COHEN'S TOWER", 24 packages must be delivered to one of two collection points each. However, the higher levels are not only more difficult because there are more packages to collect, but also because the boss's dog runs increasingly faster.
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Screen Layout[edit | edit source]
Controls[edit | edit source]
"Cohen's Towers" is controlled exclusively with a joystick in port 1. The controls are incredibly simple: Pressing the fire button starts the game and may skip the currently displayed part of the intro. Moving the joystick left or right moves the character in the corresponding direction. To make the character jump (to avoid the boss's dog or exit the elevator), the fire button must also be pressed.
Enemies and Other Elements of the Game[edit | edit source]
Besides the boss, who appears after Allen has been idle for a while and has completed his task, there are several other characters in the game: At longer intervals, the secretary emerges from the door of the next floor up and paces for a while; if Allen manages to reach her during this time (according to the instructions: kiss her), he receives 600 bonus points. He can also earn 400 points by touching a sleepwalker who staggers out of the door.
Allen should beware of his boss's dog. A collision with this unruly animal causes Allen to fall, resulting in a demerit (equivalent to the loss of a life). This can be avoided by Allen jumping over the dog as soon as it approaches. Alternatively, Allen can briefly switch to the elevator on the floor where the dog is roaming and quickly return as soon as the dog has moved on.
If Allen rides the elevator more than two floors at a time, a flowerpot will fall down the elevator shaft from above. Allen will fall if he doesn't use the nearest exit to the right or left in time and is hit by the pot. Fortunately, with both the nasty dog and the flowerpot, it's enough to dodge at the last moment; even if the player character and their opponent slightly overlap, this isn't considered a collision.
 Boss's dog |
 Secretary |
 Sleepwalker |
 Flowerpot |
Tips[edit | edit source]
- The time Allen can ride an elevator continuously before a flowerpot falls down the shaft is calculated to be just enough for two floors going up and just enough for three floors going down. If you want to fully utilize these ranges — for example, because there are floors in between that can only be accessed from the other side — you should enter the elevator at the latest possible time and exit as early as possible. Alternatively, you can, of course, make shorter stops and continue the journey in the next elevator car — then no flowerpots will fall at all.
- Distances greater than the routes mentioned above can only be covered in one go using the two leftmost and the two rightmost elevators: No flowerpots fall in these elevators. However, this detour is never really necessary, as you can instead briefly move into gaps in the opposite elevator wall (and possibly collect 50 bonus points there).
- The boss's dog always runs to the right across the entire floor as soon as it enters a door. Therefore, when entering a new level from the left, one should pause briefly to let the dog go first, and only then proceed past the door.
- If Allen is still standing at the far left edge of a floor, he can also, as soon as the dog appears, briefly take the elevator going up and then back down to the floor: The dog will then disappear through the door, and with a bit of luck, he won't return for a while.
- If Allen encounters the secretary or the sleepwalker, he should stay away from the door — because when these people return to their room, the boss's dog might come through the door in a very short time (see the middle animation in the gallery in the section "Design").
Solution[edit | edit source]
The game cannot be "solved", because even if Allen manages to deliver all the packages to their respective collection points in all three skyscrapers, his boss will escort him back to the first skyscraper, and the cycle begins again. It is therefore more important to avoid all dangers and score as many points as possible through skill and practice.
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Map[edit | edit source]
The following illustrations depict the layout of the three skyscrapers where the player character, Allen, must collect and deliver packages. They show, in particular, the locations of the collection points and also indicate the point at which the outer elevators must be exited to avoid getting stuck.
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Cheats[edit | edit source]
There are two cracks with a trainer function available on CSDb. The crack by Nostalgia (https://csdb.dk/release/?id=238001) offers the most diverse selection options (left animation in the gallery below).
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Internal Data Structures[edit | edit source]
Knowledge of memory allocation and internal workings is helpful for developing custom trainer functions and for analyzing or manipulating the data used by the game. The following table therefore compiles a range of information about "Cohen's Towers".
| Address | Content | Range of values | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0017 | Package included? | 0...1 | 0=Allen is not carrying a package, 1=Allen is carrying a package |
| $002F | Current skyscraper number | 0...2 | 0="FANDA", 1="DATAMOST INC.", 2="COHEN'S TOWER" |
| $0034 | Number of packages delivered | 0...24 | - |
| $0090 — $0091 | Score / 10 | 0...9999, corresponding to 0...99990 points | Packed BCD format, high-order byte at $0090, low-order byte at $0091 |
| $0094 | Number of demerits | 0...3 | - |
| $0095 | Number of keys | 0...9 | Collecting a 10th key earns points, but it is not counted |
When Allen delivers a packet to the collection point, the door on the next floor up opens at irregular, seemingly random intervals, and the secretary or the sleepwalker appears in the hallway. Internally, however, there is a two-part table in the address range $1FAF...$1FC0 that precisely determines how many packages must be delivered before these characters appear in each skyscraper:
| Secretary | Number of packages up to an appearance in skyscraper ... | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memory address | 1. | 2. | 3. | |
| $1FAF | 5 | 3 | 7 | (first appearance) |
| $1FB2 | 10 | 8 | 13 | (second appearance) |
| $1FB5 | 18 | 16 | 17 | (thrird appearance) |
| Sleepwalker | Number of packages up to an appearance in skyscraper ... | |||
| Memory address | 1. | 2. | 3. | |
| $1FB8 | 7 | 6 | 9 | (first appearance) |
| $1FBB | 14 | 13 | 15 | (second appearance) |
| $1FBE | 16 | 18 | 19 | (thrird appearance) |
In the first skyscraper, "Fanda", the secretary appears, for example, after 5, 10, and 18 packages have been delivered, while the sleepwalker appears after 7, 14, and 16 packages.
Votes[edit | edit source]
| Voting of the C64-Wiki users (10=the best vote): | ||
| 7.00 points at 1 vote. You need to be logged in to cast a vote. | ||
| Lemon64 | 6,5 | September 19, 2024 - 24 votes |
| Atarimania | 5,4/10 | September 19, 2024 - 37 votes |
| Rombachs C64-Spieleführer | 10 | September 1984 - "Verdict 1" |
Critics[edit | edit source]
Stephan64: "Cohen's Towers is a simple but nicely made collecting game, perfect for winding down after a long day — and also an interesting historical document, because what game designer today would dare to award extra points for kissing the head secretary? Considering its early release year, the amusing backstory, and the pleasant background music, I give it a well-deserved 7 points."
Rombachs C64-Spieleführer: "Although Cohen's Towers also belongs to the category of climbing and collecting games, the game concept is quite original (Rating 1)." [1]
Miscellaneous[edit | edit source]
Cover[edit | edit source]
The cover of the cassette version of "Cohen's Towers", which also serves as the cover image of the user manual, can be found as an illustration in the Wikipedia entry for the game.
Disc[edit | edit source]
A photograph of the floppy disk for the Atari version of the game can be found in the appendix of the scanned user manual (https://archive.org/2/items/CohensTowersAtari/Cohens-Towers-Atari.pdf).
Theme[edit | edit source]
The musical score for "Cohen's Towers" consists of eight melodies in total — a longer, three-part melody that plays while the start screen is displayed, and seven short sequences that underscore individual events in the game. The following gallery shows all the melodies in standard musical notation. For creative reuse, the sheet music is also available as a PDF document (File:CohensTowers PDF.pdf) and in ABC musical notation (File:CohensTowers.abc.txt).
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Video Recording[edit | edit source]
Some pathetic attempts to play "Cohen's Towers"
Bugs[edit | edit source]
If Allen moves from one floor to the elevator, the boss's dog, which may be wandering in the hallway, obediently returns to his room. However, if the secretary or the sleepwalker suddenly appears on the next floor up, the dog instantly vanishes into thin air.
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Highscore[edit | edit source]
The following list invites you to immortalize yourself with your highest score. The number of the last building reached can be included as the level, but — since the skyscrapers repeat cyclically — does not influence your ranking.
When taking the screenshot for your high score entry, you need to be quick: The score is only visible for about 5 seconds after the game ends, then the program switches back to the intro.
- Ivanpaduano - 3030 - 1 (03.01.2025)
- Stephan64 - 2430 - 1 (26.09.2024)
- Niemand - 0 (tt.mm.jjjj)
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| #2 Stephan64 | #3 Niemand |
Links[edit | edit source]
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Wikipedia: Cohen's_Towers |
- Lemon64 - Game No. 514
- Gamebase64.com - Game No. 1549
- ready64 - Game No. 3446
- C64Games.de - Game No. 1031
- Cohen's Towers at MobyGames
- CSDb - Release No. 238001,CSDb - Release No. 102541
- CSDb
- Universal Videogame List
- Atarimania
- Analog Computing test report (pp. 54)
- Page 6 test report (p. 43)
- Ahoy! test report (p. 60)
- Computer Gaming World short description (p. 8)
- User manual for the Atari version
Videos[edit | edit source]
Sources[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Oswald Reim, Martin Scholer: "Rombachs C64-Spieleführer", Rombach, 1984, page 75
