[C64] QUOD INIT EXIT games

[saimo]

I'd like to inform you that I've just relased a little update.
Changes:
 * fixed the flicker of some pixels, which was visible only on real machines and accurate emulators;
 * added level part to score shown in in-game screen;
 * compressed the program for faster loading;
 * made various other minor changes.

Here are a few updated screenshots:











Get it from here.

[Hattig]

Looks like a good use of the C64's high res attribute mode.

[saimo]

Looks like a good use of the C64's high res attribute mode.

Thanks. Doing everything in HIRES was one of the things I wanted to achieve.

[saimo]

Hi all,

sorry for necroposting, but I just want to inform you that I have released a few updates since last time: the game is now at v1.4 and includes lots of improvements. Get it from http://csdb.dk/release/?id=121371 and enjoy!

[klx300r]

A new commercial high quality game for the Mighty 64 that oozes fun !

I bought the cartridge version that came beautifully boxed here!

if you've got your 64 set up and still use it go get a copy & make your 64 smile again!  It'll wonder if it's 1985 again   :-D

[saimo]

@klx300r

I love your enthusiasm, but let me clarify the following for the readers here:
* the game is downloadable for free;
* v1.3 (the previous one) has been released also on cart by RGCD - and, of course, that can't come for free

[saimo]

It looks like this thread needs an update...
In the meanwhile, I have released version 1.5 of QUOD INIT EXIT, and, earlier this week, QUOD INIT EXIT IIm - this time a scrolling platformer.



If you feel like having a look, here's the website

[klx300r]

@ saimo

:knuddel::pint::banana::knuddel::pint::banana::knuddel::pint::banana::knuddel::pint::banana:

[saimo]

To begin the year appropriately, I have just released v1.7 of QUOD INIT EXIT. Like always, it's free for everyone to enjoy Get it from its new page on itch.io  (there are also AmigaOS 4 and Windows installers that take care of everything for those who don't want to fiddle with emulators).



Changes list:
* added clock (slows everything down);
* added pill (protects from poison);
* slown down score decrease;
* recalibrated probabilities of items;
* changed Zampo and turbofart design to match the one in QIE II;
* changed randomization logic;
* randomized platforms at each restart, so that they are always different;
* added fried egg;
* added a little background animation;
* touched up / updated HUD;
* removed game over message so that, at the end, the final score remains displayed;
* sped up a bit intro/outro messages;
* adapted to newer and better framework;
* optimized.

[saimo]

In the past 10 months or so I have been working hard on MAH v2.0. In the process, I have improved the framework that it is based on and that QUOD INIT EXIT uses as well. As a result, I adapted QUOD INIT EXIT to it, and I couldn't resist making the changes listed below. I hope you'll enjoy this new version of the game.

Get it (for free) from:
* itch.io: https://retream.itch.io/quod-init-exit
* CSDb: http://csdb.dk/release/?id=159349

Although the game is for C64, AmigaOS 4 and Windows users can install and play it as if it were a native application thanks to the install packages available on itch.io

CHANGELOG

1. Fixed mice appearing in the HUD (and maybe even worse things) due to beyond-boundary writes.
2. Fixed flagging of subsequent pill catches (there were actually counted up to 255, although that was not visible in the HUD after catching the poison).
3. Fixed screen initialization ($d016 was not initialized).
4. Fixed poo drop (if started when Zampo was in mid air, the poo would stop in mid air as well).
5. Changed points handling: now they start decreasing only after catching the toilet roll, but do it at twice the speed.
6. Changed pause controls: now [F1] pauses and unpauses.
7. Added return to BASIC by means of [RESTORE].
8. Touched up dawn, morning, and sunset skies graphics.
9. Touched up pill icon.
10. Shifted vertical alignment of text characters 1 line down.
11. Changed intro text.
12. Changed scrolltext.
13. Made a few optimizations (in particular, moved all the variables to the zero page).
14. Added a separate loader (based on the Covert Bitops Autoconfiguring Loader/Depacker) that loads the game more quickly from disk (the game itself is still a single file that can be loaded directly, so who uses other speed-up solutions does not need this loader).
15. Added EasyFlash version.
16. Touched up manual.
17. Fixed uninstall icon for Windows package.
18. Updated skies in icons for AmigaOS/Windows packages.
19. Fine-tuned CRT settings for AmigaOS/Windows packages.

[saimo]

I totally forgot I had told you about QUOD INIT EXIT!
Well, over time there have been quite a number of changes about its sequels - quick recap:
 * I just released an updated version of QUOD INIT EXIT IIm;
 * I resumed the work on QUOD INIT EXIT IIo (recent-ish preview).

Download: https://www.retream.com/QUOD_INIT_EXIT_IIm / https://retream.itch.io/quod-init-exit-iim

[saimo]

Quite some progress has been done. This video shows a little bit of all that happened since the previous one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0cmg__n4j0

Also, the game now has a page of its own on itch.io, where it's possible to follow the progress and download previews: https://retream.itch.io/quod-init-exit-iio (the currently available preview is quite old, but I plan to release a new one soonish).

[klx300r]

Thanks for another update

[saimo]

Today's news is that, after more than 2 years, I have just released a new - and massive - playable preview of QUOD INIT EXIT IIo!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xod3INRv15A











Get it from https://retream.itch.io/quod-init-exit-iio and enjoy!

CHANGELOG (since the 2020.03.21 preview)

Code: [Select]

* Made Zampo jump only when he is not moving upwards already (before, if Zampo's
  legs were on a solid tile while he was already moving upwards and the joystick
  was pushed up, he would jump again, thus continuing the upwards movement; this
  increased the chances of unwanted double-jumps).
* Changed the portals/teleporting behaviour:
   * when Zampo uses a portal, he is now automatically teleported to the right
     location (this simplifies the gameplay, as before misusing portals was too
     punishing - i.e. it made completing a zone impossible);
   * they are now activated with [DOWN] insted of [FIRE] to reduce the chances
     of activating portals unintentionally (as [FIRE] is used for turbofarting,
     whereas [DOWN] is used for ducking, which is a much less common action).
* Accelerated the relocation of Zampo to checkpoints.
* Worked on the collision detection against the background:
   * made more precise and relative to Zampo's movement and aspect;
   * extended the detection area for some tiles, so that picking up items and
     operating switches is easier.
* Worked on food/drink items:
   * added 3 new types (which affects the gameplay, as it makes the appearance
     of the spinach can and of the Gasorade bottle less likely; this has been
     counterbalanced with the following changes);
   * made the Gasorade bottle restore the turbofart meter entirely;
   * made the cake (one of the new items) restore the belly meter entirely;
   * avoided that they spawn on some tiles where they would be uncatchable;
   * redrawn the spinach can.
* Worked on the PIG-OF-GOLD mode:
   * enlarged the area checked for the activation, so that Zampo no longer
     requires to be placed too precisely;
   * avoided that it is re-activated when it is already active not only because
     conceptually it makes no sense, but also because it could interfere with
     the PIG-OF-STEEL mode.
* Added the PIG-OF-GOLD and PIG-OF-STEEL modes tunes.
* Added a simple sound effect for teleporting (music gets paused in the
  meanwhile; this is the only case where a sound effect is used; the reason is
  that it is the simplest and least memory-hungry way to susped the PIG-OF-GOLD
  and PIG-OF-STEEL modes tunes, when such modes are active a portal is taken;
  anyway, it is quite appropriate as Zampo, when teleporting, is indeed in a
  kind of suspended state).
* Added the zone exit icon (a thumb-up icon that blinks constantly to indicate
  the point Zampo has to reach after collecting all the potties).
* Extended the tile-related events triggering mechanism (and used it for various
  purposes in the existing maps).
* Added a mechanism for making a switch appear with a brief blinking.
* Added a mechanism for making a generic tile blink.
* Added a mechanism for performing real-time, progressive, arbitrary changes to
  memory (and used it for various purposes, especially in the existing maps).
* Sped up the removal of barriers by 1 frame per tile.
* Reworked the handling of Zampo's appearance by implementing a centralized
  mechanism which:
    * takes a few cycles more, but saves memory and makes the code cleaner;
    * allows each tile to have lighting properties;
    * allows checkpoints, portals and portals destinations to be also in places
      where the lighting is shady/dark;
    * solves (elegantly) the clashes between the GOLD and STEEL modes relatively
      to Zampo's colors;
    * provides a centralized way to make Zampo flash.
* Slown down the flashing of Zampo when the PIG-OF-STEEL mode is about to end.
* Made Zampo say: "YEA" when he catches the cake; "WOW" when he catches the
  Gasorade bottle or the spinach can; "YUM" when he catches another food item.
* Ensured Zampo is visible when a game is aborted.
* Slown down the blinking of potties.
* Worked on baddies:
   * added 2-frame animations;
   * added the "explosion" animation.
* Added (support for) dynamic tilesets.
* Made the head-up display taller to make room for the information relative to
  the zone-specific features.
* Fixed Zampo's X speed in couple of places (it was 1/16 off due to an inverted
  sign).
* Fixed the Zampo Y correction relatively to collisions with obstacles above (it
  pushed Zampo 1/32 pixels below the character he was in, instead of keeping
  him in that character by just 1/32 pixels).
* Fixed the baddies X initialization (the spawning code is distributed across
  multiple frames to spread the load, but it defined the X before the final
  position was validated; given that, in the meanwhile, the screen most likely
  scrolled, at the time of spawning the X could have been unsuitable - and thus
  caused the baddies, in some circumstances, to appear out of nothing).
* Fixed the sprites clipping code (the fact that the screen is narrower/shorter
  due to scrolling was not taken into account because of some wrong labels and a
  constant was off by 1).
* Fixed the bug that allowed to use the portals frames to teleport.
* Fixed the horizontal alignment of icons in the head-up display (was off by 1
  pixel to the left).
* Fixed/optimized some instruments in music.
* Extended/improved the intro text.
* Wrote the outro text.
* Changed the design of the 'I' in the logo, to match the font's  (which needs
  that letter to be easily readable).
* Saved some memory by moving some sprites graphics and other data to the unused
  space in the charset.
* Made many speed and memory optimizations.
* Made the [F1] check in the pause routine more robust (the CIA registers were
  accessed continuously, but my C64 did not like it).
* Renamed meters:
   * "belly satisfaction meter" -> "belly meter";
   * "turbofart charge meter" -> "turbofart meter".
* Renamed the FACTORY zone as the TOWERS zone (as now there is an idea of how it
  will play and look like).
* Made a few other minor changes.
* Worked on the FUN PARK zone:
   * started the map;
   * added "FUN" to the name.
* Worked on the CLIFFS zone:
   * added the cross subquest;
   * added 2 checkpoints to make it easier;
   * improved/enriched the map;
   * improved the graphics.
* Worked on the FORTRESS zone:
   * improved/enlarged/completed the map;
   * made the map easier;
   * added the stars & hidden switches puzzles;
   * improved/extended the graphics.
* Worked on the frontend:
   * made it present by default the last item/zone played;
   * inverted the zone selection controls (now: [UP] -> next zone, [DOWN] ->
     previous zone);
   * changed colors of unselected icons.
* Worked on the text reader (used by quickstart guide, intro and outro):
   * rewritten in assembly (it was a mix of BASIC-BOSS and machine language, as
     it was an adaption of the text reader used by MAH);
   * added 0.5 lines spacing for easier reading;
   * compacted the data and reorganized the memory allocation to reduce greatly
     the size of the binaries;
   * made it faster;
   * reduced the rendering glitches as much as possible (without resorting to
     buffering - double buffering would slow scrolling and triple buffering
     seems overkill, although it remains an option for the future).
* Worked on the documentation:
   * renamed the notice as "quickstart guide";
   * improved/updated/extended the quickstart guide and the manual.

[saimo]

One more massive preview - and this time only 3 months after the previous one

Video
Download