Hero Quest CPC Plus CPR with music?

[viddi]

Hi!


I recently played the CPR version of Hero Quest.
I didn´t know there is a Plus Hack of this game.
That´s brilliant.


Now: Any chance to see a 128k CPR of it? With music and maybe some better colours (very greenish atm...better than blue, though )


And is it possible to play with one character only and to save the game?


Thanks a lot!

[GOB]

I'm working on a CPR version of the game with CPC+ graphix.

Here is a screen of what he was 1 year past
So be patient

[viddi]

Looks really cool!

[mr_lou]

Very nice!

While the standard CPC's will of course always weigh a lot on the nostalgic scale, I would love to see more Plus games.
I kinda feel the CPC Plus models should be "the next step" for us CPC geeks.

[Arnaud]

Really good choice of colors.

[dragon]

Hi!


I recently played the CPR version of Hero Quest.
I didn´t know there is a Plus Hack of this game.
That´s brilliant.


Now: Any chance to see a 128k CPR of it? With music and maybe some better colours (very greenish atm...better than blue, though )


And is it possible to play with one character only and to save the game?


Thanks a lot!

If i remember o.k the 128k version is the same except they call in the interruption the music player store in the second bank. Im not sure now if its possible adapt  the patch easily to the 128k version that depend. how work the dsk.


About the combination of colours, i probably can externalize it to basic so you can choose the combination in basic from palette of 4096 colours. The save maybe can be  possible in a plus, but is impossible in the gx4000.

[Carnivius]

I kinda feel the CPC Plus models should be "the next step" for us CPC geeks.

Speak for yourself. 

[mr_lou]

Speak for yourself. 

I'm not forcing anyone to take this next step. 

I just mean, a lot of people (I've heard) regarded the Atari ST as the step after the CPC. I don't. I'd rather it was the CPC plus models. I.e. explore all the "new" possibilities with these machines in regards of development.
To me it would kinda be like, well, as I said, the next step, but while still feeling "at home".

You don't like the plus models?

[Skunkfish]

Plus features were criminally underused, even on £25 cartridge games. I'd like to see the type of Plus-enhanced games we really should have had...

[mr_lou]

Plus features were criminally underused, even on £25 cartridge games. I'd like to see the type of Plus-enhanced games we really should have had...

That's exactly what I'm talking about yes.

[Carnivius]

I'm not forcing anyone to take this next step. 

I just mean, a lot of people (I've heard) regarded the Atari ST as the step after the CPC. I don't. I'd rather it was the CPC plus models. I.e. explore all the "new" possibilities with these machines in regards of development.
To me it would kinda be like, well, as I said, the next step, but while still feeling "at home".

You don't like the plus models?

I consider the Amiga the next step after the CPC which be why I got one (and still own both my CPC and A1200).   And had to put up with a lot of ST ports in the same way I had to put up with Speccy ports on my CPC and the music/sound in many ST games weren't a huge leap over the CPC/Spectrum. 

And no I've never been fond of the Plus models.  Laughably ill-conceived computers that were either far too late to the home computer market or just way too underpowered compared to what else was already out.  I respect fact there's a lot of fans and owners of them here but I've never been one of them.   There's not one single thing that appealed to me about them other than the instant loading of the cartridge.

[tjohnson]

I consider the Amiga the next step after the CPC which be why I got one (and still own both my CPC and A1200).   And had to put up with a lot of ST ports in the same way I had to put up with Speccy ports on my CPC and the music/sound in many ST games weren't a huge leap over the CPC/Spectrum. 

And no I've never been fond of the Plus models.  Laughably ill-conceived computers that were either far too late to the home computer market or just way too underpowered compared to what else was already out.  I respect fact there's a lot of fans and owners of them here but I've never been one of them.   There's not one single thing that appealed to me about them other than the instant loading of the cartridge.

That seems very harsh view!  With the benefit of hindsight we can see the problems with the plus models, the main one being the timing of the release and use of 8bit when the 16bit wagon was rolling.   That said had they gone 16bit then it would no longer be a cpc.  It is shame to think what amstrad could have been but never was.

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

[abalore]

@dragon I downloaded your cartridge conversion. It claims to use hardware sprites, but I can't find where (or the Winape debugger can't show). Would it be possible to adapt this conversion to be compatible with normal CPC? That way it can be played with my cartridge adaptors or from AMSTEAM. If you already have the disassembly I can do the dirty work.

[dragon]

Unfortunly i don't have time now to program in the cpc assembly i have also  something pending with things that ixien asked me.


If i remember correctly the hardware sprites are in the Game menu. And in the eyes of zargon they are static and are put in the top of the original menu adding more colours to the screen.

I don't remember now but its strange i don't put a selector to select plus or not plus.

Yes, i thing i have the source code i try found It. But if you want add the music,well the player uses the cpc interruption to call to second bank ram, maybe you can enable It in 128k. If you find all points where they cut.

[abalore]

Unfortunly i don't have time now to program in the cpc assembly i have also  something pending with things that ixien asked me.


If i remember correctly the hardware sprites are in the Game menu. And in the eyes of zargon they are static and are put in the top of the original menu adding more colours to the screen.

I don't remember now but its strange i don't put a selector to select plus or not plus.

Yes, i thing i have the source code i try found It. But if you want add the music,well the player uses the cpc interruption to call to second bank ram, maybe you can enable It in 128k. If you find all points where they cut.

Thank you! I got your code and will work on it. If it results in something interesting I'll post it here.

[iXien]

Hi @abalore , this new project is interesting . I had some questions but didn't want to ask them on the GX4000 conversted games, it would have been a little bit off-topic. 

The first one is: why a new cartridge conversion? There is a plain CPC version in the @dragon 's work and as a bonus, it also offers an enhanced version that include some 128K elements on a 64K based Plus system. So the second version, can you reveal us at least some features of your project ? Do you plan to had the "Hero Quest Return Of The Witch Lord" expansion disk?

Another thing, it's a game requiring saves to be fully enjoyable. Of course on a GX4000 it will be impossible. But a temporary save stored in the RAM would be very useful, just like @dragon made for La Abadia Del Crimen, maybe   

[abalore]

Hi @abalore , this new project is interesting . I had some questions but didn't want to ask them on the GX4000 conversted games, it would have been a little bit off-topic.

The first one is: why a new cartridge conversion? There is a plain CPC version in the @dragon 's work and as a bonus, it also offers an enhanced version that include some 128K elements on a 64K based Plus system. So the second version, can you reveal us at least some features of your project ? Do you plan to had the "Hero Quest Return Of The Witch Lord" expansion disk?

Another thing, it's a game requiring saves to be fully enjoyable. Of course on a GX4000 it will be impossible. But a temporary save stored in the RAM would be very useful, just like @dragon made for La Abadia Del Crimen, maybe  

These are the features:

- Compatible with 64k machines, including normal CPCs with cartridge port
- Full soundtrack and sound effects (in all machines, including 64k)
- Improved color palettes in game, maps and fight cutscenes
- Added missing furniture in original (Armory)
- Faster music player for improved performance
- Joystick or Keyboard selected by default depending on what you press in title screen
- Bigger improved title screen
- Levels from Return Of The Witch Lord included (through Load Other option)
- Keep input selection when switching to expanded version
- Unused music track in original played in title screen
- Cassette relay clicking bug fixed
- Greatly improved visuals in monochrome monitor
- Redesigned cursor for greater visibility
- New in-game background with clearer icons and better palette usage
- New board background resembling old paper

[abalore]

WARNING * BETA * WARNING * BETA * WARNING * BETA

Here is my first beta version if anyone wants to test it. Please report anything that my look strange, not working or crashing.

Thank you

WARNING * BETA * WARNING * BETA * WARNING * BETA

[dragon]

I can view if i can try It later a  thoroughly. You can also add the translate spanish versión if you  have space in the cartridge.

[abalore]

I can view if i can try It later a  thoroughly. You can also add the translate spanish versión if you  have space in the cartridge.

Yes I have 144K still free. Does that translation patch the original text? I mean, do they occupy the same space or they rearrange the memory?

[dragon]

No i don't think so It don't patch internally the english text. I think the dsk its compiled from House in the english space.


But the last levels are bugged,i think the bug is in the maps not in the core so he can be easy taken unbugged from the tape versión and fixed.

View details of the spanish bug here 

https://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=1078

[abalore]

No i don't think so It don't patch internally the english text. I think the dsk its compiled from House in the english space.


But the last levels are bugged,i think the bug is in the maps not in the core so he can be easy taken unbugged from the tape versión and fixed.

View details of the spanish bug here

https://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=1078

I see. For now I'll leave it in english only. If one day I make a true remake of the game it will be multi-language. There are a lot of other things to improve apart from the language. From the awful menu navigation (you can't go back in most screens) to the game speed. The original doesn't use double buffering or dirty zones, so it draws the whole scene off-screen and copies the entire contents to the visible buffer in every frame.

[iXien]

No i don't think so It don't patch internally the english text. I think the dsk its compiled from House in the english space.


But the last levels are bugged,i think the bug is in the maps not in the core so he can be easy taken unbugged from the tape versión and fixed.

View details of the spanish bug here

https://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=1078

I see. For now I'll leave it in english only. If one day I make a true remake of the game it will be multi-language. There are a lot of other things to improve apart from the language. From the awful menu navigation (you can't go back in most screens) to the game speed. The original doesn't use double buffering or dirty zones, so it draws the whole scene off-screen and copies the entire contents to the visible buffer in every frame.

So, does it mean that you can't accelerate at least the ingame pointer? It is so slooooooow ! 

[dragon]

No i don't think so It don't patch internally the english text. I think the dsk its compiled from House in the english space.


But the last levels are bugged,i think the bug is in the maps not in the core so he can be easy taken unbugged from the tape versión and fixed.

View details of the spanish bug here

https://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=1078

I see. For now I'll leave it in english only. If one day I make a true remake of the game it will be multi-language. There are a lot of other things to improve apart from the language. From the awful menu navigation (you can't go back in most screens) to the game speed. The original doesn't use double buffering or dirty zones, so it draws the whole scene off-screen and copies the entire contents to the visible buffer in every frame.

Ok great! If you like when you considerer you have finish It share with me the  source code i have curiosity about the changes you made

[viddi]

Works pretty well.
Awesome colour pallette.

Is it possible to adjust the colours in the menu screens to match the in-game colours?

Is a DSK version possible?


Anyway, congrats. Great work.