Nojeee Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 I recently ported my old Baby Berks C16 game to the A8 and uploaded it on the forum. Baby Berks was originally a cut down version of Berks 1 - initially created to be typed in from a magazine listing. I've now converted the second game in the Berks Trilogy ... Major Blink. The game dates from1985 and I haven't made any major (excuse the pun) updates to the gameplay. The original program had to run in 16K and this version should happily run in 32K. I've tested it on my PAL 130XE and in NTSC & PAL in Altirra. The game makes a few simple changes to compensate for the different NTSC frame rate but I haven't been able to test this on real hardware. The game is a simple one; roam around the screen filling in the boxes while avoiding Diamond Geezers and Cool Bears (don't ask). There are eight different screen layouts chosen at random - repeating when they've all been cleared. Larger boxes contain a random bonus based on your entry skill setting. Fill in the box to gain the bonus. The Cool Bears appear at the top of the screen and work their way down, un-filling squares as they move. Diamonds inexorably move towards you but can be 'stunned' for a short while before setting off again. It's important to note that you must complete a screen before the bonus counter reaches zero or it's Game Over! You can select a skill rating on the title page and this determines your entry position in a skill range of 1 to 16. The game gradually gets more difficult as you progress through the skill levels. The skill level increases by one for every screen completed and you gain an extra life for every four screens completed. High-Scores are kept for each of the five entry skill ratings - this is to counter somebody starting at the lowest skill level to gain extra lives. Major Blink moves along the lanes in the chosen direction but if you release the joystick it will continue moving to a crossroads before stopping. You can reverse his direction at any time while he is moving. Cool Bears randomly choose a lane to start from but will not regenerate while you're in the top 'green zone'. Pressing the Space Bar will pause or un-pause the game. There are a few tactics that will help you complete screens successfully but I'll leave that for you to work out. Changing direction takes a bit of practice so a good joystick is advisable. Finally, the game is very much 'old school' and may not appeal to everyone. I make no apologies for the limited and repetitive sound effects - you may need to keep the volume low before you go ga-ga like I have over the past few weeks. Jon PS. Please let me know if you find any serious issues. MajorBlink.xex 33 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 (edited) Just played up to screen 5 and really enjoyed the mix of game play, its an old classic fill 'em up and it looks and sounds as it should but a playing around with new sfx might be nice (argh...Missed it in the post...Gone ga ga without the game) Its bright, cheerful and hard. (later)..Whats not to like... No obvious problems here good sir... Thank you... Paul.. Edited September 8, 2018 by Mclaneinc 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjlazer Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 Nice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Bacardi Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 I don't know the original C16 game, but the Atari version looks and plays great! Thanks so much Jon! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heaven/TQA Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 Thanks Jon! A Plus/4 is on my shopping list.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 Buying one for Angela Merkel 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Philsan Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 Thank you very much! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snicklin Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 (edited) This is a fun game! I've enjoyed this, though I feel like I am a graffiti artist and the Cool Bears are Council staff removing it. I used to be a Councillor, would I have been permitted to play this? I am so confused. Edited September 8, 2018 by snicklin 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 I already got in trouble for playing baby berks v2 too much... now you've gone and done it.... another game? Having no choice but to sample your works.... I hope this is as much fun as the last.... er um yeah, honey I'm testing out this computer I fixed... yeah that's the ticket! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
256 colors Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 (edited) Thank you the Berks series of games were much loved on my old Commodore Plus 4 is there any plans for Berks 3? Edited September 8, 2018 by 256 colors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevEng Posted September 9, 2018 Share Posted September 9, 2018 Really fun game! I love the remix of classic corridor-shooting and territory-grab game mechanics; this makes the game feel like a lost classic, despite being brand new. Well done, sir! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nojeee Posted September 9, 2018 Author Share Posted September 9, 2018 Thank you the Berks series of games were much loved on my old Commodore Plus 4 is there any plans for Berks 3? I'm not too sure what to do next. I converted the two games mainly to get back into the swing of 6502 coding - I was pleasantly surprised how it all came flooding back. I was thinking about Berks 3 but might want to expand it from the 16K limitation ... maybe Berks 3+ or even Berks 4 if it was enhanced enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
256 colors Posted September 9, 2018 Share Posted September 9, 2018 (edited) I'm not too sure what to do next. I converted the two games mainly to get back into the swing of 6502 coding - I was pleasantly surprised how it all came flooding back. I was thinking about Berks 3 but might want to expand it from the 16K limitation ... maybe Berks 3+ or even Berks 4 if it was enhanced enough. Yep sounds really really cool a Berks 3+ or Berks 4 with maybe 2 player co-op mode or something? I know this much grand kids couldn't careless about the ps4 any more since playing Baby Berks and now Major Blink Edited September 9, 2018 by 256 colors 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormtrooper of Death Posted September 9, 2018 Share Posted September 9, 2018 Nice little game. just played it with the Altira emulator and I like it. Thanks for this conversion, Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level42 Posted September 10, 2018 Share Posted September 10, 2018 Nice !! Where do I find Baby Berks ? Great to have you back on the A8 programming Jon ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
256 colors Posted September 10, 2018 Share Posted September 10, 2018 Nice !! Where do I find Baby Berks ? Great to have you back on the A8 programming Jon ! http://atariage.com/forums/index.php?app=core&module=attach§ion=attach&attach_id=582803 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sikor Posted September 10, 2018 Share Posted September 10, 2018 Wow! What a nice game. Thx! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level42 Posted September 10, 2018 Share Posted September 10, 2018 Love it ! Very polished....has elements of Amidar (which I love) and Eyes in it. Your style is also very recognizable Jon ! I found it funny to see the Atari rainbows on the C16 version video I did come quite far on the first games though...could be a bit harder maybe ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinroh Posted September 11, 2018 Share Posted September 11, 2018 Man this game is so rad! Glad to be able to play it on the A8! I'll try it on my hardware this weekend, but enjoying it on Altirra so far! Love it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
256 colors Posted September 11, 2018 Share Posted September 11, 2018 (edited) Thanks Jon! A Plus/4 is on my shopping list.... I would use ultra extreme caution buying a Commodore Plus 4 or C16 those MOS TED chips are very notorious for going bad along with the CPU chips Hard too find and very over priced Edited September 11, 2018 by 256 colors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted September 11, 2018 Share Posted September 11, 2018 Eek, good warning then... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
256 colors Posted September 11, 2018 Share Posted September 11, 2018 Eek, good warning then... £30+ if not more for a working chip IF you can find one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
José Pereira Posted September 11, 2018 Share Posted September 11, 2018 (edited) Hi. Very Very Nice. Just saw your games including this serie on MobyGames. There's other Berks that seems 'equal?' as is Baby Berks but with different gfxs. Any plans also to convert it onto A8? P.s.- Or those screenshots are in 'later?' in later levels (When entering "Berks" on 'SEARCH' box it says "Baby Berks" aka "Berks"). Edited September 11, 2018 by José Pereira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nojeee Posted September 11, 2018 Author Share Posted September 11, 2018 I really appreciate the kind comments - it's nice to see the Berks games getting a second lease of life. I did come quite far on the first games though...could be a bit harder maybe ? That's a very fair point. I find it difficult to set the right level of difficulty ... if you excuse the pun . There's a balance between making it too easy so people can't be bothered to play until it gets challenging and making it too hard which makes people get frustrated and put it down. When you get to skill level 16 on Major Blink there are 6 Bears and 6 Diamonds which chase at a pretty fast speed. However, after lots of practice I found I could often complete the screens at that level so the game does silently increase the Diamond's speed a few times more. £30+ if not more for a working chip IF you can find one The Plus/4 was a really nice machine but it's true that the TED chip seems prone to failure. When I powered on my own Plus/4 after it had been in store for many years it had failed. Luckily, I managed to get an 'untested' one on eBay without any power supply and it surprisingly worked first time. Fully working ones are going for silly money at the moment. Hi. Very Very Nice. Just saw your games including this serie on MobyGames. There's other Berks that seems 'equal?' as is Baby Berks but with different gfxs. Any plans also to convert it onto A8? P.s.- Or those screenshots are in 'later?' in later levels (When entering "Berks" on 'SEARCH' box it says "Baby Berks" aka "Berks"). The first Berks game was very similar to Baby Berks with multiple single screens to clear. NB. Major Blink was initially intended to be a stand alone game but the publisher wanted to add the Berks 2 tag line. Berks 3 was an expanded version of Berks 1 and allowed the player to move from screen to screen in search of keys to open the final 'gates' (a bit like good old Shamus on the A8). The game only just squeezed into 16K; when I checked recently it had 10 bytes free . I was considering porting it to the A8 but think it might be better to use it as the basis of a larger, improved version. I hope, one way or another, that Berks 3 will make it's way to the A8 sometime. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
256 colors Posted September 11, 2018 Share Posted September 11, 2018 (edited) Insane amount of money if both the CPU and TED chips goes tits up £61 for the CPU chip https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/8501R1-CPU-Chip-IC-Commodore-C116-C16-4-Plus-4-MOS-CBM-8501-R1-Z0G231/222734929251?hash=item33dc094d63:g:UtcAAOSwmoxZrP89 £30+ for a TED chip and that's without all the hassle of postage and packaging costs Edited September 11, 2018 by 256 colors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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