go lucky - ABBUC e.V. software competition 2020

[pps]

This year is my first time at the competition. Hope you like my 'little' game.

Here is a first impression:

 

The game detects if your ATARI has NTSC or PAL and if it runs with 50 or 60 Hz and adapts color and music speed. 60 Hz machines will have some less graphics at start (PM additions), but everything can be toggled on there, too (SELECT at DICE/SELL/VIEW menu).

 

You have 25 complete different levels with different money aims (+ can adjust the aim at your own). Get rich as fast as possible and then get first to start, when aim is reached.

 

Coding the game took about 3 months and about every day endless testing

 

Many thanks to @miker for great music and some sfx work and @_The Doctor__ for NTSC testing. ... and St. Dorndorf for uDOS.

Edited September 3, 2020 by pps

[pps]

Even if not everyone can actually play this - ABBUC e.V. annual meeting is delayed thanks COVID - I want to share informations how to create own levels. Maybe someone has fun doing this.

 

I would be happy, if there will be some more levels So share them with us, but don't share the whole game.go lucky - level creation.zip

[pps]

The full game for all Atari fans: go lucky ABBUC e.V. SWC 2020 Edition + level creation manual

[ggn]

By the way, if anyone tries this with H: emulation enabled in Altirra, the game appears to hang on the level select screen. Just disable it and it'll work fine.

 

(I guess the game first tries H: for levels and gets stuck in an infinite loop? @pps can probably explain this better!)

[pps]

16 minutes ago, ggn said:

By the way, if anyone tries this with H: emulation enabled in Altirra, the game appears to hang on the level select screen. Just disable it and it'll work fine.

 

(I guess the game first tries H: for levels and gets stuck in an infinite loop? @pps can probably explain this better!)

I don't call for H: but the used uDOS or my game code could lay on top of the code the emulator patches in to use H: device. Sorry for that. But main aim was real stock machine. This issue did not occur to me in the tests, as I seldom use H: in emulation. Not sure if I could patch this. Erhard (from ABBUC forum) discovered another strange thing, I never had: His machines can't load the scores table at end of the game. Don't know if it might be the issue of using more than one device at the SIO bus. Actually this problem is not resolved

[+DjayBee]

3 hours ago, ggn said:

By the way, if anyone tries this with H: emulation enabled in Altirra, the game appears to hang on the level select screen.

This works fine for me.

I emulate a standard 800XL.

[+MrFish]

On 11/14/2020 at 2:25 PM, pps said:

The full game for all Atari fans: go lucky ABBUC e.V. SWC 2020 Edition + level creation manual

 

Thanks, I appreciate the download (haven't played the game yet), but man, that's a bit of a complicated download path.

 

[pps]

Now, as you all had time to play a bit I would be interested, if there is interest in another version of the game, that has some additions to the rules and of course more levels? Some ideas are in my mind, but I am not sure, if it's worth the work.

 

At least I am interested, if someone created an own level with the instructions?

 

btw: If you want, you can jump over to pouet.net for the game download, too.

[pps]

I am working on a little tool, which atm allows to explore all the levels of the game just from within Windows.

Maybe it will raise up into a level designer tool or you would be able to play on PC. Don't know how far it will go. If someone is interested to play with the tool, please shout via pm.

It is a uwp app and thus it needs a certificate. Actually I just have a self created one, that will need some "expert" install to run the tool.

some screens:

Actusally it is just a level explorer, but there can be more, if it is wanted  

 

And I still wait for comments about the game and if someone has created own levels.  

Edited June 26, 2021 by pps
typo :(

[pps]

Some news about this game

 

Head over 2 my webspace to get latest version v1.11 - esp. people with 60 Hz machines will love this update as I managed to optimize the display routine, so that pm overlay is possible at acceptable speed even on your machines.

 

download go lucky v1.11 @ppsberlin.de (you have to accept "Ich stimme den oben aufgeführten Bedingungen zu" to be able to download)

 

actual nfo file:

go lucky - v1.11
----------------
a board game for ATARI 8Bit computers

- code + idea: PPs
- music + sfx: miker
- started to code: 30th March 2020
- last code changes: 16th  January 2022
- last new level: 33, 23rd December 2020
- 64kB RAM, XL or XE plus disc drive and joystick needed
- tested on NTSC (many thanks _The Doctor__ @atariage) and PAL
- game for 1 to 4 players – humans and CPU controlled players are possible

- rated 7th of 13 by the people who voted for the contest
- included here: game, manual and manual to create own levels

- additions since ABBUC e.V. SWC 2020 edition: more levels, get some cash when
  colleted all tiles and then win 'get all tiles' at fortune wheel, some better
  input options at game menu and some small errors removed

- new in v1.11: 60 Hz machines now have pm switched on by default, too as I
  managed to optimize the display code a bit, some small errors are corrected
  code optimized for later additions

In this board game your aim is to get rich as soon as possible. To reach this
aim you should raise your money by buying plots and getting rent each time
another player lands on your owned plots. Once you land on your own plot, you
can invest money to raise the rent of it.

 

Edited January 16, 2022 by pps
typos

[_The Doctor__]

Glad you pursued this, was fun. Happy you found it was possible after all . I know I nudged a little back then. Your work is always better and better.

[pps]

1 hour ago, _The Doctor__ said:

Glad you pursued this, was fun. Happy you found it was possible after all . I know I nudged a little back then. Your work is always better and better.

It is still a lot slower than on PAL, but I hope you all can live with it now. I was not happy with the first solution, to just switch off PM by default on 60 Hz machines. The look of the game is so different then.

Now I have to search for another amount of free RAM for some of my additional ideas for the game.   One day, there will be a v2.x, I am sure.

[pps]

Sorry folks, don't want to spam you, but this new version is needed just now.

 

I have rewritten the whole display routine and suddently the game has speed even on 60 Hz machines. I think it is worth to release v1.12 just now, so you don't have to wait ages before I got all my planned upgrades working for "go lucky 2.x".

 

As a bonus for this new version, I added another level, celebrating this speedy display routine. I promise you, the download brings you a huge improvement in display speed.

 

download go lucky v1.12 @ppsberlin.de

 

This is the final version till I have v2.x ready - only a big bug will change this plan.

Edited January 17, 2022 by pps

[pps]

Thanks to @JAC! here is v1.12 image that works on TheCart! Memory usage of the game is not good for TheCart! system as I use memory that overlaps loading routines. No problem if the disc image is SD or MD/ED, but DD does not work. This special "disk image" is not aimed to use on original disk drive, but it works fine with TheCart! menu. If you have another MultiCart and v.112 does not work there, try this image. It might help.

golucky_1.12_TheCart.zip

Another way to make a working version: cut off some levels out of the disk to create a MD/ED image. Make another one and cut off the levels from the first disk so that you have 2 disks with game files and some levels on both disks.

 

And no, this is not a new game version, just a way to be able to run the whole image on TheCart! like it is possible with "ASC 2020" version. Maybe one day, I will have a greater update ready with new game features.

Edited November 5, 2023 by pps