Duck Pond

Duck Pond on Tandy 400

Duck Pond on Atari 2600

This article is about the game. For the Strong Bad Email, see duck pond.

Duck Pond is a game from the Strong Bad Email duck pond. The objective of the game is to feed two ducks in a pond. If one of the two ducks is fed 10 times in the Tandy 400 version, the player reaches an Atari 2600 version of the game. Strong Bad seems to think the Atari 2600 version is high-tech.

Tandy 400 Version

Instructions:

Duck Pond Simulator 3.0
copyright 1981
Instructions:
Press the "F" to throw bread
Press Spacebar to Start

When one of the ducks has been fed ten times, this message is displayed:

GAME OVER
You fed them ducks good.
Wanna play the
Atari 2600 version??
Press the Spacebar

Atari 2600 Version

"...graphics..."

The Atari 2600 version of Duck Pond was originally playable, just like the Tandy version. However, this game has since been replaced with a short animation during which Strong Bad plays the game and expresses his amazement at the graphics, which was also the replacement in the DVD version. The "state of the art version" had more controls than the Tandy 400 version:

• Pressing F threw bread.
• Pressing A dropped an anvil (Note: If the anvil fell on a duck, the duck could not come back).
• Pressing Y drained the pond; making the ducks stop moving (Note: Once the pond was drained, it could not be refilled).
• Pressing 8 shrank the brown duck (Note: Could only be done once).

The new version replaced the instructional text on the title screen with "Videlectrix" as part of a retcon. It is not known why the playable version was replaced.

Fun Facts

Remarks

• The ducks in both versions of the game move smoothly at the resolution of the real screen, not at the blocky resolution the games supposedly run at.
• In the email the bread crumbs bob up and down, yet they stay perfectly still while playing the game.

Goofs

• In the Atari 2600 version, the pond could be drained even if it was empty.
• Also in the Atari 2600 version, if you threw an anvil in the pond after it was drained, it would still make a splash.
• On a similar note as above, if the pond is drained and the duck is at a feed drop spot, you can throw it the feed at which point it will wander around as though the pond was full.

Glitches

• By holding the F key for a few seconds, the player throws three pieces of bread simultaneously (four pieces in the Atari 2600 version).
• The Atari 2600 version doesn't work at all. After Strong Bad comments on the "state of the art graphics ... graphics", the email will start to play again.
  • You can also press "Loop" on the Flash file to keep the email from restarting. (Note: this will stop the game and you will have to restart the email.)
• It was possible to get the ducks moving after the pond has been drained, by throwing a piece of bread in front of them. They would eat it and swim as if there was water in the pond. Once this glitch had been activated, A had to be pressed to drain the pond again, and the other buttons wouldn't work.
• If S was pressed while playing the Atari 2600 version in fullscreen (in the Flash File), the Flash file would go back to the beginning, when Strong Bad first checks his email.
• During the title of the Atari 2600 version, pressing the spacebar will make the duck that moves go back to the beginning.

External Links

• watch "duck pond"
• watch "duck pond" on the old Flash site
• view the Flash file for "duck pond"
• watch "duck pond" with a playable Atari 2600 version