Cosmic Prison Commando demo 1.1

[arnoldemu]

I was thinking about it but I didn't start it.

I don't have the time and I already have 1 game project to finish.
I also want to code the beat em up that sigh is doing the graphics for.
So we'll see after this.

[Carnivius]

Hey guys,
sorry for bumping this topic up.  I've only just seen it myself as I was specifically searching to see if anyone had any ideas on how it could actually become a true CPC game.   I got quite busy in non-computer life stuff since my health problems went away (they were the main reason I spent so much time pixelling and stuff) but I still play and enjoy my lil demo and after seeing some of the superb new CPC games and demos it got me more curious to see if people knew if this game would be possible to develop on an actual CPC.  I got my little 'retro corner' desk set up in the back room with my Amstrad CPC 464 (and Amiga 1200 but that's nothing to do with this) and have been enjoying some of my old faves again (by the way I still find it impressive that my 1984 CPC is still working in perfect condition when many other computers and consoles I've owned have broken down).

Anyways I've read the posts here.  I am not an Amstrad CPC coder, I'm just a CPC gamer.  I do not know the true limitations of the machine or any of the tricks people have discovered over the years to make it do things not originally thought possible.  When making this game originally all I wanted to re-enforce was that the original CPC's colour and resolution limitations weren't any problem for creating a colourful and bold looking action game.   Some people I've debated this all seem to think the CPC had nothing but bad Spectrum ports and weren't capable of anything more, seemingly forgetting it had gloriously colourful well done graphics in games such as Turrican II (which I still say looks better than the C64 version even just due to the fact the CPC has a far more attractive palette rather than the drab low-saturated muddy colors of the C64), Dan Dare 3, Rick Dangerous 2 and Astro Marine Corps.   As I couldn't know the actual limits regarding scrolling and memory usage and such I just made the game just the way I felt to, in more of a homage to my happy memories of CPC action games rather than a total realistically doable game for the CPC.  However it was also done to express my own enjoyment at creating CPC graphics and I was always willing to collaborate with anyone who wanted to take the graphics and get a version of it running on real CPC hardware and just let me know if they needed any changes done to the graphics to get things working better.  I will admit that my enthusiasm for the project got hurt a great deal when a user on a european CPC forum took it upon himself to rip all the graphics out of the demo and supplied them right there on the forum to anybody without my permission which annoyed me greatly (as it also revealed some, at the time, unused sprites and secrets I didn't want revealed).  I'm not even saying the level layout has to be exactly the same either and we could discuss new gameplay features to make it a bit more unique than just a Turrican-lite clone but of course within the boundaries of the genre and limitations of the CPC.

As it was mentioned in one post I have no real interest in the CPC+ range (nor super upgraded CPCs or virtual ones simulated by emulators).  To me they just weren't the same thing and the extra colors just make them look like blockier Amiga graphics to me and, while I love the Amiga too I felt the CPC+ games just lacked the graphical charm of the original CPC's colour palette.  What does interest me about the CPC+ is any extra power that can be used to improve the running of a regular CPC game for extra scrolling smoothness for example but the game for me must still be able to run on a regular CPC to begin with.

By the way TFM/FS mentions that most CPC users have RAM and ROM expansions?   I don't.   If someone could direct me to a place I can buy a 64k expansion for my 464 to upgrade it to 128k I'd be pretty happy with that (and I'm sure a few more of my favourite CPC games would be improved even with the addition of music I think some have for 128k).  How much do they cost these days anyways?

Anyways I'm glad that some of you enjoy the demo

Sorry if some of that didn't make a lot of sense.  Just got in from a long session at the outdoor gym and I'm a bit knackered but wanted to type all this in while I felt strongly about it

[Gryzor]

Hello mate,

Glad to hear you're feeling better!

I think it'd be an extremely ambitious project to bring to the CPC, actually, but here's keeping fingers crossed...

As for the other issue, well, I don't know the story, but maybe people didn't think they were doing something wrong by ripping and 'stealing' the gfx - did you try to tell them?

All in all, welcome back

[Carnivius]

I think it'd be an extremely ambitious project to bring to the CPC, actually, but here's keeping fingers crossed...

Well I think going by games I've played on CPC (even on my standard 464) it could be done in some form even if cuts had to be made it could still become a playable and graphically appealing game CPC action game.

but maybe people didn't think they were doing something wrong by ripping and 'stealing' the gfx - did you try to tell them?

I can't even remember if I posted or if I was so angry I chose not to and rather tried to forget about it for a while rather than leaving an expletive-laden angry message.   Quite frankly if they thought there was nothing wrong with it then they're idiots.  It's bad enough ripping from commercial games but ripping from another retro game enthusiast's non-profit personal project in development and just laying it out all there for download by anyone felt like a huge crap on my long hours of working on it all and it made me distrust gamers like that a lot.  Could have at least asked my permission first (which I would have denied unless I'd completed the project or at least considered it abandoned and then been more than happy to share the resources). 

[MacDeath]

Hi, I just tested the game...

That's pretty solid.

From what I noted :

=Multiscroll "paralax" (background moving differently than foreground) would be quite difficult to implement as it is.

there are quite few exemple of this done on original CPC.
From memory i would just say that AMC was on of the notable if not only exemple.

And to perform this AMC actually wasn't built on smotth sprites and scrolls but Attributes/character based engine.
Like R-Type on CPC/speccy and so on.

This means that your sprites and tiles are Character based (in mode0 this is 4x8 pxiels) non masked...

So you have to design well according to this to remove the unmasked feeling (just see the SpaceGun topic)


=Controls :
the jump button + fire button is so console and arcade, but clearly not CPC spirit.


on CPC to jump you actually just went UP.

it's a bit sad but when you play with arrows keys, it is quite easier to do it this way too.

I would suggest the second button being used by alternative fire instead of Jump.

but maybe people didn't think they were doing something wrong by ripping and 'stealing' the gfx - did you try to tell them?

The problem is that we tend to believe all thing CPC related is abandonware, even modern stufffs.
Also piracy was a great feature of this era computers that console hadn't, which staying in our culture.

As it was mentioned in one post I have no real interest in the CPC+ range (nor super upgraded CPCs or virtual ones simulated by emulators).  To me they just weren't the same thing and the extra colors just make them look like blockier Amiga graphics to me and, while I love the Amiga too I felt the CPC+ games just lacked the graphical charm of the original CPC's colour palette.  What does interest me about the CPC+ is any extra power that can be used to improve the running of a regular CPC game for extra scrolling smoothness for example but the game for me must still be able to run on a regular CPC to begin with.

I agrre.

To port straight Amiga/Atari ST palettes simply do not compute with blocky 160x200 resolution in games.

While the 16bit could manage this palette well through fine ditherings, Amstrad 8 bit could not and got to stick to more cartoonisdh feeling.
And many graphician could not choose colours wisely from the 4096...

When I did the remake of RickDangerous on PLUS, I wanted to stick to the CPC old feeling.
And it works better than the full grey of 16bit versions IMO.

If CPC old had access to a proper 320x200x16 mode, I think the 27c palette wouldn't be considered as badly as it is often.

The only thing I think PLUS add is that there are more greys and oranges and brown...
But considering the resolution and number of colour available, you just got to stick to CPC way of paletting.

Hell a simple 512palette could have been quite suffisant on PLUS, actually .

But hey, good for Demomakers.


So yeah, the PLUS is to be considered a CPC with only a few extra colours actually to be used (2 additionnal grey don't hurt) and smooth Scrollings..

Also easier raster/mode changes interrupts, as those were already often used on CPC, now this wastes a bit less CPC to get the HUD in another mode/palertte.


Extra Sound possibilities and the too few sprites are to be added as extra special effects (Bonus sprites, explosions)... nothing more.

But my point is : what the need for 4096 colours when you can display only 4 on the screen (Mode1 per exemple) ?

[Carnivius]

=Controls :
the jump button + fire button is so console and arcade, but clearly not CPC spirit.

Originally up was jump and was intended for a real CPC version with Jump being available as a seperate button if a 2 button joystick/pad was in use.  I just had it more console like in the demo because in the time since owning my CPC I've gotten to used to my NES/SNES/PS1/PS2/PSP/PS3 games of using the bottom fire button (on a four button layout so common these days) as jump and the one to the left as shoot.

By the way I've just seen the video of the R-Type remake.  I remember getting an email about it sometime ago but I was unable to help but remembering I figured these guys weren't gonna need my help from early shots.  And I was right, it looks AMAZING.  Great work on that.  Also been watching that Batman Forever demo thing and again I'm impressed what people have been doing with the CPC.

[MacDeath]

Would it be possible to add some redine keys feature or different control configs then ?

[Carnivius]

Would it be possible to add some redine keys feature or different control configs then ?

The control code was written to make that easy enough to change if it wasn't for the fact I find menu systems (especially those that require visual feedback upon input such as redefining keys) so damn tedious to do.  But I will get around to it (even if it's in one of my other projects and then I can copy paste it into that one, is why I build things off the same general code and use the same variable names between projects)

[sigh]

Hi Carnivac,

Stickman here!!! Nice to see you back on this site. I always loved your demo and it would be great to see it finished. The CPC+ also has the added bonus of the 2 button joypad, scrolling and sound that takes less cpu strain, so you could do a plus and a regular cpc version.

[Carnivius]

Hi Carnivac,

Stickman here!!! Nice to see you back on this site. I always loved your demo and it would be great to see it finished. The CPC+ also has the added bonus of the 2 button joypad, scrolling and sound that takes less cpu strain, so you could do a plus and a regular cpc version.

I was wondering if you were about here somewhere.   

Yeah I'd rather just focus on a regular CPC version to begin with.  To be honest I'm thinking I need to join in with something much smaller and easier to get a better feel of being part of a real CPC game development.   Like if anyone wants to do a simple flick screen platformer or something and I could do some Mode 0 graphics for it or even a bit more advanced like that Knight N Grail that came out on C64 a couple years back.  Hell, I dunno..

[spybro]

@carnivac


there was a port preview of c.p.c
but i cannot seem to find it
judging from that preview it was obvious that it can be done
judging from the impact of the demo you published it should be ported
it has all the elements to become one of the best platform/shoot em up games on cpc
i would personally prefer a cpc+ port though

[XeNoMoRPH]

Any news of this game ... ? 

[Carnivius]

  you cast necrobump. 

The game changed significantly since then to something that could work better on a CPC.
It's now a slower paced exploration flick-screen sorta dealy here but still with plenty platform shooting to be done.  Have made some good progress on the PC runner version in the past year and will post more updates to the proper game topic (which I don't think this one is...I swear there was a more recent one but I haven't time to look).
Prob best to close this topic though as it reflects to a game that's only similar in name and some basics.
Merry christmas and thanks for the interest.

[jesusdelmas]

you cast necrobump. 

The game changed significantly since then to something that could work better on a CPC.
It's now a slower paced exploration flick-screen sorta dealy here but still with plenty platform shooting to be done.  Have made some good progress on the PC runner version in the past year and will post more updates to the proper game topic (which I don't think this one is...I swear there was a more recent one but I haven't time to look).
Prob best to close this topic though as it reflects to a game that's only similar in name and some basics.
Merry christmas and thanks for the interest.

Good to know that the game is still alive   any idea of when it will be release it?