Differences between Klax on Tape/Disc and Cart

[chinnyhill10]

Just been taking a look at Klax on cart (the version I had back in 1991) and the tape/disc version (which I've never played).


On the surface the two versions look the same. Although the cart version does have sound effects as the tiles come towards you. However, and perhaps this is just me, I seemed to notice more slowdown on the standard version.


Is there anything going on under the hood with the cart version of Klax that actually takes advantage of the hardware?

[arnoldemu]

Just been taking a look at Klax on cart (the version I had back in 1991) and the tape/disc version (which I've never played).


On the surface the two versions look the same. Although the cart version does have sound effects as the tiles come towards you. However, and perhaps this is just me, I seemed to notice more slowdown on the standard version.


Is there anything going on under the hood with the cart version of Klax that actually takes advantage of the hardware?

it uses the palette and possibly the registers for accessing the cart pages and that's probably it.

I haven't done more than a basic look at it to determine those bits so potentially it could be doing more.

I believe the cart version was done by a different person to the tape/disc but both had access to the source code and rebuilt it from that. (I know the programmer who did the Spectrum version - it had sampled sound effects on 128K!).

[andycadley]

I'm not sure the developer entirely understood the Plus hardware, it seems to spend a lot of time not just paging the ASIC out, but actually locking and unlocking the hardware features - something it really only needed to do once at start up. Unless there had been a plan to possibly use the features in the disk version and weren't sure the lock would be re-enabled if the machine wasn't physically switched off?

[dragon]

There are  two versions of klax in cartridge "the prototype". That is taken from trade in post white cartridge, and the comercial taken from normal cartridge.

http://www.retrogames.co.uk/more/on/details/019030

Are diferent,I have the cartridge from trade in post, and side with side The demo screen orders are different, and in my cartridge the demo is more longer.

Unfortunly, i think is not dumped as is easy view the version with hex editor. (commercial klax is 1.7). These and rest of white cartridges   except the pang.

[chinnyhill10]

it uses the palette and possibly the registers for accessing the cart pages and that's probably it.

I haven't done more than a basic look at it to determine those bits so potentially it could be doing more.

I believe the cart version was done by a different person to the tape/disc but both had access to the source code and rebuilt it from that. (I know the programmer who did the Spectrum version - it had sampled sound effects on 128K!).

Been playing the Speccy version and it's quite nice.


So am I to understand the cart version wasn't just a direct port of the standard version but they wrote it from scratch again? They just didn't add much in the way of extra features?

[EgoTrip]

I sense a future video

[zeropolis79]

I believe in the cartridge version there were different backgrounds while they were limited to just one on tape/disc.

[Nich]

I believe in the cartridge version there were different backgrounds while they were limited to just one on tape/disc.

The disc version also featured extra backgrounds if your machine had 128K of memory.

The tape version only had a 64K version with one background.

[chinnyhill10]

I sense a future video

It's being done but it's a big one! CPC, CPC cart, Speccy, C64, ST, Amiga, BBC, Master System, MSX and hopefully I can get the PC version working on my Amstrad PC2086. Have tried and failed to get a Megadrive cart so may let that one slip.


All I'll say is so far its very noticeable that systems that have enough colours to replicate the tile colours from the arcade play the best.

[chinnyhill10]

It's being done but it's a big one! CPC, CPC cart, Speccy, C64, ST, Amiga, BBC, Master System, MSX and hopefully I can get the PC version working on my Amstrad PC2086. Have tried and failed to get a Megadrive cart so may let that one slip.


All I'll say is so far its very noticeable that systems that have enough colours to replicate the tile colours from the arcade play the best.

Cheers. That explains it as the image I played on my 6128 had different backgrounds.

[zeropolis79]

It's being done but it's a big one! CPC, CPC cart, Speccy, C64, ST, Amiga, BBC, Master System, MSX and hopefully I can get the PC version working on my Amstrad PC2086. Have tried and failed to get a Megadrive cart so may let that one slip.


All I'll say is so far its very noticeable that systems that have enough colours to replicate the tile colours from the arcade play the best.

I've got a Megadrive cart you can have for the price of postage... Just let me know and I can get it in the post to you tomorrow.

[zeropolis79]

Has anyone seen the Japanese Gameboy version...

Unlike the US/EU cart which uses the traditional 3D layout, the Jap version by Hudson Soft uses a 2D layout...

(Chinny - I can loan you this cart if you like)

[chinnyhill10]

I've got a Megadrive cart you can have for the price of postage... Just let me know and I can get it in the post to you tomorrow.

Thanks. Sorry only just saw your message on Youtube. Very kind but I've wrapped that review now and have moved onto to Helter Skelter which I'm editing at the mo. Having to build up a cache of videos for early next year as real life often gets in the way of weekly releases. So in periods like Christmas I like to build up a reserve. But thanks for the offer, much appreciated.

[chinnyhill10]

Found a difference I'd never noticed. On the cart version when you start a level the screen fades up from black with a lovely graduated fade over 25 individual frames when running at 50Hz (50fps). That must be what they switch the Plus hardware in for!


The fade takes place over half a second and is well executed but its a blink and you'll miss it affair!

[arnoldemu]

I talked to the coder of the Spectrum version.

Spectrum version by Mark Incley (he did all Spectrum versions and added sampled speech in the 128KB version)

CPC version adapted from Spectrum version (obviously with different graphics) by Nick Kimberly.

CPC version adapted to Cart by Jim Tripp.

To find the differences would have to compare the code. Obviously cart version has a colour fade and it uses the cart paging mechanism, but I don't know more than that.