Frantic (2600)

[+SpiceWare]

I see there's been 25 downloads of the Robot Color Editor so far. Have any of you found some good color combinations yet? If so, don't forget to post them!

[+Random Terrain]

I see there's been 25 downloads of the Robot Color Editor so far. Have any of you found some good color combinations yet? If so, don't forget to post them!

I was changing colors and everything was going fine, but when I went to change the last number on the right side, the screen went blank and there were a lot of crazy sounds.

Edited August 28, 2011 by Random Terrain

[+SpiceWare]

yowza!

 

Figured it out - don't make the last 2 digits 00. A color of 00 tell's the display kernel to "reposition a sprite". The routines get confused if it sees a 0 and you're not really repositioning a sprite.

 

I'll make a new build tomorrow (I like to keep my Sunday's "Frantic Free") to make the last digit an odd number instead of even.

[+Random Terrain]

Figured it out - don't make the last 2 digits 00. A color of 00 tell's the display kernel to "reposition a sprite". The routines get confused if it sees a 0 and you're not really repositioning a sprite.

I think you have found a different problem. The number on the right was 8 and I moved it up to A, but before the A could be displayed, the screen went blank and there were crazy sounds.

 

I can recreate the double zero problem sometimes. Seems like most of the time the program simply restarts on a double zero. I tried to recreate the 8 to A problem, but no luck so far. I guess the other numbers have to be set to some magic sequence for it to happen.

[BrianC]

Are you going to do thinner, skeleton like robots for the Frenzy mode like in the arcade and CV versions?

[+SpiceWare]

In looking at the mockups that espire8^* sent me, I think these are his take on the skeleton robots. They're kind of a hybrid between the Berzerk and Frenzy robots. His tanks look like a robotic scorpion, that's really noticeable in the 2nd image where one of them is shown sideways.

 

 

 

It might be interesting to have another style of robots, though I don't know if there will be ROM space to hold them yet. Using the ARM lets me do a lot of slick things because it runs so much faster, but it's 32-bit so the code takes a lot more ROM to hold than if it were 8-bit 6507 code.

 

^* espire8 also did the graphics for Medieval Mayhem.

[disjaukifa]

In looking at the mockups that espire8^* sent me, I think these are his take on the skeleton robots. They're kind of a hybrid between the Berzerk and Frenzy robots. His tanks look like a robotic scorpion, that's really noticeable in the 2nd image where one of them is shown sideways.

 

 

 

It might be interesting to have another style of robots, though I don't know if there will be ROM space to hold them yet. Using the ARM lets me do a lot of slick things because it runs so much faster, but it's 32-bit so the code takes a lot more ROM to hold than if it were 8-bit 6507 code.

 

^* espire8 also did the graphics for Medieval Mayhem.

 

Awesome mock-ups, looking forward to seeing further updates made on the game! I like the scorpion looking robots . . . they just look sick!

[+SpiceWare]

Updated color editor. It now forces the LUMA value to an odd value to prevent the 00 crash. The built in colors will start out as even values, but will change to odd values as soon as you edit them.

 

• Using the left Joystick
  
• Right/Left = select digit to edit
  
• Up/Down = change value of selected digit
  
• Fire + Right/Left step thru the built-in 16 color combinations.
  

 

ROM (Stella instructions in 1st post)

frantic_color_editor2.bin

Edited August 29, 2011 by SpiceWare

[+Random Terrain]

I'm looking for 32 combinations (16 for NTSC and 16 for PAL), so if you discover a combination you like, post the value (40941e in the screenshot). Make sure to specify if your combination is for NTSC or PAL.

Do you know how to switch to PAL colors with Stella? When I use Ctrl + L, the colors don't seem to change.

[+SpiceWare]

CTRL+L toggles "PAL Color Loss". If a PAL TV receives an odd number of scan lines, it stops showing color.

 

1. This is how I switch to PAL colors
   
2. TAB to bring up the menu
   
3. Game Properties
   
4. Display tab
   
5. Change Format to PAL60
   
6. OK
   
7. Exit Menu
   
8. CTRL-R to reload ROM
   

Edited August 30, 2011 by SpiceWare

[+Random Terrain]

CTRL+L toggles "PAL Color Loss". If a PAL TV receives an odd number of scan lines, it stops showing color.

 

1. This is how I switch to PAL colors
   
2. TAB to bring up the menu
   
3. Game Properties
   
4. Display tab
   
5. Change Format to PAL60
   
6. OK
   
7. Exit Menu
   
8. CTRL-R to reload ROM
   

Oh, OK. Thanks.

[disjaukifa]

Hey SpiceWare,

 

You've got something odd going on with your latest build, frantic_harmony20110826 and frantic_harmony_20110827.bin. When I run it on my Harmony cartridge, the enemy robots just vanish and re-appear with out warning, however if I play your previous build, frantic_harmony20110826, it seems to be fine. Just wanted to let you know that.

 

-Disjaukifa

Edited August 30, 2011 by disjaukifa

[+Random Terrain]

Here are 16 NTSC combinations that I can stand:

 

F5413D - Yellow

1313CD - Lighter Yellow

F3D3FD - Darker Yellow

95C51B - Blue

85935F - Darker Blue

414519 - Red

43E11B - Lighter Red

05419F - White

03054F - Darker White

65F39F - Purple

63551B - Slightly Darker Purple

5533FD - Reddish Purple

33F34D - Orange

C3134F - Green

C1C11B - Darker Green

B5B53F - Blue-Green

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know if I have the energy to do 16 PAL combinations.

[+stephena]

CTRL+L toggles "PAL Color Loss". If a PAL TV receives an odd number of scan lines, it stops showing color.

 

1. This is how I switch to PAL colors
   
2. TAB to bring up the menu
   
3. Game Properties
   
4. Display tab
   
5. Change Format to PAL60
   
6. OK
   
7. Exit Menu
   
8. CTRL-R to reload ROM
   

The shortcut for changing the palette is CTRL-f (where 'f' means format). Of course, if you want to save it for that specific ROM, you still have to follow the instructions above.

[+SpiceWare]

You've got something odd going on with your latest build, frantic_harmony20110826 and frantic_harmony_20110827.bin. When I run it on my Harmony cartridge, the enemy robots just vanish and re-appear with out warning, however if I play your previous build, frantic_harmony20110826, it seems to be fine. Just wanted to let you know that.

 

you list 26th twice, did you mean 25 for the "fine" build? The 26th added this:

• Robots with Stealth Mode - set Right Difficult to A

If the robots have Stealth Technology the following happens:

• All Robots are visible for 1 second at beginning of each room
  
• All Robots are visible for 1/2 second after a robot is killed
  
• The Robot that fired at you is visible for 1/2 second after shooting.
  

[+SpiceWare]

Here are 16 NTSC combinations that I can stand:

Thanks! Did you check these out on an Atari, or just Stella? I found that some combos that looked good in Stella didn't fair so well on the real thing.

 

Anybody else? I'm thinking to set up a couple polls (one for NTSC, the other for PAL) for which color combos will go in the game.

[disjaukifa]

You've got something odd going on with your latest build, frantic_harmony20110826 and frantic_harmony_20110827.bin. When I run it on my Harmony cartridge, the enemy robots just vanish and re-appear with out warning, however if I play your previous build, frantic_harmony20110826, it seems to be fine. Just wanted to let you know that.

 

you list 26th twice, did you mean 25 for the "fine" build? The 26th added this:

• Robots with Stealth Mode - set Right Difficult to A

If the robots have Stealth Technology the following happens:

• All Robots are visible for 1 second at beginning of each room
  
• All Robots are visible for 1/2 second after a robot is killed
  
• The Robot that fired at you is visible for 1/2 second after shooting.
  

 

*Bangs Head against desk*. Your could seems to be working perfectly!!! Somehow I think Stella defaulted to Difficultly B and I left my 2600 on Difficulty A. Sorry for the false alarm.

[+SpiceWare]

The shortcut for changing the palette is CTRL-f (where 'f' means format).

Thanks! I'd checked the docs but overlooked it somehow.

[+SpiceWare]

Sorry for the false alarm.

No problem - though I suspect that means you didn't watch the video past 1:16, as that's when I talked about the new Stealth feature.

[disjaukifa]

Sorry for the false alarm.

No problem - though I suspect that means you didn't watch the video past 1:16, as that's when I talked about the new Stealth feature.

 

Actually I did, I just forgot, I never tried it in Stella so when I fired the game up with my Harmony cartridge, I couldn't figure what was going on. I'm going to have to try the stealth mode again this evening. I like the concept a lot. Add yet another variation to the game that makes it even more challenging.

[+Random Terrain]

Thanks! Did you check these out on an Atari, or just Stella? I found that some combos that looked good in Stella didn't fair so well on the real thing.

I forgot to check them on a real Atari 2600.

[+SpiceWare]

Revised the wall avoidance routines.

 

Added Sound Effect routines, along with some preliminary sound effects.

 

Speech triggers:

• "Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert" when Evil Otto shows up
  
• "Chicken" if you leave a room without killing all the robots
  
• "Get the Humanoid" if you leave a room after killing all the robots.

 

ROM (Stella instructions in 1st post)

frantic_harmony_20110830.bin

[disjaukifa]

Revised the wall avoidance routines.

 

Added Sound Effect routines, along with some preliminary sound effects.

 

Speech triggers:

• "Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert" when Evil Otto shows up
  
• "Chicken" if you leave a room without killing all the robots
  
• "Get the Humanoid" if you leave a room after killing all the robots.

 

ROM (Stella instructions in 1st post)

frantic_harmony_20110830.bin

 

Checking it out now!

 

*UPDATE* Dude if you called it quits with this build, I'd buy it on a cartridge The sounds are fantastic and the way it says "Chicken" is just hilarious. Great job!

Edited August 31, 2011 by disjaukifa

[+SpiceWare]

Thanks, but that aint going to happen. Frantic doesn't yet meet my standards.

[+Nathan Strum]

Here's a handy gameplay tip for Frantic:

 

You know that trick you can do in 2600 Berzerk, where you stand in the doorway on the right, shoot through it, and your shots wrap around?

 

Well, don't do that.