Jinroh Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 (edited) Just tried it. I really like this new blue that you have going on. Makes the barrel really look nice too. Edited March 14, 2016 by Jinroh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNameOfTheGame Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Hmmm, I would have to say compared to the last version the new, deeper blue makes a bigger impact on the play field (Oil drum looks better, barrels look good. 2nd stage looks sharper). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+darryl1970 Posted March 15, 2016 Author Share Posted March 15, 2016 Multi-color Prizes (Pauline's Stuff) Here's another tweak. How's this version. Minor color tweaks Multi-color prizes Small Mario tweaks DkMultiColorPrize.xex 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinroh Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 (edited) Man so awesome! Those item's of Pauline's look so great! This is the update I've been waiting for since you mentioned it. Edit: Played a few rounds, looks and feels great! Definitely my favorite yet. Edited March 15, 2016 by Jinroh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 all really good, but is Mario a bit more washed out now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNameOfTheGame Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 (edited) Hey thanks for a new update! Since you asked for our thoughts I went back and compared this test release with the previous v6.3 release and with the arcade and Landon's original: (these are just constructive observations...nothing can detract from the improvements you have made) Yes, Mario does look more washed out compared to the last v6.3 release. Definitely if you compare with the arcade and Landon's to this latest. The firefox on level 2 is different from v6.3 which had the arcade version. For some reason they are back to Landon's version. I think I prefer something closer to Landon's take on the girders on the 2nd level since his blue matches the arcade more closely. He doesn't have the top and bottom lines like yours but the blue seems closer to the arcade and the holes in the girders are larger and closer to the arcade size. What do you think? His yellow ladders were a closer match to the arcade also, but I understand you have only a few colors to work with and have to compromise to get Kong and the barrels balanced. The multicolor prizes are awesome! Thanks for putting those in...It's looking good! Wow, now that I see yours next to the arcade I can see just how close you have come to that version! Edited March 15, 2016 by TheNameOfTheGame 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Looking good! Two questions: 1. How hard would it be to put the little 'covering' over DK on the girder screen? 2. Is there a reason that this version (and most home ports) removed one of the girders from the first level? I'm going to guess it's because there wasn't enough room since the arcade used a vertical monitor, but could it be squeezed in somehow (that would require a major game rewrite I imagine). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+darryl1970 Posted March 15, 2016 Author Share Posted March 15, 2016 Hey thanks for a new update! You're welcome. Since you asked for our thoughts I went back and compared this test release with the previous v6.3 release and with the arcade and Landon's original: (these are just constructive observations...nothing can detract from the improvements you have made) Yes, Mario does look more washed out compared to the last v6.3 release. Definitely if you compare with the arcade and Landon's to this latest. Yes. Playsoft and I both wanted to see how noticed it was. There is a price to the multi-colored prizes. Mario is now made up of two players. The red and blue overlap to make the skin color. Since Mario is a main focus point, I do not want to sacrifice him too much, but I am determined to find the right color combination. I have done a little poking around, and came up with something with a little more contrast. I have to be careful, else Mario's face takes on the blue. --- JUST A COLOR CHANGE NOTE: I could make the color less violet and more blue, but it's the same color as the ramp ladders. I was looking for the best overall. I will continue to play with this. The firefox on level 2 is different from v6.3 which had the arcade version. For some reason they are back to Landon's version. That's a tough call. The arcade technically has fireballs on all levels, except the ramps. The firefoxes are only on the rivets. A couple people liked Landon's fireball/firefox hybrids, and I appreciate them for being that hybrid. The only thing I didn't like about them was the black "mouth", which I found to be the equivalent of Pac-Man having an eye. Now that Playsoft opened up the lighter color on the ramps, I added some lighter color to them. I also contained the blue more around the "eyes", like in the arcade versions. I like the hybrid. However, if Playsoft comes up with a solution to have the fireballs and firefoxes, I would definitely go with arcade mirroring. I think I prefer something closer to Landon's take on the girders on the 2nd level since his blue matches the arcade more closely. He doesn't have the top and bottom lines like yours but the blue seems closer to the arcade and the holes in the girders are larger and closer to the arcade size. What do you think? I am torn on this. If you see the image above, I think the girders look okay with the hole size. I do not care for the single color, but I am torn as to whether the yellow is a tad extreme. The arcade, close-up, uses two shades of blue. The center hole is bigger, because the girders are actually taller. Here is an alternate. I removed the top blue line, in order to make the hole bigger. Or, do you think the darker blue already did the trick? --- COLOR CHANGE AND BIGGER HOLES. Now that the blue is darker, this one or the previous? I think it's tough, so I tend to side with the previous, since it's more arcade-true.. His yellow ladders were a closer match to the arcade also, but I understand you have only a few colors to work with and have to compromise to get Kong and the barrels balanced. Yes. The yellow is the same color in DK's face. To make the ladders yellow makes Kong look jaundice, as well as Pauline. The multicolor prizes are awesome! Thanks for putting those in...It's looking good! Thanks. I really like them. There was no real way to get detail with a single color. It just feels more "arcade", and it kicks ColecoVision in the no-nos. (I do like my Coleco, but I am a 5200 guy!) Wow, now that I see yours next to the arcade I can see just how close you have come to that version! Thanks for taking the time to compare. It's a challenge to squeeze some of the frames down to 8-bits wide AND work with the lower resolution. I am constantly wanting to tweak things, but they don't always translate perfectly on screen. I can't imagine what Landon had to go through, as things on Photoshop, let alone grid paper, don't always translate on screen. I am guessing he would have to wait for the game to compile before he could see a small pixel change. It's his own fault for not pulling out his i7 rig and Photoshop. Looking good! Two questions: 1. How hard would it be to put the little 'covering' over DK on the girder screen? I do not know. That would be nice, but I bet it could be complicated, since DK is a software sprite. That would be more of a Playsoft hack than me. Maybe he'll see this and chime in. He has already done so much. If I had a choice I would prefer the ladders to be fixed. The rivet ladders are not positioned like the arcade, and that affects gameplay more. That one bugs me.. 2. Is there a reason that this version (and most home ports) removed one of the girders from the first level? I'm going to guess it's because there wasn't enough room since the arcade used a vertical monitor, but could it be squeezed in somehow (that would require a major game rewrite I imagine). My GUESS is that it was just one take on how to make it work, due to the vertical to horizontal orientation. I always thought that less inclined girders would work. The NES put Pauline on a lower platform, between Kong's ladders. (The 7800 was modeled after the NES) I think it just took some thinking outside the box in that respect. It was new, and the first wave of DK at home was probably focused on keeping the ramps more inclined and far apart. I think the C64 had one extra row on screen. They managed it. AtariSoft went with pencil-thin girders. I think Ocean went with adjusting the jump and collision detection overhead. I would think that placing the levels closer together would be an option for Atari. It would require overhead collision to be more forgiving, as Mario might jump above more often. That seems to me like a total re-write too! The NES and 7800 had the bottom row scrunched on the Rivets screen. That always drove me crazy!! Why not just make ALL the levels closer like the bottom one. Why make ONE row stand out as scrunched?? I am honestly not sure if it could be done in this version. It would require SO MANY changes. Kong's barrel patters are adjusted for him being on the right. It would be an awesome thing, but I think it would require so many band-aids, if not a re-write, that I would imagine a lot breaking. Updated colors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+darryl1970 Posted March 15, 2016 Author Share Posted March 15, 2016 My current favorite color combo average. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 It's a fantastic achievement. Kong's redraw alone (with white teeth and eyes) significantly improved the overall look. I could probably quickly get used to the lighter Mario which is used to get multicolored items like umbrella and phone. But then again, the 1-color items were par for the A8 course and didn't look bad to me either. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinroh Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Very nice, I like your favorite scheme Darryl, slightly different but still very pleasing to the eye. I agree you guys have done a fan-freakin'-tastic job. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+darryl1970 Posted March 15, 2016 Author Share Posted March 15, 2016 Very nice, I like your favorite scheme Darryl, slightly different but still very pleasing to the eye. I agree you guys have done a fan-freakin'-tastic job. Thanks Jinroh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 I guess I'm the only one who never noticed the prizes weren't multicolored originally. How did I ever miss that? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 by the way, what is meant by coin-op Donkey Kong's covering , in the girder level? ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 by the way, what is meant by coin-op Donkey Kong's covering , in the girder level? ?? I was talking about the little bar and supports that are over DK in the final level. I meant the rivet level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNameOfTheGame Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Yes, Mario does look more washed out compared to the last v6.3 release. Definitely if you compare with the arcade and Landon's to this latest. Yes. Playsoft and I both wanted to see how noticed it was. There is a price to the multi-colored prizes. Mario is now made up of two players. The red and blue overlap to make the skin color. Since Mario is a main focus point, I do not want to sacrifice him too much, but I am determined to find the right color combination. I have done a little poking around, and came up with something with a little more contrast. I have to be careful, else Mario's face takes on the blue. Ah ok, you guys are wizards! I should've known some programming was going on to get the multicolored prizes else they probably would've been there from the start. The firefox on level 2 is different from v6.3 which had the arcade version. For some reason they are back to Landon's version. That's a tough call. The arcade technically has fireballs on all levels, except the ramps. The firefoxes are only on the rivets. A couple people liked Landon's fireball/firefox hybrids, and I appreciate them for being that hybrid. The only thing I didn't like about them was the black "mouth", which I found to be the equivalent of Pac-Man having an eye. Now that Playsoft opened up the lighter color on the ramps, I added some lighter color to them. I also contained the blue more around the "eyes", like in the arcade versions. I like the hybrid. However, if Playsoft comes up with a solution to have the fireballs and firefoxes, I would definitely go with arcade mirroring. Well if you only get one enemy to work with, I guess the hybrid is a reasonable call. I think I prefer something closer to Landon's take on the girders on the 2nd level since his blue matches the arcade more closely. He doesn't have the top and bottom lines like yours but the blue seems closer to the arcade and the holes in the girders are larger and closer to the arcade size. What do you think? I am torn on this. If you see the image above, I think the girders look okay with the hole size. I do not care for the single color, but I am torn as to whether the yellow is a tad extreme. The arcade, close-up, uses two shades of blue. The center hole is bigger, because the girders are actually taller. Here is an alternate. I removed the top blue line, in order to make the hole bigger. Or, do you think the darker blue already did the trick? --- COLOR CHANGE AND BIGGER HOLES. Now that the blue is darker, this one or the previous? I think it's tough, so I tend to side with the previous, since it's more arcade-true.. Well to my eyeballs it still looks pretty purplish combared to the Landon's and the arcade. What about a DLI on each rivet tier that changes the colors to blues so you can pick different blues and have the lines above and below the holes blue also? If I had a choice I would prefer the ladders to be fixed. The rivet ladders are not positioned like the arcade, and that affects gameplay more. That one bugs me.. I know, that is jolting when you see it...probably would be hard to change. Updated colors Elevator.PNG Super! My current favorite color combo average. Mine too. That's a good all around one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gozar Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 I still prefer the original blue girders, the yellow lines just throw me off. Any option for the fireballs turning blue when you have the hammer? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+darryl1970 Posted March 16, 2016 Author Share Posted March 16, 2016 I still prefer the original blue girders, the yellow lines just throw me off. Any option for the fireballs turning blue when you have the hammer? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk The "average favorite" a couple threads above is less violet. I am trying a couple things to try to get it more arcade accurate. The fireballs share the color with the floors, ladders and Donkey Kong. It wouldn't be as simple as changing a color register. We would need to draw additional fireballs with the colors inverted. I honestly don't know how difficult or how much space we have left at this time. If we go with independent fireball/firefoxes, there may be room for that. So, I guess it may be possible, but I am not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+darryl1970 Posted March 16, 2016 Author Share Posted March 16, 2016 (edited) Colors Per Level Playsoft set the game so I can choose different colors for each screen. There are 3 colors, and Donkey Kong uses two of them. I do NOT want to change DK from level to level. That leaves the blue, which is more of a green-blue on the ramps and blue-blue on the rivets. The conveyor belts have white ladders and blue pies, so I tried very light blue. Here are some comparisons. My Favorite Single Color Arcade Per-Level Colors. Edited March 16, 2016 by darryl1970 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinroh Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 (edited) I mostly like the original colours, I definitely prefer when the oil drum is darker, but the multi-color set, I do like the elevator screen. Edited March 16, 2016 by Jinroh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Ewww... That aqua-green color for the ladders and oil drum are a no-go for me. I like the first columns colors though (the single color levels) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+playsoft Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Something I noticed is that it seems the white of Kong's eyes seem to disappear a bit earlier than the rest of the screen, which gives an erie effect IMHO (like on the "How high can you get ?" screen.). It's even completely gone when Kong falls to his death but I'm sure this has to do with the player trick. (But players are easy to move, right ?....Oh....not vertically....) Kong is tracked both horizontally and vertically when he stomps the girders. I didn't do it here because I liked the idea of his eyes going out when he falls. Also there are the DLIs which are repositioning that player (which is also used for Pauline's items) so they would have to be disabled. Well to my eyeballs it still looks pretty purplish combared to the Landon's and the arcade. What about a DLI on each rivet tier that changes the colors to blues so you can pick different blues and have the lines above and below the holes blue also? I added one extra DLI just under Kong's head on each level to restore the player used for his eyes/teeth. Adding a different run of DLIs on this level is possible, but a bit fiddly. There's also the change to the playfield to consider, with the 4 lines of girders which appear. Looking good! Two questions: 1. How hard would it be to put the little 'covering' over DK on the girder screen? There seems to be room for a girder above his head to the right of the score. However the supports would end up encroaching on Pauline which would mess her up as she is xor drawn like everything else. If someone does take up the challenge of replacing the xor code that may be the time to consider it. I still prefer the original blue girders, the yellow lines just throw me off. Any option for the fireballs turning blue when you have the hammer? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Alternate images can be added, it's a question of understanding the code enough to use them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle22 Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 (edited) I ran this on real hardware, and I'm getting a red shadow beside Mario. The original DK looks normal (nothing wrong with my hardware). I hope this bug report helps to find the problem. Everything else looks great. Edit: Sorry about the poor quality. My phone camera sucks. Edited March 16, 2016 by Kyle22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+playsoft Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 No shadows here. But the colours have changed from the original. Does anyone else have the same issue as Kyle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gozar Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 I ran this on real hardware, and I'm getting a red shadow beside Mario. The original DK looks normal (nothing wrong with my hardware). I hope this bug report helps to find the problem. Everything else looks great. Mario_shadow.jpg Edit: Sorry about the poor quality. My phone camera sucks. Is that on a VBXE? I'm getting that on my VBXE machine with a U1M installed. It looks like the red P/M is set for double width instead of single. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.