Personal Game Programmer
By Al Backiel
The PGP-1 exists in prototype format only. It is a unique Atari 2600
peripheral device built by Answer Software and was available directly through
them for a brief time. Answer is probably best known for their 2600 game
Malagai. The PGP-1 is in essence a Game Genie for the 2600.
As a matter of fact, it operates quite similarly. The game you want to
alter is uploaded into the module where it is stored as a source program.
The program instructions can then be modified so that the game plays
differently. Unlike the more sophisticated Game Genie which uses macro
instructions, you must specify the exact address location in hex notation by
using the special keyboard on the PGP-1. The current values of 4
consecutive addresses are given and can be individually changed.
I, along with one of my gamer friends, managed to each buy one from Answer
Software (for a hefty price). I had to sign a document stating that I
would not resell or copy it, or in any way infringe upon their proprietary
rights. I, in turn received a letter stating that my unit was only one of
twelve in existence. The rest of them, I assume, were review copies sent
to people in the industry prior to starting up production. Both PAL & NTSC
versions were made.
The PGP-1 console fits atop the 2600 and is brown and gold with white keys.
There are two cables attached - one goes to a cartridge for the 2600 port, the
other goes into the 2600 power receptacle. The power adapter cord goes
directly into the PGP console. When you reset, the main system menu pops
up showing the four options: Load, Read, Modify, and Play. The system came
with four manuals: "The PGP Owner's Manual" (featuring Combat), and
"Reprogramming Guides" for three different games (Frogger, Demon
Attack, and Malagai). I haven't had time to go over all the
documentation yet. You can do things like change colors, sizes, shapes,
sounds, lives, difficulty, speed, etc. I was playing around with
Dolphin and I hit upon a code which eliminates the seaweed barriers.
This enabled me to always stay ahead of the octopus and jump up at the bird for
points. Piece of cake! With this code, I achieved 300,000 points and
received the hidden message "AMAZING!". I don't think I could have ever
gotten that far without the cheat.
The major drawback to the PGP-1 is that it is probably limited to games up to 8K
in length. Too bad. It would have been nice to cheat with Taz
and finally get to see the mystery dessert!
