How to adapt Donkey Kong to Speccy mode

[BiNMaN]

I always thought the Nirvana engine could be useful in creating Donkey Kong on the speccy, it almost got made for the Next....

[stupidget]

Am I right in thinking that multicolour engines like Nirvana and BiFrost are much better for single/flip screen games as opposed to scrolling games such as Commando, Green Beret etc ect? If that is the case then [mention]BiNMaN[/mention] you could be onto something here as DK could be the perfect game for multicolour.

[BiNMaN]

Am I right in thinking that multicolour engines like Nirvana and BiFrost are much better for single/flip screen games as opposed to scrolling games such as Commando, Green Beret etc ect? If that is the case then @BiNMaN you could be onto something here as DK could be the perfect game for multicolour.

In general yes, although there are a couple of exceptions.

The only difficulty is trying to squeeze the arcade screens in (256x244 compared to the speccy 256x192), however the Colecovision version was very well received and had the same resolution as the speccy so could that one be better for conversion?

[BiNMaN]

that should have been 256x224 vs the speccies 256x192

[Bubu]

I always thought the Nirvana engine could be useful in creating Donkey Kong on the speccy, it almost got made for the Next....

I don't think Nirvana is a good choice to do perfect pìxel arcade games, I tried some years ago and I remember that backgrounds were removed, and you couldn't have sound effects, and thinks like that. Can you show an arcade game that uses Nirvana, with pixel movement, and backgrounds, and sound effects? If so, then I'll try to study that engine...

that should have been 256x224 vs the speccies 256x192

Yess, and that 256x192 adaptation was solved some posts ago. Look at this:



This image belongs to a real Zx Spectrum 48K, at 256x192, and the geometry and structure of the play area is exactly the same as that of the original one.

[Art]

I don't think Nirvana is a good choice to do perfect pìxel arcade games, I tried some years ago and I remember that backgrounds were removed, and you couldn't have sound effects, and thinks like that. Can you show an arcade game that uses Nirvana, with pixel movement, and backgrounds, and sound effects? If so, then I'll try to study that engine...

I thought that Manic Pietro is a good example. Its part Amoebatrons Revenge uses 9 smoothly moving sprites and the part Pietro Meets Monkey Kong is a mix of Manic Miner and Donkey Kong. But I've never tried to use Nirvana, so I don't know what it's capable of.

[BiNMaN]

I always thought the Nirvana engine could be useful in creating Donkey Kong on the speccy, it almost got made for the Next....

I don't think Nirvana is a good choice to do perfect pìxel arcade games, I tried some years ago and I remember that backgrounds were removed, and you couldn't have sound effects, and thinks like that. Can you show an arcade game that uses Nirvana, with pixel movement, and backgrounds, and sound effects? If so, then I'll try to study that engine...

that should have been 256x224 vs the speccies 256x192

Yess, and that 256x192 adaptation was solved some posts ago. Look at this:



This image belongs to a real Zx Spectrum 48K, at 256x192, and the geometry and structure of the play area is exactly the same as that of the original one.

I don't need to look at previous posts thanks, I've got a load of demo screens in my projects folder when I tried to work out the best layout a few years ago including a version that matches your image. I studied Oceans original, arcade originals and multiple conversions trying to get the right look. I've got all the graphics and all the animations, objects, enemies and collectables in 8x1 and 8x2 for Nirvana Bi*Frost, timex machines or the next...

I wasn't trying to go over stuff that's already being discussed, just saying maybe the ColecoVision version maybe something to study as it has the same res as the speccy

I've got an initial demo running on the speccy, Jim Bagley was working on a version for the next but it kind of got lost in time...

[Bubu]

I'll try to adapt next round to Speccy (without modifying the original geometry)):



This looks easier than round 1.

[Bubu]

Can anybody see the linke image in my last post? I can't, but if I copy the URL address to anoher browser tag, then it goes... ¿?¿?

[Bubu]

And here I am, this could be a nice screen conversion, for Level 1:









This could be the background, sprites are still missing (barrels, jumpman, etc)

[Art]

It looks good. Only the monkey could be filled with yellow instead of black (maybe it would be necessary to change it a little).

[Jbizzel]

I always thought the Nirvana engine could be useful in creating Donkey Kong on the speccy, it almost got made for the Next....

These graphics look ace, why did the Next game not get made? It would have rocked.

[Bubu]

I thought that Manic Pietro is a good example. Its part Amoebatrons Revenge uses 9 smoothly moving sprites and the part Pietro Meets Monkey Kong is a mix of Manic Miner and Donkey Kong. But I've never tried to use Nirvana, so I don't know what it's capable of.

I've just tried Manic Pietro and I feel like very slow in movement, and in keyboard responsing... don't you? Ah, and that game is for the 128K model, and I'm only developing for the 48K.

[Bubu]

It looks good. Only the monkey could be filled with yellow instead of black (maybe it would be necessary to change it a little).

Yesss, I have to choose between modifying colors to respect 100% the graphics, or modifying graphics to respect 100% colors. There's no more choices... I recognize that Donkey Kong with black face looks a little... odd, but the thing is that I'm not a graphic designer, I only export graphics straightly from MAME.
So, if somebody wants to try to modify this Donkey Kong to adapt it, please contact to me, if I develope and release this game I'll include his name as the graphic designer in the cover tape and in the game itself.

[Art]

I thought that Manic Pietro is a good example. Its part Amoebatrons Revenge uses 9 smoothly moving sprites and the part Pietro Meets Monkey Kong is a mix of Manic Miner and Donkey Kong. But I've never tried to use Nirvana, so I don't know what it's capable of.

I've just tried Manic Pietro and I feel like very slow in movement, and in keyboard responsing... don't you? Ah, and that game is for the 128K model, and I'm only developing for the 48K.

Yes, it doesn't feel as responsive as Manic Miner. As for 128K, I don't know if Nirvana is also for 48K.

[Art]

It looks good. Only the monkey could be filled with yellow instead of black (maybe it would be necessary to change it a little).

Yesss, I have to choose between modifying colors to respect 100% the graphics, or modifying graphics to respect 100% colors. There's no more choices... I recognize that Donkey Kong with black face looks a little... odd, but the thing is that I'm not a graphic designer, I only export graphics straightly from MAME.
So, if somebody wants to try to modify this Donkey Kong to adapt it, please contact to me, if I develope and release this game I'll include his name as the graphic designer in the cover tape and in the game itself.

Could you upload the monkey sprites somewhere? For example as a Spectrum screen (6912 bytes) in a TAP file?

[BiNMaN]

this is a grab of how the sprites could look using 8x2 attributes, I think I obsessed with Donkey Kong a few years back for what seemed like ages when the issue 1 Nexts were due out...

[Bubu]

Could you upload the monkey sprites somewhere? For example as a Spectrum screen (6912 bytes) in a TAP file?

Yes, thank you!! First I will export all the different poses and then I'll send you them in a BMP file. Would that be ok? But I think I'll finish it next year...

[Art]

Could you upload the monkey sprites somewhere? For example as a Spectrum screen (6912 bytes) in a TAP file?

Yes, thank you!! First I will export all the different poses and then I'll send you them in a BMP file. Would that be ok? But I think I'll finish it next year...

I think it will be OK. Probably I have a conversion program from black and white BMP to Spectrum screen somewhere. And it would be even better if you could also include original arcade monkey sprites.

Of course, next year. In any case, I have some work to do now.

[Bubu]

[mention]Art[/mention], may I have your email address so I can send you the gfx to convert?

[Art]

OK, I've sent it via Private messages.

[Bubu]

Great! Hope we can do a good job with this game, thanks a lot, [mention]Art[/mention]. I'll keep in touch via email

[Bubu]

Don't know if you all can reach this file:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/elm7x74igpbga ... G.tap?dl=0


but that's the idea with this conversion. Remember, like MAME: 5 insert coin, 1 start

[Bubu]

Hi!!!!

I'm thinking now about what would be the best sprite engine for Donkey Kong. I've got one that uses a buffer, and "dirty squares": I have the buffer with the background without sprites, then if I want to print a sprite, make a copy of the zone of the buffer to a square in RAM, print the sprite in the buffer, copy all the buffer to the video RAM, and restore the square into the buffer. Besides this, my sprites use a mask... This engine is the one I put in my Anteater.

But this method is very slow, the buffer ocuppies almost the full screen of the Spectrum, and I think it won't work with this game, where I need very high speed with barrels, fires, etc.

I think this game should print stright to the screen, without a buffer. I've seen a game with stairs, and the speed looks great. Have a look to this:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/4 ... /Sam_Spade

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMFuhTeXEzE

What do you think?

[redballoon]

Not sure if this would work using red and magenta on a black background.
https://twitter.com/akiyoshikitaoka/sta ... 62178?s=21