Paradroid 90 and Uridium 2

monty359 · 30 November 2016, 04:40

greets amiga friends

i remember back in the day i was really excited to hear that paradroid and uridium were coming to the amiga, as i previously really enjoyed them both on the C64

so... when i got paradroid 90 on the amiga i really enjoyed it, played it a lot, and had lot's of fun for months (..actually for years, as i would go back to it many times through the years)

uridium 2 is a different story though. for some reason, i couldn't seem to get into it. i'm not sure why. i played it a few times, didn't really get excited about anything, and then never played it again. i can't put it down to any particular reason though... (

)

perhaps it was just me? so... are there any fans of uridium 2 here who really rate it and find (or found) it to be lots of fun, exciting, and addictive?

ps. i also enjoyed andrew braybrook's fire and ice, which i played a lot, really enjoyed, and managed to complete.

nobody · 30 November 2016, 10:03

C64 Uridium was slower and you could see what's going on with blocks of solid color in the background. Way too fast on the Amiga, too detailed graphics, too dark. The ship shapes are common and boring. The colors are common and political correct, while the phychedelic colors of C64 are better suited for a space game.

Cherry on top the extra psychedelic vibe (if it wasn't enough) the SID creates.

Minuous · 30 November 2016, 12:00

Uridium 2 is awesome...

Er...politically correct colours!? Do you mean not saturated enough or something?

nobody · 30 November 2016, 12:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minuous

Uridium 2 is awesome...

Er...politically correct colours!? Do you mean not saturated enough or something?

i mean the ramps are straight, common, pick one hue and just increase brightness. But on a c64 due to restrictions you have to be imaginative, use blue as a shadow to red etc

Shatterhand · 30 November 2016, 12:59

I actually love Uridium 2, in the other hand could never understand why all the love for Paradroid 90.

And Fire and Ice never got me either.

Predseda · 30 November 2016, 13:07

I love Paradroid 90 (while I do not like original Paradroid) and I adore all the technical aspects of Uridium 2, but the game is too difficult for me after few levels. I like original Uridium more.

idrougge · 01 December 2016, 00:51

I find Uridium 2 really nice, unlike its predecessor which is just sadistic.

Jason H · 15 January 2018, 13:05

This is one of these times when the CBM64 versions win out.

Cherno · 15 January 2018, 14:25

Never played Uridium 2 but I liked Paradroid 90. I love top-down games and this one has excellent graphics with a good, muted color scheme and an interesting selection of droids from the lowly drink server and messenger to the heavy combat model and the ominous sphere which had some sort of lightning area attack. The levels graphics were full of small details like cluttered desks and computers.

Bastich · 15 January 2018, 15:16

Played Paradroid and Paradroid 90. Both are great games. It was a shame that Paradroid 90 didn't scroll left and right. I remember someone saying it was too do with the ST version but don't know if this was true?

Uridium I loved on the 64 bit Uridium 2 on the Amiga was only OK. Never could quite put finger on why tbh. Probably had another shoot em up at the time or something.

If you liked Uridium check out my WIP Iridium shoot em up for Windows. This video is a little old now. New one soon

[ Show youtube player ]

jayminer · 15 January 2018, 16:18

I love Paradroid on the C64 but never could get into Paradroid '90. Not really sure why, I remember it being really hard but I guess perhaps I never really gave it a real chance.

Never really liked Uridium on the C64 so I'm not sure if I have even tried Uridium 2, perhaps I should one day!

CodyJarrett · 15 January 2018, 16:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bastich

It was a shame that Paradroid 90 didn't scroll left and right. I remember someone saying it was too do with the ST version but don't know if this was true?

When I asked Andrew Braybrook about updating the 8-bit game to 16-bit platforms and if the conversion of the Atari ST version to the Amiga caused any problems, he said that:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Braybrook

Horizontal scrolling on the Atari ST was going to be difficult. It can be done, but requires limiting the background colours, or using hideous amounts of memory to store pre-scrolled data, or by reducing the size of the scrolling screen. We implemented the backgrounds in less colours and had a demo running with all direction scrolling, which the Amiga could have done with ease, but we needed a solution for both formats. The limited number of colours were also not the look I wanted.

The only way to get all the colours involved was to use our Rainbow Islands vertical-only scrolling system. I worked out that the maps in the C64 version were not especially big, and by rotating them 90 degrees I didn't need to scroll horizontally and the game would use almost the full screen. It was a compromise but I thought the benefits far outweighed the loss. Amiga fans may have been less forgiving, so we all lost out.

By the time the Atari ST version was ready we may have had an opportunity to consider adding in horizontal scrolling for the Amiga, but the maps would have needed re-doing. These took a considerable amount of time each to create and there was no realistic way we were going to redo 7 ships. The conversion didn't take very long because of the Core system. I used the hardware sprites for the score overlays but that was about it.

Bastich · 15 January 2018, 17:20

Thanks for the info

That's very interesting to know

Predseda · 15 January 2018, 19:24

I am more than surprised Andrew replied to your questions. He is famous for being not interested in any kind of articles and interviews. I have tried to ask him for a decent interview many times and he never answered. Also few recent books editors haven't succeed, even author of the Hewson book! Much appreciated, CodeTapper!!

DamienD · 15 January 2018, 20:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Predseda

I am more than surprised Andrew replied to your questions. He is famous for being not interested in any kind of articles and interviews. I have tried to ask him for a decent interview many times and he never answered.

Yeah, but you and they are not the famous CodyJ

Quote:

Originally Posted by Predseda

Also few recent books editors haven't succeed, even author of the Hewson book! Much appreciated, CodeTapper!!

CodeTapper??? I think you mean CodyJarrett

Predseda · 15 January 2018, 20:38

:facepalm:

Ohnhai · 07 July 2018, 00:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by nobody

i mean the ramps are straight, common, pick one hue and just increase brightness. But on a c64 due to restrictions you have to be imaginative, use blue as a shadow to red etc

The palettes were set up that way so you could swap the first and second banks of colours and double the effective number of tiles you had to build the ships from.

The structure of the colour palette was spipulated by Andrew quite strictly.

monty359 · 28 July 2018, 04:50

i thought i would have a little look on youtube of some uridium 2 footage to see if it jogged my memory as to why i had trouble with that game back in the day..

..i could see right away; it's the speed for sure, the scrolling is too fast for my slow brain

ps. gfx and sound are nice imho

Anachronist · 15 August 2018, 11:58

I've always been terrible at Paradroid! I keep coming back to it only to once again not get anywhere. I do love Uridium 1 and 2. I have to say that for the time Uridium was just flat-out amazing. Uridium 2 was cool, but not groundbreaking in presentation the way the original was.

30 November 2016, 04:40	#1
monty359 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: cornwall uk Posts: 31	Paradroid 90 and Uridium 2 greets amiga friends i remember back in the day i was really excited to hear that paradroid and uridium were coming to the amiga, as i previously really enjoyed them both on the C64 so... when i got paradroid 90 on the amiga i really enjoyed it, played it a lot, and had lot's of fun for months (..actually for years, as i would go back to it many times through the years) uridium 2 is a different story though. for some reason, i couldn't seem to get into it. i'm not sure why. i played it a few times, didn't really get excited about anything, and then never played it again. i can't put it down to any particular reason though... () perhaps it was just me? so... are there any fans of uridium 2 here who really rate it and find (or found) it to be lots of fun, exciting, and addictive? ps. i also enjoyed andrew braybrook's fire and ice, which i played a lot, really enjoyed, and managed to complete.

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30 November 2016, 10:03	#2
nobody Registered User Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: GR Age: 46 Posts: 1,416	C64 Uridium was slower and you could see what's going on with blocks of solid color in the background. Way too fast on the Amiga, too detailed graphics, too dark. The ship shapes are common and boring. The colors are common and political correct, while the phychedelic colors of C64 are better suited for a space game. Cherry on top the extra psychedelic vibe (if it wasn't enough) the SID creates.

30 November 2016, 12:00	#3
Minuous Coder/webmaster/gamer Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Canberra/Australia Posts: 2,630	Uridium 2 is awesome... Er...politically correct colours!? Do you mean not saturated enough or something?

30 November 2016, 12:59	#5
Shatterhand Warhasneverbeensomuchfun Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Rio de Janeiro / Brazil Age: 41 Posts: 3,450	I actually love Uridium 2, in the other hand could never understand why all the love for Paradroid 90. And Fire and Ice never got me either.

30 November 2016, 13:07	#6
Predseda Puttymoon inhabitant Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Tromaville Age: 46 Posts: 7,539	I love Paradroid 90 (while I do not like original Paradroid) and I adore all the technical aspects of Uridium 2, but the game is too difficult for me after few levels. I like original Uridium more.

01 December 2016, 00:51	#7
idrougge Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Stockholm Posts: 4,332	I find Uridium 2 really nice, unlike its predecessor which is just sadistic.

15 January 2018, 13:05	#8
Jason H Registered User Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: UK Posts: 109	This is one of these times when the CBM64 versions win out.

15 January 2018, 14:25	#9
Cherno Registered User Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Dortmund, Germany Posts: 1,054	Never played Uridium 2 but I liked Paradroid 90. I love top-down games and this one has excellent graphics with a good, muted color scheme and an interesting selection of droids from the lowly drink server and messenger to the heavy combat model and the ominous sphere which had some sort of lightning area attack. The levels graphics were full of small details like cluttered desks and computers.

15 January 2018, 15:16	#10
Bastich Registered User Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: UK Posts: 341	Played Paradroid and Paradroid 90. Both are great games. It was a shame that Paradroid 90 didn't scroll left and right. I remember someone saying it was too do with the ST version but don't know if this was true? Uridium I loved on the 64 bit Uridium 2 on the Amiga was only OK. Never could quite put finger on why tbh. Probably had another shoot em up at the time or something. If you liked Uridium check out my WIP Iridium shoot em up for Windows. This video is a little old now. New one soon [ Show youtube player ]

15 January 2018, 16:18	#11
jayminer Registered User Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Umeå / Sweden Posts: 266	I love Paradroid on the C64 but never could get into Paradroid '90. Not really sure why, I remember it being really hard but I guess perhaps I never really gave it a real chance. Never really liked Uridium on the C64 so I'm not sure if I have even tried Uridium 2, perhaps I should one day!

15 January 2018, 17:20	#13
Bastich Registered User Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: UK Posts: 341	Thanks for the info That's very interesting to know

15 January 2018, 19:24	#14
Predseda Puttymoon inhabitant Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Tromaville Age: 46 Posts: 7,539	I am more than surprised Andrew replied to your questions. He is famous for being not interested in any kind of articles and interviews. I have tried to ask him for a decent interview many times and he never answered. Also few recent books editors haven't succeed, even author of the Hewson book! Much appreciated, CodeTapper!!

15 January 2018, 20:38	#16
Predseda Puttymoon inhabitant Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Tromaville Age: 46 Posts: 7,539	:facepalm:

28 July 2018, 04:50	#18
monty359 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: cornwall uk Posts: 31	i thought i would have a little look on youtube of some uridium 2 footage to see if it jogged my memory as to why i had trouble with that game back in the day.. ..i could see right away; it's the speed for sure, the scrolling is too fast for my slow brain ps. gfx and sound are nice imho

15 August 2018, 11:58	#19
Anachronist Registered User Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 71	I've always been terrible at Paradroid! I keep coming back to it only to once again not get anywhere. I do love Uridium 1 and 2. I have to say that for the time Uridium was just flat-out amazing. Uridium 2 was cool, but not groundbreaking in presentation the way the original was.

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