Cybernoid WIP

[mariuszw]

1 hour ago, José Pereira said:

Skool Daze has less screens... Highway Encounter has more so I have to see how many has Cybernoid...

If ZX memory/game counting need is maximum 48KBs then how more KBs did you spent on our PMGs colourings in Highway Encounter?

 

@shanti77 did the coloring in Highway Encounter.

[José Pereira]

1 minute ago, mariuszw said:

@shanti77 did the coloring in Highway Encounter.

And in your opinion DLIs and PMGs similar on Cybernoid II with 58screens just keeping all things moving/code exactly from ZX as we're used could be?

[José Pereira]

Just lets say I'm/will work the same way as in Highway Encounter so all screens I'll add the PMGs/DLIs over is it woth the time spending?

 

P.s.- Not that I'm with other A8 things at the moment and I allways like to do these things  .

[Gury]

On 9/26/2022 at 9:28 PM, popmilo said:

So, I think experiment is successful

 

Hej popmilo, great stuff. Keep going 😃

 

[José Pereira]

To take a rest from the C64 gfxs port to ZX (1:1 -> 2:1) I decided to see all screens and got the way with PMGs and when all wide just change BAK and PF2.

Because of the BAK changes in some scanlines I decided to all high have P0 on left and P1 on the right in quadruple width.

Because then there's M0 and M1 left and no use for them by now they're on the 2 add-ons (top and bottom is blank scanlines / BAK in same colour as the P0 and P1:

status screen 32Bytes _3 _black.xex

status screen 32Bytes _3 _dark gray.xex

status screen 32Bytes _3 _darkest red.xex

Of course that other colours and/or luminances could be but red to makes the difference as is also the dark gray. Black doesn't seem right if it'll be used for the add-ons. If those pixels rotate the quadruple wide Missiles (8pixels) may not look so blocky, I think.

What is your opinion / the best looking one?

 

P.s.- PM2 and PM3 are always / as before colouring those gfxs...

 

 

Edited September 30, 2022 by José Pereira

[Beeblebrox]

Red looks good to get the red satellite orbits IMHO. Looking great. 

[rensoup]

11 hours ago, José Pereira said:

So lets say 2x more is 62screens comparing to Highway Encounter is there memory enough for the PMGs if ZX 48Kbs still more 16KBs?

There's no rule really, it's really specific to the game. I would guess it's fine for Cybernoid.

 

6 hours ago, José Pereira said:

Because then there's M0 and M1 left and no use for them by now they're on the 2 add-ons (top and bottom is blank scanlines / BAK in same colour as the P0 and P1:

it seems really wasteful to use P0/P1 for the borders. P0 and M0 could perhaps be used for the 2 balls and flickered (ball0 uses P0 then M0 on the next frame, reverse for ball1) then use P1/M1 for the ship.

[José Pereira]

 

19 hours ago, rensoup said:

There's no rule really, it's really specific to the game. I would guess it's fine for Cybernoid.

 

it seems really wasteful to use P0/P1 for the borders. P0 and M0 could perhaps be used for the 2 balls and flickered (ball0 uses P0 then M0 on the next frame, reverse for ball1) then use P1/M1 for the ship.

Not wastefull because you really need it to have the game running using ZXs narrow mode 32Bytes wide screen.

For example in level_1 all of the screens have wide areas (all horizontal or just parts) so we need to change BAK colour and a 2nd the PF2 to have those scanlines because PMGs aren't enough:

               

 

Is mostly the ground but on ZX there's also the yellowish line gfxs so another PFs DLI to set on this level is on screen_2):

On my screen is there the possibility for the eyes gfxs not all wide but is the same need because is more than PM2 & PM3 width. The same is for the BAK and PF2 DLIs but at the passage we then apply PM2 so that when our ship (exampled there) goes over it mantains colours or any other enemys:

 -> 

 

The idea is just changing the hi-res ZX to C64 middle-res and port directly / exactly the Z80 -> 6502 code.

The PMGs are static and for each screen so just some KBs more. Here the circular moving add-ons have the M0 and M1 on them just because thesee Missiles aren't need for anything else so if memory and cpu allows that is just a little code adding to the original.

 

Also Missiles couldn't be added to the correspondant Players because they are in quadruple width so too blocky to be used on the nice defined 3colours ship.

 

Having seen all levels screens I can assure all of you that exactly the same gfxs on the same places of the ZX version can be. So per each screen is just do the DLIs and PM2 and PM3 are enough to cover/colour those diferent gfxs.

 

 

Edited October 1, 2022 by José Pereira

[rensoup]

5 hours ago, José Pereira said:

Not wastefull because you really need it to have the game running using ZXs narrow mode 32Bytes wide screen.

For example in level_1 all of the screens have wide areas (all horizontal or just parts) so we need to change BAK colour and a 2nd the PF2 to have those scanlines because PMGs aren't enough:

I don't mind colored bars outside the playfield personally (and I'm sure others would vociferously disagree)

[José Pereira]

56 minutes ago, rensoup said:

I don't mind colored bars outside the playfield personally (and I'm sure others would vociferously disagree)

I would also think is a waste  beeing outside but in this particular game and levels screens the way they're done that on A8 to add some more needing colours on certain gfxs is the only way.

The idea is, and me the one that can say it just because of all the games I worked with @mariuszw but also familiar with other directly Z80 ports to 6502, is add PMGs where they're really necessary. And this is in and/or outside.

Here using priority_0 you can't do much, or any, with PM0&1. All those gfxs can be coloured/ored with only PM2&3 settled in quadruple width then the other two makes the game looking similar colouring the sides borders (or without these will be not equal all high/on all the scanlines because BAK register needs some changes down the screen(s).

Edited October 1, 2022 by José Pereira

[José Pereira]

On 10/1/2022 at 11:53 PM, rensoup said:

I don't mind colored bars outside the playfield personally (and I'm sure others would vociferously disagree)

Reminded me on this morning when was waking up:

On Skyscrapper we used P2 & P3 for the two sides blue while four vertical lines light blue are made of the 4Missiles in 5th Player mode taking the PF3 colour (that is not in-use on main playing area as is in bitmap mode so no PF3).

Down across the screen we can freely change BAK and PF2 (you can see that on the gfxs there's only 2colours per scanline(s) as the game is in narrow mode 32Bytes wide screen.

PF0 and PF1 aren't seen because they're 2grays that with BAK you get the different colour(s) in 3luminances of the correspondant colour(s) using priority_0 for the floors.

 

See, the PMGs can be really usefull to cover the sides borders and the only way to get a nice display and make things possible.

 

Edited October 10, 2022 by José Pereira

[José Pereira]

Moving things on... and am in the construction of all tiles C64 -> ZX in 2:1 ratio with all the screens then adding PM2&PM3 (so the sides will be couvered with P0 & P1)...

Also, think I got a more 'into the game feeling' colour for borders (that can still be usefull if the add-ons use those Missiles) that is the darkest blue cyan colour_9:

status screen 32Bytes _4 _darkest blue cyan.xex

 

 

Edited October 10, 2022 by José Pereira

[José Pereira]

Still messing with things and expect to have something more next week (almost completed gfxs, PMGs,...) but by now just wanna ask for NTSC people with real machines to load and show here the screens of this:

tiles PF2 & PF3 different.xex

 

Here is using Altirra PAL and what I want to get is the brown(s) looking on NTSC.

On PAL brown is same for colour 1 (top) and F (bottom) but what about NTSC?

Thanks.

[José Pereira]

Ok. so adding tower (still not reworked the middle part) with PMGs over:

tiles PF2 & PF3 different.xex

-> Altirra _default PAL palette:

-> Altirra _authentic NTSC palette:

 

So regarding PAL be the two browns equal and following Altirra then in NTSC is the two the same but a pale green/yellow instead?

So if PAL A8 palette is always said that it only has 120/240colours then NTSC is the same so A8 hasn't really 128/256colours?

Seems almost sure not true.

 

Edited October 14, 2022 by José Pereira

[José Pereira]

Some more gfxs (including the large width plant):

tiles PF2 & PF3 different.xex

 

The PMGs applied on the gfxs are possible for the different screens of the game using PM2 & PM3.

Also P0 & P1 darkest blue cyan colour9 for the borders with M0 & M1 for our ship flying around add-ons.

 

The most difficult is that ZX has some more and different gfxs but also a couple are in different sizes (smaller) so I'm using the CPC ones (similar to ZX as screen of the game is also in 32Bytes width) but because is in 16colours per char need some rework to ours 4colours (or 5th PF2 -> PF3 charmode).

[José Pereira]

More gfxs (not enough space there for these 'uggly ones' and others to come...):

tiles PF2 & PF3 different _2.xex

 

Almost there to start building screens exactly so the proof that this 'way of' using PMGs can/would/will   .

Edited October 17, 2022 by José Pereira

[José Pereira]

A screen example with some more gfxs and the large cannons/enemys example VS our ship shots:

Untitled.xex

Maybe the time to go for the weekend now  ...

[José Pereira]

A new one showing some more/different gfxs:

level_2 line2_4.xex

 

By now only posting 'random' selection to show some more lookings and gfxs types but will end with all game screen (also good for me to analize them together to see colours,...).

 

Edited October 24, 2022 by José Pereira

[Beeblebrox]

Concept gfx looking great José.

[José Pereira]

3 hours ago, Beeblebrox said:

Concept gfx looking great José.

Just a .gif to see the cannons open/animation and bullets (though not corrected 1000%):

Tomorrow will .gif those rockects down and that one near our ship...

[José Pereira]

5 hours ago, José Pereira said:

(also good for me to analize them together to see colours,...)

So now I'm not happy with the colours of the enemys bullets because they're exactly the same colours as on gfxs:

There's no PMGs to have other colours so what? Thinking on having them more white with cyan (together with blue) leaving the dark blue will make them less of the same and lightest...

Something like this:

level_2 line2_4 lightest bullets.xex

Our shots are linear and enemys are more 'circle type' so this seems the best solution, isn't it? Them lightest vs ours white will still make the diference, I think.

 

 

Edited October 24, 2022 by José Pereira

[José Pereira]

Adding the tail to those add-ons (they call it seeker 😞

level_2 line2_4 lightest bullets.xex

I'm using the pixels from C64 and these only 2colours (white and blue to not clash PF2 vs PF3).

Edited October 25, 2022 by José Pereira

[José Pereira]

One more screen with other gfxs (the towers) but also some little differences on the top panel (other colours on bombs letters and vertical 2 right bars):

level_2 line3_1.xex

 

I really like the way gray 'shines' with blue/cyan(s)...

 

Edited October 26, 2022 by José Pereira

[José Pereira]

Towers more like CPC version here:

-> C64:

-> CPC:

Also those up/down things are CPC like but with usual blue/cyan colours.

Now the question is keep CPC ones or use the original C64 instead 

 

Edited October 26, 2022 by José Pereira

[popmilo]

Stop sharing screens like that... It doesn't look like atari at all