Easy to port?

[GameEngine]

According to the Wiki article, the Plus4 runs at about the same speed as the Atari.

 

That raises the bar a bit more... but Atari can play catchup by implementing much more efficient scrolling methods.

 

I've also read some of the 'blog - seems to infer that the game runs at 25 FPS - looking at the video, the sprites seem to be single frame but the scrolling may well be every second frame.

 

Do you know if they have to shift the whole screen or just to similate DL with IRQ?

 

Would make much more sens to accept (be ready to accept?) constraints on playfield design and create game which is similar but not necesarly the same. Then we could play some Atari strenght s instead of fighting weakneses.

Edited January 6, 2008 by GameEngine

[Heaven/TQA]

GameEngine... na... a port...otherwise it's not a challenge...

[GameEngine]

GameEngine... na... a port...otherwise it's not a challenge...

 

If Plus/4 scrolling employs some tricks or is balanced out with some pre-calculation activities we would end up with no improvements whatsoever and require 128K RAM or cartridge. If this is the case then I do not mind if it is port from Plus/4 or ZX Spectrum version of the game.

Edited January 6, 2008 by GameEngine

[Rybags]

Read the blogs on the site - they give a lot of insight into some of the methods being used.

 

He's also got a nice scripting engine for the actual sprite movement.

[Heaven/TQA]

well...Russel is doing a zx speccy port...so if not the plus/4 port we could use...then xxl will do the "report"...

[Rybags]

Plus 4 would be much nicer - but it's all conjecture now as the game isn't finished yet.

 

And, whether the author will be willing to hand over source code is yet another matter.

 

But, I think it would be a nice trade - Xeo3 on Atari for Yoomp on the C-64.

 

In fact, Yoomp might be easier for them to do on the Plus 4, since it seems to have a good deal more grunt than a '64.

[TMR]

Do you know if they have to shift the whole screen or just to similate DL with IRQ?

 

Shift the whole screen, but it'll be double buffered and spreading the load over multiple frames so the overall CPU load per frame won't be massive.

[Heaven/TQA]

the demo looks quite good in vice... but lookin at the memory layout of plus/4 it might even harder for the XL...

[Rybags]

The download link on the official page doesn't seem to work.

 

Found something here, though, although it's from last November

 

http://dailly.blogspot.com/2007/11/xeo3-demo.html

 

Scrolls through a level - doesn't allow any play or user control. Plays music if you enable SID cart.

[Rybags]

but lookin at the memory layout of plus/4 it might even harder for the XL...

 

Why? In character modes, screens can be virtually identical.

 

Or do you mean the actual machine layout - seems the +4 gives a nice contiguous RAM area if you want it.

 

Of course, we have to live with the 2K black hole, which can't be swapped in.