Hi!
Just Get 9 has just been published!
### What is this?
A tile-based puzzle game for the Amstrad CPC. If you like 2048, tetris, coloris, color flood, you'll like it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MUqWOJezqA
### How to see it?
You can visit https://cpcitor.itch.io/just-get-9 which includes a trailer video, and:
* one-click play in-browser
* download zip, play on your favorite emulator
* zip contains disc image, tape images and even audio files for easy transfer to a real CPC
### Tell me more!
The beta version was awarded in CPC GAMEDEV CONTEST 2020 in Facebook group "Amstrad CPC pour toujours and beyond !". The final version is enhanced in many aspects for your gaming pleasure.
* a gameplay based on alignment of tiles, which changes when tiles disappear, letting new ones fall and fill the gaps
* rich dynamics making gameplay entertaining as you progress in skills
* play with joystick or keyboard (arrows, qaop)
* a big colorful playfield (vertical overscan 256x256 instead of the normal 320x200)
* animation at solid 50Hz
* music
* digitized speech!
* a few bells and whistles to be discovered...
Direct credits (see more credits below):
* project, coding, text, video, by cpcitor
* music by The Other Days
Edit: added trailer video
Amazing puzzler :-) it really gets you addicted - Played until I fell asleep and immediately started this morning again.
Two things I recognized:
- at least on Chrome, when the emulator loses focus, I can't get back into the game. Any key press will have effect on the website (e.g. space scrolls down), but will no longer be recognised in the game. I am locked out then.
- Maybe I was already tired, but it took me quite some time to find how I can start the game. "PLAYGRID" simply didn't ring a bell, that this might be "start/play"...
Very well done!
great achievement, the game is cool and fast
a little cons => sometimes messages are hidding digits of the game and visibility is reduced
(https://i.postimg.cc/Dy0fBZHj/get9-screen16.png)
Quote from: eto on 09:09, 12 December 21
Amazing puzzler :-) it really gets you addicted - Played until I fell asleep and immediately started this morning again.
Two things I recognized:
> - at least on Chrome, when the emulator loses focus, I can't get back into the game. Any key press will have effect on the website (e.g. space scrolls down), but will no longer be recognised in the game. I am locked out then.
Ah, the joy of web-based emulation. ;-).
Thanks to your hint, I reproduced this in Firefox/Linux and found a workaround:
* if you set full-screen, exit it with esc
* below the emulation frame, there is a title "A tile-based puzzle game...". Click it then press shift-tab.
=> Now the emulator has focus again and you can continue playing.
Can you confirm this works?
Quote from: eto on 09:09, 12 December 21
> - Maybe I was already tired, but it took me quite some time to find how I can start the game. "PLAYGRID" simply didn't ring a bell, that this might be "start/play"...
Thank you for this feedback. A friend that tested it suggested the same. I labeled it this way because when the game is over this button can be used to see the grid again (say, to think again your last moves, take a screenshot, whatever). One solution could be to change the label in this case.
Quote from: roudoudou on 10:08, 12 December 21
great achievement, the game is cool and fast
So are you, too, to post a screenshot of your victory so quickly! :)
Quote from: roudoudou on 10:08, 12 December 21
a little cons => sometimes messages are hidding digits of the game and visibility is reduced
Ah, yes I can fade the background there for better contrast of the test. Good catch roudoudou!
Quote from: cpcitor on 10:33, 12 December 21Can you confirm this works?
On Firefox (Mac) yes, but not on Chrome.
btw: is there an end for combinations? I managed to reach the "J" but then I was not concentrated for a move and I just did not make it to combine two Js... would have been interesting if it continues...
oh... and maybe a "time" highscore would be awesome. the faster the better?
Quote from: eto on 21:34, 12 December 21
On Firefox (Mac) yes, but not on Chrome.
You mean on Chrome this does not fix the focus issue?
Mmh, basically it's a web-related issue affecting the emulator that should be dealt at the emulator level.
I'll try to do something.
So far, let's say I recommend running a local emulator. ;-)
Quote from: eto on 21:34, 12 December 21
btw: is there an end for combinations? I managed to reach the "J" but then I was not concentrated for a move and I just did not make it to combine two Js... would have been interesting if it continues...
You can continue. My guess is the limit is the game duration. An interesting fact is: if you follow the method showed by the recorded demo game, you can relatively easily reach 9, but to consistently reach J (value 10) and levels beyond, you need... "stronger skills". I definitely reached "U" (value 11), not sure I ever reached "S". Beware, though, time needed is exponential, so don't get stuck playing for too long. You're a responsible adult, right?
Quote from: eto on 21:34, 12 December 21
oh... and maybe a "time" highscore would be awesome. the faster the better?
I think it is a fundamentally good idea, yet complex to implement correctly. It would be "time (or moves count) to reach nth level", with n=9 for the "main" score. How to rate game where the player only reaches a lower value? One then need a n-dimension score with n the highest reached value.
Then how to sort this? Is a game when one reached 9 after a very long time and many moves better than a game which reached 8 in a record like shortest number of moves and quicker time?
I think this can be sorted out but this is complex.
Something simpler would be remembering and displaying the time and move count for each level reached. That makes 10+ numbers per game, would it help you track a progression?
(Also, the CPC464 memory is already nearly full. Some things can be done to cram more in the prod, but this implies fundamental changes and costs time.)
Still, thanks for suggesting, I'll remember for the next game/prod.
Updated the prod to "patch 1".
Here's a changelog:
* When you reach 9 (or higher), the background of the "you win" text is now darkened for more readability. (Thanks @roudoudou (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=1714) for noticing the reduced readability.)
* The button to start playing is not longer labeled "PLAYGRID" but "PLAY", or "GRID" when game is over. (Indeed you can see and study the grid as will, after game is over before starting a new game.) (Thanks Didier, @eto (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=3625), @Logiker for reporting the wish to change wording.)
* Fix broken link in this very README file. (Thanks to Nicholas Campbell from cpcgamereviews.com for reporting.)
* Add section about copying.
The in-browser-playable version on https://cpcitor.itch.io/just-get-9 as well as the downloadable zip https://cpcitor.itch.io/just-get-9#download are updated.
You can recognize the zip as the _p1 suffix was added, and the prod as the PLAY button is labeller PLAY, not PLAYGRID.
Congratulations, this game is really fun and addictive!
And of course, very impressively programmed!
Quote from: cpcitor on 22:13, 12 December 21I think it is a fundamentally good idea, yet complex to implement correctly. It would be "time (or moves count) to reach nth level", with n=9 for the "main" score. How to rate game where the player only reaches a lower value? One then need a n-dimension score with n the highest reached value.
Then how to sort this? Is a game when one reached 9 after a very long time and many moves better than a game which reached 8 in a record like shortest number of moves and quicker time?
I think this can be sorted out but this is complex.
I totally get your point and I really don't want to look like I am demanding it. It's more that I think that this game is an absolute gem and I saw that there would be something, that would make it even more amazing for me. I played for some time yesterday and every now and then I recognised, that it could become something that gets even more challenging, if you are doing it fast without thinking too much. Then seeing that I become better, might be more motivating to give it another try.
Maybe it's not even required to track a high score, but when a game reaches 9, J,U,... you could output the number of moves and time spent on the screen and if people share the screenshots, they can see, how long it took others to reach the same level. Or just for myself to get that "ha, broke my own record" feeling.
But the game is already great as it is. No need to change anything. (Even my kids were sitting next to me and were totally fascinated!)
Quote from: cpcitor on 00:00, 12 December 21Just Get 9 has just been published!
That's a highly addictive game and a toughie as well. Well done, cpcitor and team!
Wow, just a nice game. I must admit I got pretty bored of 2048 after about 10 minutes when I worked out the strategy, but loved this as choosing which tile receives the resulting tile makes all the difference in the strategy. My only criticism is that it wasn't obvious how this mechanism worked from the introduction, so it maybe needs an extra one-line comment in the instructions to make that clear. I originally thought I was only supposed to be matching pairs (but it is much cooler this way!)...
Is there a way to start from scratch again? I just made a super dumb mistake and wanted to start over but when I leave with ESC and press play again, I end up at the exact same point in the game, where I left.
That's nice if you accidentally hit ESC but what do I do, if I really want to start over?
Quote from: ralferoo on 10:25, 14 December 21
Wow, just a nice game. I must admit I got pretty bored of 2048 after about 10 minutes when I worked out the strategy, but loved this as choosing which tile receives the resulting tile makes all the difference in the strategy. My only criticism is that it wasn't obvious how this mechanism worked from the introduction, so it maybe needs an extra one-line comment in the instructions to make that clear. I originally thought I was only supposed to be matching pairs (but it is much cooler this way!)...
Thank you for your feedback.
First, remember that I did not invent the game, only implemented it from scratch for the CPC. You can see in the title page "original game design by weevo".
Right after publishing the beta a long time ago I made a detailed interactive introduction asking you to play, explaining what happens, in about 5 steps, accompanying you in your first two moves. Like in the image below.
And then I thought "this complicated introduction only sends a signal that the game must be complicated".
So, I looked how Android apps implementing the game did, and they usually had a very simple one-page tutorial.
I asked to myself. What is the simplest thing to do? If I put no tutorial, some people are stuck. So I need a tutorial. What if I put the simplest tutorial? If the player is not stuck, is that enough? Is it worth doing a complicated tutorial?
So, yes you may be surprised the first time that it collapses not pairs but whole domains, yet the important thing is that you are not stuck. I chose that compromise.
Quote from: eto on 12:00, 14 December 21
Is there a way to start from scratch again? I just made a super dumb mistake and wanted to start over but when I leave with ESC and press play again, I end up at the exact same point in the game, where I left.
That's nice if you accidentally hit ESC but what do I do, if I really want to start over?
Hehe, I agree with you about wishing for a better way to abort the game.
ESC goes to the in-game menu. The in-game menu allows to change your level (whether you get hint messages in some situations, and faded tiles to hint you about where you can or cannot play), toggle music and sound on or off, change palette, see credits or title. Then back to your game.
Still, it is possible to abort a game. Press esc, press the "Demo" button, then you're warned that watching the demo clears your current game. When the demo stops (you can press any key for instant stop) you can press PLAY again.
I could e.g. turn the "Demo" button into "Abort" when there is a running game.
I think this is the first game I've played to completion in years! Very nice, great music and art! Enjoyed every minute of the last few hours! :D
(http://voxel.angrysprite.com/private/get9-done.png)
I got to 8 a number of times, and then realised I was spending too much time building long chains and not enough thinking about my strategy!
Quote from: cpcitor on 13:32, 14 December 21First, remember that I did not invent the game, only implemented it from scratch for the CPC. You can see in the title page "original game design by weevo".
Ah, I didn't notice that and I've never seen this game idea before, even though things like 2048 are everywhere! I was even going to ask if you'd mind if I did a mobile version, but you already mentioned there's an android version, so I guess there's no need! :D
Anyway, I love it! Great work!
This is a brilliant little puzzle game. I've got to 8 twice on 'Beginner' But that 8 seems elusive.
I love it!
Quote from: CraigsBar on 11:41, 15 December 21
This is a brilliant little puzzle game. I've got to 8 twice on 'Beginner' But that 8 seems elusive.
I love it!
Just to add it runs perfectly from a 'X-Mass' too
Quote from: CraigsBar on 11:42, 15 December 21
Just to add it runs perfectly from a 'X-Mass' too
I played it in my personal "time trial" mode, basically measuring the time it takes me to beat it with a stopwatch.
After playing a couple of rounds and understanding the strategies that work better, I just reached my personal best of getting to 9 in just about 5:50minutes (a bit less as I started/stopped the stopwatch manually).
Not sure if I want to beat that again ;-)
I discovered it doesn't stop at 9! :D
Quote from: ralferoo on 21:44, 15 December 21
I discovered it doesn't stop at 9! :D
Wow, impressive bottom line 9 U 8 J 8 !
As you can imagine, I played a number of hours during the elaboration of the game.
Still, I got to "U" several times, but not even sure I reached higher.
At each higher level the grid feels smaller, and it is much longer to reach.
Quote from: eto on 12:00, 14 December 21
Is there a way to start from scratch again? I just made a super dumb mistake and wanted to start over but when I leave with ESC and press play again, I end up at the exact same point in the game, where I left.
That's nice if you accidentally hit ESC but what do I do, if I really want to start over?
I wrote a patch and have a local build where the "Demo" button changes to "QUIT" when a game is ongoing, and does just this after asking confirmation.
Quote from: eto on 09:39, 13 December 21
I totally get your point and I really don't want to look like I am demanding it. It's more that I think that this game is an absolute gem and I saw that there would be something, that would make it even more amazing for me. I played for some time yesterday and every now and then I recognised, that it could become something that gets even more challenging, if you are doing it fast without thinking too much. Then seeing that I become better, might be more motivating to give it another try.
Maybe it's not even required to track a high score, but when a game reaches 9, J,U,... you could output the number of moves and time spent on the screen and if people share the screenshots, they can see, how long it took others to reach the same level. Or just for myself to get that "ha, broke my own record" feeling.
But the game is already great as it is. No need to change anything. (Even my kids were sitting next to me and were totally fascinated!)
Yes, you're right. No need to record a set of game stats and sort them. Just displaying values for screenshots is nice enough.
Thinking of doing this.
First game, I went to 6 and lost.
BUT hearing the music for the end of a game is worth it.
A really nice game, here I go for my next game.
Maybe I will write something else in 2021, maybe not due do Just Get 9 !
Really nice Game.
Very addictive.
Good Job!!
Regards.
Fun game!
Quote from: eto on 09:39, 13 December 21
Maybe it's not even required to track a high score, but when a game reaches 9, J,U,... you could output the number of moves and time spent on the screen and if people share the screenshots, they can see, how long it took others to reach the same level. Or just for myself to get that "ha, broke my own record" feeling.
But the game is already great as it is. No need to change anything. (Even my kids were sitting next to me and were totally fascinated!)
Okay, I got a phone call from a guy mumbling in his beard about gifts that are nearly ready to be sent to nice people around the world. Stay tuned, something might appear, perhaps tomorrow.
;)
Quote from: eto on 09:39, 13 December 21
Maybe it's not even required to track a high score, but when a game reaches 9, J,U,... you could output the number of moves and time spent on the screen and if people share the screenshots, they can see, how long it took others to reach the same level. Or just for myself to get that "ha, broke my own record" feeling.
But the game is already great as it is. No need to change anything. (Even my kids were sitting next to me and were totally fascinated!)
Hi @eto (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=3625), hi players! @eto (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=3625)'s wish was fulfilled.
I chose the simplest thing to do: the latest achievement in the current game is now remembered.
It is the value, number of moves and time since game beginning *at the moment of the highest tile obtained*. It is shown:
* when a new number is achieved,
* in the in-game menu,
* in the "quit game?" screen
* on game over
You can play and download version "patch 2" on https://cpcitor.itch.io/just-get-9
More details about update in https://cpcitor.itch.io/just-get-9/devlog/328890/just-get-9-now-measures-and-reports-player-achievements
[attach=1,msg210465]
awesome! this is great!
and 5m17 is very impressive.
Quote from: eto on 13:30, 27 December 21
awesome! this is great!
and 5m17 is very impressive.
Ah, yeah, while writing changes I have to test it.
Here's a censored screenshot that does not reveal how much I scored when testing. ;D ;)
[attach=1]
Quote from: cpcitor on 13:38, 27 December 21Ah, yeah, while writing changes I have to test it.
and now I do have a new motivation to play it ;-)
over 2 minutes faster than my previous record. Thanx for the stats. I love it.
Quote from: eto on 18:05, 27 December 21
and now I do have a new motivation to play it ;-)
over 2 minutes faster than my previous record. Thanx for the stats. I love it.
Hey, that's a pretty good performance! I sometimes did better, but I guess 159 moves is close to some optimum to reach 9. J, U and above are much longer.
It took me a long time, but I succeeded. After 9, the J, and the U.
(http://sylvestre.org/bordel/justget9/justget9_4.jpg)
Quote from: GFXOR on 22:14, 16 January 22
It took me a long time, but I succeeded. After 9, the J, and the U.
Wow, really impressive! Not only a U, but also J,9,8,6,5,4. You got really close to the S!
Actually, I'm under the impression that I never got that far, so close to a S. That's a huge achievement you made GFXOR.
I have 3 questions:
* This looks like a photo of a real CPC screen, do you confirm?
* What CPC model did you play on?
* What version of the game (beta, original, p1, cannot be p2) ? The beta shows "beta" in the title page. The p1 mentions the patch number near the end of the README.html file in the zip. (If you didn't get a zip, please tell where you got the file.)
Today I brought a CPC6128 at friends' home, plugged on a modern-but-not-so-recent TV and we observed that released version crashed when showing the demo after about a minute, or playing a game. We could play an internal version (between the beta and the release) that I happened to have lying around, and it worked flawlessly.
Tonight on a CPC6128 I just tested the original zip, version p1 (minor visual adjustments mentioned here at the time) and p2 (the one that shows achievement), and also p2 on a CPC464, all have this crash.
Such a crash is a little strange because the game is rock solid on emulators. The beta version is also rock solid on real CPCs, where it was tested regularly. When making the final adjustment I got confident that testing it on cpcec, caprice32 and floooh's chips was enough in practice. And tested it was, with long games! All emulators behaved the same.
It is also strange because I don't use exceedingly obscure features of the machine. Plus the beta worked so well. Could anyone have an idea of why things could behave differently on the emulator? (First idea would be position of the interrupt signals, but hey, so many games have been released with 256 lines screen and interrupts, and that was already the setup of the beta. The only thing is that the release consumes much more memory, roughly from 0x80 to 0xA9FF and 0xACDF to 0xB100. Given that 0xB100 to 0xBFFF is basically firmware-reserved, and 0xC000-0xFFFF is the screen, there's not much room left.)
I'll be investigating the crash on real CPC in the next days. I think I'll use git's bisect feature to converge exponentially fast to the individual code change that caused of the failure. I don't have any hardware debug facilities, so I hope that I will find the problematic code change and figure out the issue from there. It would be tough to debug something that cannot be reproduced in any emulator...
"The only thing is that the release consumes much more memory, roughly from 0x80 to 0xA9FF and 0xACDF to 0xB100."
AMSDOS uses a memory block from A6FCh to ABFFh. (see this map (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/AMSDOS_Memory_Map))
If you write in it, that promptly crashes on emulators.
10 FOR x=&A6FC TO &A9FF
20 POKE x,0
30 NEXT x
Quote from: Jean-Marie on 01:04, 17 January 22
"The only thing is that the release consumes much more memory, roughly from 0x80 to 0xA9FF and 0xACDF to 0xB100."
AMSDOS uses a memory block from A6FCh to ABFFh. (see this map (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/AMSDOS_Memory_Map))
If you write in it, that promptly crashes on emulators.
10 FOR x=&A6FC TO &A9FF
20 POKE x,0
30 NEXT x
When AMSDOS or BASIC is active, that's totally true.
But the firmware is modular enough that you can politely ask for more RAM available, and that's what I did.
From Soft968 section 15:
Quote177: MC BOOT PROGRAM
#BD13
Load and run a program.
Action:
Shut down as much of the system as possible then load a program into RAM and run
it. If the load fails then the previous foreground program is restarted.
(...)
The routine run to load the program is free to use any store from #0040 up to the base
of the firmware variables area (#B100) and may alter indirections and arm external
device interrupts as required.
And since I do not re-enable any firmware part, the memory is still available.
Indeed, after MC BOOT PROGRAM, if you don't re-enable the AMSDOS, calling file-related entry points goes to the cassette routines.
This was already the case in the beta, without crash, which is a sign.
Actually, when you run"program.bin" AMSDOS does this. This is why you have to re-enable AMSDOS if your binary has to load other binaries. And you lose the information about which drive the first binari was loaded from, that you have to peek at &be7d to get it back. See e.g. https://cpctech.cpcwiki.de/source/sldldr.html . When you run"program.bas", this does not happen, full firmware and BASIC are still active.
Thanks for the hypothesis.
Did you use a floppy disk when testing it on real hardware ?
Could be a bad dump/disk...
Real CPC / CRTC2.
I don't know which version it is. No Beta written anywhere. I guess it comes from cpc-power.
The game does not run on the drive B.
What are the differences between newbee to Advanced level ?
Quote from: GFXOR on 13:17, 17 January 22
Real CPC / CRTC2.
I don't know which version it is. No Beta written anywhere. I guess it comes from cpc-power.
If you are certain that the main title with "JUST GET9" shown on two lines does not mention "BETA PRERELEASE", then it is a released version.
Based on the simple "GAME OVER" label, it is the first released version.
Does it show a title screen while loading?
Does it says "Just Get 9" on the audio output when showing the title?
This shows that the released version works on your real CPC and not my 6128, very strange.
So, only my CPC464 and 6128 would be flawed to play only the beta? This is strange.
Any test report of the released version on real machines are interesting.
Quote from: GFXOR on 13:17, 17 January 22
The game does not run on the drive B.
Aha, thanks for notifying.
I followed Kevin's method ( https://cpctech.cpcwiki.de/source/loader.html ) which is supposed to handle that, but never tested on drive B.
Thanks for notifying, I will check that.
Quote from: GFXOR on 13:17, 17 January 22
What are the differences between newbee to Advanced level ?
Here you are:
The level is not something adjusting the game difficulty (like in Doom, number and speed of monsters). It is rather a measurement. It was introduced to automatically adjust game features: enough to help the beginner, but remove them automatically so as to not annoy the advanced player.
- 0 Newbie: whenever entering a game (including back from the in-game menu) tutorial page is shown, unplayable tiles are faded, in case of difficulty border color change and comments appear to hint the player
- 1 Beginner: tutorial page is no longer shown
- 2 Intermediate: no more comments (but still border color)
- 3 Advanced: unplayable tiles are no longer faded, border remains black at all times
Also: I wanted that any player, even a beginner, has a chance to hear both in-game music tunes, but that an advanced player hears the first music at least about 30 seconds. To obtain this, the music changes to reflect the player's level. On your first game, things might be challenging, so music changes when you reach 4. On subsequent games, depending on the level you reached, the threshold for music changing can be 5 or 6. The actual rule is: on every move, music is chosen depending on whether the reached tile is greater or equal to level + 3. This can be verified (I just did, to be sure).
The skill advances automatically, every time you reach a sufficient new value: 5 -> beginner, 7 -> intermediate, 8-> advanced.
There is a reason that I made the level changeable, even while playing (press Esc for in-game menu). In theory, the elements above allow to guess what it is useful for.
I have the Amiga intro, then the starfield yellow, then a screen with written in big "just get 9" during the loading, then the game starting with your sample.
It is a bit strange that you assume having doing a release that does not work on the real machine !
Do you plan to do something for the drive B ?
(short sentences because of my poor english, sorry).
Still loving this game. But one small thought. The "Bounce" of the screen sends my LCD screen and OSSC into confusion as it loses the sync meaning I cannot really play it on real hardware unless i drag a CM14/CTM644 out (Or a 14" Nicam TV) and this is a chore. Is there any chance of a re-release with an option to disable the bounce so it is more friendly with modern displays that only have digital inputs?
Quote from: GFXOR on 10:15, 18 January 22
I have the Amiga intro, then the starfield yellow, then a screen with written in big "just get 9" during the loading, then the game starting with your sample.
Okay, so first release. My CPC also failed to run that release. It might be my CPC, then.
Quote from: GFXOR on 10:15, 18 January 22
It is a bit strange that you assume having doing a release that does not work on the real machine !
It is only an hypothesis.
The beta was tested a lot on a CPC464 and a CPC6128. Crashes happened until I fixed them.
After that, never a crash on a real machine.
When doing the release in December I did not have access to a real machine but the adjustments were small.
Emulators that run all those demos are supposed to be very precise.
The risk is low.
Quote from: GFXOR on 10:15, 18 January 22
Do you plan to do something for the drive B ?
Yes.
Quote from: GFXOR on 10:15, 18 January 22
(short sentences because of my poor english, sorry).
Ok.
Quote from: CraigsBar on 13:54, 18 January 22
Still loving this game. But one small thought. The "Bounce" of the screen sends my LCD screen and OSSC into confusion as it loses the sync meaning I cannot really play it on real hardware unless i drag a CM14/CTM644 out (Or a 14" Nicam TV) and this is a chore. Is there any chance of a re-release with an option to disable the bounce so it is more friendly with modern displays that only have digital inputs?
Thank you for reporting.
I prefer to avoid adding such an option, but it is possible.
Ahhhhh, the OSSC. I like it but never had a chance to test. I regret that no one published optimal timings for the Amstrad CPC on e.g. https://junkerhq.net/xrgb/index.php?title=Optimal_timings http://www.firebrandx.com/osscprofiles.html or http://r3.fyi/ .
Do you use the generic mode? Another mode? Have you tried changing options?I understand that the "zero-lag" policy of OSSC makes it difficult if not impossible to emulate an old CRT while respecting the strict timing that HDMI mandates. The best option is still to use a TV with integrated SCART (a.k.a Peritel) connector.
Quote from: cpcitor on 22:54, 17 January 22Any test report of the released version on real machines are interesting.
Most recent version runs perfectly fine on a 6128 plus from drive B (Gotek). Screen is a LCD with a GBS8200 (with GBSControl mod). I had a split second where the screen was flickering probably due to the rumble effect but it vanished immediately and only happened once during a 10 minute test.
My bad : my problem was not really on drive B but on drive when using the XMass (as default drive) with CubeMDos. On a nude CPC I have no problem with drive B.
I confused because it generally happens with the games that don't run on drive B.
Quote from: GFXOR on 07:45, 19 January 22
My bad : my problem was not really on drive B but on drive when using the XMass (as default drive) with CubeMDos. On a nude CPC I have no problem with drive B.
I confused because it generally happens with the games that don't run on drive B.
I ran the game from a real drive B on a real CPC tonight. Thanks again to Kevin for his routine to load from the initial drive after reinit firmware.
Also, I tested again on 2 different CPC6128. One crashed several times, the other worked perfectly always. So, it looks like the game is correct, some specific hardware has caused the crashes I observed recently.
Brilliant game @cpcitor , Really loving playing this. I made it up to T once! now I get either 9 or J fairy frequently and once or twice U. One small BUG however is that sometimes the popup panels that occur when you get a new number do not get removed until the tiles under them are redrawn. This does not occur all the time, but when it does it can lead to part of the message remaining it looks a little untidy.https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzg1MTkzNDMucG5n/original/%2B5BJ2Q.png (https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzg1MTkzNDMucG5n/original/%2B5BJ2Q.png)
Quote from: CraigsBar on 21:03, 28 March 22Brilliant game @cpcitor , Really loving playing this. I made it up to T once! now I get either 9 or J fairy frequently and once or twice U.
One small BUG however is that sometimes the popup panels that occur when you get a new number do not get removed until the tiles under them are redrawn. This does not occur all the time, but when it does it can lead to part of the message remaining it looks a little untidy.
https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzg1MTkzNDMucG5n/original/%2B5BJ2Q.png (https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzg1MTkzNDMucG5n/original/%2B5BJ2Q.png)
Aha! Thanks a lot for
@CraigsBar for your comment.
I'm glad you like this game.
You got a T? Wow, I never got that far! I'm genuinely impressed.
Thank you for mentioning that bug. I had such bugs in the past and ironed them out. Thanks especially for posting a screenshot. This is invaluable to make a search for a fix more efficient. I have just reproduced it and will make a fix when time permits.
PS: I don't recognize the style of the screenshot. What emulator is it?
Quote from: cpcitor on 21:29, 28 March 22Quote from: CraigsBar on 21:03, 28 March 22Brilliant game @cpcitor , Really loving playing this. I made it up to T once! now I get either 9 or J fairy frequently and once or twice U.
One small BUG however is that sometimes the popup panels that occur when you get a new number do not get removed until the tiles under them are redrawn. This does not occur all the time, but when it does it can lead to part of the message remaining it looks a little untidy.
https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzg1MTkzNDMucG5n/original/%2B5BJ2Q.png (https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzg1MTkzNDMucG5n/original/%2B5BJ2Q.png)
Aha! Thanks a lot for @CraigsBar for your comment.
I'm glad you like this game.
You got a T? Wow, I never got that far! I'm genuinely impressed.
Thank you for mentioning that bug. I had such bugs in the past and ironed them out. Thanks especially for posting a screenshot. This is invaluable to make a search for a fix more efficient. I have just reproduced it and will make a fix when time permits.
PS: I don't recognize the style of the screenshot. What emulator is it?
Brilliant, thanks. I got T once and once only on the first release. I've been playing the P2 version on my gx4000 (128k) and the bug is present there too. The emulator from which I grabbed the screenshot is RetroVM pre release beta.
(https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/277456590_468432271630488_6018503599668188826_n.png?stp=dst-png_s403x403&_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=aee45a&_nc_ohc=Twz_i_2H4TEAX8iA0iu&_nc_ad=z-m&_nc_cid=0&_nc_ht=scontent.xx&oh=03_AVIhEtuuVjrBRcjLOtqtuA6qmsq-DCTAKP9KwEJGuFR_ng&oe=626C154D)
working my way back up to 'S' and 'T' again!
Quote from: CraigsBar on 21:03, 28 March 22Brilliant game @cpcitor , Really loving playing this. I made it up to T once! now I get either 9 or J fairy frequently and once or twice U.
One small BUG however is that sometimes the popup panels that occur when you get a new number do not get removed until the tiles under them are redrawn. This does not occur all the time, but when it does it can lead to part of the message remaining it looks a little untidy.
https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzg1MTkzNDMucG5n/original/%2B5BJ2Q.png (https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzg1MTkzNDMucG5n/original/%2B5BJ2Q.png)
Thank you again for mentioning that bug. I found some time today to check, and I had noticed that bug and fixed it in January, but not yet released. I'll prepare a minor fix release (will be name "patch 3"). I'll quote you in the README.md with thanks for notifying (unless you prefer not).
I love this game. Congratulations CPCITOR :D
I reach level 10. Are there many who do more?
I don't know if I can put the link on my site for those who would like to play.
https://bzhgames.xyz/?CPCGAME=CPC_Just%20Get%209
If it bothers, let me know and I'll delete it.
Quote from: BZHGames on 15:38, 05 May 22I love this game. Congratulations CPCITOR :D
I reach level 10. Are there many who do more?
There are more, but each one (roughly, on average) double the number of tiles needed to reach it.
I got J a number of times, U a few times, looks like some got to S.
Quote from: BZHGames on 15:38, 05 May 22I don't know if I can put the link on my site for those who would like to play.
https://bzhgames.xyz/?CPCGAME=CPC_Just%20Get%209
If it bothers, let me know and I'll delete it.
This is fine. I see this is patch 2 release. I'll soon publish another "patch 3" and wish you update when it happens. See my next post just below.
Hi all,
I'll soon publish a newer patch (patch 3) that fixes a minor display glitch that happen in specific circumstances, and that improves compatibility with GX-4000 by mapping the "P" key to the same as "Esc" (not that I supply a CPR version, but it should be compatible with https://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Nocart ).
Thanks to
@CraigsBar for feedback and test.
Hi everyone.
Working on other prods, still enjoying a game of https://cpcitor.itch.io/just-get-9 from time to time.
I've not forgotten the "patch 3" that I announced ... a long time ago (in a galaxy far away) to fix the small glitch mentioned by https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/games/just-get-9-has-just-been-published!/50/#msg215551 .
Anyway I'd like to come back to an early feedback:
Quote from: CraigsBar on 13:54, 18 January 22Still loving this game. But one small thought. The "Bounce" of the screen sends my LCD screen and OSSC into confusion as it loses the sync meaning I cannot really play it on real hardware unless i drag a CM14/CTM644 out (Or a 14" Nicam TV) and this is a chore. Is there any chance of a re-release with an option to disable the bounce so it is more friendly with modern displays that only have digital inputs?
Hi
@CraigsBar, thanks again for your tests.
Indeed, when a lot of tiles disappear at once, as many newer tiles fall from the sky. They crash heavily when hitting the ground and the game adjusts CRT registers to move the screen vertically then progressively back to normal position. Technically, this momentarily advances the vsync signal and relies on the monitor sync circuitry to adjust screen position.
This old technique is well known. A number of games and demos have been using this. One notable game example is in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_Europe https://www.cpcgamereviews.com/t/5/#theatre_europe when the war ends very badly in a series of nuclear explosions.
Analog video tolerates deviations from strict timing, but modern hardware sometimes prefers to show a black screen for 1-2 seconds (until the signal "settled") probably to hide what they think is a "messy" signal. Especially when the display receives video via HDMI from an adapter device.
@CraigsBar you mention "confusion". I imagine a black screen for 1-2 seconds every time a shake happens can be somehow annoying, but not too much of a real trouble for a game that is not time sensitive.
Question: Is it exactly this? Something different?
Question to everyone: has anyone experienced a similar effect on their CPC gaming setup? (Or anything else, report welcome.)
I have been thinking about options to fix this. There are alternatives, but they have a cost:
* Replace screen shaking with vertical hard scrolling (with CRTC registers 12 & 13). Drawback: it's not the same as the historic way our good old CTM or GT screen shake, which is part of nostalgia/fun. Also, hard scrolling 8 pixels is easy and cheap. But in current game, when many many tiles crash on the floor, the offset can be bigger than 8 pixels. Cheap options would be limit rolling to 8 pixels, or possibly rolling more, which would show its bottom at the top for a blink. I'm reluctant to limiting the experience for users of fully real hardware because of finicky modern screens.
* Do this, but only if user selects a new option. Pro: original experience preserved. Con: another option would be ugly and confusing for users, have to carefully pick up to 28 chars to make it clear.
* Make a special build for that. But at distribution, download and run time, the secondary build would be skipped. All users would use the normal build in practice.
* Add a "video test" screen. Pro: room to explain, lets use see a shake and is effect, with option on and off. Con: heavy.
None of these 4 option feel totally satisfying to me.
Here are some labels considered for option 2.
012345678901234567890123456789
* Video problems? Enable this.
* Gladden fussy video setups
* LCD compat (strict timings)
* Make fussy LCD screens happy
* Finicky screens support
* Strict video timings
* Maximum video compatibility
Feedback welcome, including comments like "yes, do it", "no, for reason X and Y".
You can change vbl positon AND keep 50hz :P
Tips: change also overall screen size to enforce 50hz between each vbl
Quote from: roudoudou on 13:16, 23 July 23You can change vbl positon AND keep 50hz :P
Tips: change also overall screen size to enforce 50hz between each vbl
@roudoudou yes, you're right!
TL;DR: this needs a two-step process.
To move the screen Y (can be positive or negative) towards the bottom
* frame i: increase total screen height (R4) by Y, keep vertical sync (R7) as is
Result: time between vsync (during this frame draw) is kept the same, but next screen will start later by Y*8 lines.
* frame i+1: set total screen height (R4) back to normal (usually 38) and reduce vertical sync position (R7) by Y.
Rationale: CRTC has started to draw this frame later/below, so reducing R7 by the same amount exactly keeps the standard time between vsync.
* on subsequent frames: nothing more to do. Each screen starts at the new time/pos and vsync interval is standard-conformant.
I'll test that on
one two real CPCs and real Amstrad CRT screens, to check how the effect renders, and compare with the "basic" one-step method. Based on comparing how it feels visually, I may choose this option.
Thanks again
@roudoudou .
Hi everyone!
Long time no news. ::) Actually, when Real Life (TM) permits,
I work on a new game. If I can complete and release it some day, it should be great. 8)
Anyway, thanks to player feedback (thanks
@roudoudou @eto @logiker Didier , Just Get 9 has already had 2 revisions:
* "Patch 1 (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?msg=210100)" minor readability improvements
* "Patch 2 (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?msg=210465)" ability to abort a game, "achievement" shown on screen (highest tile, the at which it was reached) and other less visible improvements.
I'm preparing a (probably final) patch 3. Considering:
* When displaying achievements, also show total play time not only time to reach highest tile.
* Some players reported a black screen on bounce when using some fussy analog-to-digital video converters and/or picky LCD screens. Just Get 9 will bounce the screen while maintaining strict PAL timings at all times.
* Mapping the "P" key to the same as "Esc" (for compatibility with GX 4000).
* Fix some very minor text display and sound issues at some times.
Please submit any of your bug reports or (simple) improvement ideas.I was wondering whether some different detail would be appropriate, like some graphical change on the title screen or the background tile, maybe seasonal at the risk of eventually becoming passé, or if I should stick to the pristine, eternal Just Get 9, with the few remaining details ironed out.
Thanks in advance for any idea!
Quote from: cpcitor on 11:44, 27 December 23I'm preparing a (probably final) patch 3. Considering:
* When displaying achievements, also show total play time not only time to reach highest tile.
* Some players reported a black screen on bounce when using some fussy analog-to-digital video converters and/or picky LCD screens. Just Get 9 will bounce the screen while maintaining strict PAL timings at all times.
* Mapping the "P" key to the same as "Esc" (for compatibility with GX 4000).
* Fix some very minor text display and sound issues at some times.
Anyone for a private test of the patch 3 before I release it?
Screenshots below.
Quote from: cpcitor on 11:44, 27 December 23Please submit any of your bug reports or (simple) improvement ideas.
I was wondering whether some different detail would be appropriate, like some graphical change on the title screen or the background tile, maybe seasonal at the risk of eventually becoming passé, or if I should stick to the pristine, eternal Just Get 9, with the few remaining details ironed out.
Thanks in advance for any idea!
If anything I'd say a bit of more music change. Because the tune that sounds until you reach 5 if you already have some skill will soon change and then it's the same tune until the end of the game. At least I reached A or B sometimes and still is the same tune.
Also I don't know if you're aware, but cdt version crashes. At least in RVM in a CPC 464 the title doesn't even appear and in a 6128 crashes when the game starts. Both in an endless loop.
Thank you
@Brundij for your feedback.
Quote from: Brundij on 17:36, 31 December 23If anything I'd say a bit of more music change. Because the tune that sounds until you reach 5 if you already have some skill will soon change and then it's the same tune until the end of the game. At least I reached A or B sometimes and still is the same tune.
You might have noticed that the second music loops differently depending on the current "freedom of play". If you are in a difficult position with very few options to play, it loops on the most "dramatic" part, then after you get past the narrow path, it get to a calmer portion of the music. (In lower skill level, difficult positions are also accompanied with border color change or even hint texts.)
Regarding to the switch between first and second music, I had a similar impression although no one ever mentioned it to me. As a result, I happened to have make some adjustment to this a few days ago, to be released with patch 3: the second music would start a little later, and the threshold depends less on the current skill level. I am considering switching back to first music based on some state of the game yet unsure what criterion to choose.
Quote from: Brundij on 17:36, 31 December 23Also I don't know if you're aware, but cdt version crashes. At least in RVM in a CPC 464 the title doesn't even appear and in a 6128 crashes when the game starts. Both in an endless loop.
Ah, that's interesting. Thanks for reporting. I've been using the cdt version in development and on real CPCs (464 and 6128) and they worked. Thanks for the details, I can test that in RVM. If I can't reproduce, I'll ask you to mention the exact version of RVM and parameters, or perhaps send me in PM the cdt that crashes.
Quote from: Brundij on 17:36, 31 December 23Also I don't know if you're aware, but cdt version crashes. At least in RVM in a CPC 464 the title doesn't even appear and in a 6128 crashes when the game starts. Both in an endless loop.
I have downloaded from https://cpcitor.itch.io/just-get-9 the latest public zip which is patch 2.
I have run it in RVM on:
* Original (UK) CPC464, playing CDT at 2000 bauds, game starts and run normally.
* French CPC6128, playing CDT at 2000 bauds, game starts and run normally.
* Spanish CPC464, playing CDT at 1000 bauds, game starts and run normally.
So I cannot observe the crash. The cause might be in some extra ROM which initialization eats up some bytes of RAM or causes some other type of incompatibility. Once downloaded, the game decompresses to RAM and take a lot of the 64k of the CPC.
Please:
* tell me the exact version of RVM used
* send me in PM the cdt that crashes
* and the full configuration of the emulated CPC (even better, the rvm config file while crash happens)
Well I tried again and now it works. I'm using the files included in the zip file on Itch.io.
Not sure what could have caused that crash in two different emulated machines. Specially when I don't add anything to them, they're vanilla CPC's, no memory expansions or addons of any kind.
Anyways better this way. Sorry for the inconvenience.
About the music, yeah I was thinking in something like that, and I didn't know it takes more time to switch music in harder difficulties but still the second tune is the one that is heard the most in the end. But well, anything you do will only improve an already great game.
Quote from: cpcitor on 11:44, 27 December 23"Patch 2 (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?msg=210465)" ability to abort a game, "achievement" shown on screen (highest tile, the at which it was reached) and other less visible improvements.
regarding the achievements: currently they only disappear after the next move, but that can already be distracting as it's not always easy to see what's behind the text.
so... just played it again for a few rounds and a new personal best: 5:20 'til I got to 9. still love the game :-) (also my kids love it)
Quote from: eto on 21:05, 31 December 23regarding the achievements: currently they only disappear after the next move, but that can already be distracting as it's not always easy to see what's behind the text.
I've considered removing them after... after what? Some time? I guess no. One keypress? Risks losing information. A few keypresses? Something else?
Currently, you can press ESC to bring up the menu and ESC again to redraw the grid.
Thanks for bringing the issue to my attention. I'll try to think about it.
Quote from: eto on 21:05, 31 December 23so... just played it again for a few rounds and a new personal best: 5:20 'til I got to 9. still love the game :-) (also my kids love it)
Hey, 5:20 is quite good IIRC. From memory, my score is similar.
Quote from: cpcitor on 23:37, 31 December 23A few keypresses?
A few keypresses sounds good. I'll try the ESC idea... maybe that's also good enough.
I'll give it a try...