| |
v3to
Registered: Feb 2005
Posts: 150 |
Wanted! Coder for MapEddi2 hack
Hi there. I am searching for a coder who would like to hack a rather unique C64 tool.
MapEddi2 originally had been developed by Mario Knezovic/Bonespark and was supposed to create character based backgrounds for the never released game Lethal Xcess.
The editor supports basic features like variable maps (about 20 screens max), multicolour charsets and 2x2 blocks. Most interesting feature is a something I would call mini-fli. It is possible to switch up to two usually fixed colours or one colour plus the whole character sets each block line.
The graphic artist is able to use three character/block sets for each background map. There are no restrictions related to the resolution.
But there is a problem with the controls, because it requires a special adaptor and an Amiga- or Atari ST mouse. There is only one existing adaptor left and unfortunately it is broken.
IMHO it is a tragedy that this phenomenal tool is useless this way. I would be very pleased if somebody could create a hack with a 1581 mouse support. The result is dedicated to the scene non profit.
Weblink mapeddi2.d64
|
|
| |
Skate
Registered: Jul 2003
Posts: 494 |
You mean 1351 mouse support? |
| |
v3to
Registered: Feb 2005
Posts: 150 |
oh yes, you are right... my mistake. |
| |
Skate
Registered: Jul 2003
Posts: 494 |
I'll give it a try but no promises. |
| |
v3to
Registered: Feb 2005
Posts: 150 |
Thanks a lot :-) |
| |
v3to
Registered: Feb 2005
Posts: 150 |
oh I forgot. The tool also supports the 8 multicolor to 8 highres definitions for chars and the colors will be set to the blocks (wich means multiple usage possible)... |
| |
Oswald
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 5094 |
sounds like the game editor of a game I saw on the GTW site. I forgot its name, it was to be a vertical shoot em up. and the authors spoke of similar features of the game map. the gfx was very impressive. I wonder how they wanted to plex sprites over this tho :) nmi&irqs probably. |
| |
v3to
Registered: Feb 2005
Posts: 150 |
Bingo. And I am the fool who is responsible that this game had been canceled.
GTW64 Review Lethal Xcess
|
| |
Oswald
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 5094 |
what a horrible shame. its one of the best looking nonfinished games :( |
| |
Ninja
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 411 |
says the creator of how many nonfinished demos? ;) |
| |
Oswald
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 5094 |
yeah, time for a DTW page :D |
| |
Cruzer
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 1048 |
Looks great indeed. Hard to believe those backgrounds are in char mode.
|
| |
Oswald
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 5094 |
BITMAP! makes me think.. as xbow showed with his fli upscroller, using one linecrunched line the whole game could use simply a bitmap, or if 1 pixel / fr speed is enough then no tricks needed at all.. :) lazy to do the math now... |
| |
v3to
Registered: Feb 2005
Posts: 150 |
the levelset is contained in the d64-file (see link above). it is character-based (highres/multicolor-mix), map is built effectively with about 400 blocksets (3x256 blocks without clones)... |
| |
Ninja
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 411 |
Here is my proof-of-concept I did yesterday evening:
http://www.the-dreams.de/mapedit2.prg
(edit: mouse must be on port 2)
It uses the mouse driver by Marco Baye and was just tested with Emulators as my real mouse is not at my place right now. I am not too sure if it fully works like expected (disk menu has no pointer?) but at least it does something already. If you can specify what exactly goes wrong, I will do further updates; I just can't tell if I just don't know how to handle the program, there is an old bug in the tool, or I made something wrong :) |
| |
v3to
Registered: Feb 2005
Posts: 150 |
Hi Ninja,
Thanks for this version, it really looks promising. Here my first impressions by using Vice. I will check this on my C128 later.
The mouse-buttons are switched and for some reason the program crashes if I tried to load a file.
You will get a pointer in the disk menu if you read the directory first. It is some kind of initialising process, because the original adapter is connected through the serial port and affects the diskdrive sometimes (probably not the most elegant way to do that)... |
| |
Ninja
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 411 |
The crash is probably because the mouse driver gets overwritten by the loaded file. I assumed the current place for that code is not safe yet, but I could not load a file for testing :) Will fix this and the switched mouse buttons this evening.
The original adapter was connected to the serial? From the code, I'd say it was connected to Port2. Or was there more to that adaptor than just mouse?
|
| |
v3to
Registered: Feb 2005
Posts: 150 |
Port 2 is right. The serial port was used for the right mousebutton (don't ask, I do not know the reason why)...
just found a photo of the adapter.
 |
| |
Lubber
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 26 |
mmh, why not simply use some keystrokes instead of designing a special hardware just to get the right mouse button working? (i mean that was back in 1991 then!)
Besides that: The game looks just great! (very good conversion comparing to the amiga-screenshots)
i wonder the "minifli"-routine and the spritemultiplexer worked without flickering |
| |
chatGPZ
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 11386 |
lol, that adapter is weird =) it's not like its a problem to use a second button with the regular joyport =) |
| |
Oswald
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 5094 |
Quote: mmh, why not simply use some keystrokes instead of designing a special hardware just to get the right mouse button working? (i mean that was back in 1991 then!)
Besides that: The game looks just great! (very good conversion comparing to the amiga-screenshots)
i wonder the "minifli"-routine and the spritemultiplexer worked without flickering
well, I'd use a timer-nmi interrupt to hit the badlines, and raster irqs for multiplexing. thus, "mini fli" changes would have a priority over multiplexing, which can survive a delay of a rasterline or two if it's coded with the nmi's in mind, and there are not too much sprites around. |
| |
Ninja
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 411 |
gpz: well, the second button was routed to POTX and there seemed to be a problem, that it could get stuck. Maybe this additional line from the serial port was kind of a reset for that button? Who knows, maybe the hardware will show up again, then we can have a look.
By the way, Veto and I consider the case of converting the editor to 1351 closed by now :D |
| |
v3to
Registered: Feb 2005
Posts: 150 |
phew. it is done. |
| |
v3to
Registered: Feb 2005
Posts: 150 |
Quote: well, I'd use a timer-nmi interrupt to hit the badlines, and raster irqs for multiplexing. thus, "mini fli" changes would have a priority over multiplexing, which can survive a delay of a rasterline or two if it's coded with the nmi's in mind, and there are not too much sprites around.
Mario told me recently that this is exactly the way he did... |
| |
TNT
Account closed
Registered: Oct 2004
Posts: 189 |
Quote: lol, that adapter is weird =) it's not like its a problem to use a second button with the regular joyport =)
Not all mice are equal. I have a Roctec Amiga mouse which works just fine with Amiga but buttons refuse to work with C64. Not a big loss, it's crap anyway :) |
