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Message: 5017

Author: Alexandra

Date: 06/11/2005

Subject: Re: JSWED: Andrew's comments (Chapters 11, 12, 13)

 

> I'm not sure about JSW64's policy of using the Cell-Class 1 pixel-
> pattern for disassociated colour-attributes. Manic Miner uses
> seemingly random pixel-patterns - my guess is that it runs through
> memory (even after the cell-class definitions) looking for the first
> occurrence of the colour-attribute, and using the next 8 bytes as
> the pixel-pattern.

I liked that little detail. Not only can you do solid colour-blocks
like in the Erix1 engine, but you can have the platforms (water) in
any colourscheme you like. This leads to very attractive rooms.

Only thing that stopped me using it is the fact that you have to
update the whole screen yourself if you change the colours, and I tend
to do that a lot!

> Seeing as Variant Z represents screen-layouts with arbitrary colour-
> attributes, why not allow the room's 256 free bytes to be used as an
> overflow-buffer where extra sets of colour-attributes and pixel-
> patterns can be stored if the author so wishes? If the game-engine
> didn't find the colour-attribute in the cell-class definitions, it
> would resume searching for it in the free bytes.

That sounds like a good idea!

> Did I read somewhere that the items in a Bonus Room don't count
> towards removing Maria? Sacrilege!

No, that was probably me asking if John could program it like that.
But I've worked out a different way to be sacreligous with items
instead :). (I won't go into details since I've spoken about too many
unstarted game ideas!)

> It's really cool that the screen colour-cycles when you get an extra
> life, as in Manic Miner.

Indeed, that made my day when I saw it. (Really)

> Perhaps certain JSW games could give you an extra life after you've
> collected a certain number of items, or exceeded a certain score (to
> which points are awarded for collecting items and visiting rooms
> that you haven't visited before).

This is something I've been hoping/asking for for a while now. It
makes a lot of sense. It would mean a room with a stockpile of items
would have strategic significance. Also, I think overall JSW games are
TOO HARD and players need extra lives not to be discouraged. It would
be nice to play the occasional game without cheating ;)

> * If you have two conveyors trying to pull Willy in opposite
> directions, the one under his right character-column takes
> precedence.

It's also interesting how opposing adjacent ramps interact.

Sendy

 

 

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