Since the release of Orion Prime, Cargosoft has been working on another game. The set up changes dramatically, as it takes place this time in China. It is a Mahjong Solitaire, also known as Shanghaï. The title of our game remains secret for now, though.Some other Shanghaï already exist on CPC, but they are not a pleasure to play with, or to look at: tiles all look alike, controls are sluggish, making the games not very enjoyable.However, we must take into account the following:
- The mode 1 doesn't allow enough colors for one tile to be distinguishable from another one.
- The mode 0 isn't accurate enough for the ideograms to be readable.
Where the mode 3 doesn't bring anything but the inconveniences of the two other modes, we decided, on the contrary, to gather their advantages in a new CPC graphic mode. The colors of the mode 0 with the sharpness of the mode 1! A magic trick? Maybe... but it was about time!A short preview has been show last year at the Reset party. The game was not over, the screen a bit blurry, the music not composed yet, but the progress today is enough to guarantee a forthcoming release of the game, which is currently fully playable. It is only, at worst, a matter of a few months.Feedback from the meeting participants comforted us in the idea that many would once again want this game to be released with a packaging. Our mind is not fully made about this, but we are seriously thinking about it. Your opinion is also welcome. This would be a way to make you discover the game on the real hardware!More information will be released to tease you a bit more. But don't expect any screenshots, we don't share them easily :) .
So... Where do we get it so we can try it and give you feedback?
Offtopic: Any hint on Orion Prime's secret mode, or was it just a joke? ;D
Quote from: Targhan on 18:19, 02 September 15
Feedback from the meeting participants comforted us in the idea that many would once again want this game to be released with a packaging. Our mind is not fully made about this, but we are seriously thinking about it. Your opinion is also welcome. This would be a way to make you discover the game on the real hardware!
I missed out on a physical copy of ORION PRIME, I'm a big fan of Solitaire Mahjong (on PC, and numerous arcade & Japanese emulators), I'm really interested in a MODE0/1 and I believe CPC projects should be supported to their fullest. Count me in for a physical copy if you guys decide to release it! ^_^
@robcfg (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=4) : You can give your feedback here about if you would like the game release with a package, or not.
A secret mode in Orion Prime? What's about it?
I would definitely enjoy to play it the first on a real CPC! That's a great idea actually, too much DSK out there already. :)
Since I'm not familiar with that kind of game, I don't know if it contains much text, BUT you can always email me the text to translate it into German. It all worked well with OP, and maybe Octoate want's to do corrections again. :)
I am looking forward to see it and I would probably buy a physical copy too! :D
Quote from: SuTeKH/Epyteor on 18:47, 02 September 15
I missed out on a physical copy of ORION PRIME, I'm a big fan of Solitaire Mahjong (on PC, and numerous arcade & Japanese emulators), I'm really interested in a MODE0/1 and I believe CPC projects should be supported to their fullest. Count me in for a physical copy if you guys decide to release it! ^_^
Physical copy for me please.
Love Shanghai type games and look forward to this universal game. Also very interested to see this Mode trickery.Definitely would be prepared to pay for a copy as a support for the work too .
I bought orion prime when i had no cpc, so count me in for sure for a physical copy now that i have one
We want a screenshot Targhan !!! :)
Better than a screenshot... Went to the ReSeT and seen exclusive ingame previews! ;D
@TotO (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=290) : now's the time to make them pay for what you know :).
Ok, I offer 4 used spark plugs for a Chevrolet. That's ok?
+1 for a physical copy
yeah, let it get physical...
PS : ça sent la flashouille...
I know it's a lot of work, but if you decide to make a physical edition, I'll gladly buy one.
I want a physical copy too :)
For french users, a french discussion here :
http://amstrad.eu/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=5579 (http://amstrad.eu/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=5579)
Not a surprise if I said that I will be happy to get at less one physical copy too. ;D
Quote from: TotO on 21:59, 02 September 15
Better than a screenshot... Went to the ReSeT and seen exclusive ingame previews! ;D
Never ...
:-X
Quote from: Targhan on 18:47, 02 September 15
@robcfg (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=4) : You can give your feedback here about if you would like the game release with a package, or not.
I would definitely like to get a physical copy of the game in a package!
Let's get physical, physical!
Olivia Newton-John - Physical - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWz9VN40nCA)
QuoteThe mode 1 doesn't allow enough colors for one tile to be distinguishable from another one.
How about using the color technique of the "Fugitif"?
It produces 16 colors on Mode 1.
See here
Fugitif by Lankhor (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/games/fugitif-by-lankhor/msg107375/#msg107375)
Quote from: alex76gr on 07:34, 04 September 15
How about using the color technique of the "Fugitif"?
How about reading the post to the end? ;)
Oh yes. :-[
So, they are using the Fugitif technique or they are creating something from the scratch?
What I have seen during the ReSeT preview (5mn) is new.
Look to be more than 4 colours (8? 16?) everywhere on the screen in MODE 1 without visible flickering.
Graphics are sharp and colorful, close to a 16bit game.
Agent T, well known as SuperSylvestre, doesn't want to show us this year. :-*
Of course, i'll buy a box version...
I think it's a moot point by now, but I'd really like a physical release, please :)
Can't wait to learn more!
Box, definitively!
Mahjong Solitaire
blah! :blank:
Quote from: TotO on 09:16, 04 September 15
What I have seen during the ReSeT preview (5mn) is new.
Look to be more than 4 colours (8? 16?) everywhere on the screen in MODE 1 without visible flickering.
Graphics are sharp and colorful, close to a 16bit game.
So something like this mode 5 or 6 something thing. Cards are nicely shaped for a colorsplit vertical and horizontal.
Would someone mind posting a list of the Modes other than the familiar ones 0,1 &2. And just give us laymen an idea of what each mode does ? Or is somewhere elsewhere that explains?
Quote from: Puresox on 18:50, 04 September 15
Would someone mind posting a list of the Modes other than the familiar ones 0,1 &2. And just give us laymen an idea of what each mode does ? Or is somewhere elsewhere that explains?
Aside of MODE 0-3 anything else is made by software, so everybody can kind of define what they want.
right?! So not specific mode as such , but the ability to make combinations within certain parameters I suppose?
They had that special GFX maker for the PC, that one switches a couple of colors every line. That way you can have a MODE 1 GFX with all 27 colors. Dunno who much colors it switches for each scanline. 2 should be doable without a problem. All that stuff is somewhere out there, dunno where though.
1 phisical game for me too, please.
Of course physical release please.
Yeah, because in http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Mode_4_of_CPCs_ (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Mode_4_of_CPCs_)(two_bitplanes_emulation) someone called Mode 4 the "bitplane trick" where your palette is something like 0123444455556666 in Mode 0 and helps with not need to mask sprites, but this article also says "also called Mode 3" but Mode 3 is also this unofficial fail of a mode on CPC, Mode 0 with 4 colors and still 16k vram. It's like on the C64 when they have tons of modes, FLI, XFLI MuFLI and whatever, this are all either interlace or change palette/mix resolution per line, more times than line, etc. It amuses me when someone announces that he invented a new mode, because it might sound to someone outside retrocoding that OMG, there was a real hidden resolution/color mode INSIDE the graphics chips, hidden, ready to be discovered, which is not the case :)
@Optimus (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=39) : Well, who knows for sure?? :)
Any news? ;)
Screenshot?
No screenshot yet, but a preview will be shown at the ReSeT. People will be able to play with it.
Oh! So much time passed already?
Any news on this from ReSeT?
Yes. But if you wanted to see it, you should have been there :D
I wonder if the new video mode in this game is one of the supported by Perfect Pix :)
No, it isn't.
Sorry for the delay. Please wait... just a little bit more :). But NOT much, fortunately :).
... Something is going to happen on Monday... Just sayin' :) .
Trg.Aks
:D
Quote from: Targhan on 17:58, 07 October 16
... Something is going to happen on Monday... Just sayin' :) .
Trg.Aks
Finally! A monday that doesn't suck! :D
This Monday was never gonna suck.... I have tickets for Jean Michel Jarre in Dublin. But now it just got a whole lot better!
No spoilers, please!
I have tickets for JMJ in Stockholm, hehe 8)
I am really happy to hear about the new game! :D :D
Oh yes, bring it on ! Plus I love Shanghai games :)
Monday cannot come fast enough.
And now a rumoured symbos 3 public beta with albireo mouse, m4 WiFi and storage. Awesome Monday! ;)
I'm intrigued by the new display mode. I guess it uses quite a bit of CPU time, as Mahjong isn't the most intensive of games!
But how fast can the CPC swap a colour palette entry? Every 4 characters maybe if you can fit the palette switch into 4 nops, so if the tiles are 32 pixels wide ...
And with tile stacking, say 4 pixels high per tile on a stack, you only need to store the palette change data every 4 lines, so a table 10x50 for a mode 1 sized screen (maybe this game uses overscan too, so 12x64). And whilst the screen is being scanned, you cannot do anything else. Wait, what would be better is to have the table as z80 code to save reads, a run-time assembled mode? A stream of LD A,n : OUT (&gatearraypaletteaddress),A (but 5 nops? - or could you use LD A,r with pre-populated register values for 4 nops?) to the gate array?
It's a poor man's attribute mode in some ways, but it's easy to imagine how it could be used in many games that don't have high CPU needs. E.g., above view RPG...
Quote from: Targhan on 17:58, 07 October 16
... Something is going to happen on Monday... Just sayin' :) .
Trg.Aks
Thank you for the notice. I will prepare a cushion for my chin to drop on to. :D
Quote from: Sykobee (Briggsy) on 14:46, 09 October 16
But how fast can the CPC swap a colour palette entry? Every 4 characters maybe if you can fit the palette switch into 4 nops, so if the tiles are 32 pixels wide ...
No, this is not how it's done. No palette changes involved. And there is enough CPU time left to play digidrums!
Quote from: PulkoMandy on 08:19, 10 October 16
No, this is not how it's done. No palette changes involved. And there is enough CPU time left to play digidrums!
Interesting. I'd considered trying the tight palette switching thing myself and one of those Mahjong tile matching games seemed like the best candidate.
The only other way I can think of is alternating images each frame, which works for some but o tend to find headache inducing. Will have to give it a try tonight.
Quote from: PulkoMandy on 08:19, 10 October 16
No, this is not how it's done. No palette changes involved. And there is enough CPU time left to play digidrums!
Nice, and I presume it's not switching images as that flickers and would give around 6-8 usable colours (the ones that aren't too high-contrast pairs). So maybe a MODE 0 hack?
I look forward to trying it out at home.