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Kamel told me about his dream of seeing Lode Runner properly run on the Oric...

I've had a look at a C64 version and I can say it uses exactly the same graphics than on the original Apple][ version : it's easy for the C64 since it has superior graphics capability than the Apple.

So, a level is 28x16 blocs plus a big separator line at the bottom and the score. Each bloc is 10 pixels horizontally, 11 pixels vertically. This gives a total of 28x10=280 pixels horizontally, 16x11=176 pixels vertically (plus 8 pixels for the separator line at the bottom and again 8 pixels for the score). The total is thus the Apple][ resolution (280x192), and despite the superior C64 resolution (320 pixels wide), they have kept the original graphics because the bitmap animations have a consequence on how some levels behave (speed of the characters, etc.).

So, I guess a faithful Oric version would hardly be possible, because of the inferior horizontal resolution (but higher vertical resolution, which leads to the problem of the pixel aspect), and of the colour attributes problem. Or... maybe a black&white-only version would still retain the original atmosphere ?

Just thoughts...

Fabrice

I found a page with screenshots of various versions:
http://entropymine.com/jason/lr/screenshots/

I guess you are refering to these two particular versions:
Apple 2

C64


Blocs are 10x11 pixels ?
That's quite unusual size

So if we wanted to make it to fit in the 240 pixels of the oric, it would be 8,57 pixels per bloc... rounded to 8 it just give a resolution of 224 pixels, meaning that we would get large borders on the screen. On another hand we still need 6 pixels for changing ink color (Except if black and white is fine, but I guess that using inverse video for bricks would be nice).

Animations should then do remade, including all collision testing...

Just do realtime stretching

Get a virtual 280 wide pixel screen, and shrink it down in realtime

I found a page with screenshots of various versions:
http://entropymine.com/jason/lr/screenshots/

Looking at the different versions on your page, it seems that the MSX has reduced-size graphics, with 8-pixel-width blocs, giving 224 pixels as a total. The sprites themselves are reduced too. So, this version might be interesting to look at, if it still has the same behavior than the original...

Just do realtime stretching

Get a virtual 280 wide pixel screen, and shrink it down in realtime

Or emulate the MSX on the Oric (6502 power !)

More seriously, I had also thought about sticking to 280 pixels wide and scrolling horizontally to see the whole level... but the Oric pixel aspect might give a strange thing...

Ah, the IBM PC version uses a different grid (26x16), with 12-pixel-wide blocs... but I remember that Kamel told me there's a Lode-Runner community on the Internet, developing levels, so the grid size is important...

Anyway, I won't make a Lode Runner minigame in 2006....
(tempted by an Astro Invader clone...)

Hi,

Some versions of loderunner :
http://home.mieweb.com/jsfiles/lrfiles/

back then I found some infos on LR structure link :

http://www.baetzler.de/c64/games/loderunner/

Kamel

Hello Kamel, as you can see, I'm trying to advertise your Lode Runner project, maybe a joint action would give better results than for project X (Worms) ?

Hi,

This is old stuff that needs to be cleaned, but here the DOS and C64 version of LR disassembled.

kamelito.ifrance.com/LR.ASM dos
kamelito.ifrance.com/lr-c64.asm


Regards
Kamel

Are you guys talking about a really-really faithful to the original version ?
Because if you "only" wish to have Lode Runner on the Oric, it does exist...



CEO Disk from June 1992.
The problem is that I never figured how to play it...
I wonder if it's a French game or if it's a game from UK that was translated by the CEO...

Hello Simon, yeap we are talking about a really faithful Lode Runner version...

From memory, the version you are refering too is a text version (with the character jumping six-pixels at each move)... I think it was written by François Schuller... It's nice, but it doesn't behave like the original version...

Cheers,

Fabrice

Hi Fabrice,

Ok, sorry then. Yes it's a text version indeed, I finally managed to play a little (slowing the speed , it seems cool but displays an error while loading, and seems to crash from time to time... I wonder if there's a "clean" version or if it's all we got...
The author is actually someone called Stéphane Fardoux.

Cheers
Simon

Maybe interesting:
http://www.intellivisionworld.com/News/ ... p?iwNws=63

A real company still selling games for the Intellivision nowadays ?? Astonishing !

Well, Protovision sells (sold?) newly made commercial C64 games. AtariAge sells homemade Atari 2600 etc cartridges. Cronosoft sells various homemade computer programs. The issue is about how good the software is, how much money you ask and whether you have reliable distribution so customers would not have to wait two months on their mail orders.

It appears Intellivision games were released from 1979 to 1988, but one Activision entry is dated 1999 - either a misunderstanding or a commemorative game celebrating 20 years.

hi,

I know it's not the real Lode Runner, but I found years ago a basic version of Lodre Runner in a magazine. It was cool so I decided to modify it. But like a lot of other projets it was never finished:

http://romualdl.oric.org/progs/oric_eddylode.html


A+
Romu

Fabrice wrote...

Hello Kamel, as you can see, I'm trying to advertise your Lode Runner project, maybe a joint action would give better results than for project X (Worms) ?

Haha, worms... oh dear, what interesting memories that brings back. So many good intentions but so little organisation.