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Musing about a possible project...
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Steve Nickolas
Sep 28, 2012, 6:11:42 AM9/28/12
to
...but man, this is gonna hurt if I even come close to pulling it off.
There's a game which was only officially released on the Sega SG-1000 that
I really like, and it's fairly simple. I have an unofficial disk-based
port of this to the MSX (similar hardware, different sound chip which is
the same as the Mockingboard's; I mentioned it in the Arcade Board
thread).
I've thought of trying to port it, but it might be way out of my league as
my graphics ability, frankly, sucks and I don't have tools for working
with Z80. Still... It would be nice to see Girl's Garden on other
hardware.
Another idea I've thought of was porting Galaga or Bosconian. Both of
these have MSX ports as well; Galaga also has an NES port and a 7800 port
(the latter of which might even have source) which would lessen the CPU
issue.
-uso.
There's a game which was only officially released on the Sega SG-1000 that
I really like, and it's fairly simple. I have an unofficial disk-based
port of this to the MSX (similar hardware, different sound chip which is
the same as the Mockingboard's; I mentioned it in the Arcade Board
thread).
I've thought of trying to port it, but it might be way out of my league as
my graphics ability, frankly, sucks and I don't have tools for working
with Z80. Still... It would be nice to see Girl's Garden on other
hardware.
Another idea I've thought of was porting Galaga or Bosconian. Both of
these have MSX ports as well; Galaga also has an NES port and a 7800 port
(the latter of which might even have source) which would lessen the CPU
issue.
-uso.
aiia...@gmail.com
Sep 28, 2012, 9:38:52 AM9/28/12
to
On Friday, September 28, 2012 3:05:40 AM UTC-7, Steve Nickolas wrote:
> ...but man, this is gonna hurt if I even come close to pulling it off.
>
> ...but man, this is gonna hurt if I even come close to pulling it off.
>
> Galaga also has an NES port and a 7800 port
>
> (the latter of which might even have source)
I've been looking at SMB NES source code considering whether or not I should port it from source.. I have graphics routines written (scrolling, sprites, collision detect) and just got the mario theme song to play on the mockingboard, through the MCS interrupt driven player. Sound effects shouldn't be difficult.
>
> (the latter of which might even have source)
What it would take: Remove graphics and sound routines from the source and replace them with my own.
I'm having lots of fun. You mention not being good at graphics. I'm not either, but look at rich12345.tripod.com/basicmario . I used an NES emulator to capture graphics, windows PAINT to shrink them to fit the apple II screen and remove color, then I used a program I wrote for the apple II to capture the graphics from the HGR screen. It took about 4 hours to copy all of the graphics from the NES version of SMB. That included some pixel art to make them look right (I had to reduce 16X16 tiles to 14X14.)
I know it probably wouldn't work for MSX music, but I converted the SMB theme from MIDI (mariopiano.com) to mockingboard MCS format. (that was my latest side-track. I am able to convert MIDI music to the mockingboard. will upload it soon).
I think that SMB *source* would port and be fast enough with some cuts in features. No background graphics (clouds, hills, trees, etc). No animations on screen of coin blocks, coins. No floatey numbers.
porting source and/or trying to disassemble things can be interesting. Lots to think about
Lemme know if you want help. I think it would be fun.
Rich
Egan Ford
Sep 28, 2012, 12:23:38 PM9/28/12
to
On 9/28/12 4:11 AM, Steve Nickolas wrote:
> I don't have tools for working with Z80
What do you need?
> I don't have tools for working with Z80
BLuRry
Sep 28, 2012, 1:13:45 PM9/28/12
to
Even saying that, a hit to the framerate would pale in comparison to how awesome a galaga port would be, even if it were not quite as cool as the original.
-B
Steve Nickolas
Sep 28, 2012, 2:31:09 PM9/28/12
to
On Fri, 28 Sep 2012, aiia...@gmail.com wrote:
> I know it probably wouldn't work for MSX music, but I converted the SMB
> theme from MIDI (mariopiano.com) to mockingboard MCS format. (that was
> my latest side-track. I am able to convert MIDI music to the
> mockingboard. will upload it soon).
Might actually be easier. The MSX uses an AY-8910 (same as Mockingboard).
> I know it probably wouldn't work for MSX music, but I converted the SMB
> theme from MIDI (mariopiano.com) to mockingboard MCS format. (that was
> my latest side-track. I am able to convert MIDI music to the
> mockingboard. will upload it soon).
> Lemme know if you want help. I think it would be fun.
know the first thing about the Z80 and I don't think I have a tool to DASM
Z80. :(
-uso.
Steve Nickolas
Sep 28, 2012, 2:32:51 PM9/28/12
to
again since I wouldn't detect them. (since Ricardo Bittencourt's port
starts at the known address $0100, and I don't know where a SG-1000
cartridge loads in memory)
-uso.
Steve Nickolas
Sep 28, 2012, 2:36:42 PM9/28/12
to
On Fri, 28 Sep 2012, BLuRry wrote:
> All very tempting, but remember that some of these platforms had
> hardware-managed sprites. You'd have to do a lot of buffer management
> to get close to replicating that, so porting will require more than just
> 1:1 code translation. One easy solution is to render games with
> solid-color playfields so that erasing sprites will not require a more
> expensive memory copy.
Well aware. I was figuring I'd want to use both screens, memory
> All very tempting, but remember that some of these platforms had
> hardware-managed sprites. You'd have to do a lot of buffer management
> to get close to replicating that, so porting will require more than just
> 1:1 code translation. One easy solution is to render games with
> solid-color playfields so that erasing sprites will not require a more
> expensive memory copy.
permitting.
> Even saying that, a hit to the framerate would pale in comparison to how
> awesome a galaga port would be, even if it were not quite as cool as the
> original.
I've seen were to the 7800, MSX and NES (well, there was an SG-1000 port
but it was not very accurate, LOL SEGA PORTING NAMCO).
-uso.
D Finnigan
Sep 28, 2012, 3:27:23 PM9/28/12
to
would really shine on the IIgs, though. Especically the enhanced Galaga that
came out later.
--
]DF$
Apple II Book: http://macgui.com/newa2guide/
Mac GUI Vault: http://macgui.com/vault/
Usenet Archive: http://macgui.com/usenet/
Steve Nickolas
Sep 28, 2012, 3:44:56 PM9/28/12
to
On Fri, 28 Sep 2012, D Finnigan wrote:
> Steve Nickolas wrote:
>> On Fri, 28 Sep 2012, BLuRry wrote:
>>
>>> Even saying that, a hit to the framerate would pale in comparison to how
>>> awesome a galaga port would be, even if it were not quite as cool as the
>>> original.
>>
>> Yeah. Galaga was awesome back in the day. Pity the only official ports
>> I've seen were to the 7800, MSX and NES (well, there was an SG-1000 port
>> but it was not very accurate, LOL SEGA PORTING NAMCO).
>
> ISTR playing an 8-bit Apple II Galaga knock-off. A full-on port of Galaga
> would really shine on the IIgs, though. Especically the enhanced Galaga that
> came out later.
Gaplus or Galaga 88?
> Steve Nickolas wrote:
>> On Fri, 28 Sep 2012, BLuRry wrote:
>>
>>> Even saying that, a hit to the framerate would pale in comparison to how
>>> awesome a galaga port would be, even if it were not quite as cool as the
>>> original.
>>
>> Yeah. Galaga was awesome back in the day. Pity the only official ports
>> I've seen were to the 7800, MSX and NES (well, there was an SG-1000 port
>> but it was not very accurate, LOL SEGA PORTING NAMCO).
>
> ISTR playing an 8-bit Apple II Galaga knock-off. A full-on port of Galaga
> would really shine on the IIgs, though. Especically the enhanced Galaga that
> came out later.
Galaga 88 would be real nice on the GS.
-uso.
aiia...@gmail.com
Sep 28, 2012, 3:42:36 PM9/28/12
to
On Friday, September 28, 2012 3:05:40 AM UTC-7, Steve Nickolas wrote:
> ...but man, this is gonna hurt if I even come close to pulling it off.
>
links please so we don't have to look
>
Steve Nickolas
Sep 28, 2012, 3:56:35 PM9/28/12
to
http://www.ricbit.com/mundobizarro/girls.php?lg=us
It's a direct conversion so is 100% identical (apart from "RICBIT" on the
title screen) to the original, but it's been ported to the MSX
necessitating sound conversion to the AY-8910 which the Mockingboard also
has.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oyZ_u_e3Wo
here's a good gameplay video.
-uso.
Steve Nickolas
Sep 28, 2012, 9:21:41 PM9/28/12
to
Turns out that I do have the means of disassembling Z80 code. But I can't
do the kind of step-trace-modify debugging in the emus I have, I don't
think, that I can do in AppleWin. (Maybe NO$MSX can. but it's not as
good an emulator in general.)
-uso.
do the kind of step-trace-modify debugging in the emus I have, I don't
think, that I can do in AppleWin. (Maybe NO$MSX can. but it's not as
good an emulator in general.)
-uso.
Kevin
Sep 28, 2012, 10:08:14 PM9/28/12
to
On Friday, September 28, 2012 12:13:45 PM UTC-5, BLuRry wrote:
> All very tempting, but remember that some of these platforms had hardware-managed sprites.
sounds like an excuse to add more software for the arcade board, as just about all the machines this game was made for uses the good ole TMS VDG
> All very tempting, but remember that some of these platforms had hardware-managed sprites.
but who all has one in the apple II world? dunno...
Steve Nickolas
Sep 28, 2012, 10:26:25 PM9/28/12
to
And yeah. A lot of games could be quite readily ported to an Arcade
Board, although they would need CPU translation.
-uso.
bloomer_au
Sep 28, 2012, 10:35:54 PM9/28/12
to
Girl's Garden? A surprise suggestion I never expected anyone to make, but a game I can vouch for big time! As I said in my (thoroughly overblown) gamefaqs review of it probably a decade ago now, 'A Girl's Garden is no place for wimps.'
- Wade
- Wade
Steve Nickolas
Sep 28, 2012, 11:51:54 PM9/28/12
to
-uso.
D Finnigan
Sep 29, 2012, 4:17:39 PM9/29/12
to
Steve Nickolas wrote:
> On Fri, 28 Sep 2012, D Finnigan wrote:
>>
>> ISTR playing an 8-bit Apple II Galaga knock-off. A full-on port of Galaga
>> would really shine on the IIgs, though. Especically the enhanced Galaga
>> that
>> came out later.
>
> Gaplus or Galaga 88?
>
> Galaga 88 would be real nice on the GS.
88
>>
>> ISTR playing an 8-bit Apple II Galaga knock-off. A full-on port of Galaga
>> would really shine on the IIgs, though. Especically the enhanced Galaga
>> that
>> came out later.
>
> Gaplus or Galaga 88?
>
> Galaga 88 would be real nice on the GS.
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