Hired Guns for CD32??

[Cherno]

Well, it's not in eng.text and I can't recall being able to put this weapon in a map. I made a test map around two years ago where I placed one of each item by going through the item indices in the editor, and that one never showed up. Maybe the SMG replaces some ither gun, perhaps the Naomi IV Assault rifle (since Cheule starts with it)?

Also, some fan art, if you will:

Bioweapon container / stasis tank. It is clear from the cut location-specific conversations that the team was to stumble upon a bioweapons lab. Cue the sound of shattering glass...


Custom world map test. I think it came out pretty good! The beach/coastlines could use some randomization but it's a decent start.

[UnnamedCourier]

Wow, that looks fantastic! You could probably add the container tanks as new "tree" graphics in the tile set and use them, there's only like one "tree" defined in that set as it's used for those weird metal tower things.

The landscape generator is in HGCD32/Fscape7
There are the basic source codes for earlier versions as well, but that is definitely the latest one, dated 1992 in the source. You need hisoftbasic.library to run it, but a quick google got that for me.

[Cherno]

Originally Posted by UnnamedCourier

Wow, that looks fantastic! You could probably add the container tanks as new "tree" graphics in the tile set and use them, there's only like one "tree" defined in that set as it's used for those weird metal tower things.

The landscape generator is in HGCD32/Fscape7
There are the basic source codes for earlier versions as well, but that is definitely the latest one, dated 1992 in the source. You need hisoftbasic.library to run it, but a quick google got that for me.

Thanks! Yes, I used the generator. I managed to find the library after some time. Speaking of trees, the Graphics/Style1/tree_old.ilbm file shows three different kinds of trees (two are doubled), of which only the first one is used in the released game. the others might have been just for testing, or for other map styles, or it was planned to have multiple trees per map style.

[Doomer]

Originally Posted by Cherno

Custom world map test. I think it came out pretty good! The beach/coastlines could use some randomization but it's a decent start.

Looks great. For me Fscape7 generate only terrain, water have one colour without shades and Save as... do nothing.

[Cherno]

Yes, the Save function doesn't seem to work. I just took a screenshot of the WinUAE window, then edited in Photoshop (resized / cropped, colored the water, overlaid mountain shadows, added coastlines, added water gradient, palettized to 256 colors, overlaid clouds, and then some location graphics).

[Doomer]

Originally Posted by Cherno

Yes, the Save function doesn't seem to work. I just took a screenshot of the WinUAE window, then edited in Photoshop (resized / cropped, colored the water, overlaid mountain shadows, added coastlines, added water gradient, palettized to 256 colors, overlaid clouds, and then some location graphics).

Ah ok, final effect is amazing. If you want to insert it to game I can explain what to do. My old minor changes to map, working in game. Black line on left because ingame image is bigger than you see, and source is print screen.

[UnnamedCourier]

Originally Posted by Cherno

Speaking of trees, the Graphics/Style1/tree_old.ilbm file shows three different kinds of trees (two are doubled), of which only the first one is used in the released game.

That's a good catch, I wasn't sure about the tree with the red leaves, but I was SURE the fir tree is use somewhere, but now I look I can't find any evidence of it! Maybe it was one of the short action maps? Or maybe I'm just imagining it - checking my install files I last played the game extensively way back in 1997....

EDIT:

Also it looks like you are both right on the Sub-Machine gun as well. Seems like this was new for 39.26, as it's in the items.ilbm for both the OCS and AGA versions. Where this gets weird is that clearly the item was intended to be in the game at an earlier point. It's not in 37.14 or the retail 39.25, in the latter it's a junk entry.
However, if you look in the ItemIllustraions.pp file that was created for the game's manual you will see this...

So, while there was no graphic for this weapon yet, it was intended for the final game, and would even be slotted into the space in the inventory it's present in in 39.26.

EDIT2:
I'm talking total bobbins about getting the SMG in the new levels (although I think you do on at least one) - more importantly it's now given to Clavius as his default weapon in 39.26 instead of a crappy blaster. He's still listed as having a blaster in the commentes of characters.s but he now gets item 28 instead of 19 that he used to have.

[redblade]

Cherno: Thanks for providing the updated link I only played the demo and never really got into the game, but I'm glad you guys are happy. So you guys just want this game updated so that it runs on AGA with 256 colour graphics?

from coldstartup.s
		cmp.l	#$20361714,(a1)
		bne.s	.not_cheat1
		cmp.l	#$21171325,4(a1)
		bne.s	.not_cheat1
		cmp.b	#$33,8(a1)
		bne.s	.not_cheat1
		st.b	cheat_mode
		move.w	#30000,d2
.loop2		move.w	#$f00,$dff180
		dbf	d2,.loop2
		move.w	#0,$dff180
.not_cheat1
		cmp.l	#$12142024,(a1)
		bne.s	.not_cheat2
		cmp.l	#$12281919,4(a1)
		bne.s	.not_cheat2
		cmp.b	#$20,8(a1)
		bne.s	.not_cheat2
		st.b	cheat_mode2
		move.w	#30000,d2
.loop3		move.w	#$0f0,$dff180
		dbf	d2,.loop3
		move.w	#0,$dff180
.not_cheat2
		cmp.l	#$20241737,(a1)
		bne.s	.not_cheat3
		cmp.b	#$20,4(a1)
		bne.s	.not_cheat3
		st.b	cheat_mode
		st.b	cheat_mode2
		st.b	cheat_mode3

I'm guessing cheat3 is AMIGA, but I don't see how cheat 1 or cheat2 adds up to APPLEGATE or CHRISTINA

[Cherno]

I really don't care for the AGA graphic "enhancements". Some select features would be nice, like the additonal sound effects, and maybe the ceiling light and tile brightness, although I am on the fence about that since it does look washed out. The recolored item and character sprites loks rather bad, for the most part. I am planning to restart my efforts at a Unity-based remaster later this year, but scaling back the project goals so it's more like a direct remake with a few quality of life improvements.

[UnnamedCourier]

Originally Posted by redblade

So you guys just want this game updated so that it runs on AGA with 256 colour graphics?

It's more interesting than that - there are two never before seen new versions of the game released and the above AGA version already exists just with minor bugs. It also has the complete source code and development environment including all kinds of weird and wacky stuff like a custom fractal landscape generator and bits of source code from other DMA games like the sound system from Lemmings 1/2 and the boot block code from Walker. Frankly it's one of the most interesting things to happen in regards to Amiga stuff for a long time.

Originally Posted by redblade

I'm guessing cheat3 is AMIGA, but I don't see how cheat 1 or cheat2 adds up to APPLEGATE or CHRISTINA

One thing I noticed in the source code called "cheats" is there are other debug functions that can somehow be enabled such as dumping out the screen and recording mouse movements (these are used for the rolling demo option that was possible with the Amiga Format coverdisk). I don't know if there are other codes or it has to be compiled with these options enabled.

[Cherno]

There is also a "Voxel" archive but I don't know yet what that is about.

Edit: And a DropShadow archive, which curiously is a workbench effect that is supposed to add a shadow to all workbench elements. Scott apparently modified to original code a bit and it ended up being included in the files for some reason. When I tried running the program, the workbench screen became stretched vertically and I couldn't do much. I was hoping this to be related to Hired Guns,like some sort of Duke3D-style shadows for character sprites

[Doomer]

Updated Fscape7 with working save (work:worldmap.ilbm), added 640x640 resolution and generator options higher values for testing.

[Cherno]

Originally Posted by Doomer

Updated Fscape7 with working save (work:worldmap.ilbm), added 640x640 resolution and generator options higher values for testing.

That's great work! However, I'd prefer if the bitflag names would be kept for the Type (Hill, Mountain, Alps,...) for the previously-existing ones. Also, the lowest settings seems to have been overrwritten? The one that created plains with little elevations. And I have no work directory, is there some way to pass a different save directory?

[Doomer]

For now its too many bitflags so I use numbers, old Alps is 110000. Rugd is connected to Type so 512 and 100000 is close to old Alps and make only small hills. To make plains use lowest value with higher Rugd, but its not problem to get back old values, names and mix with new ones. I make new release today. Just assign work: to any directory, or make floppy "work".

EDIT: Updated program.

[Cherno]

Originally Posted by Doomer

For now its too many bitflags so I use numbers, old Alps is 110000. Rugd is connected to Type so 512 and 100000 is close to old Alps and make only small hills. To make plains use lowest value with higher Rugd, but its not problem to get back old values, names and mix with new ones. I make new release today. Just assign work: to any directory, or make floppy "work".

EDIT: Updated program.

Great! the snapshot feature produces only a glitchy mess on bitmaps 480*384 or larger, though It seems like the starting pixel indices are not correct, and thus the map is cut up into tiny strips with space in between.

[Cherno]

Care for a beer, soldier? Jenillee has Yalhoth Pale Ale on tab...

[Doomer]

For me works fine.

640x640.

[Solo Kazuki]

Originally Posted by Cherno

I really don't care for the AGA graphic "enhancements". Some select features would be nice, like the additonal sound effects, and maybe the ceiling light and tile brightness, although I am on the fence about that since it does look washed out. The recolored item and character sprites loks rather bad, for the most part. I am planning to restart my efforts at a Unity-based remaster later this year, but scaling back the project goals so it's more like a direct remake with a few quality of life improvements.

About brightness I was writing my opinion before. I'm curious how it looks with option of my proposal, but i'm sure it should looks better.

About enhancements, it's interesting for Me. But not all of them, regarding too much changed colours. But it could be better recoloured for 256 colour palette than in PC version, which is indeed recoloured too much even for me.

[Solo Kazuki]

Originally Posted by Cherno

Care for a beer, soldier? Jenillee has Yalhoth Pale Ale on tab...

Better than bar would be shop in game.

[Cherno]

Originally Posted by Doomer

For me works fine.

640x640.

480*384 doesn't work, and I wouldn't be surprised if the other non-square sizes would also not yield useable snapshots. My guess is that the differing width dimensions cause errors in the saving routine. Maybe there's a nested loop that uses only width or only height for both loops.

Regarding the bar: The counter could be repurposed of course But I wanted to make some bar furniture, since I remember a screenshot of the HG 2 Beta where a dark Cyberpunk bar was shown. In the backstory told in the manual, they do tend to hang out in their ship's bar/lounge a lot, there's even an arcade machine Maybe there could be shops in some maps if you can find them, in out-of-the-way areas behind secure doors.

As for the colors: My wish would be to apply new colors where it makes sense, namely to give faces and other skin areas of character sprites a subtle, more lively tone, since they all look pretty ashen-faced right now In any case, new colors should generally be muted like the originals, nothing flashy except for elements that are supposed to glow or shine; here, strong colors might be used sparingly (so far there's only red and green to a lesser degree).