Well, I just do the Graphix...
Fano tried to Hack and analyse the code.
So basically he would like to re-use the same engine, to achieve (in our dreams) :
--Graphics with really encoded 2bit graphics (real mode1) : the real big deal to really improuve the game.
--Some musics and in-between levels sequences (Intro/cinematic pages, jingles, and so on...)...
--and a good menu as on console games or rick 128+.
And this thx to the use of 128K RAM instead of 64K...
The Starfield is also not that well adapted for the game (especially on the CPC).
it slows the game a lot, so we may like first to remove it, then perhaps upgrade it so it would take less ressources or be more adapted.
In my opinion, the starfield should be slowier so it would give a feeling of deepness. (would act as a real "Back" ground)
And also I think it should be only in the 1/3 middle of the screen... so we would less see the unmasked sprites/tiles.
or stuff like this.
But Fano has few time ATM, and it's not that easy to perform, removing or altering the starfield may screw up all the engine, per exemple (I dunnow, let's see, lol)
Concerning the tiles (and sprites) well...
As a Speccy game it is 8x8 tiles, but fano got them as 32x32 cause it's easier to work with this.
The problem is : we don't know how to really edit levels, so we can juste fill the same Tile-setting/Map with exactly the 8x8 tiles at the same place.
Also the Sprite management...
I think some animations have too many frames while other have to few...
Or the size of some sprites is simply not good to get a proper stuff.
As a Speccy game, game-area was seriously reduced while a proper Atari ST port on Amstrad (even in Mode1, it could have been great) would perhaps enable 320x200 and pixel- exact graphics.
The R9 (player's sprite) is ridicuously small : 24x8 pixels... per exemple...
While the 3 different explosions actually have 7-7-3 frames, a total of 16...sprites.
No wonder it slows the game a lot, when you get a full row of common enemies, each one can initiate an explosion cycle of 7 frames...of almost 24x24 pixels...
Just getting explosions with 4 frames would gain a lot of stuff if it were possible.
Also the shield do have up to 6 frame for it's revolution...
And the drones (the little shields up and down of you that fire sperm...) have 8 frames...ouch (but this is good to keep this)
But i'm not the coder, so i ask those stuff to Fano because i'm a big mouth...
So what kind of tiles would you need ? what kind of picture format ? I may give you this on PC pictures...to port this you'll have to do it by yourself.
But If I give you my stuff, it would spoil a lot of the surprise...
And it is actually WIP so it's not finished at all, i don't even know what colour to finally choose.
Would look cool in MODE 0... Do you think this would be possible?
Every thing if possible if you find a coder, a graphist and motivation+time...
Everybody tell "oh sh**t why no mode0 ?" but I think a mode0 version would loose a lot of the "finesse" (er...what is the word...) finely detailed graphics that can actually be achieved with a Mode1...
CPC+ example: (perhaps in final version: real sprites)
Concenring HardSprites for the Plus, I think it is not that possible to use them that much if you want to keep the game well animated.
But the R9 sprite would be sweet and easy, and perhaps a few special monsters that are not numerous at the same time, or missiles/big plasma beam, this kind of stuff...
