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Dark Nation
03-08-2002, 09:45 AM
What's been added/fixed:

1. Fixed the bug where activating a trigger with a pushblock turned all infinite pushblocks on that screen (maybe everywhere on the DMap or possibly in the game, haven't checked yet) into push-once blocks.
2. Added the ability to have more than one trigger block so you have to activate all of them to activate a secret.


Currently being added/modified:

1. Pulling the CSet information out of the mapscreen data block and placing it in its own area. For those of you who are programmers out there, here's how the combo information is set up on map screens:

Each combo is a word (unsigned short, 2 bytes in size, 16 bits). Originally, the bits of the combo were set up in this fashion:

fffffssscccccccc

A long time ago, the first 5 bits (the f's) were the map flags. 2^5=32, so the maximum number of available map flags you could have were 32. As you know, we are now up to 60-something. This was accomplished by moving the map flag information into its own separate area. By giving the flags a full 8-bits (each flag now takes up one byte), you can have 255 flags (flag 0 is considered to not be a flag). So, we still have a setup like this:

xxxxxssscccccccc

The next 3 bits (the s's) are the CSet bits. 2^3=8, so you can theoretically use 8 different CSets on one map. Granted, ZC puts a restriction so there are only 6 available, but that takes up as much space as 8.

Now, by moving the CSet information into it's own area, that frees up those 3 bits. Plus, it gives the CSet information room to grow. So, in the future, one could theoretically have 256 CSets to choose from.

So, after moving the CSet information out of the combo data, we have the following setup:

xxxxxxxxcccccccc

So, you have 8 empty bits and 8 bits that are used for the actual combo data. When a combo is drawn, the combo page for that screen is multiplied by 256 and added to each combo number on the screen. Since the highest combo page we are offered is 63 and the highest combo number we can have is 255, the highest combo that would be drawn is 16383, which is the highest combo number in the full combo list.

Now, suppose we allowed you to set a combo page for each combo you place on the screen. We have the space for it, since the combo numbers currently only take up 6 bits. Now, programatically, storing the combo page in the first 6-8 bits of each combo is the same as doing away with combo pages altogether and just storing the full combo number in each combo.

This is what I am tyring to accomplish.

Currently, I am about half-done pulling the CSet information out and storing it in a different location. More than likely, I will compile Beta 133 (before any of the CSet extraction work began) and let all of you test it tomorrow morning while I try to get this feature working. If successful, this will be the single most important feature (in my opinion) since animated combos.

Cronic
03-08-2002, 09:55 AM
Amen on that last comment DN... Combo room, and of course hard to vcome by c-sets may no longer plague us so if this goes thru.

bigjoe
03-08-2002, 09:55 AM
what happened to fixing the defaults?

Sludge
03-08-2002, 10:03 AM
Hmm, 256 csets...

Are we talking about a higher colordepth, or is this just speculation. Anyway, the maximum number of csets to use are 16, so you could merge 2 tiles into 1 byte. This will save space of course (since this plan will require more space in the end).

Dark Nation
03-08-2002, 10:19 AM
Actually, the space for the cset data has already been allocated. It has been there for quite a few betas now.

Cyclone
03-08-2002, 11:11 AM
What about the problems loading the three main quests? (1st, 2nd, 3rd...)

Cyclone
[email protected]

Dark Nation
03-08-2002, 11:22 AM
Originally posted by bigjoe
what happened to fixing the defaults?


Originally posted by Cyclone
What about the problems loading the three main quests? (1st, 2nd, 3rd...)

Man, just can't please some people. :blah:

I'm working on it, guys. Don't worry.

Jigglysaint
03-08-2002, 11:26 AM
With the infinite pushblocks, can there be a type of block that is pushed, and the block sprite moves untill it hits a wall before becomming a block again? And how about bocks(like that), that explode like a bomb(It can use a explosive block sprite)? I'm thinking of a few puzzles for the SNES game, Gooftroop, where you have to move blocks onto plates and such to solve puzzles.

Cyclone
03-08-2002, 11:45 AM
Me bad; I didn't see bigjoe's post. :laughing:

Glad to know. :)

Cyclone
[email protected]

Overlord
03-08-2002, 12:11 PM
What you're proposing Jigglysaint is similar to the z64 blocks you push which keep moving until they hit something.

Sounds good so far DN, just something else to make quest creators go crazy ;)

JayeM
03-08-2002, 01:07 PM
If I read that correctly, we'll be able to use any of 256 csets on a screen instead of the current 0-5. And any of 16,383 combos. Am I right? Excellent, but how are you going to arrange it so that scrolling through the combos and csets doesn't get too unwieldy?

Dark Nation
03-08-2002, 02:21 PM
Well, the 256 CSets thing probably won't show up for a while, but the possibility will exist.

As for the 16k combos, probably a special key combination would move one "page" at a time (256 combos at once).

Also, the reason that 16,384 combos were chosen over another power of 2 is because there was only room on the screen for 64 selection items (on the combo page select screen). With the need for that gone, I could safely move the max number of usable combos up to 64k. Maybe even tiles, too.

fatcatfan
03-08-2002, 08:39 PM
Originally posted by Dark Nation


Man, just can't please some people. :blah:

I'm working on it, guys. Don't worry.

I think I have a lead on the 1,2,3 quest problem. I was looking at them in a hex editor, and compared to newfirst_fixed, the header string is different in the "official" quests.

newfirst: "Zelda Classic Quest File"
official quests: "Zelda Classic Quest File" CR/LF

The first and second quests play for me, using "ZELDA" to jump into the 2nd quest, despite giving an error message immediately after you register your name.

OH!:eek:
and the reason 3rd quest doesn't seem to work is that it is actually 2nd quest. The files are identical. Dunno how that happened.

KJAZZ
03-08-2002, 10:20 PM
Fatcatfan: My guess is DN didn't want to mess with the 3rd quest or download it, so he just replaced it with the 2nd quest.

Dark Nation: Wow! That sounds great. Nice that you added that new block thing too, many more puzzles will be possible.

Cyclone
03-09-2002, 02:39 AM
Originally posted by KJAZZ
Fatcatfan: My guess is DN didn't want to mess with the 3rd quest or download it, so he just replaced it with the 2nd quest.

No, I'd swear he mentioned adding it as the official third quest. Otherwise, it's not official.

But just in case, I'll include it here.

Even better, I'll link (http://questdb.armageddongames.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=2&t=000003) to it at the QDB.

Cyclone
[email protected]

KJAZZ
03-09-2002, 02:53 AM
No, I meant he didn't want to bother with it for us beta testers, but when its ready to package, he will include it.

Also, an idea with custom blocks. How about a block that you push, and it doesn't stop until it hits a solid combo or the edge of the screen. If added, all you need to make is a single one, because 4 way is the only one that will work, because pushing in one direction is pointless. It might be kinda hard to implement, but hey, ya gotta put the hard stuff in sometime, ya know? :D