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Megaoids - Blasteroids type Game comming to cartridge.


peteym5

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I made this game many years ago in Turbobasic XL, around 1990. It was influenced by Blasteroids Arcade game. Instead of lives, you have shields/energy that gets recharge by flying into these glowing orbs that pop up after destroying the asteroids. I made mine with a fast shooting laser bolt. I have recently reopened the book on this game and did some preliminary work on making a 100% machine language port. If done, it will run and play much smoother. Plus there are more things can be done at the assembly language level that is hard to do in Turbobasic. The TB version had slow downs, could not make the orbs move, ran into memory space limitations, etc. That would not be an issue at the ML level. Could add more stuff, power ups, shoot multiple laser bolts at once. Maybe even attempt to have it with rotating asteroids. Have it full of sound effects.

 

This is one of several games I have in the works and being considered. Being geared to fit into 16K cartridges. I am looking for some end-user or game player input and suggestions on this game. I am not going to comment about what else is going on with our other games or pricing.

 

The attach file contains the Turbobasic source code and the compile version. It requires a data file, that must be kept on the disk. There is also a version of Tempest I did years ago also that I am not doing on cartridge.

PetesGames.atr

Edited by peteym5
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Best of luck! I released a TB game in 1996 which I (when finished with other projects) want to bring back to life as a machine language game. I will give mine a number "2" on the end of the title though as I don't want it to just be a re-make, but a big enhancement and update.

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When I port it to assembly, it will go even faster. Maybe too fast and maybe not move all the asteroids at once during the VBI. We see these ML routines taking games much further than anything done in Basic. What I am seeing done on Atari 8-bit in recent years gives me inspiration to make a super great Asteroids clone. I had several alternate ideals about this, one was to make a VBXE only Asteroids/Blasteroids cartridge since Asteroids games had been done several times on standard hardware. The other is to make an Omega Race type clone since that is something not done on the Atari 8 bit. Maybe I will do more than one game from this programming.

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  • 4 months later...

Played the EXE files:

 

Tetris looks really good, nice colours and controls. I tried various settings though didn't play it to see how far I could get (yet). Just needs that cursor removing from the title screen!

 

Megaoids didn't run on my 130XE (from mydos) error 130 at addr 5005 $4755

:)

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At this point, I have not decided to port Megaoids to total assembly language and put it on a cartridge. The reason is several Asteroid games had been done on the 8-bit, most recently Asteroids Arcade Emulator that plays is suppose be close to the arcade version. I had given thought to doing an Asteroids for VBXE because that has not been done. Maybe do a few other arcade titles for VBXE.

 

However Megaoids in full machine language and speed is one of the games in a series that are being made fit on Video 61s' 16K cartridge. They sale for $40. Uses some compression to make it fit. It is being discussed in the Venture and Delta Space Arena forums. I am looking to do a better version of Tron Light Cycles / 2600 Surround type game on the 8-bit.

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Played the EXE files:

 

Tetris looks really good, nice colours and controls. I tried various settings though didn't play it to see how far I could get (yet). Just needs that cursor removing from the title screen!

 

Megaoids didn't run on my 130XE (from mydos) error 130 at addr 5005 $4755

:)

Megaoids worked ok off your ATR, fun game but too easy as you can rack up too much energy, neat idea collecting them though and I like the portal at the end of the levels too. Controls are a bit fast but you get used to them. Minor niggles: the flickering score line and sometimes energy gets stuck on the right margin so you need to fly out of the left side to get it. You might want to send these two to Fandal so more people can play them :)

 

At this point, I have not decided to port Megaoids to total assembly language and put it on a cartridge. The reason is several Asteroid games had been done on the 8-bit, most recently Asteroids Arcade Emulator that plays is suppose be close to the arcade version. I had given thought to doing an Asteroids for VBXE because that has not been done. Maybe do a few other arcade titles for VBXE.

 

However Megaoids in full machine language and speed is one of the games in a series that are being made fit on Video 61s' 16K cartridge. They sale for $40. Uses some compression to make it fit. It is being discussed in the Venture and Delta Space Arena forums. I am looking to do a better version of Tron Light Cycles / 2600 Surround type game on the 8-bit.

Yes Norberts' Asteroids Emulator is superb and the Asteroidz relased last year by J.Croudry is also very good too :)

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  • 3 months later...

I may revisit this game soon. Right now I am busy upgrading Delta Space Arena and Secretum Labyrinth. I tried the truncated/short character set trick but discovered it was hogging the CPU bus to the point I cannot maintain a reasonable game play. So I am probably going to stick with a standard 4x8 Antic 4 screen. Game probably won't be using Super IRG, ICE, or APAC modes because of the movement involved.

 

However like I say, there are several free Asteroids games out there. Trying to sell it on disk or pay per download for $5 is probably futile.

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I AM PETE OF BORG. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. YOUR CULTURE WILL ADAPT TO SERVE AS OURS. THE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE OF THE HUMAN, PETEYM5 IS PART OF US NOW. IT HAS PREPARED US FOR ALL COURSES OF ACTION. YOUR RESISTANCE IS HOPELESS NUMBER ONE.

 

With all humor is set aside, I stayed away from that Revisiting Piracy thread thing because I know some members were just looking to cause trouble. I know no medium is 100% copy proof, even cartridges. We choose cartridges for the reason of collectors and people who like the convenience of plugging in a cartridge and running the game. I push the others I work with to keep the pricing down and such. I am making a larger effort now to make sure stuff is bug free and working with some new people. I am now electing not to reveal some of my titles and details about the game until they reach the market because like to surprise people when the game becomes available. Also some ideals can be duplicated before I even finish the game. Therefore there will not be any new public demos' of my games before they are released on cartridge.

 

However as stated above, there probably is not much profit in doing another Asteroids type game and the lack of replies here show me there is little interest.

Edited by peteofborg
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I never really got into the asteroid games - hard to say why...

However one version I did like - was Atom Smasher - which if you played it - takes you on a science like tour of the atoms...

However with that game - I felt that the difficulty was upped too quickly too soon - that with the stronger and stronger gravity attraction effect - it became way too hard to continue playing.

 

So I'd think a more sedate increasingly difficulty increase would have worked far better - but I think this variation could be expanded to include more interesting stuff added on? Maybe with some thrust like elements included? Possibly a larger screen area in use?

I don't think an Asteroids type game need to be boring - but adding extra elements and variations etc is not going to be easy? You never know what is possible - unless you have a go, and try doing some new kind of stuff...

 

Regarding the piracy issue - one should not have a high and mighty view about it that some people have about it all. I'm working on Atari 8-bit/etc games these days - just for the fun or the sake of doing it. If you can make some kind of profit in marketing/distributing your new game(s) - then, good on you...

 

Harvey

Edited by kiwilove
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  • 4 months later...

First I should state as of April 2015, I dissolved my business partnership with KJMANN. Primarily it was due to his declining health reasons and he being unable to spend a lot of time working on projects. It is also because of several other internal matters I cannot publicly state. Many of us know how he tried to control stuff that his only involvement was doing the music. KJMANN has taken down his Atlantis Games Group site and he is blaming it on poor attitude from certain members on here. Video61 will continue to produce the cartridges. All my future games will not carry the Atlantis Games Group banner. I am doing future projects under my own direction with Video61 doing cartridge production.

 

Now doing this game all in Assembly instead of compiled Turbo Basic is going to have many advantages like speed and smoother animation. I am still going to do the Asteroids in Antic 4 mode so they are going to move one character per frame. Looking at how things were done in Blasteroids that had portals and a final level boss alien. Maybe do that. Rotating Asteroids or smooth movement probably put it out of the range of a 16K cartridge + compression. I want to keep the pricing on these things at $40 like I did with Delta Space Arena and the updated Venture. This is one of several games I am looking into that fits onto a 16K cartridge.

Edited by peteym5
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Looks like your making steps towards improving your situation greatly!

 

There are number of GREAT programmers kjmann has gotten close to and they went from happy to frustrated to gone!

It a shame because the talent he has seemingly turned off produced some very nice things and were working on some great titles....

 

I wish KJMANN all the best and hope his health and mind improves such that he and others around him gain happiness and mutual satisfaction.

 

Thank you for giving us both your effort and this update!

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Well done Pete, you are better off without Sal, any one wanting to apportion blame only needs to read the threads on here with Sal to make their own mind up who spoilt it for him (and to save a huge read, it wasn't us). Sal just has a knack of rubbing people up the wrong way, I still wish him well and better health but our paths will not cross again.

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Looks like you guys stated the problems I also been having with him. Over the last four years, he will seem to disappear for months at a time when I am trying to work on projects with him. When I put stuff aside to work on my own stuff like PC games, he shows up out of nowhere and wants all this stuff done right away, then disappears again. He wanted to be the only other beta tester for Venture besides what I could find and fix, and that made the game take longer to make.

 

He was originally suppose to do the music for Secretum Labyrinth and Jungle Quest and caused those projects to take much longer to complete until I decided complete the game on my own. I managed to port some songs over from MOD files to have complete a complete game for the Secretum Labyrinth cartridge.

 

Now I know other programmers had games in progress like Outrun by DamageX and I do not know what is going to happen with that.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I managed to retrieve a few more games from old floppy disks this week. Many years ago I started with Basic, then Basic XE, Turbo Basic XL, and started working with Mac/65. Now using Mads Assembler and doing full assembly language games and figuring out new ways to optimized games so they go very fast.

 

The Megaoids port to full assembly onto cartridge had been started. I am using the Delta Space Arena code and sprites for the space ship and you will need to shoot the asteroids and fly around the screen to collect energy to recharge your shields. Since it will be running much faster, will be including some sprites flying around that change direction of asteroids or duplicates them as they make contact.

 

The other games I am including are called Dodge Survive, Spectrix, and Deep Sea. Dodge Survive is a simple game you have to move around the screen avoiding contact with balls and collect things for bonus. "Search of the Spectrix" is my very first adventure game I did on the Atari, figuring out how to use its Basic. I compiled it to assembly to see how fast it goes. "Deep Sea Combat" is a lightgun game, emulator does not support it, so it probably needs real hardware with light gun. Source Basic code is included for all the games. I compiled a few of them just to see how fast they can go.

 

I have a hard drive that needs a ICD MIO that has tons of old games. My MIO no longer functions, but I am going to attempt to use a SCSI controller PCI card and partition recovery software to see if I can gain access to the files. Hopefully the SCSI to MFM board inside the case also works.

 

 

 

 

PetesGames3.zip

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  • 5 months later...

Megaoids is one of the games I am considering finishing for cartridge next. I had been busy working on Secretum Labyrinth and another game that will not be announced until it is ready for release. This one I can say there will not be a machine language executable demo or pay-per-download version available because there already is a Compiled Turbo Basic version that I posted years ago. Consider the TB version as the demo. Of course pure assembly using integer variables goes many times faster than using Basic with Floating Point variables, I have a lot more going on within the VBI. using techniques like multiplexing the player sprites will add more stuff moving around the screen on top of more rocks flying at you.

 

I had noticed no-one actually did anything similar to Blasteroids for the 8-bit. I know Blasteroids has 3D spinning chunks of rock floating around, but that is very hard to do with the 8-bit. Really need a 3D accelerator card and higher CPU speeds to do those things. But I am able to do multicolored rocks with a starfield background. I am attaching a teaser screen shot.

post-14332-0-92910300-1450415468_thumb.jpg

Edited by peteym5
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I have a hard drive that needs a ICD MIO that has tons of old games. My MIO no longer functions, but I am going to attempt to use a SCSI controller PCI card and partition recovery software to see if I can gain access to the files. Hopefully the SCSI to MFM board inside the case also works.

 

I think I have a working MIO board. Been years since I used it. The one I have plugs into the back of the 130XE. Is that the same one?

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I had an MIO board that plugged into the back of a 800XL. I sent mine out to be repair over the summer. I keep forgetting to ask if there had been any progress with repairing it.

 

Megaoids will be using Antic 4 and blocks of characters for the Rocks. I had thought about doing it all with player/missile graphics, but I will be loosing the ability to make them larger, it would end up looking not much better than the 2600 Asteroids. What I am using will allow the game to move at very high speeds.

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At this point, I have not decided to port Megaoids to total assembly language and put it on a cartridge. The reason is several Asteroid games had been done on the 8-bit, most recently Asteroids Arcade Emulator that plays is suppose be close to the arcade version. I had given thought to doing an Asteroids for VBXE because that has not been done. Maybe do a few other arcade titles for VBXE.

 

However Megaoids in full machine language and speed is one of the games in a series that are being made fit on Video 61s' 16K cartridge. They sale for $40. Uses some compression to make it fit. It is being discussed in the Venture and Delta Space Arena forums. I am looking to do a better version of Tron Light Cycles / 2600 Surround type game on the 8-bit.

 

 

Hmm…not a lot of Asteroids games on the 5200…just saying. :)

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I know Blasteroids has 3D spinning chunks of rock floating around, but that is very hard to do with the 8-bit. Really need a 3D accelerator card and higher CPU speeds to do those things.

 

Err, no. Arcade Blasteroids most certainly did not use 3D acceleration. The "3D" spinning rocks were just pre-rendered sprites. All you need for that is memory for storing all the sprite frames. 7800 Asteroids does basically the same effect.

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Right now I am trying to set it up with just multicolored asteroids not rotating and see how much room the game takes up on the cartridge. If there still seems to have some room left over, I will look into the ideal of rotating asteroids using alternating fonts. It probably require some help with compression. The goal is to get a working game together first.

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I managed to retrieve a few more games from old floppy disks this week. Many years ago I started with Basic, then Basic XE, Turbo Basic XL, and started working with Mac/65. Now using Mads Assembler and doing full assembly language games and figuring out new ways to optimized games so they go very fast.

 

The Megaoids port to full assembly onto cartridge had been started. I am using the Delta Space Arena code and sprites for the space ship and you will need to shoot the asteroids and fly around the screen to collect energy to recharge your shields. Since it will be running much faster, will be including some sprites flying around that change direction of asteroids or duplicates them as they make contact.

 

The other games I am including are called Dodge Survive, Spectrix, and Deep Sea. Dodge Survive is a simple game you have to move around the screen avoiding contact with balls and collect things for bonus. "Search of the Spectrix" is my very first adventure game I did on the Atari, figuring out how to use its Basic. I compiled it to assembly to see how fast it goes. "Deep Sea Combat" is a lightgun game, emulator does not support it, so it probably needs real hardware with light gun. Source Basic code is included for all the games. I compiled a few of them just to see how fast they can go.

 

I have a hard drive that needs a ICD MIO that has tons of old games. My MIO no longer functions, but I am going to attempt to use a SCSI controller PCI card and partition recovery software to see if I can gain access to the files. Hopefully the SCSI to MFM board inside the case also works.

 

 

 

 

I have a quick question. How do you open the 360K .atr image with Altirra? If I Drag & Drop the file onto Altirra, it would crash the emulator. Thanks.

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