D-Bug

D-Bug
Title screen of the game
Game No.	529
Voting	5.00 points, 2 votes
Developer	Richard Walker
Company	Childware
Publisher	Electronic Arts, Ariolasoft, Entertainment & Computer Products (ECP)
Release	1983
Platform	Atari 400/800, C64
Genre	Lernspiel
Gamemode	Single player 2 players (in turns)
Operation
Media
Language
Information	Cassette versions were released by Ariolasoft and Entertainment Computer Products.

Description

"D-Bug" is an educational game that entertainingly illustrates possible defects and related repair procedures for a computer system. While the player plays a simple computer game against the computer or against a second, human opponent, errors occur sporadically, which must be fixed as quickly as possible. In the form of a small game character, the player enters the interior of the device, diagnoses the error, obtains any necessary replacement part, and finally fixes the problem so that the computer can be put back into operation.

The simple computer game "Gotcha" forms the "framework" of the game "D-Bug"

A loose connection at the TV's RF input jack is easily fixed...

... but a defective video chip requires test hardware

Backstory

The technically savvy computer owner...

... and his (in my experience, rare) female counterpart

The proud computer owner wants to play the computer game "Gotcha" — either alone against the computer or against another player. Unfortunately, his computer is quite prone to malfunctions. Therefore, whenever a defect occurs, the player whose turn it was must venture inside the device, diagnose the problem, possibly purchase diagnostic tools and spare parts from a computer shop (to be paid for with points earned in the game "Gotcha"), and then restart the computer after successfully fixing the problem. The game of "Gotcha" can then be continued... until the next malfunction occurs.

Design

Depending on the game situation, the screen display switches between a full-screen representation of the game "Gotcha" on a television, a schematic representation of the entire system, and an enlarged view of the defective component. A status bar at the bottom of the screen displays the score, level, and game mode (repair or "Gotcha" game).

A malfunction of the floppy interface triggers a spectacular "Boot Error."

A fuse is dirt cheap and quick to replace... but was it really the cause of the problem?

When exchanging ROMs electrostatic charging occurs.

The schematic representations of the computer and its components simplify the technical details only to the extent that they become more understandable while still remaining technically accurate. In the enlarged views, symbolic representations (musical notes for the sound generator, colored squares for the graphics output, moving arrows for the floppy controller) help to quickly grasp the function of the assembly.

Graphics

Both the game "Gotcha" and the interior of the computer, as well as the enlarged views of individual assemblies, are displayed in multicolor text mode. Raster line interrupts are used to switch between several character sets (at addresses $D000, $D800, $F000, and $F800) and numerous screen pages (in the address ranges $C000-$CFFF and $E000-$EFFF). Some moving elements of the game are displayed using sprites (the Gotcha cursor and the game character inside the computer are represented by sprite 0, electrostatic charges by sprite 1).

Sound

The "Gotcha" game is accompanied by a two-part melody, which — although it varies randomly — quickly becomes monotonous (for an example excerpt, see section "Theme"). Numerous events in the game, such as successfully fixing a bug or the end of the game in "Gotcha", are underscored by short, one- or two-part musical sequences.

Hints

Switching between uninterrupted gameplay and regular bugs

"D-Bug" can be played either by a single player against the computer or by two players against each other. The number of players is set by moving the white highlight in the status bar at the bottom of the screen to the third field from the left using the joystick in port 1, and then moving the joystick up or down to select the number "1" or "2." If a single player wants to control the game, they use the joystick in port 1. An additional second player operates the joystick in port 2.

Once the number of players has been determined, human characters and robots alternately run through the computer store labeled "STORE" in the lower half of the screen. The player(s) select one of the human characters by pressing the fire button and then control it during the game.

If you simply want to play "Gotcha" undisturbed, you can disable the otherwise occurring malfunctions by clicking the bug icon in the middle of the status bar at the bottom of the screen.

The game "Gotcha" is started by player 1 moving the white highlight to the "GAME" field and then pressing the fire button. Each player is assigned a symbol; the default is a butterfly for player 1 and a sailboat for player 2 (or for the computer if there is only one player). If you want to use a different symbol, you can enter the computer before the game starts by pressing the "SYSTEM" button, move your character to the graphics unit, and select the desired symbol from a total of 5 in the enlarged view (see the left illustration in the gallery below). Similarly, you can select one of 6 melodies in the enlarged sound generator, which will play at the end of each turn (middle illustration). In the right image of the gallery, player 1 has a dog as their symbol, and player 2 has a Native American as their symbol.

The game "Gotcha" begins with the computer randomly moving the cursor (represented by a purple square) to one of the 5x5 symbols on the game board and highlighting the originally dark blue symbol with turquoise. Players then take turns moving their cursor one space horizontally, vertically, or diagonally to an unmarked adjacent space and marking it by pressing the fire button. The player whose symbol is marked receives 10 points, regardless of who marked the symbol. Once all adjacent spaces reachable by the cursor have been marked, the game ends, and the player with the most marked symbols receives a bonus of 50 points; in the event of a tie, there is no bonus.

Inside the graphics unit, one of five possible symbols for "Gotcha" can be selected...

...and inside the sound generator, one of six melodies can be selected to accompany gameplay.

"Gotcha" with modified symbols

If the game "Gotcha" is interrupted by a malfunction, the player whose turn it was must move the white highlight in the status bar to the "SYSTEM" field and enter the computer by pressing the fire button. There, they go to the defective component (in the first level, for simplicity, it is recognizable by a flashing light; later, it can be identified by the error symptoms). Pressing the fire button enlarges the component, where the faulty component can be identified by the fact that the game character starts flashing as soon as it is over it. If the character flashes gray, it is sufficient to push the component back into its socket. If a component flashes black, it is necessary to replace it and obtain a replacement part from the electronics shop (shown in the center of the lower half of the screen).

To purchase a component, the player moves their character into the shop and then moves the joystick right or left until the desired component is visible in the center of the shop window. Pressing the fire button, they purchase the component and pay for it with points from the "Gotcha" game. With their purchase, they return to the faulty assembly, move their character over the defective component, and replace it by pressing the fire button.

If none of the components in a faulty assembly are flashing, a tester must be rented from the electronics shop. Equipped with this device, the character will reliably begin flashing as soon as they are over a faulty assembly. There is a charge for this tester, which depends on the rental period; the prices listed below apply to the replacement parts. If the player cannot identify the fault, they can call technician Charlie, who will repair the damage for a fixed price of 100 points.

Fuse (1 point)

RAM chip (5 points)

LSI chip (10 points)

ROM chip (15 points)

VLSI chip (20 points)

Boot disk (35 points)

Tester (loaner device) (5 points per unit of time)

Call technician (100 points)

Electrostatic discharge approaching!

As the game progresses, the player will increasingly encounter electrostatic discharge — visible as a pulsating white cloud of dots that follows them during their repair work. Upon contact with this cloud, the player character gradually becomes charged (indicated by the fill level of the player's yellow or yellow-red flashing square in the status bar, next to their score — see the left animation in the gallery below). If the player character is heavily charged, they should first discharge it at the power supply's grounding symbol before contacting any electronic components (and even a fuse!), as otherwise all electronic components touched by the character will be damaged.

If the player tasked with repairing the computer runs out of points and can no longer purchase spare parts or borrow test equipment, the repair task is immediately transferred to the other player. If their score is also empty, the game is over, and the game ends.

Upon contact with the "charge cloud", the game character becomes electrostatically charged (left yellow square in the status bar).

Strong electrostatic charges can be discharged at the protective earth conductor of the power supply (marked with a grounding symbol).

If the player performing the repair runs out of points, their opponent must immediately take over.

Screen Layout

Screen display layout. The yellow rectangles next to the scores indicate the electrostatic charge of both players. The flashing white graphics unit is faulty.

Controls

The game is controlled exclusively with the joystick. A single player uses the joystick in port 1, while a second player, if present, uses the one in port 2. Moving the joystick in a specific direction moves the currently active element on the screen (i.e., the cursor in "Gotcha", the character inside the computer, or the highlighted field in the status bar); pressing the fire button triggers the corresponding action (i.e., marking the field in "Gotcha", pressing or replacing a defective component, or selecting a menu item in the status bar).

Tips

• In the game "Gotcha", the goal is to force the opponent into an area of ​​the playing field containing as many of your own symbols as possible. It may be advantageous to mark an opponent's symbol during the early stages of the game to achieve this.
• Because the player whose turn it was when a malfunction occurred is responsible for the repair, and there is no prize to be won, it is advisable to move as quickly as possible and steer the joystick in the direction of the planned move early on.
• To repair malfunctions, you should carefully memorize the damage pattern and the corresponding repair procedure to avoid wasting time on lengthy troubleshooting. The manual even recommends creating a corresponding list. The appropriate repair procedure for a specific malfunction can be determined either based on hardware knowledge or by consulting the manual; alternatively, you can call the technician for a few games whenever you encounter an unknown malfunction and observe their work.

Solution

The game cannot be "solved" but can be played endlessly. With sufficient experience, you can accumulate any number of high scores — after all, the authors of this educational game do not want to demotivate aspiring computer technicians by excessive demands!

Cheats

No cheats are currently known.

Internal Data Structures

For developing custom trainer functions and for analyzing or manipulating the data used by the game, knowledge of memory allocation and internal workings is helpful. The following table therefore compiles some information about "D-Bug".

Address	Content	Comments
$3DC7/$3DC9	Player 1 score	BCD format, low byte at $3DC7, high byte at $3DC9
$3DC8/$3DCA	Player 2 score	BCD format, low byte at $3DC8, high byte at $3DCA
$1630	Electrostatic charge player 1	Value range 0...6
$1631	Electrostatic charge player 2	Value range 0...6

Votes

Voting of the C64-Wiki users (10=the best vote):
5.00 points at 2 votes. You need to be logged in to cast a vote.
Lemon64	4,0	January 24, 2024 - 1 vote
Commodore User	Graphics 2/5, Sound 2/5, Toughness 2/5, Staying Power 1/5, Value 2/5	Issue 28 (January 1986)
Universal Videogame List	3.5/5	January 24, 2024
Rombachs C64-Spieleführer	10	September 1984 - "Verdict 1"

Critics

Stephan64: "The educational game 'D-Bug' conveys knowledge about computer components and troubleshooting problems typical of the time in a pleasingly understandable and detailed way. Inaccuracies are naturally found both in the schematic representation of the computer (no microprocessor accesses main memory and video memory via separate buses) and in the repair procedures (simply replacing a fuse usually does not fix the problem, but rather only masks the underlying problem), yet a lot can be learned from this program and its manual. Unfortunately, given the primitive computer game with which one passes the time until the next malfunction, the fun quickly fades... nevertheless, 6 points for the effort the authors put into entertainingly conveying practical tips and background information."

Rombachs C64-Spieleführer: "An original idea with good design results in a good program, especially suitable for children, as one doesn't have to whir the joystick too much (verdict 1)."

Miscellaneous

Cover

Cover

Inlay

Outside of the inlay for the game "D-Bug"

Inside of the inlay for the game "D-Bug"

Cassette

Cassette

Theme

During the embedded game "Gotcha", a remarkably monotonous melody, which varies randomly, is played continuously (example shown in the left illustration of the following gallery in standard musical notation). In addition, the enlarged view of the sound generator allows you to select one of six melodies, which — usually in a slightly modified form — will play after each move (right image in the gallery). Short sound sequences also play at the end of the game "Gotcha", when purchasing building components, and after a successful repair (middle illustration). For creative reuse, the sheet music for all melodies is also available as a PDF document (File:D-Bug Theme PDF.pdf) and in ABC musical notation (File:D-Bug Theme.abc.txt).

Example excerpt from the "Gotcha" accompaniment melody, reconstructed by logging all write accesses to the SID

Sound sequences to accompany the end of the game in "Gotcha", a purchase in the computer shop, and a successful repair

Selection of possible accompaniment melodies after each move, each with variations

Video Recording

Short video recording of the fast loader and gameplay

Bugs

The cassette version of "D-Bug" uses the fast loader Novaload. The loading process is divided into two phases: the first phase reads nameless data blocks, while the second phase loads files, which can have a filename. In the second phase, the filename must be set in the usual C64 manner before each call to the load routine (see the SETNAM routine in the Kernal). Alternatively, the filenames on the cassette for the second phase can have a length of 0 and thus be loaded without having to specify a filename beforehand.

The cassette version of "D-Bug" fatally mixes these two approaches: Before the loading routine is called in the second phase, no filename is set, but two files named "D2" and "D3" are to be loaded from the tape. If the user loads the game by simply entering the "LOAD" command (or by pressing the key combination SHIFT RUN/STOP ) and thus implicitly specifies an empty filename, this is irrelevant, since in this case every file is loaded from the tape without question. However, if the user explicitly specifies the filename "D-BUG" when loading from the tape, this name is retained and is compared sequentially with the filenames "D2" and "D3" in the second phase of the loading process. As a result of the mismatch, the two files are skipped, and the loading process hangs while the cassette runs to the end of the tape.

Anyone who, with particularly good intentions, specifies the filename "D-BUG" when loading the cassette...

...will then be faced with a frozen loading screen.

Fastloader

The cassette version of "D-Bug" uses the fast loader Novaload. The scrolling text displayed on its loading screen eagerly promotes other games distributed by the publisher Ariolasoft:

ARIOLASOFT PRESENTS ...   D-BUG   FROM ELECTRONIC ARTS
NEW HIGH PERFORMANCE PROGRAMS FROM ARIOLASOFT WITH FREE METAL BADGE OFFER INCLUDE ...
STEALTH ...   AN EXCITING ALL ACTION PROGRAM - YOU ARE THE PILOT OF A POWERFUL STEALTH STARFIGHTER WHOSE MISSION IS TO DESTROY THE DARK TOWER AND ITS INHABITANTS - THE MERCILESS COUNCIL OF NINE.   FEATURES INCLUDE... * STUNNING 3D EFFECTS * 6 SKILL LEVELS * DEADLY ENEMY ATTACK PLANES FIRING VICIOUS HEAT-SEEKING MISSILES * POSITIVE & NEGATIVE ENERGY FIELDS.
THE CASTLES OF DR. CREEP ...    A CHILLING ACTION/STRATEGY PROGRAM FEATURING * 13 CASTLES CONTAINING OVER 200 ROOMS FULL OF SINISTER SUPRISES & CHALLENGING PUZZLES * MUMMIES & FRANKENSTEINS * DEADLY LIGHTNING MACHINES, MOVING RAY GUNS & TRAP DOORS * A UNIQUE 2 PLAYER CO-OPERATIVE OPTION WHICH LETS YOU PLAY 'WITH' RATHER THAN 'AGAINST' ANOTHER PLAYER.
KARATEKA - ONE TRAINED IN THE WAY OF KARATE. THE FAMOUS AMERICAN NO. 1 HIT 3D MARTIAL ARTS PROGRAM - YOUR MISSION IS TO RESCUE YOUR BELOVED PRINCESS MARIKO FROM A DUNGEON DEEP WITHIN THE PALACE OF THE EVIL WARLORD AKUMA. FEATURES INCLUDE * SUSPENSEFUL, MOVIE-LIKE STORY * RUN, PUNCH & KICK ABILITY * SMOOTHLY ANIMATED CHARACTERS * 3D SCROLLING BACKGROUND * REALISTIC KARATE FIGHT TO THE DEATH
RACING DESTRUCTION SET ...   AN EXCITING SPLIT SCREEN COMPUTER SLOT CAR RACING SET FOR 1 OR 2 PLAYERS * 50 BUILT IN CIRCUITS INCLUDING 19 FAMOUS GRAND PRIX TRACKS * FULL CONSTRUCTION SET ENABLING YOU TO BUILD YOUR OWN TRACKS & CUSTOMIZE YOUR 10 DIFFERENT VEHICLES.

Start screen of the fast loader Novaload

Loading screen with the beginning of the scrolling text

Highscore

Since the game can only end when both players run out of points and thus can no longer pay for the computer repair, the final score does not reflect the player's performance. The following list therefore encourages players to immortalize themselves with a particularly high intermediate score and document it with a screenshot taken during gameplay. The game variant with malfunctions should be played against the computer.

The list is sorted in descending order by the score achieved, regardless of the level reached.

Topscore of Stephan64

1. Stephan64 - 1145 - 4 (30.01.2024)
2. Keiner - 0 (tt.mm.jjjj)
3. Niemand - 0 (tt.mm.jjjj)

	#2 Keiner		#3 Niemand

Links

• C64Games.de - Game No. 6876
• Lemon64 - Game No. 5474
• C64.com - Game No. 1890
• Gamebase64.com - Game No. 1921
• CSDb
• D-Bug at MobyGames

• Universal Videogame List
• Atarimania
• Manual of the game

Magazine

• Telematch test report (pp. 53)
• Commodore User test report (p. 31)