Quasar Wars - WHDLoad joypad patch

[Solo Kazuki]

Quasar Wars is rather nice shareware shoot'em up. But there is annoying system of using additional weapons - it's double fire push. Sometimes you can use weapon instead machine gun in middle of intensive fight. Additionally with [RSHIFT] you can change additional weapons.

Is there anyone interested in making WHDLoad version? With change weapons on button and (if this is possible) remap using of weapons under independent button?

[Solo Kazuki]

Anyone interested in this case?

[jotd]

if you can zone it I could have a look. I'm interested in AGA games without whdload

[Retroplay]

It's on the ftp here:
http://grandis.nu/eabsearch/search.p...xclude=&limit=

[jotd]

game running under whdload (after fixing one nasty access fault). Yes, controls need adaptation!! blue button => change weapon for now.

and is that normal that there aren't any sfx in the game, just music?

[Solo Kazuki]

Yes, sadly there's no sfx in game, at least in version which i have.

[jotd]

no sfx is a real kick in the nuts! I may finish the patch this week. Not very difficult. But helped me to find a faster & easier way to deal with packed executables that can't be unpacked with XFDDecrunch (and I'm going to do Captive II afterwards)

[Solo Kazuki]

I think same as You, game will be better with sounds.

About Captive II just remember that there are three quality settings of game textures during install. Also game tend to have errors, but it might be bug only on better processors (i was playing with 68040 CPU).

[jotd]

adding sounds could even be done. But that would require removing the music and replaying it using another player which supports sfx play too like phx ptplay. Then find sounds and when they should be played...

possible but time-consuming and possibly not worth it for a average/good game.

[Solo Kazuki]

More important is remap of using additional weapons. I hope You'll be able to add this.

[jotd]

that is going to be a piece of cake. blue button is switching the weapons already. What is annoying is that if you need weapon 9 and you're using weapon 0 you have to press 9 times. So maybe other buttons could select specific weapons. There are 2 shoulder buttons, 2 color buttons + blue and play reserved for pause.

So 4 buttons to select a particular weapon (maybe the most used) and blue to reach any weapon.

[Solo Kazuki]

Game have also keyboard selection of weapons on F1-F10 keys if fast selection is required.
It's hard to chose "most used" weapons because there are three types of missiles, three types of bombs, two types of mines, flares and mega bomb. So both personal preferences and what You get as bonus make this selection very hard.

Edit: Most logic shortcuts selection is by types wrapped around. It requires only 5 combinations, e.g. REV+x, REV+y, FF+x,FF+y and REV+FF.

So something like (it's just example):
RED = gun
BLUE = 2nd weapon
GREEN = normal selection like [RSHIFT]
FF+GREEN = missiles A-C like [F1]-[F2]-[F3]-[F1]...
FF+YELLOW = bombs 1-3 like [F4]-[F5]-[F6]-[F4]...
REV+GREEN = mines 1-2 like [F7]-[F8]-[F7]...
REV+YELLOW = flares as [F9]
FF+REV = mega bomb as [F10]
would be nice

or if it's not possible
...
FF+GREEN = [F1] (and you select exact type by pressing GREEN)
FF+YELLOW = [F4]
REV+GREEN = [F7]
REV+YELLOW = [F9]
FF+REV = [F10]

Edit+: Just some random thoughts.
Sometimes You need fast select flares, so maybe YELLOW as [F9] and then REV+YELLOW should be [F10].

[jotd]

Well, the combination appears as hard to remember than a simple up/down thing

RED = gun
BLUE = 2nd weapon
GREEN = normal selection like [RSHIFT]
YELLOW = previous (reversed GREEN)

simple, yet not as quick to select weapons. not wanting to spend too much time on that game anyway.

[Solo Kazuki]

Ok, but nice would be fast selection of flares, something like (even more logic) FF = normal selection, REV = reversed selection, GREEN or YELLOW = flares.

Edit: If it's not too hard (and You would like to do it) this one button left could be cycle [F1]-[F4]-[F7]-[F10] to select type of weapon. It would be little faster this way to select exact weapon and not too much complicated.

[jotd]

I have completed the slave. ATM controls are:

- blue/second button: fire current secondary weapon
- backward/reverse: select previous/next secondary weapon
- play: pause
- green: rear bomb
- yellow: flare

green & yellow fire the weapon without having to select it first.
tapping double fire can be disabled too

Missing an icon for that one.

[Solo Kazuki]

Thanks, i'll test it today later.

About icon i'm rather mediocre but if nobody will make icon i'll try do it.

Edit: There is little mistake in Your description.

backward/reverse: select previous/next secondary weapon

It probably should be forward/reverse or backward/forward?

[Solo Kazuki]

Just made icon (NewIcon type) and put it to the Zone.

[jotd]

true! typo. And thanks.