rpc_games

@TSCHAK909: Some people just mouth off before they know the facts. UNBELIEVABLE ! And, No in game screen shots for 2 reasons. 1, I'm still working on the main code. 2, Don't want to spoil the surprise for true Atarians. Pete Manager RPC-Games!

@ Stephen: Can I say I TOLD YOU SO now? hehehe Another 2 weeks and Centron 3D should be completed. Pete They certainly are

Hi Guys, I was so pleased with myself that I had to show you the end of level anim (well screen shot). The background says WINNER and the red spheres are rotating around the WINNER while the 2 girls are doin' their thang ! The anim looks quite funny with no music but sound FX and music is last on the list. And YES, it's using our CMODE. Not much memory left for 64k users so hopefully I can squeeze our tracker routing in there as well. If not I'll have to cut the anim down to half. End of level music is so important. Pete Manager RPC-Games!

@ Sniklin: Yeah, I know hehehehehe I don't know if their will be a C compiler but I do know there is a BASIC compiler. I'll have a chat with them and ask. We could have an Atari Emulator for the RetroPC1010, so you could rewrite all the Atari 8 bit games on the RetroPC1010 in MoveOS BASIC and then compile the code. That's worth thinkin about. Maybe some $ involved too. @McLaneinc: hehehe no no no no, I can assure you it's not dead. Quite opposite in fact. The OS (MoveOS2.1) is still being written and the hardware is being tested at the moment so the website is least of their worries right now. If you read on their website they had a change a microcontroller due to poor support from the manufacturer so some routines in MoveOS2.1 has to be rewritten to take advantage of the full speed of the new microcontroller. So a huge delay is at hand at the moment and they are looking to launch at the end of the year or early next year. We already have the hardware details, memory maps etc, so that's how we can already begin our first game for the RetroPC1010. Called Runner. Type of Skate or Die game. I say now, I'm having the feeling of writing new software for the RetroPC1010 as I did when I bought my first Atari800XL back in 1980 something . I Feel like a kid again Pete Manager RPC-Games!

@ Prowizard: The RetroPC1010 is a totally different machine. See here www.retropc.com.au We are writing a game for it at the moment for when the machine is released, hopefully at the end of the year. Our game will be bundled with the RetroPC1010 Personal Gaming System and if you want to purchase a system and start writing software for it then I totally encourage you to do so when it's released. It's a totally new machine and I've heard that theirs a few software houses writing software for it today. Just check out the hardware specs on the website. 24bit hardware sprites, hardware scrolling and lots more. Check it out. We are predicting that this machine will boom world wide just like the Commodore 64 and Atari systems did back in the 80's but without Jack Trameil So if you want to be a part of it, check it out. @ Rybags: Centron 3D is being developed using an Atari 800XL, 130XE, 1x XF551 and 2x 1050 Disk Drives and using 2x 22" LCD TV's - flicker free. We were using a Commodore 1084 CRT monitor at the beginning of the project but that died about 1 week of usage so we had to use LCD TV's instead. The Commodore CRT monitor was just too old. We only have LCD TV's now to complete Centron 3D and there's no flicker with this type of TV. We've shaded most of the graphics to minimise flicker for CRT users. On the Commodore CRT monitor their was a little flicker but the game was totally playable. All is going good with Centron 3D and probably another 2 weeks and Centron 3D should be completed. Cheers Pete Manager RPC-Games!

@PROWIZARD: Are you talking about the RetroPC1010 personal computer gaming system? www.retropc.com.au Yes, this is one of our other projects we are working on. @HEAVEN/TQA: It's not about the money, it's about keeping our Loved Atari computers alive and designing new software for a 20 year old computer. I miss that feeling of walking into a computer store with Atari's, commodore 64's, Apple IIe's BBC Micro's, Amstrads, Sinclair Spectrums, Sega SC3000H and I remember a Comx35 their as well. I also remember the sales person not knowing much about the computers. I probably knew more about the computers than he did. We probably will never have that type of feeling again so the best thing to do is just write new software for our Loved computers and keep that feeling alive. Pete manager RPC-Games!

@ Everyone: HEHEHE Yes, It's a joke. We have been programming in 6502 since 1989. Centron 3D is coming along well. The graphics is taking up most of the time. Coding is a breeze I Can't show you guys any video or any more screen shots as yet due to the graphics not completed yet. We are still drawing up the software sprites but most of the background screens and intro screen with animations is completed. It's only been 2 weeks. Most of the main 6502 routines are completed as well, so just waiting on the graphics and then I'll put everything together. One of my employees and I are working on Centron 3D everyday and the rest of my team is working on other important projects so there's really only 2 people working on Centron 3D at the moment. And with the code above, hahaha yes It's just a joke. I was having a Jim Beam at the time Pete Manager RPC-GAMES Aussie Land.

@ Mclaneinc LDY #0 LDA #46 STA 40000,Y LDA #47 INY STA 40000,Y RTS ; Pete

HI Guys, here's the official CENTRON 3D Title release. Thought you guys would want to see it. Pete Manager RPC-Games !

@ everyone: hehehe You guys are unbelievable !! Flicker on not flicker, that is the question hehehe The answer is....... Ready for it...... You'll just have to wait for the game demo....... It's coming. Now where's the on button hehehehe ahh here it is... Commodore 64 Basic..... WHAT THE !!! hehehe Pete

Hi Guys, CMODE DEMO is on YouTube. See here http://youtu.be/ELSv3s2pU0s Pete

Hi Guys @ProWizard: I'll upload a short vid of the screens we've completed on YouTube tomorrow and will let you know. Pete

@ Snicklin: hahahahaha You crack me up hahhaha @ Yautja: We are hoping to release it in a few weeks. Why do you say that? @ ProWizard: I would Love a memory cart but 30 cans of Coke and 2x 1050 Drives and 1x XF551 is enough @ Creature XL: We never tested CMODE on a normal CRT TV. We use a Commodore 1084 monitor. I have an old TV in the shed at home, I'll test it and see how it looks. Great idea @ Synthapopalooza: No, we are offering no prizes. Oh I shouldn' say this but your wrong with the GR7 mode. To everyone, I have uploaded the 1st intro screen to our official website. This pic uses ALL the CMODE colours. See here www.rpcgames.com.au Have fun guys Pete

Hi Guys !!! @ CATERPIGGLE: Centron 3D should work on both PAL and NTSC. @ JOSE: Your right, we're not going to say how CMODE works. Sorry, company policy. The game will be using all colours on screen at once and in that res, even on the game grid All colours. We will try and shade the graphics to smooth out the blockyness, but we need some cycles for the main game code as well. The software sprites will have as many colours as they need. Think of it as a low resolution VGA mode. Software sprites will be 16 x any height, but we only have 64k so we can't go too sick with extra large multi coloured sprites. Sure the 130XE has 128k so we can store data in there but not everyone owns a 130XE. @ SYNTHPOPALOOZA: Your close but that's not how CMODE works, but your very close @ SNICKLIN: Thanks , We had to sacrifice resolution for memory. We want it working on 64k machines. If everyone had 128k we could of had a higher res with more colours. @ Mclaneinc: What the game is about is......... Will be revealed when the YouTube video is released. An old car, street light and Astronaut??? You got the Astronaut right. It's a Delorean with the door open @ZuluGula: CORRECT !!! 10 points to you Sorry it's taken so long to get a screen shot but it's all coming together smoothly. I'd forgotten how FUN it was programming the Atari 8 bits. Pete

Hi Guys, finally our intro screen is done using our new CMODE graphics mode. To use our new graphics mode we had to create a pixel editor and this is why it's taken so long to do. Cmode itself took over a week to complete in pure 6502 and our pixel editor took another week and is programed in BASIC and 6502. Some routines in BASIC was far too slow so 6502 was the answer. More screen shots will be available as they come and a YouTube video of Centron 3D in a few weeks. Thanks guys, hope you like it. Pete Manager RPC-GAMES !

Look good so far. Congrats @PROWIZARD: Your just too funny Some screen shots of Cenrton 3D is almost done. I'll post them soon.

Each machine had it's own special features. Commodore 64: 8, 24x21 bit 3 colour hardware sprites, and the SID chip (sound chip) 3 voice with Sawtooth, Square wave, Pulse width and noise. This was a Synth in it's self. Atari 8-Bit: Many graphics mode, 256 colours to choose from, GR9 for digitized images. Mixing GR9 & GR11 for 256 colour digitized pictures, 4 channel sound with High pass filters, Square wave, noise and distortion. So both were (are) absolutely great machines. Commodore 64 would have probably been easier to create games due to it's 3 colour hardware sprites and the SID sound chip, and Atari better in the Digitized graphics dept and DISK SPEED. Commodore 64 Disk I/O was SO SLOW !!!! I could go and make a Coffee and the game would still be loading when I got back. That was the only thing I disliked about the C64. Sure you could buy a Fast loader cart but who had extra $ in the 1980's? No me. As most of you know, just take a look on YouTube at the Graphics and Sound demos on both machines. Both are truly fantastic machines when going beyond BASIC. If Atari produced an 8 bit machine in the 1980's with C64 sprite capabilities with A8's 256 colours with a 256 colour graphics mode and 128k ram then that machine would of killed the market. But then comes the problem of cost of creating the hardware in the first place in the 1980's, it was just too expensive. Pete

@Snicklin: Yes your right about people will see it soon and no, it's not like magic carpet. Thanks for the info on the compression routines but we are quite capable of writing our own routines. We will not be using anyone else's routines for our commercial game. Game Development: We decided to create a game for the Atari 8-bit just last month. We did have to finish a few projects first before we could start this one. Game Engine: We need to get CMODE256 (our colour mode) done first before I can elaborate on the engine itself. So far ANTIC has been happy with our video routines, so it's not far now before we can get some screen shots or some type of demo happening for you guys. More games after Centron 3D: It really depends on the success of Centron 3D. IF YES then absolutely. Pete

@ Prowizard: Thanks for your questions. I checked out the games you said on YouTube and they are absolutely great Yoomp is a great game and uses GRAPHICS 31, a four colour mode, but the scrolling FX looks great. Thetris and Rolltris are Tetris clones and nothing like Centron 3D, the game we are developing. Ridiculous Reality looks pretty cool as well, but gain, nothing like Cenron 3D. I see what you say about flickering sprites. That's what you get when you have the same PLAYER (PMG) on the same vertical line more than once. I can't really say much about Centron 3D, I don't want to spoil the surprise but what I can say is that it's a 3D Flying game. I have not seen anything even close to it on the Atari 8-Bits. If you know of any 3D flying games on the 8-Bits please let me know what they are. Also Centron 3D will be using a little more colour than the games you mentioned above. We will be using our own 256 colour engine to drive it and that's why I said in my earlier posts that Centron 3D will be pushing the Atari 8Bit to it's limits. ANTIC and GTIA will be working hard at VBL video updates and colour mixing. There is no comparison to the games you mentioned with Centron 3D. So the 6502 will be doing other calculations and not worrying about video updates. This is what ATARI designed ANTIC for, to take the video pressure off the 6502 but you probably already know this. I can't really say anything else about Centron 3D except that we are working on it and should have a few screen shots in probably 2 weeks or less for you people.. I'm the lead 6502 programmer on Centron 3D and the 256 colour mode for Centron 3D is almost done. We are trying to get as much data as we can into a 64k machine so ALL Atari owners with REAL ATARI's (not emulators) can play our game. This will also allow for less disk access as well. Of course our game will check for extended ram and use it but our primary attention is to get it working on 64k machines for ALL to play. I hope this answers your questions. @Snicklin: Your right Pete

Thanks guys, it's good to see support for the Atari 8-Bit's even after all these years. @Rybags: Thanks for that but the link doesn't work. Pete

Hi Everyone, I was just looking in the AtariAGE Store and only seen 2 new games for the Atari 8-bit computers. Are people still writing games for the Atari 8-Bits or are we the only one? Pete Manager RPC-Games! www.rpcgames.com.au

Nice piece of hardware. We may purchase a couple as well.

Great Demos and nicely coded as well.

@McLaininc: please be patient, we are working on it. You can believe what you like and say what you like. Our website is still under construction. Do you think we can get everything working overnight? Man, what is wrong with you people ! Centron 3D is in the works and you will have to wait until I decide to upload a screen shot. I'm working on the 256 colour mode at the moment. If you don't appreciate what we are doing for the Atari 8-bits then please don't buy it. It's as simple as that. Mate, no appreciation ! Unbelievable ! And our website is not finished yet, so I don't know why your winging about that ! and with the 256 colour Demo, read a couple of the last posts before you mouth off about it. Peter Manager RPC Games (Australia)