[WIP] Donkey Kong conversion

[jotd]

Please make sure they got the latest update. My kludge works. To make sure it works, I reduced the max number of sprites to 4, and it could display more than 5 barrels.

[Brenry]

Originally Posted by jotd

Please make sure they got the latest update. My kludge works. To make sure it works, I reduced the max number of sprites to 4, and it could display more than 5 barrels.

yes it was update 2 that you updated within the past hour (adf version). This is getting heavy playtesting currently at https://www.twitch.tv/amigalive

[ztronzo]

Wow I woke up and found everyone still playing this on stream using the -user uploads- on AmigaLive, so I purchased the game today to create an official configuration with high-score saving and download link to your page jotd666.itch.io/donkey-kong-500 so that owners of the digital download can use it easily while going through your page.

One thing that is happening is when using the ADF, occasionally we get a freeze which looks similar to the flash the screen and wait for LMB blitz MACRO. But this is floppy version. Could it be possible you forgot some debugging code in it?

Here is a vid of when it happens: https://clips.twitch.tv/MushySmokyMe...uglRoeQ2WcSgOs


I have not yet tried it myself to figure out how to reproduce the bug, but will be trying it soon.

[ztronzo]

As Amigans, we had "Monkey Business" for over 30 years... once this port is final I think it can easily last over 100 years!

[ransom1122]

Is there any reason why the "D" is missing gfx in the title screen?

[Torti-the-Smurf]

@ JOTD

The Picture is pretty far to the Left, like the other Ports (which is ok) ;
... it would look even nicer imho if centered. Just a thought ...

[ztronzo]

I do not see any issues with the HDD version. Or I have been very lucky.

I ended up using the WHD .slave version now because I wanted to have the scores saved immediately without the need to hit ESC.

Something wrong with the score display after load...

While reaching a High-Score the first time, it shows your score on the top-middle.
But as soon as you exit and relaunch and the game reloads your scores, although you have higher scores, the only score shown at the top as High-Score is the no-name one with score 007650 points or any new high-score achieved (I include screenshots)

Its more like showing the arcade-cabinet high-score of the day (before it gets powered off) and not from the total. So un-sure if this is intentional

[DanyPPC]

The game is quite hard, I reached the 2nd level 2 times.

But I think that playability is affected from the diagonal (Up/Down + Left/Right) when you use a ladder. The game support only standard UP and DOWN directions, so You must press the lever in the centre position of your joystick/gamepad.

I don't know if Jotd can fix this and so improve the playability.

Thanks Jotd for the great work on this conversion.

[ztronzo]

I would like to make a control request on behalf of myself and a few people I had this discussion with earlier today (Kragle__ Bash64___ brenry etc.)

While using an arcade joystick and movement is performed with diagonals, the character move gets locked/stops moving.
I tested MAME version but it doesn't get locked with using diagonals.

My conclusion after testing on MAME and everything below this line is how movement is performed in MAME:
While the character is moving on horizontal platforms:
Diagonals up-left or down-left = Left movement only (bypassing any ladders)
Diagonals up-right or down-right = Right movement only (bypassing any ladders)

So only for the start of the climb up ladders or the start of descending down ladders you need a clean UP or DOWN movement without any diagonals.

While already on a ladder you can switch to a diagonal movements without causing a stop on your movement
On-Ladder Diagonals up-left: will keep you climbing upwards and immediately make you run left after climbing all the way
On-Ladder Diagonals down-left: will keep you descending downwards and immediately make you run left after descending all the way
On-Ladder Diagonals up-right: will keep you climbing upwards and immediately make you run right after climbing all the way
On-Ladder Diagonals down-right: will keep you descending downwards and immediately make you run right after descending all the way


I believe if you can match these controls, it should make the control more fluid to users and not worry about getting locked on top or at the bottom of ladders.
Would this be easily implemented?
Thanks in advance! Already great work!

[funK]

@JOTD Wonderful job as always!
Apart from the problem with controls mentioned just here above (I'm using a PS2 controller and noticed the same behaviour), this port is bloody damn perfect!
Also, how high have you managed to make the screen? I think this is the first time I see my 32" crt not being able to vertically fit an Amiga game!

[jotd]

thanks all for feedback!

The screen height is 264 AFAIR. It could be made 256 I think, there are 8 pixels on the top that could be removed.

The good news is that ALL the bugs you reported are known / I have an idea how to fix them. So a better (or final) version will be released later in the week. Stay tuned!

[ztronzo]

Originally Posted by funK

Also, how high have you managed to make the screen? I think this is the first time I see my 32" crt not being able to vertically fit an Amiga game!

Check this image taken using a screenshot (FS-UAE) and added grey borders so you can see where the screenshot ends. The last platform below reaches the bottom of the screen.
See if you can move the field vision of your TV downward or maybe set to NTSC?


If you are using emulation you can adjust the viewport.

[jotd]

I managed to fix a few bugs:

- controls
- highscore update

I'm puzzled by the "blitz" screen. I don't know why the code can end up there. I can try to avoid the crash but what to do in that case? a barrel is likely not to be displayed... when my alternate system counts the barrels and makes sure that it cannot go past 8 barrels as sprites. It should work!

Can someone who got the bug can tell me the exact WinUAE configuration so I can try to reproduce it?

Plus I was not able to reproduce it. Maybe on a slow configuration? but sprite data is copied at start of interrupt so it cannot be changed concurrently after that...

Something that I noticed: if the barrels don't take the ladder on the lowest girder, they just go away by the right, instead of bouncing when they're below mario! I just noticed that behaviour (and found a bug in my implementation BTW even if it worked like MAME )

The blue/death barrel is not affected by that.

Is there any reason why the "D" is missing gfx in the title screen?

it should not, but it does!

[ztronzo]

Originally Posted by jotd

I managed to fix a few bugs:
I'm puzzled by the "blitz" screen. I don't know why the code can end up there. I can try to avoid the crash but what to do in that case?

For now, Im still gathering info of a pattern that may cause this.
Seems to happen only when using the floppy version (which has a different executable size than the HD).
During the 2nd appearance of 1st stage and when L=02.
Happens on 2nd and 3rd girder from the bottom.


freeze: 25m height, L=02, lives=2, Score 12100, 3rd girder top of ladder
as seen from VincentGR post: https://eab.abime.net/attachment.php...3&d=1707152037

freeze A500 floppy: 25m height, L=02, lives=0, Score 013800, walking on 2rd girder
vod: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2052789059?t=23h38m17s

freeze A1200 floppy: 25m height, L=02, lives=3, Score 010700, walking on 3rd girder
vod: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2052789059?t=24h11m40s

freeze A1200 floppy: 25m height, L=02, lives=0, Score 15600, 3rd girder top of ladder showing his butt
vod: https://www.twitch.tv/amigalivegamin...uglRoeQ2WcSgOs


Amiga 500 configuration was with 512kb memory expansion and one floppy drive emulated using FS-UAE using kick34005.A500 and floppy_drive_speed=100 (original floppy speed)

Amiga 1200 configuration was with 8MB fast memory, 4 drives enabled, kick40068.A1200
uae_cycle_exact=true
floppy_drive_speed=0 (fastest possible floppy read)


Tested the HD version and the WHD .slave thoroughly and have not seen the blitz issue yet..
The unlucky person that had this happen to him 3 times already (or more) has not seen it happen once with using the WHD .slave version

[r.cade]

Very nice, but PAL only!

[tomcat666]

Originally Posted by r.cade

Very nice, but PAL only!

Good luck getting 256+ lines onto NTSC so both users can play it

[Bren McGuire]

every thread like this gets at least one angry NTSC user who for some reason refuses to buy an Amiga that can display PAL! get with the program mate


jotd: how hard would it be to have a game like this get a TATE mode?

Originally Posted by r.cade

Very nice, but PAL only!

[jotd]

Originally Posted by Bren McGuire

jotd: how hard would it be to have a game like this get a TATE mode?

you mean with rotated display I suppose. Well, not that hard for the graphics, but a lot of work still (mirrored images become inverted blits / inverted blits become mirrored images).


Then you have the dynamic copper color changes that make the render of the tiles impossible with the actual colors while it's so easy like it's done now...

[saimon69]

Originally Posted by ztronzo

As Amigans, we had "Monkey Business" for over 30 years... once this port is final I think it can easily last over 100 years!

There was the Bignonia port of the c64 version too, that was decent and run on NTSC machines too seemingly

[ Show youtube player ]

[ztronzo]

Originally Posted by jotd

I managed to fix a few bugs:
- controls
- highscore update

Great work!!! it controls so much better now!!! No need for MAME anymore!