[WIP] Elevator Action conversion

[jotd]

Hi,


Small video of my new WIP game: Elevator Action


[ Show youtube player ]


ATM only the intro is running but the graphics system is pretty complex, with various layers and indepentent scrollable columns.


ATM I'm targetting AGA so I can use wide sprites for the elevators & dual playfield for fast sprite / playfield separation, but a OCS version is also planned. AGA will ensure that the games runs perfectly at 50 FPS. For ECS, it will need more tricks but it will run too.


(The intro would run on ECS too, no need for AGA there).

[VincentGR]

Ohhhhh, loved this on the arcade and CPC.

[TCD]

Neat Looking forward to the first gameplay teaser.

[DanyPPC]

Another stunning conversion

[zzbylu]

Great news. I love the Elevator Action game!

[PascalDe73]

father of Mission Elevator ?

https://amiga.abime.net/games/view/mission-elevator

[Cimmerian]

Elevator Action is one of my favorites,great to see amiga getting a 1:1 port.

[SiDeSaLaD]

This chewed through a small fortune in 10p's during my time down the seafront..... A Gem!

Great to see it getting some JOTD love !

[stx2199]

elevator action was very popular game in the 80s

but I never liked it very much because the music is very repetitive and never changes.

also, after level 3 it becomes insanely impossible to play, they shoot you down from all sides.

[DanyPPC]

Originally Posted by stx2199

also, after level 3 it becomes insanely impossible to play, they shoot you down from all sides.

Perhaps arcade cabinet was configured to an high level of difficulty.

[Havie]

Knew of this he but never played it until I got an Evercade Taito handheld for my birthday. Now completely addicted but will be good to play an an Amiga on a bigger screen!

[TCD]

Originally Posted by PascalDe73

father of Mission Elevator ?

https://amiga.abime.net/games/view/mission-elevator

Mission Elevator is clearly 'inspired' by Elevator Action.

[jotd]

I could reach level 4 (black background) where enemies can lie down so you can't hit them even when kneeling. I never could complete that level (after which the colors go back to level 1 but difficulty is maximized). But if the arcade setting is "hard", level 3 is probably already too hard.

The game has an inside timer and the level becomes harder and harder with the time. If you wait too long, the music changes and the game becomes super hard as you can't control the elevators anymore, and enemies are batshit crazy.

There's also a hardcoded extra difficulty, if you happen to stay too long at floor 20 (where there's a single door on the right, and wall and stairs which is the only way to go up to that door), the enemies keep getting out of that particular door if you're in the room. Finding stuff like this is what I like most when disassembing games. Because I don't think anyone stayed long enough on floor 20 to see it.

[PascalDe73]

Hi JOTD,

Here my GlowIcon based on Arcade Tittle Screen

[acidbottle]

Just seen this news, fantastic choice for a project, not many (if anything) like it on Amiga.

I was utterly useless at it to, so anything that helps an easymode I totally vote for!

[stx2199]

Originally Posted by DanyPPC

Perhaps arcade cabinet was configured to an high level of difficulty.

well the original game have 4 levels of difficulty > easiest, easy, normal and hard
unless you are a super expert in this game after level 3 in the easiest level bandits appear everywhere and they are going to shoot you down anyway

[jotd]

small hint: only 4 enemies can be present at the same time, so for instance, if you're getting past an enemy when going down in the elevator, don't shoot him. He'll end up disappearing/entering in a door but in the meantime he occupies an enemy slot and you're not getting more enemies spawning at your floor!

Small update on the project btw. I didn't create a video as there are serious gfx issues, but the game starts with the hero descending on the roof with the wire, and enters the elevator. It is possible to shoot and jump and control the elevators (or get crushed by them!) but enemies don't spawn for some reason I didn't investigate.

Technically, it's interesting as there are 7 possible elevators that live their lives with column scroll. I implemented that with 7 AGA sprites so scrolling is independent. On ECS I'll have to add some blitting but with AGA the blitting is reduced to the player/enemies (and using dual playfield saves background restore). Ross helped for copper color effects for the elevators too.

Still some work, but we're past the "nothing works" phase. I may put the project on pause at some point to work on another more ambitious conversion. But as always I'll return to it.

[Cimmerian]

Thanks for the update Jotd.