+johnnywc Posted August 1, 2006 Author Share Posted August 1, 2006 Hello all, I used up that free ~100 bytes and added a little surprise to the title screen (wait for it!). Nothing big but I'm now down to 0 bytes free in 3 banks and 23 bytes in the fourth bank. Changes: - added some animation to the title screen - removed the ability to select the skill level with the joystick (took up 37 bytes that I needed somewhere else) ladybug.bin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 I used search on this thread, but I don't see this mentioned. Maybe it's there and I can't find it, but here it is anyway: I know that the guys who ran the arcades saw ROM OK and RAM OK and MAME users see it, but is your Atari 2600 game really checking the RAM and ROM or is that just a simulation? If it's not really checking, the kids at the arcade never saw ROM OK and RAM OK, so couldn't you save some space by taking that out? New subject: This game is looking and sounding very good. And now that I know to turn on "Use Phosphor" in Stella, there is almost no flicker or fadeout. Not only is this a good quality game that shows respect for the arcade version and the players, it's also a good example for future Homebrewers that do it the hard way and those of us who will be making Atari 2600 games with batari Basic (soon to have multicolored playfield and sprites). One thing I miss in all maze games that don't have it is what they added to Ms. Pac-Man on the old Nintendo. You had the option to hold down the fire button for extra speed. You probably can't do that with this game, but I still miss having that ability when I play any maze game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 Not sure if anyone would find this useful but thought I'd post it anyway. Here's a video of one of my score runs of Ladybug in Mame (100,590 which I think is pretty high since the arcade game gets difficult real fast) I thought it'd be interesting if anyone wanted to compare the gameplay of the arcade game vs. this 2600 port. It'd also be interesting to see how some strategy translates. I haven't REALLY tried the 2600 version much yet but the basic scoring strategy on the arcade version was to go straight to the three BLUE (make sure they're blue) hearts first. That instantly makes everything worth 5x their value. Then.. go park at the letters and wait for the red! You gotta be alert.. once it turns red, snag it and you'll get 4000 points right there each and every time. If you mess up and get yellow you get a mere 1500 pts. And that's about it for the arcade scoring strategy. As for avoiding the enemies, the standard "maneuver" is usually if a guy is behind you.. you just make a right angle turn. Anyway here it is.. sorry there's no sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted August 1, 2006 Author Share Posted August 1, 2006 (edited) I used search on this thread, but I don't see this mentioned. Maybe it's there and I can't find it, but here it is anyway: I know that the guys who ran the arcades saw ROM OK and RAM OK and MAME users see it, but is your Atari 2600 game really checking the RAM and ROM or is that just a simulation? If it's not really checking, the kids at the arcade never saw ROM OK and RAM OK, so couldn't you save some space by taking that out? 178 bytes to be exact!!! Yes - this is a simulation and adds to the "cool" factor (it's not really doing anything). I'm pretty happy with the way the game is now and I don't see myself adding in anything else. I always planned on removing it if need be but I think having it there forced me to optimize and re-think a few things to squeeze stuff in. If something else comes up I will remove it . New subject: This game is looking and sounding very good. And now that I know to turn on "Use Phosphor" in Stella, there is almost no flicker or fadeout. Not only is this a good quality game that shows respect for the arcade version and the players, it's also a good example for future Homebrewers that do it the hard way and those of us who will be making Atari 2600 games with batari Basic (soon to have multicolored playfield and sprites). Thanks! One thing I miss in all maze games that don't have it is what they added to Ms. Pac-Man on the old Nintendo. You had the option to hold down the fire button for extra speed. You probably can't do that with this game, but I still miss having that ability when I play any maze game. This could be done.. if I only had more ROM!!! Seriously though - I could implement this but then it just wouldn't be Lady Bug. Ms. Pac-man had a hack that sped up the game (not just Ms. Pac-man but the ghosts as well IIRC). Thanks for the suggestions! Edited August 1, 2006 by johnnywc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted August 1, 2006 Author Share Posted August 1, 2006 One minor update: Moved around some code and was able to put the joystick skill select code back in (except left and right both cycle the same way). Those 23 bytes free are now 2 bytes free... ladybug.bin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 One thing I miss in all maze games that don't have it is what they added to Ms. Pac-Man on the old Nintendo. You had the option to hold down the fire button for extra speed. You probably can't do that with this game, but I still miss having that ability when I play any maze game. This could be done.. if I only had more ROM!!! Seriously though - I could implement this but then it just wouldn't be Lady Bug. You could make it a hidden feature... Speaking of which, will you have any easter eggs or cheats in the game? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted August 1, 2006 Author Share Posted August 1, 2006 One thing I miss in all maze games that don't have it is what they added to Ms. Pac-Man on the old Nintendo. You had the option to hold down the fire button for extra speed. You probably can't do that with this game, but I still miss having that ability when I play any maze game. This could be done.. if I only had more ROM!!! Seriously though - I could implement this but then it just wouldn't be Lady Bug. You could make it a hidden feature... I thought about that. Maybe it appears if you start the game with the button held down? FYI - you can go directly to a game from the ROM/RAM screen by pressing RESET; you can directly to the title screen by pressing SELECT. Speaking of which, will you have any easter eggs or cheats in the game? Yes - an easter egg and cheat are both in the game already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Helmet Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 I played this and the CV version last night for comparison. I have to say, this version is way more fun than the CV version. Congrats on a near perfect game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted August 3, 2006 Author Share Posted August 3, 2006 (edited) I played this and the CV version last night for comparison. I have to say, this version is way more fun than the CV version. Congrats on a near perfect game Thanks for the comparision and kind words. I always loved the Coleco version (only played the arcade version in MAME). I'm glad you're enjoying it!! Thanks to DEBRO and he optimization wizardry, I was able to squeeze in a few more tweaks: - bugs on title screen appear more frequently, at a random position on top, and move left or right - moving joystick left on title screen cycles the skill level backwards (as it did before) - joystick cycling on title screen is now debounced as the select switch (thanks Dennis!) EDIT: - timer on ADVANCED starts off a bit faster than before - timer on SPECIAL stage is a bit slower, giving more time to eat veggies. Is it too long? Opinions? I'm out of ideas and ROM (well, a few more bytes) so consider this the release candidate (except for a new title logo). Please report any issues or problems. Thanks!! ladybug.bin Edited August 3, 2006 by johnnywc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic George 2K3 Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Release it! Please! Please! Please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 I'm out of ideas and ROM (well, a few more bytes ... There is always one more byte! BTW: Still hoping for a PAL (60) version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted August 3, 2006 Author Share Posted August 3, 2006 (edited) I'm out of ideas and ROM (well, a few more bytes ... There is always one more byte! How true that is! BTW: Still hoping for a PAL (60) version. There will be a PAL (60) version. What do I need to change? Just the colors? EDIT: I just checked the TIA color chart - there doesn't seem to be a YELLOW for PAL!?! Edited August 3, 2006 by johnnywc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 (edited) There will be a PAL (60) version. What do I need to change? Just the colors? Yup. I hope you defined some constants for the colors. EDIT: I just checked the TIA color chart - there doesn't seem to be a YELLOW for PAL!?! Yes, $2x is as close as you get. But actually it is little bit closer to yellow than the chart shows. Edited August 3, 2006 by Thomas Jentzsch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted August 3, 2006 Author Share Posted August 3, 2006 (edited) There will be a PAL (60) version. What do I need to change? Just the colors? Yup. I hope you defined some constants for the colors. Yes - all colors are done with defines. EDIT: I just checked the TIA color chart - there doesn't seem to be a YELLOW for PAL!?! Yes, $2x is a close a you get. But actually it is little bit closer to yellow than the chart shows. Good. I can hammer out a PAL-60 version tonight. Thanks! Edited August 3, 2006 by johnnywc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Good. I can hammer out a PAL-60 version tonight. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEBRO Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Good. I can hammer out a PAL-60 version tonight. Thanks! Wouldn't a PAL60 version run slower on a PAL TV? Which I guess restarts the question that I don't think has been answered...which would PAL customers prefer (PAL60 or PAL50)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Wouldn't a PAL60 version run slower on a PAL TV? Nope, it would run at (almost) exactly the same speed. A PAL-50 version would be about 18% slower. Which I guess restarts the question that I don't think has been answered...which would PAL customers prefer (PAL60 or PAL50)? PAL 50 if you are able to adjust the speed, else I prefer PAL-60 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cd-w Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Wouldn't a PAL60 version run slower on a PAL TV? Which I guess restarts the question that I don't think has been answered...which would PAL customers prefer (PAL60 or PAL50)? My own preference is PAL-60 so the game plays almost identically to the NTSC version. I haven't seen any PAL TVs that don't support PAL-60 recently. The new ones all support 60Hz by default, and the old ones can support it by adjusting the vertical hold. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 I haven't seen any PAL TVs that don't support PAL-60 recently. The new ones all support 60Hz by default, and the old ones can support it by adjusting the vertical hold. Well, my 10 years old Sony doesn't. The screen rolls and there's no vertical hold. But fortunately when feeded by the VCR via SCART it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cybergoth Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Well, my 10 years old Sony doesn't. My 10 year old Sony does! (Ok, I bought it extra to support my NTSC switchable Mega Drive ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cd-w Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Well, my 10 years old Sony doesn't. The screen rolls and there's no vertical hold. But fortunately when feeded by the VCR via SCART it works. A lot of TVs have a hidden "service menu" which gives acess to these options. Perhaps the instructions on this page will help? Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Perhaps the instructions on this page will help? Interesting, but I couldn't find anything regarding vertical hold. Anyway, I'll try the service mode tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted August 5, 2006 Author Share Posted August 5, 2006 (edited) Hello all, Here is the PAL60 version of Lady Bug. Looks good in z26 - if anyone with a PAL TV can test this and comment on the colors, it would be much appreciated. Thanks! ladybug_pal60.bin Edited August 5, 2006 by johnnywc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 Here is the PAL60 version of Lady Bug. Looks good in z26 - if anyone with a PAL TV can test this and comment on the colors, it would be much appreciated. The border colors don't mix good together. Instead of grey it looks purple and flickers quite a lot. If you would give me the code or the addresses for patching the colors, I could experiment until a satisfying PAL result. Everything else seems ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted August 5, 2006 Author Share Posted August 5, 2006 Here is the PAL60 version of Lady Bug. Looks good in z26 - if anyone with a PAL TV can test this and comment on the colors, it would be much appreciated. The border colors don't mix good together. Instead of grey it looks purple and flickers quite a lot. If you would give me the code or the addresses for patching the colors, I could experiment until a satisfying PAL result. Everything else seems ok. Thanks Thomas! Here are the addresses where the colors are: Color of maze (should be pink): $1368 Color of doors (should be green): $1395 Thanks again, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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