Jump to content
Have You Played Atari Today?
2600|5200|7800|Lynx|Jaguar|Forums|Store  

Mord's Blog

A blog by Mord

  • entries
    170
  • comments
    93
  • views
    98,674

About this blog

I'm really not sure what I'll use this blog for so I should probably leave this blank, but that would require backspacing. Much easier to just hit a period and stop typing.

Entries in this blog

 

Actually being productive!

It took a few days longer than originally planned, but I finally finished reformatting the old Action RPG code and it's dubbed Maze Realms now. Action RPG has a different code base that I haven't gotten too far with just yet. It's all good tho.   So now that the insane levels of potentially inaccurate comments and the like are taken out, I've started the second phase. That being fixing some of the bugs I spotted while I went through the first time as well as reworking some of the existing code
Mord

Mord

0
 

One hundred million billion dollars

I was discussing/ranting to nobody in particular on irc about how I'd go about doing a colecovision cartridge release, to get an idea of how much money it'd cost me to pull it off, I ended the rant with:     [19:55] <Mord> then take a large gold brick and put it in as a bonus since by then the gold brick will be cheap compared to everything else that's gone into the design. [19:56] <Mordiechu> but everyone will be going "ooo, gold brick. must buy~"   That aside, it'd still be f
Mord

Mord

0
 

(Action RPG) Status Bars

So after a weekend of mucking with code, and making the obvious typo errors as usual I managed to hammer out a status bar. It's functional if not exactly how I want it yet. For one, different color choices need to be made. Secondly, the code explicitedly write out each line (no loops) and that annoys me. I'm going to try to loop things up in version 0.008 as well as add a Mana bar to go under the HP bar already functioning. I also have an idea for altering the max-hp size for the bar as w
Mord

Mord

0
 

Adding Dreamcast to the Mix

Dynasty Warriors 6 is something I can hack away at for an hour after I get home from work in the morning. So, for the weekends I think I'll add a little more spice. As such, since the Dreamcast is technically hooked up anyway, I'm going to replay Grandia II for the Game Complete list. I should finish that before christmas no problem.   After christmas I'll play through Ar Tonelico in preparation for the release of Ar Tonelico 2 on January 20. When all that's said and done, or maybe befor
Mord

Mord

0
 

8k->16k

I had this idea that it would be easy to change the 8k rom into a 16k rom.   Yeah, I'm still laughing myself.   I'm still planning on it, since I'll need it for extra room for objects, but I have a few things to separate first.   Collision Routines: For some unknown reason, I decided to put collision labels in the object data itself instead of into a table. (Like what I did for AI routines) This had to be removed and put into a table so that I can push all of those into their own bank.  
Mord

Mord

0
 

Display Fixing

I've fixed the stretching effect you'd see in version 0.014 when the object would get too close to the top of the screen. At least I think I have.   *checks*   Ok, it's almost fixed. Looks like one of the two sprites, while it doesn't stretch, it doesn't display proper data for one scanline above where it should start displaying. But otherwise it's progress! I'll do some quick checking on that now this evening.   After this is fixed I'll be working on object coordinates. In the
Mord

Mord

0
 

More coding babble.

I fixed the glitch mentioned in the last post soon after the update. Not entirely sure what was going on but the bug was caused by good old copy pasta. It was testing one condition then setting a totally different one based on it and voila. Key-to-Heart glitch.   Anyway, I likely won't do the next part today as I'm a bit busy with other chores, but the next task will be expanding the drop-item code so that it can detect when an object is out of bounds when dropped - and if dropped while out o
Mord

Mord

0
 

Maze Realms "version 0.019"

Ok here's an updated rom for Maze Realms. (Previously "Action RPG")   Mostly this just fixes up a few scanline glitch scenarios and an update to the held-object/drop-object routines for use in the new direction this old code base is taking. (I'll be taking Action RPG in a different direction later. I figure it would be best for me to keep working on this code now that I'm familiar with it again along with getting a bunch of ideas for it!)   At any rate, the file names are being changed to re
Mord

Mord

0
 

Coding Days Are Here Again

I started coding on the 2600 again recently. I have this horrible habit of starting it, dabbling with it, getting carried away with some aspect of it, then losing interest and dropping everything for months and months. Thus when I get back to it again... I end up not knowing what the heck I was doing.   So I start over.   Usually with some totally different idea anyway.   I have like 4-6 different game ideas in my head as a result, some more hammered out than others, for the most part wi
Mord

Mord

0
 

And now for something completely different.

So like, I've been listening to a lot of vocaloid and utauloid music lately.   And so, since I've been thinking about trying to get my own projects back in order and to try to use this blog regularly again, I figured this is as good an excuse as any to learn how the media tag works. Here, listen to a song by CircusP.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cWVYwDv1IE
Mord

Mord

0
 

Data/Graphics Separated

Finished part 2. I've removed object data from the graphics data. This has several benefits. One of those being that now different objects can share the same graphics data - but otherwise be different. (Different size, different speeds, different AI/collision, different color, different maxhp, etc)   I have to clean up the code a little bit before I move on to the next milestone. I'll do that either when I wake up later today or tomorrow morning when I get home from work.     *update
Mord

Mord

0
 

So close, yet still so far.

I've ironed out 99% of what I found wrong with the display since version 0.014. There's no more stretching at the top of the screen, an object of coordinate Y can now be positioned in exactly the same place regardless of if P0 or P1 is displaying it. (noticable when you pick up a heart when the key is in the same room. )   While not intended, in the rom so far the heart always ends up being slotted in P0. The key will display with P0 if the heart isn't on the screen. If the heart is present
Mord

Mord

0
 

Maze Realms v0.019 source

Oh before I forget, here's the source for version 0.019. (20091113)   I've already started in on optimizing what's already there. Some things run a lot faster, other things have waste trimmed.   After I take another look through the code for "easy" optimizations, I'm probably going to start hacking away at the Status Bar. The only thing that Maze Realms is going to need is the player's power/magic bar so everything else is going to be removed. At the same time, I'll be centering the power b
Mord

Mord

0
 

The things you learn through Slashdot.

Now, I didn't RTFA or anything, so let's go by the summary on slashdot. Apparently the Copyright Board of Canada is proposing a tax/surcharge on legally downloaded music to the tune (ha ha.) of 2 cents per mp3, with 1.5 cents extra for an album download. If passed, this would also be retroactively applied to EVERY legally bought mp3 since 1996.   I'm pretty sure this isn't something that has passed. It's just the Copyright Board looking to lobby government.   What I can't understand is th
Mord

Mord

0
 

Nearing Persona 3's end.

I'm on the final month for Persona 3 FES now. I won't likely get max social links, but I knew that a long time ago. Still going to try to raise them as much as possible however. I'm also going to be going to Tartarus to run everyone ragged every 2-3 days when everyone's feeling ok. Basically will run one party ragged, then run the rest ragged, then I'm going to solo on my own for a while in the lower blocks for money. I'll then try to fuse up all my personas which is getting expensive now s
Mord

Mord

0
 

Disturbed: Indestructible

I remembered to check Disturbed's website yesterday and noticed they have some new songs up in preparation for the release of their latest CD: Indestructible. No clue how long the songs have been up on their myspace, although the top two only have half a million plays compared to the 6-9 million plays of the others.   I'm about as anti-RIAA as you can get, and I'm sure Disturbed's CD is going to be on a RIAA label, but I'm likely going to lower my personal boycott to purchase it. So long
Mord

Mord

0
 

On track for a weekend version 0.015!

I wrote a small diagram for visualizing what the display code was doing in the top 2 lines where the graphics corrupt. I'm going to keep that diagram. It kind of puts the code into a very simple to understand light. At any rate I knew for a while that there was a 1-off error corrupting the graphics I just wasn't sure what variable was off. Turns out it wasn't a variable but a constant. I was loading Gamefieldsize and Gamefieldsize+1 as the scanline to calculate the initial switchdraw grap
Mord

Mord

0
 

Maze Realms (v0.020)

Ok, this should do for another micro-version.   In this version I've redone the status bar. In this game the only things it will need is the player's magic/power bar, so I've removed the extra things. The color of the status bar (the blue part) will actually serve a purpose to indicate to the player when they step into a magic field. I'll be changing the default color to probably a gray color to indicate the absence of a magic field. This will be a function of room AI which I will be adding i
Mord

Mord

0
 

Blah.

I had something done for this week's Action RPG (version 0.008) but upon finally getting to test it, it failed spectacularly. It was so mucked up I didn't even know where to begin to debug it (all semantic/timing bugs) so I'm scrapping it and I'll start over. Perhaps the problem was trying to get too much done. I tried looping the kernel up some, modifying a position-a-sprite routine so it would execute all in one line, and adding the second bar.   Also, I'm starting to feel a bit under t
Mord

Mord

0
 

The move is finished, and now on to vacation!

For info on my wonderful week of the move, see here . I don't feel like retyping and whatnot.   One thing I will add however is that during the move my 250gig maxtor harddrive which was put in an external usb drive kit had fallen on the pavement while putting it in the car. Lots of dust apparently spewed out of it according to my sister. I was ready to write it off as dead, but when I finally got power back and hooked it up, it apparently still works fine. It's mostly a backup drive anyway
Mord

Mord

0
 

Fix one, get another.

Modified the heart placer to spam more hearts out, but more problems surfaced. The display itself is fine. These are with the AI routines. The flickerishness works, although it helped to unmask the AI glitches. The black key can still be lost when moving from screen to screen - if you're leaving a screen currently experiencing flicker. And the heart AI isn't correctly testing for itself. I'm guessing it just accidentally successfully found itself since the value being loaded just happened
Mord

Mord

0
 

(Action RPG) Version 0.015

And done. Mostly it seems a couple of the glitches that cropped up were just me confusing the meaning of some variables. And then "fixing" things that weren't broken. In the end I refreshed some of the code I was fixing and found the real culprit. (A comparison on the Heart AI and unnecessary checks on hardware sprites on the key AI)   Flicker works as expected although I can think up a few ways to help reduce flicker. Right now, for instance, even if the key isn't displayed on the scr
Mord

Mord

0
 

OH EM GEE.

It's the 16th and I haven't made a post yet this month?   Well, I guess that's bound to happen when I'm not doing serious coding. I have, however, been somewhat productive overall. Only 3 levels left to map out for Scrapyard Dog (4-3, 5-3, 6-2) - I've actually gotten a bit faster with doing them compared to way back when I was doing level 1-1. I'm not anticipating problems with 6-2, although the x-3's are going to be a pain I'm sure. Hopefully I'll be able to finish all 3 tomorrow.
Mord

Mord

0
 

Grandia II

And Grandia II is complete. Dreamcast version as I mentioned before. I have the PS2 version but I find it to suffer from some texture glitches in battle as well as slowdown. I'm pretty sure I missed one of the training books as I only had 7. Had all 8 mana eggs however. Ah well, I'm not aiming for perfection on these.   Since I got swallowed up in this game, I didn't bother playing much of Dynasty Warriors 6 at all for the last week or so. I guess this means I should focus on DW6 rather t
Mord

Mord

0
 

Scrapyard Dog

Haven't been working on the rom lately much, despite knowing what I need to do to finish the bankswitching glitch. With the spare time I've had I've been trying to work on an area I was building for a MUD called Aardwolf. (http://www.aardwolf.com/) The area has been on the builders port since like... 2001. The person I was building it with vanished, probably for good at this point since it's been over a year now. Most of it was done prior to 2002, there's just been extended interruptions/
Mord

Mord

0
AtariAge
Forums
Store
General
Follow AtariAge

Copyright ©1998-2021 AtariAge

×
×
  • Create New...