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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition - Ended

Posted on: 2022/7/18 13:57 #61

Quite a regular

@levellord

Thanks for the feedback! It would be interesting to know if the test executable helps (if not, then it must be an OS/SDL issue).

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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition - Ended

Posted on: 2022/7/18 11:05 #62

Quite a regular

@328gts

Quote:

I never had any issues with USB gamepads on Windows with Blastaway but my issue is my Bluetooth gamepad which is not seen by Blastaway. Tried this new exe but same issue with Bluetooth gamepad not being seen.

In this case, evidently there's a disconnect between Windows and SDL. Unfortunately, that's nothing I can help with :/

EDIT
On second thought, there's one more thing I could try: not checking the presence of D-pads/thumbsticks (hats/axes in SDL terminology) at all and simply accepting any joypad that has at least 1 button - basically, accepting all joypads. Then, if for some reason SDL manages to read the joypad output (be it digital or analog), the joypad will work. Can you download the latest executable (same link) and let me know, please?

@all

I remembered that I had already done a little investigation about this and found the relevant thread. Basically, other users report the same behaviour I noticed here, so I'm confident the executable solves the issue.

Edited by saimo on 2022/7/18 11:27:14

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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition - Ended

Posted on: 2022/7/17 21:24 #63

Quite a regular

@all

I have received reports about the fact that Blastaway wouldn't see joypads on Windows. This is a general issue that I had noticed even before making Blastaway: at some point, at least here, Windows started to see/report D-pads as thumbsticks. For example, I have here a cheap SNES joypad replica which Windows (10) sees as an analogue controller that can even be calibrated. Searching around the net, I found that the issue is broader: some people report D-pads and thumbsticks swapped around or not working together, etc.
My AmigaOS 4 / Windows games query (through SDL) the OS for joypads with D-pads, so joypads do not get seen when Windows reports them incorrectly. I have now produced a test executable of Blastaway that accepts also joypads which are reported to have only a thumbstick. It is based on what the tests with the aforementioned joypad showed - more precisely, SDL reports these signed 16 bit values:
* UP/LEFT: 0x8000
* DOWN/RIGHT: 0x7fff
Curiously, the center position is said to be 0xffff (-1) instead of 0, so I'm not relying on that.
My impression is that Windows tries to unify D-pads and thumbsticks handling, so it treats the former as analogue controls that output only the maximum values. If that's the case, then the current code is good enough already. If not, then I'll have to add a calibration option.
Could you test the new executable and let me know, please? You can download it from https://www.retream.com/_temporary/Blastaway.zip - just unpack it in your game folder.

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saimo

Re: [C64] QUOD INIT EXIT games

Posted on: 2022/7/8 21:57 #64

Quite a regular

Today's news is that, after more than 2 years, I have just released a new - and massive - playable preview of QUOD INIT EXIT IIo!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xod3INRv15A

Resized Image

Get it from https://retream.itch.io/quod-init-exit-iio and enjoy!

CHANGELOG (since the 2020.03.21 preview)


* Made Zampo jump only when he is not moving upwards already (before, if Zampo's

  legs were on a solid tile while he was already moving upwards and the joystick

  was pushed up, he would jump again, thus continuing the upwards movement; this

  increased the chances of unwanted double-jumps).

* Changed the portals/teleporting behaviour:

   * when Zampo uses a portal, he is now automatically teleported to the right

     location (this simplifies the gameplay, as before misusing portals was too

     punishing - i.e. it made completing a zone impossible);

   * they are now activated with [DOWN] insted of [FIRE] to reduce the chances

     of activating portals unintentionally (as [FIRE] is used for turbofarting,

     whereas [DOWN] is used for ducking, which is a much less common action).

* Accelerated the relocation of Zampo to checkpoints.

* Worked on the collision detection against the background:

   * made more precise and relative to Zampo's movement and aspect;

   * extended the detection area for some tiles, so that picking up items and

     operating switches is easier.

* Worked on food/drink items:

   * added 3 new types (which affects the gameplay, as it makes the appearance

     of the spinach can and of the Gasorade bottle less likely; this has been

     counterbalanced with the following changes);

   * made the Gasorade bottle restore the turbofart meter entirely;

   * made the cake (one of the new items) restore the belly meter entirely;

   * avoided that they spawn on some tiles where they would be uncatchable;

   * redrawn the spinach can.

* Worked on the PIG-OF-GOLD mode:

   * enlarged the area checked for the activation, so that Zampo no longer

     requires to be placed too precisely;

   * avoided that it is re-activated when it is already active not only because

     conceptually it makes no sense, but also because it could interfere with

     the PIG-OF-STEEL mode.

* Added the PIG-OF-GOLD and PIG-OF-STEEL modes tunes.

* Added a simple sound effect for teleporting (music gets paused in the

  meanwhile; this is the only case where a sound effect is used; the reason is

  that it is the simplest and least memory-hungry way to susped the PIG-OF-GOLD

  and PIG-OF-STEEL modes tunes, when such modes are active a portal is taken;

  anyway, it is quite appropriate as Zampo, when teleporting, is indeed in a

  kind of suspended state).

* Added the zone exit icon (a thumb-up icon that blinks constantly to indicate

  the point Zampo has to reach after collecting all the potties).

* Extended the tile-related events triggering mechanism (and used it for various

  purposes in the existing maps).

* Added a mechanism for making a switch appear with a brief blinking.

* Added a mechanism for making a generic tile blink.

* Added a mechanism for performing real-time, progressive, arbitrary changes to

  memory (and used it for various purposes, especially in the existing maps).

* Sped up the removal of barriers by 1 frame per tile.

* Reworked the handling of Zampo's appearance by implementing a centralized

  mechanism which:

    * takes a few cycles more, but saves memory and makes the code cleaner;

    * allows each tile to have lighting properties;

    * allows checkpoints, portals and portals destinations to be also in places

      where the lighting is shady/dark;

    * solves (elegantly) the clashes between the GOLD and STEEL modes relatively

      to Zampo's colors;

    * provides a centralized way to make Zampo flash.

* Slown down the flashing of Zampo when the PIG-OF-STEEL mode is about to end.

* Made Zampo say: "YEA" when he catches the cake; "WOW" when he catches the

  Gasorade bottle or the spinach can; "YUM" when he catches another food item.

* Ensured Zampo is visible when a game is aborted.

* Slown down the blinking of potties.

* Worked on baddies:

   * added 2-frame animations;

   * added the "explosion" animation.

* Added (support for) dynamic tilesets.

* Made the head-up display taller to make room for the information relative to

  the zone-specific features.

* Fixed Zampo's X speed in couple of places (it was 1/16 off due to an inverted

  sign).

* Fixed the Zampo Y correction relatively to collisions with obstacles above (it

  pushed Zampo 1/32 pixels below the character he was in, instead of keeping

  him in that character by just 1/32 pixels).

* Fixed the baddies X initialization (the spawning code is distributed across

  multiple frames to spread the load, but it defined the X before the final

  position was validated; given that, in the meanwhile, the screen most likely

  scrolled, at the time of spawning the X could have been unsuitable - and thus

  caused the baddies, in some circumstances, to appear out of nothing).

* Fixed the sprites clipping code (the fact that the screen is narrower/shorter

  due to scrolling was not taken into account because of some wrong labels and a

  constant was off by 1).

* Fixed the bug that allowed to use the portals frames to teleport.

* Fixed the horizontal alignment of icons in the head-up display (was off by 1

  pixel to the left).

* Fixed/optimized some instruments in music.

* Extended/improved the intro text.

* Wrote the outro text.

* Changed the design of the 'I' in the logo, to match the font's  (which needs

  that letter to be easily readable).

* Saved some memory by moving some sprites graphics and other data to the unused

  space in the charset.

* Made many speed and memory optimizations.

* Made the [F1] check in the pause routine more robust (the CIA registers were

  accessed continuously, but my C64 did not like it).

* Renamed meters:

   * "belly satisfaction meter" -> "belly meter";

   * "turbofart charge meter" -> "turbofart meter".

* Renamed the FACTORY zone as the TOWERS zone (as now there is an idea of how it

  will play and look like).

* Made a few other minor changes.

* Worked on the FUN PARK zone:

   * started the map;

   * added "FUN" to the name.

* Worked on the CLIFFS zone:

   * added the cross subquest;

   * added 2 checkpoints to make it easier;

   * improved/enriched the map;

   * improved the graphics.

* Worked on the FORTRESS zone:

   * improved/enlarged/completed the map;

   * made the map easier;

   * added the stars & hidden switches puzzles;

   * improved/extended the graphics.

* Worked on the frontend:

   * made it present by default the last item/zone played;

   * inverted the zone selection controls (now: [UP] -> next zone, [DOWN] ->

     previous zone);

   * changed colors of unselected icons.

* Worked on the text reader (used by quickstart guide, intro and outro):

   * rewritten in assembly (it was a mix of BASIC-BOSS and machine language, as

     it was an adaption of the text reader used by MAH);

   * added 0.5 lines spacing for easier reading;

   * compacted the data and reorganized the memory allocation to reduce greatly

     the size of the binaries;

   * made it faster;

   * reduced the rendering glitches as much as possible (without resorting to

     buffering - double buffering would slow scrolling and triple buffering

     seems overkill, although it remains an option for the future).

* Worked on the documentation:

   * renamed the notice as "quickstart guide";

   * improved/updated/extended the quickstart guide and the manual.

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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition - Ended

Posted on: 2022/7/1 21:51 #65

Quite a regular

@AmigaOldskooler
Quote:

Cheers to Saimo for participating here in the thread

It's been a true pleasure to see you all enjoying the game and progressing so much!

Quote:

and for making one of the best games on AmigaOS 4!

Thanks for the nice comment :)

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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition - Ended

Posted on: 2022/7/1 21:49 #66

Quite a regular

@328gtsQuote:

Big shout out to saimo from RETREAM for making such a fun and challenging shooter for AmigaOS4 ! Please consider sending a donation to show our support to saimo especially as Blastaway is free and we all know the many many hours it takes to create such a quality game for our favourite OS !

Thanks for your unlimited support, but let's remember that there's a lot of people in the world who needs support more than me - so, if anyone feels like giving a reward for any of my games, instead of sending money my way, please do something for somebody who's victim of violence ;)

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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition

Posted on: 2022/6/30 22:02 #67

Quite a regular

@AmigaOldskooler

Quote:

Current top 3:

1) Levellord - June 28th - 667,215 points
2) VooDoo - June 30th - 649,360 points
3) mcleppa - June 30th - 544,805 points

Very close at the top there!

Quite some fierce competition there!

@328gts @mcleppa

Your scores are remarkable, too!

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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition

Posted on: 2022/6/30 16:44 #68

Quite a regular

@levellord @VooDoo

Those are some serious scores! Well done!

@levellord

Quote:

I almost finished the game, lost 5 lives at the 8th level of The Control Rooms, the one which is totally open, resembles of the arena. Super tough!

I really hope for you that it was actually the 9th, because, if not, then you're in for a surprise :evilgrin:
BTW, I did use "THE ARENA" layout for an area, but I can't remember which. It isn't the 8th or 9th, though.

@VooDoo

Quote:

....another update,I finished the game, but no enough score :( I can not belive that I did not get any extra scores for finishing game...

Congratulations on the achievement!
Yeah, no extra score for that because finishing the game is just a matter a finishing all the areas one by one, without a "global quest"... But, now that I think of it, I might well add a bonus for who completes the game playing it from the very first arena! It's an idea for a future update (at the moment I'm too busy with another game).

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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition

Posted on: 2022/6/25 13:54 #69

Quite a regular

@LiveForIt

Whoops, my mistake: I thought that the writing "CONGRATULATIONS" appeared on game completion, but I was mis-remembering

Now I have looked at the code and the message is different. It's ages since I last had a look at Blastaway, and there have been quite a number of games/projects in between...

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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition

Posted on: 2022/6/25 13:21 #70

Quite a regular

@LiveForIt

Congratulations on completing the game!

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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition

Posted on: 2022/6/22 17:11 #71

Quite a regular

@VooDoo

Remarkable!

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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition

Posted on: 2022/6/22 8:37 #72

Quite a regular

@328gts

Way to go!

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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition

Posted on: 2022/6/21 1:42 #73

Quite a regular

@levellord

Quote:

Don't worry about the time bonus, it's insignificant.

Not at all ;)
Imagine you catch it just before killing Hodwor and Ikuwor: the level ends with ~90 seconds left (can be even more, especially if the bonus is taken between or after those two), which gives 90*5 = 450 points - that ain't bad, if you consider that Hodwor and Ikuwor, together, give only 425 points. But, more importantly, if you kill those two with the first shot (as you rightfully recommend), those 450 points actually become 450*2+450*3 = 2250!

Quote:

Make sure you kill Ikwor and Hodwor with one shot, that's where the money is. And take breaks after each level, it helps me

Very good suggestions!

Edited by saimo on 2022/6/21 7:29:30

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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition

Posted on: 2022/6/19 22:45 #74

Quite a regular

@VooDoo

Quote:

Thank you mate, give me day or two and I will beat you ;) I hope :D

That's the spirit!

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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition

Posted on: 2022/6/19 22:45 #75

Quite a regular

@levellord

Quote:

Almost completed The Machine Rooms, 4 levels shy of that.

I had no doubt you'd progress further and break the 300k barrier ;)
Also, I'm pretty sure you've got good chances to finish all the levels.

Quote:

And the spawning was brutal but fair

It constantly increases level by level...

Quote:

I love the mechanical voice of the robots, it's a nice touch.

Thanks! If I remember correctly, I generated it with S.A.M. (Software Automatic Mouth) on the C64.

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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition

Posted on: 2022/6/18 22:35 #76

Quite a regular

@328gts
Quote:

Looking forward to playing some more tonight once my yard/garden work is done at both my and my mothers house

Normally one does something relaxing after a stressful activity: here it sounds like you're doing it the other way around :D

@all

I'm pleased to know that somebody is having fun with a game of mine - thank you. When you're done, I'll be curious to know also which levels you have reached (and any comment you feel like sharing, of course).

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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition

Posted on: 2022/6/17 21:44 #77

Quite a regular

@levellord

That's a real pity - I feel for you!
Anyway, you're in the groove, so you'll be able to repeat the performance and go much further ;)

@all

Suggestion: don't always start from the very beginning, but restart from the highest level that the game allows you to start from.
That's because (if I remember correctly - I don't have the manual at hand) the level number acts as a points multiplier, so it's easier to score more - and climb the standing. As an added bonus, you get to see and learn new levels, thus also experiencing less repetitiveness.
Only once you've seen all/most of the levels, start a game from the scratch to make the highest score possible.

EDIT: I got confused with some other game of mine: the level number doesn't act as multiplier.

Edited by saimo on 2022/6/17 22:39:46

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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition

Posted on: 2022/6/17 14:15 #78

Quite a regular

@levellord
Quote:

I guess I just need to play it more and memorize critical levels.

A solution is looking at the maze before stepping inside, and evaluating the various paths. An additional strategy is to not open a door before making sure that it isn't possible to reach the places it gives access to by means of other door-free paths.

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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition

Posted on: 2022/6/17 11:43 #79

Quite a regular

@levellord

Quote:

levellord wrote:@AmigaOldSkooler

Here is today's score:

Well done! It's a pleasure to see scores growing!

Quote:

Twice today I ran out of keys. I read the manual but couldn't see what to do in that case. Do I just abort the game (escape x2) or there are other options? Thanks!

No other options: keys are a little puzzle element of the game, so the player is required to choose how to use keys wisely.

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saimo

Re: 2022 - June - Blastaway Competition

Posted on: 2022/6/14 22:52 #80

Quite a regular

@AmigaOldskooler

Just announced the competition on Blastaway's page on itch.io: https://itch.io/t/2171815/amigansnet-game-competition#post-6041886 (it didn't occur to me earlier

)

@Antique

Congratulations on the achievement!

@all

Who'll be the first to reach the 200k mark?

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