More games to come...

[peteym5]

I am sure there are hundreds of games we want to see get ported to the Atari 8-bit. However, I am only one person and don't be disappointed if I choose not to do some of these game ports. I know there are other programmers on here that may decide to do some of these games, or get more people to learn how to program the games themselves. Basic may be easy, but interpreter/compiler consumes large portions of memory and is restricted to floating point variables. I had been suggesting MAD PASCAL as an alternate programming language. I looked at it last year to help me cut down on programming time to make some games.

Edited June 20, 2018 by peteym5

[peteym5]

 

Ah. Good old Jungle Quest. I am working on resurrecting the game, trying to figure out what I am going to do with it. I wanted to do something like Mario/Sonic type side-scroller, but have the jungle back ground. Do not want to clone Pitfall II, but recycle a few elements from that also. My original intention was to use the extended memory from a 130XE to make a mega-size scrolling screen, run as an executable from Atari DOS. But may now be better to have it run on 48K/64K machines with changing levels. Bigger market. I have not figured out how much memory it will require or how much I am going to put into it. Would like to have really good graphics. Scrolling play field looks great. Need to get the player/missile multiplexer working with it again.

 

The Zookeeper, Klax, and Firefox clones are also still in the works. I am going between projects, copying and pasting code. Touching up graphics and display routines before getting in deep with the game logic for one of them.

[snicklin]

My original intention was to use the extended memory from a 130XE to make a mega-size scrolling screen, run as an executable from Atari DOS. But may now be better to have it run on 48K/64K machines with changing levels.

 

It might be tricky to implement, but using MWP https://atariwiki.org/wiki/Wiki.jsp?page=Ironman%20Atari#section-Ironman+Atari-MWPmight help you to have a massive map on a lower memory machine.

[peteym5]

 

It might be tricky to implement, but using MWP https://atariwiki.org/wiki/Wiki.jsp?page=Ironman%20Atari#section-Ironman+Atari-MWPmight help you to have a massive map on a lower memory machine.

Been thinking about that, or when you reach a certain part, you go off the screen, and a new section gets generated. But splitting the game into levels with smaller scrolling play fields may be a better way to go. It may be ported to the Atari 5200, but that version will have even smaller play fields. As you know these games are really a work-in-progress, and things change from what I plan or had in mind as the development goes forward. Jungle Quest most likely be a bigger than 16K Cartridge, a 32K or 64K Game on Williams or XEGS and those cost slightly more to make. The other games like Zookeeper clone, Solar Fox clone, and Klax all can fit into 16K. Currently I am only doing one of the larger games every few years because they take longer to make.

Edited August 25, 2018 by peteym5

[peteym5]

https://youtu.be/n0FuRAlBI1Y

 

Here is the latest I have for an unnamed Zookeeper like clone. I am working on having some additional minor differences and take advantage of what the Atari 8-bit can do.

[256 colors]

https://youtu.be/n0FuRAlBI1Y

 

Here is the latest I have for an unnamed Zookeeper like clone. I am working on having some additional minor differences and take advantage of what the Atari 8-bit can do.

Those animals look very close too the real thing good job

[+Allan]

https://youtu.be/n0FuRAlBI1Y

 

Here is the latest I have for an unnamed Zookeeper like clone. I am working on having some additional minor differences and take advantage of what the Atari 8-bit can do.

The source code for the sounds of Zookeeper were found years ago.

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/65629-atari-2600-zoo-keeper-audio-released/?hl=%2Bzookeeper+%2Bsource&do=findComment&comment=808176

 

It might save you some work.

 

Allan

[peteym5]

I have been working on my own webpage that will be a centralized site for a catalog with information, pricing, screen shots, and videos of the games I made for the Atari 8-bit and Atari 5200. I am still working on adding more information about some of the games. Some have special technical details like using different controllers, supporting duel Pokey or VBXE. Since I am using a free webpage server with limited bandwidth, there will not be any downloads directly from the page.

This is the hard coded HTML version of the page, I am working on a database listing set up which is a work in progress when I do in my spare time.

http://peters-atari-...webhostapp.com/

[+mytek]

Nice .

 

Great to see stuff like this, because weeding through these topics to find a specific game demo is tedious. Although if you had used something like Weebly which is also free, you would of had plenty of room and/or bandwidth to provide any downloads you likely had in mind. This is the web provider I used for my AtariBits website.

[peteym5]

https://youtu.be/DtkHPNmHW3Q

 

Update to Zoo Keeper on Atari clone. Making it a little different and will be revealing its title when the game is finished. Added some sounds and music. Will be doing the time count down bar differently in this game. Have to make it look and play different so it does not look like a rip of the original arcade game. Music is original.

[doug0909]

I don't know what the controversy is about you and your carts; I only have tempest and I really enjoy it.

 

However, I really don't want more carts; no space.

 

Have you considered selling Roms online, as is being done with so many C64 homebrews these days?

[peteym5]

I don't know what the controversy is about you and your carts; I only have tempest and I really enjoy it.

 

However, I really don't want more carts; no space.

 

Have you considered selling Roms online, as is being done with so many C64 homebrews these days?

 

No we will not be selling only the EPROMs chips. You need to plug them into a cartridge board anyway.

Edited September 5, 2018 by peteym5

[Wrathchild]

I feel as if you knew he was referring to binary images of your titles and, granted, a laziness in not investigating / reading previous threads to learn of the your position in regard to downloads might warrant a put down... but really... treating previous customers such?

[Level42]

https://youtu.be/DtkHPNmHW3Q

 

Update to Zoo Keeper on Atari clone. Making it a little different and will be revealing its title when the game is finished. Added some sounds and music. Will be doing the time count down bar differently in this game. Have to make it look and play different so it does not look like a rip of the original arcade game. Music is original.

 

Why are you so afraid of getting close to the original, while with Tempest you clearly used the name, IP and everything from Atari and Jeff Minter AND tried to stay as close to the original versions that inspired it ? Were some arrangements about copyrights made with these parties ?

[peteym5]

 

Why are you so afraid of getting close to the original, while with Tempest you clearly used the name, IP and everything from Atari and Jeff Minter AND tried to stay as close to the original versions that inspired it ? Were some arrangements about copyrights made with these parties ?

Actually that was KJMANN12 that alleged that he contacted Atari and other copyright holders of Tempest, Venture, and Laser Blast, and reported to me that these companies either don't exist or don't care what happens on obsolete platforms. I do not know if he did, never seen any forwarded emails, so he probably never did. He even said "F*#K THEM" to someone. KJMANN has not been working with us since 2015 and very much been inactive since then. We probably were lucky that nothing happened, and we know luck runs out eventually. That is what happened with 2600 "Princess Rescue," Nintendo came cracking down on people making retro games, making emulators available, etc. Some stuff is being released on the XBOX, Wii, and Play Station, and the companies have agreements for home console releases. Any of those companies have deeper pockets than anyone here.

 

Therefore to keep things safe during development I will make changes and include additional options so I can make the game my own and different. Along with giving it a different title. Also to take advantage of the Atari 8-bit graphics.

 

Also I will not be responding to any inquiries concerning pay-per-download as this causes controversies. You many contact Video 61 as this is his policy. Subject is irrelevant as many of the games talked about here are still incomplete and no decisions made about their completion or release.

Edited September 6, 2018 by peteym5

[_The Doctor__]

What if let's say a holder of intellectual property says... I see you've used our IP etc... as a condition of not prosecuting you please release in digital download form as well... or maybe says you took it so we are releasing it... since clearly you admit to ripping it off and trying to disguise it... lol just sayin...

 

Might as well just name it what it is and do the best upgrades ever to it all.

Edited September 6, 2018 by _The Doctor__

[peteym5]

https://gendev.spritesmind.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1558

Not sure full history of Princess Rescue, but Nintendo allows parodies or clones as long as they are not sold for profit. Probably what will happen if anyone else takes civil legal action over their intellectual properties on different platforms. So there probably not be digital downloads, cartridges, or floppy disk versions sold. I looked at Princess Rescue, 2 things that immediately scream Super Mario Brothers is the music and similar looking sprites. So they cloned too close. Albert released the binaries.

The games I am working on are work in progress and changes happen daily. It is not difficult to change the graphics, colors, sounds, or elements of game play. If someone contacted us about legal issues before the game is completed, I will either kill the project or make additional changes so the game can still go up for sale.

Edited September 6, 2018 by peteym5

[Mclaneinc]

Pete, will the multiplexer still be flashing as much in the finished article?

 

I just looked at the last video and to be honest I was getting a headache looking at all the flashing in and out players?

 

Its just focusing on the middle of the screen with all that going on is hard on my eyes and very distracting when trying to keep track.

 

It could be an older age eyes thing as I'm 57....

 

Just a question....

[peteym5]

Pete, will the multiplexer still be flashing as much in the finished article?

 

I just looked at the last video and to be honest I was getting a headache looking at all the flashing in and out players?

 

Its just focusing on the middle of the screen with all that going on is hard on my eyes and very distracting when trying to keep track.

 

It could be an older age eyes thing as I'm 57....

 

Just a question....

 

Unfortunately this is not an issue generated from the mulitplexer, but from the program logic allowing too many sprites to be crowded on a single scan line, I may add in something that prevent some animals from cross the middle of the screen. But that may take something away from the challenge and concept of the game.

 

The Atari 8-bit Antic/GTIA only allows 4 players + 4 missiles to be displayed on a single scan. In multi-colored mode, players 0+1 and 2+3 are used for sprites, the overlapping pixels become the value 2 player colors doing a binary OR. [4 OR 8 = 12)

[Irgendwer]

The Atari 8-bit Antic/GTIA only allows 4 players + 4 missiles to be displayed on a single scan. In multi-colored mode, players 0+1 and 2+3 are used for sprites, the overlapping pixels become the value 2 player colors doing a binary OR. [4 OR 8 = 12)

 

A challenge every A8 developer has to take with so many moving objects. Your case is clearly one where software sprites are the only viable solution. But are you willing and able to go this route...?

[peteym5]

 

A challenge every A8 developer has to take with so many moving objects. Your case is clearly one where software sprites are the only viable solution. But are you willing and able to go this route...?

it would take a time to port over to a whole different system to generate sprites, more time than what I want to spend working on this one game. I would attempt to switch to mono-colored sprites before attempting software sprites. Every time I experimented with them, they consumed much more CPU cycles and memory to generated them.

 

Have to keep in mind, the video is showing an extreme amount of animals on screen at once. Lower levels may start with fewer animals on screen and add more for the upper levels. Plus can try putting in limits that keep some in either the upper or lower regions of the screen.

[Irgendwer]

it would take a time to port over to a whole different system to generate sprites, more time than what I want to spend working on this one game.

 

To be honest I expected this answer. I'm wondering about you motivation to produce titles for the A8. Inspecting some of your productions I'm not able to identify a strive for excellence. The titles are neither samples for high standards nor let the targeted platform shine. In my case this is also the reason why I don't care about your publishing policy. The titles don't have any appeal to me that says "Buy me!".

 

Is selling these games without putting to much effort into their production really your major motivation?

Imagine a "Gremlins" without soft-sprites but flickering PMGs, justified with "many characters appear only in higher levels"...

[peteym5]

From experience, to switch over methods like manipulating the screen memory area instead of the player/missile area would mean rewriting large chunks of programming for something that is already working, figured out, and glitches fixed. Once I pick a method and already invested a lot of time, I finish with it. I chosen multi-colored player/missile graphics because it looked the best and probably was the best way of making more like the arcade game. It is easier to switch back to mono-colored sprites that will 4 sprites that flicker less, but will not look as good.

 

I am working on keeping up the challenge of the game with less animals on screen. Currently was a 10 sprite max limitations, 8 for animals. Games like HeliCommander used multi-colored sprites with a limit of 8. Got around the flickering by only placing 1 enemy for air + one for ground. Kept them separate. Secretum Labyrinth Dark Castles also limits to 8 sprites, up to 6 can be used for enemies. Many rooms only have 3 or 4 monsters, and there are rooms with only 1 or 2 boss type monster.

 

Also have to keep in mind that the videos are made using an emulator and conversion software. Many have stated when running on real hardware, flicker on real TV sets is less noticeable.

[_The Doctor__]

Pete,

 

It's okay that people note what can be done to move your' titles to a higher level, and I think they thought you were willing to grow and make that next step to a standard that would make you and the users proud. Please consider this as You can only gain from it... of course that and you would make a heck of a lot more money if you did so.

 

_Blaser__

 

ps- You only are getting this because you are so close to pulling off great or excellent things, you might not understand, that we are rooting for you. It's just our own character flaws written into our source that prevents us from conveying this pertinent info to you in a way easily processed without giving you the impression it's negative somehow. The suggestions are none the less valid- and will only help you grow as a programmer and possibly as a person if you can get past how things are presented and work on the substance it yields.

[peteym5]

I will consider assembler options to either assemble the game with multicolor or single color player/missile graphics That is the easiest switch that is still compatible with the existing program. Using soft sprites will limit to only using the 5 screen colors and I would need someone to provide the program code to generate them. That is something I never had interest to develop. I do have routines the generate sprites with VBXE graphics, but that is a much more limited market. Plus game would need a more expensive XEGS or AtariMax cartridge, and one of my goals is to keep costs down.

 

I am going to complete the game with the multi-color sprite graphics to see how it turns out first and see what else can be done to reduce the flickering issue.