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Moon Cresta 7800


PacManPlus

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The NTSC version keeps looping at the Atari logo. Is there something that I'm doing wrong?

 

 

If you're using MESS it is unavoidable - Use ProSystem. I'm really hoping MESS Atari 7800 emulation is improved someday, or a new version of ProSystem is released with better display options and tweaks.

 

Especially considering the relatively new HLSL added to MAME/MESS, you can really fix the display to look identical to an actual traditional television set.

Edited by Trebor
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The NTSC version keeps looping at the Atari logo. Is there something that I'm doing wrong?

 

If you're using MESS it is unavoidable - Use ProSystem. I'm really hoping MESS Atari 7800 emulation is improved someday, or a new version of ProSystem is released with better display options and tweaks.

 

Especially considering the relatively new HLSL added to MAME/MESS, you can really fix the display to look identical to an actual traditional television set.

 

Thank you, but I'm on OSX 10.4 for PowerPC. The closest to ProSystem that I can use is Wii7800 which is based on ProSystem 1.2, which also loops at the logo. I can get the game to play in MacMESS and Wii7800 if I use the PAL BIOS.

Edited by Nerf Herder73
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Sorry guys - I'll fix that. For MESS, it has something to do with the fact that the bin is 48K. I just shortened it to 32K and it works in MESS now. I'll post another bin soon.

 

Thanks,

Bob

 

 

 

I was having the same problem. Thanks for fixing it, look forward to playing it soon. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

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Hi Guys:

 

I had to modify the movement tables to match what I was doing in the 7800 port. The movement for the 'Eyes' and 'Bees' levels should be good to go. The 'Birds' levels need a little more work.

I ended up doing each type of movement by hand, one by one. Took a while. :(

 

Anywho, There still are no docking levels just yet, and nothing beyond the Birds even works (the 'Rocks' stage is really screwed up), so this is obviously a WIP.

 

Also, the bin is now 32K instead of 48K.

Still working...

MoonCresta.A78

MoonCresta.bin

MoonCrestaP.A78

MoonCrestaP.bin

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Thanks Guys!

 

Making good progress. All aliens are included now. This is what's left:

 

1 - Docking Sequences (and final "Far Out' animation)

2 - Sound

3 - Difficulty Ramping (including starting difficulty)

4 - HSC

 

ATM is just goes from stage to stage and then starts over.

MoonCresta.A78

MoonCresta.bin

MoonCrestaP.A78

MoonCrestaP.bin

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Thanks guys :)

 

Almost there. Got the docking sequence down, but there's a small bug: when you dock with ship III, it disappears between the time you make the successful dock and and the next set of enemies appear on the screen. :x

So no BIN yet.

 

Difficulty is next. I am leaving sound for last. Being that the sound in this game is so simple, I am inclined to use regular TIA sounds here. This game (of course) will support the HSC function of the XM. I would really like to start working on an original game that makes heavy use of the XM (i.e. sound, HSC, memory), but I promised a few people I would finish Frenzy first. ;)

 

So to recap:

Docking almost finished

Difficulty ramping is next

HSC support

Sound.

 

With regard to difficulty, it looks to me like the only thing that changes is after completing 2 rounds of all the enemies is, from that point on the 'last' enemy on each screen doubles in speed. Can anyone who played this game a lot in the arcades confirm this? Is that the only thing that changes?

If so, I will make the 'Easy' setting not speed up the last enemy, the 'Normal' setting like the arcade, and the 'Hard' setting speed up one additional enemy with each round (i.e. the second round of all enemies has the last enemy of each screen speed up, the third round of all enemies has the last two speed up, and so forth) :twisted:

 

Thanks!

Bob

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With regard to difficulty, it looks to me like the only thing that changes is after completing 2 rounds of all the enemies is, from that point on the 'last' enemy on each screen doubles in speed. Can anyone who played this game a lot in the arcades confirm this?

 

I don't recall if it's the second round or third round - but at one of those points you can no longer use the corners to save yourself as the aliens flight pattern has them hitting the corner before they leave the screen. Also, there are more aliens that return underneath you as the game progresses.

 

Did you include the bonus at 30,000 points?

 

If it would help, I can try to record a video of me playing the game. My high score is 52K, which is more than most people can score yet only 25% of the World Record...actually that's on Eagle and not Moon Cresta

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This sucks!

 

I'm basically done except for sound. I'm currently trying to get HSC support added in, but I'm out of memory! I have 203 bytes free at the end of the $2200-$27FF range but I need 512 (it looks like the HSC needs $200 bytes for it's RAM). I can 'overwrite' 128 bytes of variables not used during the HSC routine so that leaves me with 181 bytes to scrounge up. I can't see moving to the added memory just for 181 bytes of RAM!!!! :x

 

I've already compressed as much of the memory as I can... Are there any 'undocumented' RAM locations, aside from the standard $40-$FF, $1800-$203F, and $2200-$27FF? I was looking at the memory map in the documentation, and it doesn't look like anything that isn't 'shadowed' or available for program use...

 

:(

 

Bob

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Honestly, I wouldn't worry about HSC too much. :)

 

It's a "nice-to-have", not a mandatory-to-have.

I had no idea that it was such a RAM hog.

That makes me reconsider what I'd need to do for Arkanoid.

 

My thought is-- if you're able to make a great game without it, then so-be-it.

Back in the day, the HSC support was abandoned, and no games supported high-scores.

Heck, even my Nintendo doesn't save high-scores. I wouldn't sweat it if a great game got out without it.

 

I don't know if my voice is a solitary one, but I wouldn't give up functionality or add extra RAM just to support a high-score add-on.

I think it sounds brilliant as it is.

 

-John

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