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avatar_Axelay

New game: Dead on Time

Started by Axelay, 09:27, 27 February 10

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Axelay

Hi all

My latest game, "Dead on Time", is now complete and available!  :)

You can get the disk image from here:

http://starsabre.bigblog.com.au/index.do

This one is an arena shooter where the goal is to survive as long as possible while destroying enemy waves to get bonus time.  Full details can be found in the in-game instructions.

This game works on all models of CPC, but you must leave the disk in the drive for 64k models.  You don't need to leave the disk in with more than 64k, but if you do it will save the high scores to disk.

Have fun!

Paul

ukmarkh

Fantastic stuff... really enjoyable.

Devilmarkus

Really a cool game!
A bit too fast for my old fingers, but great!

Question:
Is everything right with highscore list?
I made a score higher than others but have been on place 7?!?
Is it ordered by playtime or by scores?

Cheers,
Markus
When you put your ear on a hot stove, you can smell how stupid you are ...

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Octoate

I like it, but as Markus said - "too fast for my fingers" ;). I will transfer it to my CPC, then I can play it with a joystick which should work much better :).
--

Targhan

Very cool game, once again. I'm really proud to have worked with you, once again !

Targhan/Arkos.
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Grim

@Octoate/Devilmarkus: Fast paced games such as this one are often unplayable on emulator.

Completely frantic on a real machine! :)

ukmarkh

I'm using the q,a,o,p and space... on an emulator and its bloody brilliant. I'm fourth on the leader-board at the moe. I'll try it on a real Plus machine later.

Axelay

Quote from: Devilmarkus on 11:59, 27 February 10
Question:
Is everything right with highscore list?
I made a score higher than others but have been on place 7?!?
Is it ordered by playtime or by scores?

Yes, the Arcade mode score table is ordered by survival time.  The Challenge mode score table is ordered by score.  This is to try and reinforce the different "approach" required by the two play modes.

ukmarkh

Great game like I said, but are there any plans to do a 128k version... would be great to see pictures of the Earth and similar in the background as you fight it out. And a few upgrades in the weapon system would be great as would a bonus level for surviving after a certain amount of time. It really is so addictive, well done.


mr_lou

Great with a new game!!!

However, I can't get it running on neither my CPC464 or my CPC6128. Tried writing the dsk 3 times, but it just stops with a black screen and red border. The Arnold emulator on Linux won't run it either. Stops with a black screen.
I tried download the dsk again, but same result.

Haven't tried other emulators so far. What's up?

Targhan

Winape handles it perfectly.

What do you use to transfer the game on a real disk ? It uses a "special" format (not AMSDOS, I mean. 10 sectors per track), but CPCDiskXP must handle it with no problem. I don't know anything about Linux though...

Targhan/Arkos.
Targhan/Arkos

Arkos Tracker 2.0.1 now released! - Follow the news on Twitter!
Disark - A cross-platform Z80 disassembler/source converter
FDC Tool 1.1 - Read Amsdos files without the system

Imperial Mahjong
Orion Prime

fano

Nice work Axelay (as usual i'd say).It is great , with nice technics , graphics and sound.
It runs perfectly on my 6128+.
The concept is well found, c'mon little bonus , i need you to get more time !

"NOP" is the perfect program : short , fast and (known) bug free

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mr_lou

Quote from: Targhan on 17:58, 27 February 10
What do you use to transfer the game on a real disk ? It uses a "special" format (not AMSDOS, I mean. 10 sectors per track), but CPCDiskXP must handle it with no problem. I don't know anything about Linux though...

I'm using libdsk for Linux (worked with Starsabre). But I'll borrow the girlfriends Windoze box and try with CPCDiskXP then.

mr_lou

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well THAT was early the Game of 2010 was released!
Superb graphics and music and code and gameplay! I love the music, but the option of setting sound-effects only is also great, and saving of highscores just neat. I give Dead on Time 7 out of 5 stars!!!

We watched stunningly, and then my girlfriend said: "... they had no clue how to make games for the CPC back in the 80ies", referring of course to the many games with non-smooth-movement.

Thanks a lot for this great game! I'm addicted already! Dead on Time will be played a lot in this house the next many retro-evenings.  :)

MacDeath

#14
Wow, is this the first 2010 game release ?

Tested it briefly.
Not easy to begin with.
But it seems smooth and fast.
Well done.

It feels like some sort of smatch TV.
Yet I believe the gameplay could be improoved by the use of a second fire button.

I used to play Smash TV on SEGA MegaDrive.

And the second button could be used to get a switch side fire.
Would allows to turn the player's sprite 180° for exemple.

Also implementing 2 joysticks for the player would allow the "nunchakus" technique.
one paddle to move, the other to orient your shoots.

Would get the feeling of those sort of special pivoting joysticks used on some arcade machines (Midnight Resistance used it, Forgotten Worlds too).

Also a "warning" stuff that would tell us where enemies waves are gonna come from.

Because when you are on the border of the screen, you often get surprised by a wave.
Yes it's also part of the game, but an optionnal "warning" would be great too.


Devilmarkus

I wanted to leave a comment in your blog, but the number-code verification is not working :(

Really great the game! I like to play it much.
(Will try it with mouse, when I improved mouse emulation in my emu...)
Did someone try to play it with AMX-mouse? (Or equivalent)

I think this would be fun!
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Targhan

@macdeath : play the game for what it is, not what it could have been on other console... A second button on a CPC joystick ? How many joysticks can handle that ?

The game is always hard with one button, so with two... How many players can't play Renegade because it needs one joy, plus the keyboard ?

Trg.Aks
Targhan/Arkos

Arkos Tracker 2.0.1 now released! - Follow the news on Twitter!
Disark - A cross-platform Z80 disassembler/source converter
FDC Tool 1.1 - Read Amsdos files without the system

Imperial Mahjong
Orion Prime

Nich

Quote from: Targhan on 17:58, 27 February 10It uses a "special" format (not AMSDOS, I mean. 10 sectors per track).
Why? It's not as if the game uses more than 178K of disc space. ???

I have downloaded this game and have been playing it this afternoon on an emulator. To quote David Darling, it is ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT - full of fast and frantic action!

I would suggest that the high scores be lowered quite a lot, or even set to zero. My best time in the Arcade mode is 1 minute and 55 seconds, and that's only good enough for 6th place! :( It would be particularly good for CPC meetings if the high scores were set to zero - and I can envision this game being played competitively at future CPC meetings!

MacDeath

#18
@Thargan :
No problems, It was just some suggestions of alternate gameplays than needed changes.


mmmh...any basic PLUS paddle do have 2 buttons...but yes they are shitty as hell to play such a game.

Must be better with a Speedking of course. A speedking may even be cruelly needed to burst Highscores... ;D

ukmarkh

I'll never understand why the GX4000 pad comes under so much bad press. I think its great, especially with the likes of Star Sabre and especially this game, in my opinion its as good if not better than the Master System pad. The high score table is about right, as is the difficulty... your definitely a man who knows his shooters.


mr_lou

Quote from: Targhan on 23:07, 27 February 10
A second button on a CPC joystick ? How many joysticks can handle that ?
Not many. I think the hold-button-to-stay-in-the-same-direction is great. Makes the game very flexible.

Quote from: Targhan on 17:58, 27 February 10
It uses a "special" format (not AMSDOS, I mean. 10 sectors per track)
Quote from: Nich on 23:29, 27 February 10
Why? It's not as if the game uses more than 178K of disc space. ???
I'm a bit curious about this too. Why is the game using a special format? I realize this format might be clever and such in some connection, but if a more standard format could be used without making much of a difference, then surely that should be used. It seems a bit silly limiting the DSK-writing to a single OS because it's the only one having the required tools. And WinAPE is far from the only CPC emulator in the world. (And before you quick-jump replying this with a "The other emulators can just do a proper emulation", please note again that I'm saying "if a more standard format could be used without making much of a difference to the game").

(A sidenote to you tool-developers: This is 2010. No one should code tools just for Windoze anymore).

mr_lou

Arcade mode: 3:58:24 !!  24.497.512 points :)

Beat that you losers.  8)

Although Dead on Time is indeed a challenge, I find it a bit easier than Starsabre. (I really can't get anywhere in Starsabre...). I think the difficulty in Dead on Time is perfect.

Axelay

Thanks everyone for the positive comments!

Quote from: Devilmarkus on 21:57, 27 February 10
I wanted to leave a comment in your blog, but the number-code verification is not working :(

Sorry about that, but I leave off commenting on the blog as I dont want to be 'maintaining' it, I just use it as a place to make the games available.

Quote from: ukmarkh on 16:22, 27 February 10
Great game like I said, but are there any plans to do a 128k version... would be great to see pictures of the Earth and similar in the background as you fight it out. And a few upgrades in the weapon system would be great as would a bonus level for surviving after a certain amount of time. It really is so addictive, well done.



No plans for a 128k version.  I think I'll be drawing a line under this one, as I feel satisfied that this time the end result is a 'complete' game that fits entirely within the confines of a 464. (at least the tape version does, minus the high score saving)

On the subject of the disk format.  If it used a standard AMSDOS disk format, it wouldnt have the high score saving.  The firmware block is gone, so to 'get back' disk IO I've used Targhan's FDC code, and the special format was part of using that code.

Targhan

> I'm a bit curious about this too. Why is the game using a special format? I realize this format might be clever and such in some connection, but if a more standard format could be used without making much of a difference, then surely that should be used. It seems a bit silly limiting the DSK-writing to a single OS because it's the only one having the required tools. And WinAPE is far from the only CPC emulator in the world.

I don't understand you. It has nothing to do with Winape. 10 sectors per track is a very common format, and is as easy to use as any other format. It has nothing to do with Windows either. It's about CPC and what it can do. Blame the tools you're using, but I'm pretty sure some others could do the transfer right.

Targhan/Arkos.
Targhan/Arkos

Arkos Tracker 2.0.1 now released! - Follow the news on Twitter!
Disark - A cross-platform Z80 disassembler/source converter
FDC Tool 1.1 - Read Amsdos files without the system

Imperial Mahjong
Orion Prime

mr_lou

Quote from: Targhan on 14:51, 28 February 10
I don't understand you. It has nothing to do with Winape. 10 sectors per track is a very common format, and is as easy to use as any other format. It has nothing to do with Windows either. It's about CPC and what it can do. Blame the tools you're using, but I'm pretty sure some others could do the transfer right.

I had the impression that it was a rare format that only CPCDiskXP could handle. And that's what I found silly - if a more standard format could have been used without making much difference to the game.

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