Creating a Qix-like game for the ColecoVision

[JEFF31]

Been playing this a lot for the last couple of days. Haven't had any errors per se although on rare occasions the 1K 'diamond' appears on the border in the blue edge area and you score points for capturing any territory. Also one time I did a fill 'on the next line' (so you couldn't see and black background) and I'd loop thru 'solid area' which seemed fine until I was 'in' that loop area with a spark and I died when it past me - if I'm on a different line how did I die?

 

Gets tougher on higher levels (of course ) - Qix loves to follow you everywhere for whats seems like an eternity...

 

Can't wait to see what you add in the next release Philipp. Good work!

 

Current hi score 198026 in level 4

[PkK]

Been playing this a lot for the last couple of days. Haven't had any errors per se although on rare occasions the 1K 'diamond' appears on the border in the blue edge area and you score points for capturing any territory. Also one time I did a fill 'on the next line' (so you couldn't see and black background) and I'd loop thru 'solid area' which seemed fine until I was 'in' that loop area with a spark and I died when it past me - if I'm on a different line how did I die?

 

Gets tougher on higher levels (of course ) - Qix loves to follow you everywhere for whats seems like an eternity...

 

Can't wait to see what you add in the next release Philipp. Good work!

 

Current hi score 198026 in level 4

 

There's no new features, but the two issues you reported should be fixed. There's some code for respawning (and trying to choose a location not toodangerous), but it isn't enabled in this ROM, as I want to work on a basic respawn animation first, so the player's attention is drawn to the respawn loaction.

 

Philipp

 

P.S.: Currently, the maximum difficulty is reached in level 7, from there on it doesn't get harder, although the Qix keeps changing between following the player more and behaving more unpredictable.

Ȼi̅x̅b.rom.gz

[+nanochess]

You're doing a very nice work!

[PkK]

No real update (I'm working on the music). Today I played on a "real" (well, it has no case, it uses a lab power supply for 5V, and is connected through a TV tuner to a computer monitor) ColecoVision using the standard controller for the first time. Another first is that this was the first test of the production version of my new pcb design, which will also be used in the upcoming solderless homebrew kit.

 

Philipp

[Pixelboy]

Another first is that this was the first test of the production version of my new pcb design, which will also be used in the upcoming solderless homebrew kit.

 

Interesting. So what are the specs on this new PCB? Just a regular 32K setup?

[JEFF31]

No real update (I'm working on the music). Today I played on a "real" (well, it has no case, it uses a lab power supply for 5V, and is connected through a TV tuner to a computer monitor) ColecoVision using the standard controller for the first time. Another first is that this was the first test of the production version of my new pcb design, which will also be used in the upcoming solderless homebrew kit.

 

Philipp

 

 

Looks nice Philipp. I've been playing this on an off for the last few weeks - came up with the following.

 

Pic 1 filled in an area and it didn't get filled in (may have been the case where my 'fill' line was next to the already filled area).

 

pic 2 finished level 2 and got the 'prepare for...' screen and ... nothing! Waited a minute or two and still nothing. So game froze? or I 'died' and the wrong screen was displayed?

 

pic 3 my current best score - was that ever tough to get! (And I was only on level 4 of 7!)

 

Can't wait for the next update - music would be nice!

[PkK]

Interesting. So what are the specs on this new PCB? Just a regular 32K setup?

 

Just a regular 32K setup. There is no soldering required though (all components are already soldered, and one just pushes the EPROM into the socket).

 

Philipp

[PkK]

Looks nice Philipp. I've been playing this on an off for the last few weeks - came up with the following.

 

Pic 1 filled in an area and it didn't get filled in (may have been the case where my 'fill' line was next to the already filled area).

Was there still aninvisible connection to the rest of th eopen space, i.e. a place where Sparxes would go to that unfilled place and back (as would be expected when two border are exactly next to each other)?

pic 2 finished level 2 and got the 'prepare for...' screen and ... nothing! Waited a minute or two and still nothing. So game froze? or I 'died' and the wrong screen was displayed?

I can't see how that could happen. The code there is very simple:

 

	cv_set_screen_active(true);

step = 0;
while(step < 128);

print_string_centered(20, "Press fire to continue");

and step is incremented in the vint handler. If due to some bug the vint handler would somehow get corrupted, the game would reset or freeze before you could get to the level end screen. If the compiler would ignore the volatile on the variable step, then the game would freeze at the end of the level each time.

Please let me know, if you ever encounter this bug again.

pic 3 my current best score - was that ever tough to get! (And I was only on level 4 of 7!)

 

Can't wait for the next update - music would be nice!

 

I'll try to make it sound as if ten hundred devils were at the soundchip.

 

Philipp

[NIAD]

No real update (I'm working on the music). Today I played on a "real" (well, it has no case, it uses a lab power supply for 5V, and is connected through a TV tuner to a computer monitor) ColecoVision using the standard controller for the first time. Another first is that this was the first test of the production version of my new pcb design, which will also be used in the upcoming solderless homebrew kit.

 

Philipp

Keep up the great work on Cix! Really looking forward to each and every update and the eventual release of the finished game. One thing that I mentioned a number of posts ago was if it was possible to skip a line in areas that are filled (ie: color a line in, skip a line, color in the next) to give those filled area some texture instead of being solid... I think the affect will be nice and it will differentiate from the border/overscan area. Also, I think it would help to include a game border (solid line or something a little fancier that is a different color) around the play area.

 

Great news re. the new Socketed Cartridge PCB as well. Will you also be producing the same PCB in a larger size that fits into Coleco/Homebrew cart shells or will it only be for use with your smaller cart shell?

[PkK]

Here's a first attempt at adding a bit of music.

 

Philipp

Ȼi̅x̅c.rom.gz

[JEFF31]

Was there still aninvisible connection to the rest of th eopen space, i.e. a place where Sparxes would go to that unfilled place and back (as would be expected when two border are exactly next to each other)?

 

Don't remember exactly - but this was most likely what happened. I would think however that having two 'fill' lines next to each other would make that area to be considered filled and therefore 'filled up'

 

I can't see how that could happen. The code there is very simple:

 

	cv_set_screen_active(true);

step = 0;
while(step < 128);

print_string_centered(20, "Press fire to continue");

and step is incremented in the vint handler. If due to some bug the vint handler would somehow get corrupted, the game would reset or freeze before you could get to the level end screen. If the compiler would ignore the volatile on the variable step, then the game would freeze at the end of the level each time.

Please let me know, if you ever encounter this bug again.

 

Just tried the new release that has music and died on the first level. The music was playing and nothing happened until the music finished. I got this screen

and then nothing happened - like before - game seemed to freeze. Also it says I lost in level 00 (in the past I think it said 01) and player 0...?

 

I'll try to make it sound as if ten hundred devils were at the soundchip.

 

Philipp

[PkK]

I've tracked down and fixed some bugs in multiplayer, and worked on the music. This is what I'm currently considering for the music.

 

Philipp

 

P.S.: Players are named 0 and 1; level numbering starts at 0; the game stopping (but finishing to play the current piece of music) at the lost/won screen is working as designed. However the game stopping at the level load screen would be a bug.

Ȼi̅x̅music.pdf

[+Yurkie]

PkK Wouldn't it be much better for player numbers to be 1 and 2 instead of 0 and 1?