Possible new DigDug version for the BBC Micro

[Pernod]

Maybe the CPC guys will do it

I doubt it, I get the feeling it's either me (eventually) or nothing!

[tricky]

Not a dig Pernod, I'm amazed at all the preservation that you do through MAME
Beeb a busy weekend so far, but I did sneak in a bit of time and got carried away with the debugger attachment for live memory windows!
It has turned into a replacement for the existing one but is fast to update and easy to add to. All the windows can be hidden and dock however you like. I started with the state for sound and made the HW values editable, but for the rest of the state, just made it display as text.
I might actually try and use it before I think of somethings else to add!

[tricky]

I've finished swapping out the old debugger UI and swapped to the new one including a list of labels that clicking adds the name to the main cmd line so that it can easily be prefixed with bp, db or e.
Took about 1 minute to fix the hunting bug and didn't need any of the UI other than a bit of single stepping! Well, nearly so as once on the top tor, they run off the side and back on the other (if going right). This is just that I have cleared too many bytes when setting up the map!
2366 bytes free

[tricky]

Added collision with rocks, next is making them fall which will require the map to be updated at just the right time!
fixed the enemy targeting, cost a single SEC and a free -1 in a few places.
2216 bytes free

[tricky]

Another minor one:
Added rock wobbling, after background cleared and sprite placed, to signal dropping which can be seen once the sprite moves to another rock.
2017 bytes free

[tricky]

Forgot the .ssd, so added rock falling to make up for it
2006 bytes free
Oh, yes it was easier to make the rock fall 2 pixels every frame instead of 8 pixels every 4 frames (as per the arcade version) but I can change it if necessary!

PS That was strange, I dragged and dropped the .ssd onto the page and clicked submit and the attachment had gone, probably what happened to the previous one - may be I didn't give it enough time to upload 12K!

[fizgog]

Coming along nicely.

Rock falling looks fine to me at 2pixels per frame, but others might have different opinions.

I'm guessing you know about the rock dropping again after it first drops, if you go under where the rock used to be?

[tricky]

Thanks, yes, I'm not updating its position, only the sprite, so it is found again. One extra sta will stop that. It also gets stopped by dirt now, unfortunately that includes the but it is stood in, so I need to check what it can crash through and what it can't.

[tricky]

I've just had a quick look at how much earth it takes to stop the falling rock and noticed that digging isn't as accurate as I thought, at least vertically.
It looks like if you dig up a couple of pixels and turn around, it digs a little more before going down, this may be to reduce the number of possible combinations of chunks of earth left to reduce the number of tiles required to display them - or I may be missing something.
I'm trying to think of a sensible set of rules for where the rock breaks through and where it stops.

[tricky]

Between hospital visits and just off to see the Flying Scotsman pass our village, I sneaked in a little work on the rock falling.
It should now be stopped by any 6 pixels of dirt no matter where they are but hasn't had much testing.
The rock is still logically still where it was so that I can retrigger it by moving under where it was without resetting the level.
I haven't added clearing the dirt as it falls, but this should be fairly simple!
1945 bytes free

PS Hopefully you are getting a feel for how the little things add up to eat all your memory!

[tricky]

Added bonus display for monsters killed by rock using level number to test different scores.
Every little thing eats memory, but this includes the table for fruit and the shared code to calculate the copy addresses from the tiles page.
1818 bytes left
Memory is looking tight, but it was always going to be close!

[lovebug]

looking great mate

in the original arcade version the music only plays when the player is moving and pauses while the player isnt moving playing an alarm type sound
is this something you might do in your version eventually ?

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hope you are well

[tricky]

Yes, someone else pointed that out and RichTW says there is something wrong with one or both tunes.
I only put those two in to check the player as it is using an encoding that I haven't used before. My encoder chooses the most compact encoding and so has different code for each.
I haven't started on putting the right sounds in the right places yet and am planning on making some white noise ones to replace the ones that didn't fit (I didn't feel like making another encoding).
I am going to have to add some gameplay soon and will start to sort out the sound then.

[tricky]

Added fruit spawning and timeout, but I haven't checked if there is a timeout or if there is, what it is in the arcade version.
The gfx were already there, but even little things can eat memory.
1595 bytes free

I seem to have broken the tune! I have an idea what it is but will have to debug some more.

[tricky]

Finished code for food, except the delay before the food goes away is too short and maybe there is no timer or sound!.
Forgot to check the tune as I debug with the sounds off but I am fairly sure that it is when it misses 50FPS and skips a display frame sounds are on interrupt.
The debug score for rocks falling goes out of range after level 8 as you can only have 8 monsters squished with one rock.
1562 bytes free

[tricky]

Todays small update, rocks now collect monsters and should give the correct bonus.
RETURN skips a couple of levels or so.
Still have to catch the player too and end the level and many other things!
1467 bytes free

[tricky]

Bit of a sort out in the sound code as it was quite wasteful for having many "tunes"
Added pause and resume as you move.
1605 bytes free

[tricky]

Added the monster moving sound but broke the intro sound, need to revisit the sound playing code
1588 bytes free

[tricky]

Fixed the startup tune, but probably still need to rework the rest of the tune playing
1585 bytes free

I really need to stop messing about and add something a bit more significant!

[tricky]

Only 20 mins this morning, so just added player getting squashed by rock.
I needs the playering dying code, so leaved a sprite where the rock landed.
RETURN to start next level.
1570 bytes free

[Arcadian]

Enjoying trying the new alphas (I play every single one!).

Assume you're aware, but there is always a bit of a delay when you stop moving before the music halts (whilst on the arcade and other versions, the second you stop moving the music ceases). Is this something that will be an easy fix?

[tricky]

I added the delay because that is how I thought it worked, I should have checked more carefully

I'm glad you are enjoying testing and it is great to get early reports of issues as that makes it easier to work out which code caused them.

[tricky]

I think I have fixed it, I could still hear a gap, but fortunately VirtualDub has a visualise audio option, so I could clearly see that they stopped together and there was a 2/3 of a second gap (not the second that I had estimated) before the monster moving sound started.
I thought that I had made it play the wrong tune, but can't reproduce it now - I reworked the code instead of fixing the bug directly so it save a few bytes!
1583 bytes left

If anyone does reproduce the wrong "tune" playing, please say how you did it

[tricky]

Added dying when a rock falls on you and shuffled the Fygar sprites to add the dead sprite.
It just starts the next level when you die.
1533 bytes free

[tricky]

Added finishing the level by dropping rocks on all the monsters, but I think I heard the wrong tune playing at one point.
You can tell by the losing a life tune or the level complete tune.
1520 bytes free

[tricky]

Added lives counting down and game over tune - you can keep playing at the moment!
1345 bytes left

[Colday]

More amazing work Tricky.

Keep it up. Looking forward to playing this. Never played DigDug before!

[tricky]

I had only played it twice I think before starting this and haven't played more than a few seconds to try to time things since
Added player stops after game over.
I've added 16 test colour schemes, they just cycle as you advance levels either by dropping rocks on everything or by pressing RETURN
I am a little worried as there is the main game mechanic plus others to go in, more usability bits and the other sound effects and tunes!
1311 bytes free

[tricky]

Added high-score and tune instead of game over (actually uses extra life tube).
Game end when you have no lives left.
Removed RETURN to skip levels, so you have to reboot if you run out of rocks on a level to either kill them or use up your lives!
1261 bytes left

[tricky]

I've had a really rough day, so only another minor update this evening:
Added the target that is going to be instead of the hose, same mechanics and timing, but cheaper gfx!
I don't think I have the memory or cycles to put the hose in, and this is a cheaper alternative!
RETURN to launch it like you would the hose, it doesn't collide with anything yet and you can't "pump" it.
1152 bytes free