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tcdev · 04 February 2016, 23:36

Above-mentioned blogger and author of the Knight Lore port checking in here.

Firstly, thanks to SyX for pointing me to this forum!

A bit of background on my Amiga experience - it's pretty much zero. Prior to this effort, which I began about 3 days ago, my last and only attempt to develop anything for the Amiga was an ill-fated remake of Lode Runner in (Manx/Aztec?) C on my Amiga 500 - and that was around 25 years ago!

My Knight Lore port has been possible only because of Google, reading sample code, and reading the various references online. I purposefully kept it "old school" because my last Amiga experience was Workbench 1.3 (although I'm using AmigaOS3.1 on WinUAE), and I also wanted to develop using gcc on the PC. So if the code is horrible, and/or uses antiquated libraries, this is the reason. I'd be happy to be tutored on bringing the design up-to-date however, at this stage, I'm sticking with gcc for other reasons.

As for issues with ixemul.library, all I know is I downloaded and use v48 for the 68020 under WinUAE. To be honest, I have no idea what it does or why it's needed, and I would be happy to do away with it if instructed how.

Comments on the graphics. My goal in porting Knight Lore was to replicate the original experience of the game on the original platform. The C code is a direct translation of the Z80 code to effect (in theory) a 100% accurate port. Aside from the monochrome rendering, the game is pixel-perfect and plays exactly the same (bugs not withstanding).

Having said that, in light of the remakes and ports to other platforms, I have thought about enhanced graphics and it should be possible, within certain constraints, to enhance the graphics on the Amiga port with very little or no changes to the existing code. I particularly like the shading example posted by Aegis above.

I will be releasing the source code within the next few weeks. But first, I'd like to complete the Neo Geo port as it will require changes to the core itself to facilitate hardware sprites. Once that's done it should be relatively easy to port to other platforms, and/or enhance the graphics. FTR I'm using gcc for all platforms and a common makefile and source base.

I am (now) interested in tweaking the Amiga port to get it to a point where it can be released to the general public as a shrink-wrapped playable game, rather than a proof-of-concept which is how I would describe it now. I would also welcome anyone else having a go at enhancing the graphics, and would happily advise/assist in that process. In the mean-time I'll post a few technical questions on this board in the appropriate forums and hopefully get the assistance I need.

Thanks all for your interest!

04 February 2016, 23:36	#14
tcdev Registered User Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 21	Above-mentioned blogger and author of the Knight Lore port checking in here. Firstly, thanks to SyX for pointing me to this forum! A bit of background on my Amiga experience - it's pretty much zero. Prior to this effort, which I began about 3 days ago, my last and only attempt to develop anything for the Amiga was an ill-fated remake of Lode Runner in (Manx/Aztec?) C on my Amiga 500 - and that was around 25 years ago! My Knight Lore port has been possible only because of Google, reading sample code, and reading the various references online. I purposefully kept it "old school" because my last Amiga experience was Workbench 1.3 (although I'm using AmigaOS3.1 on WinUAE), and I also wanted to develop using gcc on the PC. So if the code is horrible, and/or uses antiquated libraries, this is the reason. I'd be happy to be tutored on bringing the design up-to-date however, at this stage, I'm sticking with gcc for other reasons. As for issues with ixemul.library, all I know is I downloaded and use v48 for the 68020 under WinUAE. To be honest, I have no idea what it does or why it's needed, and I would be happy to do away with it if instructed how. Comments on the graphics. My goal in porting Knight Lore was to replicate the original experience of the game on the original platform. The C code is a direct translation of the Z80 code to effect (in theory) a 100% accurate port. Aside from the monochrome rendering, the game is pixel-perfect and plays exactly the same (bugs not withstanding). Having said that, in light of the remakes and ports to other platforms, I have thought about enhanced graphics and it should be possible, within certain constraints, to enhance the graphics on the Amiga port with very little or no changes to the existing code. I particularly like the shading example posted by Aegis above. I will be releasing the source code within the next few weeks. But first, I'd like to complete the Neo Geo port as it will require changes to the core itself to facilitate hardware sprites. Once that's done it should be relatively easy to port to other platforms, and/or enhance the graphics. FTR I'm using gcc for all platforms and a common makefile and source base. I am (now) interested in tweaking the Amiga port to get it to a point where it can be released to the general public as a shrink-wrapped playable game, rather than a proof-of-concept which is how I would describe it now. I would also welcome anyone else having a go at enhancing the graphics, and would happily advise/assist in that process. In the mean-time I'll post a few technical questions on this board in the appropriate forums and hopefully get the assistance I need. Thanks all for your interest!