New release: VICtoria Gold Edition for VIC +16K

orion70 · Post by **orion70** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 6:44 am

Hi all,

here's the new effort by Michael "Mike" Kircher and me.

It's a new, enhanced version of VICtoria written for VIC-20 with a 16K RAM expansion, complete with:

- hi-res intro screen;
- multi-colour map screen, now incorporated in the main program, with enhanced graphics;
- new look and feel for the game menus, now controlled with function keys or +/-, and return;
- high-res victory screen if you succeed in winning all Provinces before 800 AD;
- high-res credits screen after quitting the game;
- 23 regions, now including Hibernia (Ireland);
- revised, more balanced, and historically accurate game mechanics;
- possibility of sporadic Hun invasions in the East from the 4th Century AD on;
- new manual and "virtual disk" cover, included in the zip file.

This wonderful version of the game is mostly due to Michael, whose programming ability and implementation of minigrafik routines allowed the creation of a semi-professional product.

Thank you and have fun with it!

Bacon · Post by **Bacon** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:54 am

Looks amazing! Must get my VIC down from the attic so I can play all these great new games on the real hardware.

ral-clan · Post by **ral-clan** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 10:22 am

That game looks stunning. It will be so strange to play such a "hi-res" strategy game on a VIC. Imagine how this would have sold back in "the day"!

nbla000 · Post by **nbla000** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 10:56 am

Fantastic game, wonderful graphic, excellent manual !!!

The VicToria title effect over the Map is awesome.

A very good job, finally i've found an occupation when finished with MegaCart

PS: Do you think to add joy/cursor keys support too ?

Kweepa · Post by **Kweepa** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 11:02 am

Looks awesome!
Before I start to play it though... is there going to be a Super Vic=toria Plus Platinum?

orion70 · Post by **orion70** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 11:26 am

Thank you guys, all credits go to Mike.

nbla000 wrote:PS: Do you think to add joy/cursor keys support too ?

Don't think so, unless you think they're necessary... The F1/F7 and +/- controls were designed to make the game more playable on the real VIC, but I can understand that they are not so intuitive in VICE

.
Mike?

Kweepa wrote:Before I start to play it though... is there going to be a Super Vic=toria Plus Platinum?

Again, I don't think so, there will only be minor adjustments (for bugs etc), depending on your suggestions, but this is the FINAL version.

ral-clan wrote:Imagine how this would have sold back in "the day"!

Yep, unfortunately it's not the Eighties, otherwise we would have made money releasing VICtoria Something Edition once per year, just before Xmas

.

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 12:23 pm

orion70 wrote:Thank you guys, all credits go to Mike.

Half the credits.

I can provide a keymap for VICE, that maps f1, f7 to the cursor keys, and +, and - to the correct keys of a standard keyboard. The game itself need not be altered for this.

Michael

ral-clan · Post by **ral-clan** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 8:35 pm

In the screenshots the game looks a little wide. Will this game run on an NTSC VIC?

orion70 · Post by **orion70** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 1:05 am

Yes, at least in VICE it works in NTSC.
I used VICE to capture the screenshots, that's why they look squashed

.

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 1:51 am

@all VICE users

This patch applies to both standard American layout, and German layout.

Code: Select all

# VICtoria.vkm - VICE keyboard mapping file for VICtoria Gold
#
# This data is read in as patch to the current map. Append to
# win_pos.vkm, and save the resulting file as 'VICtoria.vkm'.
# Then, from within VICE, select:
#
# Settings > Keyboard settings ... > Mapping Positional
# Browse -> 'VICtoria.vkm'

12 5 7 8 /* Minus(EN) -> Minus (decrease cohorts) */
13 5 0 8 /* Equal(EN) -> Plus  (increase cohorts) */
53 5 7 8 /* Minus(DE) -> Minus                    */
27 5 0 8 /*  Plus(DE) -> Plus                     */
90 7 4 8 /*    Up     -> F1    (Menu Up)          */
95 7 7 8 /*  Down     -> F7    (Menu Down)        */

You find the file 'win_pos.vkm' within the directory 'VIC20' of the VICE main directory.

ral-clan wrote:Will this game run on an NTSC VIC?

Yes. Why the doubts?

Michael

orion70 · Post by **orion70** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 2:11 am

Mike wrote:@all VICE users

This patch applies to both standard American layout, and German layout.

Download the patched keymap HERE.
Unzip in the VIC20 folder of VICE, then load as specified above:
Settings > Keyboard settings ... > Mapping Positional > Browse 'VICtoria.vkm'.

nbla000 · Post by **nbla000** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 3:47 am

orion70 wrote:
nbla000 wrote:PS: Do you think to add joy/cursor keys support too ?
Don't think so, unless you think they're necessary... The F1/F7 and +/- controls were designed to make the game more playable on the real VIC, but I can understand that they are not so intuitive in VICE .

It's not only a VICE playability matter, i think that the use of the joy is useful in a real vic too, you may use both joy and keyboard:
F1/F7 or Joy Up/Down
+/- or Joy Right/Left
RETURN or Fire.

orion70 wrote:Download the patched keymap HERE....

My opinion is that if possible, joy support is better then patch the VICE keymap just for one game

PS: Thanks for your cake for my 1000th post

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 4:20 am

O.K., let me put this straight.

VICtoria is a round-based strategy game, not an action game. I find joystick control sensible, and intuitive, if there is some figure you steer around the screen.

Otherwise, keyboard control works very well. Unlike some other games, VICtoria always shows you which key controls are possible.

With VICE, you would need to put the joystick control back on the keyboard again anyway, unless you got a USB joystick.

nbla000 wrote:It's not only a VICE playability matter, [...]
+/- or Joy Right/Left

Why not +/- or Joy Left/Right, for those left-handed?

My opinion is that if possible, joy support is better than patch the VICE keymap just for one game.

I gave a solution, it's your decision to use it, or not.

Michael

nbla000 · Post by **nbla000** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 5:29 am

OK Mike i agree with you, it was just a suggestion, i prefer to use the joy though it's a strategy game btw it's not a problem.

My opinion is that if possible, joy support is better than patch the VICE keymap just for one game.
I gave a solution, it's your decision to use it, or not.

Yes of course, thanks for your solution and for your fantastic game.

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 7:08 am

Nicola, just to quote Alessandro:

orion70 wrote:Again, I don't think so, there will only be minor adjustments (for bugs etc), depending on your suggestions, but this is the FINAL version.

If there happen to crop up serious bugs within VICtoria, we will of course correct them.

I think we still can drink together a beer, or wine (or any preferred beverage of yours), should I happen to come around.

Greetings,

Michael