Menace - HD Tech Demo - Vampire Remake

[alexh]

The entire(?) 68k code for Menace was published in Amiga Format. I think it was also distributed on one of their CDs?

Codetapper has a nice summary of it all and links to the source/data files.

https://codetapper.com/amiga/diary-of-a-game/menace/

[invent]

@Havie and Amigans I will speak to the team, and see if we can extend demo to reach more people. Completely understand and respect anyone who might have at least some sort of Vampire card would want to run it.

[willemdrijver]

Short preview video of the Remake of the famous Amiga Menace game, optimised for Apollo V4 series, featuring:
- high resolution
- super smooth 50 fps scrolling
- 24bit truecolour
- 3 playfields
- 16bit CD quality audio
- dual player

[ Show youtube player ]

[Seiya]

Originally Posted by invent

@Havie and Amigans I will speak to the team, and see if we can extend demo to reach more people. Completely understand and respect anyone who might have at least some sort of Vampire card would want to run it.

V4SA is not Amiga. It is standalone hardware with its features, but it is not compatibile with Amiga and these project show it clearly.
Hardware is based on 68k, but not more Amiga compatibile: Ammx, 3d Unit, audio unit.

I think that Amiga and Vampire community will be very different in future also because differents in hardware increase difference in software and in relationship with Classic Amiga.

Latest games for Classic Amiga are very good and run on stock A500 and stock A1200. Really do you want Menace remake on classic?

[hUMUNGUs]

Love the Vampire !!

[Havie]

Originally Posted by invent

@Havie and Amigans I will speak to the team, and see if we can extend demo to reach more people. Completely understand and respect anyone who might have at least some sort of Vampire card would want to run it.

Thanks. I too love my V1200.

[skan]

Originally Posted by invent

...
However game will use 16bit audio in the game and 8 channel and V1200 can't do this.

A game for Vampire, not compatible with Vampire.
Only Vampire makes it possible!

Sorry, couldn't resist!

[manossg]

The antivampire script amusingly remains the same, only the (butthurt) actors change.

[skan]

Originally Posted by manossg

The antivampire script amusingly remains the same, only the (butthurt) actors change.

[hUMUNGUs]

The V4 is the best Amiga i ever had. Its a pleasure. Thanks to the Apollo Team.

[kamelito]

If I’m not mistaken it’s Apollo now not Vampire but I could be mistaken.

[Tigerskunk]

Originally Posted by kamelito

If I’m not mistaken it’s Apollo now not Vampire but I could be mistaken.

If I am not mistaken, it's "Firebird/Icedrake/Gooberslobberer" now or something like that. Apollo is the team/brand name, I thought?

As a V1200 owner I am a bit wondering and shaking my head about those recent V4 only developments, tbh.

What's the use of creating further niches in what's already a niche?

Hope somebody comes along who creates a game that only runs on V2s but not V4s.

[Havie]

Originally Posted by Tigerskunk

If I am not mistaken, it's "Firedragon/Icedrake/Gooberslobberer" now or something like that. Apollo is the team/brand name, I thought?

As a V1200 owner I am a bit wondering and shaking my head about those recent V4 only developments, tbh.

What's the use of creating further niches in what's already a niche?

Hope somebody comes along who creates a game that only runs on V2s but not V4s.

If Blitz basic can detect a V4 then I can get it to blow a raspberry at the Apollo team in Target Renegade

As to what makes an Amiga an Amiga debate - I put the V1200 in the same bracket as a BPPC and Bvision card but more reliable and cheaper! Mine does boot into the RTG workbench as it's pretty and my son rendered a brilliant Dalek background but the rest of the time I use AGA. I hope the moaners don't have Goteks...floppy disk emulation, pah - that's not a real Amiga....



P.S. This has already been debated at length so this is my one and only post on the matter.

P.P.S Thought Invent might like the picture. His animations are even more impressive - one day, he will be show runner on Doctor Who.

[sean_sk]

Originally Posted by Tigerskunk

As a V1200 owner I am a bit wondering and shaking my head about those recent V4 only developments, tbh.

What's the use of creating further niches in what's already a niche?

Hope somebody comes along who creates a game that only runs on V2s but not V4s.

That seems to be the price of progress. Obviously the larger FPGA in the V4 range affords more features that aren't able to fit in the V2 range. The only thing that makes this game not run on the V2's is the fact it uses Arne for 16 bit sound. So it's up to the developer if they want to also make a version that uses Paula audio.

[grond]

Originally Posted by sean_sk

That seems to be the price of progress. Obviously the larger FPGA in the V4 range affords more features that aren't able to fit in the V2 range. The only thing that makes this game not run on the V2's is the fact it uses Arne for 16 bit sound. So it's up to the developer if they want to also make a version that uses Paula audio.

For all I know the V1200 has the same larger FPGA as the V4 range. Only V500 and V600 have the smaller FPGA. But it was stated that development will happen on the basis of the V4 and some additional things might be backported. 16 bit audio requires output via HDMI which probably implies that most of the legacy mode cloning features be back-ported, too.

[Tigerskunk]

Originally Posted by sean_sk

That seems to be the price of progress.

If that progress leads into further segmentation of an already small market, I am not sure if that is the route to go, but YMMV.

Guess I will just stick to seeing the V1200 as a great accelerator with tons of RAM, and that's it.

[sean_sk]

Originally Posted by grond

For all I know the V1200 has the same larger FPGA as the V4 range.

It doesn't unfortunately. The V1200 uses the Cyclone III EP3C55 which has 55,856 LE's, whereas the V4's use the Cyclone V 5CEFA5F23C8N which has 77,000 LE's. Whether or not whatever is on the V4's can fit on the V1200 remains to be seen.

As comparison, the V500 and the V600 have the Cyclone III EP3C40 which has 39,600 LE's.

Originally Posted by Tigerskunk

Guess I will just stick to seeing the V1200 as a great accelerator with tons of RAM, and that's it.

That's pretty much how I see mine. Great accelerator and a lot of fun to use, but I don't expect much more out of it.

[kriz]

Interesting to follow, and I am as a owner of a V1200 welcoming the new more powerful v4 for classic Amiga! Its lovely that work progresses and more power can be squeezed out of it, the bigger fpga have been needed for years already ... But sure more V1200 stuff is also welcome, but its sure a great card and i can truly compare it to a tower + gfx card + 060 ...

Menace gfx looks great btw, best of luck with the project !!

[grond]

Originally Posted by sean_sk

It doesn't unfortunately. The V1200 uses the Cyclone III EP3C55 which has 55,856 LE's, whereas the V4's use the Cyclone V 5CEFA5F23C8N which has 77,000 LE's. Whether or not whatever is on the V4's can fit on the V1200 remains to be seen.

Ah, yes, you are right, I now remember. But I believe that LEs are counted differently between the Cyclone III and V series and the 77k of the V are pretty much comparable to the 55k of the III but I may be wrong again.

[invent]

Thankyou everyone for the discussion/feedback.

We will extend the design of the game to have a limited audio eg not 16bit for say V1200's. We do value everyone who has supported the Vampire platform but as you can imagine we want to push the platform as much as possible without loosing people who has supported the Vampire dream in the early days.