supercat Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 It doesn't have to be. Just thinking about monitor/tv burn in. I may be able to have the screen go black after 8 minutes. I agree with you on this one. Or, I could extend the timeout to be a half hour (as supercat suggested). I wasn't meaning to suggest that having the game quit after half an hour was a good idea--merely that the idea of limiting pause is hardly new (though people didn't like it back then either). BTW, are you doing anything to avoid showing the same title screen repeatedly? If not, I wouldn't worry about screen burn-in. Burn-in was mainly a problem with department-store televisions that were always slowing the same game for weeks on end. Nintendo didn't see any reason to worry about burn-in (even though I have seen department store televisions with the SMB logo burned in); for games that aren't going to be shown in department stores for weeks on end, I really don't think it's an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 (edited) As for all the other suggestions, the ROM just isn't there right now (although I don't see anything that is critical). I am going to focus on trying to see if I can eliminate that screen roll. Is it happening again? I haven't noticed it lately. BTW: Thanks for the unlimited pause mode. (does it work with a 7800 too?) Edited August 19, 2006 by Thomas Jentzsch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Part 17: 266,320 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r_type2600 Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 (Sorry, still learning to fiddle with the quote mode, so a new message to avoid a complete mess) stats screen: Good point about the text, a departure from standard arcade language may indeed feel out of sync. Just a matter of personal taste, I guess. Main issue here is the position of the PART info anyway, thanks for trying to move it - good luck! speed indicator: Fully agree. The s symbol idea was meant as a compromise anyway (weary of the memo limits); to have a full text display would be nicer, of course. Though I think it would be sufficient to display only SLOW, when enabled, as fast would be the standard and not require to be specially marked. title bugs animations suggestions: (Warning - fantasy running riot...just dropping these ideas despite being fully conscious about the ROM limitations.) Dumb Bugs: (another option for the backtrack animation) Two bugs enter from both sides on the same line, bump into each other, and then backtrack. Drunk Bug: Standard, only that the bug meanders up and down somewhat. Eventually at a slower speed to add to the effect. - a foreseeable problem would be the overlapping with the title logo and screen edge in case of borderline bugs Formation Bugs: Two or three bugs entering from the same side at slightly delayed intervalls. Panic Bug: (as before, with minor enhancements) Bug enters, stops after a while noticing the player (short freeze), turns to the player (vertical frame, short freeze), panics (frantic vertical animation), backtracks Random Speed: - one simple effect for variation Cheers, Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 (edited) Yeah, it rolled on me on level 9 last night. I got to 10 again, but this time I spelled special and got 176,740 Edited August 19, 2006 by SpiceWare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Found a minor bug: If you pick up the final letter of EXTRA (haven't tested with SPECIAL yet) and that finishes the current part, the game will skip the next part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted August 19, 2006 Author Share Posted August 19, 2006 Found a minor bug: If you pick up the final letter of EXTRA (haven't tested with SPECIAL yet) and that finishes the current part, the game will skip the next part. Good catch! New build: - fixed a bug that would cause a level to skip if the last letter in EXTRA or SPECIAL was collected to finish the current level Thanks! PS: New high score: Part 23: 435,220 ladybug_NTSC.bin ladybug_PAL60.bin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potatohead Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Found a minor bug: If you pick up the final letter of EXTRA (haven't tested with SPECIAL yet) and that finishes the current part, the game will skip the next part. Good catch! New build: - fixed a bug that would cause a level to skip if the last letter in EXTRA or SPECIAL was collected to finish the current level Thanks! PS: New high score: Part 23: 435,220 Just tried playing this one. Great job BTW! It's stuck on the first screen. All dots gone, but no advancement to the next level. Playing on the latest Stella release. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 It's stuck on the first screen. All dots gone, but no advancement to the next level. Confirmed with z26. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted August 19, 2006 Author Share Posted August 19, 2006 (edited) Found a minor bug: If you pick up the final letter of EXTRA (haven't tested with SPECIAL yet) and that finishes the current part, the game will skip the next part. Good catch! New build: - fixed a bug that would cause a level to skip if the last letter in EXTRA or SPECIAL was collected to finish the current level Thanks! PS: New high score: Part 23: 435,220 Just tried playing this one. Great job BTW! It's stuck on the first screen. All dots gone, but no advancement to the next level. Playing on the latest Stella release. Wow - i'm losing my mind... Sorry about that! New build: - fixed the "no end of level" bug - optimized the collision routines to hopefully avoid any screen rolls (I haven't seen one in a month) Please report any issues! Nathan is making GREAT progress on label/manual so the code freeze is coming soon! Thanks! ladybug_NTSC.bin ladybug_PAL60.bin Edited August 20, 2006 by johnnywc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rom Hunter Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 It plays like a dream now, John. Did you change the behaviour of the insects? Anyway, I like this much better. I can focus more on the bonus letters and doors now, which IMO makes this game great fun to play. John, I have a question: Is it possible to let a new bug enter the arena the same way as in the arcade version? I mean that a bug's life (!) walks off the bottom of the screen and into the arena. Would be great. Keep up the good work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted August 20, 2006 Author Share Posted August 20, 2006 (edited) It plays like a dream now, John. Did you change the behaviour of the insects? Anyway, I like this much better. I can focus more on the bonus letters and doors now, which IMO makes this game great fun to play. Glad you like it! Hmmm... I didn't change the behavior of the insects (at least not on purpose). I just checked the log files and it seems to be playing the same. Does the game seem easier? I was able to score 435K so I wonder if something did get changed. Or, maybe it was just the game of my life... Is it possible to let a new bug enter the arena the same way as in the arcade version? I mean that a bug's life (!) walks off the bottom of the screen and into the arena. Would be great. I wanted to do it that way but with the score/reserve/veggie there it would flicker and not look as good. Plus, at this point it would take up a bit of ROM to implement that just isn't there. New build: - freed up cycles in vblank to reduce or eliminate chance of screen roll Hopefully the screen roll has been squashed. (more importantly, hopefully I didn't break anything else! ) Feedback is appreciated. With the code freeze approaching, comments on gameplay difficultly are also appreciated (game too easy, too hard, just right). Thanks! ladybug_NTSC.bin ladybug_PAL60.bin Edited August 20, 2006 by johnnywc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 With the code freeze approaching, comments on gameplay difficultly are also appreciated (game too easy, too hard, just right). IMO there should be a setting which is as close as possible to the arcade version. Since that one is really, really tough, IMO that should be the highest difficulty. And then maybe you should rename it from Advanced into Arcade. Standard level feels good now. Never tried Novice lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted August 20, 2006 Author Share Posted August 20, 2006 IMO there should be a setting which is as close as possible to the arcade version. Since that one is really, really tough, IMO that should be the highest difficulty. And then maybe you should rename it from Advanced into Arcade. Standard level feels good now. Never tried Novice lately. Thanks for the feedback Thomas. The settings seem pretty good to me - the ADVANCED level is close to the arcade (though I'll probably still call it advanced). Here's a new build: - fixed a bug that caused the insect to disappear on the title screen if you changed the skill level - modified the GAME OVER screen to include the veggie points and description (as is displayed in the START SCREEN) - modified the veggie generation in the bounty harvest to choose from the last 16 veggies instead of the first 16 (restriction of the kernel). Now you'll see horseradish but no cucumber (higher point values). - changed the indicator for fast/slow ladybug on the title screen. Instead of flashing the skill level (too much flashing), the ladybug's propeller will spin slower on A (more intuitive IMO). Spinner speed during the game is unchanged. - optimized to free up some more cycles in vblank and overscan (hopefully to eliminate screen roll) I managed to free up about 100 bytes, so if there are any other *small* suggestions, let's hear 'em! ladybug_NTSC.bin ladybug_PAL60.bin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 200,440 part 12, Onion I had one reset, but I think it was due to my Krok Cart being dirty. It's amazing how dirty its connectors get compared to the other cartridges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZylonBane Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 Only improvements I'd suggest are that a few of the sound effects could be improved. Ironically (for a 2600 game) the musical effects seem to be the most arcade-accurate. Comparing the two games side-by-side in MAME/Z26, it seems the dot-munching sound is missing something. The arcade has a deeper ker-runch sound, whereas the 2600 version it's just a short hiss. Also, the letter/heart eating sound in the arcade is a smooth pitch slide, where the 2600 version sounds a bit harsh, and seems to have a slight hiccup in it. Is it possible to make the "hearbeat" sound deeper-pitched? Well okay, and a non-sound-related comment-- when you die, the angel wings in the arcade have a slightly more complex movement. They don't just slide left and right, they kind of accelerate. It's tough to describe, but easily observed. Anyway, if the wing movement is table-based I'm guessing this would be easy to make more accurate. If not... well, nevermind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted August 20, 2006 Author Share Posted August 20, 2006 200,440 part 12, Onion Great score! I had one reset, but I think it was due to my Krok Cart being dirty. It's amazing how dirty its connectors get compared to the other cartridges. Do you mean the screen flipped or did it go back to the ROM/RAM screen? If it's the latter, it probably was a dirty connector (I had the same problem with the CC2, and it was when I bumped the 7800). Thanks for the feedback! Nathan is rapidly closing in on finishing the manual (it looks fantastic!) so we're looking at a release next weekend, code freeze sometime in the middle of the week (probably Wed. night). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 It went back to the ROM/RAM screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 Maybe it sounds funny, but I just recently noticed, that the game is pretty "quiet" (except for the in-game screen of course). Maybe some brief sound effects could be added here? BTW: I probably missed you explaining it, but why is there only one single maze layout? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nathan Strum Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 There's only one layout in the arcade game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted August 20, 2006 Author Share Posted August 20, 2006 (edited) Maybe it sounds funny, but I just recently noticed, that the game is pretty "quiet" (except for the in-game screen of course). Maybe some brief sound effects could be added here? Good call - I'll see if I can use some of the existing sound effects for the title screen at least. BTW: I probably missed you explaining it, but why is there only one single maze layout? As Nathan said, there is only one maze in the arcade. The way the game works is by storing all combinations of the maze in ROM for the doors, so it takes about 800 bytes to store the maze layout (give or take), so storing more would not work in 16K. With that said, the static maze (pink walls) only take up 36 bytes; it may be possible to store at least an alternate *static* maze, using the same door layout. Of course, the bank where all that info is stored has 0 bytes free (it has the kernel, the ladybug, insect, bonus, bonus score graphics and all the maze info). I'll have to take a look... I estimate it would take 50 bytes to add another maze layout (36 for the maze, the rest to determine which maze to load, assuming it's easy (ie. even parts use maze 1, odd parts use maze 2), etc. EDIT: Although I was able to squeeze in another layout in that bank and the logic to switch between them, I miscalculated. The PF values for the doors *include* the maze layout too, so I would have to store all new door combinations anyway. I may have been able to something along the lines of ORing the maze layout with the door layout, but it would of taken 8 more bytes of RAM (that I don't have) and 16 more cycles in the kernel (which I don't have). Oh well - it would of been nice... Edited August 21, 2006 by johnnywc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diggs130 Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Nathan is rapidly closing in on finishing the manual (it looks fantastic!) so we're looking at a release next weekend, code freeze sometime in the middle of the week (probably Wed. night). Amazing work you've done here! So are there going to be plenty to go around? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r_type2600 Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 - modified the GAME OVER screen to include the veggie points and description (as is displayed in the START SCREEN) Nice improvement. That way (more content) the screen now also fits much more smoothly into the attract cycle... - changed the indicator for fast/slow ladybug on the title screen. Instead of flashing the skill level (too much flashing), the ladybug's propeller will spin slower on A (more intuitive IMO). Spinner speed during the game is unchanged. Hey, completely new approach here, but one which works optimal! Is indeed intuitive, and very elegant. Maybe just to reduce the propeller spinning a tad more in the slow mode? The contrast to the fast mode is clear enough, but it still has a decent spin on its own. What I mean, is that it should jump to the eye that it is slow. A matter of personal taste only, though. I managed to free up about 100 bytes, so if there are any other *small* suggestions, let's hear 'em! That sounds like a lot, dare I resurrect an old suggestion - a session hi-score feature? I feel this is NOT a small suggestion... Game plays like a dream, managed to break the 200,000 barrier with the new intelligent bugs finally Next target 300,000 - hopefully on cart on the real thing then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nathan Strum Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 So are there going to be plenty to go around? Unless Albert runs out of red carts and has to remove it from the store. (It'll be available in black, too.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 That sounds like a lot, dare I resurrect an old suggestion - a session hi-score feature? I feel this is NOT a small suggestion... I second that, but IIRC it's a RAM and not a ROM problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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