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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 ;) |
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Frantic
Registered: Mar 2003
Posts: 1648 |
(Nothing) |
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Krill
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 2980 |
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.) |
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WHW
Account closed
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. |
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4mat
Registered: May 2010
Posts: 66 |
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. |
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oziphantom
Registered: Oct 2014
Posts: 490 |
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 |
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Frantic
Registered: Mar 2003
Posts: 1648 |
I may be wrong, but I *think* the goa brudbilder series uses ECM. |
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S.E.S.
Registered: Apr 2010
Posts: 19 |
I know of two games that use ECM:
Match Buster [16kb cartridge]
1K-mini-bdash
:-) |
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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. |
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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. |
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ptoing
Registered: Sep 2005
Posts: 271 |
I think H.E.R.O. uses ECM as well. |
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oziphantom
Registered: Oct 2014
Posts: 490 |
I also think H.E.R.O is ECBM from when I reversed it, but I can't be 100%, but it would explain how it does the fire/water effect on the hud.
Probably most Atari 2600 conversion are, due to the limited number of chars needed for those games. |
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Stone
Registered: Oct 2006
Posts: 172 |
Manic Miner |
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STE'86
Registered: Jul 2009
Posts: 274 |
Delta uses ECM so it can do the different coloured sw sprite bullets as i recall |
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Toki
Account closed
Registered: May 2016
Posts: 5 |
I’m working on the sequel to The Bear Essentials which will use EBCM.
I couldn’t find a tiled screen editor that worked in this mode, so I’ve started developing my own editor in Unity.
I have the char editor finished currently, so I’ll be working on the tile and screen editor next.
I think Vanja’s 4k game Dog also uses this mode. |
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Digger
Registered: Mar 2005
Posts: 437 |
What's EBCM? |
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Krill
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 2980 |
Quoting DiggerWhat's EBCM? Enhanced Background Colour Mode. Just a synonym for ECM. |
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Carrion
Registered: Feb 2009
Posts: 317 |
@STE
That's really interesting. Gonna check Delta to see this
@Toki
Thanks for info gonna check this right away.
moar pls :D |
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Oswald
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 5094 |
Quote: Quoting DiggerWhat's EBCM? Enhanced Background Colour Mode. Just a synonym for ECM.
extended :P |
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Carrion
Registered: Feb 2009
Posts: 317 |
@Oswald
I think so, but we know what Krill meant. ;) |
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Krill
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 2980 |
Quoting CarrionI was wondering if there are any games that utilize the Enhanced Color (Background) Mode for doing level gfx? Wrote "extended" first, wasn't sure myself, checked OP and edited to "enhanced". Oh well. =) |
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JackAsser
Registered: Jun 2002
Posts: 2014 |
Quote: Quoting CarrionI was wondering if there are any games that utilize the Enhanced Color (Background) Mode for doing level gfx? Wrote "extended" first, wasn't sure myself, checked OP and edited to "enhanced". Oh well. =)
Extraordinary? Enchanted? |
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Dane
Registered: May 2002
Posts: 423 |
Since you asked about demos, the chessboard floor in EoD also uses this enchanted mode. |
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Smasher
Registered: Feb 2003
Posts: 521 |
Endpart of Gerposaurus uses ECM |
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Krill
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 2980 |
Well, additionally to mere namedropping, it would be somewhat informative if you'd tell to what purpose/benefit that mode was used. |
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TheRyk
Registered: Mar 2009
Posts: 2249 |
Quote: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.)
Main advantage that might not matter a great deal for trackmo maniacs but could be crucial in game-coding is less waste of RAM compared to HiRes bitmap combined with extra color options compared to HiRes text. In games or other situations in which graphics are re-used big deal ECM can be nice to have. For demo coding I'd normally agree HiRes is superior unless you can sledge-hammer some very special problem like the one 4-mat described. PS (offtopic): Just btw PETSCII ECM has been tried, too, though not with results that were a blast IIRC. Lookee here or here PPS: must correct myself, this one WAS a blast: Plascii Petsma |
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oziphantom
Registered: Oct 2014
Posts: 490 |
with Squid Jump, it lets me get more colours on the screen without having to scroll CRAM. Since the scroller is right on the limits, it either ECBM or Fixed 2 colours..
Spy Hunter uses it to also speed up scrolling.
H.E.R.O probably uses it to get more colours as well without having to do raster splits. |
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zscs
Registered: Sep 2010
Posts: 49 |
Is Wolfling also uses ECM mode?
(I'm not familiar with this special mode) |
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JackAsser
Registered: Jun 2002
Posts: 2014 |
Quote: Is Wolfling also uses ECM mode?
(I'm not familiar with this special mode)
No. This is plain multi color characters. (bit 7 on the color ram data controls if the char is rendered in hires or lowres) |
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Raz
Account closed
Registered: Aug 2003
Posts: 16 |
Concerning demos that use ECM: I use ECM for the fire-effect in Gumbo (Gumbo Revised) - I have explained that effect in details in a forum thread here: Release id #185647 : Gumbo Revised
The reason is simply to allow for a gradual fading between a wide range of colors, by having a dithering pattern over 64 chars ($00-$3f) and alternating the "direction" of the flow of chars as shown in the example below. (In the end I used a non-linear transformation with fewer colors, for a more flame-like effect, but see the full forum post for info about that).
// Color ramps
// bk : 07
// ec1: 08
// ec2: 02
// ec3: 0b
// CHAR COL ; BK COL ; bit patt ; direction
// -----------------------------------------
// 01 ; 07 ; 00 ; 00-3f
// 0a ; 07 ; 00 ; 3f-00
// 0a ; 08 ; 01 ; 00-3f
// 04 ; 08 ; 01 ; 3f-00
// 04 ; 02 ; 10 ; 00-3f
// 09 ; 02 ; 10 ; 3f-00
// 09 ; 0b ; 11 ; 00-3f
// 00 ; 0b ; 11 ; 3f-00
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