CORSAIR_Trainer

[rexbeng]

Hello folks!
Here you can find the new game by Bitplane Technomantes, which is released at Assembly Online 2020 as part of the Gamedev Competition, as well as the other games participating in the compo. As stated, the compo is to be screened Wednesday at 20:30 CET.
The game is an arcade vertical shooter which you may play on a pure 64k Amstrad. The link in the Assembly page features a dsk image, but a tap is to be released in the following days.
Code Axelay, graphics rexbeng, music&fx McKlain.

Enjoy!

[XeNoMoRPH]

Very nice game !!, i like it !!!


https://youtu.be/kDHpCKfYk6E

[villain]

Sorry guys, but you forgot to implement the easy-mode! 

Three levels are more than enough for me... Awesome scrolling, btw.

[DanyPPC]

Great game !

[Gryzor]

Oh wow this looks awesome from the vid! Must play it tonight...

Also, such a great job on the logo/title!!!

[kawickboy]

Amazing scrolling indeed.

[trocoloco]

It looks silky smooth, great in every department and even playable in 64k machines. Hats off to Axelay, Rexbeng and McKlain.

[Carnivius]

Very cool. Just had a play of it and yep very smooth!  Looking forward to the full game.
And that's a dream team combo of CPC talent, Axelay, rexbeng and McKlain.  All top tier quality creators.

[TotO]

Great sound and graphics. Nice 50Hz vertical scrolling with sprites moving at pixel accuracy. Sure, we are in 2020 !!! 
Now, the trainer content is so empty... Nice for a contest, but I really hope because unfinished and not because 64K only.

GOOD LUCK!

[ervin]

Holy cow that's impressive!!!
It is indeed a dream team of CPC talent - these people are amazing!

[TomEtJerry]

Oh oh oh ! Another stumbling game from Axelay ! 2020 is not a lost year for CPC after all :-).

As usual, everything is very polished and the game is... hard.

Some wishes for the final version :

- smart bombs
- specific sound jingle or little animation when you destroy a full wave of flying vessels (to motivate the corsair :-) ).
- pause mode

Ingame music is really nice (two voices !).

[rexbeng]

Thanks for the comments and feedback!
The game is posted at pouet.

[Gryzor]

Damn it's been on my mind to play this but still haven't got the time, aaaaargh!!!

[Axelay]

Thanks for the comments!


Here is the tape image of the 64k version.

[GUNHED]

Nice little game. Thanks for sharing! 

[shaymanjohn]

Thanks for the comments!


Here is the tape image of the 64k version.

Hi Axelay, will you be releasing the source code for this? Once I've finished off atic-atac I'm thinking about having a go at a vertical scroller, or at least doing a small demo to see how it all works - would like to understand how the smooth scrolling / rupture thing works (anybody ever done a commando style game with this technique on the cpc?)


No worries if you're not planning to release it though - question for the group, is there a good working example of this kind of technique (something that builds and lets me play about with things) - I've found various discussions, but nothing that seems like a good starter project...


Lovely game by the way (as usual!)

[GUNHED]

Smooth scrolling on CPC is simple, there are lots of examples at inofficial Amstrad ressources. Google it.

[trocoloco]

I'm thinking about having a go at a vertical scroller, or at least doing a small demo to see how it all works - would like to understand how the smooth scrolling / rupture thing works (anybody ever done a commando style game with twww.cpcwiki.euhis technique on the cpc?)

Hi @shaymanjohn firstable, congrats for the nice conversion of atic-atac . Check this thread, it has a many example codes of vertical hardware scrolling including the mission genocide routine.   https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/games/uridium-on-the-cpc-with-hardwarescrolling/

Hope this helps.

[shaymanjohn]

Hi @shaymanjohn firstable, congrats for the nice conversion of atic-atac . Check this thread, it has a many example codes of vertical hardware scrolling including the mission genocide routine.   https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/games/uridium-on-the-cpc-with-hardwarescrolling/

Hope this helps.

Thanks for this - much appreciated!

[Axelay]

Hi Axelay, will you be releasing the source code for this? Once I've finished off atic-atac I'm thinking about having a go at a vertical scroller, or at least doing a small demo to see how it all works - would like to understand how the smooth scrolling / rupture thing works (anybody ever done a commando style game with this technique on the cpc?)

That's not something I usually do unless it's a competition that requires it, sorry.  There is the source to Dragon Attack included with the game download here which would have some similarities in a few aspects, but it doesn't scroll.  Technically, I did post the prototype scroll code for Corsair a little while ago here.  But I'd be surprised if that contained anything you didn't learn from those examples by arnoldemu.

[shaymanjohn]

Hey, no worries at all.


Looks like the link to the corsair prototype is broken (well, links to eBay).


Will take a look at the other link, thanks for that 

[Axelay]

Looks like the link to the corsair prototype is broken (well, links to eBay).

Weird.  Didn't even visit ebay to get a link from, and it was linking to the cpcwiki page on kc compact just then.  I've set that link correctly now, but I'm pretty sure it was correct the first time I set it up.  Seems like something odd happened to it.

[sigh]

Man...this game is hard!

I own Radiant Silvergun, Battle Garegga on my Sega Saturn and Ketsui and Esp.Rade on my PS3 and PS4. All of these are tricky games and Corsair Trainer has now joined them in the difficulty ranks .
Congrats to the team for producing an excellent game. Wonderful coding by Axelay as usual. Rexbeng - wonderful job on the artwork and McKlain's solid sound engineering completes this package.
Well done!

[lmimmfn]

That's not something I usually do unless it's a competition that requires it, sorry.  There is the source to Dragon Attack included with the game download here which would have some similarities in a few aspects, but it doesn't scroll.  Technically, I did post the prototype scroll code for Corsair a little while ago here.  But I'd be surprised if that contained anything you didn't learn from those examples by arnoldemu.

For some reason your link keeps changing to crap sites? However i managed to get your link working from my mobile when i tried it.
The code and guide arnoldemu provided and additionally your code have provided is a holy grail for the CPC i have been looking for for the past 2 years( this code for me is beautiful ).
I can program the Z80( maybe not great ) but i always considered it a waste of time if scrolling had to be performed on the z80 vs Hardware.


Do you think it would be possible to update your code to hide the redraw at the top of the screen? I want to try my hand at an arcade game, im ok with Z80 code,i would just like a routine that works. The mode 2 proposal with colour change where both colours are the same seems like a good fix but can it be interrupt driven or does it need specific timing( which sux )


I started programming on the CPC as a kid ~ age 10 and it is the machine which made me choose that i want to be a professional software developer, and that worked out


However i really want to create a game on the CPC, ive really been held back by trying to get HW stuff working on the CPC( i have a nice horizontal scroll routine working with tiles but i have no interest in a horizontal scrolling game at the moment simply because i have a passion for a vertical scroller), 2-3 years ago i wanted to work on a vertical shooter for the CPC and started learning Z80 programming etc and tutorials( ive done 68000 and 8086 assembly in the past ), however this is the first time ive seen decent code for a HW vertical scroll on the CPC, this is sublime and has me really excited ).

Also i really would appreciate if @Gryzor can sticky the Info on vertical( and horizontal ) scroll assembly info, ive been looking for this for years and it really is a shame that its been hidden in threads.


My view on the CPC is that all HW scrolling examples should be easily available so the focus can be on the game rather than most of the crap software scrolling we had slowing down games.


It is really weird, for the Amiga( my second machine ) most of the optimization info/tricks are freely available but not in the CPC world?


@Axelay - if i share a prototype of my impl, do you think you could help me sort out the vertical redraw at the top?


I really love the CPC and really want to do something good on it.

[Gryzor]

Also i really would appreciate if @Gryzor can sticky the Info on vertical( and horizontal ) scroll assembly info, ive been looking for this for years and it really is a shame that its been hidden in threads.

Which page are you referring to?