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Could R-Type be done on the 7800???


BIGHMW

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14 hours ago, RevEng said:

It's also worth mentioning that the x68000 collection on the same wiki page also has the R-Type OPMs used with that platform.

As an aside, this is the home port (IMHO) that sets the bar for all of the others of the time.  Granted, the X68000 isn't an 8-bit machine, but the gameplay is really nailed in this one.

 

Put it this way: this was my go-to version before the arcade game was emulated.  It's really an incredibly well-done port.

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On 6/17/2021 at 4:59 AM, Defender_2600 said:

And yes, it certainly could be done very well on 7800. And that would be a ton of work. A very large donation could incentivize ... :)

 

What do you have in mind?  A GoFundMe, Kickstarter or even a Ko-Fi page?  As an Atari 7800 fan (hence my username), I'd throw a few bucks to that.

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1 hour ago, 7800Knight said:

What do you have in mind?  A GoFundMe, Kickstarter or even a Ko-Fi page?  As an Atari 7800 fan (hence my username), I'd throw a few bucks to that.

 

No, I was just kidding, after my mind started fantasizing about the 7800 graphics modes to use but also thinking about the amount of work that would be required to make an excellent port of R-Type. But never say never, I really loved this game in my teens and it's one of my favorites, so a 7800 version would be wonderful for me. :) 

 

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9 hours ago, Defender_2600 said:

 

No, I was just kidding, after my mind started fantasizing about the 7800 graphics modes to use but also thinking about the amount of work that would be required to make an excellent port of R-Type. But never say never, I really loved this game in my teens and it's one of my favorites, so a 7800 version would be wonderful for me. :) 

 

 

I love this game too,

I'd be happy to contribute in a joint effort  ?

 

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I think you need the actual words from a programmer (who knows how the 7800 hardware works) whether R-Type can be done?  So far there's been no game showing it (7800) can handle the amount of unique sprite data with collision detection working - plus having the full R-Type your ship weaponry working too!  With the scrolling landscape working, plus that background.

What game does show anything remotely looking like R-Type? working on 7800?  Sirius and Plutos are rather basic in comparison.  But are a good starting point.

 

Harvey

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10 minutes ago, kiwilove said:

I think you need the actual words from a programmer (who knows how the 7800 hardware works) whether R-Type can be done?  So far there's been no game showing it (7800) can handle the amount of unique sprite data with collision detection working - plus having the full R-Type your ship weaponry working too!  With the scrolling landscape working, plus that background.

What game does show anything remotely looking like R-Type? working on 7800?  Sirius and Plutos are rather basic in comparison.  But are a good starting point.

 

Harvey

Come on - it's a forum.  We routinely have people in the Jag forum (for 10 or 15 years now) saying it can run Quake, we just need to "find its untapped potential".  Why should this be different?

 

My other favourite, is "I'll just learn programming" and do it on "fill in system".

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2 hours ago, Defender_2600 said:

I agree, R-Type could not be done on Atari 8-Bit computers. Maybe if someone finds their potential untapped ...

C'mon man, it can be done on a SMS, what says it can't be done on a 7800, nobody ever tried BITD because everybody wrote Atari off for dead after the 1984 crash, anyone notice the lack of third party support for Atari systems after that time?

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13 hours ago, Stephen said:

Come on - it's a forum.  We routinely have people in the Jag forum (for 10 or 15 years now) saying it can run Quake, we just need to "find its untapped potential".  Why should this be different?

 

My other favourite, is "I'll just learn programming" and do it on "fill in system".

It's all down to laziness.  I mean, let's face it: the arcade version of R-Type used a Z80, so it should be able to run natively on a ZX Spectrum, amirite?  The port that was done in 1988 only existed because the developers couldn't be bothered with doing it properly and decided to just rewrite it for the system.  Then they all went off and bought some Ferraris and a helicopter with their royalty cheques.

 

And don't get me started on what happened with the ST and Amiga versions.  Those platforms had more than enough horsepower to just run it in 100% arcade-perfect emulation, but nooooo, the developers just had to be lazy - again - and port it over from scratch.

 

I swear, once we have time travel sorted out I am so going back in time and setting these people straight before they can make the mistakes we are forced to live with today.  What they did to that game with their unnecessary ports was just unconscionable.

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8 minutes ago, leech said:

I played the hell out of R-Type on the SMS when I had that.  Recently bought the R-Type Dimensions EX on Steam so I could play it again.  The Arcade, I'm convinced, cheats on level 3 (the huge ship level) and is impossible tot pass without dying.

Weird - it's always been level 4 for me.  Those crab things that crap green orbs always end up getting me when I get to the section that fills the screen with said green orbs.  If I pass that, I've got a decent shot at finishing the game, but that one spot almost inevitably nukes me.

 

FWIW, the trick to level 3 is to keep the ring laser - between its main beam, the vertical shots it puts out when detached, and some judicious use of the 'hold down to charge it up' weapon, it's a cakewalk once you've done it a couple of times.  The bounce laser and flame weapons are nowhere near as useful on that level.

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1 hour ago, x=usr(1536) said:

Weird - it's always been level 4 for me.  Those crab things that crap green orbs always end up getting me when I get to the section that fills the screen with said green orbs.  If I pass that, I've got a decent shot at finishing the game, but that one spot almost inevitably nukes me.

 

FWIW, the trick to level 3 is to keep the ring laser - between its main beam, the vertical shots it puts out when detached, and some judicious use of the 'hold down to charge it up' weapon, it's a cakewalk once you've done it a couple of times.  The bounce laser and flame weapons are nowhere near as useful on that level.

I think on the SMS version I'd always use the bouncy lasers, as it'd take anything out.  The problem is the main frame on the arcade game comes too far down to the bottom of the screen and squishes you.  I haven't found a way around that.

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1 hour ago, BydoEmpire said:

I remember beating the game on the SMS, but IIRC I had to use the 30 lives cheat.  IMHO R-Type was one of those "show off what the SMS can do"  types of games. Such a great port.

I got to the point I could make it to level 4 before I died.  Amazing game, one of my favorites on the SMS.  Shinobi was another epic port, but has THE worse ending in a video game of all time!

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1 hour ago, leech said:

I think on the SMS version I'd always use the bouncy lasers, as it'd take anything out.  The problem is the main frame on the arcade game comes too far down to the bottom of the screen and squishes you.  I haven't found a way around that.

I'll see if I can't record a video for you later that shows how I get through the level.  There are probably better (read: higher-scoring) ways of doing it, but this is the one burned into my brain from when the game was in the arcades.

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1 hour ago, leech said:

Shinobi was another epic port, but has THE worse ending in a video game of all time!

If I don't get past the "pile of heads" boss in Shinobi on my first try, I don't get past it at all.  Agree, it's amazing on the SMS. I don't recall fi I've ever actually finished it though.  That's another one of my "this is what the SMS can do" games.

Edited by BydoEmpire
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I was just curious to see how the R-9 star ship could look on the 7800. Although most of the graphics should be done in 160A mode, nothing prevents you from doing some graphics with 160B mode, including the R-9 star ship. :)  In any case, the 7800 version would have more color depth than the Commodore 64 version, in fact it would be possible to have at least 25 colors on screen from a palette of 256 colors.

 

 

 

 

102572210_7800R.Type_R9starship_vs.thumb.PNG.440f8d4fc0b1de5515167af51ed85169.PNG

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1 hour ago, leech said:

  Shinobi was another epic port, but has THE worse ending in a video game of all time!

I know...you just got a "game over" screen which you could also get just by dying!

 

Hmm, Shinobi would be fun to have on the 7800 too.  But that's a whole other thread.

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14 minutes ago, Defender_2600 said:

I was just curious to see how the R-9 star ship could look on the 7800. Although most of the graphics should be done in 160A mode, nothing prevents you from doing some graphics with 160B mode, including the R-9 star ship. :)  In any case, the 7800 version would have more color depth than the Commodore 64 version, in fact it would be possible to have at least 25 colors on screen from a palette of 256 colors.

 

 

 

 

102572210_7800R.Type_R9starship_vs.thumb.PNG.440f8d4fc0b1de5515167af51ed85169.PNG

That is impressive!  I'd LOVE to see R-Type on the 7800.  It seems to be a very underutilized system to begin with.

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51 minutes ago, Defender_2600 said:

I was just curious to see how the R-9 star ship could look on the 7800. Although most of the graphics should be done in 160A mode, nothing prevents you from doing some graphics with 160B mode, including the R-9 star ship. :)  In any case, the 7800 version would have more color depth than the Commodore 64 version, in fact it would be possible to have at least 25 colors on screen from a palette of 256 colors.

 

 

 

 

102572210_7800R.Type_R9starship_vs.thumb.PNG.440f8d4fc0b1de5515167af51ed85169.PNG

Wow! What a huge improvement this game would be over Sirius in the 7800 library. It'd be the definitive horizontal shooter, no doubt.

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I never played R-Type until this thread. Over the weekend, I realized I have a pretty decent library of SMS roms on my Genesis Everdrive cart. I loaded up R-Type and spent 30 minutes acquainting myself with the game. Now I know why it's a classic.

 

If the SMS could do it, the 7800 should be able to as well. 

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