A wish list of games/projects you like to see running....

[+Stephen]

I can't see any reason the car in Pole Position couldn't be a 5 colour soft-sprite. All it does it "rotate" (use charset manipulation) and smooth scroll left&right. No reason at all for it to be a quad width player.

[+MrFish]

I can't see any reason the car in Pole Position couldn't be a 5 colour soft-sprite. All it does it "rotate" (use charset manipulation) and smooth scroll left&right. No reason at all for it to be a quad width player.

 

I don't think so Stephen. The racetrack part of the screen is all Antic E lines, and I believe they are individually scrolled left and right to create the shape/curvature of the track. So even Antic E softsprites would be impossible because they'd be ripped to shreds every time the track changed shape/curvature.

Edited November 10, 2014 by MrFish

[+MrFish]

I don't understand all the technical requirements that would be needed. Perhaps it would need a complete rewrite. However, the quad-width players are what detract from the appeal of the game to me.Notice when the player's car gets into a slide on corners. Visually you can no longer even see that it is a car.

 

The cars are blocky. I always thought the same thing about when the cars are turning too. But I think it's better than just having a static sprite that slides back and forth across the screen -- as in Pitstop I/II and other A8 race games.

 

 

Resolution is probably too low to put the advertising on the road signs but some images or logos or something just to get rid of the blank signs would add to the experience, I think.

 

Something other than blank signs would be nice. I think it's another issue with P/M width though; there just wouldn't be enough pixels to create much. I think there are also less colors to play around with -- most being delegated to cars. So the only thing you could do is poke holes in the signs, which might not look so good/realistic.

 

 

Could the cars be done with software sprites in the foreground and P/Ms when they are more distant?

 

As pointed out in my response to Stephen above, no. You really can't do anything with softsprites on the track portion of the screen with the existing engine.

 

 

The arcade version has a very good illusion of depth. The A8 version seems totally lacking in this. There are some A8 games that do better at this, Stealth for one. I don't know what visual cues make for good depth illusions but if depth was in A8 Pole Position it would add to the game.

 

I don't think the A8 version is "totally lacking" in giving the illusion of depth. I think it's just simplified in order to meet the requirements of the arcade game on the A8's more limited hardware. Stealth is very cool.. always thought highly of it. But it doesn't have the same requirements.

 

 

Sure, I understand it's a "Wish List". I'm not knocking your wish -- other than that I think it's already pretty colorful as it is. With a rewrite it might be possible to improve the game in some areas, especially considering techniques that use more memory, since I doubt they were thinking outside of the specs of the 5200 (the other target platform for the product -- in fact, maybe the main target). I was just thinking about what the current game might have to offer (or not have to offer, as the case may be) in terms of modifications. Perhaps a flickering engine could be added in order to increase the resolution per sprite... One thing I admire about the current version is that it gives a good feel for speed -- something lacking in other A8 racing games. So, whatever enhancements or changes could/would be made, the framerate or illusion of movement needs to at least remain near where it already is.

Edited November 11, 2014 by MrFish

[+David_P]

What if we reverse the approach (obviously in a new engine): use softsprites for the car, and use PMGs for the edge of the road? Quad width missiles for the edges which are repositioned using a DLI, which also does the colour rotation. With on missile on each edge, you've still got four players and two missiles for other purposes (although two players will have their colour registers in use by the missiles being used for the road edges).

[rudla]

@José Pereira

I believe there already is Flappy on Atari-8bit.

http://a8.fandal.cz/detail.php?files_id=1873

I have made Flappy conversion for Palm and if you would like to make some nice graphics, I will gladly write it once more for Atari :-)

 

Info about Palm version: http://questions.cz/flapy/flapy.html

Edited November 12, 2014 by rudla

[+MrFish]

Speaking of improved racing game designs... I found a thread with this demo posted on AtariOnline some time earlier this year. Features some very nice graphics and a familiar (to me at least) music soundtrack. Joystick works the way the way you'd expect (except the button does nothing that I can see). The 1 - 4 keys change your gears (although it doesn't change the gearbox graphic accordingly). It's intended for PAL but it seems to work fine on NTSC as far as I can tell.

 

It looks like it has one character-based softsprite and one made of P/M's.

 

I don't know if any more work is planned or has been done since I downloaded this. But it's a real nice start.

 

 

V-Rally.xex

Edited November 13, 2014 by MrFish

[Qwe]

Atari should have historical games like "Prince of Persia", "The Last Ninja", "Pacmania."
I can't believe an Atari 8-bit does not have enough power for these games.

[flashjazzcat]

V-Rally.png

Now THAT looks good.

[Wrathchild]

"Stunt Car Racer" would be a nice-to-have too.

Some nice graphics were done for "Top Drive" (Test Drive) but not sure in a game engine was attempted?

[kiwilove]

My own personal view is that I don't like to see historical games done - just for the sake of seeing them running on A8 hardware - but that I also like to see them done with some original bits added onto them, so as to make them into a plus or extended version that takes them beyond the original game design.

And that if you can't do this - then it is not worthwhile for the time and effort to just provide the historical game ported across.

Even if it is such an iconic game such as Galaga (that it would be better to at least add some of the later Galaga styled games too...)

 

While it would be nice to see V-Rally taken to a final version - I like to see some new stuff added to it. Like can use be made of a character mode in which you say - add tunnels and bridges to drive through? That you need some obstacles on the road, and signs passing by.... besides other cars present.

 

Harvey

[popmilo]

A Mega-Lo-Mania or Populous style game (using a cart these days to hold all the graphics/pre-shifted soft-sprites)

 

The Sentinel (still on my 'to-do' list)

These two sound totally doable to me... Sentinel is a must!

[snicklin]

What if we reverse the approach (obviously in a new engine): use softsprites for the car, and use PMGs for the edge of the road? Quad width missiles for the edges which are repositioned using a DLI, which also does the colour rotation. With on missile on each edge, you've still got four players and two missiles for other purposes (although two players will have their colour registers in use by the missiles being used for the road edges).

 

Nice idea, very innovative in it's thinking.

 

I don't think you'll have 2 missiles left over though, you'll need them because if the edge of the road intersects the side of the screen, you'll need to use another missile on each to blank out part of the road edge.

[José Pereira]

I have it somewhere and can't find it now but there's way to build an OutRun 'type of' exactly like they did in the first on C64 and that was uggly because of the way they choose:

http://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/outrun/screenshots/gameShotId,51997/

Like all driving games on C64 it's done in charmode and thats the reason why using 'C64 way' colourmap you have three common colours in all chars as black, gray and dark gray and each object/char a 4th own colour and no colour for the grass. All the enemy cars and side gfxs own colour and the white road lines are indeed that 4th colouram colour. The hardware sprites are all in our car.

The road turns are done in chars so it's a clever pre-set programming where they always came the same and at the same places.

 

On A8 it could be done exactly the same but better looking because of our DLIs.

In this case we would have:

PRIOR1 and our car 20pixels wide [2+2]PMGs in multicolour mode and re-use or chars for that white breaks

 

Screen in 40Bytes wide (maybe it can be used vertical scrolling for the 2colours feel of speed lines...)

BAK - black

PF0 - gray/DLI/dark gray for the road lines

PF1 - light green/DLI/green for the grass

PF2 - car

PF3 - side gfxs (like trees, buildings,...)

 

When, as an example a lilac car is out the next entering can be yellow just changing PF2 register and the same for PF3: some trees in green and next comes a brown mountains or like in some parts of OutRun there's the blue sea on the left side that at the same time have green grass on the right side (PF1 in our case).

Top horizon can have other PF0 and PF1 because it's up the road and sides ground

 

Only things need to change is our car can only be 20pixels wide and because of our 128chars limit we'll have to double the number of charsets (indeed even with 256chars available on each charset the C64 does this).

 

It is possible and much of the C64 maybe can be used...

[José Pereira]

Only problem I got back then and now I remember is that to have white lines we would not have the sides grass but that can be done:

BAK - darker gray (04)

PF0 is now white but PF1 is the same greens

This way the side gfxs contour in a darker gray and the screen borders will look good.

Our car can then have gray_06 and red_38 gives multicolour light/pink_3E but then how to set the other cars darker contours?

I have to find where I have my trying because I'm almost sure that I, in someway got a solution to this but no way now to remember

[Yautja]

Outrun and Rick Dangerous at last... and I hope to play Terra Cresta: I'd love to hear its tune playing in Atari.

[Qwe]

I think one of the games easiest to convert should be Prohibition by Infogrames.

Strange it is missing for Atari 8-bit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNklYh5LUJU

Edited November 19, 2014 by Qwe

[wayne253]

One that comes to mind is the C64 versions of Dragon's Lair and it's sequel Escape from Singe's Castle. The games were a little simplistic, but still fun. The music was really cool too, would love to hear Atari versions of those.

 

We had BC Quest For Tires, but what about its sequel Grog's Revenge. That was pretty fun.

[emkay]

How a bout a music/sound development tool for the PC?

[Creature XL]

 

One thing I'd change on Blue Max if I was going to improve it is to get rid of those stupid looking, direction changing, quad width explosions (??) from the ground enemies. Either just eliminate them altogether (why do they need to explode at all if they haven't hit anything?)

 

Have you ever watched a war film? This is called Anti-Aircraft Fire:

 

http://youtu.be/qP_-WUMi-nw?t=5m31s

 

 

 

@topic:

in 2015 I would like to see my game running.

 

On the matter of improving old games. It would be cool to enter buildings in "L.A. SWAT". TBH, few years ago I thought about coding such a version. However, others told me to do "MJO"

[+MrFish]

Have you ever watched a war film? This is called Anti-Aircraft Fire:

 

http://youtu.be/qP_-WUMi-nw?t=5m31s

 

Right, I'm fully aware of what happens in "reality". But you miss my point. The point is that it's done in such an unrealistic looking way in Blue Max that it adds nothing to the atmosphere of the game and instead -- in my opinion -- takes away from everything else which was done so nicely. And since it serves no practical purpose -- since nothing is being destroyed or damaged -- it's better to just remove the effect altogether.

Edited December 9, 2014 by MrFish

[+MrFish]

Bruce Lee II

[snicklin]

Bruce Lee II

 

This game looks fantastic. And I liked how they didn't use the power of a PC to produce some blow away version with 3D graphics, they kept to the old style ethos for this game and showed us something which could be produced.

[+MrFish]

This game looks fantastic. And I liked how they didn't use the power of a PC to produce some blow away version with 3D graphics, they kept to the old style ethos for this game and showed us something which could be produced.

 

It's free too; so download it and check it out.

[José Pereira]

About Bruce Lee II here I have all the maps and started to convert all gfxs into to ANTIC4 charsets and tiles, the game can go well in 'mimic bitmap mode' with 2charlines=1charset (chars 0->79 with the others for the guys soft sprites).

Each screen 24charlines will then be 12charsets like this:

-> charset0: all letters, numbers, symbols and logo for the credits and hi-scores screen more the in-game status area;

-> charsets1->12: game gfxs;

 

The screens can be in only 5colours ANTIC4 and status in hi-res GR.0.

The guys are uses clever PRIOR0 use where (PF3 it's always light brown) and each one use one Player:

-> two enemys use P0 and P1 overlaying PF0&PF1;

-> other two enemys use P2 and P3 but not oring PF2&PF3 to not get clash;

-> Bruce Lee use black BAK colour register and 4 Missiles in 5th Player mode getting PF3 light brown;

-> dark ninja uses only black BAK colour register;

This way only need to do the between them soft sprite masking on the PFs and not needed to do that for the PMGs that when they cross eachother you just follow their priorities.

 

 

I open here on AA a Topic of this one some time ago in the 8bit Forum but never got any answer but once again I ask and say that if anyone is interested and want my help and want to know my ideas in a more detailed way then like always just send me a message...

:-)

[José Pereira]

Link to the the Topic I openned some time ago:

atariage.com/forums/topic/215963-about-a-bruce-lee-ii-convert-from-windows-recent

And example(s) using my idea: