Resource centre for ZX Spectrum games
using Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy game engines
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Manic Miner & Jet Set Willy Yahoo! Group
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Message: 3441
Author: Philip Bee
Date: 11/03/2003
Subject: Re: observations about MvsSB
--- In manicminerandjetsetwilly@yahoogroups.com, "i_eat_teh_babiez"
> 1) guardians can wrap around as in geoff mode (the barrel in 'a
up).
> monkey' is made of horizontal and vertical wraparounds that meet
But surely there are more than eight guardians in that room, then?
The monkey and rocket/missile must take up four guardians. I guessed
that the barrels were a special guardian instance that moves
horizontally and vertically.
> 2) guardians can be multicoloured. the most striking example is
that
> big bird thing :) beautiful. another good use of this is in the
is
> central cavern - the killer weeds are sprites since the fire block
> used up, but they cast no coloured shadow like a sprite would, due
to
> the space in the sprite being set to the background colour.
The multicolour guardians are great!
> 3) the 'harmless fire blocks' poke can be dynamically switched on
any
> screen. i've used this myself, so i recognised some signs of it by
Same as me.
> it's limitations.
> 4) in the monkey room and some others, some floor blocks take on
the
> graphics and colours of the conveyor of that room. they will also
act
> like conveyors unless it's an 'off' conveyor.
I believe so.
> 5) colours are 'poked' onto the screen, to give the illusion of
even
> more blocks. for example some floor blocks are made to look like
Makes sense to me.
> slime in 'deadly descend'
> 6) the fire block of a room can also become a crumbler, which
behaves
> exactly the same as in MM, complete with 'ghosts' for 'invalid'
So we can finally see crumbling ramps!
> bitmaps.
> 7) some guardians do not move until the item(s) are cleared from
the
> room. others are controlled by blocks, surely this is special case
It must be special-case code: some guardians only move when they
> code.
can "see" you.
> 8) a guardian can also be set to behave like a platform.
Yes.
> 9) willy can fall through a platform if it gets momentarily erased
by
> a passing sprite. in the original game engine, this is not possible
Great!
> (i tried it numerous times :). this creates all sorts of
> opportunities for moving holes and periodic 'flashing' platforms.
> i'm kinda tempted to try and learn z80 now, but to be honest my
life
> is too full with other passtimes and ambitions :(
;-(
One thing I noticed is how the room titles are all quite short.
Presumably this is intentional (perhaps the game engine reads some of
the title name for code?).
Obviously the title (in-game) screen, scrolly message and music were
taken out for memory conservation.
Regards,
Phil
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