New Release : BLUE STAR

TMR · Post by **TMR** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 1:13 pm

What a great start to 2008! i spent about an hour playing it last night and i'll hopefully find a bit more time this weekend as well and i'd like to put my name down for a joystick option. =-)

i've added a news item to Oldschool Gaming and added a note to the forum as well, by the way. =-)

fgasking · Post by **fgasking** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:19 pm

Fantastic

... this is an awesome little game and I can't wait to test it on the real thing. Thanks very much!

Kweepa · Post by **Kweepa** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:23 pm

nbla000 wrote:I suggest you to do just one version for both PAL and NTSC machines with Joy support too.

Yes, good idea. I'll look into that. Presumably there's an easy way to autodetect PAL/NTSC. [EDIT] Is reading the vertical screen origin (PEEK(36865)) reliable?

Assuming that you use a text file and DASM simply change the ORG $1000 with ORG $1001 or ORG 4096 with ORG 4097 and remove the first 0 byte

Interesting, I didn't know that. Thanks for the explanation and the fix. I'll put that in as soon as I can.

TMR wrote:i've added a news item to Oldschool Gaming

Thanks!

nbla000 · Post by **nbla000** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 6:08 pm

Kweepa wrote: Yes, good idea. I'll look into that. Presumably there's an easy way to autodetect PAL/NTSC. [EDIT] Is reading the vertical screen origin (PEEK(36865)) reliable?

The location #36865/$9001 contain the actual vertical position but the user may change this value before to start the game and you may get a bad info, the best way to check if you are working in a PAL or NTSC machine is to look these locations in rom:

PAL:
$EDE4 0C hard H screen position / #60900 = 12
$EDE5 26 hard V screen position / #60901 = 38

NTSC:
$EDE4 05 hard H screen position / #60900 = 05
$EDE5 12 hard V screen position / #60901 = 18

Kweepa · Post by **Kweepa** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 11:38 am

Thanks again, nbla.
Here is the new version with NTSC support, joystick controls and a title screen logo.

http://www.kweepa.com/step/games/BlueStar.zip

First post being updated now.

Source code is here for those interested:
http://www.kweepa.com/step/games/BlueStar20Jan08.zip

Mayhem · Post by **Mayhem** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 12:34 pm

Played this a bit, I must be missing something but I seem to get stuck and can't go on further, a couple of screens after the new colour scheme comes into play. Help?

Kweepa · Post by **Kweepa** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 1:30 pm

Mayhem wrote:Played this a bit, I must be missing something but I seem to get stuck and can't go on further, a couple of screens after the new colour scheme comes into play. Help?

Spoiler below:
You need to go back and up to get some more equipment.

nbla000 · Post by **nbla000** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 6:05 pm

This version use video memory too so in real vic you need to start the game typing RUN: [RETURN] not simply RUN [RETURN].
Using video memory is a little bit dangerous because if, for example, the user move up the cursor and type RUN: [RETURN] from the first row, the program crash.
BTW there is an elegant solution to this problem, by using Pucrunch the file will be 3,5K so video memory is not used before the user type RUN.

I need to post the pucrunched version ?

About Mega-Cart addition, may i consider this version the last version ?

Mayhem · Post by **Mayhem** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 6:24 pm

Kweepa wrote:Spoiler below:
You need to go back and up to get some more equipment.

Hmm... you might have to tell me which screen, I've been round and round in circles and just keep getting dead ends...

Kweepa · Post by **Kweepa** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 8:00 pm

Spoiler:
It's B1. Go up from E3.

Thanks again for the info, nbla000. I'll get this right yet. Yes, please post the pucrunched version.
This is the last version for the Mega-Cart, unless someone finds something wrong with it

Post by **Jeff-20** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 8:36 pm

THIS is the game I wanted to make! Amazing. Smooooooth motion! And unexpanded memory. My kind of game.

I want to draw a map when I play. It took me a while to realize I could fall off the lower part of the screen without killing myself. Habit.

Mayhem · Post by **Mayhem** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:15 am

Yeah I think a map will be in order myself here...

Kweepa wrote:Spoiler:
It's B1. Go up from E3.

Already tried that, but the room directly above where you've told me to go up from is a dead end... a mis-code on the map layout or something I've ignored?

Kweepa · Post by **Kweepa** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 11:21 am

Spoiler:
Here's the path to take. E2 E3 D3 D2 C2 C1 B1. I just tested it in VICE, and it's fine. Since you got from E3 to D3 you must have the jet pack which is all the equipment you need.
If you've still got problems can you post the set up you're using? Is it a real Vic?

Mayhem · Post by **Mayhem** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:32 pm

I'm using Vice v1.22 here (the latest) and tried it in both PAL and NTSC. Get the same problem. This is what confronts me when I get to D3:

Thoughts?

Kweepa · Post by **Kweepa** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 2:14 pm

First thought is BUGGERY. It shouldn't look like that. Does it always look that way, or is it random?
I just downloaded the D64 and the PRG and played through to that point with each and the room looked fine - the same layout as the first room but with a doorway on the left.
I know it's asking a lot but could you try something for me? Could you redownload the D64, autostart it and then record your progress to that room using VICE's recording history (Snapshot menu)? And upload it somewhere?
That would be great!

And sorry for the problem!

[EDIT]
Actually, if you haven't started yet, could you possibly try it with the latest version (I fixed a bug with some later equipment and pucrunched it).

www.kweepa.com/step/games/BlueStar.zip