News:

Printed Amstrad Addict magazine announced, check it out here!

Main Menu
avatar_reidrac

Brick Rick (Development)

Started by reidrac, 11:42, 21 June 20

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Print
Go Down Pages 1 2 3 4
User actions

Gryzor

#25
10:26, 06 July 20
If memory is an issue I'd prefer something different than a score power-up (never felt the need for them since I never played for the scores, personally). But of course it looks good :)

reidrac

#26
11:46, 06 July 20
Quote from: Gryzor on 10:26, 06 July 20
If memory is an issue I'd prefer something different than a score power-up (never felt the need for them since I never played for the scores, personally). But of course it looks good :)

I like high score challenges, specially if you play vs other's people score; but independently of that, here there's another good reason: the score is used to grant extra lives. It adds a risk-reward component because you may need those extra lives! It adds a lot and it uses little memory :)

I know I have reached the limit of my current approach. In Kitsune's Curse (and Dawn of Kernel, it is essentially the same), the engine saved a lot of memory, but the map data was a big chunk of the total. In Magica I got away with it by simplifying the stages a lot (2 bits per tile!), but I'd like better backgrounds for Brick Rick.

So I'm going to try something new. I have an idea that will make the level design a bit more difficult, but I may be able to have it all: nice backgrounds, a good number of screens, and hopefully using less memory than I used is Magica.

Watch this space!
Released The Return of Traxtor, Golden Tail, Magica, The Dawn of Kernel, Kitsune`s Curse, Brick Rick and Hyperdrive for the CPC.

If you like my games and want to show some appreciation, you can always buy me a coffee.

Gryzor

#27
11:54, 06 July 20
Oh ok, if score gives lives then it's fair game indeed. I know others do care about scores, for one reason or the other, that was just my personal opinion, naturally!

Is this going to be 128K?

reidrac

#28
12:51, 06 July 20 Last Edit: 12:59, 06 July 20 by reidrac
Quote from: Gryzor on 11:54, 06 July 20
Oh ok, if score gives lives then it's fair game indeed. I know others do care about scores, for one reason or the other, that was just my personal opinion, naturally!

Is this going to be 128K?

Nope, I'd like it to be 64K and single load.

I plan to move to 64K multi-load disk only (compatible with M4), but for bigger games. This one can fit in 64K (I think).

PS: your opinion is cool!
Released The Return of Traxtor, Golden Tail, Magica, The Dawn of Kernel, Kitsune`s Curse, Brick Rick and Hyperdrive for the CPC.

If you like my games and want to show some appreciation, you can always buy me a coffee.

Gryzor

#29
13:23, 06 July 20
That'll be tight... if I hadn't seen your previous games I'd think it'd be the one screen only :D

reidrac

#30
09:51, 07 July 20
Last night I changed my map encoder from tilemap + compression to command based (programmatic?), went from 126 bytes to 69.

The basic idea is to encode the map features using commands that the decoder will expand with code. For example: a platform is 2 bytes (3 bits for command, 5 bits for width, 8 bits for offset in map from previous command).

I still need to tidy up a lot, and I may reduce it even more, but looks like I got to Magica size but with more detailed backgrounds.

I'm not going to go crazy with this (the decoder gets complicated quickly!), but if I can get 50 screens in around 3K; the game will definitely fit in 64K!
Released The Return of Traxtor, Golden Tail, Magica, The Dawn of Kernel, Kitsune`s Curse, Brick Rick and Hyperdrive for the CPC.

If you like my games and want to show some appreciation, you can always buy me a coffee.

Vyper68

#31
11:16, 07 July 20
64K means everyone can enjoy your efforts   ;D  but just imagine what you could do with extra RAM
Paul Woakes - Genius & Programmer

Thank you for Mercenary Paul

Sykobee (Briggsy)

#32
14:01, 07 July 20
I look forward to the Plus version on a cart with 7500 levels :D

reidrac

#33
14:58, 07 July 20
Quote from: Sykobee (Briggsy) on 14:01, 07 July 20
I look forward to the Plus version on a cart with 7500 levels :D

I'll send you my address so you can send me that 6128plus!
Released The Return of Traxtor, Golden Tail, Magica, The Dawn of Kernel, Kitsune`s Curse, Brick Rick and Hyperdrive for the CPC.

If you like my games and want to show some appreciation, you can always buy me a coffee.

reidrac

#34
08:33, 11 July 20
Released The Return of Traxtor, Golden Tail, Magica, The Dawn of Kernel, Kitsune`s Curse, Brick Rick and Hyperdrive for the CPC.

If you like my games and want to show some appreciation, you can always buy me a coffee.

Gryzor

#35
11:06, 13 July 20
Hey that's unfair :D

reidrac

#36
15:01, 18 July 20
This week has been slow. I'm chasing a bug and optimising few routines. I can manage 6 enemies and it is almost perfect; I don't think I will, but it means I have room to do some interesting bits.

I've been planing enemies too, so stay tuned!
Released The Return of Traxtor, Golden Tail, Magica, The Dawn of Kernel, Kitsune`s Curse, Brick Rick and Hyperdrive for the CPC.

If you like my games and want to show some appreciation, you can always buy me a coffee.

reidrac

#37
18:43, 19 July 20
I think I've fixed the "phantom bug", or at least I can't seem to reproduce it now. Some of the recent changes could have had that effect, but it's OK. There's still some time until is beta, and then we'll have proper testing. So, moving on!

I've added a new type of enemy:

https://twitter.com/reidrac/status/1284862926101385220

It has some tracking code, like the Demons of Magica had; or more like the Werewolf of Night Knight.

That's 3 enemies already (+ the end time monster). Hopefully 5 left to go!
Released The Return of Traxtor, Golden Tail, Magica, The Dawn of Kernel, Kitsune`s Curse, Brick Rick and Hyperdrive for the CPC.

If you like my games and want to show some appreciation, you can always buy me a coffee.

reidrac

#38
22:32, 21 July 20
Another enemy: the Ufo. I mean, I had to include a flying enemy (even if in this case it was tricky: there's no enough space between those platforms!)

https://twitter.com/reidrac/status/1285686407181279235

Anyway, memory going down but think I'm still OK  ;D
Released The Return of Traxtor, Golden Tail, Magica, The Dawn of Kernel, Kitsune`s Curse, Brick Rick and Hyperdrive for the CPC.

If you like my games and want to show some appreciation, you can always buy me a coffee.

Gryzor

#39
09:55, 22 July 20
I like your pixel work so much... wish there were some wallpapers for my PC/phone :D

VincentGR

#40
10:39, 22 July 20
Too bad that there are not arcade stores anymore.
We could put this in a cabinet and I bet people wouldn't never thought this is running on a cpc.

reidrac

#41
12:36, 22 July 20
Thanks, I'm glad you like it!
Released The Return of Traxtor, Golden Tail, Magica, The Dawn of Kernel, Kitsune`s Curse, Brick Rick and Hyperdrive for the CPC.

If you like my games and want to show some appreciation, you can always buy me a coffee.

reidrac

#42
14:52, 25 July 20
New enemy! The robot.

https://twitter.com/reidrac/status/1287021557710192641

You weapon won't have any effect, you have to hit them with another enemy or using the dynamite.

It requires some fiddly respawning to avoid unclearable screens, but I think it will be OK!
Released The Return of Traxtor, Golden Tail, Magica, The Dawn of Kernel, Kitsune`s Curse, Brick Rick and Hyperdrive for the CPC.

If you like my games and want to show some appreciation, you can always buy me a coffee.

Gryzor

#43
08:30, 27 July 20
Starts looking quite hard, eh? :)

reidrac

#44
10:32, 27 July 20
Quote from: Gryzor on 08:30, 27 July 20
Starts looking quite hard, eh? :)

I just throw the enemies I'm testing to the test screen. It is useful for that, and to explore possibilities, but is not really "planned" as the final screens will be.

These flying enemies are harder than the witches and the ghosts in Magica because they move faster and the taller sprites require a different collision detection with some overlapping with the platforms; I'll use them with caution :D
Released The Return of Traxtor, Golden Tail, Magica, The Dawn of Kernel, Kitsune`s Curse, Brick Rick and Hyperdrive for the CPC.

If you like my games and want to show some appreciation, you can always buy me a coffee.

Gryzor

#45
12:48, 27 July 20
Ah ok, makes sense :)

reidrac

#46
15:15, 01 August 20
I added a new enemy. I call him "greenman" for now.

It has brains and a blaster.

https://twitter.com/reidrac/status/1289565530056044545

There's only one enemy left to be added, but is going to be difficult to draw, so we'll see how it goes.

Getting there!
Released The Return of Traxtor, Golden Tail, Magica, The Dawn of Kernel, Kitsune`s Curse, Brick Rick and Hyperdrive for the CPC.

If you like my games and want to show some appreciation, you can always buy me a coffee.

reidrac

#47
08:07, 02 August 20
New tileset, 154 bytes!

[attach=1]
Released The Return of Traxtor, Golden Tail, Magica, The Dawn of Kernel, Kitsune`s Curse, Brick Rick and Hyperdrive for the CPC.

If you like my games and want to show some appreciation, you can always buy me a coffee.

ervin

#48
09:44, 02 August 20
Excellent work!

Skunkfish

#49
23:19, 02 August 20
I can't even imagine how you squeezed that into 154 bytes?! Does this mean we'll be getting lots of different tilesets?  :D
An expanding array of hardware available at www.cpcstore.co.uk (and issue 4 of CPC Fanzine!)
Print
Go Up Pages 1 2 3 4
User actions
Powered by SMFPacks Menu Editor Mod