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Offline saimoTopic starter

BOH ADVANCE released
« on: March 10, 2018, 04:07:41 PM »
Today BOH receives the 18th free update, a massive update that closes its almost 11 years long development life, brings new features, new missions (for a total of 100!), and countless other improvements, and earns the game the ADVANCE tag.



BOH ADVANCE can be purchased from itch.io. The current owners of a copy can download the updated version for free from the same address (who does not have an itch.io key can get one from https://www.retream.com/BOH/get_key.php?code=, where is the personal copy code).
The update is performed by installing the new version over the old one using the supplied installer.

This update:
* adds 23 new missions:
   * most of them are very easy to average;
   * many of them are based on unusual and different design/logic;
   * some of them make use of the new features introduced by this update;
   * some of them are multi-phase and multi-mission;
* fixes/improves pre-existing missions (also making use of the new features);
* increases the chances of finding a recharge in explosive objects from 25% to 33%;
* adds levels labels;
* adds the disabling of message points;
* avoids the teleporting of the EM to the same square of the RM or a square too close to it, even when the RM is on a square which does not have walkable squares around (this avoids multiple consecutive collisions that quickly drain the shield);
* avoids that damage is done to the shield while an enemy is hit (this, in practice, fixes for good the repeated EM-RM collisions issue that, in rare cases, might have caused an almost instant death);
* makes the auto-orientation of connected staircases choose the best orientation context-wise and RM-wise;
* adds a rendered-on-the-fly background to mission information and pause screens;
* excludes the video modes with dimensions bigger than the desktop's;
* replaces the stars with thumbs-up icons for resolutions;
* allows the handling of special events/keys while displaying a notice;
* removes the joypad analogue axis support;
* reworks controls reconfiguration:
   * adds an end notification;
   * changes the joypad actions;
   * removes the aborting by means of [ESCAPE];
   * removes the overlapping of button and keys flags;
   * makes other changes;
* improves the themes settings:
   * reworks the configuration handling;
   * adds [F2] for quick switching;
* improved the themes:
   * touches up the wallpapers of the themes "Sci-Fi" and "Underground";
   * fixes/improves the rotating lamp graphics in the themes "C64" and "Sci-Fi";
* optimizes/improves:
   * the handling of levels lighting;
   * the allocation and referencing of enemies objects;
   * the EM spawning and AI;
   * the universal function for the interpolated rotation of BGRA graphics;
   * the tiles handling module;
   * the controls handling;
   * the screenshot grabbing;
   * the SDL initialization;
   * some code bits here and there;
* replaces Mix_Volume() with Mix_Pause() + Mix_Resume() to (un)pause sounds when the game gets (un)paused (this hopefully fixes the occasional sounds corruption on Windows);
* fixes the picking up of the aiming device (the check was broken, so it was possible to pick it up multiple times);
* fixes the printing of the levels number (the last digit of levels (-)100-109 was not printed);
* fixes the loop counters usage in m_CreateMap() to allow more than 65535 permanent animations;
* fixes the disappearing of information in the menu when an alphanumeric key was pressed (the handler returned an action insted of doing nothing);
* fixes the error message and the log file name reported by records submission;
* fixes the work path on Windows (%TMP% was statically expanded at compile time);
* adapts the code to the latest version of the custom framework the game is built on;
* improves the icons:
   * adds more icons;
   * touches up graphics;
   * adds the icon size choice to the AmigaOS and AROS installers;
   * fixes the MacOs and Windows icons sizes;
* fixes/improves/updates both the user's and the developer's manual;
* reworks/updates the artwork;
* fixed/improves the installers;
* brings other minor changes/improvements/optimizations.


About BOH

BOH is a new retro dungeon crawler which makes you feel as if you were actually lost in treacherous dungeons. It looks and feels unlike anything else, and provides a fascinatingly immersive video gaming experience.

https://www.retream.com
https://www.facebook.com/R37R34M
https://www.twitter.com/saimoretream
information@retream.com
RETREAM - retro dreams for Amiga, Commodore 64 and PC
 

Offline saimoTopic starter

Re: BOH ADVANCE released
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2018, 01:03:48 PM »
Quote from: klx300r;837284
AMAZING !!!thanks so much for all the work & dedication you put into all your programs/ games made for our beloved Amiga & C64 :pint::knuddel::banana:

My pleasure :)
RETREAM - retro dreams for Amiga, Commodore 64 and PC
 

Offline saimoTopic starter

Re: BOH ADVANCE released
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2018, 01:07:52 PM »
Quote from: WeiXing3D;837342
Not working in my X5000 AmigaOS 4.1 FE Pre-Release. Clicking on the game icon won't launch game.

I downloaded to RAM, extracted there and moved to my HDD partition using Dopus.


That won't work: you need to use the supplied installer.
BTW, an X1000 user and an X5000 user had problems with the installation. It turned out that their Installer tool doesn't seem to like the script. I have an A1 XE, so I can't test that directly, but I can say for sure that the Installer 53.9 (7.10.2016) works perfectly (and also solved their problems).
RETREAM - retro dreams for Amiga, Commodore 64 and PC
 

Offline saimoTopic starter

BOH ADVANCE Physical Copy and BOH Deluxe Box
« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2018, 04:05:20 PM »
ADDITIONAL GOOD NEWS!

You see, there was a plan to produce physical copies of BOH ADVANCE and a special Deluxe Box that included both BOH ADVANCE and the original BOH.



The idea was to start a Kickstarter campaign on the day of the release of BOH ADVANCE. And that actually happened. However, the very first pledge made it clear that I had misunderstood the way Kickstarter handles shipping fees (I had assumed they worked the obvious/logical way, but they don't). Therefore, I cancelled the campaign a few minutes after it went live.
Moreover, Kickstarter doesn't just offer a reasonable way to handle a wide variety of fees (to ensure that everybody in the world pays only the minimum necessary), so making a new campaign was ruled out.

Initially, the whole project was cancelled. But it would have been a real pity, so I resumed it under a different approach: a limited amount of copies will be produced beforehand, without pledges or preordering! Who wants one, will simply be able to get if from the itch.io store (https://retream.itch.io/boh).
The objective is still to offer a quality product at the lowest price possible - i.e. about 10 euros for the Deluxe Box containing a copy of BOH ADVANCE + a copy of the original BOH (shipping excluded).

This is the Kickstarter campaign video - of course, some things are no longer valid, but it gives a good idea about the project:

[youtube]W_mmrf2j9No[/youtube]

For the really curious ones, this is the page of the campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/saimo/boh-advance.

Watch this space for further updates.
« Last Edit: March 15, 2018, 04:27:53 PM by saimo »
RETREAM - retro dreams for Amiga, Commodore 64 and PC
 

Offline saimoTopic starter

Re: BOH ADVANCE Physical Copy and BOH Deluxe Box
« Reply #4 on: March 16, 2018, 12:02:17 AM »
Quote from: klx300r;837366
@ saimo

too bad about the kickstarter issues that stopped the campaign from happening :cry: but happy we can still order the beautiful BOH ADVANCE physical copy:knuddel::pint:


:)
RETREAM - retro dreams for Amiga, Commodore 64 and PC
 

Offline saimoTopic starter

Re: BOH ADVANCE released
« Reply #5 on: March 16, 2018, 12:11:09 AM »
Quote from: nicholas;837376
Any chance of a 68k version so we can play it on UAE/MorphOS/Vampire?


No, sorry: classic Amigas can't handle it.
Also (answering questions asked elsewhere, to offer a more complete picture):
 * a demake would be a different (and lesser game), and I don't want that;
 * I'm not interested in making a demake.
Anyway, the game already runs on 5 differents systems (3 of which are mainstream), so chances are that most of the people interested in the game have a machine that allows to enjoy it ;)
RETREAM - retro dreams for Amiga, Commodore 64 and PC
 

Offline saimoTopic starter

Re: BOH ADVANCE released
« Reply #6 on: March 16, 2018, 07:03:58 AM »
Quote from: WeiXing3D;837395
I used the supplied installer "Install-AmigaOS." There is no other one.

Am I missing something?


That's the install script. What I'm referring to is the AmigaOS Installer tool (search in C:, SYS:System, SYS:Utilities, SYS:Tools).
RETREAM - retro dreams for Amiga, Commodore 64 and PC
 

Offline saimoTopic starter

Re: BOH ADVANCE Physical Copy and BOH Deluxe Box
« Reply #7 on: March 16, 2018, 01:37:12 PM »
Quote from: eliyahu;837405
@saimo

awesome! i liked BOH so much i bought it twice, once on your site and once via amistore some years later.

Oh, wow! Double-thank-you for that!

Quote
i'm very much looking forward to purchasing the new boxed set.

This asks for a triple-thank-you :D

Quote
please let us know when it's available for sale!

Sure! If you're on Facebook, I'll be posting progress updates on the RETREAM page (https://www.facebook.com/R37R34M).
Hopefully, it shouldn't take too long.
RETREAM - retro dreams for Amiga, Commodore 64 and PC
 

Offline saimoTopic starter

Re: BOH ADVANCE released
« Reply #8 on: March 17, 2018, 01:08:49 PM »
Quote from: WeiXing3D;837439
Sorry to be a pest. I found the Install tool in C: but what it's the argument to use in the execute command line. Install.........?
Install is a legacy command that makes floppies bootable. The file to search for is Installer.
You don't need to call it manually: as long as it's in your commands path, it will be called by the system automatically (as it's the default tool in the BOH install script icon).
The problem is that your Installer tool probably can't handle the script, so you need to replace it with a previous version (version 53.9 7.10.2016 works fine).

Quote
In my case I extracted the game to RAM: where I have the "BOH" drawer. RAM: BOH/Install-AmigaOS   in my case.
RAM: is a perfect place to start the installation from.
« Last Edit: March 17, 2018, 10:20:44 PM by saimo »
RETREAM - retro dreams for Amiga, Commodore 64 and PC
 

Offline saimoTopic starter

Re: BOH ADVANCE released
« Reply #9 on: March 17, 2018, 10:23:15 PM »
Quote from: dandelion;837470
Looks phenomenal.

Thank you!

Quote
Wish there was a MorphOS version so could join the fun. Thanks for the great work for the platform though.

Well, the purchase gives access to the versions for all the supported systems (besides AmigaOS and AROS, also Linux, MacOS, and Windows), so it's likely that you can play the game (which is exactly the same on all platforms). If you feel like, try the demo and see for yourself ;)
RETREAM - retro dreams for Amiga, Commodore 64 and PC
 

Offline saimoTopic starter

Re: BOH ADVANCE Physical Copy and BOH Deluxe Box
« Reply #10 on: March 23, 2018, 04:10:25 PM »
Quote from: eliyahu;837718
@saimo

i forgot to ask: will the BOH advance update be released to amistore customers?

-- eliyahu

I have provided A-EON with the updated package (before making the release announcement), but I don't know when it will be actually made available to the AmiStore customers. From what you say, it sounds like it hasn't happened yet :/
RETREAM - retro dreams for Amiga, Commodore 64 and PC
 

Offline saimoTopic starter

Re: BOH ADVANCE released
« Reply #11 on: March 24, 2018, 07:34:24 AM »
Quote from: nicholas;837752
It wouldn't run on UAE?
I guess it would, but I haven't tried it. Just try the demo: if it works, the game works, too.
RETREAM - retro dreams for Amiga, Commodore 64 and PC
 

Offline saimoTopic starter

BOH Deluxe
« Reply #12 on: April 19, 2018, 05:21:10 PM »
Here's an open update about the status of the BOH Deluxe project.

The previous announcement revealed that work was being done on the physical edition of BOH ADVANCE and on a very special deluxe box that included both BOH ADVANCE and the original BOH.
The prototypes looked cool and the quotes obtained from vendors allowed to produce batches of 50 deluxe boxes at just 5.318 euros per box. That made it look possible to offer the customer a fully professional product at a very convenient price. Unfortunately, once the (crazily high Italian) shipping fees, packing materials, VAT, itch.io fee, PayPal/stripe fee, and taxes were factored in, the end user prices sky-rocketed inacceptably: about 32 euros for Italy, 38 euros for Europe, 33 for Africa, Americas, Asia, and 40 for Oceania - and that was without any profit!
Therefore, the project was cancelled.

A lot of work wasted. The bitterness was strong. To alleviate it, an idea came: producing a few special copies just for personal enjoyment and for friends.
After much research, 10 BOH ADVANCE copies were produced using alternative techniques like digital printing for the inlay/booklet, thermal printing for the CD serigraph, and mastering for the CD content. The result was literally excellent. To make the item extra cool, a double-disc transparent case was chosen so that also the original BOH could be included in the case (see picture here and the higher-resolution pictures in the Facebook BOH album).



Holding such a product in the hands suggests three things:
 * a few technical improvements;
 * it is very possible to produce a top quality product at a reasonable price even in very small batches;
 * the lovers of the game should really be given a chance to get hold of a beautiful BOH ADVANCE copy.

Consequently, alternatives to reopen the BOH Deluxe project are being considered. It might happen, it might not. If you're interested, please give your feedback here or by email (boh@retream.com): it will be much appreciated and, more importantly, could help the project succeed!
RETREAM - retro dreams for Amiga, Commodore 64 and PC
 

Offline saimoTopic starter

Re: BOH Deluxe
« Reply #13 on: April 20, 2018, 08:57:59 AM »
@eliyahu

Quote from: eliyahu;838625
i'm still interested -- even if the price was over 30 EUR. ;)

Thanks for letting me know! Hopefully, the final price will be much less than that. I'll keep you posted.


@all

somebody by email offered to pre-pay, so let me clarify that I'm not asking for money in advance.
RETREAM - retro dreams for Amiga, Commodore 64 and PC