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Bubble Bobble remake? (BB4CPC)

Started by Xyphoe, 06:54, 05 January 11

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TotO

Quote from: Gryzor on 15:48, 23 January 13
Believe me, still trying to restore it, but yes, I wanted to LIKE that too :D
Buuuuu... I don't get mines! XD
"You make one mistake in your life and the internet will never let you live it down" (Keith Goodyer)

Gryzor

Quote from: TotOQuote from: Gryzor on Yesterday at 16:48:28Believe me, still trying to restore it, but yes, I wanted to LIKE that too Buuuuu... I don't get mines! XD
Eh? What do you mean? :)


cngsoft

Well, I somehow found out how to make the bubbles clutter in a far more randomized fashion with just 6 bytes of code! Also, round 95 won't cause more visual glitches due to bubbles sliding "into" the leftmost wall. Version 6 is almost ready to go!

The idea of TotO isn't bad but it can't apply to BB4CPC because the game needs to move sprites everywhere, even on top of the scores (abusing the vertical warp by jumping on rising bubbles until appearing in the bottom of the screen is part of the advanced gameplay) and obviously the MODE 0 sprites turning into MODE 1 silhouettes is a no-no.

I nevertheless toyed with a brute-forced conversion of the original font into MODE 0 pixels, using greytones wherever visible and invisible pixels collided. The result was curious to watch, although ultimately antiaesthetical, proving (as usual) that artistic interpretation is always required:

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cngsoft

#278
Well, it's done, BB4CPC v6 is out. The "continue" bug was too critical to stay publicly unpatched for any longer, and besides, with the incoming exams I can't guarantee when I'll be able to work again on these things. So feel free to download it from http://cngsoft.no-ip.org/bb4cpc.htm. Have fun!



The changelog: fixed a regression in the "Continue" logic, improved EXTEND and fruit drops logic, bubbles now clump together in less predictable patterns, changed the behavior of the clock powerup (baddies freeze instead of slowing down), minor graphical fixes. You already saw several of these changes discussed here.
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cngsoft

#279
CRIPES! Due to an oversight I released the debug versions! Please download the files again, the wrong files are timestamped 19:04:34 while the right ones are 19:04:54. My apologies for the inconvenience!

P.S.: for the curious, the debug version features an even jerkier than usual tile-sprite engine :-P
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TFM

Just converted that for myself. In case you can't do it for yourself...
TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus

mr_lou

The more random movement is definitely an improvement. Makes it closer to the original arcade version.

Now all you need is to make Bub and Bob decent faster in the beginning of each level, and let them move before enemies start moving. That's an important part of the gameplay in the original.

In level 30, you can't jump out of the U shaped boxes. But you can in the original.

TFM

It happened again! Started playing at work... and guess what... I really worked late yesterday (playing BB4CPC)!!!  :laugh:
TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus

cngsoft

#283
Quote from: TFM/FS
Just started work at 9 a.m. Started BB4CPC, whoaaaa, suddenly it was 10:23, uuups.... This game is great!!!
Quote from: TFM/FS
It happened again! Started playing at work... and guess what... I really worked late yesterday (playing BB4CPC)!!!

Heh, that's awesome to know :) Now I know where to point whenever someone wants to check out testimonials from real BB4CPC players!

Now seriously, mr_lou's comments deserve several explanations.

On one hand, indeed, in the original arcade game you can walk into one of those "U" pits, and jump to safety while walking into a wall. However, if I allow horizontal motion at the very end of the jump, players can escape from the pits of stage 19, unlike in the arcade, where they can't, and Z80 code handling both cases is far heavier than just handling one. Besides, if you can reach round 30 without cheating you're already used to bouncing on bubbles, something you can easily do in those pits: in BB4CPC bubbles can't push you around.



On the other hand, you're already given a time advantage on the enemies at the beginning of each round, as well as three seconds of invulnerability. Does the player need even more advantages? Rounds 44 and 48 are already far easier than in the arcade, just walk towards the enemies and blow bubbles right in front of them, you can kill the first three before they can hurt you, and the remaining will waste time jumping instead of shooting if you jump as well. After all, BB4CPC's AI is easier to abuse and exploit than the arcade's.



In general, people complain when a port lacks something from the original game that makes it easier, but stay quiet when the missing thing would make it more difficult. In particular, I got zero bug reports when the original Super Drunk didn't shoot at all or the enemies would shoot when they were NOT facing the players; and while everyone yelled when the water streams were buggy and made round 13 harder to beat, nobody has talked yet about the glitch that happens when a water stream flows into a wall and must change direction.
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mr_lou

You mustn't get me wrong. I think BB4CPC is awesome, and I do enjoy playing it.

The flaw is with me, because Bubble Bobble defines a big part of my childhood: I'm picky and BB4CPC is not perfect.

But it IS awesome. And on wedsday I'm visiting a mate where we'll have an entire day with retro-games, he with his ZX Spectrum and me with my new CPC+. I'm looking forward to a long two-player BB4CPC with him.  :)

TFM

Well for me BB4CPC is perfect, but I guess if I ever play the Arcade... it will suck!  :P
TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus

cngsoft

Quote from: mr_louYou mustn't get me wrong. I think BB4CPC is awesome, and I do enjoy playing it. The flaw is with me, because Bubble Bobble defines a big part of my childhood: I'm picky and BB4CPC is not perfect. But it IS awesome.
Thanks for explaining yourself, now I get what you were trying to mean :-) Sincerely, I'm the first to mourn how many things I had to remove from BB4CPC to ensure that everything from the original game had a similar degree of implementation. More than a hundred sprites that had to be sacrificed, many choices in the physics and the AI to keep them small yet consistent, a completely new approach to the secret codes and game modes because the originals were completely unadaptable... oh, and of course, I couldn't look at the arcade's source code either! Ah, the fun of reverse engineering! "Let's see, the dragons go this high and this far when they jump, how I'm gonna obtain the same results..." multiplied one thousand times.

QuoteAnd on wedsday I'm visiting a mate where we'll have an entire day with retro-games, he with his ZX Spectrum and me with my new CPC+. I'm looking forward to a long two-player BB4CPC with him.  :)
Hey, that's gonna be great! Can you believe I have yet to play this game with a friend? Yes, I'm one of those guys who's forever alone :-(
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Johnny Olsen

Quote from: cngsoft on 21:40, 02 February 13
I'm one of those guys who's forever alone :-(

Bad for you but good for us, now we got the opportunity to play a great game.  ;)

Xifos

Hi Cngsoft,

How is the reverse engineering for parasol stars ?
;)

With bb4cpc, you entered history.
If you did ps4cpc, you would become history !

Axelino

#289
It could be a Bug ?

See Video
cpcbug

TFM

This video is private!
TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus

Axelino


cngsoft

#292
Quote from: Axelino on 00:22, 04 February 13It could be a Bug ? See Video
cpcbug
Intriguing. Did it happen with the past versions of BB4CPC too, or just with the current one, "25/01/2013"?
P.S.: nevermind, I found it - an optimisation in the recursive bubble popping function was using a hardcoded starting point for the bubble sprite list. Never again!
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cngsoft

#293
Quote from: Xifos on 19:50, 03 February 13
Hi Cngsoft,

How is the reverse engineering for parasol stars ?
;)

With bb4cpc, you entered history.
If you did ps4cpc, you would become history !
Now that I'm studying in the university (yes, again, after dropping out ten years ago) PS4CPC has low priority, but I nevertheless intend to have a minimally playable demo (one round) to show in RetroMadrid 2013. As soon as I'm done with the current batch of exams (three down already, two to go the next week) I'll write Z80 code like there's no tomorrow. For the curious, here's a preview of what you'll see in it:



P.S.: I almost forgot that I had already posted another preview in another thread:

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cngsoft

Ok, it's done, BB4CPC has been formally updated again. Besides the aforementioned bugfix, players are given a longer advantage time at the start of each round. Also, even if it's not technically part of the gameplay, the Exomizer routine is now 15% faster thanks to a recent suggestion provided by Urusergi. Get it from http://cngsoft.no-ip.org/bb4cpc.htm and have fun! Thanks for the valuable bug report, Axelino!
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Axelino

Wow, super Fast !

Thanks to you for this Awesome game !

You deserve a monument  :)

cngsoft

This just in: I reuploaded the BB4CPC archive after spotting and fixing a slight bug in the motion of Pulpul, the flying pink thing with a propeller:



Both horizontal and vertical collisions were using the same counter (whoops), rounds with narrow corridors made it switch directions too often.
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Puresox

Quote from: cngsoft on 12:09, 04 February 13
Now that I'm studying in the university (yes, again, after dropping out ten years ago) PS4CPC has low priority, but I nevertheless intend to have a minimally playable demo (one round) to show in RetroMadrid 2013. As soon as I'm done with the current batch of exams (three down already, two to go the next week) I'll write Z80 code like there's no tomorrow. For the curious, here's a preview of what you'll see in it:


I am really quite excited by the look of this project , and knowing your skills. I expect it is going to be one of the best games on the 8-bits !

Gryzor

Just saw the posted preview. So... yummy!


Have to fully agree with Puresox, can't wait...

Axelino

#299
Maybe there's another bug

It happens playing in ultramode

Another thing, why the game doesn't give me the last 2 "letters"?

I entered in the silvers doors in levels 20,30,40
I have cleared the 50th level without using the silver door
I've completed the game without missing lives

where am I wrong?  :(
Metr (thanks!) gave me the first 2 codes 1 year ago (super & ultra mode)
i found the last code (all powers) via keyboard combination,
but i'd like to be the game to give to me it !

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