TOTEMS by ESP Soft

[artaburu]

Hi,
I woud like to introduce our last game: TOTEMS Columns CPC 2. As it name says, it's a Columns game, yeeesss, another one, we made one in 2004 but it just allowed to play one player. Now you can play with a friend if you wish or against you if you could.
Game was made possible to D-o-S who designed the aesthetical of the game and 6128 who tested it.
Extra thanks to McKlain for designing the game logo and Litos for the media support.
I hope you enjoy it and not find it so hard to dessist after first match 


Regards,
Arta

[McKlain]

I'm waiting for the Metr longplay already. 

[Devilmarkus]

I'm waiting for the Metr longplay already. 

Or at least a millimetr shortplay?

Nice work, Arta!

[Devilmarkus]

Online: http://java.cpc-live.com/game.php?id=-T-&title=totems_cpc

[arnoldemu]

Or at least a millimetr shortplay?

He'll switch himself to quadspeed for this one.
youtube "longplay" of 10 days and counting...

Arta what happens when the score goes past max?

[artaburu]

He'll switch himself to quadspeed for this one.
youtube "longplay" of 10 days and counting...

Arta what happens when the score goes past max?

At this moment, problably Metr  will be shocked and nobody will know never what happens when the score reach the maximum.

[arnoldemu]

At this moment, problably Metr  will be shocked and nobody will know never what happens when the score reach the maximum.

Shocked because of what I have said?

Really I meant nothing bad towards him. His playing abilities are far better than mine.

[artaburu]

because he has to play for eons to achieve the maximum possible score. veeeery hard to get it.

[Metr]

Damn, If you &call 3 times my name I have to play... 


Arta, you brought me back the game gear memories! Great game

[TotO]

A totem is from America (indians) and an obelisk from Egypte... 
Sorry, but it's just a shame to confound that.

[artaburu]

A totem is from America (indians) and an obelisk from Egypte... 
Sorry, but it's just a shame to confound that.

Really?
it's a shame. I had to read more.

[TFM]

It's all from the very same small blue ball called Earth. Yes, earth, a very small blue spot in an endless universe. I think it's great that the game only uses motives from the same small world!!!
Great work btw :-DDD

[MiguelSky]

A totem is from America (indians) and an obelisk from Egypte... 
Sorry, but it's just a shame to confound that.

Well, arta, don't be so prudent... It has an explanation... but it's not the time for it yet. We will tell you later (if we can !!)

[artaburu]

Well, arta, don't be so prudent... It has an explanation... but it's not the time for it yet. We will tell you later (if we can !!)

MiguelSky, although the "explanation" you mean never come, totem can be a venerated symbol not just an american/canadian indian symbol. 
Is really necessary to discus it?

[TotO]

This game is really well done and addictive.
The diversity of the different game modes and level difficulties looks in respect with the original Sega Columns.
No extra strange things inside, like coders does usually... Good bonuses and 2 players versus mode management.
The music and gfx are in the spirit too. Finally, a nice gameplay achievement!
I'll like to see more games doing that.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Reading the answers to my first post, understand that there is no way to have a discussion about a cultural and identity symbol with peoples that though making a game on their old "ego-computer" is enough to excuse mistakes about past civilizations histories... Better to said... nothing.

[TomEtJerry]

Hello Artaburu,

I have just tested the game, that's really nice. I was afraid that the symbols on the tiles would not be quite easy to identify, but that's ok ! Clean code, very nice music and good animation. In fact, at the moment, I have only one complain :-). Why did you used a so little font for the menu of the game ? It looks really sad :-(. A egyptian style MODE 1 charset would have been nicer.

Anyway, your game is a real good surprise, and will enjoy my week-end !

T&J/GPA

[artaburu]

Many thanks for your comments. They really encourage us to continue in our next projects . We are still alive
Not sure yet but it's possible that in a few days we release a TOTEMS 1.1 due to some suggestions you made that we consider easy to make. The main game logic is in C (SDCC) and is easy to modify... but it last more than 5 minutes to compile a 28Kbs binary




Have a nice Sunday

[TotO]

I like the animated parts on the hi-score screen.
Your random algorithm look efficient too. The default C library?

If you update it, then here some things...

KEYS
- Define key don't allow to set the same existing key. (problematic if one key need to be like the previous setting)
- No key to escape or pause a current game (like ESC and SPACE as example)

TEXT
- The overlay text at the end of a completed level will look more readable if all the text BG is black. (no transparent space)
- On the score table, missing something like "informations" on the scroll text...

MENU
- Nice if the PLAY entry was on the top (default action) and the menu can loop.
- Nice if the current entry was set in big text instead of this little cursor... (stay on the game look, like hi-scores)
- Nice if the menu keys stay the same a defined for the first player.

INGAME
- I though that "[  ] Anubis VS Ra [  ]" display is useless as no player get those names.
- Let it blank allow to make free space between the game title and the nice rounded middle part.

FEATURES
- 1P Versus mode to fight the gods AI (big coding challenge)

[artaburu]

I like the animated parts on the hi-score screen.
Your random algorithm look efficient too. The default C library?

Thank you, random algorithm is not the default C library. It's a custom and very simple one included in the recently released cpcrslib for SDCC:

Code Select Expand


_cpc_Random::
LD A,(#valor_previo)
LD L,A
LD A,R
ADD L
LD (#valor_previo),A
LD L,A
LD H,#0  ; value return in HL
RET
valor_previo:
.db #0xFF


Some of your suggestions will be considered but I'm afraid that the last one will be for Columns 3. Very difficult and time consumption task.

[TotO]

Some of your suggestions will be considered but I'm afraid that the last one will be for Columns 3. Very difficult and time consumption task.

Sure, and it's not essential here. 
Good luck!

[Gryzor]

Gave this a go yesterday, before knowing it it had turned dark outside... so, I guess, well done!

Only gripe I have is that, because ot the mono look of the game and the complexity of the tiles, they're not that easy to discern.

Thanks, lovely release! Can I up it here?

[Bryce]

Gave this a go yesterday, before knowing it it had turned dark outside...

Eh, the clocks were put back at the weekend, that might have caused the confusion.

Bryce.

[Gryzor]

Erm, it actually gets dark later :p

[Bryce]

You see! All that clock moving confuses the shit out of me too

Bryce.

[arnoldemu]

You see! All that clock moving confuses the shit out of me too

Bryce.

isn't it the time that moves and not the clock? or move the clock 1 meter forwards and backwards depending on the time of year?


We've got one of those clocks that adjusts itself based on a radio signal.

So imagine this, you are off on your way to the toilet at night and pass the clock to see the hands spinning on the dial. Time's going crazy  Or.. it's just the clock correcting itself to the new time...  it's the stuff of nightmare films?