Drelbs for Atari 7800

[PCL]

This is a 7800 remake of one of my favourite A8 games. It is a 32K ROM with pokey@4000 (the same as Ballblazer) and seems to run OK on everything I've tested (Concerto/DF/A7800/BupSystem/JS7800/ProSystem).

For anyone unfamiliar with the game there are instructions here: https://archive.org/details/drelbs-synapse

As a remake the logic may not be 100% identical to the original but I think I have all the key aspects covered.

drelbs.a78

[TrekMD]

Very cool.  Thank you.

[RickR]

Neat!  I will give it a try later!  Thank you.

[7800 Pro Gamer]

Awesome!

[7800 Pro Gamer]

This game is awesome!  It needs to be on a cart. Good job. If I encounter any issues I'll update this post. 

[PCL]

Yes, please let me know if you see any issues. I've tried to keep it as close as possible to the A8 original while trying to take advantage of the 7800's improved graphic capabilities.

I'm not really one for releasing on cart as it's not my IP and adds more responsibility to a hobby. With Concerto, Dragonfly and the forthcoming GD there's plenty of ways to play it on real h/w.

[7800 Pro Gamer]

11 hours ago, PCL said:

Yes, please let me know if you see any issues. I've tried to keep it as close as possible to the A8 original while trying to take advantage of the 7800's improved graphic capabilities.

I'm not really one for releasing on cart as it's not my IP and adds more responsibility to a hobby. With Concerto, Dragonfly and the forthcoming GD there's plenty of ways to play it on real h/w.

I can respect that. Really isn't much reason for physical releases these days.  If you ever change your mind I can get you in touch with somebody who could handle all the production.  

I played quite a bit yesterday and it seems solid.  I'm not sure what the point of the princess is. Just bonus points?  I got myself stuck once and was gonna point it out but the dragon came and freed me pretty quickly. Overall it's very challenging and fun. Programming seems very solid. 

[darkstar72]

Thank you

 

It doesn't work on my PAL console with the DF, see only the title-screen and can not start the game, but its look great

[PCL]

On 7/10/2023 at 9:23 PM, Silver Back said:

I played quite a bit yesterday and it seems solid.  I'm not sure what the point of the princess is. Just bonus points?  I got myself stuck once and was gonna point it out but the dragon came and freed me pretty quickly. Overall it's very challenging and fun. Programming seems very solid. 

Yes bonus points for the lady which can be useful. There are certain tactics which can help beat the game even with the insanely fast speeds of the last couple of rounds (7 & 8).

[PCL]

12 hours ago, darkstar72 said:

t doesn't work on my PAL console with the DF, see only the title-screen and can not start the game, but its look great

That's strange because it works on my PAL machine from DF. I have tried it with the europad, proline and a cx40 (my favourite for this game), pressing any of the triggers starts the game.

As that is all the trigger is used for, I configure the controller for single trigger mode. What controller are you using?

[darkstar72]

I use the Turbo 2000 wireless pads. OK, thats can be the problem...this evening I will test my europad

[darkstar72]

Yes, its a controller problem. The game works fine with any other (wired) controllers. Thank you very much for the game!!

[PCL]

On 7/12/2023 at 7:16 PM, darkstar72 said:

Yes, its a controller problem. The game works fine with any other (wired) controllers. Thank you very much for the game!!

From what I've read about the Turbo 2000 you can switch it between 2600 and 7800 mode. The controller should really do this automatically (it's how the europad and proline work) but I imagine it will work if you switch it to 2600 mode.

I am currently modifying the code so that the hearts and diamonds more closely match when they appear in the original game. I will also add 2-button support so you shouldn't have to do this in the next (and hopefully final) release.

[darkstar72]

Yes, it works in the 2600 mode🙂

[PCL]

I added 2 button support, so it should be playable with the Turbo 2000 in 7800 mode plus a few logic changes for when the hearts/diamonds appear and how long the Drebish Windows stay in place, to closer match the A8 original.

drelbs.a78

Edited July 24, 2023 by PCL

[7800 Pro Gamer]

Is there an end to this game by chance or does it go on forever?  Just asking out of curiosity.  This game is awesome!

[PCL]

Yes, you get the end screen after completing round 8.

It does get really fast in the later rounds but there is a tactical way to play the game.

Spoiler

Although there is only room to display 8 lives, the game will keep adding them to a maximum of 255. You get an extra life every 20,000 points and each time you complete a round (by freeing all the Drelbs in the Dark Corridor).

Build up your lives in round 1. Do this by closing the gates and forming squares, but leave 1 or 2 squares unmade. Wait until a square changes into a Gorgolyte and steal a kiss if the Mystery Lady appears for a big bonus. Keep doing this in round 1 making sure you always leave a square or two unmade and build up your lives via the bonuses.

Once you feel you have enough lives (from the score you can work out how many you have) complete round 1. The rounds get progressively harder so try for the diamonds to open up a Drelbish Window rather than completing all the squares on the grid.

[darkstar72]

Now it works with the Turbo200 Controller, thank you very much