PentaGo

[Trebor]

8 hours ago, darryl1970 said:

@Trebor

Have either of you tried Penta with the latest firmware?    

PentaGo_Demo(8-11-2022a).a78 144.13 kB · 9 downloads

With the latest firmware (hbios_concerto_0.96_build_72822_NTSC.bin), and the PentaGo_Demo(8-11-2022a).a78 file, it is the same results as before; "POKEY Detected" message is stated.  However, the background POKEY music still sounds distorted during the in-game rounds.

[+DrVenkman]

17 minutes ago, Trebor said:

With the latest firmware (hbios_concerto_0.96_build_72822_NTSC.bin), and the PentaGo_Demo(8-11-2022a).a78 file, it is the same results as before; "POKEY Detected" message is stated.  However, the background POKEY music still sounds distorted during the in-game rounds.

Using the firmware as Trebor, I am seeing the same general results with this build with the addition of audio distortion during all music and sound effects, not just the in-game rounds. Further, even with sound set to TIA, I am hearing some odd, percusssive/lispy type sounds during game play. 

[Ecernosoft]

On 10/9/2021 at 5:26 AM, darryl1970 said:

It's Pengo!

Here's a demo of Pengo. I hope you enjoy.

 

The full version has Novice, Arcade, and Expert difficulty levels.

Each difficulty has its own high score board, when used with a high score save device. (One combined scoreboard when no device is present)

 

Difficulty Levels: (Demo does not have multiple difficulty levels.)

Novice:

# of Pengos = 5; Extra Pengo = 30,000; Snow-bees start off at very slow speed

 

Arcade:

# of Pengos = 3; Extra Pengo = 30,000; Snow-bees start off at standard pace. Average intelligence.

 

Expert:

# of Pengos = 3; Extra Pengo = 50,000; Fast snow-bees

 

Demo:

# of Pengos = 2; Extra Pengo = 30,000; Arcade difficulty; # Of Playable Levels = 4

 

 

I tried to take the best of the arcade and 5200 versions, to make what I feel to be the most balanced conversion. I feel that the arcade can be brutally unfair. The arcade collision heavily favors the snow-bees. It is easier to miss with an ice block, especially on higher levels. Also, the wall stun is delayed in the arcade version. If Pengo stuns a snow-bee that is next to him, the arcade snow-bee will slide into Pengo, kill Pengo, and then it will be stunned.

 

Pengo is momentarily unable to move after pushing or crushing an ice block. My version has a slightly lesser delay after Pengo pushes a block or crushes an ice block. The arcade delay seems to get longer as the snow-bees get insanely fast. It makes the game feel impossible at times. I think the game is difficult enough already. If Arcade Mode is too easy on this version, Expert more than makes up for it.

 

I have not yet decided what to do about the rounds. The arcade game has 16 rounds. The arcade game becomes almost impossible after round 14. It becomes harder to hit the snow-bees with the ice, they crush the ice before the player can push a cube, and they are much faster than Pengo. After round 16, the game loops to level 1, and the difficulty is back to level 1 difficulty. I believe this is because the game is so difficult and cheap at that point, the programmers never expected anybody to get that far.

 

I currently allow the game rounds to continue on indefinitely. I kind of like it this way.

 

The game has 12 different intermissions. The last two intermissions alternate after level 12.

 

Unlike the arcade game, this version does not reset to level 1 after level 16.

 

Update 07/24/2022

• Arcade difficulty is easier. The difficulty has been adjusted to ramp up more slowly on the arcade setting. The arcade is ruthless from the beginning, and I want this to be enjoyable. I hope I found a good balance.
• New on-screen indicators for HS Devices, TIA or POKEY selected (Left Difficulty SW), and more...
• Updated sound effects.
• Code cleanup, allowing extra features.
• The code, "up, down, up, down, left, right", can be entered on the Title screen. This changes the Penta title to an alternate name. This change is saved on your HS device.
• Another code will unlock the ability to play in CHEAT MODE. This unlock is also saved to your HS device.
• New Settings page. I was not TRYING to please @ZeroPage Homebrew , by making the game couch compliant, but it's a cool side effect! Some settings are unavailable in the demo.
  • Bonus Levels * - Select Blob mode, @ZeroPage Homebrew mode, and cheat mode (unlocked with code).
  • Force Tune - Previously set with code. This will force the background music to one song. The song is selected by changing the right difficulty. Once forced, the song can be changed mid-game. Left difficulty still switches TIA and POKEY selection.
  • Level Select * - Select starting level and which board layout to play. Select at the beginning of each round.
  • Invincible * - Pento doesn't die when hit by a sno-bee.
  • Reset Unlock ** - Go to page to delete game parameter saves, such as the title change or once cheat mode has been unlocked. New Page!
  • Reset Scores ** - Go to page to delete high score saves for each difficulty. No longer necessary to hold Select and Reset on power-up.

 

Note: In "Cheat Mode" Penta can die, but will never lose a life. In this mode, the "Select" button will automatically clear a level. This was my debug setting. This mode is also available in Popeye, but it is only available in the full version of the games

 

*   -   These modes will disable the high score functionality.

** -   These options are only available if a high score device is present.

 

Click here for link to game demos.

 

 

Update 11/13/2021

• Fixed issue where sno-bees travel through star blocks and blocks with eggs hidden inside. I wasn't going to change this, because it can happen in the arcade. I still allow it at level reset, if a sno-bee is trapped in its corner.
• Fixed issue with sno-bee randomness. This makes the sno-bees a little less predictable. It's been broken for a while. "Pento" can no longer hide on the other side of a star block when all of the sno-bees are on the same vertical or horizontal path.
• Updated the banner to match the arcade bootleg, "Penta".
• More TIA harmonies & updated Pokey alternate tune. Other sound tweaks.
• Minor cosmetic changes

 

PentaDEMO(11-13-2021-AM).a78 144.13 kB · 337 downloads

 

PentaBUP(11-13-2021-AM).a78 144.13 kB · 211 downloads

 

 

Update 11/06/2021 - Many updates

• Refined controls. Smoother navigation. Button action now mimics the arcade, so it can not be held down indefinitely.
• Credits screen has been added
• Snow-bees hatch faster
• Tighter snow-block collision. (Almost too easy now!)
• Intermission penguins walk from off-screen now. Music is sync'd to where it plays the full tune after level 6. The arcade ALWAYS cuts the tune off. (The intermission can be skipped with the joystick button once the penguins are half-way across the screen.)
• Additional level layouts: 16 regular and 2 hidden (ZPH & Blob mode)
• Minor cosmetic changes
• The most noticeable updates:
  • Refinements to POKEY music. Thanks again @playsoft for the engine and Popcorn POKEY.
  • Intermission has dedicated POKEY music @Pat Brady
  • Brady updated and refined the TIA Engine, adding dedicated harmonies. He reworked the TIA tunes (LEFT DIFFICULTY selects POKEY/TIA)
• I have no issues with my versa-cart or Dragonfly.
• POKEY sound is fixed on Concerto (At least is works on my cart). TIA sound also works on Concerto. I did have one issue where the game would crash when I tried to start the game. I erased the game off of my card and recopied it to the card. It has been running on my Concerto for 3 hours now in invincible mode. It's now up to level 80, since the snow-bees forfeit after 2 minutes of inactivity. Half has been in POKEY mode, and half in TIA.

 

PengoDemo(11-06-2021).a78 144.13 kB · 146 downloads

 

PengoBUP(11-06-2021).a78 144.13 kB · 137 downloads

 

 

Update 10/23/2021 - Alternating BG tunes; Updated TIA Popcorn

• This version alternates the background tunes per-round. I start with the Popcorn tune, since that appears to be the original tune used.
• This also includes an updated Popcorn tune for TIA
• A new cheat code has been added. This one can be accessed inthe demo: At the title screen: {right, right, right, left, left, left} toggles the ability to force the background tune. This just unlocks and locks the right difficulty switch, to be used as the versions prior to the alternating tune.
• Tighened up the collision when an iceblock catches a snow-bee
• Added a sfx when a snow-bee is crushed

 

PengoDemo(10-23-2021-AM).a78 144.13 kB · 118 downloads

 

PengoBUP(10-23-2021-AM).a78 144.13 kB · 65 downloads

 

Update 10/22/2021 - TIA Popcorn, for those without POKEY.

Sorry for the quick post, but this may be the last for a while. A lot came together, and I think I am winding down to more of a maintenance mode, unless I decide to alternate the background tunes. This contains general clean up in sound. Key Pokey harmonies from a table.

PengoDemo(10-22-2021-MD).a78 144.13 kB · 70 downloads

 

PengoBUP(10-22-2021-MD).a78 144.13 kB · 69 downloads

 

*** Bonus: There are 6 hidden modes that are unlockable in the full version. I compiled a couple into a demo. Pengo doesn't lose any lives, but the demo is only limited to a number of level clears.

 

Blob Mode (Used to test the Blobs. After being on a level for two-minutes, this mode is activated in regular play.) - PengoBlobDemo(10-22-2021).a78 144.13 kB · 71 downloads

 

ZPH  @ZeroPage Homebrew  Mode (Every other board is the ZPH level) - PengZPHDemo(10-22-2021).a78 144.13 kB · 62 downloads

 

 

 

Update 10/21/2021 - Popcorn added for POKEY sound. LeftDiff  = POKEY On/Off; RightDiff = Alternative/Popcorn

PengoDemo(10-21-2021-PM).a78 144.13 kB · 72 downloads

 

PengoBUP(10-21-2021-PM).a78 144.13 kB · 69 downloads

 

 

 

Update 10/16/2021 - High Score saves (To clear corrupted high scores, hold RESET & SELECT on options screen.)

The previous demo skipped the high score entry screen. This is fixed, and music is added.

PengoDemo(10-16-2021-AM).a78 144.13 kB · 199 downloads

 

BUP does not support high scores.

PengoBUP(10-16-2021-AM).a78 144.13 kB · 83 downloads

 

Update: 10/13/2021

PengoDemo(10-12-2021-PM).a78 144.13 kB · 99 downloads

  

PengoBUPDemo(10-12-2021).a78 144.13 kB · 97 downloads

 

First Public Demo - 10/08/2021

PengoDemo(10-08-2021-PM).a78 144.13 kB · 228 downloads

 

 

 

 

 

I just wish the demos had 3 lives and regainable lives. 

[+x=usr(1536)]

14 hours ago, darryl1970 said:

@Trebor & @x=usr(1536),

 

Have either of you tried Penta with the latest firmware? I am kind of afraid of "fixing" what isn't broken on my card.

 

I could try another POKEY $800 build if that helps. (The attached is still $450. it will take more time to redo the $800 stuff.) I don't know if sharing the Penta demo with Fred would help him.

 

I changed the banner to "PentaGo". I started naming the file that, and the name grew on me. It's weird that the game is "Penta", and the character's name is Pento. That is how the arcade bootleg was though. It didn't have a banner up at the top though

Sorry, haven't had a chance.  I'm out of town through the end of next week, so am totally removed from anything Atari-related at the moment.

[+darryl1970]

7 hours ago, Ecernosoft said:

I just wish the demos had 3 lives and regainable lives. 

You can still earn an extra life at 30,000, like the arcade.

[+darryl1970]

11 hours ago, Trebor said:

With the latest firmware (hbios_concerto_0.96_build_72822_NTSC.bin), and the PentaGo_Demo(8-11-2022a).a78 file, it is the same results as before; "POKEY Detected" message is stated.  However, the background POKEY music still sounds distorted during the in-game rounds.

 

10 hours ago, DrVenkman said:

Using the firmware as Trebor, I am seeing the same general results with this build with the addition of audio distortion during all music and sound effects, not just the in-game rounds. Further, even with sound set to TIA, I am hearing some odd, percusssive/lispy type sounds during game play. 

Thank you all for checking. It's really discouraging that the updates are making Pengo unplayable. I don't know if sharing the game with Fred would help. I sent him a copy and explained that it has distorted sound on the latest firmwares.

[+darryl1970]

5 hours ago, x=usr(1536) said:

Sorry, haven't had a chance.  I'm out of town through the end of next week, so am totally removed from anything Atari-related at the moment.

Understood. Thanks for the reply. Have a good trip.

[Ecernosoft]

I love pengo, and along with Qix will need to reserve my-self a copy.

[Ecernosoft]

And we can't forget Astroblaster and Bently bear!

[Ecernosoft]

On 10/12/2021 at 1:58 PM, Cousin Vinnie said:

I MAY look...

Jesus... English

"I am PERFECT!" -Ares from Next gen

[+x=usr(1536)]

On 8/11/2022 at 6:44 PM, Trebor said:

With the latest firmware (hbios_concerto_0.96_build_72822_NTSC.bin), and the PentaGo_Demo(8-11-2022a).a78 file, it is the same results as before; "POKEY Detected" message is stated.  However, the background POKEY music still sounds distorted during the in-game rounds.

@darryl1970: having now also been able to upgrade the Concerto to the hbios_concerto_0.96_build_72822_NTSC.bin firmware, the horizontal Yars problem is fixed when running PentaGo_Demo(8-11-2022a).a78.  My apologies for wasting your time having had you chasing down what appears to have been a Concerto issue.

 

I haven't been able to do much testing this evening, but from Trebor's description of the audio distortion that he's hearing, I think I'm seeing something very similar.  FWIW, POKEY audio is now working for me as well.

 

The audio distortion seems to be a low but persistent background buzz that reminds me of the sort of sound you get from an AM radio when it's under a fluorescent light.  Not exactly a 60Hz hum; the pitch changes at times, but the volume seems to stay relatively constant.  This is noticeable on the AA splash screen, the title screen (but only until the Sno-Bees come out to reveal the Pentago name), during in-level gameplay, and on intermission screens until the penguins come out and dance.  Other screens seem to be unaffected.

 

What's weird is that I see this behaviour regardless of whether I'm using POKEY or TIA audio.  Selecting one or the other works correctly, but the distortion remains.

 

Anyhow, that's about as much as I can get done for this evening.  Why my machine seemed to be being affected differently to other comparable ones, I have no idea.  At least we now know where the (one) issue was.

[Trebor]

4 hours ago, x=usr(1536) said:

The audio distortion seems to be a low but persistent background buzz that reminds me of the sort of sound you get from an AM radio when it's under a fluorescent light.  Not exactly a 60Hz hum; the pitch changes at times, but the volume seems to stay relatively constant.  This is noticeable on the AA splash screen, the title screen (but only until the Sno-Bees come out to reveal the Pentago name), during in-level gameplay, and on intermission screens until the penguins come out and dance.  Other screens seem to be unaffected.

I experience the above behavior as well, but this is different than the POKEY audio distortion being heard with the background music in-game during the rounds. 

 

Both of the aforementioned audio items may only be Concerto specific though, as it is not experienced for me under the A7800 emulator or MiSTer FPGA.  I do not believe anyone has posted experiencing such issues with the DragonFly either.

 

Also both items - low persistent background buzz under a few screens, and in-game background music distortion, can be heard in the mp3 posted.

[+darryl1970]

5 hours ago, x=usr(1536) said:

@darryl1970: having now also been able to upgrade the Concerto to the hbios_concerto_0.96_build_72822_NTSC.bin firmware, the horizontal Yars problem is fixed when running PentaGo_Demo(8-11-2022a).a78.  My apologies for wasting your time having had you chasing down what appears to have been a Concerto issue.

No problem. I kind of suspected this, but anything is possible when code changes.

5 hours ago, x=usr(1536) said:

I haven't been able to do much testing this evening, but from Trebor's description of the audio distortion that he's hearing, I think I'm seeing something very similar.  FWIW, POKEY audio is now working for me as well.

 

The audio distortion seems to be a low but persistent background buzz that reminds me of the sort of sound you get from an AM radio when it's under a fluorescent light.  Not exactly a 60Hz hum; the pitch changes at times, but the volume seems to stay relatively constant.  This is noticeable on the AA splash screen, the title screen (but only until the Sno-Bees come out to reveal the Pentago name), during in-level gameplay, and on intermission screens until the penguins come out and dance.  Other screens seem to be unaffected.

 

What's weird is that I see this behaviour regardless of whether I'm using POKEY or TIA audio.  Selecting one or the other works correctly, but the distortion remains.

 

Anyhow, that's about as much as I can get done for this evening.  Why my machine seemed to be being affected differently to other comparable ones, I have no idea.  At least we now know where the (one) issue was.

I believe it's the Concerto with the noise too. I do not have it on my Concerto (older firmware), Dragonfly, nor is it present on a versa cart (burnt EPROM).

My uneducated guess is that the noise is caused by whatever was causing the graphic distortion. I will explain why I think this below. (I also do not use an A/V mods. I have a pretty clean RF, and I find the CRT/RF to be the most authentic for my need for nostalgia.)

22 minutes ago, Trebor said:

I experience the above behavior as well, but this is different than the POKEY audio distortion being heard with the background music in-game during the rounds. 

 

Both of the aforementioned audio items may only be Concerto specific though, as it is not experienced for me under the A7800 emulator or MiSTer FPGA.  I do not believe anyone has posted experiencing such issues with the DragonFly either.

 

Also both items - low persistent background buzz under a few screens, and in-game background music distortion, can be heard in the mp3 posted.

I agree that this seems to be a Concerto issue. I believe the distortion is similar to the graphic distortion seen previously. My theory is that there are two HUGE banners being plotted on the title screen. There is the PentaGo/Pengo banner. There is also a giant blackout sprite of the same size. It is covering the banner until sno-bees push it off of the banner. It seems there may be a connection that the noise goes away when only one banner is plotted in the same zone that previously had graphic artifacts. Just a thought. (As for regular game play, there are a lot of things plotted!)

 

I sent Fred a private message about Pengo a few weeks ago, but I have not heard back. I thought about posting something in the Concerto firmware forum, in case he didn't see my pm, but I do not want to sound like a nag if he ignored me for a reason. I also didn't want to "hijack" his thread for MY game. If it was just a random game that I noticed issues with, I would probably mention it in the forum, but I feel weird since it's MY game. If either of you want to mention or share PentaGo in the forum feedback, please feel free to. Since my current Concerto firmware seems to play all of the games I want to play flawlessly, I haven't wanted to rock the boat. I will wait for a stable release.

 

PacManPlus should use that distortion sound for Defender. It's pretty close. LOL.

 

Thank you both for sharing. I hope a solution is in the near future!

[+darryl1970]

This update is for PRGE. It shouldn't be too different, except sound control has been moved into the SETTINGS menu.

 

POKEY/TIA are selectable from the setting.

Alternating Off, force Alternate Tune, and Force Popcorn Tune, are all moved into the menu.

 

While it means the chip can no longer be changed mid-game, it gave the higher levels a little fps boost.

 

PentaGo_Demo(9-29-2022).a78 REMOVED -- Download the latest below.

[+darryl1970]

Sorry... I was overriding POKEY detection. Here is one with POKEY Detection fixed.

 

NOTE: Concerto doesn't  detect POKEY, so POKEY will need set in the settings menu.

 

PentaGo_Demo(9-29-2022a).a78

 

[+x=usr(1536)]

Deleted

[+darryl1970]

10 hours ago, x=usr(1536) said:

Deleted

Did you find the POKEY detection issue before I did?

[+x=usr(1536)]

2 hours ago, darryl1970 said:

Did you find the POKEY detection issue before I did?

Yes

[+davidcalgary29]

The PRGE version played very smoothly on real hardware. Nice job!

[+darryl1970]

On 10/15/2022 at 10:25 PM, davidcalgary29 said:

The PRGE version played very smoothly on real hardware. Nice job! 

Thanks. Flying home now. It was supposed to be the full version, but looks like something got switched around. The full version has a level select option and some extras. It's extremely frantic after level 15.i think there was also an issue getting Hokey to work with it. I'm glad it has TIA sound too!

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

  

INTERVIEW WITH DEVELOPER

DARRYL GUENTHER (darryl1970)

OF 20th St. Arcade AT PRGE 2022

 

Darryl Guenther @darryl1970 of 20th St Arcade

 

[mhodgeshvs]

Any word on when we might get a full physical release from the AA store?

[+darryl1970]

18 hours ago, mhodgeshvs said:

Any word on when we might get a full physical release from the AA store?

Sorry, I am not aware of any timeline. Thanks for the interest though.  

[mhodgeshvs]

This is my favourite Atari game; any release and I would be the first in line for     
 

[+darryl1970]

Thank you for the 2023 Nomination!