+FujiSkunk Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 Hi guys, I programmed the NES version of this that was referenced a few pages back by a few people and I just wanted to pop in here and comment on a few things: I am a huge arcade enthusiast, having already ported Frogger over to the NES, and Scramble was a game that I've had in the back of my head for years as a game that I had wanted to port over to the NES... Oh, you ported Frogger to the NES? That means the Parker Brothers trilogy (Q*Bert, Frogger, Popeye) is complete on yet another system! Now somebody just needs to get crackin' on Popeye for the Atari 7800. Anyway, excellent job with Scramble. I have yet to buy any NES homebrews, but I think I know what my first and possibly second will be. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mewithoutYou52 Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 Oh, you ported Frogger to the NES? That means the Parker Brothers trilogy (Q*Bert, Frogger, Popeye) is complete on yet another system! Now somebody just needs to get crackin' on Popeye for the Atari 7800. Anyway, excellent job with Scramble. I have yet to buy any NES homebrews, but I think I know what my first and possibly second will be. Thanks for the kind words! Yeah, Frogger was the first homebrew I ever made back in 2009. I tweaked it a bit and re-released it in 2016 on my 4-in-1 compilation cartridge, along with my ports of E.T. and Sneak 'n Peek. Because why not, right? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nathan Strum Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 Since it has been mentioned in this thread a few times, and was recently announced as debuting at PRGE, we thought we'd give you a look at Super Cobra Arcade: Enjoy! 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 Since it has been mentioned in this thread a few times, and was recently announced as debuting at PRGE, we thought we'd give you a look at Super Cobra Arcade: Enjoy! Holy hell yes! Insta buy for me. Same game engine. Basically Scramble 2.0 but you pilot a helicopter! The player controls a helicopter through tight caverns, and the slightest misstep will result in the loss of a life. However, unlike Scramble, the game can be continued where the player left off by adding more credits. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Cobra Please tell me there are continues in this game. I will probably need lots of them... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nathan Strum Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 Please tell me there are continues in this game. I will probably need lots of them... Oh yes indeedy... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 Still no infinite credits like the old quarter munchers on free play, but definitely will help out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+sramirez2008 Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 Oh yes indeedy... khaaannn-tinue.jpg Wow! Thanks for posting the video. I'll need the continues for sure. This game is sick, but in a good way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 It blows me away that this is for the 2600. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochman Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Since it has been mentioned in this thread a few times, and was recently announced as debuting at PRGE, we thought we'd give you a look at Super Cobra Arcade: Enjoy! How is this even possible on a 2600! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 How do you test this? Is there a harmony compatible emulator, or is it 100 % real hardware only? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Stella! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschak909 Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 How is this even possible on a 2600! That Scramble kernel is really something. -Thom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 How is this even possible on a 2600! Extra Hardware Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iesposta Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 How is this even possible on a 2600! Extra Hardware Yes, but it only does more per scan line. It still only has the capabilities it originally did in 1977: Player zero, player one, missile zero, missile one, ball, Playfield, and background and same sound. That makes it even more amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 We had that discussion before, so I won't repeat here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 I believe Draconian and Super Cobra both use CDW driver as opposed to the older DPC+. This opens exiting new possiblities for homebrew games. I suppose with the Scramble kernel being recycled and ported from DPC+ to CDW, more elements were able to be crammed in creating more frantic gameplay... I need to go dig up my Super Cobra (vintage Parker Brothers) and actually play it before purchasing Super Cobra Arcade. It will make the new game that more awesome. Otherwise if I played the new one first, someday when I finally get around to playing the old one, I won't be like "this sucks..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nathan Strum Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 I believe Draconian and Super Cobra both use CDW driver as opposed to the older DPC+. This opens exiting new possiblities for homebrew games. I suppose with the Scramble kernel being recycled and ported from DPC+ to CDW, more elements were able to be crammed in creating more frantic gameplay... I need to go dig up my Super Cobra (vintage Parker Brothers) and actually play it before purchasing Super Cobra Arcade. It will make the new game that more awesome. Otherwise if I played the new one first, someday when I finally get around to playing the old one, I won't be like "this sucks..." Actually, they use CDF. cd-w is a person. However, he is the "C" in CDF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 D'oh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iesposta Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 Super Cobra was coded DPC+ then changed to CDF which saved 50 bytes.Because there was some last-minute CDF driver coding, Super Cobra is finished in BOTH DPC+ and CDF.I just caught the last note in the Jingle at the start was not C5. double dunce.I didn't hear that on my TV testing it, but when I just played the YouTube video it really stands out, bad.The versions at PRGE and beyond will all have the correct AtariAge jingle.Thanks to the member who posted the notes are "D D D D F E D C"! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H.E.R.O. Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 Surprised there were no WIP's for people to try out Super Cobra Arcade. Well, if it's from Jon Champeau it should be good enough for anyone. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 Surprised there were no WIP's for people to try out Super Cobra Arcade. Well, if it's from Jon Champeau it should be good enough for anyone. But waiting for WIPs to release on cart is sooo hard, and by the time the cart arrives at the AA store, I've already played it to death on my Harmony. That exact thing happened with Star Castle Arcade. I got the final cart and hardly ever played it. That's why I haven't touched for instance the Release Candidate versions of Draconian. I want to be surprised. So they say good things come to those who wait, but to just spring a surprise on us out of a hat like this is even better. Whenever some AAA homebrew developer goes silent for a while, are they gone or are they working on something yet announced magnificent title? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildBillTX Posted October 28, 2017 Share Posted October 28, 2017 Another amazing work... I'm impressed theres a bunch of sprites like the tanks moving along with the ship without a huge amount of flicker. Is there a rom for Super Cobra Arcade for downloading? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted October 28, 2017 Share Posted October 28, 2017 Surprised there were no WIP's for people to try out Super Cobra Arcade. Well, if it's from Jon Champeau it should be good enough for anyone. It IS good enough to satisfy a wide range of gamers who are into this genre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arenafoot Posted October 28, 2017 Share Posted October 28, 2017 Another amazing work... I'm impressed theres a bunch of sprites like the tanks moving along with the ship without a huge amount of flicker. Is there a rom for Super Cobra Arcade for downloading? no, not yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted October 28, 2017 Author Share Posted October 28, 2017 (edited) Hello all, Thanks for all of the kind words regarding Super Cobra Arcade. As has already been mentioned, it was built using the Scramble 'engine', and by that I mean the kernels to draw the background, the scrolling, and the flicker management. Almost immediately we were hit with the task of trying to squeeze in all of the Super Cobra level data in a 32K cart (some of the levels are *huge* compared to Scramble, plus there are 11 vs 6). This was truly a team effort as Nathan took up the task of actually stitching together screen captures from the MAME version and compressing them down to a bitmap representation of the terrain and object placement (using color matching). From there, Darrell developed a utility that converted these images into raw data. TJ took over from there are devised a method of compressing the data (using bit compression and also breaking the data into sections/checkpoints). I took the last step of writing the de-compresser code in C and integrating the data into the existing 'engine. All tolled it was about 2 months of work but we were able to squeeze everything in and also have room for all of the other additions of Super Cobra (guided missiles, shadow meteors, mines, roving tanks, etc.). We also used the extra space to squeeze in more sound effects and music (thanks to Mike H). About 6 weeks before PRGE, I made the choice to port the existing DPC+ SC code to the new CDF driver, mainly to get some more ROM but also to move some datastream logic to C to save on vblank/overscan cycles as all of the action in SC was causing screen rolls. It took a few weeks, but in the end it was worth it as we were able to put in more features like continues, animated objects on the score screen, some additional challenges like having the tank turrets rotate and aim at your ship on EXPERT level, and a pretty cool easter egg that let's you continue the adventures from the previous game. I personally made the decision to not release any WIPs of the game, mostly because we wanted this to be a surprise for the people attending PRGE. I did have a very small but dedicated group of game testers that assured me that the game difficulty/ramping, level progression, etc. was all up to snuff (thanks Keetah/Gray Defender/Mike/Nathan/Darrell/TJ!). I do believe in 'try before you buy'; the people who attended PRGE were able to play at the AA both (thanks Al for putting together such a wonderful display and thanks to everyone who was able to make it!). I will be releasing the full ROMs (NTSC and PAL60) prior to SC being available in the AA store, which I believe is sometime in late November. Thanks again to everyone and I hope you all enjoy the game! John PS My next game (which is already in development) will *not* be a side-scroller stage shooter! Edited October 28, 2017 by johnnywc 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.