Nicky Boom for CPC ?

[LTronic]

Level 1 Old :


Level 1 Plus :

Yes, you're right.
I am preparing a tech demo DSK with intro screens, a small portion (10%) of the level 1 tilemap being scrollable and music.
What are your thoughts guys ? Go "Plus" or Go "Old" ?


Pros for "Old" :
- It would work everywhere (if I can manage to reduce data and code enough).
- I can work with CPCTelera without hacking building scripts


Cons for "Old" :
- It will be less close to original game.
- I will have to fight for months to fit the game into it, if even possible...
- No smooth scrolling


Pros for "Plus" :
- I am 100% sure I can fit it in 512K CPR file for Plus
- Graphics would be exactly like the tilemap you attached (I ran same tests)


Cons for "Plus" :
- Is there any interest in a "Plus" only release ?
- I will have to deal with custom scripts to build CPR file
- I will need to learn how to use Plus specific features (pixel scrolling at least)


Let me know

[robcfg]

Actually, if you use a DanDanator for the CPC old, you'll have the benefits of the cartridge for it.


I voted for Plus, as I think it's time to see more games for it.

[jesusdelmas]

You should do it for the normal cpc, 99% of this comunitty will thank you, and also with the cpc dandanator you wont have many problems fitting the game

[XeNoMoRPH]

i don't have cpc+ at the moment , so i voted for old cpc hehe , i have dandanator too 

[andycadley]

The Plus really needs a title to show off just what it is capable of and this would be a great fit. The extra features aren't particularly hard to use and making it look better than the ST version with smooth scrolling would be the icing on the cake.


Choosing the Plus hardware for a cartridge is also arguably less esoteric than something like a Dandanator, so more people would get to play the end product.

[robcfg]

The DanDanator works very similar to the Plus cartridge, so it is not esoteric at all. The great advantage is that it works on regular CPC machines.


In my eyes, the Plus series deserve a little love despite its flaws.

[LTronic]

Am I missing something or there is no "firmware friendly" code for Arkos Tracker 2 playback ?


I can see the code it's using heavily the Z80 alt registers.


In AT1 code bundled with CPCTelera there is a PLY_SystemFriendly value use to generate such code..


Once I have started music even if I stop properly using PLY_AKG_Stop and restoring firmware I can't do anymore loading (which kinda sucks).

[Targhan]

You have to do it yourself, as most of time, you don't need to do it. It is specific to your use case, and it's not hard to do.
You may need to save all the registers, or only the ones used by the system (AF', BC', IX, IY). Simply use the snippet from AT1 if you want to.

There is also a Basic wrapper in the latest version, which does that (in the AKG/testers), you can extract the code from it.

[LTronic]

You have to do it yourself, as most of time, you don't need to do it. It is specific to your use case, and it's not hard to do.
You may need to save all the registers, or only the ones used by the system (AF', BC', IX, IY). Simply use the snippet from AT1 if you want to.

There is also a Basic wrapper in the latest version, which does that (in the AKG/testers), you can extract the code from it.

Thank you so much it works !!!

[LTronic]

Hi guys,


Here is attached a demo of my current status of this project.
As you will see I do not know how to keep mode 0 active while loading (firmware active).. If possible, I can guess I should hook firmware interrupt handler ?


Hope you enjoy it, took me a lot of labour.

[Arnaud]

Hi,
good start, finally how memory takes the level ?

As you will see I do not know how to keep mode 0 active while loading (firmware active).. If possible, I can guess I should hook firmware interrupt handler ?

You have also to set the Mode for firmware (and palette is you want)

Here assembly file :

Code: [Select]

void SetFWMode(u8 border)

[Shining]

Thanks a lot !


I am into the process of making some tools to optimize / edit the game data, saving every possible byte.


I am more and more considering targeting a cart... Is there any tutorial / instructions regarding building a cart (.CPR) using SDCC toolchain ?

Are you developing under windows? For my schnapps demo I've written a tool, to build a cart together. And I use also SDCC for some parts...
You can give the tool a bin-file and say in which cart-page the file should put in. Also you can add an offset to include more than one file per page.
If a file is bigger than 16kb it will be put in several pages...

[Shining]

And keep in mind, that you start up from scratch on a cart. Normally there is no operating system...

[LTronic]

I started on Windows, switched to Linux since I use SDDC 3.9 snapshot which give better compilation results (and working peepholes file) but do not work for some reason with Cygwin, probably an environment problem.

I am interested in your tool if you can share it.


Regarding memory, the tiles fit in 16K page, the tilemap is split from (400x50) to ten (40x50) subzones so far.
I will start looking at making a simple cart from this, and I think I should then be able to move forward.

[andycadley]

And keep in mind, that you start up from scratch on a cart. Normally there is no operating system...

Honestly that typically makes it a lot easier though. You stop having to worry about the firmware getting in the way and, since everything is in ROM somewhere, don't need to faff about with loading routines.

[Shining]

Put it in the wiki:


http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Bin2cart


I've also written a tool to convert a sprite, wich was converted with convimgcpc to a plus-sprite.


It works like this:


Convimgcpc-output:

Code: [Select]


        DB      #C0, #C0, #C0, #D0, #E4, #40, #C0, #C4
        DB      #C0, #C0, #C0, #F0, #F0, #CC, #C0, #D8
        DB      #C0, #C0, #B4, #B4, #F0, #E4, #CC, #F0
        DB      #C0, #D0, #78, #3C, #78, #8C, #8C, #CC
        DB      #C0, #50, #3C, #3C, #F0, #18, #30, #0C
        DB      #80, #D8, #3C, #78, #F0, #0C, #30, #24
        DB      #80, #D8, #F0, #F0, #D8, #4C, #64, #64
        DB      #80, #CC, #CC, #CC, #8C, #4C, #64, #CC
        DB      #80, #30, #10, #24, #0C, #64, #8C, #30
        DB      #80, #00, #04, #0C, #0C, #64, #18, #30
        DB      #C0, #00, #10, #CC, #0C, #24, #08, #18
        DB      #C0, #80, #00, #4C, #18, #18, #20, #24
        DB      #C0, #C0, #80, #00, #30, #20, #00, #30
        DB      #C0, #C0, #C0, #00, #00, #00, #10, #30
        DB      #C0, #C0, #C0, #C0, #80, #10, #30, #20
        DB      #C0, #C0, #C0, #C0, #C0, #80, #00, #00

gets converted to:

Code: [Select]

        DB      #01,#01, #01,#01, #01,#01, #01,#05, #05,#03, #00,#01, #01,#01, #01,#03
        DB      #01,#01, #01,#01, #01,#01, #05,#05, #05,#05, #03,#03, #01,#01, #03,#05
        DB      #01,#01, #01,#01, #05,#06, #05,#06, #05,#05, #05,#03, #03,#03, #05,#05
        DB      #01,#01, #01,#05, #06,#05, #06,#06, #06,#05, #03,#02, #03,#02, #03,#03
        DB      #01,#01, #00,#05, #06,#06, #06,#06, #05,#05, #02,#04, #04,#04, #02,#02
        DB      #01,#00, #03,#05, #06,#06, #06,#05, #05,#05, #02,#02, #04,#04, #04,#02
        DB      #01,#00, #03,#05, #05,#05, #05,#05, #03,#05, #02,#03, #04,#03, #04,#03
        DB      #01,#00, #03,#03, #03,#03, #03,#03, #03,#02, #02,#03, #04,#03, #03,#03
        DB      #01,#00, #04,#04, #00,#04, #04,#02, #02,#02, #04,#03, #03,#02, #04,#04
        DB      #01,#00, #00,#00, #00,#02, #02,#02, #02,#02, #04,#03, #02,#04, #04,#04
        DB      #01,#01, #00,#00, #00,#04, #03,#03, #02,#02, #04,#02, #02,#00, #02,#04
        DB      #01,#01, #01,#00, #00,#00, #02,#03, #02,#04, #02,#04, #04,#00, #04,#02
        DB      #01,#01, #01,#01, #01,#00, #00,#00, #04,#04, #04,#00, #00,#00, #04,#04
        DB      #01,#01, #01,#01, #01,#01, #00,#00, #00,#00, #00,#00, #00,#04, #04,#04
        DB      #01,#01, #01,#01, #01,#01, #01,#01, #01,#00, #00,#04, #04,#04, #04,#00
        DB      #01,#01, #01,#01, #01,#01, #01,#01, #01,#01, #01,#00, #00,#00, #00,#00

Where colour 0 from the original gets trasparent on sprite.

[LTronic]

Thanks to everyone

I will go to the plus / CPR route.
Firmware is indeed PITA to deal with.

[jesusdelmas]

Oh.. you go for the plus series, sad news for 3000 people of this forum   but 3 people will be very happy hehe.


Anyway you are the programer so you can do what you want do and its perfect, i just liked the game for the real amstrad hehe.

[robcfg]

If you want it so badly on regular CPCs, you can port it yourself 

[Shining]

Oh.. you go for the plus series, sad news for 3000 people of this forum   but 3 people will be very happy hehe.


Anyway you are the programer so you can do what you want do and its perfect, i just liked the game for the real amstrad hehe.

I don't think so:there are much more plusses that 3.
Think only about those >50 gx4000 an uk seller sold 2-3 years ago over ebay.co.uk....I bought mine there and it was priced 50€ and was mint.

[LTronic]

Oh.. you go for the plus series, sad news for 3000 people of this forum   but 3 people will be very happy hehe.


Anyway you are the programer so you can do what you want do and its perfect, i just liked the game for the real amstrad hehe.

If possible I can do both but right now I am not sure.

[jesusdelmas]

If you want it so badly on regular CPCs, you can port it yourself 

Im not saying nothing bad about the game being develop for the plus series, the programes has the right of doing what he want to and its fine, i just said that more than 90% of the amstrad comunitty prefer games on the clasic amstrad, and thats a fact. Anyway im happy for the plus series too, forgotten machine with lots of capabilities

[Sykobee (Briggsy)]

I'm happy for a cart / c4cpc image


Indeed it may indeed be possible to refactor the game for the original CPCs as well - with the limitations of scrolling and software sprites - but I'd love to see a good plus platformer.

[Gryzor]

I instinctively voted for 'old' but then changed my vote. I'd really love a title to show off the Plus capabilities!

[trocoloco]

I voted for old CPC but I was really looking for a "Both" button. In any case it's all good, Plus machines deserve some love too and as others forum members, I also think that this game would really shine in it and perhaps even using the possiblity of samples for music or fx.