Downloadable Vectorblade versions

[Peer]

Cool idea!

But sometimes it not only rains – it pours. As of this hour my Eprom programmer is broken – it does not work.

Umbrella: I can send you my eprom programmer, so that you can continue to work while claiming warranty for yours. I have lectures all morning and our local post office is closed this afternoon, but I can do this tomorrow, so the package might reach you before the upcoming weekend. I have the model that vtk recommended when VB beta testing started. Would that suffice?

Cheers,
Peer

[Malban]

Thanks for the offer.

For the time being the thing is again “half working” – I can burn, but not read.
Anyway… the one who wants to be a REAL vectrex programmer needs two eprom programmers.

I’ll probably look for another one soon (and send this one in for warrenty)

 

[Peer]

Are you sure that you don’t want/need it?

I would have included some more Vectorblade Power-Ups in the package 😉

[Malban]

I love it when a theory works.

I implemented a save state! I can save a game at any time – and reload it. Cool!

Now – the fiddle stuff, to do it in the MNI, and each round… and such…
And than I’ll go play some serious vectorblade till the bug show itself… and I am in it for another round of despair…

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But I tell you what – if we ever find this bug…

Vectorblade will be so polished… it will shine 😉

[Malban]

Extending on the idea above. I MIGHT be able to reproduce the crash – if it reproducable at all.

With the amount of spare memory now – I can not only save the game, but also additional data.
The explained saving of the game state is working good – and loading in Vide also works.

Now – if I am able to store TWO bytes each game round (button/X joystick) – I should be able to exactly recreate the bug – if it occurs.

All “savings” are reset each game round – 1 second = 100 byte of data.
60 seconds = 6000 bytes of data – provided I play each level in less than 60 seconds (which is totally doable, except for the “shielded levels”) – I can do a complete save of a level with all neccessary replay data.

If THAN a crash occurs – I can just load the game, and let it replay itself. If it IS reproduceable it MUST happen again.

Bother – I have to work today… So I will only be able to program on that thing tonight. But that might actually be a breakthru.
(and hopefully it IS reproducable)

Chris

 

[Peer]

… provided I play each level in less than 60 seconds …

Why the rush?

There are 4 buttons, so a complete button state requires just one nible, and you can store 2 frames in one byte. If you need just the fire button, then 8 frames can by compressed in one byte. Joystick x can also be compressed. The ship cannot “jump” from 50 to 100. So you can store just the delta (which basically is the joy left/middle/right information). Again one byte can store at least 2 frames. This of course requires some encoding/decoding bit-fiddling infrastructure, but that shouldn’t be too complicated.

Just a though, but this should give you more than 60 seconds, or the possibility to store some additional useful information?

Bother – I have to work today…

Yeah, same here, annoying distraction from the really important things… 😉

Cheers,
Peer

[Jerome Vince]

@Chris @Peer

Thank you for the informations and your brilliant ideas!

@Chris: Thanks for your last kind message. Just a precision (My “tester” and “gamer” point of view):  playing Vectorblade a lot now, i have a real “experience” on it;  so i can say that the pleasure to play increased with time, because there is always a new challenge, a new bonus to unlock. And, to progress, there is always a new strategic approach to try.

So, I do not have the feeling to overplay the game, I am just delighted to be one on the first play this great game  ! 👍🏻

[Malban]

@Jerome:

So did you find all secrets?

Read all secret messages?

Ever reached all achievments?

[Jerome Vince]

<i>Read all secret messages</i>: Yes

<i>found all secrets</i>: no

<i>reached all achievements:</i> no-> changing the versions (and because of the bug) i lost a part of my progress.

 

 

[Malban]

Vectorblade_B52.bin – 14th Mai 2020

As described by my blog post from today. Sorry no VecFever version -> you need a flash for the debugging/saving features!

I tried 4 games – but never got further than level fourty-ish. Not my day for gaming.

So no – I didn’t get the crash captured yet.

If any of you get a crash while playing with this version – pls read out your flash chip directly afterwards (without playing a new game) – and send it to me – it will be 256kB.

Cheers

Chris

[Malban]

Not playing very well atm.

5 games till about 40

1 game to about 120

1 game to 150

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Another two around 40

One over 200

No crash yet. Tonight I’ll play more….

[Malban]

I’ll edit the post above with my current results.

@Jerome:

Did you per chance play the “non Vox” version?

That is the one I am playing – did it crash for you? Or am I starting a marathon with a non VecVox version that does not crash…

Cheers

Chris

[Peer]

FYI: All the games I played during the past weeks were without Vox.

Cheers,
Peer

[Jerome Vince]

Hi,

@Chris:

I did not play enough, but no crash with the VF B51 version. I only played a little more than 100 levels. But tonight i will take the time to play more and i will let you know my results

[Malban]

BAM!

Level 474 – CRASH!

Recorded it. I can reproduce it on the Vectrex!

I can reproduce it in VIDE!!!!!!

I’m to tired to look right now – but this might be THE breakthrough (if there are not more crash-causes) – tomorrow we will solve this riddle!

VB_Crash_Flash.bin

If you start this one and press in the “intro” (the BIOS intro of VB) button 3+4 together (but released once after the “pure” BIOS intro) – the cart will continue the game and crash after about 3 seconds!

Chris

[Author]

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