Looks great. Instant buy for me as an Arkanoid-fan. Hint: the 250 Blocks big PRG-file probably will not load on stock OS. Why not using a modern cruncher? With Exomizer I got the filesize down to 65 blocks.
Technical Note for VICE & Real C64 Users: Please avoid using traditional disk loading (.d64) for the .prg file, as the game utilizes almost the entire 64KB RAM (up to $FF4F). While compression (Exomizer) is possible, I do not recommend it due to potential memory conflicts with the decompression routines. For a flawless experience, please use the 'Inject to RAM' feature in VICE or load the .prg directly. This ensures all 133 sprites and complex IRQ routines initialize correctly without interference
Ah yes, that helped with Vice. I had "Copy to disk" activated instead of "Inject into Ram". Thank you!
Nice Game btw!
Lots of extras (showers of extras to be precise :) )
Not necessarily every brick has to go to get into the next level
I am a sucker for parallax scrolling and yes, that was one of the reasons for buying it. Great (including the shadows!)
Suggestions:
Don't stop the background scrolling completely after moving the bat. Let it scroll slowly (!) to the last direction, to have a more "kinetic" feeling about it (at least I hope so)
Pressing Fire should speed up the bat (would be nice to have). I know, that collides with the cannon, but maybe you find a way (like only fire the cannon, when the bat is not moved)
When the cannon extra is activated and I clear the level with it; I happen to trigger the fire button even when the next level is shown (maybe that is just me). Therefore no pause to me, the "fire button starts the level" mechanic is already triggered then. Maybe have some fancy effect to introduce the next level, so braindead players like me do not autofire the whole time :)
Hi! Thank you for these great suggestions. Here are my thoughts on them:
Kinetic scrolling: This is a fantastic idea! I can implement this in v1.1. I will set the minimum 'drift' speed to 2 pixels per frame, because in C64 multi-color mode, anything slower would make the background pattern break apart. It will definitely add to the atmosphere!
Speed boost with Fire: Technically I could do this, but from my experience (especially with shooters), it doesn't work well in the heat of the action. With a joystick, it’s almost impossible to stop perfectly still just to fire the cannon while the ball is flying around.
Autofire & Level transitions: You are right about the 'braindead' start. If someone uses a joystick with auto-fire turned on, the next level starts instantly. To fix this, I’m considering moving the 'Start Level' trigger from the Fire button to the 'S' key. By the way, I recommend trying the game with the keyboard; I find it much more precise than a joystick for this type of game!
The Ultimate Solution: The best experience will definitely be the Paddle support. With a paddle, the speed is 100% in your hands: turn it slowly for fine adjustments, or flick it fast for a quick save. It perfectly follows your rhythm. I highly recommend getting one—it will be a whole new game with it! Thanks again for the constructive ideas, stay tuned for v1.1
Please write down your email address; I might send you the updated Rob-Man. I’ve removed the level start triggered by the joystick fire button, and the parallax scroll no longer stops when we aren't moving. For now, I’m curious to see how you like it. The full update isn’t finished yet (I haven't managed to get an original paddle yet).
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Does the game have High Score Saving support?
Instant buy if paddle support gets added!
Paddle support in the future?
Yeah paddle support is most wanted!
and maybe mouse support (1351 and Amiga)?
Nice game!
Thank you for your purchase!
Have fun playing!
It doesn’t run on VICE… I just get a red screen.
In Vice Simulator, make sure the "Inject into RAM" option is checked in the Autostart settings.
Preferences / Settings / Host / Autostart:
Check "Inject into RAM"
and "Attach image LOAD and RUN"
Then, use the mouse to select the .prg file, and simply drop it onto VICE
Thank you for your purchase!
Have fun playing!
TOP!!! Thanks!!
Okay, perfect — it works!!
Update - nevermind - works in Denise
Looks great. Instant buy for me as an Arkanoid-fan. Hint: the 250 Blocks big PRG-file probably will not load on stock OS. Why not using a modern cruncher? With Exomizer I got the filesize down to 65 blocks.
Thank you for your purchase!
Have fun playing!
Technical Note for VICE & Real C64 Users:
Please avoid using traditional disk loading (.d64) for the .prg file, as the game utilizes almost the entire 64KB RAM (up to $FF4F). While compression (Exomizer) is possible, I do not recommend it due to potential memory conflicts with the decompression routines. For a flawless experience, please use the 'Inject to RAM' feature in VICE or load the .prg directly. This ensures all 133 sprites and complex IRQ routines initialize correctly without interference
Hmmm - it loads here,,, then only red screen (VICE)
In Vice Simulator, make sure the "Inject into RAM" option is checked in the Autostart settings.
Preferences / Settings / Host / Autostart:
Check "Inject into RAM"
and "Attach image LOAD and RUN"
Then, use the mouse to select the .prg file, and simply drop it onto VIC
Thank you for your purchase!
Have fun playing!
Ah yes, that helped with Vice. I had "Copy to disk" activated instead of "Inject into Ram". Thank you!
Nice Game btw!
Suggestions:
Just ideas, it is already good as it is!!
Hi! Thank you for these great suggestions. Here are my thoughts on them:
Thanks again for the constructive ideas, stay tuned for v1.1
Please write down your email address; I might send you the updated Rob-Man. I’ve removed the level start triggered by the joystick fire button, and the parallax scroll no longer stops when we aren't moving. For now, I’m curious to see how you like it. The full update isn’t finished yet (I haven't managed to get an original paddle yet).
Thanks,
Robert