Axelay (author of Star Sabre, Dead On Time and Sub Hunter) interviewed ! (http://www.norecess.net/1/post/2011/03/axelay-author-of-star-sabre-dead-on-time-and-sub-hunter-interviewed.html)
1 March 2011, 6:42 pm
Paul Kooistra, also known as Axelay, is the author of Star Sabre (http://www.psytronik.net/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=74:sabre&catid=41:cpc&Itemid=63) (2007, 2009 for the 128Kb-version), Dead On Time (http://www.psytronik.net/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=80:dot&catid=41:cpc&Itemid=63) (2010) and Sub Hunter (http://www.psytronik.net/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=86:subhuntercpc&catid=41:cpc&Itemid=63) (2011). He is one of the most productive game programmer for the Amstrad CPC these days. I was curious to know more about him, and he kindly accepted to answer my questions ! Have a good time reading this (http://www.norecess.net/interview-axelay.html).
Source: NoRecess {the website} - Blog (http://www.norecess.net/index.html)
Niiiice! Adding link to main page...
Very good read.
Is Axelay still active in the CPC-Scene? He brought us a couple of excellent games. Somehow he was the precursor to Batman Group, which are at the moment the pearl-producers.
Quote from: Axel on 12:31, 26 June 22Is Axelay still active in the CPC-Scene? He brought us a couple of excellent games. Somehow he was the precursor to Batman Group, which are at the moment the pearl-producers.
yes, https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/news-events/announcing-sonic-gx-a-new-episode-of-sonic-the-hedgehog-for-amstrad-gx-4000/
He asked about Axelay, not NoRecess ;)
Quote from: Axel on 12:31, 26 June 22Is Axelay still active in the CPC-Scene? He brought us a couple of excellent games. Somehow he was the precursor to Batman Group, which are at the moment the pearl-producers.
I am not sure I understand what you mean. Axelay is still making games on the CPC (and on other formats), while Batman Group are mostly making demos. Since that interview was published (~10 years ago), Axelay did 6 games while Batman Group did 1 game and 1 teaser video of a suuposed game. ;D
And for me, the best one in all points is Relentless. 8)
What are the 6 games Axelay did?
Quote from: Dubliner on 16:01, 26 June 22He asked about Axelay, not NoRecess ;)
:picard2: :picard2: fail
Quote from: tjohnson on 19:37, 26 June 22What are the 6 games Axelay did?
https://cpcrulez.fr/auteur-paul_kooistra.htm
Quote from: TotO on 17:57, 26 June 22And for me, the best one in all points is Relentless. 8)
"Relentless" ls amazing, but I would say, "Super Edge Grinder"...so smooth, bigger sprites and full colour. A shame, that it is only a one level thing. It would be a great "complete" game (like Star Sabre, another great game from Axelay), that looks technically like an C64-Game with hot Amstrad-Colours.
Quote from: rexbeng on 17:38, 26 June 22Quote from: Axel on 12:31, 26 June 22Is Axelay still active in the CPC-Scene? He brought us a couple of excellent games. Somehow he was the precursor to Batman Group, which are at the moment the pearl-producers.
I am not sure I understand what you mean. Axelay is still making games on the CPC (and on other formats), while Batman Group are mostly making demos. Since that interview was published (~10 years ago), Axelay did 6 games while Batman Group did 1 game and 1 teaser video of a suuposed game. ;D
Okay, you are right. Batman did only one game. Haha. But one huge one.
Wasn't Rhino involved in the R-Type Remake?
Quote from: Axel on 22:46, 26 June 22I would say, "Super Edge Grinder"...so smooth, bigger sprites and full colour
Relentless is 50Hz, 6 areas and fit into 16K !
Quote from: Axel on 22:48, 26 June 22Wasn't Rhino involved in the R-Type Remake?
Not at all.
Quote from: Axel on 22:48, 26 June 22Okay, you are right. Batman did only one game. Haha. But one huge one.
Again, it's a matter of perception, really.
Pinball Dreams consists of just 4 fixed screens (/maps) and moves just one sprite (the ball). There is no visual or virtual progress in the game, no animations, nor any changes that alter the gameplay may happen. The only thing there is to see, is the vertical scrolling which we all know the CPC can do well (Batman are using a technique used since 1987 in Mission Genocide, so no news here). Then there's obviously the memory consuming graphical buffering which achieves the pixel-perfect colliding for the ball but this is also known and widely used.
The map with fixed colliders and trajectories is taking the bigger chunk of this game. I don't know if the original Amiga code may have been made available somewhere which would make things easier. But either way, the method was already there and the transfer onto the CPC could have been made either by disassembling the existing code or by carefully studying the original game. Of course not many people would enjoy doing it the hard way. Still, while this involves a huuuuuge amount of work, it is mostly logistics and not much of a technical achievement.
Finally, on to the matter of game design. Batman Group didn't really have to bother with it at all. And I'm not even mentioning graphics. :)
For me Batman Group are great developers but they are even more great marketists. They picked a game that suited perfectly the CPC technical abilities. A prototype for the C64 exists since 2005-ish, but simply because the machine is not made to expand the graphics to the borders, there's not enough screen area to display the table. This immediately renders the game 'unplayable' (without even coming to the second big issue which is the colour limitations) compared to the Amiga version.
So, bottom line, very smart choice of game. Popular back then, seen as an achievement on the Amiga. Technically easy to expand the screen area and do the scroll on the CPC. The game only moves one sprite. At the same time, the attempt to create this on the C64 was not successful.
Quote from: TotO on 22:52, 26 June 22QuoteWasn't Rhino involved in the R-Type Remake?
Not at all.
You're too humble.
R-Type CPC is made by TotO and Fano with a bit of help from other guys.
Quote from: rexbeng on 08:27, 27 June 22Pinball Dreams consists of just 4 fixed screens (/maps) and moves just one sprite (the ball).
There's a little bit more going on on the table, it's not just one (ball) sprite. Saying there's only the ball sprite is comparable to saying Alcon 2020 is only having the player ship as a sprite.
But yes, BG are good at marketing and they have the sense to port games that would work well on the CPC. Nothing wrong with the latter. Every system has its strengths.
Quote from: MaV on 09:16, 27 June 22Quote from: rexbeng on 08:27, 27 June 22Pinball Dreams consists of just 4 fixed screens (/maps) and moves just one sprite (the ball).
There's a little bit more going on on the table, it's not just one (ball) sprite.
Well, I specifically wrote 'moves just one sprite' and I only see one sprite. There's nothing else freely moving around. Other things going on on the table is colour changes, and the brackets which despite appearing to be 'animated' they are on fixed positions. So mostly 'map graphics'; someone with deeper knowledge on the coding side of things might put it in better words, but I don't think these are comparable to 'moving enemies' in any game. Sorry, I find the comparison to Alcon a bit off.
Quote from: MaV on 09:10, 27 June 22Quote from: TotO on 22:52, 26 June 22QuoteWasn't Rhino involved in the R-Type Remake?
Not at all.
You're too humble.
R-Type CPC is made by TotO and Fano with a bit of help from other guys.
If I were to come to an academic conclusion from this discussion, I'd say that Batman Group's marketing/PR has worked so well that every outsider or newcomer to the CPC scene is lead to believe that all good games on the system are done by Batman Group! ;D
I think I see where where we clash now. I'm one who wouldn't want to call objects on screen on a CPC in particular sprites, because that was originally only used for hardware sprites (CPC+, yes, that one has sprites, standard CPCs no).
So, if anything is copied into CPC screen RAM and is used in collision detection it therefore must be something like a "sprite" (or it isn't because no hardware support.) I don't like the term software sprite at all. AFAICT, no object on the screen in PD changes just colours, but feel free to correct me.
So static or not, it's a "sprite" if it changes form even on the same position for me, or we just outcast the term completely because not applicable to the CPC. It's far easier on the C64, it either is a sprite (because hardware) or it isn't.
I didn't say Alcon vs PD is a good comparison. :P
Quote from: rexbeng on 09:35, 27 June 22If I were to come to an academic conclusion from this discussion, I'd say that Batman Group's marketing/PR has worked so well that every outsider or newcomer to the CPC scene is lead to believe that all good games on the system are done by Batman Group! ;D
When I came (back) to the CPC scene 2 years ago, this was not the case. Yes, I had the impression, that this group could deliver exceptional stuff, with immense love to detail and quality. But even if this was definitely extremely impressive, it was always clear that Batman Group is just one of many groups and individuals that create amazing stuff.
Yes, indeed. Like brainwashing. Batman Group can wash some brains.
I really believed that all good games on the system are done by Batman Group!
But not anymore. I can see clearly now.
Quote from: MaVI don't like the term software sprite at all.
Well, what better name do we have for that, instead of software sprite, any idea?
On the Amiga it's even more confuse, they have three kinds of ways to do that: hardware and software sprites and blitter objects.
Quote from: MaVAFAICT, no object on the screen in PD changes just colours, but feel free to correct me.
Right, I also thought so and just confirmed: I can turn off the Gate Array using a switch - colors still changed.
@MaV Well, I don't know if I ever want to get involved into such an argument. It's not an ideological matter; a 'sprite', either hardware or software, is what it is. It doesn't change based on peoples' feelings. ;D
Besides, tiles are not sprites and may be used in collision detection.
OMG I just remembered how frustrated I was with some dude who did a video some time ago (Pinball Dreams was the reason for that as well) arguing how he 'felt' the CPC shouldn't be considered as to having scrolling abilities, because those weren't inline with his concept of how the world should work. :picard2:
Quote from: etoWhen I came (back) to the CPC scene 2 years ago, this was not the case. Yes, I had the impression, that this group could deliver exceptional stuff, with immense love to detail and quality. But even if this was definitely extremely impressive, it was always clear that Batman Group is just one of many groups and individuals that create amazing stuff.
For sure a lot a work went into the production of PD, which is an excellent port of the original Amiga game, a 1:1 conversion which couldn't be more identical to the original. It really looks, feels and plays like the original, also the music is a very clever recomposition of the original soundtrack.
However, as such, the only part of the game which is truely original, is the introduction logo of the Batman Group (that was cool!).
The main idea that lead to the conversion, in my opinion, is the rendering engine that uses a CRTC hardware trick to retarget the screen address on each raster line. This trick which is widely used in demos of todays time, if not the first, it surely is the second thing you would learn nowadays if you start to learn doing demos. It was maybe just a matter of time that this demo effect would be used in a game - if one could still hope for games to be newly developed for the CPC - but which is the case as we all know.
The original game is so brilliant - it is still one of the most playable games even today on various systems including the PC - this brilliance now shines on the CPC through the brilliant conversion of BG. Just don't forget, that most of what you see and what you like was invented by The Silents.
I want to add that among the lamest things I ever saw and heard in the scene is that TSL didn't approve that PD could be sold. That's fore sure a minus on the reputation of TSL.
Quote from: rexbeng on 11:57, 27 June 22@MaV
Well, I don't know if I ever want to get involved into such an argument. It's not an ideological matter; a 'sprite', either hardware or software, is what it is. It doesn't change based on peoples' feelings. ;D
It is not about feelings or ideology at all, rex. Sprites are always in hardware. The term has been washed down to include "software sprites", and suddenly there are multiple ways to define something on the screen as a sprite because there is no agreed definition for something like a "software sprite". Very unfortunate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprite_(computer_graphics)
Quote from: rexbeng on 11:57, 27 June 22OMG I just remembered how frustrated I was with some dude who did a video some time ago (Pinball Dreams was the reason for that as well) arguing how he 'felt' the CPC shouldn't be considered as to having scrolling abilities, because those weren't inline with his concept of how the world should work.
Well, hopefully we are arguing at a different level because that is just non-sense.
Quote from: Nworc on 11:51, 27 June 22QuoteI don't like the term software sprite at all.
Well, what better name do we have for that, instead of software sprite, any idea?
On the Amiga it's even more confuse, they have three kinds of ways to do that: hardware and software sprites and blitter objects.
I'm not the one making the calls here.
The current term would be Shapes. It is used profusely in modern tools to differentiate them from sprites. I'm not happy with it but it would do if people ever came to an agreement.
Aren't blitter objects called BOBs for short on the Amiga?
Quote from: Nworc on 12:22, 27 June 22I want to add that among the lamest things I ever saw and heard in the scene is that TSL didn't approve that PD could be sold. That's fore sure a minus on the reputation of TSL.
I thought it was quite kind of them, to agree to the unofficial publishing without a risk for BG to expect legal actions. There were no official statements, but what I read, to me it sounded like "We'd like to support you, but we unfortunately can't agree that you sell it. But go ahead and release it for free, we will not take actions against it."
And this is (imho) a really great and generous behaviour. In my experience, licensing is trickier than we "normal human beings" expect. They might have some contracts related to PD and simply don't want to deal with these 30 years old contracts, buried deep in their archives. Putting anyone on this task need a lot of time and effort - and finally money. Just to then have the risk, that they overlooked something. Even a supportive company would then just say "sorry" and that they still accept the release is much more than anyone could ever expect from a corporation.
Quote from: rexbeng on 11:57, 27 June 22I just remembered how frustrated I was with some dude who did a video some time ago (Pinball Dreams was the reason for that as well) arguing how he 'felt' the CPC shouldn't be considered as to having scrolling abilities, because those weren't inline with his concept of how the world should work.
Don't waste your time with trolls. Don't use social networks. Ignore toxic peoples. Just do what you like! :)
@MaV Well, I am totally fine with the term 'software sprite' and can understand what it is when talking CPC, but also when talking contemporary computing (see: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/Sprites.html (https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/Sprites.html)). But for the sake of the initial argument, let me rephrase. I only see one
object freely moving around the screen. Are we good? :D
Also, no comparison to the scrolling guy's thing. :-[
Quote from: TotO on 13:32, 27 June 22Don't waste your time with trolls. Don't use social networks. Ignore toxic peoples. Just do what you like! :)
Sure, but that guy's argument was on another level! :D
It's always like that. They outperform every day! :D
Quote from: eto on 13:21, 27 June 22I thought it was quite kind of them, to agree to the unofficial publishing without a risk for BG to expect legal actions. There were no official statements, but what I read, to me it sounded like "We'd like to support you, but we unfortunately can't agree that you sell it. But go ahead and release it for free, we will not take actions against it."
And this is (imho) a really great and generous behaviour. In my experience, licensing is trickier than we "normal human beings" expect. They might have some contracts related to PD and simply don't want to deal with these 30 years old contracts, buried deep in their archives. Putting anyone on this task need a lot of time and effort - and finally money. Just to then have the risk, that they overlooked something. Even a supportive company would then just say "sorry" and that they still accept the release is much more than anyone could ever expect from a corporation.
Okay, seeing it from that perspective puts a different light on it. I didn't knew these details behind, so you might be right.
Quote from: rexbeng on 13:37, 27 June 22Are we good?
Ah, of course we are good! I was just confused initially about the one sprite thing. :)
I just realised that the link in the original post is broken, so here's the current one (as of June 2022).
NoRecess - Interview with Axelay (http://norecess.cpcscene.net/interview-axelay.html)
@MaV Ooooh! I happened to stumble upon this thing (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dBikF6IO5VBOeRsOEI1dfpZMGyZH2Es3/view?usp=sharing) also. I'm not sure what it is so please keep it a secret!!
Manuals aren't always right, there's plenty of examples that contain errors. :P I stand by my view that the term "software sprite" causes confusion. (And Wikipedia beats the CPC manual, of course!) :P
I prefer to read sprite (hard or soft is not a problem) than "CPC plus" / "CPC old", that really kill my eyes.
Quote from: MaV on 08:31, 28 June 22Manuals aren't always right, there's plenty of examples that contain errors. :P I stand by my view that the term "software sprite" causes confusion. (And Wikipedia beats the CPC manual, of course!) :P
This is the first time, that I hear, that someone argues sprites can only be called sprites, if they are hardware supported sprites.
If a system has sprites, of course, then it's meant it has hardware sprites. But if a program has sprites, who knows if the are only using hardware sprites?
Limiting the name "sprites" to hardware supported sprites only would lead to some weird scenarios:
With your definition, nobody would be allowed to talk about the "sprites in the game" as long as they don't have full information about the system and how the "shapes" in this particular game are implemented. What if a game mixes hardware and software sprites? I can already imagine the game review saying "Lots of action is going on, a heavy 8 sprites and 24 shapes are constantly on the screen."
Or: When you combine 8 hardware sprites to have e.g.an endboss, is that then one sprite or will it be 8? I would say it's one sprite. With your definition, you would still have to say "look at those fascinating 8 sprites on that screen".
Imho sprites are defined by the players perception of an active object on screen, not if the hardware is displaying it.
For me, every moving object on the screen is a sprite.
Quote from: MaV on 08:31, 28 June 22(And Wikipedia beats the CPC manual, of course!) :P
From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprite_(drink)):
Sprite is a (colorless, lemon and lime-flavored)
soft drink:D
A mystery solved. Now, we can come back to the topic. :D
Don't overthink it, eto. The term sprite is being used for software implementations since the early 80s. I'm not going to change the usage but if I can make people aware that its original meaning was meant for hardware only, then I'm good with it. It isn't my definition (see the wikipedia page), and the term with this meaning is from the 70s.
IT should have successfully made the distinction between software and hardware sprites back then, I recognise now it is too late, and superfluous since it'll die with the 80s computers. The other questions of your post would also have been solved back then.
Just, so you know where I'm coming from:
Compare it to the term "hackers". You're not a criminal if you're hacking around with an Arduino or your choice of hard-/software, are you? Yet it is used that way. Yes, there's the term "maker" now, but it never caught on outside of the small groups that call themselves so.
Is it 1024 or 1000 for a kilobyte? Marketing twisted a totally clear term to mean something that produces bigger numbers for their advertisement (and supposedly to help people who can't count numbers), and you have to second guess if it is actually a kilobyte now or if people mean kibibite. (Anyone who mentions kibibyte can royally fuck off, IMO.)
Or another example, one that in my book looks similar to rexbeng having to argue with a moron in regards to scrolling on the CPC:
Have you ever heard of the "social end of the pandemic" during the Delta virus surge (Die Diskussion war auf Deutsch, also "soziales Pandemieende.")? It's a euphemism for "We don't care anymore, let people die." There is no "social" end of it. The end of a pandemic is either the virus becoming endemic (we're close to it.) or it disappearing altogether.
The examples above are more serious issues than a discussion about sprites, really. As I said I know now where rexbeng is coming from. The PD discussion confused me a bit, that's all.
Quote from: TotO on 09:52, 28 June 22A mystery solved. Now, we can come back to the topic.
I wanted to by posting an updated link to Axelay's interview but people are ignoring it. :D
Quote from: TotO on 09:06, 28 June 22I prefer to read sprite (hard or soft is not a problem) than "CPC plus" / "CPC old", that really kill my eyes.
Good point! I'll call them 'classic' from now on. ;)
Quote from: rexbeng on 09:43, 28 June 22Quote from: MaV on 08:31, 28 June 22(And Wikipedia beats the CPC manual, of course!) :P
From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprite_(drink)):
Sprite is a (colorless, lemon and lime-flavored) soft drink
:D
I'll buy a crate, cover it in ice, and we'll meet at the beach to drink it all! ;D
Quote from: MaV on 10:04, 28 June 22IT should have successfully made the distinction between software and hardware sprites back then,
There! You did it yourself! ;)
Technically spoken it doesn't matter if hard- or software. Whereas software sprites runs with the help of the CPU, a hardware sprite run with support of a special circuit? But both processes seems to be the same: save screen / RAM content, overlay with another (bitmap) and restore. Am I right?
Quote from: HAL6128 on 12:48, 28 June 22But both processes seems to be the same: save screen / RAM content, overlay with another (bitmap) and restore. Am I right?
no. hardware sprites will not be copied to screen ram.
When preparing a pixel to be sent to the monitor the graphics chip identifies if a sprite is at that position and takes the pixel information from the sprite if it's the case. If not, it takes the information from the screen ram.
Quote from: BSC on 11:16, 28 June 22There! You did it yourself!
Guilty on all accounts, your honour! ;)