Super Mario on the BBC?

[tricky]

Thanks,
25 minutes from complement to not so complement
For smoothness, haven't you played AstroBlaster yet? Everything apart from the score panel is redraw every frame
Or is that your way of trying to get me to do the rest?

[RobC]

This is brilliant - can't believe you've done this so quickly!

One of my TODO projects is hooking up a NES PPU to the Beeb - I've had the parts for ages but haven't found the time. However, with results like this, I wonder whether it would be worth it

[Commie_User]

Thanks,
25 minutes from complement to not so complement

I intended no such thing. I just mean I'm as staggered to see what a quality programmer can do with the Beeb as much as I'm impressed with glossy ZX81 demos. The machines were far from intended to have arcadian polish, yet there we have them.




I've not seen that video game but I have played Firetrack. That seems almost as polished as the C64, and sonically accomplished too.

And the only reason I'm not watching that Mario scroller now is because I need to turn my BBC upside-down again to get the MMC back. I don't like opening the BBC but I think I'm going to have to!

[simonm]

Really enjoying this thread - nice work guys!

Well, I'm not promising the rest of the game to go with it

I think he will, 118

[kieranhj]

This is brilliant - can't believe you've done this so quickly!

One of my TODO projects is hooking up a NES PPU to the Beeb - I've had the parts for ages but haven't found the time. However, with results like this, I wonder whether it would be worth it

Now that would be interesting... how awesome would a Beeb with a sprite chip be? I've been meaning to look into doing some NES development but it's way down my list of things after all the Acorn projects and long-lost RasPi ponderings.

Perhaps start another thread in the Hardware section with your thoughts on how this might work? With everyone chipping in that usually acts as good inspiration.

[Commie_User]

Now that would be interesting... how awesome would a Beeb with a sprite chip be?

Or, come to that, what would a Beeb be like with a VIC II chip? More efficient in the graphics department than a 64, or less?

Would there be much in the way of wrenching and forcing to enable the best chips of various micros, to supercharge a Beeb??

[tricky]

...I intended no such thing...

Sorry, it just feels like that sometimes.

...I've not seen that video game...

Play or download AstroBlaster here http://bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=1964 although you will need a speech chip or the version of beebem from the AstroBlaster thread to get the proper speech.

Just separated the floor, level and clouds so that they can be drawn in any order, which allowed me to optimised the floor drawing and have the clouds scudding along

It should be easy enough to add enough sprites avoiding flicker and tearing and still keep 50fps to do the first level of Mario, I don't know what happens after that, but as I say this really is only another tech demo.

EDIT: PS If you can't see Commie_User's like link (like me) it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHldh_rknuk.
EDIT: PPS I didn't realise that was the AstroBlaster video

[Commie_User]

Phwoar, crikey!

I'm very impressed, put it like that.

This may turn out to be some kind of landmark demo, even if it isn't playable.


Super Mario lives also on the ZX Spectrum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMvFjhzQQ-U
There's even Super Mario on the Atari 2600: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fSO-UTdCI8

As far as I can research, it's the real deal. And if it is, we can now fall to our knees, for HERE IS OUR KING! Atari 2600 is the god of late-70s home arcade computing action! ....UNLESS the BBC MICRO can host our own, super-crisp, green-screen (please!!), REAL COMPUTER version of SUPER.. MARIO.. BROTHERS!

Feel that 32K, BBC Micro BLAST PROCESSING!! The Spectrum needed Turbo and the Atari is blockier.

Let us feel good! Let's stand back and let Tricky do his thang! Feel good about yourself because we're all behind you, for this is your moment on Earth!

[Commie_User]

Oh yeah, that game looks nice. I'm definitely having that.

Totally serious on all of this.

[danielj]

*ahem*

[RobC]

Now that would be interesting... how awesome would a Beeb with a sprite chip be? I've been meaning to look into doing some NES development but it's way down my list of things after all the Acorn projects and long-lost RasPi ponderings.Perhaps start another thread in the Hardware section with your thoughts on how this might work? With everyone chipping in that usually acts as good inspiration.

It's very much on the back-burner at the moment as I'm working on an enhanced video ULA.

I'll start a new thread when I get round to doing some work on it as I don't want to hijack this one. (I don't think the interfacing would be that difficult - there's a video on YouTube of one interfaced to a breadboard 6502.

Or, come to that, what would a Beeb be like with a VIC II chip? More efficient in the graphics department than a 64, or less?
Would there be much in the way of wrenching and forcing to enable the best chips of various micros, to supercharge a Beeb??

I haven't done a thorough comparison but I believe the NES PPU is probably a bit more capable than the VIC II. The trick would be to retain access to the Beeb's existing modes so that you keep the best bits (high-resolution graphics etc.) but add the sprite capabilities.

I've also got a plan to hook a Beeb up to a Gameduino - this is a bit more complicated as it uses SPI but it does out-perform an Amiga!

[tricky]

I don't believe that is actually an original 2600.
I don't think you can even do the text for the score.

[Commie_User]

*ahem*

Have I missed something?

[Commie_User]

I don't believe that is actually an original 2600.
I don't think you can even do the text for the score.

Oh it's true, alright. I downloaded it and it runs well in Stella, the emulator. I've included it so nobody else has to go through the create account rubbish of the download server. You just type anything in but, still.

And don't knock the Atari. It had some incredibly accomplished graphics and polished games. Robot Tank is a wonderfully smooth, realistic first person shooter, while the original official Mario Bros was quite detailed for what it was.

Bit more here: https://thewanderingnerd.wordpress.com/ ... ts-part-2/

[tricky]

Sorry, again, I am amazed!
Even having to reposition the sprites so many times, not having to clear them is a big advantage.
Just checked the timing for my demo, optimised clouds take 15 scan lines to draw.
With a timer added to draw the clouds, then the level, then the floor, the level is drawn before the raster gets onscreen, so drawing the sprites might need splitting into above landscape and below, but appart from that it should be too fiddly
Off to read that article now.

[oss003]

Hi Tricky,

Your latest upload is now working on my Atom.
I have also added a mario sprite for testing, the sprite has a mask and is drawn after every pixelshift.

Greetings
Kees

[BigEd]

(These flash embedded videos don't work for me...

)

[tricky]

Excellent, I like the sprite, I was thinking the same thing, but didn't get any time.

[oss003]

The sprite is 'borrowed' from the Speccie version ....

http://tarjan.uw.hu/scrshootz/ex_ussr/o ... 997_03.png

Greetings
Kees

[Commie_User]

Whoa, SUPER MARIO ISLANDS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfvz0MtY_bA

Come on, our team! This is getting super, totally serious! Though I take my hat off to the ZX coders, as even on the 64, all we have is the Super Mario made from the second-rate Giana Sisters game.

I think I recognise that sprite from SUPER MARIO LAND 2 on the Game Boy. I look forward to however this BBC demo turns out. It looks truly lush.

[1024MAK]

Well I never did, I leave Tricky and Kees alone for a week and we have a smashing new demo on a Beeb and a Atom

Keep up the good work

Mark

[tricky]

I felt it still lacked a certain something
I seem to have lost the percussion, and the tune is longer than the max I allowed in the frogger code, so it gets cut off before the end.
Oh, and it's green, just for Commie_User (well, that and it looks good on the ATOM).

EDIT: may be missing the third channel, I can't tell

[Commie_User]

Whoa. That's great to have on. Kudos for the green! Very Game Boy too.

Does it just run on the Atom, too?

What comes next week??

[Commie_User]

PS

How do I get a CSW tape image of that? I'd like it on my tape-only B, the one connected to the speaker system. And it hates UEFs.

Cheers.

[tricky]

Commie_User, I don't (yet) code for the ATOM, so I don't really know, but not directly and I only use MMC, so don't know about tape either, but people do seem to do OK with UEF played via a mobile phone.

OK, people who read my comments from developing my stuff will know that I have no ear for music but here it is, FOUR whole channels!

.ssd and source (inc music player) included

hscroll.zip

scrolling demo with 4 channel sound and source

(30.08 KiB) Downloaded 92 times

EDIT: I haven't tried it on real hardware, beebem does have a few problems with the sound, or maybe it is me

[oss003]

I have attached the .ATM and .CSW files of Mario for the Atom.

Mario should run at 1 mHz but you need 32 kB RAM.
If you don't have a noise killer, you get a lot of snow on your screen even before Christmas ....

PS A black and white version is also possible on an Atom.

Greetings
Kees

[oss003]

Nice job tricky, the music sounds very good ...
Music is difficult to write on an Atom becasause there's only one toggle bit to create sound so making sound is a time consuming routine.
It's comparable with a Speccy.

I think I'll add a SID file because this is easy to add and you can also add FX sounds to the SID file.

Greetings
Kees

[tricky]

Did you"fix" the extra map decoding?
If so and you do the spectrum trick of hollowing out the big hill,you- might even get it running at 60 (is that right for the Atom?

[oss003]

Yes, I had some troubles with the background tiles and had to adjust them.

The Atom is running at 1 mHz, with 60 Hz. This means at half the speed of the BBC and you have about 17% less time do draw a frame.
I was wondering, how difficult is it to scroll 2 pixels instead of 1 pixel per frame.
This also saves a lot of data.

Greetings
Kees

[oss003]

I found the Mario sprites used in the Spectrum version:
They are used in Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins.

Greetings
Kees