RAMPAGE Licensed BY Me... to a Coder!...

[José Pereira]

Hi.

Like many others I always wanted that A8 had more attention and even more than have all those games available on other platforms would be, that at least, the few games he had were good and properly done, converted by guys that know what they were doing.

Of course that on the past there wasn't G2F (and there wasn't me ) but also there wasn't market that get coders get more profits and so learn more of the A8 capabilities.

Now that we can, "Yes We Can" so why not..

 

 

One game that I always want to do a better gfxs and play was Rampage.

I finally think I got it. Now its up to, as always, find a coder.

I spent all weekend playing many versions, seeing YouTube videos,... and decided that the best would be to get the NES version because it looks good and in 32Bytes wide screen mode I'll get more CPU for other things.

 

At the same time I inspected the Activision's A8 version to see how they did it.

I already know for a long time that they did it using 2Players (16pixels wide) for each monster and DLIs the bottom vehicles are PFsbut then how's the helicopters...

Its like this> Monster0 its P0+P1 then you have an helicopter P2+P3 on that line but if its Monster P2+P3 then the secon heli its P0+P1. We never have one or two helis at the same lines as two monsters.

The helis and guys shoot PF_white&black and the bottom vehicles shoot the Missiles that aren't in use in the helis and monsters.

 

 

 

Using this same I can build the same but using the gfxs and 32Bytes wide of the NES version.

If I have a smaller wide screen then I can have less wide monsters and buildings and so I can have (but monsters in 3colours multicolour mode):

PM0+PM1: Monster_1

PM2+PM3: Monster_2

(then its the same for the re-use of the helis and all shots by chars white&black)

 

 

I intend to get all those Interlude screens like in NES but add the third monster (the gray-s one there isn-t on the NES version). We have three to choose but only two on ecah play 1player, 2players or 1player&computer.

 

 

Here you can see some screens of NES:

(this last two are a w.i.p. for the future 2:1 ratio conversion)

 

And some level's screens:

(I also intend to add these Bonus screens levels)

 

And here's all the levels screens:

RAMPAGE NES screens maps.zip

 

Now the on the A8 what I did and get so far:

LOADING SCREEN:

(Missing the third monster hand that I have to see and maybe try to rip and adapt from the C64 version (now that I don't want to get anything more from C64s )

 

And some screens (aren't no level but just some experimentals to get the buildings and most of the gfxs to see about the charsets and DLIs):

And I think that I still have some free chars to get some 'nice' more type of buildings and windows)

 

Tomorrow I'll post some frames of the monsters and helicopters PMGs frames...

 

 

The game doesn-t use much memory, just three charsets (not counting with loading screen):

Charset_1: Hi;Resolution letters, numbers and symbols for the tittle page, hi;scores, status,...

Charset_2: The Playing (sky, buildings, guys on windows and all the enemys and bullets)

Charset_3: The bottom road and those vehicles

 

Then you just have to add the PMGs helis and monsters frames data.

It's possible but @Who will get the JOB?"

 

 

Jose Pereira.

 

 

 

 

 

P.s.- Just wanna say that I have the License from the owners:

"Jose from Portugal, TRINC."

 

'TRINC' instead on 'INC' because it cames from "Trincadeira" that is one of the Portuguese good wine type of grapes!

Edited January 27, 2014 by José Pereira

[+Gemintronic]

How did you get the license? I also develop homebrew and am new to the process. Any information you could share would be appreciated

[+nanochess]

I also want to know

[Tempest]

You got the license to the original 8-bit version or to the actual game itself?

 

Last I looked Rampage was still a somewhat used property in the modern era (all those World Tour games only came out 10 or so years ago). I have a hard time believing that whoever owns the license these days would let anyone use it unless they were paid handsomely for it.

[José Pereira]

How did you get the license? I also develop homebrew and am new to the process. Any information you could share would be appreciated

I'm Jooking!...

 

 

EDIT: I am saying that I'm giving the license to convert the game into A8 with these looking done by me .

Edited January 27, 2014 by José Pereira

[popmilo]

Then you just have to add the PMGs helis and monsters frames data.

Is 4 PMs enough ?

[Wrathchild]

I think the helis and monsters don't overlap on the Y-axis and so should be OK.

I worked on the code when trying to port it to the 5200, so have compilable sources if anyone wanted to take up José's challenge.

(or if someone wanted to try and find out why the bug in the 5200 version is happening)

[José Pereira]

Hi.

Here it is.

Its just a question of resizing the gfxs. If we now have the screen in 32Bytes Narrow wide Mode then the monsters doesn-t have to be so widest.

I take them from the 7800 version and just resize them but they could look better if some, 4or5 scanlines higher each.

 

More important than theire size is that they are in a way that the monsters hands touch real the windows (and this isn-t not present in some versions and even with large+wide monsters).

Just to compare my A8 proposal to an NES screen you'll see that there-s not soo much difference:

 

 

In the meantime I also get another one of the Interlude screens:

 

 

 

 

P.s.: GroovyBee: Is there anyway, somewhere or if that doesn't give you soo much trouble to extarct the 7800 version monster .png sprites frames for me to convert and resize into my A8 idea_

Thanks.

Jose Pereira.

Edited January 29, 2014 by José Pereira

[Wrathchild]

Looks like you are looking to use the full 224 pixels high. The Atari implementation was PAL only and making it NTSC I recall is tight and so I wouldn't be too sure if the framerate could be maintained with the improved graphics.

[José Pereira]

@Wrathchild: I am using a 224scanlines screen but it can be other.

At the top of the picture I have 5charlines in hi-res like this:

-> 2charlines for score and damage bar

-> 3charlines for the nicer higher resolution top of buildings and far on horizon small helicopters

 

These 3charlines are there just because I think they look nice.

For a PAL version they are O.K. but not for an NTSC one? No problem I can have just the scores and damages 2charlines (maybe only hi-res 1charline under). Like in other versions with less available scanlines the buildings can reach the top (in levels they are overlaping the text/bar they don't show).

A minimum its 200scanlines/25charlines but to look better and to, at least, go into what I have in mind 208scanlines is what I need.

Screen in 32Bytes wide screen and 208scanlines/26charlines would be good to an NTSC version?

And for coding having it always with same, for PAL and NTSC, screen high best for coding?

 

 

P.s.- In the meantime I find some better and good to convert to A8 PMGs monsters more 'arcadeish' like and not so uggly/fat that those from the 7800 version.

I'll show you tomorrow together with the less scanlines in-use re-sized screen.

[+Gemintronic]

Since we're really not going to get the Rampage license why don't we come up with alternate names?

 

I vote for:

 

Dankey Kang Karnage

[José Pereira]

And maybe it would look even better having more dark blank scanlines on top and bottom of the screen.

Because we are using the 32Bytes mode narrow screen then a maybe a best looking with some larger borders on top and bottom together with the already wides ones on the sides.

 

 

Better the name be one word only. But do we really need to change the name?

Yes, I know that there's always the copyright but maybe they don't bother. It just a remake like many others (like many the same, even on modern P.C. like Last Ninja, Dan Dare, Out Run(s), Bruce Lee II,...) and its free.

What can they do? Don't want I get that the file isn't public available on web? If a coder gets it I'm sure anyone will send others the game file !

[Lynxpro]

Awesome. It would be funny if the A8/5200 version ends up superior to the 7800 version. Would the Lizard character eat up too much RAM as player 3 on the 800 and 5200?

[José Pereira]

Awesome. It would be funny if the A8/5200 version ends up superior to the 7800 version. Would the Lizard character eat up too much RAM as player 3 on the 800 and 5200?

It's not the Ram but because on A8 we can only have two multicolour hardware sprites are the machine's maximum per line allowed (then re-used for helis and shots have to be chars).

And to have these two I even have to resized them to be less wide (but as you can see from the NES 32Bytes wide screen the A8 has almost identical width and seem good 'vs' the size of buidings).

You can choose any two of the three monsters and then:

ONE or TWO players mode.

If in ONE player mode then the second monster is controlled by the computer.

[José Pereira]

Hi.

Here it is a screen that use 208scanlines:

Using 208 can be good but to have more like Arcade with some of those higher buildings the best would be using 216scanlines sothat I can have 8floors (ground and more 7 possible):

 

The original A8 screen use 224scanlines but is in 40Bytes wide mode. Would mine 216scanlines and 32Bytes wides work on NTSC?

 

 

 

 

And I discouver that the great 7800 fan PacManPlus did some remake on the 7800 monsters sprites and I just remake them into the A8 PMGs.

In a 208scanlines screen:

And in the 216scanlines screen:

[PAC-MAN-RED]

And I discouver that the great 7800 fan PacManPlus did some remake on the 7800 monsters sprites and I just remake them into the A8 PMGs.

 

I think you meant Pac-Man-Red. But since Bob is so popular around here, and his and my name are similar, it's hard not to get them mixed up.

[José Pereira]

Yes, PLUS its the man doing and releasing those todays 7800 new games.

But yes, the sprites are from you PAC-MAN-RED and it seems you're also famous on the 7800 community or you wouldn't be challenged to remake the Rampage sprites (http://atariage.com/forums/topic/200238-a-challenge-to-pac-man-red) .

Edited January 31, 2014 by José Pereira

[PAC-MAN-RED]

Yes, PLUS its the man doing and releasing those todays 7800 new games.

But yes, the sprites are from you PAC-MAN-RED and it seems you're also famous on the 7800 community or you wouldn't be challenged to remake the Rampage sprites (http://atariage.com/forums/topic/200238-a-challenge-to-pac-man-red) .

 

 

Here's George punching in the various positions found in the Arcade game:

 

 

The first set is George in 2x size for illustrative purposes. Second and third is George tiled up as described in the image. It helps to see the parts that are duplicated amongst the frames(or maybe it's just me stuck in 7800 mode ).

[José Pereira]

Thanks man.

Great help although now begins the trouble to make it onto A8 PMGs.

If it was just 1monster/1player it would be a direct port.

But for two monsters? Hmmm...

I have an idea that maybe its possible and still keep the 'almost' same width of the monsters. The most important is that they reach the same places as on original.

When I was expecting your work of the punch I didn't thought of so many frames. Great that you did them all.

[José Pereira]

In the meantime I ddid the gfxs chars tiles into just one charset and still have free chars to get the destroying ones:

 

And berfore Pac_Man_Red frames I tried some ways of the punch. I think that I can them almost good looking having in this ocasion the Missiles in double width:

 

 

Now it-s a great challenge to see if from his frames this work.

 

[José Pereira]

EDIT: Forgot to say that the green and pale green can change colours from level to level.

It woks like this:

BAK: Always dark blue3 (90)

PF0: Always white

PF1: Change possible to (any colour,any luminance)

PF2: Change possible to (any colour, any luminance)

PF3: Always gray light (0A)

Edited February 5, 2014 by José Pereira