LAST NINJA - AMAZING!...........

[José Pereira]

As you all know I am really interested in an A8 version.

 

I have maps from LN1 & 2. Videos of all, objects, fonts...

 

But, what it´s trully amazing it´s on "lastninja.lemon64.com".

I went to it many, many times in the last years, but never went to LAST NINJA ENGINE by "Soa". And it's amazing. You have two versions of a LAST NINJA

construct editor with the LN1 objects and players.

They even have a totally new game done with the engine.

I download all the files and what a surprise!... They have all the objects, player and enemy shapes, moving objects (like watterfalls...), and one by one.

They have, for example, all the combination of the diferrent tracks. You can get them and put the trees, buda, tracks and others. One by one.

They have all the screens from LN1 (I only don´t find level 1, but I have it on my maps). You can even create new Ninja movements (fall from the rocks, for example). Create totally new screens (new walls, even a sea).

 

 

With this I can create the LN1 game with the objects in places I can use Displays Lists and Sprites to have more colours on an Atari version.

My idea is to use sprites on objects in some part of the screen (In top and/or bottom), leaving the center of the screen to use 2 sprites for the enemy body (and half of the screens doesn't have enemys). Of course, this will limit the enemy movement but I think it will be a good solution. The other two sprites will be to our Ninja. The enemy clothes and face have to be a software sprite. With Missiles on foot and hands you can get the collisions.

 

So the idea is to use the Ln engine, try to do the things if I was on a real A8. Then port to G2f to do the DLIs. and Sprite Overlaps.

 

But, if someone, take the source code from LN engine and create a A8 LN engine. It could (have to) be the Engine with the functions of G2f.

 

It's a project for a long, long time, but we can get it! It's possible.

ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE (Like in the "3 Mosqueteers" by Alexandre Dumas).

 

Go there and see the LN ENGINE. You will see what I said. IT's amazing. I´m really crazy now!...

 

 

Waiting for your suggestions and what could or not could be done with it...

 

 

José Pereira.

[emkay]

Another interesting thing...

 

The 4th version of the Ninja is in 3D. With all the "colourful" images of the C64 the game

 

http://www.tothegame.com/sshotfeat.asp?screen=6573&pic=2

 

suits more to this (G2F mockup):

[emkay]

Imagine a game like "wayout" in hires. Windowsize 160x80.

The smaller the graphics window, the more colours (luminances) could be used to enhance the scene. The Mockup uses the size of 320*230

[José Pereira]

I´ve been waiting for some ideas, solutions...

 

Please say something.

Only some words.

 

José Pereira.

[Jetboot Jack]

You had my feedback ages ago on another thread...

 

A functioning LN engine and editor on the C64 would have little impact on the A8 version (although handy) - I already stated it needs different approach - these tools (and there are several) don;t really move forward the core-tech required for A8 LN...

 

Sorry if that sounds less than enthusiastic, but I have been here already...

 

sTeVE

[Poison]

hi, iam not a coder:( But I can help you with music . . .

[MasterI]

I´ve been waiting for some ideas, solutions...

 

Please say something.

Only some words.

 

José Pereira.

I looked over the sources an they include lots of Graphics and mp3 sound. It is easy to use that for a flash-engine but on an a8 it has to be done in another way:

 

It should be possible to do an editor for a pc and use the saved level to load on an a8 but only in a special a8 format.

To save memory, the graphics should be optimized. The top and bottom of a sprite could be cut in two sprites to get less pixel at all (-> combine one top with many leg-sprites. eg. 8 top and 4 leg sprites instead of 32 full size sprites)

Afaik the sound has to be done in a different way, mp3 won´t work. Even a tracker format with digitized sound would not work. So the sound has to be done from a sound expert.

A plan for the memeory usage is needed on the a8 with the sprites defined. Every object gets numbers then. After that the Editor can use that sprites to design a level. The a8-format holds these numbers as refrences to the graphics. This can be done for sounds and actions too.

Limited to this type of gameengine, there can be done very much levels after that.

 

As you said: a lot of work to do.

[+GroovyBee]

Good luck! I'd rather see original games developed for the A8, but thats just my opinion.

[emkay]

Good luck! I'd rather see original games developed for the A8, but thats just my opinion.

 

 

Well... original is the point

 

Having a "Last Ninja" in 1st person hires, would be THE MEGA SPECTACLE.

For 80 lines of the Screen we could use all CPU powers to have a hires gamescreen and colour info screen side a side.

 

We don't need to have 50Hz framesrates for the main screen and the "sprites" would get colourful enough with small PM overlays. Actually, the hires makes less CPU work necessary to have the objects moving, because they are all half the size (a 8 pixel wide player turns into a 16 pixel wide object)

 

A 1st person "Ninja" with real ambient colours would beat all of the past. It actually would fit into the row of the first "3D looking" games and what is used today in real 3D games.

Edited June 22, 2009 by emkay

[José Pereira]

Ok. When I I said direct ports, probably it will not have to be LAST NINJA. Some games will be better to do in new ways. Others don't...

 

You can get many a8 versions from others, and probably they will look awfull. But some some kind of games, you don't have any other possible way...

 

In the LAST NINJA case you cannot change the facts. The idea and code it's there. Even nowadays it's the C64 version you see on WII. It is a part of the computer games history...

What I'm trying to tell to you it's one thing. A simple thing. I'm not a progammer, but many of you are... Will it possible to create some kind of an ENGINE?

 

 

Even on the past you had engines: Molecule Man, KE SOFT'S PROGRAMMERS WORKSHOP (only with Software sprites but use DLIs. and VBIs.). But the main reason about this trhead it's the possibiltys...

 

If we talk some years ago about emulators... You don´t think, me either, about the possibility of emulating APPLE2, ZX or BBC on A8. Ok., The emulation doesn't go much further as 10/15% of real harware nn this emulated machines. But this comes to another question: Why I want a ZX game on A8? Direct port on A8, it is monochrome. No other way possible. But if you use this great emulator idea and change beetween background and playfield, withn sprites overlaped? You could get the ZX game, ZX code, no players or enemy sprites, just simple char obj.. But, all the collisions detections via the emulator.

 

 

 

One ancient game game that will look great on A8 it's SABOTEUR from Durell. And this technics, you could por, for example, almost directly get Dizzy from Darling Brothers (Codemasters).

 

ZX emulator on A8 could be great!... But, you have "to have" the possibility to create more colours with the technics we all know.

Why "Load" Zx emulator on A8? I only get 10/15% of the speed and 2 monochrome colours, without sprites and DLIs.?

 

 

This questions about Engines and sprites/graphics creation take me to another idea, another question: ZX or other 8bit emulators are useless. It´s here you see that direct ports don't work. Why I want them?.

ZX emulator + Sprite overlapped - G R E A T !... But others? Why? If I want to play Zx games I simple download on my PC the Zx emulator (I will get ZX colours and speed, as nearly as possible).

 

 

José Pereira.

[José Pereira]

Sorry.

I don't wan't to critic someone(s)

 

XXl done a great job. but you will never come to an end.

 

 

(NELLY FURTADO said in a song... I like her, very much!... Nelly born in Canada, but portuguese emigrant (the fathers, from Azores), but I don't agree with her...)

 

I will talk with you latter.

 

José Pereira.

[José Pereira]

Hello.

 

Can someone translate what the ideas in Last Ninja project on ATARIONLINE.PL. to English (Where to find English instructions for ZX, APPLE2 emulators for A8 and where is the BBC emulator with correpondent instructions?).

I saw the Ninja sprites movement and also the SEWERS level. Who done that could be on the right way. The playing area it´s in 5 colours(I think... but they put some red lines, I think it's to obtain collision, and so, it´s 6th colour...)

 

Someone around there have the possibility to send the 2 pages of July 1987 C&VGames magazine with the Last Ninja screens. Also others you have or know about (early versions of the games, C64 or other. I want to see some preliminary screens and some things on C64 sprites.

 

 

Many thanks.

José Pereira.

 

 

Thanks.

José Pereira.

[Tezz]

Can someone translate what the ideas in Last Ninja project on ATARIONLINE.PL. to English

The easiest way José is to view the site through Google translate to your chosen language.