Activision Anthology (PlayStation 2)

Yo dawg, I heard you liked Atari, so we put Stella on your PlayStation 2 so you can play Pitfall while you listen to "Take On Me"!

Disabled Games
There are two unused games on the disc. Archive files for Rampage (a licensed game) and Skate Boardin (the only game by Absolute Entertainment that was left out) remain in the CLASSICS\rpf2 directory, under the names rampage1.rpf and skatebo1.rpf', respectively.

You can play the games and see their box art and manuals by renaming some files.

The above PPF patch will re-enable the games by replacing Megamania and Pitfall in the game list. Apply this patch to an ISO of your game disc (NTSC version only) and play.

Additional artwork intended for use with downloaded games is also loaded into memory, but is not used due to the feature being removed at the last minute.

Unused Patch
There are 41 different patches earned through completing various objectives, generally in line with the objectives to get said patches back in the 1980s...but a 42nd patch, named PitfallI.rtt, is located in the CLASSICS\ptext1 folder.

The really odd thing about this patch isn't that the disc already contains an unlockable patch for Pitfall – it's that this patch was given to players who scored 20,000 points in the Intellivision version.

Early Development Graphics
An image that says "Action".

A big X.

A placeholder high score screen. The game doesn't record your high scores, sadly, rendering this unused.

A poster that went unused due to featuring licensed games that are not in this compilation (such as Double Dragon, Ikari Warriors, and Kung-Fu Master), some Atari-published games (none of which were planned for inclusion on the disc), and cover art for some CCE (Brazil) releases of Atari games.

A total of 50 thumbnails of the game cartridge art, arranged in alphabetical order, is loaded into memory. This includes the two disabled games and thumbnail artwork for the Unknown Game, but the artwork for Atlantis is not present. Baseball is located between Oink! and Pitfall! due to its full name being Pete Rose Baseball. For some reason, the artwork for Skate Boardin', F-14 Tomcat, Thwocker, and Title Match Wrestling are blurred out.

The images are separated by a small header in RAM, and are displayed in the image without it for ease of viewing.

Game List
Located at in SLUS_205.88, with all entries separated by  bytes: atlantis.bin Atlantis atlantis.rtt /classics/rpf1/atlanti1.rpf barnsto1.bin Barnstorming barnstor.rtt /classics/rpf1/barnsto1.rpf /classics/comm/C_Barnst.pss beamrid1.bin Beamrider beamride.rtt /classics/rpf1/beamrid1.rpf boombang.bin Boom Bang unknown.rtt /classics/rpf1/default.rpf boxing1.bin boxing.rtt /classics/rpf1/boxing1.rpf /classics/comm/C_big4.pss bridge1.bin bridge.rtt /classics/rpf1/bridge1.rpf checker1.bin Checkers checkers.rtt /classics/rpf1/checker1.rpf chopper1.bin Chopper Command chopperc.rtt /classics/rpf1/chopper1.rpf /classics/comm/C_Chopp1.pss /classics/comm/C_Chopp2.pss command1.bin Commando commando.rtt /classics/rpf1/command1.rpf cosmic1.bin Cosmic Commuter cosmicco.rtt /classics/rpf1/cosmic1.rpf crackpo1.bin Crackpots crackpot.rtt /classics/rpf1/crackpo1.rpf decathl1.bin Decathlon decathlo.rtt /classics/rpf1/decathl1.rpf demon.bin Demon Attack demonatt.rtt /classics/rpf1/demonat1.rpf dolphin1.bin dolphin.rtt /classics/rpf1/dolphin1.rpf double1.bin Double Dukes /classics/rpf1/double1.rpf dragste1.bin Dragster dragster.rtt /classics/rpf1/dragste1.rpf enduro1.bin enduro.rtt /classics/rpf1/enduro1.rpf fighter1.bin Fighterp default.rtt fishing1.bin Fishing Derby fishingd.rtt /classics/rpf1/fishing1.rpf freeway1.bin freeway.rtt /classics/rpf1/freeway1.rpf /classics/comm/C_Freewa.pss frehuman.bin Freeway (Human) frostbi1.bin Frostbite frostbit.rtt /classics/rpf1/frostbi1.rpf ghostbu1.bin Ghostbusters 2 /classics/rpf1/ghostbu1.rpf grandpr1.bin Grand Prix grandpri.rtt /classics/rpf1/grandpr1.rpf /classics/comm/C_GrandP.pss hero1.bin hero.rtt /classics/rpf1/hero1.rpf icehock1.bin Ice Hockey icehocke.rtt /classics/rpf1/icehock1.rpf /classics/comm/C_IceHoc.pss kabobbe1.bin Kabobber kabobber.rtt /classics/rpf1/kabobbe1.rpf /classics/comm/C_Activi.pss kaboom1.bin kaboom.rtt /classics/rpf2/kaboom1.rpf /classics/comm/C_Kaboom.pss keyston1.bin Keystone Kapers keystone.rtt /classics/rpf2/keyston1.rpf laserbl1.bin Laserblast laserbla.rtt /classics/rpf2/laserbl1.rpf /classics/comm/C_LaserB.pss megaman1.bin Megamania megamani.rtt /classics/rpf2/megaman1.rpf /classics/comm/C_Megama.pss moonswep.bin Moonsweeper moonswee.rtt /classics/rpf2/moonswe1.rpf oink1.bin oink.rtt /classics/rpf2/oink1.rpf peterose.bin Pete Rose Baseball peterose.rtt /classics/rpf2/peteros1.rpf pitfall1.bin Pitfall! pitfall.rtt /classics/rpf2/pitfall1.rpf /classics/comm/c_pitfal.pss pitfall2.bin Pitfall 2 pitfall2.rtt /classics/rpf2/pitfall2.rpf plaque1.bin Plaque Attack plaqueat.rtt /classics/rpf2/plaque1.rpf pressur1.bin Pressure Cooker pressure.rtt /classics/rpf2/pressur1.rpf private1.bin Private Eye privatee.rtt /classics/rpf2/private1.rpf prowrest.bin Title Match Pro Wrestling titlemat.rtt /classics/rpf2/titlema1.rpf rampage1.bin rampage.rtt /classics/rpf2/rampage1.rpf riverr1.bin River Raid riverrai.rtt /classics/rpf2/riverr1.rpf /classics/comm/C_RiverR.pss riverr2.bin River Raid 2 riverr2.rtt /classics/rpf2/riverr2.rpf robott1.bin Robot Tank robottan.rtt /classics/rpf2/robott1.rpf seaques1.bin Seaquest seaquest.rtt /classics/rpf2/seaques1.rpf skatebd.bin Skateboardin skateboa.rtt /classics/rpf2/skatebo1.rpf skiing1.bin skiing.rtt /classics/rpf2/skiing1.rpf /classics/comm/C_Skiing.pss skyjink1.bin Skyjinks skyjinks.rtt /classics/rpf2/skyjink1.rpf spacesh1.bin Space Shuttle spaceshu.rtt /classics/rpf2/spacesh1.rpf spider1.bin Spider Fighter spiderfi.rtt /classics/rpf2/spider1.rpf spidman.bin Spider-Man stamped1.bin Stampede stampede.rtt /classics/rpf2/stamped1.rpf /classics/comm/C_Stampe.pss starmas1.bin Starmaster starmast.rtt /classics/rpf2/starmas1.rpf /classics/comm/C_Starm1.pss /classics/comm/C_Starm2.pss tennis1.bin tennis.rtt /classics/rpf2/tennis1.rpf /classics/comm/C_Tennis.pss thwocke1.bin Thwocker thwocker.rtt /classics/rpf1/thwocke1.rpf tomcat.bin tomcat.rtt /classics/rpf1/f14tomc.rpf

This is very likely an early file list, for several reasons:
 * The inclusion of Ghostbusters 2, which was not included due to licensing reasons. It also mentions the two dummied-out games and Pete Rose Baseball, which was renamed in this package.
 * fighterp.bin likely refers to Fighter Pilot, the overseas name for F-14 Tomcat.
 * An unknown game called Double Dukes (possibly a modified Double Dragon) is also listed.
 * Spider-Man was not published by Activision, but by Parker Brothers.
 * Boom Bang was the name given to the CCE release of Crackpots in Brazil.
 * Finally, "Freeway (Human)" refers to Bloody Human Freeway, the original version of Freeway, which had the player controlling a human instead of a chicken. It was later included in the Game Boy Advance and PC releases.

Music List
Starting at in SLUS_205.88, with all entries separated by  bytes: \CLASSICS\AUDIO\99REDBAL.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\AFTFIRE.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\ALWAYS.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\AXELM.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\BANK01.MSB;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\BANK01.MSH;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\BIGCOUNT.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\BLONDIE.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\DEDALIVE.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\DEFLEPP.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\EILEEN.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\GOGOS.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\HUMNLEAG.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\JENNY.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\MADNESS.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\MEXRADIO.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\MNATWORK.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\NOTHINGM.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\QUITRIOT.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\RELAX.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\SIMPLE.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\TAINTED.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\TAKEONME.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\TALKTALK.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\THEFIXX.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\THEKNACK.MSV;1 \CLASSICS\AUDIO\WHIPITM.MSV;

The final game included 12 songs, but it looks like it originally had 25! Judging from the file names, these songs included 99 Red Balloons by Nena, Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners, 867-5309/Jenny by Tommy Tutone, Whip It by Devo, and other songs by Dead or Alive, After The Fire, Def Leppard, Men At Work, Quiet Riot, Talk Talk, The Fixx, The Gogos, and The Knack.

Unlock List
Starting at in SLUS_205.88, with all entries separated by  bytes: "The Bad Music Video" "Music Video #1" "Music Video #2" "Music Video #3" "Music Video #4" "Music Video #5" "Music Video #6" "Music Video #7" "Music Video #8" "Music Video #9" "The Bad Patch!" It appears that at one point it was planned for ten different music videos, and an additional patch.

Disabled Internet Access Leftovers
When the game was announced, the developers said that you would be able to download additional games from the Activision Anthology website and play them on your system...but according to the game's producer, Sony requested that the feature be removed at the last minute. Despite that, the web browser was kept in-game to render the game manuals, and some leftover graphics are loaded into RAM.

Note: The palette in the first three images is incorrect.

These two font banks are similar to the main game font, but use a different palette. The order of the letters also matches the one present in the configuration file listed below.

There are also pointer graphics for a mouse interface.

Plus there are textures for an old-school modem, with a little 1980s gag. Presumably, you'd select the modem to go online. That's most likely why the final game has a phone in the menu that cannot be selected.

Browser.ini
The contents of the file are shown below.
 * 1) Browser stuff
 * 1) Browser stuff

[PREFS] home=http://www.activisionanthology.com/ps2/downloads/test.html

fontpath=/classics/fonts/ urlFont=twcent.rtf

[FONT] base=twcent.rtf bold=twcent_b.rtf italic=twcent_i.rtf monospaced=twcent.rtf

[CONTROLLER] up=13 down=15 click=7 url=9 exit=5 back=8

[CURSOR] arrow=arrow.rtt arrowX=4 arrowY=4

hand=hand.rtt handX=8 handY=8


 * 1) Keypad stuff
 * 1) Keypad stuff

[DIMENSIONS] numRows=4 numColumns=12 rowSize=60 columnSize=40 xorigin=16 yorigin=16 urlSections=7

[PREFS] repeatDelay=500 repeatTime=50

[BACK_BUTTON] xPos=5 yPos=10 xSize=36 ySize=60

[HOME_BUTTON] xPos=65 yPos=10 xSize=46 ySize=60

[MOVE_BUTTONS] up=13 down=15 left=16 right=14 select=7 shift=17 return=12 insert=9

[KEYS] row1=~1234567890- row2=abcdefghijk; row3=lmnopqrstuv: row4=wxyz/.@_    //Note : the last three characters will always be backspace, space, and enter

The Activision Anthology website, as it was originally planned, was abandoned shortly before the game was released. Some captures of the site can be seen via the Internet Archive, although most of the pages captured prior to 2003 contain placeholder text. The website was overhauled in 2003 with a Flash-based interface and the old pages were removed, leaving no trace of the original site design.

stella.pro
A copy of Eric Kobach's Stella Properties File (stella.pro), dated April 21, 2002, is present in the CLASSICS\data\ folder. The Atari 2600 emulator on the disc is based on Stella, a well-known 2600 emulator. Releases from 2002 used the contents of stella.pro to identify games based on their CRC data, and applied display settings where needed, startup settings, and other game notes.

The file does not appear to be used.

vis.ini
A configuration file for the unlockable visualization effects. [CLASSIC] name=Classic

[3D PIXELS] name=3D Pixels depth=10

[PERSPECTIVE] name=Perspective depth=100

[VIEWSHIFT] name=View-Shift depth=100

[SHADOW] name=Shadow depth=10

[EERIE] name=Eerie depth=100 sysTex=/classics/texture1/rain.rtt

[MULTISCREEN] name=Multi-screen

[PSYCHEDELIC] name=Disco

[WARPED] name=Warped

[ESCHER] name=Distortion

[CUBE] name=Cube

[RICOCHET] name=Ricochet

[DEPTH BLUR] name=Depth Blur

[RETRO] name=Retro

[ZOOM] name=Zoom

[CHANNELS] name=Channels

[EDGES] name=Edges

[SPLATTER] name=Splatter texture=plat.rtt

[LED] name=LED texture=led.rtt

[CLOUDS] name=Cloud-Cover texture=/classics/texture/clouds.rtt

[PULSE] name=Pulse texture=/classics/texture/pulse.rtt

[VHOLD] name=V-Hold

[STARFIELD] name=Starfield numSystems=1 sysTex0=testpart.rtt

[HYPERSPACE] name=Hyperspace numSystems=1 sysTex0=testpart.rtt

[WHIRL] name=Whirl minSpeed=0.005   //Min speed                                              ( 0.0 - 10.0 ) maxSpeed=0.05    //Max speed                                              ( 0.0 - 10.0 ) maxTime=30       //Time in seconds at which the speed reaches maximum     ( 0 - ? )

[BUNGIE] name=Bungee minHeight=100    //Closest distance the camera moves toward the screen    ( 0 - 1000 ) maxHeight=200    //Farthest distance the camera moves from the screen     ( 0 - 1000 ) minFrequency=0.1 //Minimum rate at which the screen moves                 ( 0.0 - 10.0 ) maxFrequency=0.5 //Maximum rate at which the screen moves                 ( 0.0 - 10.0 ) maxTime=240      //Time in seconds at which the frequency reaches maximum ( 0 - ? )

[TILT] name=Tilt-O-Vision xRange=30.0f     //Amount screen can tilt in degrees                      ( 0.0 - 90.0 ) yRange=30.0f speed=10.0f      //Speed at which screen tilts                            ( 0.0 - 100.0 )

[MOTION BLUR] name=Motion Blur blurAmount=80    //Amount the screen is blurred                           ( 0 - 100 )

[FISHEYE] name=Breathing amplitude=25 frequency=1 xSegments=11     //Number of segments in the mesh in the x direction      ( 1 - 100 ) ySegments=11     //Number of segments in the mesh in the y direction      ( 1 - 100 )

What's curious about this file is that it mentions several effects that are not used in the game! 3D Pixels, Perspective, Viewshift, Shadow, Eerie, Depth Blur, Retro, Zoom, Channels, Edges, Splatter, LED, and Pulse are not available. All the other effects can be unlocked in the game.