game
icon
title Tapper (Root Beer)
set name rbtapper
manufacturer Bally Midway
year 1984
genre Misc. (hof)
category Misc. (hof)
driver status good
driver source mcr.c
snapshots MW: in game | parent / CT: in game | title | parent / Mr. Do: parent / EJ: parent
zoom
rating

68.5% after 18 votes
 
parent Tapper (Budweiser)
other clones Tapper (alternate)
Tapper (Suntory)
display
colour emulation good
palette 64
display type raster
orientation horizontal
resolution 512x480
frequency 30.000000Hz
sound
sound emulation good
channels stereo
controls
players 2
nplayers 2P alt
controls 4 way joystick
buttons 1
coin slots 2
hardware
cpu Z80 @ 5MHz
cpu Z80 @ 2MHz
audio AY-3-8910A @ 2MHz
audio AY-3-8910A @ 2MHz
data
version added .030
last change(s) none since version .53
roms
name size crc set flags sha1
rbtpg0.bin  16384  20b9adf4  rbtapper    31b583c98e7c2cecab42223df8b5400004c9f3d3 
rbtpg1.bin  16384  87e616c2  rbtapper    7de10632b2538524fee418175e2cc41be9c8c0e8 
rbtpg2.bin  16384  0b332c97  rbtapper    b9878c8a61a98e787e547bb6ab81c809875891f3 
rbtpg3.bin  8192  698c06f2  rbtapper    ddb21e39ede2222cb2286ec9dba06341fe1c9db7 
5788  4096  5c1d0982  rbtapper    c2c94ab26ebce30ce4efc239e555c6368794d265 
5787  4096  09e74ed8  rbtapper    f5c8585d443bca67d4065314a06431d1f104c553 
5786  4096  c3e98284  rbtapper    2a4dc0deca48f4d2ac9fe673ecb9548415c996a9 
5785  4096  ced2fd47  rbtapper    a41323149c50adcae7675efcef69fd7d8365e527 
rbtbg1.bin  16384  44dfa483  rbtapper    9e96a3ff0b66a4b1d07fe86059f7dfab0d53231c 
rbtbg0.bin  16384  510b13de  rbtapper    a4b24fffbbe299e0c2058abe372f00954e5edf98 
rbtfg1.bin  16384  1c0b8791  rbtapper    532239605b74b137cd0f6035a6bc7ac43f559d82 
rbtfg0.bin  16384  e99f6018  rbtapper    3a8e3e927b0fd2d49222e417e4c1f28b5a45c6ca 
rbtfg3.bin  16384  3e725e77  rbtapper    3811f499aa076fb81af42f7cb522879b0af50e37 
rbtfg2.bin  16384  4ee8b624  rbtapper    d02a306f8b32b3a097fc51e75e106a40fe942d35 
rbtfg5.bin  16384  9eeca46e  rbtapper    523efaba9a3cbe871868ee09caea062382f31fad 
rbtfg4.bin  16384  8c79e7d7  rbtapper    e2a427324fc1d4422e50a1ab79822aff0290e109 
rbtfg7.bin  16384  8dbf0c36  rbtapper    dab52db0bca13b9f3470060bc3babe4a6c2cdcc8 
rbtfg6.bin  16384  441201a0  rbtapper    400d390729601610b152e21da55399399830221f 
5784  32  e1281ee9  tapper    9ac9b01d24affc0ee9227a4364c4fd8f8290343a 
cabinet art
cabinet rbtapper.png
marquee rbtapper.png
control panel tapper.png
flyer rbtapper.png
additional information
info 0.28 [Christopher Kirmse, Aaron Giles, Nicola Salmoria]

WIP:
  • 0.117u2: Ernesto Corvi fixed incorrect implementation of SSIO volume controls in the MCR driver. This fixed missing sounds in the bonus round. Aaron Giles fixed sprites drawing.
  • 0.85u3: B.S. Ruggeri fixed sound board error in Tapper. Added dipswitches 'Demo Sounds', 'Cabinet' and 'Coin Meters'.
  • 0.56: Added 'Coin Meters' dipswitch.
  • 0.53: Changed palettesize from 128 to 64 colors.
  • 30th December 1999: Aaron Giles fixed some compilation bugs and removed a minor Z80-related kludge from Tapper and Timber.
  • 0.36b6: Aaron Giles added clone Tapper (alternate).
  • 12th February 1999: Juergen Buchmueller has made the ASM Z80 core even better. Speed improvements range from 25% (Galaga) to 45% (Tapper). It's still far from complete, and daisy-chaining doesn't work.
  • 0.35b2: Juergen Buchmueller REALLY fixed this time the hang in Tapper.
  • 0.34: Juergen Buchmueller fixed bug in the Z80 emulator which caused crashes in Tapper and Tron.
  • 0.33b7: Aaron Giles fixed hangs in Tapper, and hopefully other MCR games as well.
  • 0.31: Paul Sommers and Ruben Panossian added Tapper (Suntory). Changed description of 'Root Beer Tapper' to 'Tapper (Root Beer)' and Tapper to 'Tapper (Budweiser)'.
  • 0.30: Brad Oliver added clone 'Root Beer Tapper' (Bally Midway 1984).
  • 0.28: Added Tapper (Bally Midway 1983). Press F2 before initial screen to configure. Aaron Giles added a new function to dynamically modify the palette. Many games use this feature like Tapper.
LEVELS: 13 (endless)

Other Emulators:
  • Retrocade
Recommended Games:
Romset: 233 kb / 19 files / 86.3 zip
history Tapper (budweiser) (c) 1983 Bally Midway.

Taking on the role of an overworked bartender, the player must serve beer to the ever-thirsty patrons that populate his bar. All customers must be served before they work their way up to the beer kegs. Empty glasses must also be collected before they slide off the end of the bar and smash to the floor. Extra points are awarded for collecting tips, while bonus rounds involve locating the one beer that has not been shaken, and serving it. The game features 4 different levels :
1. Cowboys
2. Athletes
3. Punk Rockers
4. Aliens

- TECHNICAL -

Bally Midway MCR 3 hardware

Main CPU : Z80 (@ 5 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Z80 (@ 2 Mhz)
Sound Chips : (2x) AY8910 (@ 2 Mhz)

Screen orientation : Horizontal
Video resolution : 512 x 480 pixels
Screen refresh : 30.00 Hz
Palette colors : 64

Players : 2
Control : 4-way joystick
Buttons : 1

- TRIVIA -

Released in December 1983.

There were 2 other versions of Tapper: "Root Beer" (01/1984) and "Suntory" (Japan, Game ID : 834-5385 / 834-5387). The Suntory version was a Sega board, Suntory is a Japanese beer (see "Updates" section for more information).

The main character in the game (as well as the main character of two other Bally Midway games; "Domino Man", and "Timber") is based on a Marvin Glass employee called Mike Ferris, who had the same distinctive mustache and bald head and reputedly wore a red T-shirt all of the time.

The music for the third stage (the punk bar) was loosely inspired by new wave music group Devo's song 'Workin' in the Coal Mine'.

Tapper was play tested in a Chicago-area Rush Streetbar called 'The Snuggery' and received much positive feedback from the bar's patrons. Digitized belches were originally going to be used in the game, but, perhaps thankfully, they never made it into the final version.

The cabinet is designed to resemble a real bar - replete with a brass foot rail and two brass drink or ashtray holders (one on each side of the control panel). The cabinet and gameplay on the beer version features the Budweiser logo. The pour spouts have mock-up Budweiser handles that closely resemble the Budweiser taps that appear in real bars throughout the world.

Approximately 3300 Tapper uprights were made and around the first 100 or so were released with colour side art. About 300 cocktail machines were also made.

- UPDATES -

* Root Beer version is almost identical to the Budweiser version, except the player is a soda jerk serving non-alcoholic root beer.

* Suntory version has different graphics and most likely different music.

- SCORING -

Serving a cowboy/girl patron with beer : 50 points.
Serving a sports bar patron with beer : 75 points.
Serving a punk patron with beer : 100 points.
Serving an alien patron with beer : 150 points.
Collecting an empty beer glass : 100 points.
Collecting a tip left on the bar : 1,500 points.
Guessing the correct can on the bonus screen : 3,000 points.

- TIPS AND TRICKS -

* Easter Egg : In the attract mode, wait until the word Tapper is filling up with beer, and hold down the joystick, both taps, and the player 1 & 2 buttons. You will then see the names of the game designers.

* Take your time in the first few levels. You can make a high score by leaving one person and waiting for more people.

* The last guy in the row will almost always leave a tip.

* If a person leaves the bar in the first level you get 50 points but, if you let them get close to the end of the bar, they will drink the beer and stay. It's 100 for getting the empty mug.

* The longer you stay in the level, the faster the people and mugs move.

- STAFF -
  • Designed and programmed by : Steve Meyer
  • Graphics by : Scott Morrison
  • Sounds by : Rick Hicaro
  • Support by : Elaine Ditton
- PORTS -

NOTE : All ports released in 1997 and later feature the 'Root Beer' version.

* Consoles :
Colecovision (1983)
Atari 2600 (1983)
Atari XEGS
Sony PlayStation (1997, "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Midway Collection 2")
Nintendo 64 (2000, "Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Volume I")
Sony PlayStation 2 (2003, "Midway Arcade Treasure")
Nintendo GameCube (2003, "Midway Arcade Treasure")
Microsoft XBOX (2003, "Midway Arcade Treasure")
Microsoft XBOX 360 (2007, "Root Beer Tapper" - Xbox Live Arcade)

* Computers :
PC [Booter] (1983)
Commodore C64 (1984)
Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1985)
Atari 800
Apple II : unreleased
Amstrad CPC (1987, "Tapper - Official Arcade Game")
PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (1997, Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Midway Collection 2")
PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (2004, "Midway Arcade Treasure")

* Others :
Palm OS ("Midway Arcade Classic")

- SOURCES -

Game's rom.
Machine's picture.
resource links view in MAWS
view in CAESAR
view high score and replay at MARP
view in Progetto EMMA (Italian)
view in arcade-history.com
view in GameFAQs
view in KLOV
view in System16
view in The Arcade Flyer Archive
view in VGMuseum Gamepics
view in VGMuseum Gamepics
cheats
cheats
code comments
00000000:E011:00000009:FFFFFFFF  Infinite Credits
00000000:E4A7:00000006:FFFFFFFF  Infinite Lives
20800000:0798:000000C3:FFFFFFFF  Invincibility:Glasses will continue on their journey until collected and you won't get pulled down the bar. THe overall effect can be quite strange and there's only so many glasses sprites to go around so you might have to
20810000:07A2:000000C3:FFFFFFFF  Invincibility (2/6):Parts 1-2 allows you to pick the empty glasses up whenever
20810000:0818:000000C3:FFFFFFFF  Invincibility (3/6)
20810000:0810:000000C3:FFFFFFFF  Invincibility (4/6):Parts 3-4 stops the full glasses smashing infact they continue wrap back around until picked up
20810000:08D3:000000C3:FFFFFFFF  Invincibility (5/6)
20810000:08E9:00000018:FFFFFFFF  Invincibility (6/6):Parts 5-6 stop angry and 'legless' customers pulling you down the bar...they just continue going
00000001:E711:00000001:FFFFFFFF  Serve one beer on this level
00000000:E712:000000FF:FFFFFFFF  Nonstop Dancing Girls:This Nonstop Dancing Girls cheat doesn't start until after you get the money. Also new customers are NOT distracted by them!!
00001301:E4A8:00000062:FFFFFFFF  Select starting level:You should enable this cheat on the 'Press 1 or 2 player' screen ie. after credits have been inserted!
00000301:E4A8:00000062:FFFFFFFF  Select current level
00000303:E4A8:00000062:FFFFFFFF  Select next level
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