Magic Pockets level viewer

[Kroah]

Happy new years forumers,

This time i bring you the maps of Magic Pockets (Atari version).

I have seen the rips on HoL, but they miss the enemies and items (and as you know, i'm always curious to dig in the code).

So these maps include the entities (items, enemies, etc.) of all the levels.
Secret rooms are also present. They are numbered according to the order they are accessed with Transporter Helmets.

The level 2 (world 1) was really painful to decode.
It's split in several sub-levels, each one initialized when the player reaches some kind of checkpoints (secret rooms are specific for each sub-level).

Some levels use the same map, but each level has its own map picture because some parts are shared between them (so they can't be merged).

Like Gods, the AI is very clever (searches the player, jumps between platforms, etc.).
Unfortunately, like Gods, most players won't notice this (me either)...

Some game files are Xored with a key and/or compressed with an old version of the RNC1 algorithm (although it uses the same ID as the one in the RNC package...).

The game uses some kind of script, but it's mainly used to do the animations and transitions.

Many, many things are hard-coded in the executable, but the game is still very well coded and promotes the "everything is an entity" paradigm.

I will update my website tomorrow with the maps, the sprites, the viewer and its source code (no GUI this time, sorry).

[05/01/2014]The website is updated, checkout the new Magic Pockets section !
http://bringerp.free.fr/RE/

Two last things :
- When something goes wrong with the internal engine, the game 'crashes' with a dump of the map :


- While playing the game last week, i saw for the first time an enemy shellfish equipping a diving helmet (sprites in the green box), what a surprise twenty years later !

And at 0:50:27 in the youtube Amiga Longplay : [ Show youtube player ]

Have fun!

[copse]

Nice work once again. What other projects are you working on?

[Kroah]

The maps, the sprites, the viewer and its source code are now available on my website .

[Kroah]

Originally Posted by copse

Nice work once again. What other projects are you working on?

Thanks.

I don't have any idea of the next game. I have some games on my list, but i need "a little something" to trigger the motivation.

To tell you the truth, Magic Pockets wasn't even on this list , so everything is possible. Usually, this trigger comes from something i found on the net or discussed on the forums.

[hese]

For the next project would you decode how the scenarios are stored in Lords of Chaos?
I've been planning on doing a scenario editor for this game.

[Kroah]

Originally Posted by hese

For the next project would you decode how the scenarios are stored in Lords of Chaos?
I've been planning on doing a scenario editor for this game.

I have never really played this game, although i always wanted to, twenty years ago.
I thought there was already an official editor, but my memory lets me down.
It's a shame such a good game doesn't have custom scenarios, it deserves it.

I may have a look at it in the future.

[Adrian Browne]

These are very useful to me for level design, as i'm developing a commercial game atm.
The turrican spy in particular. Thanks a bunch.

[Kroah]

Originally Posted by Adrian Browne

These are very useful to me for level design, as i'm developing a commercial game atm.
Thanks a bunch.

You're welcome. Checkout the other games on my site if you are interested in level design (Gods, First Samurai, Cadaver, Chaos Engine...).

[blindfold]

This is wonderful work! Thank you.
I love to see all kinds of things gamedev related and your site is among the best.


If you are looking for inspiration - there is always:

- Captive - on the good side - there is Atari version, so easier to debug, although I remember there was some request from the author not to make a remake if one day he gets a chance to continue the series,

- Myth - well - the game just deserves to be taken apart - my guess is it is First Samurai sibling,

- Trapdoor from ZX Spectrum/C64 - as it is masterpiece,

- Heimdall - Atari/Amiga - for it looks like everyone forgot about this game,

- Robin Hood / Rome AD92 - Atari/Amiga - very special engine

- Hunter - although I hate the game :P

[Qube]

Kroah - yet again you bring fun and mystery to old nostalgic games, a legend in our time.

I remember some other quirks of this game - was there ever a third chalice in this game? what was the purpose of the marble ball you could get on one of the lake levels? and as for enemy fun, remember the green jellybean who would run away from you until you caught up?

I also recall in the old ST Format demo there were unused sprites like a Cola and Tab can, plus somehow I managed to do a bunch of spin jumps and fall through the floor of the demo into the rest of the map which was empty.

The game featured on the ITV show Motormouth it would seem, but I can't for the life of me recall how it looked, you played using your touch tone phone or shouting moves, can't remember. It was around this time that the Bitmaps appeared on Motormouth and showed off Gods and their level editor I think, my memory is fading though...

Excellent stuff.
Q;

P.S. 2nd chalice (and a marble ball) is via 3rd teleport on W1L2 if you go right from start and head downward, if you already have the 1st chalice from W1L1 3rd teleport then you'll start new levels with double wow, so get full weapon speed plus bonus big sweet maybe. 3rd chalice is W3L1 from memory, can't remember the effect tho..

Edit2 - The marble ball came back to me, if you use a cocktail you can throw 5 extra marble balls and then when you collect these they burst into gold coins giving you plenty of points. The original marble ball can be recollected and repeat etc.