Galaga for 8-bits?

[+Stephen]

On 12/10/2019 at 11:29 PM, AW127 said:

 

Is there already a working demo version of this port available somewhere? Looks very good.

 

On 12/11/2019 at 3:15 AM, Philsan said:

I don't think a demo has been released, isn't it @DearHorse ?

https://atariage.com/forums/topic/296152-another-galaga-thread/?do=findComment&comment=4389994

[Goochman]

Are you kidding me..........................add collision detection on the player and ship it!  If thats real running on unmodified hardware thats incredible.

[+DrVenkman]

3 minutes ago, Goochman said:

Are you kidding me..........................add collision detection on the player and ship it!  If thats real running on unmodified hardware thats incredible.

I have it on my AtariMax cart - it’s unmodified real hardware. (*fingers crossed for a full version someday!*)

[+Philsan]

On 10/15/2018 at 7:32 AM, Philsan said:

AtariAge user Dearhorse is working on Phoenix.

 

On 12/11/2019 at 5:29 AM, AW127 said:

 

Is there already a working demo version of this port available somewhere? Looks very good.

 

On 12/11/2019 at 9:15 AM, Philsan said:

I don't think a demo has been released, isn't it @DearHorse ?

 

Posts from #235 to #247 are about PHOENIX.

On post #248 AW127 quoted my post #232 about PHOENIX and asked if a demo is available.

On post #249 I replied that as far as I know there's no PHOENIX demo (I tagged the coder). 

 

@emkay and @Stephen, AW127 asked me if Phoenix demo is available, I know Galaga demo is available 😂

[FifthPlayer]

53 minutes ago, Goochman said:

Are you kidding me..........................add collision detection on the player and ship it!  If thats real running on unmodified hardware thats incredible.

There's a lot more that needs to be done.... for instance, I'd like to see how the double/triple player ships will be accomplished, and also the "tractor beam" effect the aliens use to capture the player ship.  Those could be very challenging depending on how the player ship is depicted.  One player ship depicted with multicolored PMs is straightforward, but three is very challenging given the hardware sprites available.

[Rybags]

As it stands this tech demo if made into a full playable game would become at the least second only to the NES home version of Galaga.

Obviously missing are the collision detection, swarm pulsation and ship capture/dual ship capability.

I have to say what we have here at this stage is almost beyond what I'd ever have expected the 5200 to be capable of (noting that there's only 16K RAM to work with which puts a limitation on how many rendering speedup tricks you can put to use)

[+Stephen]

6 minutes ago, Rybags said:

As it stands this tech demo if made into a full playable game would become at the least second only to the NES home version of Galaga.

Obviously missing are the collision detection, swarm pulsation and ship capture/dual ship capability.

I have to say what we have here at this stage is almost beyond what I'd ever have expected the 5200 to be capable of (noting that there's only 16K RAM to work with which puts a limitation on how many rendering speedup tricks you can put to use)

Yup - I did a big apology in that thread, saying it could never make it to that stage, then BAM, they say go play it.

[kiwilove]

4 hours ago, FifthPlayer said:

There's a lot more that needs to be done.... for instance, I'd like to see how the double/triple player ships will be accomplished, and also the "tractor beam" effect the aliens use to capture the player ship.  Those could be very challenging depending on how the player ship is depicted.  One player ship depicted with multicolored PMs is straightforward, but three is very challenging given the hardware sprites available.

If you look at the 2600 Galaga that was done - compared with the 5200 WIP Galaga test - the later is looking better than the former.  (Maybe this can well be said of NES and 7800 conversions as well?)  This test is a lot better improved than the earlier ones - done last year.

I would guess - that we all kinda hoped that the hardware could be tweaked so that a decent Galaga could be forthcoming - and this later test is better than what we hoped for (in one's own mind's eye // dreams and hopes).

Even if some kind of compromise is done - for the missing parts - there is the hope - that it all could be successfully done?  To a decent overall standard.

 

I think the programmer(s) should be left to it - and not have people criticising it throughout it's development.  Which I would guess would have more negatives attached to it, than positives.  Though it will mean waiting up to a year?  To see how it all progresses?

 

I would not expect it to be arcade perfect?  That the hardware simply cannot deliver it - is my guess - and the reason why it hasn't been appeared in all the years so far passed.  Though - over a year ago?  A video was posted - supposedly from a cart running on a 800XL - but that looked like output from a NES.  Why someone got a kid to pull off this kind of prank, is anyone's guess.

 

Harvey

Edited December 15, 2019 by kiwilove
URL now included

[Rybags]

The 2600 version from what I've seen looks mightily impressive and well beyond what I'd have expected even with the obvious help from the Melody/Harmony with the mainline code at 70 MHz fairly obviously generating the 6502 kernal on-the-fly.

 

But yeah, it's fairly obvious we have the huge stock hardware advantage on the computer.  The 2600 is fairly close to the limit there with assistance, the computer not quite so.

Edited December 15, 2019 by Rybags

[Rybags]

That's quite clearly the NES in action... but hey - there's Exerion which would be another great game that'd be good to have on our machine.

[emkay]

8 hours ago, Philsan said:

 

@emkay and @Stephen, AW127 asked me if Phoenix demo is available, I know Galaga demo is available 😂

 

Believe it or not. 

I accidentally found the video yesterday on YouTube , searched the forum, and found this thread, and was wondering why no one posted it here already. 

 

 

[FifthPlayer]

4 hours ago, kiwilove said:

think the programmer(s) should be left to it - and not have people criticising it throughout it's development.

By no means was I trying to criticize what has been accomplished so far.  I've seen the nitpicking in other threads once a WIP is shown to the masses and by no means do I want to be one of the people who has nothing to do but complain.  I'm really impressed by what has been accomplished so far, and I'm optimistic the devs can manage to pull off a faithful arcade conversion.

[kiwilove]

1 hour ago, FifthPlayer said:

By no means was I trying to criticize what has been accomplished so far.  I've seen the nitpicking in other threads once a WIP is shown to the masses and by no means do I want to be one of the people who has nothing to do but complain.  I'm really impressed by what has been accomplished so far, and I'm optimistic the devs can manage to pull off a faithful arcade conversion.

Nope - I wasn't pointing out your comment in particular - nor you.  I'd think we all have rather huge expectations for it - and hope that it can be successfully pulled off - but that there's gonna be some compromises done because of hardware limitations, etc.

Better late than never.  And as long as it creams any C-64 version/conversion/etc should make everyone happy.  I'd think we are all tired of the false perception that this old hardware wasn't up to it.  That there are still some surprises that can turn up - by those willing to put the time and effort in - to get the results out.

 

Harvey

[shoestring]

Galaga, being a fast shooter really needs rot90 monitor orientation ( screen rotated vertically ) to make allowance for distance between player and enemies.

 

 

 

[Rybags]

It does - but we do have the advantage over almost every other 80s system in that we can do 240 pixels vertically which can make up for the orientation difference.

[Chilly Willy]

6 hours ago, Rybags said:

It does - but we do have the advantage over almost every other 80s system in that we can do 240 pixels vertically which can make up for the orientation difference.

That would be some pretty severe overscan on NTSC. Then again, I adjust my TVs to show severe overscan. My old 14" Trinitron would not show quite a bit of that 240... it can handle maybe 200... maybe 208.

[pseudografx]

3 hours ago, Chilly Willy said:

That would be some pretty severe overscan on NTSC. Then again, I adjust my TVs to show severe overscan. My old 14" Trinitron would not show quite a bit of that 240... it can handle maybe 200... maybe 208.

"Laughs in PAL."

[+DrVenkman]

4 hours ago, pseudografx said:

"Laughs in PAL."

You're laughing in slow-motion ...  

[+playsoft]

 

On 12/15/2019 at 1:54 AM, Rybags said:

As it stands this tech demo if made into a full playable game would become at the least second only to the NES home version of Galaga.

Obviously missing are the collision detection, swarm pulsation and ship capture/dual ship capability.

I have to say what we have here at this stage is almost beyond what I'd ever have expected the 5200 to be capable of (noting that there's only 16K RAM to work with which puts a limitation on how many rendering speedup tricks you can put to use)

There's no ship capture/release but if you haven't already found it, press 2 for dual ships.

[Mclaneinc]

9 hours ago, DrVenkman said:

You're laughing in slow-motion ...  

And you are laughing at an exaggerated speed

[Jetboot Jack]

Good grief - that is Awesome!

 

Wow - what a lovely piece of work - very smooth and fluid, exceptional!

 

Here's hoping you can put the finishing touches to this - what with Bosconian being so great it's Namco time on the A8!! 

 

sTeVE

[FifthPlayer]

6 hours ago, playsoft said:

There's no ship capture/release but if you haven't already found it, press 2 for dual ships.

My bad....I thought Galaga let you have up to three ships side-by-side, but that is found only in sequels (Gaplus, Galaga '88). 

Dual ships only makes an Atari port easier.

 

[eegad]

Phoenix has been THE most-wanted Atari 8bit game for me for decades.  Played that so much in the 80s arcades.  Galaga also ranks highly on my someday-wish-list. Would dearly love to see either finally come about. 

[AW127]

On 12/14/2019 at 11:12 PM, Philsan said:

 

Posts from #235 to #247 are about PHOENIX.

On post #248 AW127 quoted my post #232 about PHOENIX and asked if a demo is available.

On post #249 I replied that as far as I know there's no PHOENIX demo (I tagged the coder). 

 

@emkay and @Stephen, AW127 asked me if Phoenix demo is available, I know Galaga demo is available 😂

 

It's like "Philsan" wrote. My question was about the mentioned "Phoenix" and not about "Galaga". This demo-version of Galaga for the Atari-5200 i already had found before. Seems like, some people only read single entries of a thread. 

 

That Atari-5200 Galaga version really looks good, i must say. Sadly there is no sprite-collision included, when the enemies hits the players ship. Apart this, it's good playable even in this early preview-version. Could be a superb game when completed.

Edited December 17, 2019 by AW127

[Rybags]

Phoenix has that certain bit of mystique about it but IMO the graphics and gameplay fall well short of others such as Galaga and Exerion.