Manic Miner in 48k with 40 rooms

[Norman Sword]

Manic 40 Miner



After I stopped developing the JSW128  VK VL VM   engine. I spent a week writing a version of Manic Miner called  Manic 40 Miner.

This does not contain any new rooms. They are the original and Ligans rooms.

This is NOT meant to be a playable version. It was just a test routine.

The rooms have a lot more scope to edit and have a lot more tiles to play with.

NOTE this runs in 48k the same as the original.

It does a lot more than is obvious from a quick glance.

 

 

 

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addendum.

The feature that I mentioned with the comment "It does a lot more than is obvious from a quick glance." was explained in more detail in Post #14.

The file size become excessive to edit online. So that explanation in post #14 is only current up to V5.

I have attached a file that explains the current version here on post #1

 

Surprised that the earlier versions are still being down loaded. (i will delete them - they now serve no purpose)

V1 was down loaded 4 times

V2 was down loaded 9 times

V3 was down loaded 6 times

V4 was down loaded 3 times

V5 was down loaded 3 times
V6 was downloaded twice 

V6a  followed by V6b fixing-  specific flaws caused by one line of code deleted and  an assembler problem Plus too much haste.

V6c downloaded 37 times - version was not completable without editing

Only the last version V6 revisions  has been left. 

Manic 40 Miner V6 Editor Text.txt

Manic 40 Miner V6c6.tap

The Final final version V6c6 - this is a data changed version from V6b

The version v6c6 is playable through all the 40 caverns. (other versions are not)

 

 

 

Edited August 25, 2021 by Norman Sword
Specifying the last version V6c6

[IRF]

Some nice new features there, Norman!  :)

 

The only thing I would query: the scrolly message refers to the "top 20 caverns by Ligan".  This game being set in a mine, surely that should say "bottom [i.e. deepest] 20 caverns"?  :P

[Norman Sword]

Changed the wording on the download file from "top 20 caverns" to "Last 20 Caverns".

Questionable the depth of the caverns- because the very last cavern provides access to ground level.

To jump caverns press the combination of "3" and "1" to move to a previous cavern- or press "3" and "2" to move to the next cavern.
Pressing "3" resets the cavern.

Each cavern has 16 tiles from which it can be drawn.
Kong is movable.
Multiple conveyors
Switches are movable
Any sprite in any room
any combination of sprites in any room
any event Kong-Skylab-Light beam in any room
any combination of events in any room

But the above is NOT what is different with this version.






 

[Norman Sword]

This starts by default with cheat switched on.

If edited, the cheat can be switched off . To enable a normal start to the game.

Edited February 3, 2020 by Norman Sword

[IRF]

My replies in red:

 

Changed the wording on the download file from "top 20 caverns" to "Last 20 Caverns".

Questionable the depth of the caverns- because the very last cavern provides access to ground level.

 

Well that's true!
 

To jump caverns press the combination of "3" and "1" to move to a previous cavern- or press "3" and "2" to move to the next cavern.
Pressing "3" resets the cavern.

 

Yes, I noticed that.  Quite a handy way to navigate around, compared with trying to second-guess which key combo (1-6) takes you where (and 1-6 wouldn't be sufficient for more than 32 caverns anyway).
 

Each cavern has 16 tiles from which it can be drawn.
Kong is movable.
Multiple conveyors
Switches are movable
Any sprite in any room
any combination of sprites in any room
any event Kong-Skylab-Light beam in any room
any combination of events in any room

 

Including 'Angry Eugene' in any room as well?
 

But the above is NOT what is different with this version.

The title screen tune?

 

No Swordfish?

Something like the Jagged Finger fix implemented behind the scenes?

 

 

Edited February 3, 2020 by IRF

[Spider]

Thanks for this Norman. :) Appreciated.

 

EDIT... I wonder if you'd give thought (perhaps at a future point, not now as such) to placing this into the Downloads please ? I realise there's probably a good reason its here in this topic rather than there in the first place though, either is fine anyway.

Edited February 3, 2020 by Spider

[Spider]

Without even starting the game I immediately notice the improved piano key 'highlight' covering the full key as well as the 'Enter' colour cycling. :)

 

Spoiler ahead (cheating!)

 

 

3 + 0 enter a different 'mode' to allow some changes although I will have to investigate this later today

 

Edited February 3, 2020 by Spider

[Norman Sword]

I will post the novelty tomorrow.

It is something I have not written for Manic Miner before. 

The novelty was aimed at a group such as this - It was how ever not finished due to lack of space in 48k.

I use an assembler and editing is just a text file to play with.

Of interest - In conversation recently with Matthew I asked him about the way he edited Jet Set Willy.  Due to the nature of the Tandy hex memory editor it seemed more than likely that the data was page aligned due to the Tandy's method of Paging memory displayed in the editor. This then makes each room a page on the Tandy and each piece of data is fixed in position on the Tandy screen. You can flip pages and the conveyor data for each room stays in the same place. as does all the other room data. Easy to flip through the rooms changing bits and pieces. 

He confirmed to me that he edited the data for each room directly in hex- no editors- no room editor- no sprite movement  editor- each room was edited directly in hex.

Think about editing the room shape in hex for every room- without an editor - just editing the hex.



Which considering that each of the 60 playable rooms has 256 bytes editable- I find it amazing that he managed to get to the end with just one bit wrong for the arrow. The other errors are the result of not having quick and fast access to each room. The easiest and probably best method of finding errors is having the demo room flash past. The arrow problem (MIGHT) have been spotted.

For manic Miner he wrote an editor - What format that took I have no idea.



 

[Norman Sword]

The reason the game has the cheat invoked at run time, was to facilitate the discovery of the other features. 
 

[IRF]

Without even starting the game I immediately notice the improved piano key 'highlight' covering the full key as well as the 'Enter' colour cycling. :)

 

 

Now that I think about it, getting the whole of a piano key to highlight would have been a trivial matter once you've established the highlighting of the lower part of each key (just subtract #20 from the attribute address that you've already dealt with, and colour that in as well).

 

There's another improvement here, I think - am I right to observe that the piano keys which highlight seem to be more in keeping with the notes which are being played? And of course, with Matthew's odd arrangement of black keys having been fixed as well, I think I'm right in saying that if you were playing along on a real piano, and followed the keys which light up, then you would end up playing a faithful rendition of The Blue Danube in real life?

 

 

3 + 0 enter a different 'mode' to allow some changes although I will have to investigate this later today.

 

This is the big novelty!  Pressing '3' and '0' together takes you into a room editor! :thumbsup:

 

So far I have managed to figure out the keys to change the attributes and bitmaps for each room cell, and the cavern layouts (i.e. which cell types go where).  Can you edit graphics and placements for guardians, items and portals as well?  (And movement parameters for guardians?)

Edited February 3, 2020 by IRF