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jotd · 25 November 2022, 16:30

Without the source code, it's really harder to create a conversion

- we don't have any AGA assets, we'd have to create them
- no source => heavy reverse engineering

Cfou made EOB/EOB2 AGA but

- he had AGA assets (DOS version)
- it's a relatively "simple" game, means that there are pics and that's it. Also using the system, much easier to reverse.
- it probably wasn't a piece of cake even with that

I converted Supercars 2 to AGA but:

- I had the original source code
- I had the assets from the DOS version for the static images
- it wasn't a piece of cake to understand how objects are rendered/encoded in data files (with shadows and all)

Increasing the number of planes is not like adding infinite lives, etc... It changes a lot of dimensions and all. Possible, but (even more) a labor of love.

Now Moonstone is non-DOS but still comes as an executable, which is a good point, since it can be disassembled & rebuilt, without too many issues like hidden tables/relocs (another issue when reversing a statically assembled code). Plus no need to reverse everything. "Just" figure out the original format of the assets (to add more bitplanes), change original copperlists (easy to find) and add bitplanes to blits (easy to find too).

I was considering doing that for Cadaver. The fact that there are no 256 colors assets stopped me for starting the work.

25 November 2022, 16:30	#9
jotd This cat is no more Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: FRANCE Age: 52 Posts: 8,307	Without the source code, it's really harder to create a conversion - we don't have any AGA assets, we'd have to create them - no source => heavy reverse engineering Cfou made EOB/EOB2 AGA but - he had AGA assets (DOS version) - it's a relatively "simple" game, means that there are pics and that's it. Also using the system, much easier to reverse. - it probably wasn't a piece of cake even with that I converted Supercars 2 to AGA but: - I had the original source code - I had the assets from the DOS version for the static images - it wasn't a piece of cake to understand how objects are rendered/encoded in data files (with shadows and all) Increasing the number of planes is not like adding infinite lives, etc... It changes a lot of dimensions and all. Possible, but (even more) a labor of love. Now Moonstone is non-DOS but still comes as an executable, which is a good point, since it can be disassembled & rebuilt, without too many issues like hidden tables/relocs (another issue when reversing a statically assembled code). Plus no need to reverse everything. "Just" figure out the original format of the assets (to add more bitplanes), change original copperlists (easy to find) and add bitplanes to blits (easy to find too). I was considering doing that for Cadaver. The fact that there are no 256 colors assets stopped me for starting the work.