[File] Manic Jet Set Willy V3

[Spider]

On 5/11/2023 at 5:25 PM, Spider said:

Video of my play , taken early January using "random by room" mode

I posted this video (or similar) into the FB 'Central Cavern' group the other day. Reasons mainly:

> The video is from the last release version

> It it on here viewable by public

> Shows the game in "random by room" mode

> Will hopefully encourage more to try the game too

 

[jetsetdanny]

On 9/29/2023 at 5:37 PM, jetsetdanny said:

That's the first impression I've had as well, that this must be the change.

I haven't played V. 3 'properly' yet because I've been immersed in other JSW-related activities, but I will get there at some point once other things I'm doing are finished. I look forward to it, too 🙂 .

I am planning to play, RZX-record and make a video of v. 2 and v. 3 of "Manic Jet Set Willy" in the near future (December).

I understand that v. 3.01 was the last one released.

A kind request to Norman Sword: could you please confirm that no more versions will be forthcoming or let us know if you should happen to have any newer versions and plan to release them (is so, when?).

[Norman Sword]

The last version V3.01 is the last official version.

However I did carry on changing the file and did add a lot more code. As is usual the amount of code change was extensive, whilst what is seen is not a great deal. The purpose of the changes was to write spider a personal version. Note I say a personal spider version and NOT a new version. The last version was V3.01  (the last official version). The spider update is V3.02. --- The updates for the Spider only version stop at midnight December 31st. (if it had been a new version it would have had its version number updated to V4.00) - instead  it is just a variant  of the official release of V3.01 updated to V3.02 - Not for release.

So what did I change.
1) Jet Set Willy was an edit of Manic Miner. Due to the editing Matthew did , the code for movement was changed to allow for stairs. That code change also modified how Willy interacts with Walls. I decided to change my code to remove the bug that Matthew had introduced with his stair collision check routine. The change I wrote only occurs when playing the Manic Miner style caverns. When playing the Jet Set Willy caverns, the bug, Matthew wrote,  is left intact. Remember I am trying to leave the Matthew bugs/quirks intact, so as to not change the game play.
2) The main screen changes, as done in the attract mode, are done by a routine I call the curtain effect. The original code simulated the appearance of closing curtains across a window. That was subsequently modified to do more.
3a) Curtains - The last official version draws curtains from the outside of the screen and draws them inward. The number of curtains can be from 1 to 4, and in any combination of the four directions This gave something like 24 combinations for the curtain effect.
3b) I added code to draw curtains from the middle outward. (in pairs, or four)
3c) I added code to remove the combinations of curtain that to me did not aesthetically look perfect. That was all the combinations that involved 3 curtains.  
3d) I added code to slow down pairs of curtains that by logic revealed the screen faster than single sweep curtains.
3e) I added code to make an SFX on curtain reveals
3f) I wondered if I could add diagonal curtains. The answer was yes and they were added

Each and every addition of code needed me to find other code that I could rewrite to make that code smaller. So whilst the above changes are not large pieces of code. The space for every addition was not available, until other code was modified to increase the available space.

4) I redesigned the credits page. For that I needed more graphics.
4a) I added a graphic to replace the Andy Ford text
4b) I modified the graphic drawing routine to allow changes in the graphic output via the insertion of inline code parameters.
5) I changed the method of changing the game music tempo.
5a) the music tempo now tracks the game speed more accurately.
5b) I removed the static Willies. They now dance all the time. The Music on/off has an icon indicating the sound status. 
5c) I slowed the overall speed of the game down. The slowing down of the overall game speed was to enable the game to play at the original game speed of Jet Set Willy. So MJSW at its slowest speed setting will now play at about the same speed as the original JSW. A side effect of the slowing down is it slows down all speeds. Whilst the fastest speed is still fast, it still has a big delay incorporated into each loop.
5d) I can/could remove the unneeded delay from the game loop introduced by the overall slowing down. Instead I use that extra delay to change the super fast music clicks into a more pleasing blip.
6) When cash is being taken from Willies ready cash for life rejuvenation. It now highlights and flashes the cash when it is depleted to zero.
7) When spider played the game without the sound on. It was obvious that KONG needed to have some SFX's.
7a) When the switch in the KONG room is flipped a compound SFX is played
7b) Followed by a slight delay
7c) followed by an SFX as periodically a piece of the wall barrier is erased
7d) KONG drop SFX and speed was changed.
Eight) I Added some more objects to collect in the JSW part of the game. Just checked MJSW v3.02 now has 132 object in the JSW part of the game. No additions of objects in the Manic Miner part of the game.
8a) the added object (in most cases) are not objects that will take any effort to collect. The added objects on the whole are placed where Willy normally travels.
9) The portals are restricted to 20 known places when played in "fixed by play" or "fixed by room". In order to add more change when playing in the "random by room" or "random by play" versions. I have added an extra 20 portals. 
9b) the random versions now selects 20 portals from a list of 40 portal locations. So the random element has the added variation of not being able to predict which room will have a portal in it.
10) Skylab crash SFX changed
11) The revealing of the final barrel/ Plinth screen (GAME OVER SCREEN) was done in MJSW v3.01 by scrolling the screen upwards. That was replaced by a routine to scroll the screen downwards. And finally for this version even that was replaced by a random reveal routine.
11a) the plinth or Barrel graphic is decided now by which screen/cavern he was in when he met his final demise. So in MM screens he will be placed on a plinth, and for JSW room on a barrel. In V3.01 only the barrel is used.
12) added sound to the congratulations final screen.
13) lots more - just not listed.

Whilst the topics mentioned above have changed and can be seen or heard. The game code has been changed to enable me to add the above changes. So whilst V3.02 started as the code of V3.01 it has a very different look.

On reflection of what I wrote above. I wondered why I added a slow down to the game speed. Just now I have remembered that one of the updates/test pieces of code I wrote was investigating the screen refresh routine. I ended up writing around six or seven differing versions, each using vastly different ways to update the screen. In code changes of this sort, the code has many design criteria it needs to meet. The ultimate code would be a logic change that removes all the code, so it becomes a routine that consumes no memory and runs instantly. That aim in most cases can not be met. In MJSW the code is already suffering from constraints to how much memory it is allowed to use. So in order to add these test routines. I switched off the curtain effect the multiple graphics on the JSW title screen, the animated end game pac man and the bed jump fanfare. With those routines removed I had a few kilobytes of now unused memory.

The screen update code changes were time consuming to write, the differing versions allowed me to investigate which was the most viable to continue with as a means of updating the screen. Each version ran at a different speed. The fastest code version, was also the version that consumed far too much memory. The code I ended up using, was a compromise between speed and size. Once the code was picked for usage. I then needed to scan every routine I had written in the game and investigate how I could shorten that code to enable me to add the new screen update routine. Without going into further detail - I managed to add the new screen update code and re insert all the routines I had originally switched off .... Hence the next decision to slow the game down again. see 5c above. 

Remember V3.01 is the last official version. 

V3.02 is a spider modified revision - meant for spider only, and "I" will not post that version here. 

Edited November 27, 2024 by Norman Sword

[MtM]

Thanks for this Norman, it's fascinating how you have continued to code and work on this over such a long period of time, and continue to refine it - long may it continue. A real pity it may never make it to the general public but understand and respect your decision and it is of course your right to do so...

 

A v4 would be good if you ever came up with the time and reasons for doing it ... public release of course 😉

[jetsetdanny]

Thank you so much for this detailed explanation of your further work on the code, Norman Sword! The modifications you've added sound most impressive, and definitely like something that would merit public release. 🙂

 

 

On 11/24/2024 at 11:49 AM, Norman Sword said:

The updates for the Spider only version stop at midnight December 31st. (if it had been a new version it would have had its version number updated to V4.00)

So is there any chance that after the Spider version updates have stopped on December 31st (2024, I take it), a new 4.00 version will be released in 2025?

In any case, I understand that there will be no more official releases of v. 3 (v. 3.01 being the last one), so the situation is clear as far as my RZX-recording and movie-making plans are concerned (I will publish a walkthrough of v. 3.01 in December 2024 if all goes well). So thank you for clarifying the situation! 👍

[Norman Sword]

This was going to be the loader picture on the spider jsw special -- Unfortunately it uses too much memory at run time, to be incorperated into the game as a loader screen. It is based on the Card picture I have previously shown. This program using the picture from MJSW the Scroll surround of JSW2, the graphics of JSW and MM (plus the basics of the christmas card)

Would have made a nice loaded game screen....

 

jjsw24_spider_loader-NotUsed.tap

Edited December 24, 2024 by Norman Sword
transposition of letters. Often called spelling mistoks

[JianYang]

Nice. Merry Christmas to you, too.

[jetsetdanny]

Very nice! 👍

[jetsetdanny]

I 

On 10/1/2023 at 10:53 AM, Spider said:

I'll be interested to see how to choose to do this, as there are four "modes" of play. I am not sure if you plan on doing each as separate .rzx's or something else is planned.

What are the four modes of play, please?

"Manic Jet Set Willy" v. 3 will be my next recording, after the one I'm doing now. So I would like to get mentally ready for this job.

II

Currently, I am recording "Manic Jet Set Willy" v. 2. How many modes of play does it have?

And a specific question (possibly related to the previous one). On the title screen, it reads "fixed MM order". I *think* there is a choice and that this setting can be changed to something like "random MM order". If this is correct, what key should be pressed to achieve this? I've looked through the posts related to v. 2 but can't see any pertinent ones.

Any help on this will be appreciated 🙂 .

[Norman Sword]

Variations in game playing mode - for V3.01

Whilst technically there are 4 modes. The random game modes can be treated as just one mode. Similar to having a shuffled pack of cards placed before you. Taking a card from anywhere in the pack or just taking the top card. Will always (or should) result in an unknown card. The random modes are similar to the pack of cards description. Whilst technically you are getting an unknown cavern (card) by differing methods of logic, the result is the same, An unknown cavern (card) 

1.  Fixed by play
2.  Fixed by room
3.  random by play
4.  random by room.

 

The graphics I display below are the graphics and colours as used in Manic Miner. Whilst I use the graphics (as defined in Manic Miner), I change the colours in usage to make the portals less conspicuous when viewed in a room.

Description - Fixed by play
Here the portals access rooms in the order that they are played in Manic Miner. No matter which room the portal is entered from, the first access will always give "The Central Cavern". Since Manic Miner has 20 portals and each room has a specific portal design. Every room with a portal will display the current Manic Miner room that can be accessed. So if none are accessed then all the portals, when they are passed will display the portal from  "the central cavern"    When that cavern has been completed. the next portal graphic will be displayed.  "the Cold Room"   
The caverns are thus accessed in order -- defined by play. 

Description   - Fixed by room
Here the rooms define which Manic Miner cavern will be accessed.
"The Bathroom" will always access    "The Central Cavern" 
"First Landing" will always access      "The Cold Room"

In a similar way the graphic shown for any room with a portal, will in this mode. Always display the same Manic Miner portal graphic, and give access to the same Manic Miner room on every play. 


Description Random by play and Random by room
Here the graphic for room access will always be just a question mark . Giving no clue as to which cavern will be accessed. As stated above whilst the logic to arrive at the cavern differs, the end result is just a random cavern from Manic Miner.
 After any Manic Miner cavern has been completed, then it can no longer be accessed by the random selection. Again similar to picking the cards from the pack. Once selected, it is no longer available. This does mean that the 20th cavern will always be known by logic. Simply being the only remaining cavern left to play.

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Changing game mode.

At the end of the scrolling message, I include the extra keys as used by MJSW which are not part of the keys used in Manic Miner or Jet Set Willy. I also wrote the keys into the game post

 

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Hope the above answers your questions.

 

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Addendum.
V2 also allows for a change of game mode. Again the change in mode is accessed by pressing "1" on the title screen. The modes are the same as the first two listed for V3.01.
With v2 there is no option of playing random order.

In V3.02 - the random order is expanded to 20 random portal rooms from a list of 40 portal rooms. (that game is however not listed in any posts by me)

 

Edited January 11 by Norman Sword
update.