Elementum - new Elk/Beeb platformer

[0xC0DE]

Update: version 0.16, works on Electron and Beeb. Five levels. Download disk or tape image from original post.

[lurkio]

Update: version 0.16, works on Electron and Beeb. Five levels. Download disk or tape image from original post.

A quick URL hack for playing the Beeb version in your browser:

http://bbcmicro.co.uk/jsbeeb/play.php# ... =&autoboot

[0xC0DE]

Update: version 0.16, works on Electron and Beeb. Five levels. Download disk or tape image from original post.

A quick URL hack for playing the Beeb version in your browser:

http://bbcmicro.co.uk/jsbeeb/play.php# ... =&autoboot

Great, thanks!

[lurkio]

Great, thanks!

This may be of interest:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=19975&p=280861#p280861

[Arcadian]

Update: version 0.16, works on Electron and Beeb. Five levels. Download disk or tape image from original post.

What happened to v0.15? (I've been 'collecting' all the releases! )

[0xC0DE]

Update: version 0.16, works on Electron and Beeb. Five levels. Download disk or tape image from original post.

What happened to v0.15? (I've been 'collecting' all the releases! )

That version only exists in my GitHub. It's the same as 0.16 minus Beeb support

[picosonic]

Update: version 0.16, works on Electron and Beeb. Five levels. Download disk or tape image from original post.

A quick URL hack for playing the Beeb version in your browser

Looks fantastic, plays just as well on the Beeb - good work sir

[0xC0DE]

Update: version 0.16, works on Electron and Beeb. Five levels. Download disk or tape image from original post.

A quick URL hack for playing the Beeb version in your browser

Looks fantastic, plays just as well on the Beeb - good work sir

Thank you so much Jasper!
This made me wonder. Does anybody know another game that plays exactly the same on Elk and Beeb?
Not slower, not faster, not smaller, not......

[kieranhj]

Great work, as ever! It is super-smooth and responsive. The coyote time jumping is absolutely essential and become a gameplay feature I see.

If I was going to be critical then I would say that the collision detection is a bit too coarse at the moment. Would it be possible to make this pixel-perfect? Thrust does this by checking whether the EOR draw to the screen results in any pixels being plotted that aren't the expected colour. Obviously that's a bit more challenging in MODE 4, particularly when you want to jump through the platforms. (Incidentally Thrust has quite an unusual sprite plot routine that plots just one pixel at a time to give the impression of line-drawn graphics.)

For example, if the centre of the player is just one pixel shy of the end of platform then jumping vertically doesn't move you to the platform above. It's a tough call that one, as the character is round, should you be able to 'stand' on the end of a platform beyond your centre of mass?

Another situation where I found the box-based collision detection frustrating - collecting that damn '1' bit in the bottom right of the screen on level 5. If you fast-jump from the nearby platform on the below left, the player will pass through the '1' but not collect it.

Finally, I found the regular jump a little 'underpowered' and spent most of my time fast-jumping with SHIFT+RETURN held down. Is there any gameplay benefit to having the smaller jump?

I don't want this to come across as being overly negative - it's a really great piece of work and the controls are much more fun & fluid than any other platformer that I've seen on the Beeb/Elk. It's been on my list to do something like this for ages but I feel you have scratched that itch for me! It would be great to really push the gameplay so it feels as modern as possible, given the constraints of the 8-bit system. Keep it up.

[0xC0DE]

That's great feedback, Kieran, thank you. Most of these have caught my attention as well. Some are easily fixed, some are intentional, and others are undecided. Now that I have a basic cross platform version I can focus on making it better

[roland]

Now that I have a basic cross platform version I can focus on making it better

Waiting for an Atom version as well .....

[0xC0DE]

Now that I have a basic cross platform version I can focus on making it better

Waiting for an Atom version as well .....

Who knows, Roland!

[Marvin]

Yeah I was being lazy and playing on Elkulator, I'll have to use my Arc to write a floppy disc and try it on my actual Elk instead.

You can also buy an Electron WiFi card so you can simply download the game from a web server. No hassle with floppy discs any more

As nice as the WiFi card is I won't be getting one, my interests lie in only kit that existed back in the day or modern re-creations of said kit. For example awhile ago I built myself a couple of those userport micro-sd card storage thingies but I gave up on them and went back to floppies as the magic was missing.

I've built myself a serial port for my Elk that I'm happy using at 2400baud, sure it could go faster but then I'd loose the nostalgia factor.

[Marvin]

Loving the latest version with 5 levels, timing some of the jumps is really hard. Oh to have the fast reactions I used to have as a teenager again....

I notice the "Esc" option to quit the current game only works when the game is paused, is that by design or a oversight ?

[0xC0DE]

Loving the latest version with 5 levels, timing some of the jumps is really hard. Oh to have the fast reactions I used to have as a teenager again....

I notice the "Esc" option to quit the current game only works when the game is paused, is that by design or a oversight ?

Glad you're enjoying it Marvin! I made a few tweaks to the levels since this version. And yes, pressing Escape to quit during Pause only is by design.

[MartinB]

....my interests lie in only kit that existed back in the day or modern re-creations of said kit. For example awhile ago I built myself a couple of those userport micro-sd card storage thingies but I gave up on them and went back to floppies as the magic was missing.

Yay! There are two of us!


There was nothing stopping UPURS being done back in the day other than I didn't think of it then! Makes floppies as easy as solid state but keeping all the tactile authenticity....

[0xC0DE]

Great, thanks!

This may be of interest:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=19975&p=280861#p280861

Thank you, very useful. I just created a demo level, created a link with your method and then shortened it for Twitter with TinyURL

(Play it here: https://t.co/z0sQ00PBa2?amp=1)

[nicolagiacobbe]

Nice smooth game you have, excellent!
In case could be of interest. The keys don't work on b-em (v2.2) under linux. To be more accurate: the direction keys work but no turbo and pressing return stops the player's sprite so the only possible jump is upward.

[0xC0DE]

Nice smooth game you have, excellent!
In case could be of interest. The keys don't work on b-em (v2.2) under linux. To be more accurate: the direction keys work but no turbo and pressing return stops the player's sprite so the only possible jump is upward.

Thanks for testing! That's interesting and weird at the same time. I did test in b-em on Windows, which works fine. I'm inclined to think this is an emulator issue specifically when run in Linux. I have no idea if anybody (if any) is working on that version though.

[nicolagiacobbe]

The keyboard issue makes me think there a limited key rollover in B-EM, why it should be so I have no idea, as this is not happening in Linux bar a few specialized applications (like screen f.e.).

Also tested the game with BeebEm 10.5 for windows under Wine and worked like a charm.

[0xC0DE]

The keyboard issue makes me think there a limited key rollover in B-EM, why it should be so I have no idea, as this is not happening in Linux bar a few specialized applications (like screen f.e.).

Also tested the game with BeebEm 10.5 for windows under Wine and worked like a charm.

That's good to know. Thanks for figuring that out!

[Marvin]

Getting better, after a heck of a lot of practise....

Screenshot-3.png (6.73 KiB) Viewed 813 times

I'm loving the pause feature as it let's me get the cramp out of my fingers after the 30 millionth attempt

[0xC0DE]

Getting better, after a heck of a lot of practise....

Screenshot-3.png

I'm loving the pause feature as it let's me get the cramp out of my fingers after the 30 millionth attempt

Well done! Now I am going to have to try to beat that. Hold my beer!
Btw, try this version (0.17). Some tweaks here and there (collision detection, levels 3 and 5 a little easier, bug fixes, etc).

0xC0DE-nameless-game-demo-v0.17.ssd

(15.75 KiB) Downloaded 18 times

0xC0DE-nameless-game-demo-v0.17.uef

(17.33 KiB) Downloaded 14 times

Edit: I scored 726!

[roland]

Btw, try this version (0.17). Some tweaks here and there (collision detection, levels 3 and 5 a little easier, bug fixes, etc).

I am still struggling at level 2

[0xC0DE]

Btw, try this version (0.17). Some tweaks here and there (collision detection, levels 3 and 5 a little easier, bug fixes, etc).

I am still struggling at level 2

Come on Roland!
Have you discovered the turbo option (Shift key)?
You can do it!

[roland]

Yes, I know about the shift key. I am just horrible at games. I almost never pass level 3 of Snapper. But I almost always win from the computer when I play reversi (at easiest level)

[Marvin]

Btw, try this version (0.17). Some tweaks here and there (collision detection, levels 3 and 5 a little easier, bug fixes, etc).

I am still struggling at level 2

My preferred route...
.

.
.
Green is normal movement, Red is with TURBO.
The hard bit is the right-left swerve i've coloured in Blue.

[0xC0DE]

Yes, I know about the shift key. I am just horrible at games. I almost never pass level 3 of Snapper. But I almost always win from the computer when I play reversi (at easiest level)

[0xC0DE]

Btw, try this version (0.17). Some tweaks here and there (collision detection, levels 3 and 5 a little easier, bug fixes, etc).

I am still struggling at level 2

My preferred route...
.
Screenshot-4.png
.
.
Green is normal movement, Red is with TURBO.
The hard bit is the right-left swerve i've coloured in Blue.

Awesome! You should write the manual for my game! Or a walk through

[Marvin]

Awesome! You should write the manual for my game! Or a walk through