Dig Dug (rev 2)

Arcade 1982 Namco Maze Digging
Dig Dug is a 1- or 2-player game with a color raster-scan video display. The screen shows a cutaway view of the land, most of which is below ground. The player controls the Dig Dug character who travels through and digs tunnels in the dirt. The object is for Dig Dug to destroy monsters by pumping them up or dropping rocks on them and to capture vegetables.

Gameplay takes place on a cutaway section of the land. The characters are Dig Dug and two monsters - one is a round, orange monster with goggles called Pooka, the other is a green, fire-breathing dragon named Fygar. The underground area is divided into four different colored layers of dirt. Rocks are scattered in the dirt. The sky is at the top of the screen.

The player controls Dig Dug, the hero of the garden, clad in white. He moves through horizontal and vertical tunnels. When Dig Dug digs new tunnels he moves slowly. When he is on the surface or in an existing tunnel, he moves faster. The object of the game is for Dig Dug to destroy all the monsters and go to the next round.

Monsters are trapped in caves. A monster may get out of a cave two ways. Dig Dug may dig him out. Then, the monster chases Dig Dug. The monster may also get out of the cave by turning into a ghost. As a ghost, he cannot be destroyed. The ghost does not travel in the tunnels. He travels through the dirt, and can travel diagonally. However, he reappears as the monster when he goes into a tunnel.

The monsters move faster than Dig Dug in vertical tunnels and slower on the surface. They destroy Dig Dug by catching him. In addition, Fygar can destroy Dig Dug by breathing fire on him. Fygar can only breathe fire horizontally. The fire can penetrate the dirt.

Dig Dug destroys the monsters by pumping them up until they burst, or by causing rocks to drop on them. To pump up and destroy a monster, the player presses and holds down the Pump button. It is possible to stun a monster for a few seconds by pressing the pump button once or twice. While a monster is stunned, Dig Dug may pass over him without being destroyed. If two monsters are very close together, only one may be stunned. The other will catch and destroy Dig Dug.

Dig Dug must dig tunnels under the rocks to get them to drop. A rock may fall in a vertical or horizontal tunnel. A rock also goes through a thin layer of dirt from one tunnel to the next. In a vertical tunnel, Dig Dug may stay directly under a rock and it will not drop. However, in a horizontal tunnel, Dig Dug must move out from under a rock right away, or he will be crushed.

After two rocks are dropped, a vegetable (worth extra points, see Scoring below) appears in a tunnel in the center of the screen. Dig Dug has 10 seconds to capture (touch) the vegetable or it will disappear. There is only one vegetable per round.

The game progresses by rounds. Round 1 starts with four monsters (one Fygar and three Pookas) and three rocks. The vegetable is a carrot. One flower on the surface (top right of the screen) represents Round 1. Two flowers represent Round 2, etc. As the rounds progress, the monsters move a little faster, and are better at avoiding falling rocks. In each round, the last monster tries to escape. If he is not caught by Dig Dug, he exits on the surface (top left).

The game ends when all of Dig Dug's lives are used up. A player may continue to play at the beginning of the same round (level) by following instructions on the screen. He has 16 seconds to insert a coin(s). Then he must push and hold the pump and start buttons at the same time.
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Dig Dug (rev 2)

Partager Dig Dug (rev 2)

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Technical

CPU
  • maincpu Z80 (@ 3 Mhz)
  • sub Z80 (@ 3 Mhz)
  • sub2 Z80 (@ 3 Mhz)
  • 51xx:mcu MB8843 (@ 1 Mhz)
  • 53xx:mcu MB8843 (@ 1 Mhz)
Chipset
  • Namco (@ 0 Mhz)
Display
  • Orientation Tate
  • Resolution 255 x 224
  • Frequency 60.606061 Hz
Controlers
  • Number of players 2
  • Number of buttons 1
  • Kind of controler joy (4 ways)

Dig Dug (rev 2) Screenshots

Dig Dug (rev 2) - Screen 1
Dig Dug (rev 2) - Screen 2
Dig Dug (rev 2) - Screen 3
Dig Dug (rev 2) - Screen 4
Dig Dug (rev 2) - Screen 5

Clones of Dig Dug (rev 2)

Scoring for Dig Dug (rev 2)

Scoring in this game is relatively complicated due the dirt layer a monster is at and also how you kill said monster. In addition, you even get points for 'eating' dirt.

* Over-inflating (bursting) monsters :
Layer 1 : 200 Points
Layer 2 : 300 Points
Layer 3 : 400 Points
Layer 4 : 500 Points

NOTE : If you over-inflate a Fygar horizontally, you will get double the listed points. This is due to the fact that you are risking your life dealing with Fygar's flame breath.

* Dropping rocks on monsters :
1 Crushed : 1000 Points
2 Crushed : 2500 Points
3 Crushed : 4000 Points
4 Crushed : 6000 Points
5 Crushed : 8000 Points
6 Crushed : 10000 Points
7 Crushed : 12000 Points
8 Crushed : 15000 Points

* You get points for collecting the prizes :
Round 1 - Carrot : 400 Points
Round 2 - Rutabaga : 600 Points
Round 3 - Mushroom : 800 Points
Rounds 4 & 5 - Cucumber : 1000 Points
Rounds 6 & 7 - Eggplant : 2000 Points
Rounds 8 & 9 - Bell Pepper : 3000 Points
Rounds 10 & 11 - Tomato : 4000 Points
Rounds 12 & 13 - Onion : 5000 Points
Rounds 14 & 15 - Watermelon : 6000 Points
Rounds 16 & 17 - Galaxian : 7000 Points
Round 18 onward - Pineapple : 8000 Points

When you are digging a new tunnel, you get 10 points per 5/8 inch dug.

Tips on Dig Dug (rev 2)

* Hints for Game Play :
1) Get many monsters to follow you. Then dig a long vertical tunnel up to a rock.
2) Drop the rock by digging right or left.
3) Dig Dug may take extra time to turn. It is better to start turning early than to wait until the last second.
4) Destroy monsters at bottom dirt level for more points.
5)Use the Pump button to stun monsters. Then you may escape or walk through them.
6) Don't stop next to Fygar when he is in a cave. His fire can go through a thin layer of dirt and destroy you.
7) A prize appears after two rocks have been dropped. So be sure to drop two rocks in each round.

* When you start the game, Dig Dug will dig a downward vertical shaft into a chamber. The floor of this chamber is the top of the third layer. It is your job to dig tunnels and keep the monsters busy. This won't be an easy task since the monsters will attempt to surround Dig Dug and permanently end his mining career. You will have a two second delay before the round starts. It shows Dig Dug digging his vertical tunnel down to his starting area. Take this time to see where all the monsters are and figure out the best course of action to take them out.

* Knowing the behavior of the monsters is a crucial element of this game. Pookas travel a bit faster then Dig Dug and tend to run him down. Fygars don't have the speed but they make up for it with their fiery belch.

* Dig Dug travels slower when he is busy carving tunnels.

* Know the rules of dropping rocks :
1) Rocks will wobble for about a second before they drop.
2) Rocks drop immediately when you cut a horizontal tunnel under them.
3) In vertical tunnels, the rock will stay in place as long as Dig Dug is facing it and moving.
4) When you drop two rocks, the prize will appear.

* Don't waste your rocks on only one monster. Try to get as many monsters crushed as possible. The best way to accomplish this is :
1) Try to dig long, vertical tunnels under the rocks. Don't dig all the way to the rock or you will waste it.
2) Try to get the monsters to follow you. Sort of a ''follow the leader'' type thing up that vertical tunnel. This will be especially important in the later rounds.
3) If the monsters are spread out a little, do a couple of pumps on the monster that is close. This will only stun it and allow the others to catch up.
4) Right before they get Dig Dug, dig the rest of the way then head off left or right. The long, vertical shaft will prevent their escape and get you big points.

* There are a total of 15 unique layouts in the game. After Round 15, layouts 12-15 repeat over and over in waves of four. There are patterns for these levels. Also, after Round 36, all of the enemies will speed up. The game does not award extra man after 900000 points; the score will simply flip over at 1000000. It is very easy to get a score of 999990 by eating dirt for ten points per section. Round 256 begins with a Pooka on top of Dig Dug. Since there is no way to escape, the game is basically over, no matter how many lives the player may have left.

* Avoid killing the monsters by bursting them. If you don't have a choice, try to do in the lower layers since you get more points that way.

* The pump is better utilized as a delay mechanism. Inflating a monster with two pumps will immobilize it for about two seconds. With two monsters, you can pump one up, move back a little and pump the other one up.

* Monsters can be released from their pens in one of two ways :
1) You open up their pen by digging it open.
2) They turn into 'ghosts'. While they are ghosts, Pookas appear only as goggles, and Fygars appear as a set of evil eyes and a mouth. They will rematerialize as soon as they get into a tunnel.

* Watch out for the fiery breath of Fygar. They not only can let loose down a horizontal tunnel, they also can send their fire through thin layers of dirt. The best defense when caught in a horizontal tunnel with a Fygar is to immediately go up or down to avoid their breath.

* The Pookas have a tendency to try to surround Dig Dug. Usually they will try to trap him from the front and behind. Watch the Pooka 'ghosts' to make sure that they are not heading toward an area that you are currently tunnelling in.

* It is possible to find patterns for the different levels, but it also is difficult since there isn't a well-defined maze to work with (like in "Pac-Man").

* When there is one monster left, it will attempt to escape rather then continue to pursue Dig Dug. You can chase him to get the points or let him go. Regardless, the game will advance to the next round.

* In the later rounds, it is much more profitable to collect the prizes, then try to drop rocks on the monsters since they move so quickly.

* 'Eat Dirt' secret : You should try this before round 36 since everything speeds up.
1) Get the game down to two Pookas. If you only leave one, it will escape thus ending the round.
2) This works best in horizontal tunnels under the rocks.
3) Get a Pooka to follow you, inflate as necessary to delay him a little.
4) Right when you are next to the rock, inflate the Pooka once to just delay him. When he moves at your character again, move under the rock.
5) Quickly turn around and start pumping the Pooka up. Using the delay of the rock dropping, you should be able to cause the Pooka to burst at the same time the rock drops on him.
6) If you are successful, then the other Pooka will disappear and you can amuse yourself digging out tunnels all day long in the dirt. To return the game back to normal, drop another rock and you will go into the next round.

* Easter Egg :
1) Enter service mode.
2) Keep B1 pressed and enter the following sequence : Up(x6), Right(x3), Down(x4), Left(x8).
3) '(c) 1982 NAMCO LTD.' will appear on the screen.

Dig Dug (rev 2) and M.A.M.E.

0.79u1 [Yasuhiro Ogawa]
0.35RC1 [Aaron Giles]
0.26 [Aaron Giles, Martin Scragg]

Artwork available

WIP:
- 0.145u7: Miodrag Milanovic fixed input regression in Dig Dug.
- 0.144u3: Angelo Salese fixed Dig Dug gameplay acting very odd.
- 0.144u1: hap fixed sprites disappear off right screen- cocktail mode player 2 in Dig Dug and clones.
- 0.143u8: Kanikani fixed DIP locations in DigDug.
- 0.142u5: Aaron Giles fixed save state does not work correctly in Dig Dug and clones.
- 0.133u3: Yasuhiro Ogawa renamed (digdugb) to (digdug1) (it's a rev1, not a bootleg) and (digduga1) to (digdugat1). Fixed rom names.
- 0.133u1: Brian Troha added DIP locations to Dig Dug and clones.
- 0.131u3: Aaron Giles changed the Namco 52xx and 53xx devices to run the actual MCU instead of simulating the behavior. Hooked them up properly in Dig Dug. Added 2x MB8843 (1536000 Hz) CPU4/5.
- 9th July 2008: Mr. Do - Dig Dug now has cocktail artwork, thanks to the BYOAC/CAG artwork. Though it can't be seen during gameplay, added in the missing serial number text to the Dig Dug bezel.
- 0.119u3: David Haywood added the rom loading for roms 51xx and 53xx.bin, which are dumped but not yet hooked up. Changed description of clone 'Dig Dug (Sidam)' to 'Dig Dug (manufactured by Sidam)'.
- 0.119u2: Changed description of clone 'Dig Dug (Sidam license)' to 'Dig Dug (Sidam)'.
- 0.119u1: Changed description of clone 'Dig Dug (Sidam bootleg)' to 'Dig Dug (Sidam license)'.
- 0.118u5: Changed palettesize to 544 colors.
- 0.118u4: Alex Jackson fixed the conditional extra lives dipswitch in Dig Dug. Also added much more information on the Dig Dug sets, thanks to some excellent work by Stephane Humbert.
- 0.117u3: David Haywood added clone Dig Dug (Sidam bootleg).
- 26th July 2007: f205v dumped Dig Dug (Sidam bootleg).
- 0.79u1: Nicola Salmoria swapped (digdug) and (digdugb), the main set should be the newer one. Added EAROM support to Dig Dug. Changed 'Dig Dug (set 1)' to clone '(rev 1)' and clone '(set 2)' to parent 'Dig Dug (rev 2)'. Renamed (digdug) to (digdugb) and (digdugb) to (digdug). Changed Z80 CPU1/2/3 clock speeds to 3072000 Hz.
- 0.75: Aaron Giles added clone Dig Dug (Atari, rev 2). Changed description of clone '(Atari)' to '(Atari, rev 1)'. Renamed (digdugat) to (digduga1).
- 7th October 2003: Aaron Giles added a newer version of the Atari licensed Dig Dug.
- 7th July 2002: Smitdogg and Dave Widel fixed the sprite placement in Dig Dug and added a clone of Arkanoid.
- 0.37b12: Changed VSync to 60.606060Hz.
- 0.35RC1: Yasuhiro Ogawa added clone Dig Dug (set 2). Changed 'Dig Dug (Namco)' to parent 'Dig Dug (set 1)'. Renamed (digdug) to (digdugat) and (digdugnm) to (digdug).
- 0.35b1: Nathan Barber added clone Zig Zag (Dig Dug hardware) (bootleg 1982).
- 0.34b1: Added sound and color proms ($0, 20, 120).
- 0.33b7: Renamed (digdugat) to (digdug).
- 0.27: Changed description 'Dig Dug - Namco' to 'Dig Dug (Namco)' and clone 'Dig Dug - Atari' to 'Dig Dug (Atari)'. Renamed (digdug ) to (digdugat).
- 0.26a: Changed Dig Dug Atari rom dir into "digdugat", indicating the correct roms archive name. Renamed (digdug) to (digdugat).
- 0.26: Aaron Giles added support for Dig Dug (Namco 1982) and Dig Dug (Atari). Game is playable with accurate colors and sound. Control: Arrows = Move around and CTRL = Pump. Known issues: The Atari version has some glitches on sprites/chars.
- 27th May 1997: Gary Walton dumped Dig Dug (rev 1).

ARCADE RELEASE: Dig Dug (Namco) - 1982/Mar/05

LEVELS: 100 (endless)

Other Emulators:
* HiVE
* Retrocade

Romset: 56 kb / 19 files / 27.3 zip
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