Lunar Gravitar wip

[kristian]

@Shocky: have you presented these in some classic video game specific forums? You're doing a damn good job with these.... and I'm sure there would be a lot of interest.

Can you make me special Gravitar version where all terrains are invisible... and no other changes? I'd like to practice it because I'm aiming to complete the game.... i.e play a full loop... now it takes almost an hour to play to the invisible levels. It'd be appreciated.

 

[Shockman]

I could build the levels, but for practice, the physics would have to be spot on.

So you want clones of the Gravitar levels? I could do that easier than original ones like I was thinking. Originally, it was just going to be a taste of Gravitar in a Lunar Lander game. But after today it is turning out to be more Gravitar, and in fact the build I am working on now starts at Gravitar's home base in it's world and the lander level is one of the planets you can visit, and the only playable. You will fly there (to the lander planet) and start that level with the Gravitar ship and Lunar Lander will be a bonus, game, though a the full game if I can swing it, Just as an option though. Maybe, if you want to play Lunar Lander, you will tractor the lander from where it lands now, (the beam will lock on while it holds the lander). Take it near the top of the screen and you will grab control of the lander while the fighter goes to and waits, where it sits in the released demo now. Hopefully you will encounter a few classics in this manor and be able to play a level from them.

I am convinced that at least one Major Havoc subterranean level will be included on one planet with the same side shearing landing there.

In answer to your first question, No. They are only published at YoYo games, and there the vintage classics are bottom shelf, and each good game is surrounded by a ton of garbage.

To make my own game that strongly resembles an existing one is one thing. To clone every aspect is another, and very rare. Like only a hand full out of each 100,000 rare. Many seem to be time based, others releases due to waning interest. Others limited by talent, or unexpected effort. My games are abandoned if they don't meet standards.

Clones vs 'type games is like building a puzzle and putting one together. Build one and it is what it is, if you fail at something you wanted, you can pretend it was never a part of your concept. But fail at any bit of someone else puzzle, and it is obviously wrong.

 

[kristian]

@Shocky: I want the game to be exactly like the original... just the green terrain to be invisible (black).

Another version with new planets and re-designed terrains would be cool though... but that's a different story... I could help you with that one if I find time... but first I'd like to get a hack where I could practice those invisible levels... especially this one:
http://www.cooganphoto.com/gravitar/ss3-p3-invisible-landscape.html

It takes an hour to play to this planet w/ invisible terrain... it's frustrating... you only get 1-2 attempts and the fuel runs out... it's insanely hard planet in invisible... especially invisible + reverse gravity.

if all the surfaces were black right from the getgo I could practice them and eventually complete the whole game fair and square. That kind of hack would be awesome.

 

[Shockman]

Create a Sta folder if you don't have one. You may need a newer version of MAME too.

Play with cheats on, just to get there, or not would be better (because when you complete it, you win, not just succeed in that level.), then press save state ( press shift+F7 ), you will be prompted to press a number for the save slot. Retrieve a copy of that file and put it in a folder called stash in mame. Next time you have the game loaded press F7 to load the state and pick a slot. Each game can have up to I think 9 or 10 slots.

Level select cheats don't seem to be found, but I don't know how old my .dat file is.

If you'd like to automatically save the state when exiting MAME, and automatically restore the state the next time you run any game that supports save states, you can add the -autosave option to the command line. For example:
mame Gravitar -autosave
will automatically save the state of the game when you exit, and will pick up where you left off the next time you run it.

 

[kristian]

Thanks.... I'll give it a shot.

 

[Shockman]

I use MAMEUIFX32 and MAMEPUI64 You can set this autosave in those under default game options/miscellaneous

 

[Shockman]

Work log update,

Zoom in for the level select screen is in, and the background sound. Is there another game where you can die selecting levels?
Work is under way for the next two planets.

- Link planet for level 1 is working. 20 seconds. I have not made it yet. I might need to make it 25 seconds. I know I can do it in 20 with these physics, but it's too much a challenge for level 1. Maybe I will keep 20 and make it easier with less gravity.

- It is faster to get to the planets, or sometimes seems so, and in some positions certainly is, if you instead of fighting the strong pull of gravity in the planet select screen, slingshot around the sun. This takes pratice, and is very dangerous if done to the max as you circle very tightly the sun while thrusting towards it. You can actually settle into a stable orbit at any altitude. It's pretty cool, an effect, not something I worked towards.

- Planet one is the subterranean part of the level in the demo. You can grab the lander at any time and play that, the Gravitar game will be where you left off as far as fuel tanks, turrets, time, and score, but you will get a bonus based on the score in lander.

- Planet two is a Gravitar surface and horizontal tunnel run with downward gravity. The landscape needs work, and bunkers.

- The link planet is the same as the arcade game.

The screenshots are in-game. As you can see I am in the process of changing to realistic per game info display ports at the top of the screen. Planet two still has both yet.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

sorry. been a rough week for me. project is looking cool and i'm looking forward to doing some more testing soon. hope i can help in some way, going forward.

 

[kristian]

Version 0.1.28 download is 28 bytes and contains nothing....!!

 

[Shockman]

Thanks. And sorry. I fixed that.

I almost uploaded this newer version but it is not ready. I will upload a new version maybe tonight, or tomorrow.

-Increased line width. It is more vivid.
-Planets zoom in and animate.
-3 planets to visit.
-More, and more authentic sound.
-Mission change for Lander sequence.
-I'll explain more when it is released.

 

[kristian]

This keyboard combination doesn't work.... there's only one way to make it playable on a keyboard... and that means using the original Asteroids/Gravitar/Space Duel 5-button controlling system.

For the keyboard that means:

Z-Rotate left
X-Rotate right
SPACEBAR-shield/tractor
SLASH-Thrust
RIGHT SHIFT-fire

Using the cursor keys for anything kills it for me... can't play it.

 

[Shockman]

Thanks.

The keys are already configured that way in what will be the next version.
The joystick is going to in that configuration as well.

 

[kristian]

Very cool.... looking forward to it. This is pretty damn impressive work although I don't care for Lunar Lander as a game much at all.... except from a historic perspective.

I'd love to see Gravitar with new levels and unaltered physics & other stuff. I mean... how can you improve something that's perfect?

 

[Shockman]

Thanks. I am pleased with how it is turning out, with only a week into the parts I have added.

You can play the up-coming version without playing Lunar Lander at all. You will descend down through it and enter the tunnel and play that subterranean level, and you will see the lander, but if you don't grab it, you won't be bothered with it. Right now that's planet 1 of level 1, but it is going to be anything other than planet one in the end, because it's too hard. There will either be a bonus game attached to one planet in each of the four levels, or there will be an extra planet in each level. If I go with cloning the levels of the original Gravitar, these bonus games will be attached to an original Gravitar planet added, which you could help design if you like. If the game is full of original levels, then they will be attached to one of the planets, but none will be mandatory either way I go with that.

The 4 bonus games will probably be, Lunar Lander, which I love by the way, Star Castle, Omega race, and maybe Asteroids. And there will be cameos of more vector games that are not playable. For example you might go to a planet with another subterranean Gravitar level where a mini side view Battle Zone sequence is playing out on the surface.


Work log update,

- Control key layout made closer to the arcade version.
- Added some behavior, containment in the level select screen, persistent aliens.
- Fuel tank drain animation.
- Tracking of guns and fuel tanks, meaning if you leave that planet will still be in the level select screen, and when you re-visit it your progress is there. When the mission is complete, that planet will not appear in the level select screen.
- Link planet for level one is doable in 22 time units.
- Turrets shoot where they are pointing, while rotating towards you. This is one example of where I think Gravitar could have been improved.
- Level select screen is zoomed in closer to the original game.

 

[Shockman]

Lunar Gravitar v0.3.1

Updated

The file is at the start of this thread.

Lunar Gravitar wip - Pinball Nirvana Forums

 

[kristian]

This is what I get. Graphics are screwed.

 

[Shockman]

When I write my own key mapper, I can use the keys you want, But GM does not have those in the key set. I might be able to by figuring out the keycode and putting it in a step of a controller. If I can do that, then it will be in the next update.

This keyboard combination doesn't work.... there's only one way to make it playable on a keyboard... and that means using the original Asteroids/Gravitar/Space Duel 5-button controlling system.


For the keyboard that means:

Z-Rotate left
X-Rotate right
SPACEBAR-shield/tractor
SLASH-Thrust
RIGHT SHIFT-fire

Using the cursor keys for anything kills it for me... can't play it.

 

[Shockman]

... Graphics are screwed.

What resolution are you running it in? And what area is that?

I guess I am going to have to use an algorithm to set my view ports. I don't know how to read the resolution it is being run in, but when I learn that I can make the zooming work in lower resolutions. It's assuming a 1920x1080p screen.

 

[kristian]

1280 x 800.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

same result as kristian. max res with this graphics card is apparently 1680 x 1050.

why not make the standard resolution very basic so that it's guaranteed to run across all setups? in MAME there are plenty of vector-emulated games that run at 800x600 and still look very good, just to cite an extreme example.

 

[Shockman]

I might go 1024x768 on the release version. If I had 3840x2160 and the power to run it, that is what my version would be. Lower res is ok, except when it is zoomed, and it is going to look bad on high res monitors. When I get some of the mechanics I am working on sorted, I will re-scale the levels. At least it's wide screen. If there is to be two versions, I do have to get two in sync fairly soon so the rest can be one development process. If it was not for the zooming, the view-ports, it would not matter, 1080p or 320x400, it would work on all monitors, just the aspect ratio and clarity would be effected.

My Asteroids Plus. I don't know if you guys have tried that, but it is drawn in native 1080p but in 4/3 so it is 1440x1080. You guys can run that just fine, but it is going to be stretched on a wide screen in anything lower than 1920x1080p. In 1080p it is 4/3 in the center of the wide screen.

I'm glad for the feedback, and I will set you guys up. There is nothing that needs to be redrawn, though it would help clarity. I can leave everything as it is except the view-ports settings (you will still have proportionate zoom if you res is matched . The reader display at the top is a view-port, the rest of the screen is also a view-port in some areas, but the zoomed sequences are all view-ports. So at any given time you are seeing either only the reader at the top, or a maximum of one other one. If I make these smaller than your screen res your monitor will not stretch them. As you can see, if they are bigger, your monitor will not scale them. The only way I know how to do it is with hard numbers or constants. I can not peek your monitors' res. This means that this game, one build for all, would have to have a manual input of your resolution,unless I can find, or write a .dll to fetch this.

I'm going to try this. I will spend tomorrow redoing the view-ports to 1024x768 and force your screens into that res. That would work, right? Or am I wrong to assume any monitor that supports bigger res than that be it and aspect ratio will display that res and stretch it? This would mean that the planets, space, everything will have the same pixel count, but the zooming will be to 1024x768.

The way these view-ports work is, I can box any area of the map be it smaller than the screen or bigger and make it viable in the entire part of the screen that is below the reader. At least that is what I am doing. I can have the reader imposed over it, or I can view that port in just a little section of the monitor, like a radar display, or track map in a racing game.

I tend to ramble.

Thanks again. Please try the next release. If it is good on my 1080p and works for you then I might just make one build. If I go with the hassle of a resolution requester then I will use that number for both what area to grab, and the resolution to display it in, so the proportions will be the same regardless.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

seems pretty weird that there's no way to peek the screen size from such a high-level format. have the experts on the gamemaker forums said that such option is definitely out?

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

btw, i'd meant to share this earlier. it's a really cool and comprehensive look back at the history of lunar lander that i bumped in to a couple months back:
http://technologizer.com/2009/07/19/lunar-lander/

 

[Shockman]

Guys, please do us a favor and unzip this folder and run each program and report.

First you will see a display in your resolution that is 1024x768 centered and sometimes stretched (i hope).

press space to see this scaled keeping your monitors resolution
press space again to go back
repeat

If the scales on each corner are respective corners, which means the diagonal lines go right into the corner, and the death star is centered, we are in business and it's just a matter of which format you like best.

If you want to change your resolution and try it it would be helpful.

If you see everything and it is centered. I will go from here with game setup demo with two view-ports. I was wrong about being able to peek you resolution, and with this ability I should be able to get a reliable display. This means I can make the levels as big as I want and scale them to your screen and also just show any cropping, in any area of your screen. This should work at any screen resolution, even smaller ones like 800x600 and even lower.

 

[Shockman]

I made a mistake in that. The first display is 640x480 and it should say that it is.

Moving on though.

This set will first set your monitor to 1024x768. The first display is 640x480 either fixed scale (the only that will not fill the screen), Keep aspect (full screen minus what is left over because it keeps the aspect ratio), and full scale, both displays will fill the screen corner to corner.

This in either full scale, or fixed aspect ratio will probably be the display method for the game.