Stack 'Em & JZintv

[Gernot]

I have a slight problem with Armauld's game "Stack 'Em".

 

Using the recent release of JZintv the screen is deranged

 

if i use a earlier release (a win32 release running in "Wine") the screen is centered.

 

Any ideas how to fix that?

 

The game and the source is still available here (hosted by arnauld chevalier):

http://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=19769

 

 

[+nanochess]

The game runs without almost passing thru EXEC ROM (it's in the $4800 zone) so probably it doesn't reset STIC variables relative to scroll mask.

 

Although of course intvnut should chime to tell us about the default state of scroll mask at RESET of Intellivision hardware.

[Arnauld]

The game runs without almost passing thru EXEC ROM (it's in the $4800 zone) so probably it doesn't reset STIC variables relative to scroll mask.

That's correct. This is the MiniGame Compo version which was released in a rush. It doesn't perform any initialization of the STIC registers, so jzIntv cannot be blame for that. I believe that the state of the STIC after reset is pretty much random on the real hardware as well when the full EXEC boot sequence is bypassed.

Edited December 14, 2017 by Arnauld

[mr_me]

I have a slight problem with Armauld's game "Stack 'Em".

 

Using the recent release of JZintv the screen is deranged

shot0001.gif shot0002.gif

 

if i use a earlier release (a win32 release running in "Wine") the screen is centered.

shot009.gif shot0003.gif

 

Any ideas how to fix that?

 

The game and the source is still available here (hosted by arnauld chevalier):

http://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=19769

 

 

Best to contact intvnut directly. He'd want to know. [Assuming it behaves differently on real hardware] Edited December 14, 2017 by mr_me

[Eric7100]

Is there a box?

[+intellivotion]

Is there a box?

not yet. I guess it was rushed

[intvnut]

The reset state of the STIC is not guaranteed to be anything in particular at reset.

 

In jzIntv, I default to "all 1s wherever I can put 1s", unless you turn on randomization. Older jzIntv may have indeed put 0s there. I don't remember.

/* ======================================================================== */
/*  STIC_REG_INIT   Initialize the registers at reset or power-up.          */
/* ======================================================================== */
LOCAL void stic_reg_init(stic_t *stic)
{
    int a;

    /* -------------------------------------------------------------------- */
    /*  Fill all the STIC registers either with 1 or random values.         */
    /* -------------------------------------------------------------------- */
    memset(stic->raw, 0, sizeof(stic->raw));  /* first, zero it */
    /* then fill it with 1s or random via ctrl writes */
    for (a = 0x00; a < 0x40; a++)
        if (a != 0x20)
            stic_ctrl_wr_internal(stic, a, stic->rand_regs ? rand() : 0xFFFF);
}

[Gernot]

 

Is there a box?

 

here's your box*

 

 

 

i was calling and the whole olymp was answering.

 

thanks!

 

i will see how it turns out playing it on the real hardware (soon).

 

It's a game i liked much, i played "columns" a very long time and it turned out to be one of the rare computer/video games my first girlfriend played to.

 

So far about "female games", even if some are considered there are no differences, nonetheless there are.

In my opinion for women everything which is about collecting gems or money is good.

But i can be wrong

 

It still exists in countless variations, last time i noticed one played a "columns" version on his tablet, some animated dragons accompain the game but essentially

it's still the same and i thought for once more how easy ppl are to please with "old tard" when it's visually upgraded.

 

----

 

*was that ment serious?

I heard it favours some to have virtual boxes for ultimate FB, if i noticed this right.

 

A fun fact about my old virtual boxes i made a couple of years ago for "Tetris" and "IStar", they found there way into itellivisionbrasil.

http://www.intellivisionbrasil.com.br/Jogos_Istar.htm

http://www.intellivisionbrasil.com.br/Jogos_Tetris.htm

 

Never even ment to be released as cartridge, but well we have a Box "version EUA" and Overlays published in EUA.

Now i'm not sure should i be proud of or feel ashame for.

 

but well I-Star looks cute.

 

 

Yes even the overlay found its way, though i could make similar for "Stack 'em", even when you won't need to know much to play it.

And yes i promise i will take a little more effort for it as for "StudioVision", if i have the right idea, it will be some babylonian inspired artwork i guess,

but no cherubim, something else, probably a winged lion.

 

Sometimes, but only in rare cases, you find a button more to press.

It is stated in the manual for "Air Strike" that the game isn't complete and that it contains no enemies.

The first might be true but the second statement is wrong, there are enemies in this game but you have to call them.

These are no biplanes or planes, though it's true there are NO enemy PLANES in the game, BUT enemy HELICOPTERS.

Press 0 to call them, press 0 again to stop the attack, the command will be confirmed by a whistle signal (expect that it takes some time to execute the order, i'm not sure but i feel it depends on your position on the "map"), it's welcome that you can call them because the helicopters are quite heavy enemies and won't give you a second chance. I don't know what this game needs more, to me it's quite complete this way, it's playable and not to easy, a bit uncommon that you can call the enemies by choice.

Maybe it needs a improvement on the bullet speed, the helicopters are almost as fast as your projectiles, but imo it's complete, or as good as.

Perhaps it leaks of what many shoot 'em ups leak, a real goal except to shoot on everything which is possibly a target.

 

I wonder how far this little fact is known?

Edited December 30, 2017 by Gernot

[Walter Ives]

On 12/30/2017 at 11:16 AM, Gernot said:

It is stated in the manual for "Air Strike" that the game isn't complete and that it contains no enemies.

The first might be true but the second statement is wrong, there are enemies in this game but you have to call them.

These are no biplanes or planes, though it's true there are NO enemy PLANES in the game, BUT enemy HELICOPTERS.

You're not noticing the other enemies that are plainly visible. I see lots of ground batteries—you surely don't think they're just for decoration. No, they're waiting for their targeting mechanisms to be installed and ammunition to arrive. There are also numerous Spitfires, but their Merlin engines were still on the drawing boards and their pilots undergoing training. The SAMs seem anachronistic, but I suspect they'll prove deadly once their radar installations are operational—you probably won't be able to get by unless you take the radar stations out first. As you suggest, the helicopters seem out of place, but they're only here because they were brought in on temporary duty from another game until the regular defenses could be made ready. And the defenders still need to build more targets—bridges to be blown, dams to be busted, fuel dumps to explode and other infrastructure to be destroyed.