Games we want to see

Discussion, Reviews & High-scores

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hasseapa
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Re: Games we want to see

Post by hasseapa »

softensive wrote:I am missing those Activision classics for the VIC

HERO
Keystone Kapers
I played HERO quite a bit on the C64 and I agree that it would make a very nice VIC-game. I drooled over magazine reviews of Keystone Kapers and was very envious of Atari 2600 owners. It was never converted to C64 either.
softensive wrote:I know there is a Pitfall adaption.
The Pitfall made by Victragic is amazingly well done!
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Mayhem
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Re: Games we want to see

Post by Mayhem »

hasseapa wrote:I drooled over magazine reviews of Keystone Kapers and was very envious of Atari 2600 owners. It was never converted to C64 either.
One of the entries in RGCD's 2012 cartridge competition was called "Rent-a-Cop", and played like KK iirc.
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hasseapa
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Re: Games we want to see

Post by hasseapa »

Mayhem wrote:
hasseapa wrote:I drooled over magazine reviews of Keystone Kapers and was very envious of Atari 2600 owners. It was never converted to C64 either.
One of the entries in RGCD's 2012 cartridge competition was called "Rent-a-Cop", and played like KK iirc.
Thanks. Yes, I actually made a search for Keystone Kapers on C64 after my post above and found Rent-A-Cop. It looks to be very true to the original.
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Misfit
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Re: Games we want to see

Post by Misfit »

softensive wrote:I am missing those Activision classics for the VIC

HERO
I started to develop a HERO clone for VIC, but plans changed during coding and result was my Super Starship Space Attack (shooter). Something went wrong? :D
Neo-Rio
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Re: Games we want to see

Post by Neo-Rio »

I had a look into porting Telengard to the VIC.

You would have to hack the PET version apart essentially... and even then I think the VIC - even with 24K expansion - still probably couldn't handle it.
Even after I gave the code a bit of the chop, the size of the program *just* fits into memory,... but the issue is space for variables, which the VIC would then choke on. I got the program down to 27586 bytes - with a lot hacked out.

Of course there would be no sound or graphics. Just text characters.... and then you have to hack the program to get it to display on the VIC's limited column display. Plus you would then somehow have to rewrite some of the machine code that handles the display in order to cope.

I can see why avalon hill didn't attempt it. Too much effort to change the 40-column PET program to make display fit on the VIC, plus the limited market of people with 32K ram expansions for their VIC.

Still, it *might* be possible --- but you would really have to take an axe to the program.
Maybe pulling out the help screens and shortening some of the messages.... or even (*gasp*) getting rid of those random inn names!
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Re: Games we want to see

Post by Neo-Rio »

Actually tried to do more porting of Telengard to the VIC

Ripped out the help screen and all the machine code and got it to "run" with about 256 bytes free!

So it's probably possible to make a port, but the game currently doesn't work right because the screen is too small - and will require a lot of hacking in order to get it to work.... unfortunately the memory is incredibly tight - even with the VIC fully expanded. Some messages have to be shortened due to the screen width, so that should free up some memory.

Unfortunately the Telengard title and Inn picture had to get the axe.
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Re: Games we want to see

Post by Neo-Rio »

Still working on this and making some progress.
Freed up more memory by removing more stuff from the code.
Still learning how the screen redrawing machine code was supposed to work so I can implement something on the vic.

Only real problem is that the stats and map can't be on the screen at the same time, and the stats typically get updated during fights.
Also important for the player to know how much HP and SU they have in order to continue fights, so somehow that will have to be shown on the map screen.

That said, it looks like a port will be doable, but there'll need to be a lot of edits.
The screen and memory limitations means that it won't be the best version of Telengard ever.... but it will at least be playable.
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Re: Games we want to see

Post by Neo-Rio »

more work on the Telengard port...

I have something playable now. Still needs lots of messing about with the code is needed however. The main issue is of course the limited screen real-estate - half the width required by the original source code - and I am trying to cram as much information as possible into it. Memory is still tight, but with messages needing to be shrunk into limited space I can still fit it in 24K, but only just. I managed to save enough memory to slip the inn picture back in, and character saving to tape and disk is now supported.

I eventually decided on flipping the screen between the map and your stats. Map is needed for movement, and stats are brought up when in a fight (when you need to look at them the most)... or during spell casting ... and then I am trying to not let the computer get confused as to which screen state it is in, as the original code expects both map and stats to be on the screen at the same time and if I don't clear things up for the program, they will draw all over each other.

It is coming along nicely, but needs more testing. Especially all of the spells... I am dreading having to do that, as I need to test them both in combat and outside of combat. The game makes the distinction, and so do I because of the screen only able to support map or stats at one time.
Some of the player statuses (protection from evil, strength, light) have been shoved vertically to the side of the map, and that seems to work.

Also some of the encounters need more testing, such as the gray misty cube, throne, and button box amongst other things.
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orion70
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Re: Games we want to see

Post by orion70 »

Neo-Rio, thanks so much in advance for this. I've always had a love/hate feeling with this, being both a humongous maze game with RPG elements, and a VERY frustrating one (I just keep dying with the C64 version). So please, s l o w it down a bit :).
BTW, the complete package docs and everything are HERE.
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Re: Games we want to see

Post by Neo-Rio »

Yes well, it won't be the best version of Telengard ever due to the screen limitations. However I have kept the gameplay untouched from the original PET version with only the graphic and text edits to get it to fit on the vic display.
I've spent about a month on it already, and it plays properly - only that the display sometimes goes awry.

Don't worry. It won't get released until I am happy with it.
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beamrider
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Re: Games we want to see

Post by beamrider »

Thanks for the good work. The Vic's back catalogue is slowly but surely having its gaps filled. I guess the biggie left now is Wizard of Wor :P
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Re: Games we want to see

Post by Neo-Rio »

My port of Telengard is nearly done. Most of the display kinks have been worked out and compromises made where appropriate.
I still have enough memory to perhaps add some sound to the game. Maybe a gong sound to signify going up a level? Honestly, it doesn't have to be good.
Though I only have less than 1K to add this.

Can anyone give me a one/two liner?
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Re: Games we want to see

Post by ral-clan »

Wow! I'm the guy who originally asked for Telengard back in the early days of this thread! I totally missed that there was a port being made, but am very excited about it.

Perhaps the intro screen could be tacked onto a loader program if it won't fit into the actual game due to memory limitations.
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Neo-Rio
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Re: Games we want to see

Post by Neo-Rio »

The port's nearly done. Just finishing up writing a character editor so you can all be rotten cheats once I'm done.

The original Telengard title graphics wouldn't fit on the vic's screen width, but I did manage to get the T in at least, and it looks quite OK.
I hope you like the compromise.

Also, the port is a single file of BASIC code. No multilod needed as there's no machine code. That said, if someone wanted to add it into memory inaccessible to BASIC, I suppose it would be possible to perhaps add graphics... but I'm going to stick to the PET graphics.
Also I suppose the program could be made into compiled BASIC. The pause routines are times from the system clock, so this should be possible to speed things up a bit perhaps.
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Re: Games we want to see

Post by Muzz73 »

I know this is an old thread and there are 17 pages that I haven't flipped through, so please forgive me if this has already been done, but... ZORK!!! While we're at it, EAMON.

How difficult would it be to convert the Apple ][ versions over? Text-based adventure games on a 1MHz 6502-based architecture. That smacks of VIC-20!

I asked that same question on Atariage about converting them to the A8 platform (also 6502-based) and someone is looking into it... I think...

I don't know the first thing about programming, or I'd offer to do it myself. :(

Any thoughts on this?
BCNU,
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