Pitman (Yutaka Isokawa)

Title – Pitman
System – Sharp MZ-700/1500
Author – Yutaka Isokawa
Publication – Oh!MZ – August 1985 issue
Page Scans – 1
Preserved by – BabaJeanmel
Recommended Emulator – Takeda Toshiya’s Common Source Code Project (mz700.exe with BIOS) (Current Version without BIOS files Here)

Download ROM

Loading the Game –

– Run your MZ-700 emulator. Make sure you’re using the Japanese BIOS and charset.
– Type L and press enter.
– Insert the Hu-BASIC 2.0 (Japan).mzt tape file.
– After Hu-BASIC loads, type LOAD at the prompt and hit enter, insert the Pitman (Yutaka Isokawa).mzt tape file (You may need to rewind and play the tape in emulator if it doesn’t start playing)
– After loading is complete, type RUN and press enter one last time.

Game Instructions –

(Adapted from the S-BASIC Sharpentiers version’s readme, made by BdR)

GAMEPLAY

From the title screen press:
SPACE – to start the game
E – to go to monitor (see below)

Pitman is a puzzle game and the goal of each level is to collect all heaps of gold. The player can only pick up gold by walking onto it from the left or right, not from below or above. The player can use ladders, push boulders and dig through dirt.

Move the pitman with the cursor keys. If you are stuck on a level you can skip or reset which will cost one life. At any time during the game you can press:
N – to skip a level
B – to go back a level
H – to reset the current level

MONITOR

During the game you can press E to go to the Pitman monitor, which is similar to the console found in modern FPS games.

H – Help (in Japanese)
P – Select a level and return to game
L – Load levels from tape
S – Save levels to tape
C – Clear a level
E – Edit a level
D – Data out/in
R – Reset game and re-initialise all levels (this will overwrite all changes made with the level editor)

LEVEL EDITOR

Move the editor cursor around using the cursor keys. Press 1..7 to place the
following at the cursor:
1 – Empty/erase
2 – Ladder
3 – Gold
4 – Dirt
5 – Boulder
6 – Wall
7 – Pitman (player start position)

While editing you can press S and P to skip levels forward and back. Press R to go back to the monitor, from where you can choose to play the edited level.

As the changes made with the level editor are permanent, you should keep a backup of the original program in case you mess something up (or if you want to replay the original levels)