Stellar Fortress v0.19
Entry posted by TROGDOR
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I always have extra free time around Christmas, and this inevitably leads to more Atari development. In a renewed effort to actually get another game completed, I've gone back to working on Stellar Fortress.
The rings are more, um, ring-like.
New Features:
sf18.asm 12/28/07
- Optimized ROM usage. Opened up another 1k of free space.
- Fixed bug in ship-to-shield collision detection. Detection code was only running once every 4 frames. Changed to every frame.
- Fixed another bug in ship-to-shield collision detection. Ship must be moved outside collision detection area after impact, to prevent getting "stuck" to the shield.
- Major change: hard-coded shield rotation to allow octagon-shaped shield. Currently, only even shield shells are implemented with clockwise rotation.
- Added 4 extra bytes to shield. It's now 16x16 instead of 14x14, which also allows a total of 6 rings instead of 5.
- Updated shot-to-shield and ship-to-shield collision detection to accommodate the larger shield.
- Removed shield RAM buffer, freeing up 28 bytes of RAM. Rotation will be handled in 2 frames, one for clockwise shell rotation, one for counterclockwise shells. Only a 3 byte buffer is needed with this technique.
sf19.asm 12/31/07
- Added variable to keep track of number of charged blocks in the shield, used to set the pitch of the shield drone. As shield blocks are destroyed, the shield pitch increases.
- Expanded ROM to 8k footprint. Overscan activities now reside in bank2. The kernel will likely be moved to bank2 as well.
- Added sound for boucing off shield.
Development Notes:
I've started working on the story behind Stellar Fortress.
The games Master of Arcturus, Stellar Fortress, and Stellar Adventure all take place within the same game universe.
Master of Arcturus covers the Galactic Civil War of 2600 A.D. Stellar Fortress takes place after the war, in 2620. Stellar Adventure, a space trading game, starts in 2623, a few months after the resolution of the conflict in Stellar Fortress.
Selected entries from the official log of Senator Tramiel, Honorable Representative of the Vega System:
CCW Senate Entry - Stardate 267.565, Year 2616
It is now one full year since the Confederacy of Civilized Worlds achieved victory in the Great Civil War.
The Reconstruction Initiative is underway. Government corruption, rampant in the years prior to the War, is now in check, and there is a palpable sense of unity and hope throughout the CCW.
Two months ago, I was approached by high ranking officers of the Pan-Galactic Trade Union with an offer to contribute to the reconstruction effort. The Confederate battlefleet is still at less than half strength, due to the devastating costs and casualties of the War. As such, deep space patrols are minimal at this time. The PGTU presented me with alarming statistics; most notably, a three fold increase in pirate attacks on PGTU registered freighters since the end of the War. According to the PGTU, an estimated 80 percent of these attacks occurred in deep space, in the proximity of wormhole jumpspace. In response to this threat, the PGTU has requested permission to build security checkpoint stations in 12 interstellar wormholes. The PGTU has asked me to sponsor a bill that will authorize this request. It will be addressed in the next Interstellar Commerce Committee meeting.
CCW Senate Entry - Stardate 328.279, Year 2616
The PGTU proposal has led to heated debate in the Senate. Their request was unusual in that they wanted to build the checkpoints inside wormhole space. Wormhole space is covered by the Galactic Peace Treaty of 2477, forbidding any bases or weapon systems to be permanently stationed inside a wormhole. However, the piracy problems cited by the PGTU are very real, and are threating an already unstable galactic economy that is still recovering from the devastation of the Great War. And the CCW itself is facing crushing debt from the War. We do not have the resources necessary to provide effective wormhole patrols. The PGTU's offer of security assistance can not be easily dismissed.
CCW Senate Entry - Stardate 332.428, Year 2616
The PGTU legislation has prevailed. The Senate narrowly approved an amendment to GPT2477.63b, allowing the establishment of temporary security bases in wormhole space, that shall be fully financed, constructed, and maintained by the PGTU. The amendment will be reviewed in three years, to evaluate its effectiveness and necessity at that time.
CCW Senate Entry - Stardate 84.336, Year 2618
I have just completed a Senate inspection of a PGTU security station, located inside the Psi-Epsilon wormhole connecting the Vega and Capella systems. This security checkpoint is quite amazing, and goes far beyond the specifications that were presented to the Senate two years ago. The station is more like a stellar fortress. The base is protected by the most advanced plasma shielding system that I've ever seen. But even more impressive are the offensive capabilities of the fortress. The plasma shield generator is integrated with a mass accelerator, capable of launching an awesome salvo of plasma energy. It is also equipped with multiple batteries of Diatomic Anti-Starcraft Missiles. Thanks to the PGTU's efforts, deep space piracy will soon be a thing of the past!
CCW Senate Entry - Stardate 89.356, Year 2619
All PGTU security stations are now online. In the 3 weeks since the bases were brought online, there have only been 2 incidents of attempted deep space piracy. In both cases, the attacking pirate vessels were completely vaporized. The Senate is most pleased with the PGTU's results.
CCW Senate Entry - Stardate 251.842, Year 2619
It has been brought to my attention that two new PGTU stations are being constructed in wormholes that were not authorized by the original legislation. While we appreciate the enthusiasm of the PGTU in defending its trade routes, expansion of the original security plan cannot continue without proper authorization. This misunderstanding will be addressed at the next Interstellar Commerce Committee meeting.
CCW Senate Entry - Stardate 270.821, Year 2619
The PGTU has refused to stop construction on the unauthorized security stations, and has begun unauthorized construction in a third wormhole. The Senate has made it clear to the PGTU that they are overstepping their authority, regardless of any security concern. Some senators are now threating to revoke the Treaty amendment and withdraw authorization of all the security stations. Given the effectiveness of the existing stations in deterring piracy, I think such action would be hasty. Negotiations continue.
CCW Senate Entry - Stardate 328.659, Year 2619
Negotiations have collapsed. After weeks of openly defying the Senate and refusing to wait for legal authorization of expansion of the PGTU security plan, the Senate has now voted to completely revoke the GPT2477.63b Treaty amendment. With the backing of the CCW military, the PGTU has been ordered to vacate all wormhole security stations. The PGTU has, so far, refused to comply.
CCW Senate Entry - Stardate 337.005, Year 2619
There have been terrible developments. Not only has the PGTU refused to dismantle their wormhole security, they have delivered a decree that no wormhole jump from any system will be permitted without prior authorization of the PGTU! Furthermore, this decree applies to all ships, even official CCW diplomatic and military ships. The Galactic Defense Committee is in an emergency meeting now to discuss a response to the decree.
CCW Senate Entry - Stardate 338.312, Year 2619
The PGTU's charter as a trade union has been officially rescinded. They are no longer legally recognized by the CCW. We are attempting to freeze the assets of the PGTU, but this is proving difficult. The union is expansive, and has many industry allies. Complicating issues further, the Intelligence Ministry has pointed out that most PGTU assets were covertly moved into colonial accounts that are not accessible by the CCW, as if they anticipated this action.
The Intelligence Ministry has also found evidence that the PGTU has been secretly building its own military fleet, through multiple equipment purchases made on the black market. The location of this fleet is currently unknown.
The Senate enacted a resolution stating that if the PGTU does not evacuate all security stations within 3 days, military force will be used to reclaim all wormhole space.
CCW Senate Entry - Stardate 339.911, Year 2619
We are at the brink of another war. At .817, the Confederate Destroyer Pegasus was annihilated by a PGTU stellar fortress while jumping through wormhole Delta, from the Polaris system to the Vega system. 227 souls were aboard that ship. A CCW military response is imminent.
CCW Senate Entry - Stardate 340.497, Year 2619
I am at a loss for words.
At .462 today, a CCW military assault was initiated against the PGTU stellar fortress in the Delta wormhole. I am told our attacking fleet consisted of 2 Battle Cruisers with 6 supporting Destroyers, and a class-4 Assault Carrier with a complement of 30 Cobra Fighters. Contrary to previous intel reports, none of the Confederate weapon systems were effective against the fortress' plasma shielding. And the offensive capabilities of the fortress were at least two orders of magnitude more powerful than expected. The battle lasted less than 3 minutes. All CCW vessels were completely destroyed.
An emergency meeting of the Galactic Defense Committee is underway, to consider our options. All interstellar travel has been suspended until further notice.
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