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More Programs Escape from the Void
Posted by Kirk on 12 July 1999, 22:11 GMT

Sam Heald of Void Productions has released AShell (83) and Usgard (85) versions of Dying Eyes, one of the best RPG's made for a Z80 calculator. Dying Eyes boasts eight different skills, eight different spells, a Final Fantasy-like battle system, multiple bosses, multiple dungeons, and even multiple endings with well-done, originally drawn graphics. The previously released files of these ports, which were only made availible for downloading on the Void site, contained memory corrupting bugs. These bugs were in the original coding, and so the original CrASH version has been updated as well.

Sam has also released an Usgard port of the popular Tetris Attack, a TCPA game, which won the 82 and 83 POTM awards recently. One of the few assembly sports games, Baseball '99, has also been made availible for the 85.

 


The comments below are written by ticalc.org visitors. Their views are not necessarily those of ticalc.org, and ticalc.org takes no responsibility for their content.


Re: More Programs Escape from the Void
sumit

wow, first one! ok, i downloaded this game in my calculator and ran it. then i chose "new game" from the list and then except for the arrow keys, no other keys work. and i had to take the freakin' batteries out to reset my calculator. could someone tell me how to start the game.

     12 July 1999, 22:37 GMT


Re: Re: More Programs Escape from the Void
Sam Heald

Once a new game has started, you have to go through all of the selection screens before you can exit. UP/DOWN will change the stat to upgrade, RIGHT will upgrade the stat 2 points. When the counter above (starts at 170) reaches zero, you will progress to the next screen.

At the next screen, pick a spell (the first one being HEAL). At the next screen pick a skill (you can choose any of the 8).

I'm sure Alex Highsmith (the original author) had some reason why he didn't include an exit key.

     12 July 1999, 22:44 GMT

Re: More Programs Escape from the Void
chris

What does tetris attack have to do with 4? Why is it called that?

     12 July 1999, 23:18 GMT


Re: Re: More Programs Escape from the Void
Brandon Stenrer
(Web Page)

It doesn't have to do with 4. This was a game nintendo made for the gameboy, nes, and snes. I simply used the same name. They probably did it to get people's attention. The only relation I can see to tetris is that they're both fast puzzle games. If you read the readme you would know this. No one ever does. I don't know why i ever include them.

     12 July 1999, 23:41 GMT


Re: Re: Re: More Programs Escape from the Void
danny
(Web Page)

I love readme's sometimes I read them and skip the game because they were so much fun!! ;)

     14 July 1999, 20:25 GMT

Re: More Programs Escape from the Void
Kane

Um... there's a bug in the 85 port =\
When you're in the battle screen you need to hold the up key to make the arrow stay in place if you want to attack, etc. (any icon in the upper menu). Also, if you go into the menu on the main screen the selection also keeps moving down (very annoying to choose something from the menu).

     13 July 1999, 03:05 GMT


Re: Re: More Programs Escape from the Void
Sam Heald
(Web Page)

I believe you need to replace your calculator's batteries.

     13 July 1999, 03:29 GMT

Re: Re: Re: More Programs Escape from the Void
Kane

I'm using YAS to play it so that might be why :P

     13 July 1999, 05:52 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Re: More Programs Escape from the Void
Sam Heald
(Web Page)

I realized that, my 86 has the same problem. Once the batteries get low enough to require a level 6 or above contrast, the calculator acts like the DOWN key is being held down.

     13 July 1999, 18:12 GMT

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: More Programs Escape from the Void
Kirk Meyer
(Web Page)

The TI-86 uses port 0 (normally used for the keypad) to also tell you how low the batteries are. If you don't use the proper mask, or if you don't restore the mask every time before reading from the port, then you will end up reading the battery level instead of a key!

     13 July 1999, 18:42 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: More Programs Escape from the Void
Sam Heald
(Web Page)

Why does the "problem" occur only when the batteries are low?
Also, why would the problem still occur even when the keyport is not being read directly(the places that "kane" is reporting that this occurs uses the standard GET_KEY function)?

     13 July 1999, 20:47 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: More Programs Escape from the Void
Zurmagus
(Web Page)

I don't know this for a fact, but the getkey function may be getting a value that is equal to the value returned when the down key is pressed. I've only experienced this problem when my battery level is extremely low.

(Does anyone else think that the contrast level might have something to do with it? I thought it could for a second, but isnt the contrast read from port 3?)

     13 July 1999, 23:03 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: More Programs Escape from the Void
Ken

You can convert the 83 versioin the same way you would an 82 game and it will run in YAS

     14 July 1999, 00:27 GMT


Port 0 (1)
David Phillips
(Web Page)

I'm sure Kirk meant port 1. Port 1 is used for the keypad, not 0 (port 0 controls the screen write offset). I didn't know that it used the port for that, but I can tell you how to fix it. At the start of your key reading code, reset the port:

ld a,$ff
out (1),a

This should only be a problem if you disable interrupts or use a custom handler and don't call the ROMs, because the ROM handler seems to take care of this for you. This might be a side effect of YAS, but I have no idea. Just do it and it'll fix it :)

     14 July 1999, 02:05 GMT


Re: Re: Re: More Programs Escape from the Void
Kane

Thanks for the help =]

     15 July 1999, 20:18 GMT

Re: More Programs Escape from the Void
Alundra!!!
(Web Page)

So are the memory corrupting bugs fixed on the 83 ASHELL version?

     13 July 1999, 04:07 GMT


Re: Re: More Programs Escape from the Void
anon

Read the last two sentences of the first paragraph of this news article. The answer is YES.

     13 July 1999, 18:08 GMT


Re: Re: Re: More Programs Escape from the Void
Alundra!!!
(Web Page)

I played it last nite and the memory corrupting bugs are still present if you die in combat

     13 July 1999, 19:33 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Re: More Programs Escape from the Void
Sam Heald
(Web Page)

I've had no problems since implimenting the "bug" fix. I'll look into it further, though.

     14 July 1999, 22:57 GMT


More details on problem
Alundra!!!
(Web Page)

I got the version from ticalc i'll try the one on your page next but to go more into detail...
the bug seems to only occur during combat if you die when the game over screen appears i hit either enter or clear to return to sos (can't remember which key..sorry) and it doesn't exit from assembly mode and it resets my calcs mem.

     15 July 1999, 04:25 GMT

Animated Screenshots, Icons, and You
Alamo

I apologize for an off-topic comment, but in case you haven't noticed, ticalc.org now uses a different icon for animated screenshots (different color)! I think this is newsworthy (by ticalc.org's standards, as well as my own)! If nothing else, it's pretty convenient!...

     13 July 1999, 05:39 GMT


Re: Animated Screenshots, Icons, and You
Kirk Meyer
(Web Page)

Yes, that's true. However, we never know what our users will criticize as being unnewsworthy. But it's very true, we now have a new icon indicating animated screenshots. To see it, look at the recent updates list, they're kind of purple-ish. Right now there are 62 animated screenshots.

     13 July 1999, 18:58 GMT


Re: Re: Animated Screenshots, Icons, and You
adam b
(Web Page)

Well, it's good that you've started with the
animated screenshots, but when are you going to
make them for lower-level calcs such as the 83?

     13 July 1999, 19:57 GMT

Re: Re: Re: Animated Screenshots, Icons, and You
Nathan Haines
(Web Page)

Nick is /starting/ with the lower level calculator. :)

     14 July 1999, 06:48 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Animated Screenshots, Icons, and You
Kirk Meyer
(Web Page)

There are a few animated screenshots for 83 already... mostly in the SOS directory.

     16 July 1999, 00:13 GMT

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