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Thread: Beta 134 Progress...

  1. #1
    Robots in Disguise
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    Beta 134 Progress...

    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.

  2. #2
    Death Knight Cronic's Avatar
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    Achievements It's over 9000!
    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.
    "You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive"
    -mlk

  3. #3
    I shall exalt myself over all Armagedddon Games bigjoe's Avatar
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    what happened to fixing the defaults?


  4. #4
    Gibdo
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    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).

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    Robots in Disguise
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    Actually, the space for the cset data has already been allocated. It has been there for quite a few betas now.

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    Patra Cyclone's Avatar
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    What about the problems loading the three main quests? (1st, 2nd, 3rd...)

    Cyclone
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  7. #7
    Robots in Disguise
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    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.

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

  8. #8
    Patra Jigglysaint's Avatar
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    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.
    The name might be missleading, I'm not jigglypuff.


    "...A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible."
    Second Nephi 29:3

  9. #9
    Patra Cyclone's Avatar
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    Me bad; I didn't see bigjoe's post.

    Glad to know. :)

    Cyclone
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  10. #10
    Wizrobe Overlord's Avatar
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    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

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Armageddon Games is a game development group founded in 1997. We are extremely passionate about our work and our inspirations are mostly drawn from games of the 8-bit and 16-bit era.
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