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Nojeee

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  1. I never spotted that glitch during testing so I think it’s a rare thing, I probably wouldn’t be able to reproduce it. It’ll be down to the way an enemy is cleared before redrawing after a move. I don’t remember there ever being a manual for the C16 game. All of the marketing was done by CRL who also did the cassette inlay picture ... which was then replicated for the C64 loading screen. I did write the C64 version but didn’t really know where to release it. The C64 scene seems to be quite different from Atari with a focus on cracking and releasing versions with cheats menus. I was invited to join a group who then took my main code and added the loading screen done by one of their members - they then uploaded it for me (hence the credit to Digital Monastery). I remember back in the 1980’s how frustrating it was developing games. When I was asked to go a C64 game I just worked out a way of using the Atari 800 to assemble the code and send it to the C64’s user port. It sped things up greatly because if the C64 crashed I could simply update the code, reassemble and re-download. By the time I move onto the ST there were systems available to do the same to a slave ST or Amiga.
  2. I've spent ages playing the game and can't get anywhere nearing exceeding the score counter (I'll put it down to old age!). However, I've created an updated version that works exactly as before with the 6 digit score but bumps to 7 digits when the score goes over a million. I've done it this way to preserve the original layout which is tidier when showing the high scores on the title page. I haven't been able to do the amount of testing I'd normally do with this new version so I'd still advise sticking with the original unless you really want to try and break it . Let me know if there are any problems. Major_Blink_2020_V2.xex
  3. I'm glad you enjoyed the game ... it was written in assembler. The original Commodore C16 version was written using Synassembler and the later Atari ports used MADS via WUDSN.
  4. Thanks for letting me know ... it just goes to show how bad I am at playing my own games! I’ve had an idea which would cover the problem without making any changes to the in-game scoring and balancing. I’ll upload a version here once I’ve had a chance to do some testing .. I’ll need to add some cheats to enable me to get such a high score
  5. If you do manage to max out the score I’ll have to come up with a tweak to allow it to count higher ... I’ll need to keep the actual score values and skill settings the same though. I claim the high score at 69 and counting ...
  6. That might explain it. The original version was a fairly faithful port of the C16 release and I made no changes to the scoring or skill levels. I had noticed that an experienced player could accumulate lots of lives by starting at a lower skill setting so there were lots in reserve when things got harder. Extra lives were also given quite frequently so it was easy to keep to keep them topped up. When I started on the 5200 conversion I decided to spend some time balancing the game better and the new 2020 A8 version carries that over. The frequency of extra lives, along with the bonus scores generated for completing a box, is now governed by the entry skill setting. Additionally, the number and speed of enemies have been adjusted to (hopefully) make the difficulty ramp better. Finally, when you start reaching skill levels around 20 speeds increase even more. These changes should make it far more difficult to lock out at 999999 (I’d better not say impossible). it would be really interesting to hear if you think the 2020 version makes things harder.
  7. I honestly never thought anybody would be able to reach that score As a matter of interest, are you playing the original version or the newer one based on the 5200 conversion? If it plays music on the title screen then it's the later version (Major_Blink_2020.xex).
  8. It’s great to see the Updated games being played competitively - the scores show that I need more practice! The 2020 versions came about after a request to convert Berks Four to the Atari 5200 console. I followed that with Major Blink and included some improvements that had been made for the recent C64 version. I then converted Baby Berks and Timeslip and thought I’d provide the 2020 updates as this allowed me to keep common source code for the two machines. Baby Berks didn’t have too many changes, mainly balancing and bug fixing. The changes to the Timeslip movement came as an attempt to improve things for the 5200’s analog controllers. I felt it improved things for the A8 too in the restricted play zones. However, I appreciate that it takes a bit of getting used to. The main feedback I got from the original was that it was too hard to complete - it didn’t really lend itself to replaying. Looking at the scores, there’s a possibility I’ve made it too easy
  9. Thanks for the kind words ... I see we're both fans of traditional Atari rainbows on our front ends PS. I've been having fun playing Sector Wars - I just have to get better at it.
  10. I tried using the Atari Assembler but got frustrated by its limitations. I got hold of a copy of Synassembler on disk which made things much quicker .. but there were still major limitations down to the amount of source code you could fit on a floppy. I always split the assembly into main sections - for example the main game and the title routines would be assembled separately and linked by vectors at the base of each 'chunk'. When I took the plunge and started programming full time I invested in additional floppy drives to speed things up - the main file would include the other sources and data files then output an object file to disk. I'd then have to enter the Synassembler monitor to load and run the binary file. The biggest frustration was when things locked up and I'd have to reboot the system from scratch. When I moved on to doing some C64 and C16 games I decided to stick with my 800 and Synassembler but output the code via joystick ports 3 & 4 to the target machine. This really sped up development - if the target machine locked up I could just reset it while the 800 stayed working. I used the same system when I wrote Timeslip on the Atari, I purchased an 800XL as a target machine. I kept all of my old floppies and finally got around to transferring them to the PC a few years ago (fortunately, the majority were rescued although a few were past saving). I've now got most of my old source files converted into projects in WUDSN and assemble directly to Altirra. The speed of assembly and range of debugging features is light years ahead of the 80's ... but still as much fun Jon
  11. Very strange ... I'll send you a PM for some more information.
  12. @TGB1718 You can try this version to see if it solves your problem. Thanks to @Faicuai for the information on the A800 + Incognito issue with XL/XE OS and help testing this version. I've adjusted the initialization code to get around the compatibility quirk. Thanks, Jon Baby_Berks_2020_V2.xex
  13. Thanks for the feedback on this - it's good to know it's working. I always check that my code works in Altirra and on my real PAL 800 and 1300XE - is there a checklist of popular hardware / emulator setups that I could be checking against?
  14. That's strange ... I've tested it in the latest version of Altirra on PAL and NTSC and it works fine here. I've also checked it on my 130XE via SIO2PC and 'Boot Executable' ... again, it works fine. I'd be interested to hear if anybody else is having a problem running it.
  15. I converted Baby Berks to the A8 a couple of years ago and have just finished a 5200 version. I made a few improvements so thought I'd also upload an updated A8 version here. The first A8 version may have been missed as it was uploaded in the middle of a thread about the original release. The game first appeared as a magazine type-in for the Commodore C16 and then came out on a budget label. It's a very basic game with simple graphics and limited sound effects... I had to keep the size down as much as possible so the enemy movements etc are a little clunky! This version has improvements to the missile firing; the weapon now fires double missiles so it's less frustrating trying to line up enemies. There are tweaks to the NTSC/PAL balancing, extra lives are now based on skill level and high scores are kept for each starting skill setting. The game now continues to get harder after Master level. Jon Baby_Berks_2020.xex
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