Kraal Swarm - new arcade style game

[Retrospect]

Kraal Swarm.zip << Contains XB autoload file and DSK image,  and the EA5 files and DSK image with instructions on how to load.

 

Another arcade style blaster this time with hordes of aliens moving across the screen, up to 130 moving aliens at any one time depending on the Wave you have reached.

Scrolling, twinkling star-field as standard.

Extra base every 2500 points.  

 

  

[Retrospect]

Gameplay footage here;

The enemy movements become faster each wave up to a point.  There's one wave formation that has 128 Kraal ships moving left to right but it won't slow down the execution.

This is because all the Kraals are moved using the XB256 command CALL LINK("SCRLLF") and CALL LINK("SCRLRT") respectively and the Kraal character graphics are sitting in a defined WINDOW.  They animate simply by toggling character 40's definition each update.  The Kraal missiles were possible by using a random x and y number to CALL GCHAR on the screen within the boundaries of the WINDOW and if character 40 is present in the X and Y then a missile can be placed there and set to increment it's way down the screen, so long as Kraal firing is not already active.  As I say as the waves progress the Kraals will actually move faster as their delay value decrements to a point.  

This is a high-score game with no end screen.  

 

[sometimes99er]

Extended Basic in Classic99 using Files (FIAD):
DSR opcode >5 (LOAD) on PAB >096E, filename DSK1.LOAD
Loading to VDP >096F DSK1.LOAD on drive type FIAD
Can't open ...\classic99\DSK1\LOAD for input, errno 2.
Setting file error 7 on file buffer 85
DSR opcode >0 (OPEN) on PAB >096E, filename DSK1.LOAD
Opening DSK1.LOAD on drive type FIAD
PAB requested file type is IV254
Allocating file buffer 0
Can't open ...\classic99\DSK1\LOAD for input, errno 2.
Releasing file buffer 36
Setting file error 7 on file buffer 87
 
Works fine with Image (DSK).
 

Edited June 22, 2022 by sometimes99er

[Retrospect]

8 minutes ago, sometimes99er said:

Works fine with Image (DSK).

Right.  I don't know anything about those errors, I wasn't expecting that.  

[Retrospect]

KRAAL-X < loads in XB

 

KRAAL-X,KRAAL-G,KRAAL-F < Loads in EA5

 

These should work.

KRAAL-E

[sometimes99er]

18 minutes ago, Retrospect said:

KRAAL-X < loads in XB

Same errors as before. ?
 

[Retrospect]

SWARM-X < xb

SWARM-G,SWARM-F,SWARM-E < ea5 files

 

Hope these work?

[sometimes99er]

Technically it's an impressive game. Well done. ?

[+OLD CS1]

Nice retro-arcade vibe!

[tmop69]

In SSS cart format for FG99...

Kraal Swarm (2022)(Restrospect)_8.bin

[Retrospect]

Thanks everyone.  

 

Well I'm working on getting the execution somewhat faster and have come up with this little program that has 32 monsters moving left to right, their ability to fire, as well as the player's ability to move and fire, and player missile vs alien never misses, and it's not too slow!  

 

[Tursi]

20 hours ago, sometimes99er said:

Extended Basic in Classic99 using Files (FIAD):
DSR opcode >5 (LOAD) on PAB >096E, filename DSK1.LOAD
Loading to VDP >096F DSK1.LOAD on drive type FIAD
Can't open ...\classic99\DSK1\LOAD for input, errno 2.
Setting file error 7 on file buffer 85
DSR opcode >0 (OPEN) on PAB >096E, filename DSK1.LOAD
Opening DSK1.LOAD on drive type FIAD
PAB requested file type is IV254
Allocating file buffer 0
Can't open ...\classic99\DSK1\LOAD for input, errno 2.
Releasing file buffer 36
Setting file error 7 on file buffer 87
 
Works fine with Image (DSK).
 

Errno 2 means "file not found". Look at your disk path. Is "..\classic99\DSK1\LOAD" correct? The ".." at the beginning is very sus.

 

EDIT: Correction, it's actually "..." in your path. That's not even a valid path. That's probably the cause.

 

Edited June 23, 2022 by Tursi

[sometimes99er]

4 hours ago, Tursi said:

EDIT: Correction, it's actually "..." in your path. That's not even a valid path. That's probably the cause.

I manually changed my looong path to ... when posting the log. I think I had the path correct, been the same for DSK1 for years, but maybe I did something wrong. Thanks for taking a look.
 

[+Vorticon]

On 6/22/2022 at 9:02 PM, Retrospect said:

Thanks everyone.  

 

Well I'm working on getting the execution somewhat faster and have come up with this little program that has 32 monsters moving left to right, their ability to fire, as well as the player's ability to move and fire, and player missile vs alien never misses, and it's not too slow!  

 

 

That's pretty good! Are you going to upgrade Kraal Swarm with it?

[Retrospect]

10 hours ago, Vorticon said:

That's pretty good! Are you going to upgrade Kraal Swarm with it?

Thanks Walid, yes, I am going to be re-writing Kraal Swarm with this.  Also fixed will be the words "Death by Graal Missile" instead of "Kraal" 

[Retrospect]

Kraal Swarm is having a bit of a re-write.  I'm going to make it a little more interesting, it would be nice if I could get this stage included as well as the space stage, it's set on Earth at a coast somewhere and they've invaded there as well.  You play a battle ship in this stage, 'specially equipped to fire deadly missiles at the Kraals, much to their annoyance.

 

[+OLD CS1]

36 minutes ago, Retrospect said:

Earth at a coast somewhere and they've invaded there as well.

Like bloody snow-birds.

[Retrospect]

1 hour ago, OLD CS1 said:

Like bloody snow-birds.

Yeah they migrate to Earth every winter from their native planet Oseiden.  Pesky little things they are. They're worth 10 points each though.

[+TheBF]

1 hour ago, OLD CS1 said:

Like bloody snow-birds.

Ya like those Canadians are totally annoying eh?

Ya just wanna tell 'em to take off eh? 

 

(that's me on the left eh?)

[+OLD CS1]

1 minute ago, TheBF said:

Ya like those Canadians are totally annoying eh?

Ya just wanna tell 'em to take off eh? 

 

(that's me on the left eh?)

Yeah, ya hoser!

[unhuman]

For your new invaders tricks...  Would be nice to have guys go all the way across instead of being blocked by where the dead guys used to be...  But so fast!

[jrhodes]

17 hours ago, Retrospect said:

Kraal Swarm is having a bit of a re-write.  I'm going to make it a little more interesting, it would be nice if I could get this stage included as well as the space stage, it's set on Earth at a coast somewhere and they've invaded there as well.  You play a battle ship in this stage, 'specially equipped to fire deadly missiles at the Kraals, much to their annoyance.

 

 

I love it! Needs some waves, a la Wavy Navy.

[Retrospect]

2 hours ago, unhuman said:

For your new invaders tricks...  Would be nice to have guys go all the way across instead of being blocked by where the dead guys used to be...  But so fast!

That's why it's fast, because I'm not doing it that way.  

[atari1byte]

Great game!!!
Just downloaded it!
Sorry, can you give me information on how to use XB256?
I would come make a game too ...
Simple game!
Thanks!
 

[Retrospect]

9 hours ago, atari1byte said:

can you give me information on how to use XB256?

Yes, it can be found in the Contributers folder under Harry Wilhelm in every download of Classic99, just copy and paste the contents of that folder into your DSK1 folder.  Or you can get it from the development resources thread here; 

 

 

 

 

There's a manual comes with it that will explain fully how to use it, but I can give you a little information here ....

Say we want to create a simple scrolling screen;

 

100 CALL LINK("SCRN2) :: CALL CLEAR :: CALL LINK("WINDOW",16,1,16,32)
110 CALL LINK("DISPLY",16,1,"SIMPLE SCROLLER")::LET T=0

120 LET T=T+1 :: IF T=16 THEN 130 ELSE 120
130 LET T=0 :: CALL LINK("SCRLLF",1) :: GOTO 120

This will scroll some text at row 16.  The Call Link ("WINDOW",16,1,16,32) specifies you want a window to scroll at those locations, row 16 column 1, and ending at row 16 column 32 ... when this scrolls with the Call Link("SCRLLF",1) command, it will scroll only the partition of the screen you specified with CALL LINK("WINDOW" command, so if you wanted the full screen to be scrolling it would be CALL LINK("WINDOW",1,1,24,32) 

Obviously the variable "T" can be altered to increment up to lower numbers for faster scroll or take it out for maximum speed.

This is just a taster, really you need to be reading the manual and experimenting with bits of code.  Then go on youtube and type in TI XB Compiler and I'm sure there's videos on there that will let you see the simplicity of how to use the Compiler.