Virus Fever - BoCC Thread

[kl99]

Well, i have renamed the game from Dr.99 to "Virus Fever".

 

If I have enough memory, I will include the attached title image to the title screen!

If not, then it's for the game manual (and cartridge label? ).

 

If you take a look on the title image, you will say: hey, 3 colors won't work in TI Basic.

But if you take a closer look you will see that on a 8x8 basis there will never be more than 2 colors in one char.

I must say that I am proud of it.

 

From now on I will report my progress in this thread instead of the general BoCC thread.

 

Be ready for updates...

title.bmp

[+Vorticon]

Well, i have renamed the game from Dr.99 to "Virus Fever".

 

If I have enough memory, I will include the attached title image to the title screen!

If not, then it's for the game manual (and cartridge label? ).

 

If you take a look on the title image, you will say: hey, 3 colors won't work in TI Basic.

But if you take a closer look you will see that on a 8x8 basis there will never be more than 2 colors in one char.

I must say that I am proud of it.

 

From now on I will report my progress in this thread instead of the general BoCC thread.

 

Be ready for updates...

Vern Jensen created a game called Virus Attack programmed in c99 which is an excellent clone of Dr. Mario. You can find it on the tigameshelf.net site.

[sometimes99er]

Yes indeed, it will fit. Very clever, and very nice !

 

[kl99]

Vern Jensen created a game called Virus Attack programmed in c99 which is an excellent clone of Dr. Mario. You can find it on the tigameshelf.net site.

 

Yes, I figured that out AFTER I started programming the game. Whatever. The challenge here is doing it in TI Basic, isn't it?

Thanks for the info, though.

 

BR

[+Vorticon]

Vern Jensen created a game called Virus Attack programmed in c99 which is an excellent clone of Dr. Mario. You can find it on the tigameshelf.net site.

 

Yes, I figured that out AFTER I started programming the game. Whatever. The challenge here is doing it in TI Basic, isn't it?

Thanks for the info, though.

 

BR

Absolutely Doing anything in TI Basic in my book is a challenge by itself.

[InfernalKeith]

Absolutely Doing anything in TI Basic in my book is a challenge by itself.

 

 

This whole contest could be renamed the "Learn to Really, Really Appreciate Extended BASIC contest."

[kl99]

This whole contest could be renamed the "Learn to Really, Really Appreciate Extended BASIC contest."

 

Is Extended Basic out yet?

[unhuman]

Absolutely Doing anything in TI Basic in my book is a challenge by itself.

 

 

This whole contest could be renamed the "Learn to Really, Really Appreciate Extended BASIC contest."

 

My thought is the "Last Time I Ever Touch TI BASIC Contest"

[+OLD CS1]

Absolutely Doing anything in TI Basic in my book is a challenge by itself.

 

 

This whole contest could be renamed the "Learn to Really, Really Appreciate Extended BASIC contest."

 

My thought is the "Last Time I Ever Touch TI BASIC Contest"

 

Going over the last program I wrote back in 1990, it was written in the Mini Memory environment. The bulk of the program is in TI BASIC, with some assembly helper routines (mostly character definition, screens, and DISPLAY@.) Given some of the enhancements available with the Mini Memory, BASIC isn't all that bad. Sure, speed is still shyt, but sprites, fast character and color manipulation (all thanks to POKEV) make enough of a difference for some cases.

 

What really grinds my gears about TI BASIC is how limited it is (performance aside) compared to other "default" BASICs of the time: no logical operations, no multiple statements, no memory manipulation, and so on. But to be fair, a lot of the machines I worked with had their own "Extended BASIC"-type of upgrades: numerous BASIC enhancement cartridges for the Commodore 64, BASIC 8 for the Commodore 128, a couple of BASIC revisions for the Apple and Atari. Bah. Sorry, just letting my brain rattle a bit.

[Tursi]

That's what you get when you insist on the standard.

[kl99]

Well, screen & character adaption took some time but the visual adaption is finally done. Here it is an actual screen shot of the game play (shot done with the Classic 99 Emu):

 

 

I welcome any feedback!

 

What's the current status:

 

I am trying to minimize the memory used in the stack and by the program code. That's why it took quite a while to come up with a screen builder, that takes up less memory compared to the use of print commands in conjunction with strings.

 

I even tried to compress the hexadecimal code for the ascii-chars. Theoretically you could input a 16x16 char (256 bit) with only 37 (7bit) ascii-characters instead of 64 (4bit) hex-characters. Thats reduces the memory needed to almost the half! Decompressing the original Hexadecimal String takes quite long, so I aborted this plan for now.

 

The program uses 36 sectors now.

 

Stuff to include is:

 

) merge the virus generator code I did seperately into my game program

) increase intelligence of that virus generator code

) code, that checks for 4+ stones of the same color and removes them (so far the code is eone for a standing pill, not a lying one)

) create the code, that checks after removement of any stones if there are any remaining stones above that have to fall down (a taff one!)

) score (count points)

) add level and speed select screen

) add cool title screen (depending on the remaining memory)

) optimize sounds

[unhuman]

Damn that's beautiful!

[sometimes99er]

Very nice !

 

There are a few (6 out of 12), almost not notable, "color clashes" in some of the white frame corners. You could avoid those by expanding the outside of the frame by 2 pixels, and then maybe removing 1 (or 2) pixels from the inside. - Yes, would need "many" more character definitions.

 

[+retroclouds]

I even tried to compress the hexadecimal code for the ascii-chars. Theoretically you could input a 16x16 char (256 bit) with only 37 (7bit) ascii-characters instead of 64 (4bit) hex-characters. Thats reduces the memory needed to almost the half! Decompressing the original Hexadecimal String takes quite long, so I aborted this plan for now.

 

If you put your char decompression at the very beginning of your program, then a VDP "snapshot" for the cartridge could be taken after decompression with the char definitions already in place.

 

That way there would be no decompression delay. Ofcourse that would only apply for the cartridge version of the game.

 

By the way, the graphics look real cool!

Edited December 27, 2010 by retroclouds

[kl99]

I thought about these color imperfections as well, however I don't have that much chars left, at least with the needed color pairs.

How do you like this?

 

 

Now, there are zero color imperfections.

 

The changes from this shot have been done in an image editor on my computer, not on the TI-99.

 

I have inserted the title graphic partially (only 10 chars needed from it during the game).

And I have tried myself in drawing some viruses in 16x16 chars.

The viruses won't get animated! Not in TI Basic!

Maybe I have to remove them from the game play screen due to the lack of memory and free ascii-chars...

 

BR, Klaus

Edited December 27, 2010 by kl99

[unhuman]

I prefer rounded corners with slight imperfections to square. We tolerated all sorts of this stuff back in the day - so more authentic

[sometimes99er]

I prefer rounded corners with slight imperfections to square.

Me too.

[kl99]

Status Update:

 

 

I know about the Q versus the X in the NEXT, this is only temporary to safe ascii-chars.

 

Program Size: 38 Sectors (including ~20 REM statements)

 

Done:

) code, that checks for 4+ stones of the same color and removes them

) stage clear screen done (it moves on to the next level afterwards)

) added score (not the real formula yet but the principe of it works, reset on gameover etc)

 

Todo:

) merge the virus generator code I did seperately with my game program

) increase intelligence of that virus generator code

) create the code, that checks after removement of any stones if there are any remaining stones above that have to fall down (a taff one!)

) implement correct formula for score

) add nice level and speed select screen

) add nice title screen (depending on the remaining memory)

) optimize sounds

 

I now have a basic idea about the last taff routine. What fields need to be checked, under what circumstances abort the check etc... Still, I have to write that down in Code.

 

Since I am on vacation till the 9th, I hope to have enough time to finish this till the 14th of january.

[Opry99er]

Wow... This game looks fargin great!!! I just extended the deadline to the 20th, so you have time to make your adjustments!

[kl99]

Wow... This game looks fargin great!!! I just extended the deadline to the 20th, so you have time to make your adjustments!

 

Thanks Opry99er!

 

I did a lot of preparations for the upcoming TI meeting I will hold in vienna tomorrow (mails, mail-lists, homepage, forum...).

 

Well there was a time, when I ran out of memory (TI Basic - cassette storage limit).

I don't think all those graphics and needed routines to establish an exact clone can fit within this limit.

 

There are still plans to get a cool puzzle action game done until end of deadline, either through some game rule adaptions or graphic limitations.

I got rid of the sound when the stone (pill) moves because it slowed down movement in TI Basic a lot.

I disabled most of the graphics for now to concentrate on the game play, speed within TI Basic, and to get that routines complete.

 

Klaus