SmileyDude Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Ok, so I just spent tonight trying out an idea -- I still don't know if it's gonna pan out, but I've only just started For those who are curious as to what I have choosen to persue, I've attached a screenshot -- I'm sure someone will be able to guess as to what game it's supposed to be As for the other ideas, I'm gonna hold onto them. Especially considering that I don't know how well this idea is gonna pan out. One sad thing -- if I continue along with this game, it's definetly gonna blow out the 4k limit I set for myself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm Jumpman. Sign me up! ..Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 For those who are curious as to what I have choosen to persue, I've attached a screenshot -- I'm sure someone will be able to guess as to what game it's supposed to be You definitely should talk to Cybergoth (aka Manual Polik; Gunfight, Star Fire). He is a big Jumpman fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cybergoth Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Hi there! For those who are curious as to what I have choosen to persue, I've attached a screenshot -- I'm sure someone will be able to guess as to what game it's supposed to be You definitely should talk to Cybergoth (aka Manual Polik; Gunfight, Star Fire). He is a big Jumpman fan. Cool! I've been waiting for years that someone finally does that! Count me in if you need any help for that. Best. 2600. project. ever! BTW: I talked with Randy Glover some time ago about a 2600 version of Jumpman and he said it's Ok for him. So you don't need to do a clone, you can do the real thing - with the official permission from the copyright holder!!! BTW²: Can I already post a news item and project coverage on the Epyx Shrine or would that be too early yet? Greetings, Manuel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmileyDude Posted July 7, 2003 Author Share Posted July 7, 2003 Cool! I've been waiting for years that someone finally does that! Count me in if you need any help for that.Best. 2600. project. ever! I'll definetly keep you in mind -- I know I'll have a few technical hurdles, and having someone to help out will be great BTW: I talked with Randy Glover some time ago about a 2600 version of Jumpman and he said it's Ok for him. So you don't need to do a clone, you can do the real thing - with the official permission from the copyright holder!!! I actually hadn't thought of that, but now that I know, that makes it that much better BTW²: Can I already post a news item and project coverage on the Epyx Shrine or would that be too early yet? LOL -- too early Let me get the complete board up on the screen first I've got to re-write the kernel before that can happen -- I've been spending the last 6 hours of sleep and showering thinking about how to implement this. I'm sure before this project is over, I'll be writing the kernel code in my sleep too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 I'll definetly keep you in mind -- I know I'll have a few technical hurdles, and having someone to help out will be great Have you subscribed to [stella] already? I'm sure before this project is over, I'll be writing the kernel code in my sleep too I tried. Didn't work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmileyDude Posted July 7, 2003 Author Share Posted July 7, 2003 Have you subscribed to [stella] already? I'm sorting out some email issues at the moment... as soon as I do that, I'll probably sign up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEBRO Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Hi Dennis, Good luck on Jumpman! (or Jumpman Jr. from the screenshot ) I was looking to do a mock up too after Climber 5. I feel like I'm sort of close to a possible engine but I could be way off I'd love to see it pulled off too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmileyDude Posted July 7, 2003 Author Share Posted July 7, 2003 Good luck on Jumpman! (or Jumpman Jr. from the screenshot ) Yes -- it's Jumpman Jr. -- ironically, I've never played the original Jumpman... must've had something to do with the fact that I had an Atari 400 with 410... so, I stuck to playing cart games mostly Later on, when I upgraded to a 1200XL with 1050, I didn't get a chance to play the original... I finally got to try out the original in an emulator, but since I'm really familiar with Jr., that's what I'm gonna work on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cybergoth Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Hi there! Jumpman Jr. should be better doable, since it already fits in a 16K cartridge. I spent lot's of thoughts on porting Jumpman and it won't be an easy project. All those structure changes are real killers and I don't think they are possible without an Extra RAM cartridge. And I don't think the ladders are doable with sprites as the screenshot indicates. You'd need one sprite for Jumpman, the other for multiplexing all enemies, the missiles for multiplexing the up/down ropes and the ball for multiplexing the bombs. That is already causing *enough* flicker I think, so the ladders should better be done with the PF... Hm... hope that doesn't sound too disencouraging and rather challenging... Greetings, Manuel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmileyDude Posted July 7, 2003 Author Share Posted July 7, 2003 All those structure changes are real killers and I don't think the structure changes are possible without an Extra RAM cartridge. Yeah -- those are causing me a serious headache... I'll have to spend some serious thought on those... And I don't think the ladders are doable with sprites as the screenshot indicates. You'd need one sprite for Jumpman, the other for multiplexing all enemies, the missiles for multiplexing the up/down ropes and the ball for multiplexing the bombs. That is already causing *enough* flicker I think, so the ladders should better be done with the PF... Enemies? The only "enemy" that I recall was the missiles that randomly got fired at Jumpman... at least in the early levels... gonna have to spend some more time with the Atari 800XL and my Jumpman Jr cart tonight I was actually thinking of doing the up ropes with the playfield, and using the missiles for the down ropes... well, multiplexing one missile for the down ropes, and the other for, well, the missiles And, the ball is pretty much a given for the bombs... I can't see getting around that one I am definetly going to have sit down and figure out how to setup the kernel for this one... very tight timing requirements here. I'm just hoping that I don't have to write a custom kernel for each level Hm... hope that doesn't sound too disencouraging and rather challenging... Heh -- I'm not discouraged yet -- if anything was gonna do it, it would've been the lowly specs of the 2600... but, since that didn't do it, this could prove very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cybergoth Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Hi there! Enemies? The only "enemy" that I recall was the missiles that randomly got fired at Jumpman... at least in the early levels... gonna have to spend some more time with the Atari 800XL and my Jumpman Jr cart tonight I know the game inside out. Try this for a lecture: http://home.arcor.de/cybergoth/epyx/jump2strategy.html More later, I'm running out of time today... Greetings, Manuel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liquid_sky Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 manuel sure is one happy guy now that he knows your gonna make jumpman, i woulda paid to see the look on his face Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cybergoth Posted July 12, 2003 Share Posted July 12, 2003 Hi there! So, I spent some more thoughts on a Jumpman port. The more I thought of it, the more I liked the idea of doing the ladders with the second sprite. Now I think the best way to port Jumpman is this: Sprite1: Jumpman Sprite2: ladders Missile1: Bullets (Same colors as Jumpman -> white!) Missile2: Bombs (Same color as ladders -> orange!) Ball: Up-Ropes PF: Strucure / Down-Ropes That means to strip all special (sprite) enemies from the game, but they are impossible to implement. And a great lot of levels works fine even without them, like the wind in the hurricane level for example. Or "Hailstones" has basically just a different behaviour for the bullets. That means also that all levels need to be adopted & tweaked to not have more than 3 ladders/ropes on one horizontal line to prevent extreme flicker. That means also, that still an Extra RAM cartridge is required for a proper port. If the structure is RAM buffered, even the level in darkness or "Figurits Revenge" can be done. I think it'd still make an excellent and very faithfull port that way. Greetings, Manuel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmileyDude Posted July 12, 2003 Author Share Posted July 12, 2003 What about using the Starpath? Would that be acceptable? I think that would give us the RAM that is needed (no way around needing the RAM, that's for sure), and each additional level could just be loaded in as needed. Does anyone have the information needed to setup a Starpath program? What about other suggestions -- like different cart types, etc. I remember having one of the CBS games (I think) that said it had additional RAM right on the cart -- is that the only commonly available cart that had extra RAM? Has any of the existing homebrews used additional RAM? Questions, questions, questions... time to get back to coding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cybergoth Posted July 12, 2003 Share Posted July 12, 2003 Hi there! What about using the Starpath? Would that be acceptable? I think that would give us the RAM that is needed (no way around needing the RAM, that's for sure), and each additional level could just be loaded in as needed. Hm... I don't like the Supercharger. An Atari game has to be on a cartridge. What about other suggestions -- like different cart types, etc. I remember having one of the CBS games (I think) that said it had additional RAM right on the cart -- is that the only commonly available cart that had extra RAM? Has any of the existing homebrews used additional RAM? For my Gateway to Apshai project I'll get a PCB designed that provides 256 bytes extra RAM. I need it for the almost same purpose - buffering the dungeon structure of GTA. I bet it'd be the perfect solution for Jumpman as well. Greeting, Manuel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbird Posted July 12, 2003 Share Posted July 12, 2003 I'm purely interested in the schematics needed to implement that, if you wouldn't mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cybergoth Posted July 13, 2003 Share Posted July 13, 2003 Hi there! I'm purely interested in the schematics needed to implement that, if you wouldn't mind. I wouldn't mind, only I've no clue at all about such things. The hardware side is covered by the guys from VGWIZ and I don't even know if they've already started working on it, since we agreed this has time until C/AGE are over. Check out the "Extra RAM" thread in their 2600 forum. The cartridge will work almost exactly like I *dreamt* it - only the 256 bytes will cost 512 bytes ROM of each 4K bank in the cartridge, since it is required to double the address space. Greetings, Manuel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmileyDude Posted July 13, 2003 Author Share Posted July 13, 2003 For my Gateway to Apshai project I'll get a PCB designed that provides 256 bytes extra RAM. I need it for the almost same purpose - buffering the dungeon structure of GTA. I bet it'd be the perfect solution for Jumpman as well. Hmm, interesting... but, wouldn't 2k work out better? Then, you can keep the playfield values all in RAM, if needed. (192 lines * 6 = 1152 -- rounded up to 2k for simplicity). Is there already a standard format that can be used to get the RAM? That way, the wheel doesn't entirely need to be re-invented? It would be really nice to just be able to go out, find some existing cart, rip out the ROM, and replace it with an EEPROM for testing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted July 13, 2003 Share Posted July 13, 2003 Hmm, interesting... but, wouldn't 2k work out better? Then, you can keep the playfield values all in RAM, if needed. (192 lines * 6 = 1152 -- rounded up to 2k for simplicity). The problem is, that you need the same space again (2k for reading + 2K for writing). Well, where would you put the ROM then? Is there already a standard format that can be used to get the RAM? That way, the wheel doesn't entirely need to be re-invented? It would be really nice to just be able to go out, find some existing cart, rip out the ROM, and replace it with an EEPROM for testing. Check here. The file is a bit old but still valid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbird Posted July 13, 2003 Share Posted July 13, 2003 Hi there! I'm purely interested in the schematics needed to implement that, if you wouldn't mind. I wouldn't mind, only I've no clue at all about such things. The hardware side is covered by the guys from VGWIZ and I don't even know if they've already started working on it, since we agreed this has time until C/AGE are over. Check out the "Extra RAM" thread in their 2600 forum. The cartridge will work almost exactly like I *dreamt* it - only the 256 bytes will cost 512 bytes ROM of each 4K bank in the cartridge, since it is required to double the address space. Greetings, Manuel That sounds great! I'll be taking a look over there now, thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cybergoth Posted July 13, 2003 Share Posted July 13, 2003 Hi there! Hmm, interesting... but, wouldn't 2k work out better? Then, you can keep the playfield values all in RAM, if needed. (192 lines * 6 = 1152 -- rounded up to 2k for simplicity). It wouldn't work like that anyway. Don't forget you need repositioning scannlines (or you're limited to a total of three up-ropes/ladders per screen). They severely influence the look of the structure, so the single line resolution as in the current demo screen can't be done. You'll probably end up with at least half the resolution. In GTA I'll have 1/3 of the vertical resolution and use PF1/2 only, so I'll get away with 4 stripes of RAM a 192/3 = 64 bytes, which is the perfect match for the 256 bytes of extra RAM I asked for. Greetings, Manuel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmileyDude Posted July 13, 2003 Author Share Posted July 13, 2003 It wouldn't work like that anyway. Don't forget you need repositioning scannlines (or you're limited to a total of three up-ropes/ladders per screen). They severely influence the look of the structure, so the single line resolution as in the current demo screen can't be done. You'll probably end up with at least half the resolution. True, but with a tight kernel, you could do some of the repositioning where there are only single laders anyway (I hope that sounds right -- I can see it mentally, but I might not have explained it right ). I could live with double line resolution if necessary... but, I don't want to throw single line out until I absolutely have to I still need to get back to coding -- maybe tonight I'll get a chance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cybergoth Posted July 13, 2003 Share Posted July 13, 2003 Hi there! True, but with a tight kernel, you could do some of the repositioning where there are only single laders anyway (I hope that sounds right -- I can see it mentally, but I might not have explained it right ). Since all objects but the bullets are stationary, you might get away with an interesting idea: You could have tables with 192 HMOVE values and so just shift ladders, bombs and ropes in place. With allowing a max of 3-frames-flicker, you'd need 9*192 bytes for these tables per level worst case though. Greetings, Manuel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.