The Sword of Ianna is coming to the Amstrad CPC

[Carnivius]

I think it's to keep the same color of the Sprites when changing the zone palette.

i thought maybe a memory thing too, as there's quite a bit of animation for the sprites and having them mono keeps the memory usage lower than shaded ones?  I dunno. I would like to see the sprites recoloured to add even just some basic shading and depth but they're nice and well drawn as they are and I've played the MSX and Spectrum versions and it's a good game on both so keen to try it on CPC.

[SkulleateR]

I think moaning about the sprite isn't quite fair here, of course the MSX2 Version looks really nice, but does it effect gameplay when having a more colourful sprite ? I don't think so ...


I mean I even like to play old BASIC games if the gameplay addicts me. Hell I even play Android One from time to time 


We really should be thankful for every software that comes out for our beloved system these days.

[rexbeng]

@reidrack
Why do you find the attitude to be 'shitty'? Yeah, most people make things for free but that's the norm in retro computing anyway; the games I've worked on come free of charge as well. And yes, I can do whatever I want with regards to playing the game or not, as much as the developer can do whatever he wants with regards to how the game is made to be like. But is there a rule that declares 'free' and 'what want' mean one cannot express an opinion that's outside the "oh this is so nice" frame?

As far as the 'speccy port' debate goes, there's a whole article here (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Speccy_Port) if you care to read arguments. We even make jokes on speccy port topics in this forum you know. And, yes, I prefer a proper CPC game and I am writing this in a CPC site. Is that also not ok?

And where's the gatekeeping? I am making an argument and have this question on why make a speccy port of a speccy game nowadays. Can you offer your opinion other than 'it's free so take it and put a sock in it'? Maybe somebody could pass this to the developer in spanish forum/socials? I'm really interested to read his side. Surely it shouldn't be a 'publisher gave me 4 weeks to deliver the game on CPC so I had no choice' reason.

regards,
rb

[MacDeath]

I was wondering (me too) if the monocolour sprites was due to some RAM limitations or project being WIP or a deliberate choice to some odd nostalgia for past speccy ports?
Or even code trick to ensure correct playability...

(quite often it wass the opposite, sprites were coloured and background not so...)

according to the footages, the sprites are in 2 colours + transparency and not attribute clashes...
this bringsd the question on the technic used to generate them :
is it a 1bit per pixel tile + 1 bit per pixel mask or is it a native 2bits per pixel picture with one ink used to generate the transparency/mask ?

first case the sprite is limited to 2 inks (+transparency) while second technic would alow for one extra ink/colour to be used to add some deepness to the sprite (some coloured eetails, antialiasing).

That the game would often change palettes is not an excuse to keep the sprites with less colours.
It's in 4 colour mode, we don't expect more colours on screen beside the usual HUD palette swap, and Head over Heels is a perfect exemple of the sprites in 3 colours+transparency and background in four colours done right, with a lot of palettes swaped depending on the screen.

In both cases, the total Data weight of the sprite is the same (1bpp graph + 1bpp mask = 2bpp sprite)
But some CPU time and routines speed or whatever may perhaps render the use of separate 1bpp mask more efficient... some coders may confirm this or not.

(a great thing may even be to have proper 2bpp graph and extra 1bpp mask so the sprite woudl have 4 colours + transparency... as it was often the case with CGA PCgames... but the CPC is not really a PC in CGA with 8mhz and 512ko RAM...)

I am not a huge fan of the Black+white+Red+blue palette... too much saturation, some better chocie may be used .
the B&W + Red + dark Yellow is better.

same with the HUD, I generally suggest to avoid the medium yellow for the less saturated pastel yellow... but again, may need to avoid the deception of emulator and youtube video and remember it is a WIP. 


I suggest the develppers to check some CGA games, but also games like Night Hunter or Back to the golden Age.
Else ehre are some nice exempels of palette use in Mode1 :
red-yellow-blue : http://cpc.sylvestre.org/archives/archives_palettes_rjb.html
red-green : http://cpc.sylvestre.org/archives/archives_palettes_rv.html
grey and others : http://cpc.sylvestre.org/archives/archives_palettes_gris.html




Speccy ports/cross dev have a special infamous place and history with CPc world so yeah, we are quite sensible on the matter here (especially me).

Despite this, the game feels quite polished.
Music is great.
Backgrounds are awesome (and properly Mode1 coloured) and it reminds me Myth:history in the making (another speccy port) + Prince of persia + Tharghan + probably other things.

Can't be bad from what I see, it this supposed to be 64ko or 128ko RAM ?


To keep the same 256x192 screen size is obviously to ease the port, we are not on some Antiriad sort of port...

Invasion of zombi Monster did it somewhat right too...

if you must change the whole level, screen size and so on, it becomes a lot of "from scratch" to add and if the original game is already good, CPC version even if ported can't be too bad.

Seing the MSX2 graphics, some port in Mode0 may have been possible but missing a lot of the finesse/precision of the small pixels...
also really a lot of extra work for the Graphic artist to port that.

Look at me, I'm not the same as before...  shamefurr dispray !!! speccy porting is bad.... lol.



Please also go for a proper PLUS/GX4000 512ko cartridge version !!!



to compare :


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2aMVpZuKTQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yQqH8XWH7Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWMp-PaagDE

[keith56]

As far as the 'speccy port' debate goes, there's a whole article here (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Speccy_Port) if you care to read arguments. We even make jokes on speccy port topics in this forum you know. And, yes, I prefer a proper CPC game and I am writing this in a CPC site. Is that also not ok?

Maybe somebody could pass this to the developer in spanish forum/socials? I'm really interested to read his side. Surely it shouldn't be a 'publisher gave me 4 weeks to deliver the game on CPC so I had no choice' reason.

There's a heck of a difference between a "speccy port" SOLD during the profitable days of the CPC and one given away for FREE today...
And as for 4 weeks to develop the game... you're comparing the choice of a commercial developer to a hobbyist... sure the hobbyist developers could spend the rest of their lives working on the CPC port - but when the response is likely to be 'MEH, why no Mode 0?' or 'doesn't look good compared to pinball dreams' - maybe they have other priorities in their lives?

[Gryzor]

There's a heck of a difference between a "speccy port" SOLD during the profitable days of the CPC and one given away for FREE today...

What I was going to say. Indeed it is a immensely different thing whining about speccy ports then and now. Sure, we can say "pity it's just a speccy port", but dissing the dev for going that way is, I think, OTT. Can only serve to drive devs away.

I, for one, would love to see a nice new game on the CPC, port or no port. Not being a port is a bonus.

[GUNHED]

The MSX version is awesome. It would be great to use the colored sprites on CPC too.

[Sykobee (Briggsy)]

This looks great, and I think MODE 1 suits this game.


Regarding the sprites, it appears that it's the mono Spectrum sprite + mask being used - which likely uses as much memory as a 2bpp CPC sprite which could have 3 colours (white, black, shade/splash/etc) which isn't a major advantage but would be quite an effort to rework the sprites, and of course a tweaked sprite rendering routine. The animation is very nice. Looking forward to seeing the final version.

[XeNoMoRPH]

Also remember, that this game will be in cartridge format for Amstrad, and I hope we can acquire the same fantastic physical edition as in ZX Spectrum

[Gryzor]

Damn that is nice.

[GUNHED]

Regarding the sprites, it appears that it's the mono Spectrum sprite + mask being used - which likely uses as much memory as a 2bpp CPC sprite which could have 3 colours (white, black, shade/splash/etc) which isn't a major advantage but would be quite an effort ...

From experience: NO! Just use the colored MSX sprites and a regular CPC sprite routine. It's less than 1% of the the time to make such a game.

[XeNoMoRPH]

https://twitter.com/BATMAN_GROUP/status/1234609155668946944

[Gryzor]

As a loading screen, it's really nice!

[kawickboy]

It reminds goold old time with spanish loading screen based on packaging artwork: after the war, A.M.C, satan, turbo girl, phantis...

[ivarf]

Nice animation and background graphics. It looks like the game will have a good feel to it and probably play well.

[andycadley]

From experience: NO! Just use the colored MSX sprites and a regular CPC sprite routine. It's less than 1% of the the time to make such a game.

Indeed. The sprite routine is going to have to be tweaked regardless and the translation to 2bpp is likely to slow it down more than just a bulk conversion which strips out the masking.

[MacDeath]

nice spanish intro screen, despite the cruel lack of boobs... please go for the sexist way again... 

any news about a proper release date ?

Also a PLUS version with some hardwsprites patches as foreground elements or bonuses/stuff/things the way Switchblade did it, this could be quite cool and could add a few patches of extra colours, enough to have an even awesomer result...

[XeNoMoRPH]

Four screens from level 1

this weekend, in a fairly advanced state of development. Sword of IANNA for Amstrad CPC, it can be tested , in spanish event:
http://www.retroparla.com/index.php/2020/02/24/retro-parla-2020-programacion-del-evento/

[kawickboy]

Is the loading screen in fullscreen ?

[XeNoMoRPH]

Is the loading screen in fullscreen ?

mmmm, I certainly wouldn't know how to tell you right now 

[XeNoMoRPH]

https://youtu.be/UEpnZR_W5Q4?t=4241

First gameplay 

[XeNoMoRPH]

https://twitter.com/blackmores_/status/1258034690482737152

[Gryzor]

I love how this looks, restrictions and all...

[reidrac]

Definitely! IMHO the original version is in the top 5 of games for the speccy. If this one moves OK on the CPC, I'm more than happy!

Looks like 2020 is going to be a good year for the CPC.

[Carnivius]

Also a PLUS version with some hardwsprites patches as foreground elements or bonuses/stuff/things the way Switchblade did it, this could be quite cool and could add a few patches of extra colours, enough to have an even awesomer result...

I hate those 'few patches' of colour on the Plus version of Switchblade.  They stand out too much cos of their hugely inconsistent look and are distracting and is why I almost always play the disk version instead (if Hiro himself had gotten the HW sprite treatment for extra colour I would have been much happier).  The red sky gradient at the start is ok but even that's not great especially compared to Stryker which has waaaay smoother and prettier gradients in it's skies when run on a Plus.

This game looks good.  I can't say I'm hugely fond of it on Spectrum.  I just have a few niggles with the way it plays and controls but overall it's very good.