The Legend of Beryl Reichardt

[The Codex]

I seriously need to get in assembly again myself. Y'all are making me all jealous with these cool projects. Gotta finish my current queue though. Keep posting your progress reports, it allows me to experience the fun vicariously!

[Opry99er]

Hey--- you get into assembly, you'll be getting into games that can be put on cart. . Although I AM looking forward to Karstens "Strawberry" program. How rad will that be!?!?!

[Opry99er]

Heres a rough crappy example of the motion type I want in this game. I want the character to be shifting patterns even when he is not in motion. This shows him walking, walking in place, and then walking again. =) It's a crap example, but it's important to document it.

 

100 CALL CLEAR :: CALL SCREEN(5) :: CALL MAGNIFY(3)

110 CALL CHAR(96,"0F1F1C1C1E1F0F03030307070202020384C4241424C4841FC43C040480804070")

120 CALL CHAR(100,"0F1F1C1C1E1F0F03030307070303030380C0201020C18204A8502840000080E0")

130 CALL CHAR(104,"0F1F1C1C1E1F0F03030307070305080E80C0201020C080000040FF4080008070")

140 CALL SPRITE(#1,96,2,100,20,0,10)

150 FOR I=96 TO 104 STEP 4 :: CALL PATTERN(#1,I) :: FOR DELAY=1 TO 45 :: NEXT DELAY :: NEXT I

160 X=1

170 FOR I=100 TO 96 STEP-4 :: CALL PATTERN(#1,I) :: FOR DELAY=1 TO 45 :: NEXT DELAY :: NEXT I

180 FOR I=100 TO 104 STEP 4 :: CALL PATTERN(#1,I) :: FOR DELAY=1 TO 45 :: NEXT DELAY :: NEXT I

190 X=X+1

200 IF X<5 THEN GOTO 170

210 IF X>10 THEN CALL MOTION(#1,0,10) :: GOTO 170

220 CALL MOTION(#1,0,0) :: GOTO 170

[Opry99er]

Here's the first mockup I have ready for the cave world... this is in the lower level of the cave world... the upper level (where you enter) is very much what you would believe a cave to look like... very dark and "rock"ish. This is the lava world. =)

 

**For lava world, be sure to bring plenty of glacier water, equip the Shield of Wooldridge, and pray that you don't fall victim to any of the treachery that goes on down here!!!

 

[Opry99er]

The trickiest part of making this all come together is the screen draws. Since this game is not going to be a scroller (yes.... I've finally decided) and I will have to draw a new screen each time the player exits the current screen, I will need a serious way to do this... I will have the screens saved in INTERNAL format to diskette... so what I'm thinking is this:

 

*-----------------*------------------*--------------------*
I                  	I                       I                      	I
I                  	I                       I                      	I
I       1         	I          2           I            3        	I
I                  	I                       I                      	I
I                  	I                       I                      	I
*-----------------*------------------*--------------------*
I                  	I                       I                      	I
I                  	I                       I                      	I
I        4        	I           5          I              6      	I
I                  	I                       I                      	I
I                  	I                       I                      	I
*-----------------*------------------*--------------------*
I                  	I                       I                      	I
I                  	I                       I                      	I
I         7       	I           8          I              9      	I
I                  	I                       I                      	I
I                  	I                       I                      	I
*-----------------*------------------*--------------------*

 

If the player is in screen 1, then screens 2 and 4 need to be in memory to draw quickly

If the player is in screen 5, then screens 1,3,4,6 and 8 need to be in memory

etc.

 

Anyway, not ALL screens will have passageways to the adjacent screens, and none of the worlds are set up like this grid yet... but I will probably use a 3x3 grid for the Underworld. What I am thinking is that there need to be custom routines to draw the screens for each world, and since each world will be its own XB program (run from one another) we can use SYSTEX to embed these routines. I'll do some more research and find out what I can... any ideas you guys may have would be greatly appreciated!!!

[Opry99er]

Even with the code brackets, I still manage to screw up ASCII graphics.... shoot me now. =)

[Opry99er]

Here's the concept: an assembly routine to do this pseudo XB code

 

100 SC1=screen 1

200 SC2=screen 2

.

.

500 IF PLAYER IS IN SCRN1, THEN LOAD SC2&SC4 into low memory

510 IF PLAYER IS IN SCRN2, THEN LOAD SC1,SC3 AND SC5 into low memory,

.

.

.

That is the load routine.

 

The draw routine will look something like this:

100 PLAYER IS IN SCREEN 1

110 IF PLAYER's X POSITION is 33 THEN CALL CLEAR :: DRAW SCREEN 2 :: REPLACE PLAYER TO X POSITION 3.

 

 

This is rough and choppy, but it is the idea I'm having.

[The Codex]

I don't know if this helps, but perhaps you can think of your data in two discrete chunks - Maps and Worlds. Each Map is a specific screen within a World, whereas a World represents a whole level in your game. Each World contains the assets that are consistent across all Maps in that World (character graphics, colorset assignments, monsters, music), and each Map contains only the data to render that one screen (plus possibly any "exit" information, depending on how you are handling moving between maps).

 

So any time you change Worlds you get a longish wait while all the assets are loaded in, but moving between Maps is a shortish wait since you only load the minimum changes. In your case, since you have a 28x18 visible map, that's 504 bytes of data to load (each byte being a character at one of the map positions), plus anything else map specific like monster and item locations. Even with all that stuff a particular Map should be no more than 1K of data to load for each one, less if you do some compression tricks.

[Opry99er]

Yea, that's how I've been viewing it. My "lava world" remark just signifies that I haven't decided whether to make the cave and lava sections into two smaller worlds or keep them as two parts of a whole. Anyway, yea man--- I think i should be able to do this, but with 9 screens (potentially) per world, that would eat up a significant amount of low memory. That's why I thought "only load the possible 'next' screens into low memory from disk at a time."

 

Well, as I've got it now, the data files on diskette will look like this

 

FW1

FW2

FW3

.

.

 

CW1

CW2

CW3, etc.

 

This keeps it nice and separate foe easy loading and drawing. . Since all screens of the same world use the same colors and character definitions, it makes the whole thing as easy as "ASCII#,SCREENPOS"

 

[Opry99er]

I was using "screens" and "worlds". Map makes much more sense, and it will keep me from confusing a "screen" which is 768 bytes, "map"

which is 504 bytes, and world which is alot bigger. Thanks... My lingo isn't perfect yet.

[The Codex]

No problem man, every programmer has their own terminology for these things. In games like this with multiple Worlds containing multiple Maps (or Levels, etc), I often create a Universe object at the top which does the really high-level stuff, like determine the order of Worlds and how they connect. But for now the two-tier approach should suit your game fine.

[Opry99er]

Here's the first 4 maps (mockup of course) in this world. they are maps 1,2,4 and 5 out of a total of 6 maps in this world

1-2-3

4-5-6

 

 

You can't get to parts of map #5 yet because you have to go through map 3 and then down to 6 to get back to #5.... Still don't have it all done---there needs to be a bridge made from 2 to 3...

Edited May 19, 2010 by Opry99er

[Opry99er]

I'm open to any suggestions you guys may have... Graphically this isn't the most diverse of worlds just yet--- it's still in the works... So, if there's any interest in giving me a hand with making this thing "prettier", I would be happy to post the .mag file here.

[Opry99er]

Here ya go!!! The basic mockup for the Lava World (yes, it is a world now, not s subset of the cave world).

 

1-2-3

4-5-6

 

 

This was once a great mining civilization--- an entire city underground. They broke through into the molten core of the earth and it overran the city forcing all who lived there to the surface. Many, however, died and are buried in the (as yet non-existent on this map) many graves around the area.

 

To retrieve the key for the black obelisk in map 6...bottom right... you must get to the northern part of map 5...middle bottom (which can only be reached through going 1-2-3-6-5. Then the player (to get back to the black obelisk) must go 5-6-3-6.

 

Anyway, there will be items along the way in each of the maps and enemies to defeat. Once enemies are defeated, the player goes to the black obelisk and fights the great enemy of this World: The Doppleslicer. Please enjoy, and I will be putting up modified graphics soon, as this is just a mockup. The layout will probably not change, but the actual character definitions of the map screen characters will be added to and embelished. Thanks for looking!

 

[JamesD]

The lava reminds me of Diablo.

[Opry99er]

Thanks for the reply. I haven't played Diablo, but I've taken a look online now that you mentioned it. That's a compliment--- if mine looks that good, I'll be stoked!!!

[Opry99er]

I'm certainly interested in ideas for this world... Codex has designed a very cool bridge and has started working on some graveyard graphics. .

 

This environment is hard to design for... I have a bit of a creative block going on right now.

[Opry99er]

So I've posted about our forum and LoBR over at the google group-- comp.sys.ti --- this is a very seldom-used group, but there are a few brilliant minds there who have not

graced us with their presence over here at Atariage yet. I am going to start promoting this RPG quite a bit more--moving forward-- in the hopes that we can bring new attention to this forum and the games and applications that are coming out of it!! I've hit a couple little mental snags with my assembly-learning process... Not in code, but mentally. Real life gets in the way from time to time, and certain things "like learning a new language"--require alot of attention. since I'm still in "art" mode for this RPG, who knows... Perhaps it will turn into a full-on assembly game. Game concepts don't change, even though the language might. Once graphics and maps are finished---once the array methods are designed for variable data, THEN it will be time to decide on language. I am hoping to have all of that done by July 1. Then it gets fun. . I might be able to complete all this stuff before July 1, but it will depend on the free time I can get!!!

[Opry99er]

Some new graphics inspired by Codex.

 

*Changed the obelisk to be a bit more ominous and not so much like a big black Dairy Queen with a cross on top

*Created a bridge (this is one of two designs I had. The other design is just plain, without the boards on the bridge)

*Created 3 unique graves. Notice the standard tombstone, the cross tombstone, and a combination of the two (which takes 2 screen characters)

 

I have another map I will post momentarily... It has a few additional graphics including a key. BTW, if anyone can help me come up with a single character treasure box which looks remotely decent on a gray background, I'd love to see it. The 3 I have created all suck. =) Thanks

 

BTW... These are not Codex's graphics... just inspired by his graphics. =) His are actually a bit nicer, if I remember correctly

 

 

[Opry99er]

Here is a pic of some of the other graphics, and this time with the bridge which is plain. There is a key and also a couple lame-o lava dwellers under the bridge. They're a joke, actually.... =) OH... i forgot... and a crap ass treasure chest

 

 

[The Codex]

Looking good man, I like the new additions!

[Opry99er]

Thanks Codex!!! Glad to see someone's reading this thread. I'd still love to see what you came up

with for graves as well!

[+acadiel]

I can't wait to see this game!!!

[Opry99er]

Thanks Jon!!! It is looking more and more like it will be an assembly game, so maybe I will do a ToD thing--- have the game engines on a cart and have map and graphic data on diskette. How cool would it be to have a nice big package of Beryl Reichardt to release--- cart, 2 diskettes and maybe even an editor?! . I already have insane sh** planned for the manual. Thanks for taking interest, buddy. I really hope this will be all it can be.

[Opry99er]

I need to design a 1x2 play piece. It will be 2 single sized SPRITEs stacked on top of one another, the bottom of which will be the only important SPRITE. The top one will just be along for the ride. This will allow me to keep the current maps I've drawn which are mainly consisting of 1 character walking paths. Anyone have any cool graphic ideas for me? The other nice thing about doing it this way is that I get to use different colors for the SPRITEs to make up a nice multicolored playpiece. Think "Henhouse." Anyway, the bottom character will be the legs and the top SPRITE will be head and Torso. I will probably use a 3rd SPRITE layered over the top one to allow for mire than two colors on this play piece. Perhaps black leggings and boots with black and gray armor and a black helm. Anyway, I'm hoping you guys can help out with a 1x2 play piece design. I've got a couple I'm working on, but I'm interested in seeing other ideas too. Thanks!!!