Sqrxz for Amiga 500

[phx]

Some time ago I ported the Retroguru games Sqrxz and Giana's Return for MorphOS and AmigaOS4. Those are very amiga-like and oldschool games, and I always thought about the possibility to rewrite them on Amiga OCS hardware.

Nearly two weeks ago I started to work on Sqrxz, converting the graphics from 256 to 32 colors, the XM mods to Protracker (and now P61). I had a lot of fun doing some 68000 assembler coding, cylcle counting and hardware hacking again, like 20 years ago.

Now I want to present the first stage of the project. The intro is running, and it doesn't look so much different on a 7MHz Amiga 500 than on GHz SDL machine.

The game engine is nearly complete. Monsters are moving as in the final game. Missing are player control and sound-effects. I need to find a smart way to get effects into ThePlayer.

Also some of the original XM modules have too many tracks or use too many octaves, so they are hard to convert. The graphics are quite ok for being auto-converted, but could certainly be improved as well. I'm neither a musican nor a graphican, though.

Tools used during the development:
- CygnusEd editor
- vasmm68k assembler
- vlink linker
- GNU-make 3.74
- Milkytracker and Protracker
- GIMP
- E-UAE for debugging

Development, although being portable, took place on a Pegasos2. GIMP was run on a PowerBook with NetBSD and Protracker on a A3000.

The game is tested on real hardware: A3000/060, A500 and Minimig.

[SyX]

Great Work phx!!!

[Retro1234]

Have to say I dont know this game but after a search found it and have to say great work dude I Can't wait to try this

http://www.sqrxz.de/

[Retro1234]

Just tried the Demo on my A1200 030/40 worked great

[Graham Humphrey]

Can't wait to see this finished

[Retro1234]

Any news??????????

[Leffmann]

The demo looks pretty cool!

[phx]

It is done!

The graphics have been redone and much improved. As in the original there are 16 levels with 18 nice chiptunes. All fits together into 1MB of memory, i.e. 512K Chip and 512K Fast is enough.

There is no save function, but a password system to accesss levels which you already played.

A classic trackloader will decrunch the game into memory while loading. But I still have the option to release it as a single file for hard disk installation (works on all Amigas, also from a 060+RTG workbench).

I will send the disk for duplication to the Retroguru team leader these days, so it can be shown and spread on the Demodays 2012 in Switzerland.

Most of the game is closed source, but I will make those parts available where I have the sole rights, for example:

- a new protracker player, which can insert sound effects into the music, by intelligently looking for the best channel to use

- a Bytekiller cruncher in portable C, used during cross-development

[darkwave]

This is fantastic! I've played it a bit on my Pandora but I'll have a lot of fun going through this on the Amiga. Amazing work! Can't wait.

[Asle]

Any chance you release the music material ? Would upload them on AMP.

[Amiga1992]

This is amazing, I loved the original in my Caanoo!!!
when will this be released? Ifyou buy he disk can you get the HD version too at the same time?

[phx]

Originally Posted by Asle

Any chance you release the music material ? Would upload them on AMP.

I think most of the MODs from Sqrxz are available here:
http://syphus.untergrund.net/

MODs used in the game:
Intro: Turbochip
Game Over: Sceney
Level00-15: Zennypocket, BollockNES, Brewed, Chipattack, Fantastic_Times, Fast_Quest, Fuelship, Her_Cloud, Mias_Song, FromHugs2Bonkers, Picking_a_Mushroom, Forgiveness, Release, Endings, Tired_Tiger, Welcome_Home

[phx]

Originally Posted by Akira

when will this be released? Ifyou buy he disk can you get the HD version too at the same time?

I have to wait with the release until the Demodays 2012 are over, because it will be presented there as a new game. This means, beginning of September.

The HD version might be released at a later time, to bring some new attention to the game.

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by phx

I have to wait with the release until the Demodays 2012 are over, because it will be presented there as a new game. This means, beginning of September.

The HD version might be released at a later time, to bring some new attention to the game.

How much will this cost?
Am I doing something wrong with the demo? I can't play it. Is it just a rolling demo?

[phx]

I'm not yet sure if and how we can offer the disks for foreign people. In Germany I will simply send the disk in a letter after a small amount for postage and the disk had been transfered to my bank account.

Maybe this also works in the EU, by using a EU SEPA bank wire transfer. But I'm not sure about the postage to other countries.

If you don't need the original labeled disk, then you may just wait for the ADF to appear. Although we won't officially offer such an image, because it is not retro.

Am I doing something wrong with the demo? I can't play it. Is it just a rolling demo?

This is a very early demo from June. Just the intro is working. There is nothing else in it. Also the graphics are different now.

[Amiga1992]

OK sounds awesome!
Not to be a nag and I know you just said this was just the intro, but I did notice teh scrolling to be a bit choppy on my A600. is this an A600 thing?

My point of comparison is SQRXZ in my Caanoo...

[phx]

Originally Posted by Akira

Not to be a nag and I know you just said this was just the intro, but I did notice teh scrolling to be a bit choppy on my A600. is this an A600 thing?

You're right. The intro scrolling is choppy. That's caused by the big logo which has to be blitted over the landscape each frame. In-game scrolling is smooth, even on 7MHz 68000.

[StingRay]

Looks and sounds good but I really don't like the jerky scrolling in the intro. Why do you have to blit the logo every frame? It's just a static 1bpl (I think, can't really check here at work) thingie or not?

Anyway, waiting for the final, looks very promising so far.

[phx]

Originally Posted by StingRay

Looks and sounds good but I really don't like the jerky scrolling in the intro.

Who would like that?

Why do you have to blit the logo every frame?

Everything is rendered again in every frame. So I have to blit the logo on top of it. The scrolling technique is not state of the art, but quite optimized nevertheless.

It's just a static 1bpl (I think, can't really check here at work) thingie or not?

It's a bit stupid. A 5-plane image with only one color (27). This color is changed by the copper.

This could have been done more intelligently. But it is hard to make all these hardware restrictions clear to the graphicians. So I have to make the best of what I get.

[Amiga1992]

Well maybe you should change the graphician. Need a hand? :P