STRAT-O-GEMS DELUXE *FINAL BETA*

[supercat]

Documentation:

                           ** STRAT-O-GEMS **

In this game, colored gems fall from the top of the screen in groups of 
three.  Any time three or more adjacent gems of the same color line up 
vertically, horizontally, or diagonally they will disappear.  Any gems 
above them will then fall down; if these create new groups of three or 
more gems, those too will disappear, leading to chain reactions.

Your job is to score as many reactions and chain reactions as possible 
before the gems reach the foul line.  If any gems remain over the foul 
line after all reactions are complete, the game will end.

There are eight types of gems.  The first six appear as stable colors: 
red, yellow, green, cyan, blue, or magenta.  As mentioned, getting three 
or more of these in a row of matching color will make them disappear.

The next type of gem is the wild gem.  These appear in threesomes and 
flash colors.  Wild gems behave as a "wildcard" and can complete 
threesomes in any direction.  Note that the three wild gems in a row 
vertically will always complete a threesome with each other, so wild gems 
will not remain on the screen after they are dropped.

The last type of gem is a "bombergem"  One of these will appear after 
every 63rd group of gems to match the completion of a level.  If a bomber 
gem hits another gem, all gems of that color will disappear.  If it hits 
the bottom of the screen, the bottom row will be replaced with wild gems, 
possibly causing a chain reaction with other gems and awarding a special 
bonus.

In addition to showing the current set of gems, the game will show the 
next set to the right of the top of the playfield.

                             ** CONTROLS **

At startup, you may select the starting level 1-9 by pressing SELECT.  
Begin the game by pressing RESET or FIRE.  To return to the level-
selection screen, press and hold RESET or SELECT for at least a second.

At any time during play, pressing RESET (briefly) will pause the action.  
Pressing RESET again will resume play.  While the action is paused, the 
Strat-O-Gems logo will appear and all gems will be greyed out.

Pressing left or right will steer the falling gems.  Pulling down on the 
joystick will hasten their decent.  Pressing fire will rotate the colors 
in the current set of gems, and pressing up on the joystick will swap 
between the current and "next" set of gems.

The latter function deserves some explanation.  Suppose that the current 
set of gems is three red ones but there aren't any exposed red gems on 
the screen.  When the three red gems are dropped, they'll disappear 
(since they "form" three matching gems vertically) but won't do anything 
else useful.  Pushing up on the joystick will swap them for whatever gems 
would have come next.  Once those are dropped, the red gems will 
reappear.  If they're still not useful, they may be swapped again with 
whatever is next.

Note that wild gems may be swapped, but the bombergem cannot.  The swap 
function is disabled whenever the bombergem is the current or next gem.

                             ** SCORING **

The basic unit of scoring is the triple.  Three gems in a row score one, 
four in a row score two, five score three, six score four, etc.  The 
number of triples is multipled by the level number and added to the 
score.  If the disappearing gems cause a chain reaction, the second group 
of triples to dissappear in response to the same drop will have its value 
multipled by twice the level number.  Further chain reactions from the 
same number will be multiplied by 3x the level number, 4x the level 
number, etc.

Example: on level 5, the player complets three triples.  When those 
disappear, falling gems complete two more triples, and when those 
disappear, four more are created.  This will score 5x3 for the first 
batch, 10x2 for the second, and 15x4 for the third (a total of 15+20+60, 
or 95 points).

A bombergem that hits another gem will score one point per gem destroyed, 
multiplied by the level number.  A bombergem that hits the bottom will 
create six wild gems on the bottom of the screen, and any triples thus 
completed will score at 5x the level number (the set of six gems in a row 
will count as four triples, and the wild gems may complete more).  Any 
chain reactions resulting from this will score 6x the level number, 7x, 
8x, etc.

The score counter will roll over without fanfare if the player scores one 
million points.  That would seem very unlikely, however; it would take a 
very good player indeed to even reach 100,000.

                             ** STRATEGY **

There are a number of possible strategies in this game.  What's most 
important is that any chosen strategy be executed well.  Fumbling the 
controls can make a very good placement into a very bad one.

In the earlier levels, it is possible to put considerable thought into 
gem placement.  Try to set up chain reactions, since they represent most 
of the possible scoring at the lower levels.  If you can arrange things 
so that you have an open column and you can get multi-level chain 
reactions from a bombergem, that can be very lucrative even at the lower 
levels.  One key goal should be to arrange to have many vertical or 
diagonal 'two-in-a-rows' on the second and third rows of the playfield.
These will score a minimum of five points each, and may trigger even 
higher-scoring reactions.  This source of points should not be 
overlooked.  On the other hand, bombing an empty column without 
triggering any chain reactions is only worth 20x the level number; even 
if an empty column is available it may sometimes be better to bomb a 
colored gem. 

In the middle levels, there is less time to plan gem placements, but it's 
still possible to exercise some care.  It's less likely that there will 
be any an open column available for a bombergem, but even if you can 
leave one it may not always be a good idea.  In the middle levels, 
leaving an open column will often compromise your position in other ways, 
and even when bombing the open column would score a lot of points, it 
won't usually clear out as many gems as bombing a colored gem.  Since the 
game becomes difficult when gems start stacking up too high, clearing 
away lots of gems may be more important than scoring points.

In the later levels, don't worry about fancy combinations.  Just score 
any triples when you can get them.  Be mindful of what color gem you'd most 
like to get rid of, and ensure that a gem of that color is exposed on top 
when the bombergem comes.  Listen carefully to the tones gems play when 
they are dropped so you'll know when the bomber gem is coming.  Note that 
it's easy to wrongly expect a bomber gem to come immediately following 
the first high "ti".  It actually comes eight triples later, after the 
second high "ti".  If you can survive until the bombergem and can place 
it well, you may clear away more than half the board which may in turn 
allow you to survive until the next bombergem.  If the screen is nearly 
full and you poorly place the bomber gem, though, you may not survive to 
place the next one. 

[cd-w]

Second rev today.  This one supports a proper pause function: press RESET briefly during the game to pause.  When the game is paused, it will show the STRATOGEMS title but all the gems will be gray.  Press again to unpause.  Holding RESET or SELECT for about a second will abort the current game and return to the title screen.

If no other problems are found, I may submit this version.

956581[/snapback]

 

I think you should definitely submit this to the minigame competition - the final polish rounds the game off nicely. I would prefer SELECT to pause/unpause, and RESET to restart, but I guess this way makes it harder to accidentally restart?

 

Chris

[+Nathan Strum]

I just got 4969 starting on level 6.  IMHO, the game seems pretty well balanced for starting on different levels, since the higher levels score more.  If you start on level 1, you may be able to end up with a higher score than if you start at a higher level, but it will take longer and you'll have to make more decisions correctly.

 

You're right:

 

 

[Gregory DG]

Very nice work! The colors are great!

 

My only suggestion would be... Would it be possible to flip the gems horizontally?

[Thomas Jentzsch]

I think you should definitely submit this to the minigame competition...

Definitely!

 

I would prefer SELECT to pause/unpause, and RESET to restart, but I guess this way makes it harder to accidentally restart?

B/W switch?

[+Nathan Strum]

Just played a game where I got an eight-way chain reaction!

 

Then I died miserably.

[sukotsu9]

This is the most awesome game! The missus picked it up instantly, thus diminishing my Atari domination time... eh, no worries. A little jingle in the background would be nice (the sound effects are great, but the game is a bit stark while you're playing). Not quite as loud as Acid Drop, though, please.

[supercat]

B/W switch?

 

My edge detect logic maps inputs into a byte thus: (FIRE LEFT RIGHT DOWN UP P2LEFT SELECT RESET):

; From memory
 lda INPT
 asl
 lda SWCHA
 ror
 sta temp
 lda SWCHB
 eor temp
 and #3
 eor temp
; Now I've got the desired inputs all in a single byte

 

Capturing SWCHB.3 in that byte would be a little more work. Besides, then I have to worry about the 7800/2600 distinction, etc. and stuff becomes even more of a hassle.

[supercat]

Just played a game where I got an eight-way chain reaction!

957788[/snapback]

 

Very good. My best is seven (once) and six (a few times).

[supercat]

A little jingle in the background would be nice (the sound effects are great, but the game is a bit stark while you're playing). Not quite as loud as Acid Drop, though, please.

958914[/snapback]

 

An 8K version might have background music, but I wanted to get in as much other stuff as I could. The title screen doesn't really enhance gameplay, but it's just so cool I couldn't bear to part with it.

[Albert]

We have launched a Strat-O-Gems Label Contest to create original label artwork for Strat-O-Gems! If you'd like to try your hand at creating a label (please do!), you have until December 4th to submit your masterpiece!

 

..Al

[yuppicide]

I will admit. At first I hated this game. It's nothing against you. The game itself is designed beautifully. Love the logo, the pause feature, etc.

 

I just never liked any "Columns" type of game and never really got good at them.

 

Originally I played your demo without the flashing Stratogems logo and thought.. eh whatever. But recently I downloaded the new demo and got more into it. Great game! I finally worked my way up to a decent score: 2759 I believe it was starting from lvl 1 and I also played a game starting at lvl 4 and got over 1400 points.

 

The only thing I dislike about the game, was already mentioned here, is how the gems change design every now and then. Some of them are hard on the eyes especially on later levels when they move fast. Option to make them not change or for you to be able to choose which one you wanted in the beginning would be cool.

 

This is a great game for the minigame competition, but I would love to see it seperate.. with more features and background music.

 

Keep up the good work! I'm going to play right now!

[supercat]

The only thing I dislike about the game, was already mentioned here, is how the gems change design every now and then. Some of them are hard on the eyes especially on later levels when they move fast. Option to make them not change or for you to be able to choose which one you wanted in the beginning would be cool.

975631[/snapback]

 

I don't want any level to be made difficult on account of gem design, but I personally tend to feel that having different gem designs on different levels is as much a part of this game as the color changes in Centipede and Missile Command are a part of those games.

 

That having been said, if there are any designs that are particularly objectionable, I'm more than happy to entertain suggestions for replacements. Just offer me a design you'd like to see in the form of a 7x4 matrix (7 wide; 4 high). The bottom three or four rows (NTSC/PAL) will be a reflection of the top.

 

The design I'm least happy with is level 5. After that, probably levels 3 and 7. And I'd like to expand the game up to 15 or 16 levels (all with different shapes), so any suggested replacements would be welcome.

[Jess Ragan]

Boy, does this game kick ass! Supercat really knows his way around the 2600... I had no idea it was possible to push so many different colors on a single horizontal line! This has got to be in the running as the best homebrew game released for a classic console this year.

 

JR

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

This has got to be in the running as the best homebrew game released for a classic console this year.

 

Definitely! At least if it'd have a switch to disable the Gem changes

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[yuppicide]

I don't mind your gems.. I like the graphics (if I was watching the game and not playing it). Just some of them are uneasy when you're actually playing and things are moving fast. A switch to just use the one you start off with for the whole game would be cool... can toggle it on and off.

[supercat]

I don't mind your gems.. I like the graphics (if I was watching the game and not playing it). Just some of them are uneasy when you're actually playing and things are moving fast. A switch to just use the one you start off with for the whole game would be cool... can toggle it on and off.

975957[/snapback]

 

Does Missle Command have an option to prevent color changes? Does Centipede?

 

Rather than disabling the gem changes, I'd rather just have a set of 15 gem designs that are all nice. I really would be interested in seeing any designs people would like to offer. Seven pixels wide by four high (they'll get mirrored vertically).

[+Nathan Strum]

I like the gem changes. It adds to the challenge. I don't think there are any that are too difficult. It's nicely balanced where it is.

 

Admittedly, I don't know if I've seen all the gems or not - when I got my best score, they stopped changing after reaching a certain level. I don't know what level that was though. But this is what the gems looked like:

Edited December 4, 2005 by Nathan Strum

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Does Missle Command have an option to prevent color changes?  Does Centipede?

No, but unlike here, the colors are not that important for the gameplay.

 

Maybe that's the reason why people complain?

[supercat]

Does Missle Command have an option to prevent color changes?  Does Centipede?

No, but unlike here, the colors are not that important for the gameplay.

976234[/snapback]

 

Right, but here the colors remain constant and it's the shapes (which are no more important than Missle Command's colors) change.

 

And if anyone has some alternate shape suggestions, I'm more than happy to consider them.

[supercat]

UPDATE

 

First released WIP of Stratogems Deluxe

 

This is now an 8K cart; final release will be a 32K cart with NTSC/PAL versions of Stratogems Deluxe as well as the contest version.

 

Still more stuff to do, but some new kernel and logic stuff has been added.

 

Some Atarivox support, but not yet complete.

 

Some gem design changes (anyone like these better?).

 

New scoring. Triples score multipler times 10/15/15/20/20/20/25/25/25/25 (all additional ones 25); Gems taken out by the bomber gem score level times 5

 

Game now indicates how many gems remain in current level.

 

Left difficulty switch will skip first 60 gems on any level--used to diagnose level endings

 

If an Atarivox is connected, right difficulty switch will trigger replay mode; when engaged, after any chain reaction the game will reset to the situation immediately before it (this should be controlled automatically).

 

There's a sync-miss monitor installed. If the game misses sync, the program will freeze and show some numbers. Please note what they are and then hit fire to continue.

 

I've put some work into the PAL version; it's not just a hack. The PAL screen actually displays 39 more lines of picture, and I've hopefully adjusted the timings to run about the same speed on NTSC/PAL. Please let me know how the colors and screen centering look on a real display.

n051204.bin

p051204.bin

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Right, but here the colors remain constant and it's the shapes (which are no more important than Missle Command's colors) change.

True.

 

Still the identification of the colors depends on the shape they are based on. So the shape (or the shape change) could make it hard to identify the color (or distracts from the color).

 

I haven't checked all your shapes yet (is there a list of them all?), but maybe slight alterations (or even simple reordering) could make the difference.

 

How about slowly "morphing" the shapes level by level (e.g. 4, 2, 1...)?

Edited December 5, 2005 by Thomas Jentzsch

[supercat]

I haven't checked all your shapes yet (is there a list of them all?), but maybe slight alterations (or even simple reordering) could make the difference.

 

The SELECT button will cycle through the starting levels and show the corresponding shapes. Note that the latest WIP versions have changed three of the gem shapes.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

The SELECT button will cycle through the starting levels and show the corresponding shapes.  Note that the latest WIP versions have changed three of the gem shapes.

I knew, just thought there would be more than 9 already.

[supercat]

The SELECT button will cycle through the starting levels and show the corresponding shapes.  Note that the latest WIP versions have changed three of the gem shapes.

I knew, just thought there would be more than 9 already.

976705[/snapback]

 

Not yet, though as I said if anyone would like to offer some design suggestions I'd be more than happy to consider them.

 

Anyone tried the PAL version on a real machine yet? How is it?