Super Mario Clone being written now

[analmux]

Finally, now I'm online again (at home!), I should now take some time to make comments on the progress:

 

I've gathered some ideas for small modifications to the game.

 

The PM engine will NOT do flickering. Instead I'll use a DList interrupt to multiplex enemies, restricting the PM engine to 8 enemies per screen or more if they don't pull down CPU time too much (f.e. enemies that only walk horizontally: it happens all the time in Mario 3).

 

Last year I wrote some crappy music (I was in a hurry for the Abbuc deadline), so this will be revised too.

 

So there's a lot of revision, but now all new concepts have been worked out and coding will soon continue, so stay tuned.

Edited March 25, 2007 by analmux

[Brad2600]

Yay!

 

Finally, some more progress on this!

[cbmeeks]

Oh man! Can't wait!

 

cbmeeks

[pseudografx]

Hi analmux,

 

Any progress on Mario? What are you busy with at the moment? I can't wait to see the final version :-)

[analmux]

Hi analmux,

 

Any progress on Mario? What are you busy with at the moment? I can't wait to see the final version :-)

880039[/snapback]

 

I'm busy with exams, exams, exams (but those should be over in two weeks )

 

You should know I'm in a stadium that I'm rewriting buggy routines and use different engines for enemy PM sprites, softwaresprites and scrolling. I'm still in the decision-stadium: what exactly should I do, and how exactly will I change that what I've already coded.

[+CharlieChaplin]

Hello analmux,

can`t wait to see SMB3 being finished... besides, the deadline for the ABBUC software contest is august 31, 2005. Hope you can make it til there...

 

Otherwise you may release the game as freeware or wait for the contest 2006...

The game-demos are great, so this game has to be finished !! -Andreas.

[analmux]

Hi all,

 

I picked up coding on SMP3 again. I have solutions for some flickering problems now (it's a buffer trick in the scrolling engine).

 

It's not finished, but coming days I've got a bit time left to make new progress.

 

I can really use help from someone with an NTSC atari, who has sio2pc setup. I need some feedback on test versions of the game, so my question is:

 

Who would like to help me: testing some code on an NTSC atari ??

[Goochman]

I have a SIO2PC hookup with my NTSC Atari - be happy to playtest some stuff for you.

[analmux]

Ok, many thanks. Tomorrow I'll send you some PMs with files.

 

(now it's sleeping time, here in Europe )

[Goochman]

I have an 800/800XL/XEGS/130XE w/32n1 OS

 

So,

If you have a preferred test machine let me know - I can only have 1 out at a time due to space constraints and right now the 130XE is out.

[analmux]

Here's the progress on scrolling routines (Tonight moving onwards to enemy implementation).

 

.......as I encountered a speed problem in the scrolling engine which has still to be solved.......

 

Ok. this has been partly solved long ago:

 

......Scrolling engine updated. Version 2 is working in 75% of the cputime of version 1:

 

But now I've managed the scroller code to execute on another period of the display scheme.....so there's no unwanted flickering anymore. Not even on the NTSC. Goochman tested this for me on his machine, and no strange things happen anymore.

Edited March 25, 2007 by analmux

[+Stephen]

Hi all,

 

I picked up coding on SMP3 again. I have solutions for some flickering problems now (it's a buffer trick in the scrolling engine).

 

It's not finished, but coming days I've got a bit time left to make new progress.

 

I can really use help from someone with an NTSC atari, who has sio2pc setup. I need some feedback on test versions of the game, so my question is:

 

Who would like to help me: testing some code on an NTSC atari ??

911343[/snapback]

 

I also have an NTSC machine hooked up. I can do testing if you need any help.

 

Stephen Anderson

[analmux]

well, here's some info:

 

I'm back on coding the supermario clone. Though I have exams till coming thursday (I can't finish the game before the ABBUC programming contest deadline) I'll continue after that, and I must say, I've got a lot of energy now to finish it. I don't make any promises as when it'll be done, but you can be sure the process is in an acceleration now.

 

I've found out that I still have a lot of free memory (about 17 kb) to fill with the not yet included:

-sprite images (mainly softwaresprite data for the final bosses)

-music

-a.s.o.

but after that I still expect a lot of free RAM:

 

Therefore I'm reconsidering putting more quality enhancements in the game:

-there will also be animated tiles in the game (this is already included)

-there will be a more colourful titlescreen picture

-there might be a nice end-sequence after Bowsers defeat.

-most world maps will be enhanced a bit, such that imperfections caused by the simple area-decompressor will be polished away.

-maybe i'll put some fixed enemies in the worlds: till now I've planned to put random enemies inside (no fixed locations)....the random enemies will still remain, but there'll be extra fixed enemies.

-maybe some other nice special effects.

 

cheers,

mux

 

-----------------------------------------

I also have an NTSC machine hooked up.  I can do testing if you need any help.

 

Stephen Anderson

920485[/snapback]

 

thanks, i'll PM you some testfiles some time coming september. Goochman is also willing to help me in testing, but i can always use a second helping hand

[miker]

Hello!

 

Another boring question: What's da progress?

[analmux]

Hello!

 

Another boring question: What's da progress?

944407[/snapback]

 

...oh yes, the mario game

 

well, after the abbuc contest which i did not take part in, i concentrated on totally other things, however mario is still not dead yet, but i still worry about going on with coding on A8, as even here on AA things seem to die out. The last RMT/hardsynth threads did not gain any response whether people liked what emkay & i were doing there, ore whether maybe people disliked it, as I'm still sure that the hardsynth thread is the start of a pokey revolution, but it simply got ignored all the time, so maybe there's not enough motivation to go on with atari 8 bit........but maybe it's just a concequence of the winter that's coming and other things.

Edited March 25, 2007 by analmux

[Chrodegang]

but it simply got ignored all the time,

 

Perhaps this is because the reader has seen too many projects that were started enthusiastically but then abandoned after the "authors" encountered first problems concerned with the complexity inherent to the game developing process or lack of personal motivation? - It just makes no sense to invest time and energy to discuss projects that are dropped sooner or later.

 

Sorry for being discouraging, but I am sick of reading all of these "I-will-port-a-game" announcements.

[tebe]

[emkay]

@Mux

 

It isn't the best way to think you're doing the coding work for others

 

Just do it for fun, or to show them all how wrong they were in the past ...

 

@chrodegang

Sorry for being discouraging, but I am sick of reading all of these "I-will-port-a-game" announcements.

 

It's one of the biggest problems... since the first A8 days... Everything extraordinary on the A8 is stopped after the "Book" ends.

OK... there are some exeptions... like ArcherMcLean ... and .... erm... dunno

 

Well... It never was so easy to create games for the A8 .

Just start RMT ... have a comfortable editor... save the whole executable.

Just start G2F and edit the screen... and have code for exchanging memory ranges.... combined with RMT you "quickly" have a rudimentary game engine...

 

 

No offence to Raster, but his RMT shows the same issues....

POKEY was never really full supported.... RMT was the only Tool for breaking the wall between the A8 And the Demo Scene.... having a 95% finished Tool, you still cannot do optimized POKEY music. All RMT can do is what stood a thousand times in old Books....

Well... in old Books you can read that C64 cannot do digitizing. Today you can create 4 channel digitizing tunes on the stock C64...

Edited October 8, 2005 by emkay

[_Fandal_]

Hello!

 

Another boring question: What's da progress?

944407[/snapback]

 

...oh yes, the mario game

 

well, after the abbuc contest which i did not take part in, i concentrated on totally other things, however mario is still not dead yet, but i still worry about going on with coding on A8, as even here on AA things seem to die out. The last RMT/hardsynth threads did not gain any response whether people liked what emkay & i were doing there, ore whether maybe people disliked it, as I'm still sure that the hardsynth thread is the start of a pokey revolution, but it simply got ignored all the time, so maybe there's not enough motivation to go on with atari 8 bit........but maybe it's just a concequence of the winter that's coming and other things.

 

last weeks i'm more into drawing, painting and airbrushing (planning to make some spraypaint work on a wall in my parents garden)....it all has a plan.....after concentrating on pokey music (with emkay) and RMT, now i need to develop some graphical concepts.........

944425[/snapback]

 

I'm really sorry to see another very promising A8 project slowly dying.

 

And I'm very sorry Analmux, but - in my opinion - you can't wait almost any resposes to your A8 activities. Believe me. I've written six games since 2000 and I haven't got ANY reposponses so far. My site atari.fandal.cz is running for almost one year and do you think I've got a lot of feedbacks? More likely I think everybody ignores me...

 

I discussed this problem some time ago with the rest of Czech Atarians and the result of our discussions is very simple: we do everything for ourselves only. And because we love our old machines. And for fun of course. Please, don't wait anything more....

 

F.

[Allas]

In old times (eighty years) we make games for fame or money, but anyone knows about our games until is finished.

 

Now with the forum it's different. But not all is lost, applied technique is there, a presentation, graphics. Some day this could be a start point for another enthusiastic programmer.

 

I think Super Mario Bross 3 is too long and complex game for only one programmer without the dedicated time.

 

As Fandal say, we aport in the Atari 8bit because we love this machine. Only the atarians knows the beatifull powerfull architecture of them. But I don't think Atarian efforts had been ignored...maybe there isn't feeback but you sure you're always remembered.

 

Who don't remember FANDAL, ATARIAGE, ATARIMANIA and others great sites?

Who don't remember NUMEN, REDITUS and ROBOT demos?

 

All of them are fishined works and that is exactly the best prize of a great sacrifice.

 

In other way.... BROSS is still there

 

Mario

[TMR]

I discussed this problem some time ago with the rest of Czech Atarians and the result of our discussions is very simple: we do everything for ourselves only. And because we love our old machines. And for fun of course. Please, don't wait anything more....

 

One of the first things that happened when i started showing Reaxion screenshots was emkay told me i'd done it wrong despite the fact my code was already working at that pont. That's roughly when i decided to think "bollocks to 'em" and A) got on with coding for my own entertainment and B) started ignoring any thread emkay made a major contribution to, which is why i'm not in the assorted threads analmux is complaining are ignored. =-)

 

The internet makes people lazy and they simply don't send feedback much, that's partly why i set Oldschool Gaming to review new 8-bit games; we've got both Cubico and HexxagonXE in the "work in progress" stack at the moment, as well as a couple of other Atari games.

[Goochman]

Regardless of the edge emkay brings to the group - I am very thankful for the new things coming out - demo or not. The graph2fnt pictures are amazing - the Space Harrier demo was awesome - Numen was breathtaking.

 

When Analmux asked for some NTSC help with SMB I jumped on it.

 

Id love to see these things finished and hope those working on new stuff dont let 1 persons opinion stop them.

 

Im not a Burgertime fan but I bought a Beef Drop cart and Castle Crisis to support these efforts.

 

Please keep up the good work folks!

[Shawn]

Ok, this seems a little to cool to see die off, Didn't someone get a play test of this game? If they did and this fella's ship sinks I think the code needs to be passed on to another ships captian to be finshed. If this game is actually as close to being finshed as it is said to be why not finsh it instead of quiting?

 

SMB 3 for the A8 and the 5200? Come on, That would be awsome!! I have always wanted SMB 1 for the 7800 and I know I'm never gonna see it but reading this and seeing solid effort put into SMB 3 for the 5200\A8 is almost giving me a twinkle of hope for "Super" Mario to find his way onto more Atari systems.

Edited October 9, 2005 by silver_surfer

[Tezz]

Stick with it mux. Coding such a big project alone is long process. I think every AA visitor/member is awaiting a release of this project or at least the next progress you have made, perhaps more than any other game conversion here. Most forums tend to be more read than posted so I wouldn't get too put off by the seeming lack of interest. The MCS routine is great. Everyone is really anticipating your progress. Keep up the good work.

[emkay]

Regardless of the edge emkay brings to the group - I am very thankful for the new things coming out - demo or not.  The graph2fnt pictures are amazing - the Space Harrier demo was awesome - Numen was breathtaking.

 

 

Well... alltogether it's a "Top-Edge"