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guppy

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Posts posted by guppy

  4. Posted

    I have a somewhat odd question, and I hope that this is the right forum to post it in.

     

    I have a game that I programmed for Windows using GameMaker Studio, which I have running on my Windows 7 PC, which works with XInput devices (XBox 360, and compatible devices.)  

     

    I would like to see if I can get an Atari 2600 joystick connected to my PC via a Stelladaptor USB to DB9 connector to work as an alternative input device, because the D-pad on an XBox 360 gamepad sucks.

     

    I know that my Stelladaptor and joystick are working fine with the PC generally, because I can plug it in, launch Stella, and it works perfectly.  

     

    From what I understand, it's possible to make DirectInput gamepads to work with games developed for XInput using a "mapper" program to map the DirectInput signals to XInput which the game program can understand, but I'm not sure if Stelladaptor is a DirectInput device.  The Stelladaptor manual mentions neither DirectInput nor XInput, but says that it is a generic USB HID (Human Interface Device), and I'm not clear whether HIDs are DirectInput, Xinput, their own thing, or whether there's some degree of overlap with these device classifications, or what.

     

    I tried downloading and installing a free mapper application called InputMapper, but when I tried to enter sample inputs to create a profile for the CX40 connected as a USB HID via Stelladaptor, it didn't seem to detect anything.  I'm either doing something wrong, or this application won't work, but maybe something else will, or maybe nothing will work unless I want to write it myself, and I'm not skilled enough as a programmer to write low level device drivers.

     

    Can anyone please steer me in the right direction?

  5. Posted · Edited by guppy

    Superman is one of my favorite Atari 2600 games, and I've been fascinated by its design since I as a kid. A few years ago, I wrote an article analyzing the map topography, and more recently I've been thinking about alternative design concepts for the map. Using an annotated, decompiled source asm file from Nukey Shay, I was able to implement a few of these ideas, and build them into rom files.

     

    superman_romhack_grid_map.png

     

    SUperman-21-7-3rd-iteration.png

     

     

    superman-bridged-map-hack-2.png

     

    I think I've taken my exploration of the map about as far as I need to, but there are a few other things I would like to attempt with hacking Superman, only I don't have a working understanding of 6502 asm, so I am looking for someone who can help me.

     

    The two things I would most like to do with this project:

     

    1. Randomize the initial placement of the bridge pieces, so the game will be more replayable.   The randomization routine will need to use a number of criteria, to avoid putting bridge pieces on certain screens where they shouldn't ever be found (on the bridge screen, for instance; or to avoid multiple pieces starting out on the same screen.)
    2. Put all the different map variations together into one romfile, each one a variation selectable via the Game Select switch.

     

    I don't expect that either of these will be extremely difficult to implement, and I will be trying on my own to figure it out, if I can, but it would be faster if someone who is already experienced would like to help out.

     

    Here are links to articles on my web site where I've discussed Superman, including links to download the rom files for the map hacks mentioned above. A collection of my map hacks is also attached here, for convenience.

     

    1. https://csanyk.com/2014/02/topology-metropolis-superman-atari-2600/
    2. https://csanyk.com/2019/10/gdex-2019-presentation-and-slides/
    3. https://csanyk.com/2019/10/hacking-alternative-maps-into-superman-1979-atari-2600/
    4. https://csanyk.com/2019/10/superman-atari-2600-alternate-map-romhacks/
    5. https://csanyk.com/2019/10/superman-atari-2600-alternate-map-romhacks-part-2/
    6. https://csanyk.com/2019/11/superman-atari-2600-alternate-map-romhacks-part-4/

    Superman.zip

    • Like 2

  6. Posted

    And here's a new romhack I just made, with the overworld map re-arranged into a grid. I think this one is better than the linear map I created yesterday, and might have appeal to players who don't like the odd topography of the original overworld, but I believe this version has lesser potential for speed running, due to the starting position of the bridge pieces, and the fact that the helicopter will be more likely to find pieces you've placed at the bridge, and remove them, due to the bridge screen being less isolated, with in-routes from all four sides.

     

    https://csanyk.com/2019/10/superman-atari-2600-alternate-map-romhacks-part-2/

    Superman_grid_map.zip

    • Like 1

  7. Posted

    On 10/29/2019 at 9:20 PM, guppy said:
    I succeeded in making one of my romhacks of Superman. I'm pleased with how it turned out, and with how easy it was to set up the tools and figure out how to make the changes.

    I made one small mistake in the ROM posted above; the exits to the Daily Planet subway room were inadvertantly changed by mistake.  Reposting a corrected version.

    Superman_linear_H.zip

  9. Posted

     

    On 10/12/2019 at 11:57 PM, keithbk said:

    I agree that the map is INCREDIBLY vexing, which gave me an idea (just popped into my head).

     

    What if the game played slightly different, where when you hit the top of the screen (the sky) as Superman, you went instead to an overview map. There, you see a series of East/West streets on a grid. You move a marker up and down the various streets to pick where you go next, you then proceed east/west along the street as Superman. Going down to the bottom of the screen still moves you to the next street south.

    The map is actually genius, but it is admittedly difficult to understand and confusing to new players.  A deep understanding of the game's design is necessary in order to appreciate why the map is the way it is.

     

    Making Metropolis confusing and easy to get lost in makes the overworld seem larger than it really is.  It's just 21 unique screens, but to most players it feels bigger.  It's not easy to get lost in a world that is that small and isn't a maze, but they did it.  Yet, it's also possible to traverse the entire overworld just by flying horizontally. That's very slick.

     

    By designing the map to work they way it does, randomly moving entities (such as the gangsters) are more likely to be found in certain screens than others.  This clusters Lex and the gang near the jail, which makes the game easier to complete quickly, since there's less distance to travel on average to carry a found crook to the jail screen.

     

    Once you know a few critical paths (Phone booth to Daily Planet; Bridge to bridge piece starting screens; the neighborhood around the jail), it becomes possible to complete the game very quickly, in under 2:00, and often close to 1:15-1:30.

     

    As Nukey points out, the subway system is a way to re-orient a lost player, but it is also a key shortcut to two critical screens (daily planet, jail).  As well it is a key way that the map weights randomness in the movement of the computer-controlled characters.

     

    It'd be interesting to play hacks of Superman with different map layouts and see how some of them make the game easier for beginners, while at the same time limiting speedrun potential by trading non-intuitive, potentially confusing shortcuts for easier to understand, predictable topography.

    • Like 1

  10. Posted

    On 10/11/2019 at 8:38 PM, Nukey Shay said:

    Interesting that Lex does not enter a subway ($C1) intentionally, and that the purple thug fears Lex more than Supes.

    Thanks for the info Nukey:) I guess a helicopter pack would be fairly inconvenient and/or hazardous inside of a subway... I'm trying to think of if I've seen him in there, and I know I've carried him through the subway en route to jail, and had him get released in there.  But that is an interesting fact. 

  11. Posted

    Can someone explain how the AI that governs the movement of Luthor and his gang works? I assume that they avoid Superman if he's on the same screen, but otherwise how do they decide where to go, and whether to enter the subway?

  12. Posted

    I just want it to support the AtariBox "Atari VCS" retro joystick, just because it's a cool looking controller. If the Retron77 has USB ports on it, can we plug a USB gamepad/joystick in and expect to be able to play on it?

     

    I am so looking forward to this coming out.

  14. Posted

    Dragon Warrior CIB

    Dragon Warrior II complete, no box

    Hydlide

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/302600858679

     

    Blaster Master CIB MINTY

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/302601300613

     

    Solomon's Key CIB

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/302601346121

     

    Legend of Zelda (gold cart) CIB

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/302600887637

     

    Metroid (grey label) CIB

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/302600879009

     

    Nintendo Power vol 1 (SMB2) & 16 (Maniac Mansion)

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/302600862652

     

    Shadowgate CIB

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/302600868722

     

    Ninja Gaiden CIB

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/302601388152

     

    Lot of 24 loose NES games + manuals

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/302600868722

     

    1. Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers + manual
    2. California Games
    3. Classic Concentration + manual
    4. Commando
    5. Double Dragon
    6. Excitebike + manual
    7. Jeopardy 25th Anniversary Edition + manual
    8. Goonies II
    9. Little League Baseball
    10. Marble Madness + manual
    11. Metroid (yellow label)
    12. Ninja Gaiden
    13. R.C. Pro-Am + manual
    14. Roadblasters + manual
    15, 16, 17. Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt (x3) + 2 manuals
    18. Super Mario Bros 2
    19, 20. Tetris (x2; 1 missing label) + 1 manual
    21. T&C Surf Designs Wood and Water Rage
    22. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
    23. Tecmo World Wrestling
    24. WCW Wrestling

    + loose Maniac Mansion (manual only)

     

    All are 7 day no reserve auctions ending next Sunday evening (1/21/18).

  17. Posted · Edited by guppy

    Looking for the following NES games, cartridge and manuals:

    Batman: Return of the Joker
    Captain America and the Avengers
    Cowboy Kid
    Felix the Cat
    Fire and Ice
    Gun Nac
    Prince of Persia
    Snow Bros.

  18. Posted

    I don't think you need a 2-button controller to do Qix. With 1 button, you can have button down be fast speed, button up be slow.

     

    I'd love to see Qix on the VCS, it was one of those iconic games in the early 80's that never made it to the 2600.

    • Like 1

  19. Posted

    Bought a S-video modded 2600jr bundle from H454 recently, including a NOS power supply, Flashback 2 joystick, and composite adapter cable for $105 shipped.

     

    Transaction was smooth. H454 was professional in emails, shipped quickly and well packaged. Everything was in outstanding condition, the Jr looks very clean, no scratches or dings even, and the mod work was expertly done.

     

    10/10 would buy again.

    • Like 1

  20. Posted

    This is a pretty technical question I'm interested in learning about how the Atari 2600 TV type switch works. The color/b&w switch. From an emulation standpoint, how did the switch convert the colors to grays?

     

    I'm working on a little project that uses the Atari 2600 ntsc palette, and was interested in doing conversions of these colors to grayscale values. There are numerous ways to do it, and I would like to know how to do it the closest way to how the real hardware did it. For example, I can get the HSV values and drop the saturation to zero. Or I can average the values of rgb to create a grey. I'm really interested in how the Atari hardware did it, and the math that would accurately describe how the hardware did it.

     

    Appreciate any advice I can get...

  21. Posted

    The Mega Man series on NES was one of the top franchises of one of the top 3rd party licensees. They had excellent graphics and even better music. The music is a huge nostalgia driver. Well loved in their time, they still hold a lot of demand today. The later games in the series weren't as big sellers, and some felt that they weren't as groundbreaking and became too formulaic, and so they didn't sell as much and are comparatively rare as well as in demand.

    • Like 2

  22. Posted

     

    But is it really a "budget title"? With over $4M and three years in development, it sounds like a big budget production. I understand that a lot of the hate is overblown nerd-rage, but the lackluster reviews are mostly spot on: the game does not feel fresh and original as hyped, and the graphics and visual style seem cheap -- and that's even before mentioning the over-hyped tone-deaf advertising campaign and the broken and mismanaged release.

     

    That said, I haven't played the game nor did I backed the funding campaign, but I have been following the progress of the project and have not been very impressed.

     

    -dZ.

     

    These days, $4M is pretty low budget for a AAA studio. Major games today would have a budget around 10 times that, easily.

     

    For an indie studio, it's still a lot of money, but if you divide $4 by the size of the team, by the number of years they worked on it, it might not end up being all that much. And in any case paying someone more money doesn't make them more talented. At some point the project's fixed costs for development are reached, and then everything above and beyond that raised by the kickstarter ends up being (seemingly) pure profit... until the project runs into delays and they have to keep paying people to work on it.

     

    Let's say you're doing an indie game and you figure you need to raise $50k, so you do a kickstarter and instead of $50k, you end up with $5M. You didn't promise anything more for all that extra money, you just happened to strike the right chord with your pitch and got a vastly larger pre-order than you expected. So you can crank out that $50k game, but now it's been mega-hyped because of the amount of money raised, and so people's expectations are up. Then it turns out that everyone saw your pitch slightly differently, so everyone has different expectations for what the game will be, but everyone wants it to be amazing, and you just can't please everyone. And by trying you end up disappointing everyone.

    • Like 1

  23. Posted

    The Atari 2600 is not able to do this, That boss battle is WAY more than the 2600 could ever handle on screen at one time. See how there is no flicker at all? There would be TONS of it on a real 2600. Would be better off just doing a sprite hack of the NES version in the same vein as the Super Mario Bros. hack was done to look like a 2600 game.

     

    I know. It's NOT an Atari 2600 game, as I said. According to a note on one of the author's videos, it's a GameMaker project, which uses the Atari 2600 for inspiration.

     

    My question is, does anyone have any more information about it? Strangely, the videos don't seem to have links to the author's webpage, that I could find. So I'm trying to find out more about this project.

  24. Posted · Edited by guppy

    There's a project I am trying to find out more information about. On YouTube, there's a video of a cool-looking de-make of Mega Man 2, the most recent video for which was posted a few days ago:

     

     

    I know that the project isn't a true homebrew, in that it is written in GameMaker, not native code for a classic console, and just has a look that is inspired by the Atari 2600, but I can't find any other info about it other than these videos. I'm wondering if anyone has any more info about it.

    • Like 1
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