Classic Lode Runner, on your Mac OS X Dashboard!
March 3rd, 2008 at 07:18pm madgunde
Mention “Lode Runner” to any veteran computer user and chances are they’ll not only be familiar with it, but they’ll have fond memories of playing it. It’s been remade so many times and for so many platforms over the years that many younger gamers are probably familiar with it as well. It was after the topic came up with a friend and fellow computer veteran earlier today that I became determined to find a version of the game I could run on my Mac. While there are one or more Lode Runner-like shareware games for Mac OS X, it became clear to me after a bit of searching that if I wanted the original Lode Runner, I was going to have to run it under emulation.
The world of emulators on the Mac is very diverse. I had a lot of choices available to me of which version of Lode Runner I wanted to run, on which computing platform and using which emulator. I ended up choosing the original Lode Runner game running on the Apple II, and rather than using a traditional emulator, I decided to go with one that came packaged as a Dashboard widget, that way I could quickly jump into a game of Lode Runner no matter what I was in the middle of doing, and just as quickly put it away when I’ve had my fill. Following these step by step instructions, you’ll be able to get your Lode Runner on too.
- Download the AppleIIGo Dashboard widget from the developer’s website and then click “Install” and “Keep” when Mac OS X prompts you asking if you want to download and install the widget.
- Download the Apple IIe ROM image from here. Extract using Stuffit Expander.
- Download Lode Runner for the Apple II from here and unzip it.
- Call up Dashboard, and click the bottom right hand corner of the AppleIIGo widget where the little “i” is.
- On the backside of the AppleIIGo widget, click the “Disks” button, followed by the “ROMs” button. Two Finder windows will open. Click the “Done” button to flip the widget over.
- Drag the file APPLE2E.ROM file that you unstuffed in step 2 to the Finder window named “ROMs”.
- Drag the file named loderunner.dsk that you downloaded and unzipped in step 3 to the Finder window named “Disks”.
- Call up Dashboard again and click on the little “i” to bring up the AppleIIGo settings again.
- Select “loderunner.dsk” from the “Disk Drive 1:” popup menu, and then click the “Restart” button.
- Play Lode Runner.
Here are the controls:
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Up, Down, Left, Right | I, K, J, L |
| Dig left, Dig right | U, O |
| Stop moving | Space |
| Switch to keyboard controls | Ctrl-K |
| Switch to joystick controls | Ctrl-J |
| Suicide | Ctrl-A |
| End game | Ctrl-R |
| Pause game | Esc or Stop or Ctrl-M |
| View High Scores | Return |
A more complete list of controls and commands are available here, including editing commands for creating/modifying your own levels.
Hit any key to start a game. Collect all the barrels until the exit ladder appears, then climb up the ladder to move onto the next level, all while avoiding the bad guys chasing you. Remember that bad guys will pick up barrels they walk over, which they will drop sometimes on their own or when they fall into one of the holes you’ve dug.
The only two caveats with playing Lode Runner like this is that there is no sound (the AppleIIGo emulator doesn’t support sound), and the screen can be a bit small. Those shouldn’t really get in the way of some good old school fun though, since the sound isn’t important to gameplay, and the graphics are simple enough that you shouldn’t have a problem seeing all the detail you need. Of course, you can theoretically play any Apple II game using the AppleIIGo Dashboard widget. If you successfully get any other classics running, tell our readers about it in the comments!
Have fun, and let me know what level you manage to reach. So far, I’m up to level 5.
Entry Filed under: Apple, Entertainment, Mac OS X, Software, Tips, Video Games
16 Comments Add your own
1. brian | April 4th, 2008 at 12:06 am
I have been waiting for this game for years. I have it all set up but it doesn’t let me move. My mouse will dig once to the right and that’s it.
2. madgunde | April 4th, 2008 at 12:09 am
@brian
Try pressing ctrl+k to switch to keyboard control. You’re probably set on joystick control in the game.
3. nolan | April 15th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
I downloaded lode runner and did everything the website said to do and It doesnt work. all that is shown on the widget is “APPLESOFT NOT AVAILABLE”
4. madgunde | April 15th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
@nolan
It appears the widget can’t find the Apple IIe ROM file. Double-check your steps, specifically steps 2 and 6. Did you unstuff the Apple IIe image file and copy the unstuffed file to the ROMs folder? You should see a file called APPLE2E.ROM in the ROMs folder that appears when you click the ROMs button in step 5.
5. Scarlet | April 16th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
ok, followed the steps exactly as stated and it . would . not . work.
got my hopes up and everything an now boom. this bites.
but thanks for trying.
6. madgunde | April 16th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
@ Scarlet
Post more detail about your problem and I can try to help you. What do you get on your widget’s screen? Also, which version of Mac OS X are you using?
7. kk | April 24th, 2008 at 3:15 am
Thanks a lot for this! It works wonderfully…brings back good memories! Only thing is no sound…kinda miss that special sound effect…but hey…I am still a very happy camper! Thanks again!
8. optikin | April 25th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
brilliant stuff. thanks!
9. Zach | May 12th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Brilliant! Works like a charm. (No sound for me either, but that is okay.) Thank you!
10. Carol | May 23rd, 2008 at 8:04 pm
What fun. I used to play this endlessly on a IIC in the late 80s. I think I got up to level 110 or so. Still on 1 now but the moves are coming back. Does it work with a USB joystick? There might be one around here somewhere. The installation worked perfectly. Thank you.
11. Dan | August 10th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
The step 2 is coming in as a2e.sit but then it opens in TextEditor and I don’t get the ROM file that step 6 calls for. Therefore I get “AppleSoft Not Available” and don’t see the game. Any ideas? Is this Stuffit related?
12. Dan | August 10th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
I realized that I needed to pull in StuffIt Expander in order to pull the ROM file from the a2e.sit file. I went here to get it: http://my.smithmicro.com/mac/stuffitexpander/download.html
13. lode runner for mac, orga&hellip | August 13th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
[...] OH MAN. did you have an apple ii like fifteen years ago? did it have lode runner? click this right now or you are a fool. BAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGH. [...]
14. Man | November 7th, 2008 at 7:23 am
That’s great. All my past memory about this game just comes right back. Does it have a bigger screen version? It’s kind of small.
15. toots | November 18th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Merry Christmas 1983ish… feels like it anyways with load runner up n’ running!
the appleIIgo link doesn’t seem to work, but that same widget was up on the apple dwnlds.
so much fun, thanks
16. madgunde | November 19th, 2008 at 12:20 am
@toots
Must have been a temporary problem with the server the widget is hosted on, because I just tested it and it’s working fine for me, but thanks for letting me know.
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