Pac-Man Collection Development Forum...

[opcode]

I am still hard in the work programming the ColecoVision ports of Pac-Man and Ms Pac-Man.
Pac-Man now features all sounds and music, but I am not completely happy with the scheme I am currently using. I am thinking about a new scheme, but it would require a complete rewrite of the sound routines. Well, no pain no gain...

Bellow are new screenshots. The opening screen are almost the same as before, but now the layout is definitive. Beside that, the screen were taken using MESS, which previously didn't run PMC.
The game screen layout is done too (but still running just in Adamem). I am also including the dots maze layout, which isn't symetric like in the arcade. It is so cause the CV Pac-Man uses 6x6 virtual characters for the maze, instead the usual 8x8. It brings a lot of complications but the final result is much more faithtful. This dot maze will be direct mapped (it means, every 8x8 character in the maze is represented by an unique character in memory. It is so to allow graphic shapes to be superimposed over the dots (in this case, the ghost eyes).
Just for comparison, I have posted a arcade screenshot too.
More as it evolves...


Eduardo Mello

[newcoleco]

Excuse me but I think you forgot something about the screen. On some TV, each side of the screen are not fully visible.

I received e-mails two years ago about DACMAN. Some of you can't see well the screen in DACPONG! (like PONG with paddle on each side of the screen).

So, I think you must relocate the maze in your pacman project.

[Aswald]

True- on a television screen, things should be kept away from the very edges. Most ColecoVision owners use such televisions.

But, so far, it looks remarkable. If only such attention to detail had been given to the third-generation systems back in the 1980s, then the NES would not have stood much of a chance! Imagine how much better Time Pilot or especially Mr. Do! would've been!

The only problem with the ColecoVision Joust is a lack of sound, the only thing keeping it from being complete. Could sound be added so that there is another completed "lost" game for the ColecoVision?

[opcode]

A little update:

I am working on the Ms Pac-Man screens layout. I need to do it now, as it will influence the remaning development...
Ms Pac-Man is little bit more complicated than Pac-Man, as the mazes are dual colored. The CV isn't capable of generating more than 2 colors per character line (8 pixels), so I am planning a little trick: the idea is to interleave 2 screens to produce more colors. The interleaving must be very fast (60 frames per second), so the image will look steady. I have already tested it with some screens and it looks very nice. Just the maze border shows a little flickering.
Bellow is a sample: notice a frame has the maze border and the other one doesn't have. Displaying each frames alternately every 1/60s will produce something similar to image #3, which is very close to the arcade original screen...
I have also included the dots layout mask, just for reference...





Eduardo Mello

[Aswald]

Is that method similar to the technique used on the ColecoVision Dig Dug characters?

It looks absolutely magnificent so far. If these games appear on a cartridge, then it'll most certainly be a "must have." Along with the Space Invaders Collection, of course, and Bejeweled.

It's a good time again to be a ColecoVision owner!

[opcode]

Here is a more faithful version for the first Ms Pac-Man maze.

I have included both frames and the resulting image. I also created a small test program to check the resulting screen and it looks almost identical to picture #3. I now must check the resulting effect on a TV set...



Frames


Mix


Arcade

Eduardo Mello

[newcoleco]

It's looking great!
Same remark about the TV screen.

And about the color simulation, this remember me my experiments earlier this year about having more colors than the actual 15 colours palette. And don't worry about the result on a real ColecoVision and TV set, it will be as good as you think it will be.

Continue your great job!

Daniel B.

[Aswald]

Whoa, ho-ho, move over Atari 7800 and NES versions, THAT will be the best out there!

[Zaxxon]

Hi Eduardo,
I don't know how hard this would be but it would be great if you could add easier difficulty settings than the 2 included in the arcade ROM, HARD and Normal. It's too difficult for me on the normal setting. I can last about 5 levels max. I never memorized the patterns.

[opcode]

I don't know how hard this would be but it would be great if you could add easier difficulty settings than the 2 included in the arcade ROM, HARD and Normal. It's too difficult for me on the normal setting. I can last about 5 levels max. I never memorized the patterns.

It would be easy. Pac-Man is nicely programmed and the difficult settings are very configurable.
When it comes the time to beta testing, we could define each difficult level properties... More later....

Eduardo

[digitalpress]

It just looks INCREDIBLE, Eduardo.

Than again, I expect that from you!

Keep us posted! I can't wait to OWN this and the Space Invaders game. If you need a distributor, look me up!

[opcode]

Keep us posted! I can't wait to OWN this and the Space Invaders game. If you need a distributor, look me up!

Really?!
I have a few plans... I will send you an e-mail tomorrow. Right now I need some sleep.....

Eduardo

[opcode]

Hi!

A more Ms Pac-Man maze:


Frames


Resulting screen


Maze mask

Eduardo Mello

[opcode]

Hi!

I would wish some help of you guys. I am now working on the ghosts sprites and it would be nice if you could help me choosing that ghost shapes you think is the best.
Bellow are three versions for the ghost. The first one is from the arcade and I will be using it for all opening and intermissions (I have deliberately darkened the ghost eyes so it doesn't influence any decision).
The second one is a reduced version I have created. All mazes have been reduced by 25%, so the ghosts will need to be reduced too.
The last version is from PSX Namco Museum, which does use the same reduction factor.
Which reduced version do you think is better?




Thanks,

Eduardo Mello

[digitalpress]

I choose "ColecoVision Version 1". It looks closer to the top row (from my eyes).

[Arcade Antics]

I vote for CV version 1 as well.

Keep up the great work!!

[ventrra]

I'll second that opinion.
I'd say that the Namco Museum version just looks odd.

[Raedon]

man this looks great!

[Raccoon Lad]

Overall, Colecovision version1 looks better, but the second ghost image from colecovision version 2 looks more like the first ghost image from the arcade version. Perhaps you could combine Coleco V2 ghost 2, and Coleco V1 Ghost 2 into an animation.

[newcoleco]

Joe is right! the version 1 is the best one!