UT2600 / FLUT

[MLdB]

Changes

2018/06/04:

+ Fixed screen jitter caused by badly coded VSYNC (A big thanks to Thomas Jentzsch for the fix and cimmerian for checking beta 5)

+ Fixed bullets wrapping around the screen

+ Fixed jitter caused by a cycle miscount 5 years ago

Get the latest version here: ut2600_20180604_BETA5.bin

[MLdB]

For the latest on the development of UT2600, follow us on Twitter: @MEGGA_ind

[MLdB]

Last night I implemented weapon switching for advanced mode, it works like this: you have two weapon slots, a primary and a secondary. Your primary holds the last weapon you picked up OR the one you got after you emptied out your previous primary weapon. Your secondary holds the weapon you HAD when you picked up a new one (by running over a pickup box). You can switch between these two by standing still, pressing and holding the trigger and pushing left on the stick or pad. When you empty out your secondary weapon, you do not receive a new one like you do with your primary weapon. Please note that you cannot switch from the Redeemer (big grey rocket launcher with steerable ammo). Pressing the trigger will always fire the Redeemer, you cannot preform special actions while carrying it.

 

It needs a bit more testing before I can post beta 6.

[MLdB]

Here's the latest version:

ut2600_20180615_BETA6.bin

 

Changes

2018/06/14:

+ Added possibility to toggle between a primary and secondary weapon. Select advanced skill mode. Stand still, press and hold trigger, push left to toggle. May still be buggy!

+ Added colored MEGGA logo based on seed from garbage RAM at startup.

+ Added code to generate a random seed from the unitialized RAM on startup

+ Fixed regression: ripper fired through walls

+ Fixed splashes shown mid air when projectiles hit top boundary.

+ Fixed unstable scanlines

+ Just-in-time buffering of PF1 mapdata saves 16 bytes of RAM!

 

Finally implemented something I've been thinking about for a very long time: switching between weapons.

 

This only works in advanced skill mode (by design) and may be buggy (not by design )!.

 

Basically you have two weapon slots: primary and secondary. You spawn with an enforcer (pistol) in the primary slot, but whenever you pickup a new weapon, your current primary weapon is moved to the secondary slot (replacing any previous weapon in it) and you can switch back to it by standing still, pressing and holding the trigger and pushing LEFT on the joystick.

 

In UT2600, when your weapon runs out of ammo, it is replaced by another weapon (usually a less powerful one). This remains true for your primary weapon, but your secondary weapon is simply discarded and not replaced by another weapon when you empty it.

 

This is to balance the game: you can keep a powerful weapon in your secondary slot and switch between it and your primary whenever you like or need, but you cannot keep it forever and it does not give you a second 'line' of weapons (because it is not replaced by a less powerful weapon when it is empty.)

Example, active/selected weapon in CAPS, remaining ammo in (braces):

                   PRIMARY           SECONDARY
--------------------------------------------------
AFTER SPAWNING     ENFORCER (20)     [none]
FIRING             ENFORCER (19)     [none]
PICKUP MINIGUN     MINIGUN  (80)     enforcer (19)    (primary -> secondary, pickup -> primary)
FIRING             MINIGUN  (79)     enforcer (19)
SWITCHING WEAPONS  minigun  (79)     ENFORCER (19)    (primary and secondary are not swapped, only selected) 
FIRE EMPTY         minigun  (79)     ENFORCER (0)
                   MINIGUN  (79)     [none]           (secondary slot is emptied when weapon runs out of ammo)
PICKUP SHOCKRIFLE  SRIFLE   (16)     minigun  (79)
FIRE EMPTY         SRIFLE   (0)      minigun  (79)
                   BIORIFLE (10)     minigun  (79)    (primary slot gets a new weapon when it runs out of ammo)
SWITCHING WEAPONS  biorifle (10)     MINIGUN  (79)  

Depending on the game settings, the tactical value of the secondary slot changes. I tried to write down a couple of examples, but in the end I think they are best explored while playing.

 

The advanced mode allows players to develop their own tactics and playing style. I don't know what use you will come up with for the Translocator, or how you will defeat me by well timed jumping or which weapons you will prefer to stash away.

 

Let me know when you find out.

Edited June 15, 2018 by MLdB

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

ZeroPage Homebrew is playing UT2600 tonight! We're doing a Homebrew WIP livestream update episode tonight and a big announcement for one of the games we'll be playing! We'll be checking out the recently renamed Amoeba Jump (previously Doodle Jump), another look at Unreal Tournament 2600 and a visit back with Mappy with all it's changes since we last played!

 

Join us LIVE on the ZeroPage Homebrew Video Gaming Twitch channel at 7PM PT/10PM ET tonight

 

Twitch Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/zeropagehomebrew/

 

[MLdB]

I don't think you notice it while playing, but around 1:08:35-ish the Red player dies, but while the little 'angel' is rising up, you press and hold the trigger and push the joystick. This starts a new action (I guess it's jumping) which replaces the current action (dying ) effectively cancelling your death so you never respawn and remain in the same location, with your shock rifle intact but your health at 0! A couple of seconds later at 1:08:39, Red, having no health at all, dies again, but skillfully places a Translocator (the arrow clearly shows up) before reaching the pearly gates and cheats Death a second time!

 

You could think of this as either an amazing feature or a very stupid bug...

 

I carefully went for the latter and fixed it.

 

As for the screen jumps, I figured out that in some situations, code in vertical blank simply overruns the 37 scanlines it should take. I need to optimize as much as I can.

Edited June 29, 2018 by MLdB

[MLdB]

I want to carefully ask if anyone is (still) interested in ut2600... Apart from ZeroPage and some coverage we got because of the 'unreal tournament' name, I get no input or response from anyone.

 

I want to stress that I am perfectly OK with that. I don't care if anyone likes (or dislikes) the game: I am working on this for myself (and Igorski as a thank-you for putting in so much effort on the music), but I cannot justify the time it takes to complete this asap when nobody gives a poop

 

So please give me a thumbs up, report a bug, tell me what I could improve, upload a video of a tournament, tell me to shut up and get it done

 

...or just tell me you don't care it's ok, I just need to know.

[+Karl G]

I am planning to try this one out this week with my partner when we do a retro gaming night, and possibly with my 14 year old (he is into retro games, so he might be up for it). I have not played the real UT before, so I'm not sure if it will be obvious to me what I'm supposed to do.

Two-player homebrews sometimes get less testing, since it takes more coordination/planning to try them out.

[MemberAtarian]

I'm of course really interested in the game still. My biggest problem is that my partner newer really liked Atari 2600 (she had on XBox and some memories of playing famiclone games in the past, but that's all) and my son is still half years old, so I can't count on him yet. But if I have time, I can check it for you without a real partner in the night.

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

I think kdgarris hit the nail on the head with this one and I've heard this issue arise with other games. Two player games are not as easy to pick up and play as single player or games that have AI subbing in for the second player. It's really a shame because I think a lot of fun can be had with a human opponent instead of AI and there will be strategies never thought possible or easily achieved with an AI opponent.

 

Two player games also bring out the social aspect of video gaming which I think is important and why I always have somebody else there with me on my livestream! I think that it's a shame that local multiplayer has been largely lost on modern consoles and I frequently have to look to retro gaming for fun local multiplayer games.

 

Keep up the amazing work you're doing MLdb!

 

Two-player homebrews sometimes get less testing, since it takes more coordination/planning to try them out.

 

I want to carefully ask if anyone is (still) interested in ut2600... Apart from ZeroPage and some coverage we got because of the 'unreal tournament' name, I get no input or response from anyone.

 

[CrazyChris]

Everything in this game is so polished, the music, the graphics.

I like how you have to grab the flags instead of just shooting

each other.

 

I would really try for a 1 player version. Even if you have to

up the size of the cartridge ROM.

 

Also, I'd just call it UT2600, I'm not sure what Flut means?

 

Chris

[MemberAtarian]

I would really try for a 1 player version. Even if you have to

up the size of the cartridge ROM.

 

Yeah, AI is a big problem. I created a more advanced AI in Apollyon (I used some part in Beeware as well) and only the AI of two enemies took a whole bank of 4K. And that AI was only about rectaing to your moves, no strategies at all!

[MLdB]

 

I am planning to try this one out this week with my partner when we do a retro gaming night, and possibly with my 14 year old (he is into retro games, so he might be up for it).

 

That's great, please let me know if you find any problems or have suggestions. On UT2600.com there's an overview of the pickups, showing the in-game icons and explaining what each weapon and powerup does.

 

But if I have time, I can check it for you without a real partner in the night.

 

On UT2600.com, Igorski has embedded the Javatari emulator which supports net play! You can host a game and share a 'join'-link to someone else so you can play UT2600 over the net!

 

I think kdgarris hit the nail on the head with this one and I've heard this issue arise with other games. Two player games are not as easy to pick up and play as single player or games that have AI subbing in for the second player. It's really a shame because I think a lot of fun can be had with a human opponent instead of AI and there will be strategies never thought possible or easily achieved with an AI opponent.

 

Two player games also bring out the social aspect of video gaming which I think is important and why I always have somebody else there with me on my livestream! I think that it's a shame that local multiplayer has been largely lost on modern consoles and I frequently have to look to retro gaming for fun local multiplayer games.

 

Keep up the amazing work you're doing MLdb!

 

Reflecting on my own post, I realised I do not regularly comment on other developer's games either. I'll promise to do this from now on. If I want help/feedback from the community, I should also help others.

 

Everything in this game is so polished, the music, the graphics.

I like how you have to grab the flags instead of just shooting

each other.

 

I would really try for a 1 player version. Even if you have to

up the size of the cartridge ROM.

 

Also, I'd just call it UT2600, I'm not sure what Flut means?

 

Chris

 

 

Yeah, AI is a big problem. I created a more advanced AI in Apollyon (I used some part in Beeware as well) and only the AI of two enemies took a whole bank of 4K. And that AI was only about rectaing to your moves, no strategies at all!

 

I have given AI some thought over the past months. The problem is that the Atari simply does not have enough processing power and RAM to even do the required path finding. Fighting the CPU would require custom (simpler) maps. And there's so much planning/strategy involved, which to a human player comes naturally, that I don't think the Atari could counter. It would be no match for a human.

 

But I have an entire 4k bank left to do something nice with. So who knows.

 

Thanks for the replies! And I will start commenting on your stuff too, I promise!

Edited July 4, 2018 by MLdB

[MLdB]

I did a complete rewrite of the controller input code, creating separate code paths for joysticks and (Genesis) gamepads. Obviously this wasn't a goal of its own, but I needed to restructure to (1) allow the next version of UT2600 to be played with a joystick in one port and a controller in the other (previously both ports had to be connected to a Genesis controller for them to be detected) and (2) make better use of the Genesis' second button:

 

On advanced mode and with a Genesis controller...

• ...press D-pad to aim and press C to fire a single shot
• ...press and hold C to keep firing, use the D-pad to strafe while firing
• ...stand still, press and hold B to squat and use the D-pad to select a special action: LEFT = toggle weapon, UP = jump, RIGHT (hold) = show stats, DOWN = place translocator or teleport if already placed
• ...run and press B to repeat the last action you selected (by standing still and holding B). This allows you to quickly toggle your weapon, jump or teleport (showing stats is only possible while standing still).

I want to complete a bit more of my todo list before posting a new binary, but I'll keep posting my progress.

[+Karl G]

I played this with my 14 year old, and also with my partner. It is an impressive effort, and I think it would be a shame if this were never finished and released. A few comments:

• It was not obvious to me how to start a level. It has to be selected, then both people lock it in, then wait a few seconds. My son and I kept hitting our buttons when nothing would immediately happen when we thought we both selected the level until we finally figured it out.
• The player changing into the shape of an acquired weapon was a bit disconcerting. It would be nice if this were displayed elsewhere on the screen temporarily at least instead.
• Some weapons, including the default one, didn't seem to affect everything in its trajectory. It seemed like you could shoot in an opponent's direction and never hit them if they were standing a certain distance away where the missile never collided.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing new version of this!

[CrazyChris]

Just wanted to let everyone know that the UT2600 soundtrack can now

be downloaded on SoudCloud.

 

https://soundcloud.com/igorski/sets/ut2600-soundtrack