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CodeWalrus Website => Game, Software and Music Downloads => Games => Topic started by: JWinslow23 on January 25, 2016, 08:25:54 AM

Title: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600! [Atari 2600]
Post by: JWinslow23 on January 25, 2016, 08:25:54 AM
Yes, you saw that right. Wal-Rush!, my entry for CodeWalrus Contest #2...on an Atari 2600. I'm gonna let that sink in for a minute. ;)

Click the image for the latest version!
(http://i.imgur.com/ZQp17o4.png) (https://codewalr.us/index.php?topic=1034.msg30890#msg30890)

Inspired greatly by the recent release of Zippy the Porcupine (https://codewalr.us/index.php?topic=1020) (I knew this game back when it was just a 1-level demo!), and the fact that Atari games are limited yet cool, I have decided to port my contest entry (https://codewalr.us/index.php?topic=924) to the Atari 2600 using the programming language bAtari BASIC (http://bataribasic.com/). I'm sure it'll be a natural game on the Atari 2600.

I will find my own time and resources to program this game, as I am in no rush for a contest deadline (so don't expect this done "soon" by any definition). As well, I will also try to compose music and sound effects at one point, as well as making it look really cool :3

As of now, I have a small demo, which I have attached along with the files I have used in the IDE, visual bAtari BASIC (http://atariage.com/forums/topic/123849-visual-bb-10-a-new-ide-for-batari-basic/). The demo is playable in Stella or on a Harmony cartridge, and the file is named "Walrush.bas.bin" (in the "bin" folder). As well, the source code is viewable in any text editor, and the file is named "Walrush.bas". As it stands, this is meant to demonstrate the physics of the Wal-Rush! engine so far.

For those who can't play the file, here (https://vid.me/29GE) is a (crappy) video I recorded of the demo.

Use left and right to move, and fire to fly. What do you think so far?
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: kegwaan on January 25, 2016, 11:39:33 AM
Looks fun  :thumbsup: Can't wait 'til you're finished ;D
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: alexgt on January 25, 2016, 02:23:26 PM
NIce! I always like stuff for retro consoles ;)
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on January 25, 2016, 04:52:30 PM
Great job JWinslow :D. You should add astatic screenshot to your first post
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on January 25, 2016, 05:40:11 PM
Quote from: kegwaan on January 25, 2016, 11:39:33 AM
Looks fun  :thumbsup: Can't wait 'til you're finished ;D
I can't wait until I get to play this on a Harmony cart on actual hardware! Once I get a real A2600 and flashcart, it'll be so amazing to actually play a game I made! :D
Quote from: alexgt on January 25, 2016, 02:23:26 PM
NIce! I always like stuff for retro consoles ;)
Me too ;)
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on January 25, 2016, 04:52:30 PM
Great job JWinslow :D. You should add astatic screenshot to your first post
Done.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on January 25, 2016, 10:50:30 PM
Bump.

(http://i.imgur.com/jvqg0PF.png)

Now, I have made the physics and controls a little better, and added OBSTACLES! Collision isn't implemented yet, but it will be soon.

Here (https://vid.me/teBe) is a video showing the progress. The download is attached. Tell me what you think!
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: kegwaan on January 25, 2016, 10:51:52 PM
Looks good :thumbsup:
Will the white on the sprites all ways be transparent?
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on January 25, 2016, 10:54:42 PM
Quote from: kegwaan on January 25, 2016, 10:51:52 PM
Looks good :thumbsup:
Will the white on the sprites all ways be transparent?
I have not discovered a way for it not to be. Technically, the sprites are only allowed to be one color, but I used one programming trick for making Walrii multicolored (which is still not perfect). I used the negative space on Walrii to make its tusks and eyes, but it's not perfect.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: kegwaan on January 25, 2016, 11:01:45 PM
Maybe you could make it so when something behind it shows through, it hides that pixel? So that way it would like white, but technically everything there would be transparent.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on January 25, 2016, 11:11:21 PM
Quote from: kegwaan on January 25, 2016, 11:01:45 PM
Maybe you could make it so when something behind it shows through, it hides that pixel? So that way it would like white, but technically everything there would be transparent.
Perhaps you don't get how Atari 2600 graphics limitations work :P
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on January 26, 2016, 04:59:34 AM
Something I am curious about, though, is if a larger resolution Walrii sprite would be possible, with fewer colors? (1 color per line) I swear I saw Atari games with larger resolution sprites before.

Also does Batari Basic allows you to draw lines and stuff? You could have the top of the screen being wavy like the trees in Pitfall. Another idea would be to make the background scroll but that would look choppy like in Princess Rescue.

But the question is: How did you manage to draw a walrus sprite with more than 1 color per row of pixels? I thought the Atari only allowed 1. Do you just draw multiple sprites on top of each others or something?
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on January 26, 2016, 01:24:01 PM
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on January 26, 2016, 04:59:34 AM
Something I am curious about, though, is if a larger resolution Walrii sprite would be possible, with fewer colors? (1 color per line) I swear I saw Atari games with larger resolution sprites before.

Also does Batari Basic allows you to draw lines and stuff? You could have the top of the screen being wavy like the trees in Pitfall. Another idea would be to make the background scroll but that would look choppy like in Princess Rescue.

But the question is: How did you manage to draw a walrus sprite with more than 1 color per row of pixels? I thought the Atari only allowed 1. Do you just draw multiple sprites on top of each others or something?
Sprites on the Atari are only allowed to be up to 8 pixels wide. If possible, could you direct me to the game(s) in question you say have larger resolution sprites? Make sure not to confuse "larger resolution" with "being drawn as a taller sprite", or simply "stretching it horizontally up to 4x the size with a sprite-graphics mode" :P

bAtari BASIC allows you to do what the Atari would allow you to do (doing something more complicated than the syntax allows can be remedied by inline asm code). The trees are still drawn with playfield graphics (from what I can tell), and the tiny details in the branches are drawn with sprites copied horizontally. Besides, I'm not actually sure what you want it to look like, then. I was going to make it scroll slowly to the right.

And the answer to that last question: I can. :P

EDIT: Here (http://pastebin.com/QgKeBGcs) is a link on Pastebin to the code, if you're too lazy to view WalRush.bas in a text editor :P . The line "set kernel_option player1colors" near the top dictates that player 1 (which I have designated as the walrus sprite) is allowed to be multicolored (with the restriction of one color per row of pixels). There is also an option to make both player 0 AND player 1 multicolored, but I really have no use for that.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on January 26, 2016, 05:07:01 PM
Actually the game I was referring to is Princess Rescue, but after looking closer at screenshots, it definitively seems like its sprites are only 8 pixels wide, even Bowser:

(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W7Q8pJbdQqk/hqdefault.jpg)
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W7Q8pJbdQqk/hqdefault.jpg
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on January 27, 2016, 12:15:43 PM
Bump.

I now have a somewhat-playable demo!

(http://i.imgur.com/PIyynHs.png)

Your controls are really simple: LEFT and RIGHT on your joystick to move Walrii, and FIRE to make him FLY! Your goal is to eat fish and avoid the mines. Sorry, but no invincibility powerup...yet ;)

Once you either hit a mine or fall to the ground, you explode (sorry :( ), your high score is recorded if you have one, and it is saved until you turn the system off. After every game, your high score flashes in green, and the last score you got flashes in black.

Of course, this is by no means a finished product. I plan to add sound effects, and maybe a catchy jingle to play somewhere. As well, I'd love to add the calculator invincibility powerup, if I can find a way to display your "invincibility meter". However, it is playable as it stands, and the source code is (hopefully) fully commented. If you would like to help me code, or offer suggestions of any kind, I'll gladly take them into account during development. :)

Here (https://vid.me/dJ61) is a video of the demo so far. The download is attached, as usual. Please, tell me what you think! Test this on both an emulator, and real hardware (NTSC) if you can!
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: alexgt on January 27, 2016, 01:23:05 PM
Nice, sadly I can't test it <_<
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on January 27, 2016, 05:56:40 PM
Quote from: alexgt on January 27, 2016, 01:23:05 PM
Nice, sadly I can't test it <_<
Aweh :( How come?
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on January 27, 2016, 08:46:54 PM
Woah, that looks even more amazing JWInslow. I thought that such scrolling might look too choppy but I was wrong. It makes the game even more realistic now (per Atari standards). Would it be possible to make it look like this? Or is that too much for the console limitations? Or are the sides just empty due to not being visible on a TV?

Here is what I mean:
(http://img.codewalr.us/jvqg0PF.png)

Also will your game work on both NTSC and PAL consoles?
Quote from: alexgt on January 27, 2016, 01:23:05 PM
Nice, sadly I can't test it <_<
Can't you just install Stella emulator on your PC? Or do you have restricted admin privileges on it?
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on January 28, 2016, 01:27:13 PM
That is all I am able to draw, due to timing constraints. Sorry :(

EDIT: As it stands, the game is NTSC, but I will make a PAL version in the next update.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on January 28, 2016, 07:26:08 PM
Aah I see. And yeah PAL would be nice for our Europe users who want to try this on an harmony cart.

I wonder if Stella supports SECAM?
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: calcplays on January 28, 2016, 11:17:46 PM
This looks quite interesting and fun. I especially like the title screen.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on January 29, 2016, 05:03:13 PM
Thank you, calcplays! Have you played it yet?
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on January 29, 2016, 10:35:02 PM
By the way, this is an Atari 2600 game, so music isn't really necessary since Atari games with music are very rare, but if you were gonna add music to it, perhaps you could add some sort of title screen song remix of one of my older songs (maybe Ancient Kingdom of Happy Hardcore melody since it was made just a few hours before CodeWalrus creation). It would just need to use 1 sound channel. And during gameplay, all you would need is flapping sounds, which could just be standard Atari sounds, and when you die it could just be an explosion sound.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on January 30, 2016, 01:11:54 AM
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on January 29, 2016, 10:35:02 PM
By the way, this is an Atari 2600 game, so music isn't really necessary since Atari games with music are very rare, but if you were gonna add music to it, perhaps you could add some sort of title screen song remix of one of my older songs (maybe Ancient Kingdom of Happy Hardcore melody since it was made just a few hours before CodeWalrus creation). It would just need to use 1 sound channel. And during gameplay, all you would need is flapping sounds, which could just be standard Atari sounds, and when you die it could just be an explosion sound.
I was thinking it over in my head, and I just realized composing original songs is very hard :P I might do a remix of one of your songs, and I will definitely take that specific one into careful consideration (that is, if I find out how to do music and sound effects in bAtari BASIC, apparently that's hard too :P ). For now, that is all that's stopping further progression. I will finish as soon as possible!
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on January 30, 2016, 06:15:54 AM
Even single channel audio is hard? O.O I remember that SNES audio was hard, though. I wish there were more hi-level tools to make music like trackers or something.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on January 30, 2016, 06:19:55 AM
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on January 30, 2016, 06:15:54 AM
Even single channel audio is hard? O.O I remember that SNES audio was hard, though. I wish there were more hi-level tools to make music like trackers or something.
For me, it's just figuring out an engine to use. You know, how to actually store all the sound and recall it. I'm a n00b at bAtari BASIC, especially sound-related programming :P
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on February 03, 2016, 04:32:06 AM
Bump.

Well, I finally have sound! No new screenie this time, as there are no cosmetic changes, but now it sounds sorta like an authentic game!

This is what I would consider a beta version of this game. Surely there is something else big that I want to add ;) , but that'll have to wait for now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs7YxEwpS5A

Download link has been attached. Now, the .bin is also available for download by itself. Tell me what you think!
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on February 03, 2016, 04:41:53 AM
I like the sounds. Very Atari style. :) Do you think you could make the difficulty increase over time? Also would the console be too limited to allow you to add the power-up?
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on February 03, 2016, 04:46:28 AM
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on February 03, 2016, 04:41:53 AM
I like the sounds. Very Atari style. :) Do you think you could make the difficulty increase over time? Also would the console be too limited to allow you to add the power-up?
Perhaps I could make the scrolling faster over time...up to a point ;)

And no, the console is not too limited for me to add this powerup. I doubt it'll take more than a few lines of code to implement. And I have >2KB of ROM left in the first bank of the ROM, even with everything I have but the titlescreen in it. I'm sure it'll be fine.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on February 03, 2016, 05:21:08 PM
Scrolling faster over time would be a nice idea I guess. And thanks for the info. :3=
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: utz on February 03, 2016, 05:45:13 PM
So great to see someone from this community fiddle which such ancient hardware. Massive props!
Just gave the beta a quick try in Stella. Plays smooth, but yeah it could do with a little speedup over time ;)
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Araidia on February 04, 2016, 12:58:24 AM
Nice work on the game!
But that jumping sound of the walrus in the video almost gave me a heart attack because I wasn't expecting it :w00t:
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on February 04, 2016, 07:44:26 AM
Quote from: utz on February 03, 2016, 05:45:13 PM
So great to see someone from this community fiddle which such ancient hardware. Massive props!
Just gave the beta a quick try in Stella. Plays smooth, but yeah it could do with a little speedup over time ;)
Yeah I agree. I need to give it a try myself at some point or at least trying making ROM hacks. :)

Quote from: Araidia on February 04, 2016, 12:58:24 AM
Nice work on the game!
But that jumping sound of the walrus in the video almost gave me a heart attack because I wasn't expecting it :w00t:
This is why there should probably be some simple music loop at the beginning. :P But again most Atari games have the same problem and some have sound that is particularly loud. For example, when I play SNES games on my CRT TV I have to put the volume at 10 (out of 30), yet with Atari games 3 is extremely loud. :P
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: utz on February 04, 2016, 12:42:32 PM
The problem is that BATARI's built-in music editor is super inefficient in terms of data size. But then again JWinslow23 said he has >2K free, so it should be possible to whip up a little diddle.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on February 04, 2016, 01:11:37 PM
Noted. I will put a simple little music loop at the beginning. Not sure if it'll be just some happy-go-lucky music, or Ancient Kingdom of Happy Hardcore :P
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on February 05, 2016, 02:59:55 AM
Quote from: utz on February 04, 2016, 12:42:32 PM
The problem is that BATARI's built-in music editor is super inefficient in terms of data size. But then again JWinslow23 said he has >2K free, so it should be possible to whip up a little diddle.
How much space does each note take? If we use the beep background track from Ancient Kingdom of Omnimaga, then it's 128 notes long.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on February 05, 2016, 06:52:46 AM
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on February 05, 2016, 02:59:55 AM
Quote from: utz on February 04, 2016, 12:42:32 PM
The problem is that BATARI's built-in music editor is super inefficient in terms of data size. But then again JWinslow23 said he has >2K free, so it should be possible to whip up a little diddle.
How much space does each note take? If we use the beep background track from Ancient Kingdom of Omnimaga, then it's 128 notes long.
In my engine I have right now, then it takes 4 bytes per note per channel (one for volume, one for channel distortion, and one for frequency). So if what you're saying is correct, then it'd be 512 bytes for the song (or something way larger if I decide to add, say, drums, or a harmony, to the second channel). If that's too much space, or if I'm too lazy to sequence it all :P , I'll figure something out.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on February 05, 2016, 07:20:27 AM
Not sure if drums are really a good idea lol. You could always just add a drum pattern that never changes to save space, but would it cause the other sounds to cut off?
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on February 05, 2016, 07:30:57 AM
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on February 05, 2016, 07:20:27 AM
Not sure if drums are really a good idea lol. You could always just add a drum pattern that never changes to save space, but would it cause the other sounds to cut off?
There are two channels of sound that can be played simultaneously. I'm sure that won't be a problem.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on February 05, 2016, 07:34:45 AM
Oh, I thought those required a special chip to be put in cartridges if you put the game on a real cart. ??? (like with Pitfall II)
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on February 05, 2016, 08:35:45 AM
No, it has two audio channels natively. I can't think of many examples, but in River Raid, it is possible to have the airplane (?) audio and the missile audio playing at the same time, and this required no special audio chip. I know that it is completely possible in my game as well to have the flap sound and collectible sound playing at the same time (I placed them on different channels).

If anyone wants to have a look-see at a potential piece of music for next release, here you go. (https://vid.me/lojq)

EDIT: Updated music.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on February 05, 2016, 08:36:32 AM
Omg that sounds better than expected :D. I wonder if you would be able to fit in the other half of the chorus?

And yeeah I guessed that only 1 chan was available based on Custer's Revenge, Indiana Jones, Battlezone and stuff like that :P
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on February 05, 2016, 08:41:28 AM
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on February 05, 2016, 08:36:32 AM
Omg that sounds better than expected :D. I wonder if you would be able to fit in the other half of the chorus?

And yeeah I guessed that only 1 chan was available based on Custer's Revenge, Indiana Jones, Battlezone and stuff like that :P
Thank you so much :) And other half? To be honest I never listened to the original in full, only the Happy Hardcore version :P . I think I'd be able to fit it in, but I need to listen to it first :P
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on February 06, 2016, 07:02:30 AM
YEah the chorus is actually longer than in your video, but you posted a longer video with the full chorus on IRC earlier so that's good. By the way it sounded cool except for a note that seemed off, but I assume it's due to Atari limitations. Anyway for people who don't have IRC I recommend posting progress in the topic if possible. Here's the video for people who didn't see it:

https://vid.me/lojq
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on February 06, 2016, 02:47:51 PM
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on February 06, 2016, 07:02:30 AM
YEah the chorus is actually longer than in your video, but you posted a longer video with the full chorus on IRC earlier so that's good. By the way it sounded cool except for a note that seemed off, but I assume it's due to Atari limitations. Anyway for people who don't have IRC I recommend posting progress in the topic if possible. Here's the video for people who didn't see it:

https://vid.me/lojq
I actually edited the link above. I even said "EDIT: Updated music." :P
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on February 06, 2016, 03:05:57 PM
True but it's bettee to bump the topic when there is an update made hours after replies :P Else we won't notice nor get notified.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on February 06, 2016, 09:07:12 PM
Noted.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on March 16, 2016, 12:36:00 AM
On a side note @JWinslow23 you were featured on TechZonk (on Youtube, their Facebook, Twitter and Google+ page. :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkafJe2iA-c
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600! [Atari 2600]
Post by: JWinslow23 on March 16, 2016, 03:23:48 AM
Well, not bad! I am thanking them right now for taking a look at it.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on March 16, 2016, 03:25:21 AM
The only downside is that they used the version that still lacked the title screen music. :P
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600! [Atari 2600]
Post by: JWinslow23 on March 16, 2016, 03:35:39 AM
That was probably the first thing I noticed. The second is the SLIGHTLY different point increment system (in the new version, iirc every time an obstacle despawned, you'd get a point. his was different, slightly). That's when I knew myself :P
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on March 17, 2016, 08:28:25 AM
That reminds me, have you considered making obstacles move slightly faster over time and/or make more than one appear on the screen sometimes? (the 2nd one would rarely appear, then later would always appear). I bet that having more than 2 sprites would cause flicker, though.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on March 17, 2016, 08:57:03 PM
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on March 17, 2016, 08:28:25 AM
That reminds me, have you considered making obstacles move slightly faster over time and/or make more than one appear on the screen sometimes? (the 2nd one would rarely appear, then later would always appear). I bet that having more than 2 sprites would cause flicker, though.
In my time of searching, I was unable to find a way to even HAVE more than one sprite on screen at once (unless all but one was the exact same graphic :P ). This is part of why Pac Man sucks, because two sprites meant the ghosts had to flicker such that each ghost showed up every 4th frame, because of the sprite flicker caused by needing to display 4 sprites with one. :P
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on March 17, 2016, 10:14:37 PM
I think alittle bit of flickering is tolerable. It's not as bad on CRT TVs anyway. Just as long as it's not as severe as in Pac Man.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on March 18, 2016, 12:04:03 AM
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on March 17, 2016, 10:14:37 PM
I think alittle bit of flickering is tolerable. It's not as bad on CRT TVs anyway. Just as long as it's not as severe as in Pac Man.
Still, I'd have to be pretty resourceful even to milk two sprites out of one.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on March 18, 2016, 04:57:05 AM
Is it that hard even in bAtari Basic to display more than one copy of the same sprite? I remember hearing about techniques such as cloning but I don't know what they meant and if that was ASM-only or not. In any case, 128 bytes of RAM is not a lot to work with >.<.
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: JWinslow23 on March 18, 2016, 06:41:17 AM
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on March 18, 2016, 04:57:05 AM
Is it that hard even in bAtari Basic to display more than one copy of the same sprite? I remember hearing about techniques such as cloning but I don't know what they meant and if that was ASM-only or not. In any case, 128 bytes of RAM is not a lot to work with >.<.
I've heard of some kernels that allow you to do that, but they're hell to deal with (I might, though, sometime). The only other option is to copy it horizontally, which I could do with one more command (but this isn't Space Invaders, so I won't do that).
Title: Re: Wal-Rush! for the Atari 2600!
Post by: Dream of Omnimaga on March 19, 2016, 07:55:17 AM
I see. That's a shame then. Still a nice game, though. I guess the alternative would be to increase the movement speed over time as the score goes up.

I should also check if similar tools or a community exists for the Colecovision. That console sold much less than the 2600 but it was still a nice console back then.