Hard Hat Mack
Platform: Commodore 64
Gametype: Undefined
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Description 

Life on a building site is hard. This learns the "Hard Hat" builder, the hard way in this early single screen platformer. While Mack just tries to do his job, different enemies aggravate his life. At first there is the industrial safety company, represented by an officer of the OSHA. Then a "vandal" runs over the building site every now and then. And the worst are as always the own colleagues, as already in level 1 one of them shoots around with a stud gun out of sheer presumption. 

Course of the game and controls: Mack is controlled with a joystick in port 2. With left/right Mack walks, up/down is used for ladders, and with the fire button he jumps. Items as elements of steel beams, air hammer, tools etc. are picked up by contact. The enemies must not be touched. It is possible that there are several enemies of the same type (OSHA, vandal) in one level. There are three levels in which different tasks need to be done (see hints below). In the later levels other items appear that Mack must not touch. If there is no trampoline waiting, Mack must not fall or jump into the depth or he will break his neck. The faster Mack works, the higher will the bonus at the end of the level be. 

 Design 

Graphics: At that time it was almost normal that platformers were held in coloured contrast on black background, compare with The Goonies, Dino Eggs, Jumpman or also Burger Time. One must almost praise Hard Hat Mack graphically for the fact that blue, brown, white and purple dominate the screen and that no more exotic colours have been used. This mixture is a bit unconventional, but there were bizarrer graphics at that time. 

Sound: The possibilities of using the SID chip were not far developed in 1983. Therefore, the player had to be content with a unisonous, sometimes rather shrill tootling as background music and passably successful FX. Unfortunately, there are no options for sound, but this was not common at that time. 

 Hints 

Level 1: The elevator at the left side of the screen must only be entered and can then be controlled with up/down. The trampoline at the right side must be reached by a jump and lifts Mack one plaftorm higher or to the lowest platform if he jumps from the uppermost platform. Important: First collect all missing steal beam parts and put them into the gaps, then finally pick up the air hammer, as you cannot put it down any more. If it runs towards you, you can jump over it. When all gaps are closed, Mack must walk over the corresponding parts with the air hammer. If he has managed to do this without running into the arms of OSHA or vandal and without falling down, the level is finished. 

Level 2: You need to jump on and off the conveyor belts at the right moment without getting hit by he steal slag (bottom) or jumping into the flame (top). Mack has to collect six toolboxes. He can reach the different platforms by jumping on a steal beam hanging from a crane in the middle, which goes up and down in turns. When all boxes have been collected, Mack needs to reach the right beam on the highest platform. This is tricky and needs some timing and skill. Mack needs to jump up and down on the upper conveyor belt so that a magnet grabs his helmet and carries him to the end position. If this is successful, also level 2 is finished. 

Level 3: Here Mack needs to throw six steal blocks into two machines marked with "IN", which then form them to rivets. The pater-noster-like conveyor belt in the middle and the two trampolins can be used to move between the two platforms. Be careful with the conveyor belt at the upper left, you must not go with it to the end, but have to grip the ladder or Mack will die. When all steal blocks have been stamped, the last level and with this the game is over. 

Trivia

One of the four large meeting rooms on the first floor of the "Mission Control" building of Electronic Arts Redwood City, CA campus is named Hard Hat Mack. The four meeting rooms are named after EA's first four games.

The front cover illustration, like most of the first Electronic Arts games, has the EA logo (not so) hidden in the photo. But it also appears more cleverly in the inside photo of the two developers; look for it as part of the falling lunchbox

The original version was made for the Apple II, portations for other home computers followed soon.

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Description from the packaging:

All you have to do is finish the building. Sound easy? Then you're forgetting about certain government regulations, the neighborhood punks, and the fact that falling bodies (including your own) accelerate at the rate of 32 feet per second/per second. It's a tough life, maybe. But it makes your beer taste better.

The Cast

Mack
A bonna fide Working Class Hero. Puts John Henry to shame. Reads Eric Hoffer. Fueled by cupcakes and an unshakable belief in the work ethic.

Vandals
Extremely unpleasant. They think you're spoiling their neighborhood. They say things about your mother. They have no sense of the value of life, especially yours.

OSHA
Crew-cut, clip-board and absolutely no sense of humor. Living proof of the banality of evil. The government sends a generous supply of these guys to cite you into oblivion.

The Site


http://www.c64-wiki.com/index.php/Hard_Hat_Mack
