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Forums > C64 Pixeling > Games with ECM mode?
2020-02-25 22:38
Carrion

Registered: Feb 2009
Posts: 317
Games with ECM mode?

Hi there.
I recently experimented a bit with ECM and It could actually give really kool results if used cleverly - even with only 64 chars. Almost NES like gfx ... No tools to support it though, or at least I don't know one. (Charpad is out of scope I guess)

I was wondering if there are any games that utilize the Enhanced Color (Background) Mode for doing level gfx?

What about demos?
I guess if it comes to demos there were probably some ECM plasmas or similar f/x.
And let's not mention all the noters here ;)
2020-02-25 22:42
Frantic

Registered: Mar 2003
Posts: 1627
(Nothing)
2020-02-26 00:32
Krill

Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 2839
I may be missing something, but isn't ECM visually effectively like hires bitmap, but with fewer background colours to choose from? (Granted, it is animateable/scrollable a lot more efficiently.)

I fail to come up with any game examples, but in demos, it has at least one more standard application, albeit a very subtle one: doubling the amount of line definitions to choose from in hires FPP routines.

That is, in addition to $d018/$dd00 to select a charset and screen, one more select bit is gained by setting $d011 to choose ECM or plain hires charset mode, with the chars themselves being set to $40+ (which are AND-masked with $3f in ECM). (The actual amount of select bits coming from $d018/$dd00 depends on a few more factors, like whether FLI/badline DMA is used.)
2020-02-26 01:29
WHW

Registered: Apr 2004
Posts: 6
Interestingly there was a topic discussing this very question on Lemon64 almost a year ago!

https://www.lemon64.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=70776

Games listed include:

Quod Init Exit
QUOD INIT EXIT llm
VVVVVV
Squid Jump
Tapper
Goblin
Spy Hunter (according to Oziphantom)
Paul Koller's LuftrauserZ

And for editing, C64 Studio supports it.
2020-02-26 01:35
4mat

Registered: May 2010
Posts: 63
All the screens in our Instinct demo are ECM. This was because the midi driver can take almost all the rastertime so it was easier to get more colours with this than try and sync some raster splits.
2020-02-26 05:53
oziphantom

Registered: Oct 2014
Posts: 478
CBM prg Studio, in its Screen editor,
Screen >> Mode >> Extended
lets you make a ECBM screen, it is the only one I know of that does it.

Kung-Fu Master is also ECBM
2020-02-26 11:13
Frantic

Registered: Mar 2003
Posts: 1627
I may be wrong, but I *think* the goa brudbilder series uses ECM.
2020-02-26 18:27
S.E.S.

Registered: Apr 2010
Posts: 19
I know of two games that use ECM:
Match Buster [16kb cartridge]
1K-mini-bdash
:-)
2020-02-26 18:33
Carrion

Registered: Feb 2009
Posts: 317
All Thanks for reply and suggestions. I will check the game you mentioned. Some of them I actually know by now.

I think ECM has potential to be used in some platform kind of games - hence the
question in the thread. Ofcoz there's only 64 chars to be used but the hires and some extra colors in it makes this mode so tempting and challenging to me.

Regarding the tools, I will check CBM PRg Studio but another one just came to my mind... One could, actually use c64 Debugger by Slajerek to do it in the build in VIC editor... I think I'll try this approach too.
2020-02-26 23:42
Twoflower

Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 434
This one - J.Fox Editor ECM - is a variety of the J.Fox editor that supports ECM. Have played around a little with it, seems to be what you are looking for.
2020-02-27 00:06
ptoing

Registered: Sep 2005
Posts: 271
I think H.E.R.O. uses ECM as well.
 
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