Malban
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Hi,
just a few lines of whats going on :-).
I have written down the last feedback of you all on my todo list… which actually isn’t all that long anymore (except the major havoc thingy, which dangles over my head like damocles sword…).
- I haven’t heard anything about the overlay – so there is still much, much time left.
- I have all PCBs and PCB related hardware here to build 100 cards
- I ordered cartridge shells from Sean Kelly
- I have ordered inlays, box protectors and overlay protectors
- Jasec made “final” suggestions to the boss animations, which I must still implement
- Jasec has still on his todo list the box, which when finalized, I will probably give to Chris Parsons (along with cartridge sticker design) and we make this a EU or a EU+Brexit project… 🙂
- I still have to do the instruction booklet – which probably will be more “work” than fun …
So – there is still much on the list, but very many things have already been taken care of.
Currently (the last week or so) I haven’t really done anything on Vectorblade. But that is not neccessarily a bad thing – I have to load up the VB batteries so I can start freshly motivated :-).
My current vectrex time is mainly spent playing around with the PiTrex Project
(see: http://vectorgaming.proboards.com/thread/2003/working-on-tailgunner-again?page=10) which is at the moment a very rewarding experience – since we have made great progress in the last days.Cheers
Malban
@VTK:
Laser…
I already nerfed lasers quite a bit since first implementation.Thoughts:
Current “laser”:
It can be gotton “early” in game if you collect a complete “EXTRA” in the correct order.
Would it be a “solution” if that were to change? To some other goody? (if so, what could that be?)Also:
Once you finished level 100, a laser can be bought in the shop (always). Should I remove that? So laser can only ever be gotten thru upgrades?Also:
In higher difficulties – laser does comparable less damage – unless you have more POWER.
Should I change the Power mechanic?Thoughts?
Vectorblade_Beta27.bin – 10th July 2019
Following a list of mainly small changes:
done: shop complete up, second from top not top displayed…
done: boss 4 player can die when shot is absoult left (minus) and player absolut plus …
done: shop with 1000 money wobbles (N/A)
done: Pause wobbles with x 5 (second scroll)
done: lost EXTRA when dying when in air
done: pause and scroll still decimates the intro pattern
done: end of game countdown / score display it longer!
– Each score is at least displayed 1 second
– final score waits for button
done: A short pause after killing the last enemy and then displaying the shop might things clearer and smoother.
#The shop might even appear at the end of the level as some kind of planet/asteroid/… but that would be probably a bit too much.
– for now a 1 second pause (just an empty screen … continuity)
done: At the end of the “movie” the text “KEEP THE VECTREX ALIVE” scrolls in. Currently, this text disappears as soon as it reached the center of the “screen”.
– 5 additional empty lines
done: Suggestion: When selecting one of the four menus while the menu is fading in both the triangle and the
symbol should be highlighted. When deselecting the menu, again, brightness should be set back to current “fade in” brightness.
done: Yesterday I achieved “ADMIRAL 1 BRONZE STAR” which filled out the full screen width. Adding “RANK:” doesn’t make sense.
Perhaps centering the rank might look good and might be worth a trial.
– not changed: a) doesn’t look better, b) takes time, since length of string is “unkown” and has to be computed
done: Greetings: Four times “Chris”
I do know that there are many Chrisses around in the Vectrex scene. In the greetings “Chris” is mentioned for times. This looks a bit like a bug.
Suggestion: Add the first letter of the surname to differentiate the four Chrisses. E.g. Chris P., Chris M., …
done: Boss 1 background noise
done: READY player 1 scroll in with SOUND
done: HighScore scrolling direction changed
done: some sound was wrong – collecting immune? -> crash aftwer “sound” finished
done: shop speed bullet etc – are they still positioned correctly? cranky vectrex looks bad!
done: end of game level count down ping?
done: add minestorm success sound – same as officer promotion!
done: inital positions in Highscore were always DOWN
done: 9000 shots fired / hit -> page two in pause wobbles
done: black hole sounds wrong!
done: level ninety ten
done: level 50-56 one to much
done: level spoken after “LEVel “display
done: level spoken doubled
done: to test: final score “x2″/”x5” must be deleted “beforehand”
done: to test: EXTRA still not always corect?-> extra in air before shop is displayed after shop in EXTRA and benus is still   going up!
done: to test: bug: E from extra taken two times? (was hard difficulty)
done: to test scoopy can be f*cked up (left) – not displayed -but “there”
done: level boss = announced as level 24
failure announced as next level
done: money rank 1 not given!
done: money rank 1 displays rank 5
done: remember levels with difficulty – if 1 than max
done: to test: money sucker explode (+secret) – results more “centered”?
done: minestortom success sound also when aborted!
done: super dimond displays wrong
done: pause screen 2 million points x2 8000 shots. timer 175
done: to Test laser + EXTRA -> LARGE POINTS! ?
done: again: to Test money sucker explode – results more “centered”?
This is a “Tester” release. It has all secrets “open”, everything can be bought in the shop, difficulty can be selected.
The highest “played” level can also be selected (left right), starts “action packed” with a good equipment.
VecVox is enabled… Voice changed slightly, and a “level intro” included.Amongst others some sounds were again added.
Right now I have only about 4000 bytes left.The current “vision” would be:
– do a “small” Major havoc part, that randomly ends a minestorm
– 3-4 different small levels – which on first play through give game extras, like:
* enable VecVox
* enable Level Select
* enable Hardcore modeOnce these are achieved – “normal” bonuses can be found in the levels.
Hardcore mode is not implemented yet – its supposed to be a game with ONE live (no extra live obtainable).Dunno if I can pull that of with the 4000 byte that I have left… :-(.
But if – that would be my favourite/final version.Cheers!
PS
VTK thinks the Laser weapon should be nerfed – they are too strong. What do other testers think?
Progress report – but no new beta:
Unclear!: Crash: Star wars boss, player on the complete right, destroyed by laser, 4 shot…
done: shop complete up, second from top not top displayed… (well – I know what that means 🙂 )
done: boss 4, player can die when shot is absoult left (minus) and player absolut plus …
done: shop with 1000 money wobbles (+ N/A)
done: Pause wobbles with x 5 (second scroll)
done: lost EXTRA when dying when in air
done: pause and scroll still decimates the intro pattern
done: end of game countdown / score display it longer!
– each score is at least displayed 1 second
– final score waits for button
done: A short pause after killing the last enemy and then displaying the shop might things clearer and smoother.
#The shop might even appear at the end of the level as some kind of planet/asteroid/… but that would be probably a bit too much.
– for now a 1 second pause (just an empty screen … continuity)
done: At the end of the “movie” the text “KEEP THE VECTREX ALIVE” scrolls in. Currently, this text disappears as soon as it reached the center of the “screen”.
– 5 additional empty lines
done: Suggestion: When selecting one of the four menus while the menu is fading in both the triangle and the
symbol should be highlighted. When deselecting the menu, again, brightness should be set back to current “fade in” brightness.
done: Yesterday I achieved “ADMIRAL 1 BRONZE STAR” which filled out the full screen width. Adding “RANK:” doesn’t make sense.
Perhaps centering the rank might look good and might be worth a trial.
– not changed: a) doesn’t look better, b) takes time, since length of string is “unkown” and has to be computed
done: Greetings: Four times “Chris”
I do know that there are many Chrisses around in the Vectrex scene. In the greetings “Chris” is mentioned for times. This looks a bit like a bug. Suggestion: Add the first letter of the surname to differentiate the four Chrisses. E.g. Chris P., Chris M., …
done: Boss 1 background noise
done: READY player 1 scroll in with SOUND
done: HighScore scrolling direction changed
done: some sound was wrong – collecting immune? -> crash aftwer “sound” finished – YES
done: shop speed bullet etc – are they still positioned correctly? cranky vectrex looks bad!
Cheers
Today I spent some hours optimizing. I discovered the current version of the shop can “wobble” (Refresh < 50Hz).
If you place the “cursor” on “rank” and rank is not available, than it refreshes in about 32000 cycles – which wobbles terribly.
For a couple of hours I kept searching an optimizing. Now I am below 30000 again. But I am certain without losing any stuff already displayed – the shop can not display more.
Now I’ll look at some more stuff recently reported.
Cheers
Gz!
Money suckers only appear if you have more money than 1500$. The loss is a bit random but around 1100-1200 or so.
Perhaps I should lower the achievement for money. The lowest (easiest) is 5000$…
Hm.
Not too helpfull.
If the player is doing something stupid – he might as wrll die. But teleporting him back – well I like to think I at least give him a chance – even if it depends much on random. It is possible to get an “EXTRA” in one level …
If Instead you get a one shot – yes sure you are screwed…
Also – it fits (sort of) into the story – the player gets a new ship from mother earth, and has to approach the boss again, which has built up its defenses…
1) I’ll add acouple of empty lines I think.
2) In principle people can chose. But only if I know what they want :-). I had some feedback for the older games – so these are the ones I “know” of guess.
I’ll add credits to my beta testers as well… so you can still chose!
Yep.
Each “warp” resets scoopies. (so 4 levels max)
(If you did not get the “scoopy-lock” (secret) – with the lock, scoopies are only reset when you enter a boss fight. – 25 levels max)Original Warblade also has female voice.
If “we” decide to keep it – I can add as many lines of voice as we like – also level anouncement.
But I have not been able to output “female” voice – only slightly more squeeky male voice – or so it sounds to me.
Have to do some googling I guess.
