A total rewrite of JSW in 48k using Matthews core code

[Norman Sword]

I have resurrected this file By Derrick.P.Rowson. Which was on a crashed hard drive. 

 

This is Not finished, and never will be due to a catastrophic failure of the hard drive.

This is a few weeks work and alas there was no backup of the program.

 

This version does not have any of the new logic playing sprites.

E.g. sprites that followed willy around both vertically and horizontally, and were free roaming around the screen.

The logic had enough sense to move the sprite wherever it needed.

 

 

This version was a development towards having the full Manic Miner + Jet Set Willy in 48k

 

 

 

This game has inbuilt options. (password protected)

jsw1.tap

Edited September 7, 2017 by Norman Sword

[Spider]

That's quite interesting. :) I like what I see.

 

I do see the erm 'assistance' options although not the immediate method of activation however not a concern.

 

There are some nice features present in this from just a cursory glance, I will have time later to play properly to examine it in more detail.

[Norman Sword]

First statement is that this program is still running in 48k. These are not changes due to having more memory. These changes are due to rewrites in logic to shrink the core code down. Plus extensive modifications to how the rooms are stored.

 

 

In this version ropes can be specified for position and length. It will also be noted that the ropes do not pick up willy when they pass though an object. It is permissible for other sprites to cross the ropes path. It is also permissible for ropes to collide with each other. 

 

Objects are not collected by ropes or arrows passing over them.

 

The number of guardians in this version is still fixed at 127, however each guardian is modified by a guardian sub class. This permits the guardian to have numerous clone types

 

For example the arrows are sub classed to be movable and have their timing changed. Ropes are moveable and can have their length changed. 

 

The movement of sprites has been redefined to include a mid sprite turn (definable and switch-able on a sprite by sprite basis or a room basis)

 

The solar beam is movable and switch-able.

 

The ability to jump into certain wall blocks has been greatly reduced. the code is 100% symmetrical.

[IRF]

I noticed that the movement keys to climb up or down a rope have been reversed (in relation to the direction that the rope is swinging at a particular moment in time).  That takes a while to get used to!

[IRF]

There are some cool special effects in there - particularly the room where Willy is upside-down, and the one which looks like an old black & white TV set in which the picture drifts vertically - I was almost tempted to thump the top of my PC to see if it would fix it! :lol:

[Norman Sword]

I modified the file that was the last version, to make it more in keeping with what is expected. E.g. start at the title screen and have the start room as the Bathroom. Plus removal of the start status of being in cheat mode.

 

I assumed that the modification to the game file was ok.

 

Well contrary to what I expected the floor in slum clearance area 3 is missing. Which is something I must have done.

 

I will attempt to correct my error.... Assuming I can.

 

The other possibility is to download the original version which starts in a different room, and has the cheats enabled by default. The cheatcode is needed to remove the default cheats.

 

But first I will investigate why the floor is missing ?

[IRF]

If it's the room I'm thinking of, I did think it led to an unfair 'Infinite Death Scenario' when Willy walked in.  But I did manage to make it across the room, by jumping rightwards from the rightmost edge of the room to the left, which allowed Willy to just about land on the conveyor.

 

He then fell off the other end of the conveyor, but safely fell down and appeared at the top of the same room.  It sounds like that was probably a bit of a shortcut, and Willy is supposed to climb his way up to the top of that room?

 

******

 

As for why the floor disappears, could it be because the attribute of the floor is set to the same as the air cells?

Edited September 8, 2017 by IRF

[IRF]

I just reached The Forgotten Abbey during Willy's last remaining life.  I believe it is impossible to complete the screen (collecting the item) without sacrificing a life, and therefore it was Game Over for me!

 

In original JSW, Willy has to walk leftwards through a wall block at head-height - the one sticking out just below the item - in order to get back down again afterwards.  Because you've made Willy's movement symmetrical (and more logical with regard to wall tiles), that is no longer possible.  Replacing the single protruding wall block with a floor block would resolve this problem.

 

EDIT: Actually, after a rollback, I managed to collect the item and jump through the wall block in question via a single, perfectly-timed jump.  (I had assumed that you had eliminated such quirky jumps.)  However, you only get one go at the jump; if you mistime it, there is no chance to try again because Willy can't drop down onto the conveyor and walk back far enough (against the flow of the conveyor).

Edited September 9, 2017 by IRF

[IRF]

I've collected 192 items, and I can't see any more in the layout, but Maria is stubbornly refusing to budge!  :huh:

 

EDIT: Looking at the list of rooms, there are two I haven't discovered yet: 'Demolition Site-bomb Blast' and 'Demolishing this place soon'.  Any clues as to which part of the layout they might be found in?

Edited September 9, 2017 by IRF

[Norman Sword]

Since this was a program in development that has had its source code deleted. (actually on a burned out hard drive) A number of problems are known about and might have been in the pipeline to be eradicated.

 

All the screens that mention demolition or purchased by the state and several others. Had been earmarked to be changed. The game map was being changed often up until  the source code demise. It was known that two screens where inaccessible. If either of theses contain objects then the game can not be completed as it is.

 

 

This program was a test vehicle to see what could be done. All the elements where starting to be put in place for the room designs to begin. Just before the code was lost. New extended guardian types had been written. More planed  

 

known original types not in order

 

Horizontal Guardian

Vertical Guardian

Arrow

Rope

 

To these had been added

Logic seeking horizontal

Full logic seeking. Moving vertically and horizontally within the screen

 

Of these types only one in in this development game.  The Logic seeking Horizontal. Used once in "pruned roses"

 

The first of the full logic seeking sprites was in a redesigned "bought by the state 5"

 

You will have to take my word for it. But this type of sprite did move around both horizontally and vertically, avoiding the rooms graphics and seeking out willy. They moved vertically slower than willy, and they could therefore be enticed into positions that they found difficult to escape from. To play against this type of sprite required the player to manoeuvre the guardian into a trap position. --- That is why the room "bought by the state 5"  had the row of upturned  box's along the bottom. They where to trap the guardian below whilst moving above them.  The final room design for this room was different. And it contained very little of the graphics seen in this room. From the short viewing I saw (and played) the logic seeking sprite where a very good addition to the normal sprite... 

 

Rooms where designed and then stored on a different basis to the original.

 

A rooms data starts with a code byte. this signifies if the room has vertical compression or not. 

If vertical compression a stream of bytes describe the vertical components. This removes stairs and vertical components of the room.

after the stream of vertical components comes a stream of horizontal components. These define what is left

 

Placed on top of the room description is the normal conveyor and stair. This convention allows multiple stairs (but all in the same direction) plus multiple conveyors. Of which one is animated (pretty standard convention)

 

The bulk of the remaining room description, sprite/guardians/border colour etc was stripped of all wasteful data. and a flag added to indicate if extra graphics are need or extra events are needed

 

All unused guardian slots were deleted.

All guardian definitions were reduced from eight bytes to 7 bytes. The code to do this is small, but saves 128 bytes of data

 

when all the guardians for a room have been extracted, the code looked at the flag byte and started extraction of extras to be over laid on top of the room graphic data. This entails expanding/contractng floors . collapsing floors, wall blockers etc

 

the above explanation is to show that to change a single room block without the source code is very difficult. (with the source code a matter of minutes) without the source code <<quicker to rewrite the game>> 

Edited September 9, 2017 by Norman Sword