Time-Bandit
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Posts posted by Time-Bandit
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As far as I can tell, Jeroen is active here on AtariAge and even posted in the ColecoVision section. Someone should ping him to if possibly make a comment. Although I haven't played either game, given he documented
some kind of extensivetwo days worth of development process on the other forum since two years back, I get the feeling the original game was disassembled, to some part reprogrammed and then put together again, using the original graphics and sounds? -
I was always passionate about the Colecovision and wanted to program for that console. Daniel was the one who gave me the push to actually do it. I never used any of his tools (I prefere doing it in assembly, by hand, like the good old days), but his documentation was top notch. He was always there with something nice to say and some helpful advice. I admire his dedication and rarely have I ever seen someone with so much dedication towards a particular topic (the ColecoVision).
Thanks Daniel! Merci!
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Hi guys,
I am the author of Space Hunter a few years back... I still have the source code tucked away somewhere. It was a game I wrote for a 4K minigame competition, which is why it was limited in such a way with graphics and levels. I always hoped to make a better upgraded version though.
Coleco Master: I was the guy (no pun intended towards me
) you met this summer at your place in Chateauguay and we were discussing briefly the ColecoVision and homebrew programming.It's interesting to see that a game that I wrote many years ago seems to be generating some interest. It was the only game I wrote and had always hoped to write some more, but never had the chance time-wise to do so.
Guy
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I'd love to see a YouTube video with the arcade controller presentation!
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Just got back from the convention. I was there for one day and it was fun seeing the regular gang, there was no new blood unfortunately this year. I expected to see many more new people due to the proximity of the Adamcon this year (Quebec). Quebec being a hotbed of Coleco activity... Perhaps I left too earlly and the new visitors will pop up during the week-end presentations.
I think that your technical issues Daniel could have been avoided by simply being better prepared. You can't go to war with a dull sword.
So what did I bring back from this Adamcon?
I realized that my programming days are long gone for me, at least for a long while. Glad to see that the scene has many people that are even more capable than I to release awesome titles, I will support the scene by buying high quality titles when I see one. I'm still interested in seeing the untapped potential of the Colecovision being brought out.
I will try to work on some hardware products for the Colecovision though. My first one will be to design a high arcade quality joystick solution for the Colecovision probably made out of arcade quality wood. (MDF)
Well, nice to see everyone and if next years Adamcon is not too far away, count me in!
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Hi,
I'm also happy to announce that i've revived and updated the
ColecoVision FAQ as well, you can find the new FAQ at:
To all webmasters, please update the old ColecoFAQ as soon as
possible.
kind regards and a happy new year to all Coleco fans,
Martijn
PS> The ColecoFaq hasn't been updated since 1996 i think. I have tried
to track down the previous maintainers, but found it impossible.
So if anyone objects to me reviving the FAQ, let me know.
I checked out the FAQ and there is a pretty big error in there that should be corrected. It states that the Colecovision has 8K of RAM (I wish!). It only has 1K.
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I had mentionned to Daniel last year that I was going to embark on a chess programming sprint and he told me the same thing --- start with checkers. But who needs to learn how to walk before running? Only people who don't want to run.
Famous last words, dude...
Famous last words for whom? Me or you? As far as I know, you're the one who's clueless about ColecoVision programming...
Before giving out snotty remarks, think twice. It's really unnecessary, and really puts a damper on any type of conversation.
Now with that said, either behave and reply with maturity and intelligence or abstain yourself from replying with trash comments, such as your previous one.
Thanks... DUDE.
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One of my projects, which you, Pixelboy might actually be interested in is to write a chess game for the Colecovision in Z80 assembly language. I want to do it in under 4Ks. Of course it will have AI. At what level? Not quite sure, probably enough to beat most casual players. Will keep you all updated here. Maybe I'll create a thread to talk about the shortcomings and pitfalls I've encountered along the way. This is all new to me. I've already written assembly language programs with recursion, but to develop the AI required for chess is truly something new and challenging for me!
Perhaps you can start with a checkers program, which is bound to be easier to do in terms of AI programming. Then you can upgrade to chess. Just an idea.
Not a bad idea. Actually checkers was programmed by Daniel Bienvenue a long time ago. I think he had some problems with the AI and never released it. I had mentionned to Daniel last year that I was going to embark on a chess programming sprint and he told me the same thing --- start with checkers. But who needs to learn how to walk before running? Only people who don't want to run.
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Which makes me respect the classic-era space shooter game authors even more! Not an easy genre to master.
Well, it would be slightly more challenging if the enemies actually shot some kind of projectile at the player. Enemies with more "exotic" flight trajectories would be a welcomed improvement as well. With a little work, perhaps you could even turn this game into a port of Astro Blaster, or a similar arcade game.
Yeah, that can be arranged, actually quite easily, but like I said, it's a year old project, it's done with. There's bigger and badder things that I want to accomplish. One of my projects, which you, Pixelboy might actually be interested in is to write a chess game for the Colecovision in Z80 assembly language. I want to do it in under 4Ks. Of course it will have AI. At what level? Not quite sure, probably enough to beat most casual players. Will keep you all updated here. Maybe I'll create a thread to talk about the shortcomings and pitfalls I've encountered along the way. This is all new to me. I've already written assembly language programs with recursion, but to develop the AI required for chess is truly something new and challenging for me!
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It's not a homebrew I would want to announce publicly at large since it's simply an update to a homebrew that's close to a year old. I simply sent the updated version because someone had asked for it and since the thread was started here, this is where it goes. The homebrew forum is also in the "programming" sub-section, so I don't think it really makes much of a difference. At least by posting it here, I know that only the people interested in the Colecovision get to see it.
Well, anyway, I tried the game with Meka, and it's a very nice game, albeit the easiest space shooter I've ever played. You could rename it "Space Cakewalk".
Pixelboy: Which makes me respect the classic-era space shooter game authors even more! Not an easy genre to master.
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Latest build was somewhere on a diskette for a little while. Here it is... It's a bit more playable than the official version that was sent to the 2005 Mini Games competition. Still has a few things that bug me, but we'll leave it as is. It was my first official Colecovision game. I'd like to explore the same type of theme for a next game. Maybe a horizontal scroller this time.
You really should post this in the Homebrew Discussion forum. The way I see it, the ColecoVision Programming sub-forum is for getting answers to programming questions, and it doesn't get a lot of traffic. Finished homebrews are usually announced and released under Homebrew Discussion.
It's not a homebrew I would want to announce publicly at large since it's simply an update to a homebrew that's close to a year old. I simply sent the updated version because someone had asked for it and since the thread was started here, this is where it goes. The homebrew forum is also in the "programming" sub-section, so I don't think it really makes much of a difference. At least by posting it here, I know that only the people interested in the Colecovision get to see it.
Cheers.
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A little dull to play after a while, but not bad.
This game was the culmination for myself of several months of learning the Colecovision architecture, learning Z80 assembly and learning basic arcade gameplay. It was my entry for the 2005 minigames competition. Out of the 3 Colecovision games that were submitted this one was the top rated one.
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Does anybody have the latest build of this game? The website is donw where you could get this.
Thanks,
mike
Latest build was somewhere on a diskette for a little while. Here it is... It's a bit more playable than the official version that was sent to the 2005 Mini Games competition. Still has a few things that bug me, but we'll leave it as is. It was my first official Colecovision game. I'd like to explore the same type of theme for a next game. Maybe a horizontal scroller this time.
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Hopefully Gulkave will be ready by then. All I need is a proper way to test the ROM on the real thing. Your post answers my questions though and I believe that it might be a worthwile alternative to an EPROM emulator. Thanks for the info.Happy to help.
Well, if you can't attend, perhaps you can send the final version of the ROM file to Daniel via e-mail, and he can display it at the Arcadia show using his own CV USB cart.As for Arcadia, the retro/vintage room that the CCJVQ designed last year was really really nice. For me, it was the highlight of the show. I doubt I'd be going this year though, but maybe I'll change my mind at the last minute. Haven't seen Daniel since last year, so it might be a good thing to drop off.I'm hoping to see demos of Steve Begin's latest CV work, namely Mr Do's Wild Ride, Pacar and his Wizard Siege homebrew. Anything CV-related will be great to see at the show.
I'd love to be able to say that I've finished the game and it's ready to be released! Started work on it about 10 months ago, and it still hasn't seen the light of day.
Arcadia is still far away, so who knows what will happen until then...
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Yep, see what happens when you leave the scene for 6 months? I will order one this week-end, thanks for the link. BTW, I'm also from Montreal...Yeah, I noticed.
Do you speak french? Anyhow, perhaps you'll have Gulkave ready in time for the next Arcadia Festival, which will be held in Montreal, like last year. I'm still not sure what date it's going to happen this year, however... I'll be there, mostly to meet Daniel Bienvenu in person. Just one question. When I have that cart connected to the CV, will it go directly and run my game when I send the .ROM file to the cart via the USB port, or do I have to press reset, select the .ROM image that I want and then execute it?Here's how it works, in a nutshell:
1) Connect the USB cartridge to the PC with the included USB cable (The cart does NOT need to be plugged into the CV console when you do this).
2) Use the interface software (included on a CD with the USB cart) to select CV ROM images on your hard disk, and send them over to the USB cart.
3) The first "slot" of the USB cart contains the menu system. When you plug the cart into the CV and turn it on, the first thing you'll see is the menu. Select the ROM image you want (among those stored on the cart) with the standard CV controller, and the selected game boots up automatically.
Easy as 1-2-3, although I am leaving out some secondary details. If you have more questions, you should send a PM to "classics" (on the AtariAge forums). I'm sure he'll answer all your questions.
Yes, I speak french. Hopefully Gulkave will be ready by then. All I need is a proper way to test the ROM on the real thing. Your post answers my questions though and I believe that it might be a worthwile alternative to an EPROM emulator. Thanks for the info.
As for Arcadia, the retro/vintage room that the CCJVQ designed last year was really really nice. For me, it was the highlight of the show. I doubt I'd be going this year though, but maybe I'll change my mind at the last minute. Haven't seen Daniel since last year, so it might be a good thing to drop off.
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Yes, it certainly does fit within 32K. A USB CV flash cart? Oh wow, where do I get it from???Man, you HAVE been away, haven't you?
I have the USB cart myself, and it works like a charm! Don't hesitate to get one!
Yep, see what happens when you leave the scene for 6 months? I will order one this week-end, thanks for the link. BTW, I'm also from Montreal...
Just one question. When I have that cart connected to the CV, will it go directly and run my game when I send the .ROM file to the cart via the USB port, or do I have to press reset, select the .ROM image that I want and then execute it?
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Hi all. Since I posted my first message about Gulkave on the CV, I haven't done much work on it. 98% of it is done, there are just a few issues that I need to figure out.For that, I needed to buy an EPROM emulator, which I will be ordering soon and will be continuing to work on it. I really want to get this game out to the Colecovision community. It's an awesome game!
Does your game fit within 32K? If so, perhaps Atarimax's USB CV cart would help you out just as well...
Yes, it certainly does fit within 32K. A USB CV flash cart? Oh wow, where do I get it from???
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Yeah, I'd like to know how this one is coming along too. This should be posted in the Homebrew Discussion sub-forum, because it has more traffic than the CV Programming sub-forum...Hi all. Since I posted my first message about Gulkave on the CV, I haven't done much work on it. 98% of it is done, there are just a few issues that I need to figure out.
For that, I needed to buy an EPROM emulator, which I will be ordering soon and will be continuing to work on it. I really want to get this game out to the Colecovision community. It's an awesome game!
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OK, I took everyone's suggestions and have compiled a new binary file of the game.
I added:
1) When the fighter gets hit, it flashes red for a few seconds to let the user know that they've been hit
2) A new sound is played when the fighter is hit
3) No more sticky fire. I replayed it and a regular fire feels much better!
4) The fire is twice as fast now, so you can hit more ennemies in lesss time.
What's left to do:
1) Implement a scrolling starfield in the back.
2) Change some of the ennemy sprites for better looking ones.
You can D/L the newest build from: Colecovision Homebrew - Space Hunter ROM!
As usual, please give me some feedback. This game in case you didn't know will be submitted in a 4K minigames competition, so all the feedback is appreciated!!!
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I'm including a very very early Alpha version of the game that will run on the Colecovision.
It doesn't accept joystick support yet, you can only see the demo.
Like I said, it's a very early build. It took me 20 minutes to convert from the source code (the source code on the other hand, took me about 10 days to generate from the original binary image). There's many many glitches to take care of, but it's just to give you a general idea.
BTW, the game runs at half the speed due to some problems with interrupts. At the end of the demo, when the music starts playing (for some unknown reason), the scenery will start scrolling at the speed that it's supposed to scroll.
Enjoy!
The image can be found here: Gulkave ROM for the Colecovision
[edit] The game runs at full speed now...
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This is a re-post from the Colecovision forum, but since not many people visit that forum, and that this is a homebrew, I decided to re-post it here with a few modifications:
I've been hard at work for the past 10-14 days, disassembling the SG-1000 game
called Gulkave. All I can tell is that it was a big job! It's a 32K highly optimized assembly language game. Fortunately for me, the people who wrote this game knew how to program, so it was more organized than a lot of the other source code I've seen.
In case you don't know what Gulkave is, it's a side-scrolling space shooter. It was released in 1986, so it's fairly recent, and you can tell by the graphics and gameplay, it's absolutely fantastic!
I've been trying to find a bug in the gameplay for the past 2 days, and today I finally found it, and the game is 99% playable. There's still a small bug and it's taking forever to find it! The bug makes you invincible to certain ennemies.
WARNING: It's a very fast paced arcade game... I've finished the first level, but that's it!
I'm wondering if I should design some sort of cheat mode in the cartridge that will be released because honestly, I don't see how anyone could ever finish this game, it's much too fast-paced.
Here are a few screenshots to whet your appetite:
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Hi,I came across this very interesing website about programming for the nintendo nes. He seems to have invented a language based on Basic with assembly.
www.bobrost.com
I thought ths was very interesting. But would using this mean you would have to also use a special compiler (made by the author) to translate this "nBasic"?
Is it worth the extra step translating from a higher language to assembly, or is it easier to just learn to programming in assembly.
What are the benefits to programming in higher language and then translating over writing first in assembly?
Just curious about peoples thoughts.
Thanks again,
Tony
Hey, thanks for letting us know! I was thinking of doing something similar for the Colecovision, a compiler. I'll check out the link!
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Yes it should. I remember having that cart many years ago and using it on my 800.
It's a fine assembler. I've also played with MAC/65 and Synassembler. (used by Synapse programmers, if you can find it, it was my favorite one!)
Hi,
Thanks for the info. Do you know if "Atari Assembler" by Inman, etc. is a good book for learning assembly?
Tony
Hmm, wouldn't be able to tell you. But one book that I absolutely recommend when programming in assembly is: "Mapping the Atari".
It will be the most valuable book you can own when programming on the 8-bit.
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Yes it should. I remember having that cart many years ago and using it on my 800.
It's a fine assembler. I've also played with MAC/65 and Synassembler. (used by Synapse programmers, if you can find it, it was my favorite one!)
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Posted · Edited by Time-Bandit
After thinking about this whole situation...
Is there a way to contact the guy who stole my game? I would like to have a talk with him concerning ethics, the colecovision and the homebrew scene. It is one thing to take a game (from the MSX
for example) and convert it to the ColecoVision. It takes technical skill to do so. But, to take a game that was already on the ColecoVision (and ALREADY released on a cart a few years ago), change a few bytes here and there and then try and call it your own. That takes a lot of nerve. You are basically assuming that the ColecoVision scene is stupid enough to fall for that, even if the game I wrote wasn't a super hit, it was still something I made and my intellectual property.
So Jeroen, wherever you are, please get in contact with me. An arrangement was made with the people you were deceitful with and tricked into thinking it was YOUR game, so I have no beef with them, but I would like to clear things out with you.