Sqrxz for Amiga 500

[Rebel-CD32]

Originally Posted by StingRay

If I would be the coder I wouldn't feel motivated to spend any time on "fixing" this after reading such comments. It really reads like "do what I want or else...". Not exactly nice especially considered that you don't have to pay a dime for the game!

To be honest I agree, after I read what I posted I felt it came off the wrong way, but it wasn't intentional, I'm just not any good at buttering up my words. I still really appreciate the game in any case, jump button or not.

[phx]

Originally Posted by Akira

What I really think is a bit of a problem, is the main character being so far ahead on the screen you cannot really see what is coming towards you. I know it was kind of like this in the original, but somehow it feels more accentuated in this version. Is that possible?

No, that's impossible. The gameplay is 100% like the original.
Maybe a bit slower, because it is now 50Hz instead of 60Hz.

[phx]

Originally Posted by Rebel-CD32

The programmer had a personal preference for a certain type of controller

Certainly.
For me control pads don't really belong to the Amiga. They first appeared with the CD32, very late in the Amiga's history. All game designers would expect you to use a joystick.

It's a real shame you don't want to fix this

Adding an option to use the button for jumping is not difficult to add, but I don't want to write a complete keyboard handler, just because of that. Otherwise there would be no possibility to get into the in-game menu.

[Retro1234]

Originally Posted by phx

For me control pads don't really belong to the Amiga. They first appeared with the CD32, very late in the Amiga's history. All game designers would expect you to use a joystick.

Except Factor 5 1989

Honestly truly fantastic work
Big! congratulations on all your hard work and Thanks

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by phx

Adding an option to use the button for jumping is not difficult to add, but I don't want to write a complete keyboard handler, just because of that. Otherwise there would be no possibility to get into the in-game menu.

I understand. I guess the option would be to use the TWO button joypads, I mean, if we have a joypad, it's gonna be a two-button one definitely. Then we have one button for jump, one for menu. No need for keyboard routines

Also understood about the scrolling. Is the displayed game area, though, any smaller than in other versions? I am comparing to the Caanoo version but I can't really be sure, my eyes are deceiving me I think

Thanks a lot for making this little game happen.

[phx]

Originally Posted by Akira

I guess the option would be to use the TWO button joypads, I mean, if we have a joypad, it's gonna be a two-button one definitely. Then we have one button for jump, one for menu. No need for keyboard routines

Right. That could be an option.
Just that checking options in inner game-loops wastes time.

Also understood about the scrolling. Is the displayed game area, though, any smaller than in other versions?

I don't think so. The visible scrolling area is 320x192 in all versions I know.

I am comparing to the Caanoo version but I can't really be sure, my eyes are deceiving me I think

Possibly. I have never seen Caanoo, though...

[StingRay]

The WHDLoad version can now be found on the WHDLoad site. For those that hate floppies or need some trainers.

[hipoonios]

Thank you very much! Awesome work!

Just played the Amiga version to the end in WinUAE.

Requesting a port of Sqrxz 2

[phx]

Originally Posted by hipoonios

Just played the Amiga version to the end in WinUAE.

You might be one of the first who played SqrxzOCS to the end. Congratulations!
During my many hours of testing I often ended in level 11 (bridge of death).

[Cammy]

Hi phx, I hope you don't mind if I spread the word around a bit, I think more people should know about this great port of Sqrxz!

Also is it okay if I send a pre-installed WHDLoad version of Sqrxz to some Amiga users who can't use floppy disks?

[phx]

Originally Posted by Cammy

I hope you don't mind if I spread the word around a bit

Not at all.

Also is it okay if I send a pre-installed WHDLoad version of Sqrxz to some Amiga users who can't use floppy disks?

Sure. It's free software.

[Cammy]

I'm glad you don't mind, if you'd like to check out what other people have to say about your game here are some of the threads I've made about it:

http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=62684
http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?t=34698
http://www.facebook.com/groups/2214169156/ (A little way down the page you will see a thumbnail of Sqrxz and some people talking about it)

I'm showing you what people are saying because most people are too lazy to send direct feedback, but you should still know how much they are enjoying your work, and I read in the scroller that feedback is motivation to continue your awesome work.

[s2325]

longplay: [ Show youtube player ]

[clenched]

Well after writing this ADF to a floppy, I was fully prepared to adopt the usual countermeasures to get PAL games working on the A500. To my astonishment , the game went to the correct screen mode without intervention on my part. Thank you phx, you don't know how much this is appreciated since it is so rare.

I am seeing the same coarse scrolling at the intro described earlier, but the game is smooth. For what it's worth, I could time jumps more accurately on the Windows port which defaults to joystick w/fire button to jump. I attribute this to having to move extra mass of handle+high spring resistance+longer distance to move compared to quickness of a finger on the fire button. Certainly it couldn't have anything to do with my reflexes could it?

I'm trying again on the Amiga to find the Easter egg promised which wasn't found despite finishing the Windows port a while back. Clue ?

[phx]

Originally Posted by clenched

To my astonishment , the game went to the correct screen mode without intervention on my part. Thank you phx, you don't know how much this is appreciated since it is so rare.

This might only work for ECS and AGA machines, which have a BEAMCON0 register. IIRC I just configured the chipset to PAL there.
Otherwise I don't know what I did.

For what it's worth, I could time jumps more accurately on the Windows port which defaults to joystick w/fire button to jump. I attribute this to having to move extra mass of handle+high spring resistance+longer distance to move compared to quickness of a finger on the fire button. Certainly it couldn't have anything to do with my reflexes could it?

Probably.
It also depends on the joystick. A Quickshot has longer ways than a CompetitionPro, for example.
What I find to be difficult with a jump-button is the coordination with left/right movement during a jump. I can hardly move the joystick left/right at the same time as pressing the button, while it is easy to move the stick up-left or up-right to achieve the desired effect.

I'm trying again on the Amiga to find the Easter egg promised which wasn't found despite finishing the Windows port a while back. Clue ?

There was an easter egg? Was that mentioned somewhere?
I didn't run into any easter egg code in the original C source, so there is definitely nothing in the AmigaOCS version.

[clenched]

Originally Posted by phx

There was an easter egg? Was that mentioned somewhere?

It is the last bullet point in the Features: section of this page .

EDIT: also paragraph three, last sentence of About Sqrxz? section, same page.

[musashi9]

An ADF version with a trainer can be downloaded here
http://flashtro.com/page.php?id=2982

[daxb]

Someone tried the unlimited time trainer in the whdload version?

[StingRay]

Yes me, obviously. Why?

[phx]

Originally Posted by clenched

It is the last bullet point in the Features: section of this page .

EDIT: also paragraph three, last sentence of About Sqrxz? section, same page.

Yes, indeed, there is a kind of easter-egg in the C/SDL version, but it is not in the 68k version. The easter egg cannot be activated during the game, but during selection of classic/new graphics. That's all I can say.