Jess Ragan

Starting the switch to compressed graphics. The title screen takes two seconds to come up now, buuuuut it's still better than the thirteen damn seconds the ColecoVision takes to start its first party games. For no reason! Apparently that design was for the sake of brand recognition, but I find it incredibly annoying. I know I'm playing a ColecoVision! I don't need a reminder!

By the way, I'm experimenting with a logo for CV Basic; something that's clear in its design but could be reproduced on an actual ColecoVision without compromise.

By Grabthar's hammer, what a savings. Of cartridge space. A seventy percent reduction in size is a pretty big deal, especially on the ColecoVision where storage is tight. Now I'm thinking of actually doing this. (When? Pfft. Who knows?)

Okay, I'll keep this in mind. It's probably good practice to keep things compact, but I don't feel much pressure to squeeze the SG-1000 version of the game into 32K. Maybe I'll experiment with Pletter in the future, though. You said it doesn't compromise the visuals at all? That's encouraging. How much ROM space can I save using compression? How much time does it take to decompress the visuals? By the way, I ordered a MIDI cable on Amazon, and plan to dink around with that and my Rock Band keytar when it arrives. I was hoping to have someone else work on the music and sound effects, but it won't hurt for me to experiment a little, and see what I can do myself. People are telling me, "Well, you should try making music yourself!," and I'm just thinking, "Yeah, while I'm at it, I'll solve a quadratic equation and crack the human genome. Sheesh." It's not a talent I possess, is my point. You might as well ask a trout to run a marathon.

Heh, I think I've been talking to you on another forum! For the record, I don't know if I can compress the graphics in the game without losing visual quality. (Which would be a shame, as graphics are a highlight in WESEB.) I know Nanochess mentioned something called "pletter" in the instructions, but I don't know how that works. I'm pretty sure I don't want the code to get so complicated that I can't keep track of it, though. I've noticed that SG-1000 games can be slightly larger than ColecoVision games, up to 48K. How does CV Basic handle games for that system and the MSX? Same hard limit on cart size?

Examine the evidence. The SG-1000 was closely based on the specs of the ColecoVision (evidently Sega promised Coleco that they'd distribute the system in Japan, only to reverse engineer the hardware and make their own nearly identical system), and the Master System is an evolution of that hardware, with backward compatibility but a host of features to improve the gaming experience. Basically, the Master System is the ColecoVision II. If you wondered how a next generation ColecoVision would have turned out, the Master System is it.

Whack 'Em Smack 'Em Byrons is now available for the Sega SG-1000! And instead of merely a straight port, there's an intro with Byron doing his best imitation of the Sega CD BIOS. Run it today on your favorite... SG-1000... emulator. Whatever that would be. (Steve Snake's KEGA Fusion works well enough.) whackem_sg1000.sg

I mean, there's a block button if it bothers you that much.

Oh, that would be nice. Shame I was doing the Byron game through the command menu with TMScolor. Slightly less convenient, as you can imagine.

You know that scene from The Simpsons where Sideshow Bob keeps stepping on rakes? Yeah, I can totally relate to that. There was a big, big bug in the code that kept the interval between Byron draws at a constant rate, resulting in slightly weird behavior in game. Turns out I should have been using the original timer "intervalmax" to read stage behavior data, not "inmax" which I somehow included in the code. I mean, the compiler kept telling me I had a wasted variable. I was like, "Hey, shut up, I need that variable for timing," and it turns out that no, I really didn't. It was some OTHER variable, and it was a small wonder the code worked at all. I hate when that happens. Here it is now in its fixed state. Buh, embarrassing. whackem_game.rom

This came along a lot faster than expected. Anyway, this is (more or less) the full game. I was thinking of adding a boss, but maybe that'll have to wait for a sequel... I'm a bit exhausted with this project. Aside from the lack of sound and a slightly glitchy seventh stage, it feels professional, like something you would buy in a store circa 1983. You actually CAN squeeze decent graphics out of the ColecoVision and related systems, if you understand how the graphics work and use clever workarounds for the limitations. Anyway. I should probably pass the source code onto Ray so he can pop in music. I don't know what the immediate future will bring, but I may be too indisposed (and stressed) to do much in May. whackem_game.rom

I mean, I don't see why not. Sound is still an issue, though, in that there isn't any. Rayxamber may be helping me out with that, though.

Yeah, I'm in total agreement. Coding is just the thing when you're depressed and you need to switch off your emotions. The Game Boy Advance port of GORF helped me get through some tough times... it gave me a goal; something to strive for, rather than just sitting around and moping. Anyway, here's the end scene for the Byron game. It's looking like I'm getting really close to the 32K limit, so I'd better pump the brakes on any further additions. (Maybe a boss at the end, that would be amusing.) whackem_game.rom

Kids' mode? Don't mind if I do! Kids' mode currently cuts the quota to 60%, and could later be used to adjust other stats. I have to deal with some unpleasant business in my life which could slow down the production of the game, not that there's that much left in the game to do. So if I disappear, that's the reason. I'm not... at optimal mental health right now. whackem_game.rom

So that's one megabyte? Like eight megabits, as advertised on Strider for the Sega Genesis? Dang. Will someone have the dedication and sheer force of will to make a ColecoVision game of that size? That falls into "epic RPG" status. Not even Kirby's Adventure at six megabits was that large!