Choplifter!

[unhuman]

3 hours ago, Vorticon said:

Was the game entirely joystick controlled? It seems that there are too many commands to make it comfortable using the TI joystick. We have up/down, left/right, rotate and fire. I suppose we could assign the rotate function to simultaneous fire button and either left or right stick. Yeah that would work....

I have some vague recollection that the single-button implementations depended on how long you held the fire button...  a quick hit = shot/bomb and a little bit of a hold = rotate.

[Airshack]

Just played Choplifter on my Apple //gs and it is a TWO button game with one button rotating the chopper and the other button used for firing weapons (gun/bombs).

 

The rotate part can be automatically linked to joystick direction without really changing the gameplay other than simplifying the shooting element.

 

This game had to be ported to single button controlling systems in the past, right?

 

Another option would be to make it a two-player game with the second player controlling weapons via the second joystick.

 

Yet another option would be to keep it a two button game and just mod a two button controller to the TI gameport, or just use an adaptor with a two-button controller.

 

What I'd like to see is an MBX compatible version utilizing two buttons.

[Omega-TI]

I'm going to have to check and see if I have Choplifter! on my 5200.  I have so many things on that cartridge it's hard to remember what I have.  

 

Here's the Atari 5200 version...

.. agreed very "doable" on an unenhanced TI.

 

Now the 7800 version would probably require an F18...

 

Nope, no Choplifter! on my multicart. ?

 

Edited December 25, 2020 by Omega-TI
Update

[cbmeeks]

On 12/22/2020 at 7:28 PM, Vorticon said:

Totally doable on the TI and will probably look better as well. I mean come on: magenta ground???

I might actually be interested in tackling this one. While assembly is the natural choice, it might also be an interesting option for FbForth.

Let me mull over this a bit...

 

Seeing a working game in FbForth would be awesome for me.  I've always wanted to see if I could code a game in Forth but I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the RPN.  It totally makes sense in my head, but my execution is terrible.

 

I got the Thinking Forth book for Christmas last year to try and learn Forth.  But for me, I have to have an actual project.

 

Anyway, seeing this game on the TI would be a treat no matter what language it's written in.  ?

 

 

[+Vorticon]

11 hours ago, cbmeeks said:

 

Seeing a working game in FbForth would be awesome for me.  I've always wanted to see if I could code a game in Forth but I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the RPN.  It totally makes sense in my head, but my execution is terrible.

 

I got the Thinking Forth book for Christmas last year to try and learn Forth.  But for me, I have to have an actual project.

 

Anyway, seeing this game on the TI would be a treat no matter what language it's written in.  ?

 

 

I programmed Jet Pac entirely in Turbo Forth on the TI, which shows you some of the capabilities of Forth. Once you get past the RPN framework, it's actually quite intuitive. 

 

 

[Omega-TI]

26 minutes ago, Vorticon said:

I programmed Jet Pac entirely in Turbo Forth on the TI, which shows you some of the capabilities of Forth.

 

Good cartridge!  I remember buying it from Greg at Fest West 2016.

 

 

[digdugnate]

I played Choplifter on the C64- soooo many good Synapse games on that platform.  That being said, I'd be down for purchasing a Choplifter port  

[+TheBF]

6 hours ago, Vorticon said:

I programmed Jet Pac entirely in Turbo Forth on the TI, which shows you some of the capabilities of Forth. Once you get past the RPN framework, it's actually quite intuitive. 

 

How many screens of code (or lines if you prefer) did it take to make this game Vorticon?

It really looks great BTW.

[+Vorticon]

16 minutes ago, TheBF said:

How many screens of code (or lines if you prefer) did it take to make this game Vorticon?

It really looks great BTW.

Thanks  Here's the listing.

Jetpac.txt

[cbmeeks]

7 hours ago, Vorticon said:

I programmed Jet Pac entirely in Turbo Forth on the TI, which shows you some of the capabilities of Forth. Once you get past the RPN framework, it's actually quite intuitive. 

 

 

Yeah, that's what I think as well.  Just hard for me to adjust my thinking sometimes.  ?

 

Amazing work!

[+TheBF]

1 minute ago, cbmeeks said:

Yeah, that's what I think as well.  Just hard for me to adjust my thinking sometimes.  ?

 

Amazing work!

I remember trying to transition from BASIC to Forth. It took a while for the penny to drop as they say.

After I thought I got it I started looking at experienced people's Forth code and I was shocked.

I realized I was still programming in BASIC but with Forth words.  

(I kind of loved XB back in the day)

 

It is a hard adjustment but learning any of the alternative paradigm languages is good for the mind.

Vorticon has done exemplary work in trying new languages on real projects.