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Converted GX4000 .cpr - The topic (repository link in first post)

Started by remax, 22:14, 04 May 15

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DanyPPC

Could you release a modified version of Renegade in dsk format too ?
CPC 464 with USB Floppy Emulator / CPC 464+ with USB Floppy Emulator / CPC 6128+ with C4CPC and Gotek HxC USB Drive Emulator

iXien

Quote from: DanyPPC on 07:10, 23 March 24Could you release a modified version of Renegade in dsk format too ?
Good food for every CPC? No problem. Here it is  ;)
http://homebrew.amstradtoday.com, the only website dedicated to CPC homebrew games.

DanyPPC

CPC 464 with USB Floppy Emulator / CPC 464+ with USB Floppy Emulator / CPC 6128+ with C4CPC and Gotek HxC USB Drive Emulator

Nich

Quote from: kawickboy on 15:33, 21 March 24About Total Recall: on CPC-Power it is said that this was a complicated project, but neither in Amstrad 100% (of course) neither in AA (i have read most of them) this situation was explained. Where could we fin informations about this ?
Games That Weren't explains the problems with the development of Total Recall in some detail. In short, the original development team (Active Minds) was running well behind schedule, and Ocean had no choice but to use a different team of programmers, who managed to develop a finished game for the ZX Spectrum, CPC and Commodore 64 in three weeks. Simon Butler's description of what really happened is well worth reading; he doesn't hold back! :laugh:

Xyphoe also explains the story of Total Recall in a rather lengthy video on YouTube. It's nearly one hour long, but you don't have to watch all of it to learn what happened.


kawickboy

Thanks. This reminds me the cheat code : when you enter" the end is nigh" in the high scores the title changes from Total Recall to Total Rewrite.

iXien

And this time a new game that was really missing, at least for its music  :P :

AIRWOLF II from Elite Systems

Airwolf 2 is clearly not an Airwolf game, with the famous copter in space :laugh: . But the music is fabulous and it's part of the computer history. Many thanks to @Urusergi, as usual, for his work on this one.

Controls:
d-pad = Move your ship
J1B1 = Fire
J1B2 = Select option
J2B1 = Toggle copter sound
Pause button = Pause/unpause game

Modifications for the GX4000 version:
    - Wait for fire on title screen
    - Unuseful options removed from main screen
    - All game keys patched,
    - Pokes : infinite lives.

http://homebrew.amstradtoday.com, the only website dedicated to CPC homebrew games.

iXien

And to make your week-end shine, a very nice copy without licence of a nice game, once again thanks to the work of @Urusergi   :

GILLIGAN'S GOLD from Ocean

Controls:
J1B1 = Pick up / drop
Pause button = Quit game


Modifications for the GX4000 version:
    - Text on main screen modified,
    - "Bagman" as default input in the highscore table,
    - Game keys patched,
    - Black border and background
    - Pokes : Unlimited lives and time.

A rare French arcade production manufactured in 1982 under the original name of "Le Bagnard" in France and "Bagman" for international publishing. There is no reference to Valadon Automation, the manufacturer of the original game. So we can suppose Ocean had no rights to create this game on computer. It would explain why the bagman became a gold digger, and why Ocean changed the name.

http://homebrew.amstradtoday.com, the only website dedicated to CPC homebrew games.

cwpab

Quick question.

When people download emulators with romsets or emulator consoles and GX4000 is one of the supported systems, do these romsets include all these conversions?

For example, when I search "GX4000 romset", only 60 games are included on the first result: https://archive.org/details/Amstrad_GX4000_TOSEC_2012_04_23

Maybe you guys should contact the right people to fix this? Or do romsets normally ignore modern homebrew?

iXien

Quote from: cwpab on 07:16, 06 April 24Quick question.

When people download emulators with romsets or emulator consoles and GX4000 is one of the supported systems, do these romsets include all these conversions?

For example, when I search "GX4000 romset", only 60 games are included on the first result: https://archive.org/details/Amstrad_GX4000_TOSEC_2012_04_23

Maybe you guys should contact the right people to fix this? Or do romsets normally ignore modern homebrew?
TOSEC archives and other retrogame websites will offer you only official games. The case of the GX4000 is a little bit odd for all these sites which are used to only offering original games. Here it's a little different. These are not new games but modified commercial CPC games. And to be honest, we also have to work to generate interest in a machine that has been mocked for 30 years.

Even the new games like Blinky's Scary School or SOH Tactics GX are unknown outside the community, because nobody waits for new games on this "so crap" system. 

So yes, that's right that currently you can only grab all the modified games at once on CPC Wiki. I'm personally thinking about different news to send on websites and social networks. But beyond my own love for this fabulous project, everyone is invited to preach the word 8)
http://homebrew.amstradtoday.com, the only website dedicated to CPC homebrew games.

iXien

Ok, here is a new one, a real hidden gem IMO, once again fully playable thanks to @Urusergi , of course :D

TRIAXOS from Ariola Soft

Controls:
d-pad = Move the character in the desired direction
J1B1 = Fire / Open inventory (long press)
J1B2 = Pause game (J1B1 to resume game)
Pause button = Quit game

Any direction to quit the inventory, d-pad left/right and J1B1 to select an item (grenade or DHE-IV CHARGES)

Modifications for the GX4000 version:
    - Wait for fire on title screens,
    - Remapped keys,
    - Pokes : Unlimited laser, shield, time.

Triaxos is one of these games on computer in which the publishers seemed to consider that discovering what to do was part of the game itself. Really frustrating, making these games completely cryptic without any reason. I offer you a new instruction manual in the archive to start more easily what is really a good game, mature and more ambitious than many others  ;)

Download here : https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?msg=239044 
http://homebrew.amstradtoday.com, the only website dedicated to CPC homebrew games.

Nich

Quote from: iXien on 19:42, 12 April 24TRIAXOS from Ariola Soft

Triaxos is one of these games on computer in which the publishers seemed to consider that discovering what to do was part of the game itself. Really frustrating, making these games completely cryptic without any reason.
I never fully understood it; the 3D aspect of the game always confused me. It also doesn't help that in all the versions I've tested on the CPC, the game crashes after you use the dynamite a few times. :(

iXien

Quote from: Nich on 11:10, 14 April 24
Quote from: iXien on 19:42, 12 April 24TRIAXOS from Ariola Soft

Triaxos is one of these games on computer in which the publishers seemed to consider that discovering what to do was part of the game itself. Really frustrating, making these games completely cryptic without any reason.
I never fully understood it; the 3D aspect of the game always confused me. It also doesn't help that in all the versions I've tested on the CPC, the game crashes after you use the dynamite a few times. :(
Hum, interesting. I play this one several times and never shown the problem. But I trust you. And nobody found the problem to poke it ? It would be not too late to fix this version  ;)
http://homebrew.amstradtoday.com, the only website dedicated to CPC homebrew games.

Nich

Quote from: iXien on 11:23, 14 April 24Hum, interesting. I play this one several times and never shown the problem. But I trust you. And nobody found the problem to poke it ? It would be not too late to fix this version  ;)
I've tried, but I couldn't find any way to fix the bug. :(

dragon

Quote from: Nich on 12:14, 14 April 24
Quote from: iXien on 11:23, 14 April 24Hum, interesting. I play this one several times and never shown the problem. But I trust you. And nobody found the problem to poke it ? It would be not too late to fix this version  ;)
I've tried, but I couldn't find any way to fix the bug. :(

Upload a snapshot a few seconds before It crash and i take a look.

iXien

Quote from: dragon on 17:08, 14 April 24
Quote from: Nich on 12:14, 14 April 24
Quote from: iXien on 11:23, 14 April 24Hum, interesting. I play this one several times and never shown the problem. But I trust you. And nobody found the problem to poke it ? It would be not too late to fix this version  ;)
I've tried, but I couldn't find any way to fix the bug. :(

Upload a snapshot a few seconds before It crash and i take a look.
Wonderful @dragon . I can try to snapshot the crash, but I can't promise as I didn't seen it before. @Nich , maybe you keep some snapshot of your tries when you wanted to fix it?
http://homebrew.amstradtoday.com, the only website dedicated to CPC homebrew games.

Nich

Quote from: iXien on 18:56, 14 April 24Wonderful @dragon . I can try to snapshot the crash, but I can't promise as I didn't seen it before. @Nich , maybe you keep some snapshot of your tries when you wanted to fix it?
I've attached a snapshot. I've used six sticks of dynamite so far and I've reset the counter to give me some more (stored at &53DD). You need to hold down the fire button for a few seconds to select dynamite, then press fire again to drop it.

  • When I use dynamite a seventh time, the screen starts to become corrupted.
  • If I walk into the next room, the ninth time I use dynamite, it explodes in a different part of the room. One of the robots starts displaying different sprites randomly.
  • By the tenth time, the player sprite starts displaying different sprites randomly as well.
  • When I use dynamite for either the eleventh or twelfth time (depending on whether there are any robots in the room), the game crashes.

iXien

A nice little puzzle game from @Redbug :

PIRKA from Crazy Piri

Controls:
J1B1 = Start game
J1B2 = Quit game

A match-3 game with a limited move number, make combos to win more moves. Once you have no more moves, you lose and have to press fire 2 to abort the current game.
http://homebrew.amstradtoday.com, the only website dedicated to CPC homebrew games.

dragon

Quote from: Nich on 19:24, 14 April 24
Quote from: iXien on 18:56, 14 April 24Wonderful @dragon . I can try to snapshot the crash, but I can't promise as I didn't seen it before. @Nich , maybe you keep some snapshot of your tries when you wanted to fix it?
I've attached a snapshot. I've used six sticks of dynamite so far and I've reset the counter to give me some more (stored at &53DD). You need to hold down the fire button for a few seconds to select dynamite, then press fire again to drop it.

  • When I use dynamite a seventh time, the screen starts to become corrupted.
  • If I walk into the next room, the ninth time I use dynamite, it explodes in a different part of the room. One of the robots starts displaying different sprites randomly.
  • By the tenth time, the player sprite starts displaying different sprites randomly as well.
  • When I use dynamite for either the eleventh or twelfth time (depending on whether there are any robots in the room), the game crashes.

Ok i take a look when i have time.

iXien

This time a little personal contribution:

KETTLE from Alligata Software

Controls
d-pad 1/2 = Move the kettle for both players
J1B1/J1B2 = Launch the crizza for both players

Modifications for the GX4000 version
    - New titlescreen based on the one of the C64 version and recolored by... me  ;)

This is a game that was shunned when it came out but which can be quite fun once you understand the rules  8)
http://homebrew.amstradtoday.com, the only website dedicated to CPC homebrew games.

dragon

Quote from: Nich on 12:14, 14 April 24
Quote from: iXien on 11:23, 14 April 24Hum, interesting. I play this one several times and never shown the problem. But I trust you. And nobody found the problem to poke it ? It would be not too late to fix this version  ;)
I've tried, but I couldn't find any way to fix the bug. :(

I tell you my advances, so you can investigate to at same time if you want.

There is a subrutine in &5b43 That basically have these things:

IX array &51ef-&533f of 2 elements its the source to copy data to the screen zone (&c000/&cfff) of a ldir.
iY array &4ca4-&4dee of 2 elements its the adress destination to copy data en the screen zone  of a ldir.

HL=&4f75-&50bf of 2 elements one contains a offset to add to the address of ix/iy , and the other has the BC of the ldir, the lenght data to copy in the ldir.
B=&A5 is the number of the elements of the arrays, i mean he do loops a5 times reading the arrays and write it to the screen with the ldir.

Ok so its the first part to understand the problem.

There is another subrutine in &644c I don't know the function but:

He have an array IX that begins in &4e34 with varius elements,I  think 00,+01,+02, is something related with player coordinates in the room, and +3 and +04 are something related to control de array.

He enter there when you put a dinamite, so he basically Walk through the array looking +03 and +04 positions to stop and use the elements of these index.

But every time it stop he modify +03 and +04, so the next time he don't stop in that index it continue searching and repeat.

ok so when you put a  dinamite:

1.ix=4f5b stop index 1
2.ix=4f60 stop index 2
3.ix=4f65 stop index 3
4.ix=4f6a stop index 4
5.ix=4f6f stop  index 5.
----------------------------
6.ix=5023 index 6
7.ix=5037 index 7

So he basically modify this in dinamite 6&7: HL=&4f75-&50bf of 2 elements one contains a offset to add to the address of ix/iy , and the other has the BC of the ldir, the lenght data to copy in the ldir.

So when &5b43 go to draw the screen, they draw in wrong adresses creating  the corruption in the screen.

That That's what I've found out so far.
















dragon

Ok, its not really a bug a bug in the sense it can happend playing the game in a normal way, its a bug made for poke the game.

I mean.

The array between &4e34/-&4e74 Its a array of 65 items of the game.

Each item have five parameters.

1=unkown.
2=draw h/v item in the screen
3=draw h/v item in the screen.
4=if you have picked up it or you don't and its ready on the floor to pickup it
5=type of item

So this can store any item really.

So you begin with five dinamites in your inventory

1.iX=4f5b
2.ix=4f60
3.ix=4f65
4.ix=4f6a
5.ix=4f6f

When you pickup a dinamite from the floor then the first free slot of the &4e34 array its add with the dinamite you have picked up.

So if i pickup the dinamite in the first room we have now.
0.iX=3437
1.iX=4f5b
2.ix=4f60
3.ix=4f65
4.ix=4f6a
5.ix=4f6f

now, when you drop a dinamite the subrutine of &644c walk thought the array &4e34 looking to find the first dinamite he found, to modify  it and return it  to free slot.



As a entry in the array is add every time you pickup one dinamite  and one is deleted   when you drop one, it imposible it crash, because when you rearch 00 in &53DD &64cc refused modify anything and he just exit the subrutine.

But if you made a poke in &53DD,Then he have five dinamites in the &4e34, And &53DD its >5.

So you drop the five dinamites,but &64cc don't refuse modifiy the next dinamite because &53DD >0. So he go out the range between 

&4e34/-&4e74, so he began modify another parts of the code every time you drop a dynamite more and more far in to the code from &4e34,Destroying finally the logic of the game and crashing it.












dragon

So try deleting this(00): 

org #772e    
res 4,(ix+#03)
set 5,(ix+#03)
res 6,(ix+#03)

So he don't delete the dynamites from the 4e32 table where he found one, with lucky it work.

iXien

Like Hannibal said in the A-Team "I love it when a plan comes together"  :P . So here is a new version for :

TRIAXOS from Ariola Soft

So many thanks to @Urusergi for patching this and to @dragon for fixing a nasty bug that made the Amstrad version unplayable since 40 years  ;)

Controls:
d-pad = Move the character in the desired direction
J1B1 = Fire / Open inventory (long press)
J1B2 = Pause game (J1B1 to resume game)
Pause button = Quit game

Any direction to quit the inventory, d-pad left/right and J1B1 to select an item (grenade or DHE-IV CHARGES)

Modifications for the GX4000 version:
    - Wait for fire on title screens,
    - Remapped keys,
    - Dynamite game corruption fixed (many thanks to dragon),
    - Pokes : Unlimited laser, shield, time.

Triaxos is one of these games on computer in which the publishers seemed to consider that discovering what to do was part of the game itself. Really frustrating, making these games completely cryptic without any reason. I offer you a new instruction manual in the archive to start more easily what is really a hidden gem, mature and more ambitious than many others  ;)

You can discover an impressive longplay of the spectrum version here:
http://homebrew.amstradtoday.com, the only website dedicated to CPC homebrew games.

iXien

Ok guys, it's nice to see Triaxos working so well, but it also party time for a new game. As requested by @overange , here is a new conversion thanks to the work of @Urusergi and @dragon  with my humble involvement:

RED HEAT from Ocean

Controls:
J1B1  = Fire
J1UP  = Head butt / fire gun
J1DOWN = Duck / Pick up
Pause button = Pause game (any button to resume)

Modifications for the GX4000 version:
    - Original title screen but also a new one in mode 0 based on the C64 version,
    - Wait for fire on title screen,
    - Patched keys,
    - Joystick as default controls,
    - Plus incompatibility fixed,
    - Modified disk access routine,
    - Pokes: Unlimited lives and health

Many thanks to @dragon for the modification of the disk access routine to make the game work converted in CPR. You're a real master, dude ;) 
http://homebrew.amstradtoday.com, the only website dedicated to CPC homebrew games.

overange

Quote from: iXien on 08:11, 27 April 24Ok guys, it's nice to see Triaxos working so well, but it also party time for a new game. As requested by @overange , here is a new conversion thanks to the work of @Urusergi and @dragon  with my humble involvement:

RED HEAT from Ocean

Controls:
J1B1  = Fire
J1UP  = Head butt / fire gun
J1DOWN = Duck / Pick up
Pause button = Pause game (any button to resume)

Modifications for the GX4000 version:
    - Original title screen but also a new one in mode 0 based on the C64 version,
    - Wait for fire on title screen,
    - Patched keys,
    - Joystick as default controls,
    - Plus incompatibility fixed,
    - Modified disk access routine,
    - Pokes: Unlimited lives and health

Many thanks to @dragon for the modification of the disk access routine to make the game work converted in CPR. You're a real master, dude ;)

Fantastic to all those involved :) 
Current Usable Collection = 800XL / XE Remake / 1100 Drive / Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k ( Rubber Key ) / Sinclair ZX Spectrum Harliquin 128k ( Rubber Key ) / Amstrad CPC6128 Plus / Amstrad GX4000 / Sega Master System / Sega Mega Drive / Nintendo DMG-01 Gameboy / Amiga CD32 / AMSTRAD MEGAPC 386SX and possibly the UKs largest Collection of Competition Pro Joysticks, so far 40 different variations and always looking for more

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