PentaGo

[+Muddyfunster]

Congratulations Darryl, well deserved!

[+darryl1970]

5 minutes ago, Muddyfunster said:

Congratulations Darryl, well deserved!

Thank you, and likewise congratulations on your nominations!

[+darryl1970]

4-14-2023 Update

 

I truly considered this done, but I guess I had never posted that specifically. I realized this when there was confusion in the nominees for the homebrew awards.  I didn't plan on doing any more work on this game, but here we are!

 

Aspect Ratios

In October of 2022, @Defender_2600 contacted about possibly fixing the aspect ratio. This would be achieved by adding an extra row to the bottom and reducing the horizontal columns by one. The game was already pushed to where adding an extra row caused slowdown on later levels. Additionally, the game cut off the top or bottom of the screen, depending on which NTSC set it was being viewed on. It didn't seem worth it at that time, as gameplay and display would suffer.

 

A couple months ago, @playsoft was helping me with tackling some slowdown on a different game. I applied the same plotting technique to PentaGo, and it completely freed up a bunch of CPU cycles. I decided to revisit the extra row concept. (Removing the column would be too invasive, as it would change ALL of my coordinates and make a mess.)

 

I wasn't going to go forward with this idea, because adding the extra row would still introduce possible bugs. However, I found myself playing the "Tall" version more and more. While I have kept both versions up to date with each other, I am feeling more drawn to the extra row version. I've played it enough that I am pretty confident in its stability.

 

In order to make the extra row version work well, there are vertical screen adjustments. While the game is paused (except for the AtariToday Intro screen), moving the joystick up or down adjusts the screen position. If a high score device is present, these settings are saved at the next reset, level clear, or settings change. This will eliminate the need to adjust every game. (Notice how the right screenshot has less space above the score!)

I originally based the game off of TIA sound, which was "enhanced" by POKEY harmonies. I did this, because I was concerned about the lack of availability for POKEY chips. I figured the game could sell with TIA sound, and it could also have better sound when played with POKEY. Now that HOKEY is a thing, that isn't necessary.

 

@Pat Brady spent a lot of time on making TIA music with harmonies, eliminating the need for the POKEY harmonies. The settings menu still has an option for TIA or POKEY sound. If TIA is selected, all of the music and sound effects are TIA generated. When POKEY is selected, all tunes are now POKEY/HOKEY generated.(Only the background tunes and intermissions were POKEY driven prior to this release.)

 

Since there are two sound engines, this actually introduced a LOT of bugs. A few of cues were taken from the TIA-hybrid engine, and I am now using the full POKEY engine in POKEY mode. I believe I have all of the bugs squashed, and it seems to be playing as I'd expect. Here's the latest DEMO to try out.

 

I will include the SHORT and TALL versions. The Short may look better on some handheld emulators. I am not concerned with supporting BUP System at this time. A7800 is more accurate.

 

Short:PentaGo_DEMO_4-14-2023.a78

 

Tall: PentaGoTall_DEMO_4-14-2023.a78

 

[+sramirez2008]

Thank you Darryl!

[+DrVenkman]

QUERY: Is this (or will this be) available on cart on the Store? If so, which version is available? 

[Trebor]

Excellent and awesome!  Thank you for providing both the original (short) and the XL (tall) edition!

The tall version is still well below 224 lines and should fit within the vast majority of CRT screens with ease.

I'm ballparking around 212-216 lines. 

The revamped TIA sounds great, though POKEY is still my favorite of the two.

Love the new settings options and the ability to adjust the screen up and down is the icing on the cake.

Outstanding extra polish to an already fantastic port!

[+darryl1970]

8 hours ago, DrVenkman said:

QUERY: Is this (or will this be) available on cart on the Store? If so, which version is available? 

I don't know if it will make it in time, but I was HOPING to see this in the May/June batch. However, I do not have any artwork for a manual, and I haven't started on anything myself. I am leaning toward the tall version. I only kept the short version around in case the tall version became a broken version.

6 hours ago, Trebor said:

Excellent and awesome!  Thank you for providing both the original (short) and the XL (tall) edition!

The tall version is still well below 224 lines and should fit within the vast majority of CRT screens with ease.

I'm ballparking around 212-216 lines. 

Yeah. It was off the screen on my smaller TV/VCR combo. The bottom row was half cut off on my Sony Vega TV. Since adding the screen adjustment, I am content. It fits on both units. Since each has it's own high score save device, they are both calibrated at power-up.

6 hours ago, Trebor said:

The revamped TIA is great, but the POKEY is still my favorite of the two.

I didn't revamp any TIA in any way. The original game only had 3 POKEY tunes (Alternate Background, Popcorn, and Ode To Joy). The rest was all TIA. When I created the game, I started with TIA music. I added an engine that harmonized two POKEY notes with select TIA notes. I thought this might be a way to eliminate the delay Popeye had, while waiting for a POKEY replacement. That way, if one had POKEY, it would just "sound better." Some of those remained, like the high score entry. I guess that wasn't necessary, since we now have HOKEY.

 

At some point during development, Pat Brady asked if he could write a TIA harmony engine. This actually played true two-note TIA harmonies using the TIA music. It detects if a sound effect needs to fire, not playing the harmony note during the sound effects. It's pretty impressive. These tunes were used for the TIA version of the background and intermission tunes. He also created better harmonies for when Pento leaves the screen. I think the high score music may have been the only tune to add POKEY enhancement. Without POKEY, it was mono.

 

So, the previous game version was a mix of TIA and POKEY. Most of the music was TIA, except for the 3 BG tunes. Now, POKEY mode uses ALL POKEY/HOKEY music, and TIA is strictly TIA music.

 

I thought the texture of the TIA sound was slightly less airy and light, so it always bothered me that it jumped back and forth between the two different texture feels. I guess many didn't notice. I was just hoping that I could pick out the music decently enough. This means that POKEY will probably only work on the Concerto .95 firmware now.

6 hours ago, Trebor said:

Love the new settings options and the ability to adjust the screen up and down is the icing on the cake.

Outstanding extra polish to an already fantastic port!

Thank you. I was not going to release the tall version, even without slowdown, because I thought it being cut off on select screens meant it wasn't polished enough for release. Playsoft came up with that solution. Pause was the only place I had to do it, as I am down to 190 bytes or less in certain banks.

[+x=usr(1536)]

The adjusted audio is excellent!  The overall volume level is possibly a bit low, but other than that it sounds fantastic.

 

My vote definitely goes to the tall version.  Nothing wrong with the standard one, but tall mode makes the screen feel more open.  It's hard to describe because it's not a huge change in how the board is laid out, but it gives it just that extra bit of elbow room in gameplay.

 

Very nicely done!  Thank you!

[+darryl1970]

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

The adjusted audio is excellent!  The overall volume level is possibly a bit low, but other than that it sounds fantastic.

Thanks. When I go up, I think I get some distortion. Maybe I'll play around with it a little.

 

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

My vote definitely goes to the tall version.  Nothing wrong with the standard one, but tall mode makes the screen feel more open.  It's hard to describe because it's not a huge change in how the board is laid out, but it gives it just that extra bit of elbow room in gameplay.

I also adjusted the board layouts. Before, I was borrowing from some 5200 boards. The arcade never starts out with a clump of blocks, because the maze is generated with an algorithm. Since the boards are smaller, maybe it needs the extra "clumps". If it feels good, I'll keep as is.

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

 

Very nicely done!  Thank you!

Thanks for the feedback. I am glad you like it.

[+sramirez2008]

I didn’t think this game could get any better but it has. Played several games (Tall Screen) and it looks, sounds and plays very well. No issues to report. The in-game pause screen adjustment is brilliant! This may have to become a feature for all future 7800 games.
 

Brilliant!😀

[Trebor]

Tall version fits beautifully and plays perfect via Concerto with POKEY sound. No screen adjustments necessary under a C1702 from '83, but love that the option to adjust the screen is present:

 

[+sramirez2008]

1 hour ago, Trebor said:

Tall version fits beautifully and plays perfect via Concerto with POKEY sound. No screen adjustments necessary under a C1702 from '83, but love that the option to adjust the screen is present:

 

+1 

 

Here’s the tall version running on my Toshiba CRT without screen adjustments. 

[christo930]

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

My vote definitely goes to the tall version.  Nothing wrong with the standard one, but tall mode makes the screen feel more open.

I would say the same thing. Plus, most of these old arcade games were in portrait mode, while CRT TVs are in landscape.  Tall is definitely the way to go.

 

6 hours ago, darryl1970 said:

Thanks for the feedback. I am glad you like it.

 

Excellent conversion.  Very well done.  I love that you included the attract mode, it gives it a more authentic feel.

[+x=usr(1536)]

7 hours ago, darryl1970 said:

Thanks for the feedback. I am glad you like it.

Don't tell the guy who wrote it, but it's one of my favourite 7800 games 

[+darryl1970]

Hoping this is the last update for a while. I wasn't happy with the "Got Bonus" tune. I also redrew the PentaGo and Pengo logos. Pengo looks more like the arcade, and PentaGo is unique.

 

 

 

Regular:PentaGo_DEMO_4-17-2023.a78

 

Tall:  PentaGoTall_DEMO_4-17-2023.a78

 

 

[+darryl1970]

I attempted to create a version that utilized the SNES controller. The ONLY advantage was using START for pause. I hate having to reach for the console. Due to the extra polling of the SNES controllers, it slowed the game down some on the higher levels. I would rather have smooth gameplay. That option is nixed.

 

I also found a couple bugs.

BugFixes:

1. Sometimes the AtariToday intro would stay in an unbreakable loop. It was truly random. Caused by adding the POKEY Atari Today tune. It's been resolved.
2. The tall version had a jacked up, second-to-the-bottom row, for player two levels. I guess nobody played any 2-player games. Fortunately, I was while testing the 2nd SNES port on the version that got nixed.
3. "Level Select" was "Not Available" in the settings menu when ZPH or BLOB mode was selected. However, if it still could be activate in the background. This made it quirky. I fixed this. Level Select now resets in the background when no longer an option.
4. Can no longer select 2-Player/2-Controllers if a high score device is detected. Your AtariVox cannot play you yet.

Features: (Need feedback on the controller pause)

1. Added a controller pause option. The game pauses when both controller buttons are pressed at the same time. I need feedback on this as YES or NO. It CAN'T be optional. I will leave it in or remove altogether. I like it, but I have pressed both unintentionally a couple times. Also, if the controller is pointed up or down, the screen starts adjusting. I do not have bank space to refine this, although I did add a catch to where the screen adjust won't kick in until both buttons are released. This may help. If this seems to awkward, I can remove it.

Tall Version: PentaGoTallDEMO_04-21-2023.a78

 

Tall Version (Level 15): PentaGoTallDEMO_Lvl15_4-21-2023.a78 (Just for fun...)

 

Regular: PentaGo_DEMO_04-21-2023.a78

 

 

 

 

[+x=usr(1536)]

5 hours ago, darryl1970 said:

Added a controller pause option. The game pauses when both controller buttons are pressed at the same time. I need feedback on this as YES or NO. It CAN'T be optional.

My vote: no.  And it's a solid 'no'.

 

Here's why: I use the CX78 joypads almost exclusively with the 7800.  Something that I do in single-button games is rolling my thumb between the two buttons, and this happens unconsciously.  If pause is based on pressing button 1 & button 2 at the same time, it's just too easy to inadvertently activate it.

 

Even if I was using the Painlines, the de facto expectation in single-button games is that both buttons perform the same function.  This leads to the same issue as with the joypads in that it's easy to hit both buttons at the same time without intending to activate pause.

 

Pengo's not exactly a rapid-fire game, but it does have enough in the way of situations where you need to be quick on the button(s).  This just isn't something that I can see working well not only here, but also in other single-button games as well.

[Trebor]

8 hours ago, darryl1970 said:

Features: (Need feedback on the controller pause)

1. Added a controller pause option. The game pauses when both controller buttons are pressed at the same time. I need feedback on this as YES or NO. It CAN'T be optional. I will leave it in or remove altogether. I like it, but I have pressed both unintentionally a couple times. Also, if the controller is pointed up or down, the screen starts adjusting. I do not have bank space to refine this, although I did add a catch to where the screen adjust won't kick in until both buttons are released. This may help. If this seems to awkward, I can remove it.

If possible, perhaps a "safer" alternative is the action of all (four) buttons - the buttons on both Controller 1 and Controller 2 - need to be pressed at the the same time.

 

Otherwise, pressing both unintentionally is almost inevitable to occur for at least some people with the console's default controllers, and my vote would be to exclude the feature.

[+darryl1970]

20 minutes ago, Trebor said:

If possible, perhaps a "safer" alternative is the action of all (four) buttons - the buttons on both Controller 1 and Controller 2 - need to be pressed at the the same time.

 

Otherwise, pressing both unintentionally is almost inevitable to occur for at least some people with the console's default controllers, and my vote would be to exclude the feature.

Probably not. Personally, I have the AtariVox or Savekey plugged into port two. I only poll the current player joystick. I would have to poll both sticks all the time, even in situations when a second one isn't plugged in. Adding logic of when not to poll both would be extra cycles; plus, it would be more awkward than reaching for the single pause button.

 

Atari really dropped the ball when they put pause on the console. I'd take the feel of the 5200 stick any day. If they'd made then self-centering and reliable, I can't imagine anybody complaining about them.

 

When I am muted and in a meeting, I hate having to reach for the console AND un-mute myself when I need to talk. LOL. Such problems.

 

@x=usr(1536), I did the same thing with my Genesis controller adapter. I was pressing "b", but accidentally pressed between "b" and "c". I got used to it, but I realized it added a layer that could be annoying for some. In fact, I accidentally grabbed both on the proline too! I get that.

[Trebor]

1 hour ago, darryl1970 said:

I have the AtariVox or Savekey plugged into port two.

I completely overlooked that. 

It's a NO for me.

[+darryl1970]

1 hour ago, Trebor said:

I completely overlooked that. 

It's a NO for me.

I have been wasting my Saturday so far. I found an unused variable to track it. I can default it to "OFF" and it can be enabled in the settings menu.

 

I got that taken care of, which was a pain in itself. Now I am fighting with it saving to the memory device. Arghh! It seems to load and then clear out.

[+darryl1970]

I think this might be it.  I found was able to make it save to the SD cart.

 

In SETTINGS, Button Pause is set to "OFF" by default. If it's set to "ON", both buttons activate pause. The last setting saves to any HS device. I also cleaned up the "Got Bonus" sweep.

 

This version has been replaced below!!! Sorry for any inconvenience.

[+x=usr(1536)]

43 minutes ago, darryl1970 said:

I think this might be it.

You may just be right 

 

Both versions play great, and nothing immediately-apparent came up during gameplay.  Having the fire button pause be a switchable option was a good idea.

[SoundGammon]

On 4/14/2023 at 7:50 PM, darryl1970 said:

4-14-2023 Update

 

I truly considered this done, but I guess I had never posted that specifically. I realized this when there was confusion in the nominees for the homebrew awards.  I didn't plan on doing any more work on this game, but here we are!

 

Aspect Ratios

In October of 2022, @Defender_2600 contacted about possibly fixing the aspect ratio. This would be achieved by adding an extra row to the bottom and reducing the horizontal columns by one. The game was already pushed to where adding an extra row caused slowdown on later levels. Additionally, the game cut off the top or bottom of the screen, depending on which NTSC set it was being viewed on. It didn't seem worth it at that time, as gameplay and display would suffer.

 

A couple months ago, @playsoft was helping me with tackling some slowdown on a different game. I applied the same plotting technique to PentaGo, and it completely freed up a bunch of CPU cycles. I decided to revisit the extra row concept. (Removing the column would be too invasive, as it would change ALL of my coordinates and make a mess.)

 

I wasn't going to go forward with this idea, because adding the extra row would still introduce possible bugs. However, I found myself playing the "Tall" version more and more. While I have kept both versions up to date with each other, I am feeling more drawn to the extra row version. I've played it enough that I am pretty confident in its stability.

 

In order to make the extra row version work well, there are vertical screen adjustments. While the game is paused (except for the AtariToday Intro screen), moving the joystick up or down adjusts the screen position. If a high score device is present, these settings are saved at the next reset, level clear, or settings change. This will eliminate the need to adjust every game. (Notice how the right screenshot has less space above the score!)

I originally based the game off of TIA sound, which was "enhanced" by POKEY harmonies. I did this, because I was concerned about the lack of availability for POKEY chips. I figured the game could sell with TIA sound, and it could also have better sound when played with POKEY. Now that HOKEY is a thing, that isn't necessary.

 

@Pat Brady spent a lot of time on making TIA music with harmonies, eliminating the need for the POKEY harmonies. The settings menu still has an option for TIA or POKEY sound. If TIA is selected, all of the music and sound effects are TIA generated. When POKEY is selected, all tunes are now POKEY/HOKEY generated.(Only the background tunes and intermissions were POKEY driven prior to this release.)

 

Since there are two sound engines, this actually introduced a LOT of bugs. A few of cues were taken from the TIA-hybrid engine, and I am now using the full POKEY engine in POKEY mode. I believe I have all of the bugs squashed, and it seems to be playing as I'd expect. Here's the latest DEMO to try out.

 

I will include the SHORT and TALL versions. The Short may look better on some handheld emulators. I am not concerned with supporting BUP System at this time. A7800 is more accurate.

 

Short: PentaGo_DEMO_4-14-2023.a78 144.13 kB · 22 downloads

 

Tall: PentaGoTall_DEMO_4-14-2023.a78 144.13 kB · 29 downloads

 

Looks like I can't play it. Only have the BUP System, can't get the A7800 to work! Bummer!

[+darryl1970]

1 hour ago, SoundGammon said:

Looks like I can't play it. Only have the BUP System, can't get the A7800 to work! Bummer!

See if this works. I hope you can get A7800 working, since it's more accurate. Also, I don't think this hack will work for RatTrap, since it uses the SNES controllers.

(This version below has been replaced)

 

PentaGoTall_DEMO_BUP_4-22-23.a78