TDG Development Diary

headkaze · **on:** August 18, 2009, 01:11:44 am

This is a remake of the 1986 game called The Detective Game written by Sam Monthorpe on the C64 for the Nintendo DS.

For those that don't know what this game is you can read a review here or here

flash · **Reply #1 on:** August 18, 2009, 01:25:10 pm

I thought a little post of the original game in video format may be of use.

flash · **Reply #2 on:** August 20, 2009, 05:20:27 pm

I would just like to say thanks to HK for attempting to teach me C..

He will have to have the patience of a saint... LOL

Been spending a lot of time reading through the existing TDG source and trying to follow all that is going on even at such an early stage. My big problem (being from an ASM background) is classes and structs (much the same except 'public' is implied in a struct - see, I am learning) as these are 'very' alien to anything you would really want to attempt in asm. But.. by god! I will crack this tastless nut.....

headkaze · **Reply #3 on:** August 22, 2009, 10:49:23 am

No problem Flash and we will get there. I do intend on commenting everything soon so that should at least make things easier to follow.

Okay now I have converted TDG's main tune from sid to wav for Space Fractal to check out when he gets some spare time. I just love this tune so I hope it can be used as an influence in a more modern take on it

XM format would probably be the best one to choose but since TDG will be using MaxMod it supports MOD, S3M, XM, and IT.

Game is coming along nicely I have a level scrolling and Inspector Snide movement working along with sprite priority. All the levels are in place too so all I have to do is connect them using a collision map. I wrote a program called ColMapEdit which will be used for that (and it should be useful for MMLL too).

spacefractal · **Reply #4 on:** August 22, 2009, 05:13:13 pm

I look on this soon, howover I do have sid player allready and also use sid2wav to get the note. by now I concrete on the miner, but of course I look into this sson.

I prefer XM and using SkaleTracker (due it close oldschool FastTracer II style).

How much memory do I have (filesize)?

headkaze · **Reply #5 on:** August 22, 2009, 05:34:57 pm

The XM will probably take up the most amount of RAM so I would say about 1 to 3 MB? Would you need more than that?

spacefractal · **Reply #6 on:** August 22, 2009, 06:26:00 pm

If I used one shared XM with shared instruments, it should not been problem at all. I not even think it use near 1MB, it depend instruments used and prefer it to XI instrument. All you need to start it on diffecent pattern and I do loop it corrrecly.

I Prefer XM files, created in Skale Tracker and want to use XM in both miner as well TDC. I do just found a XM Player which hope can been used which seen not use the lib (except the source code example). I did pm Flash the link.

.... no more edits in this posts.

Lobo · **Reply #7 on:** August 23, 2009, 06:01:32 am

Warning! Bloody huge!
(also, a lil mistake-instead of b/w trench coat/fedora it's brownish-too many detective novels ahoy)

flash · **Reply #8 on:** August 23, 2009, 07:34:55 am

I for one am absolutley speechless mate!!!!!

BaDToaD · **Reply #9 on:** August 23, 2009, 07:56:00 am

Very Impressive Lobo.

spacefractal · **Reply #10 on:** August 23, 2009, 10:17:08 am

There is a start of the mp3 version of the maintune which I just started on (so you can hear the style) in mp3 version exported from FL-Studio (yes it of course "ported" to XM of course):
http://www.spacefractal.com/Temp/The_Detactive_Game_-_Just_Started.mp3

PS. Chords seen been wrong in above tune, which have been corrected and just reuploaded after this edit.

Nice Picture Lobo :-D

headkaze · **Reply #11 on:** August 23, 2009, 12:19:00 pm

Wow! Really impressed Lobo! I am an old fan of the oldschool detective novels too. Anyone remember The Singing Detective? Great show.

Also loving the tune so far SF it's sounding great! I can hear some of the original tune in there too so thats really cool.

Thanks for the great work guys

Have been working on TDG today and got some basic room to room movement working. Just have to finish off the colmap's and will soon be able to traverse the whole castle.

spacefractal · **Reply #12 on:** August 23, 2009, 08:07:52 pm

I was to birthday today so I have not worked on tune whole day. But here is the second early version of it, howover instruments is not final (im still not 100% happy with the leader) and might sound diffecent when I port it to XM which is that I do now (even I still missing the last link to the end of the song):

http://www.spacefractal.com/Temp/The_Detactive_Game_-_Just_Started_v2.mp3 <- This is not final at all, but the song is a bit longer than the original due the slow tempo.

flash · **Reply #13 on:** August 23, 2009, 08:23:14 pm

HAPPY BIRTHDAY mate!!

Lobo · **Reply #14 on:** August 24, 2009, 12:03:37 am

I think he meant he was on somebodies birthday (maybe)

.
Just came to me about the interface though, in game I mean. The touch screen can definitely help here with action icons. Remember how in original you wanna talk to someone, by the time you navigate and press the talk icon and then press the character and select question...the character is either killed already or 5 screens away

.

Now, just having them (icons) lined down and tap press the icon, press the name-boom 2 seconds top.
Plus above the icons you have enough space for their scrolling text (answers) and such-perfect (oh and top screen left in full for the action).

I can make a mock-up basically as in how it could work and post it later.

spacefractal · **Reply #15 on:** August 24, 2009, 01:30:51 am

hehe Flash read what I wrote. I was just to somebody birthday and have not time to write the song to DTC :-D. I allready have my own some time ago.

flash · **Reply #16 on:** August 24, 2009, 09:54:02 am

Quote

I was to birthday today

Well, it could mean lots of things... LOL 'it was my birthday", or "I was at a birthday today"

Well, the main thing is it was somebody's birthday...

Sokurah · **Reply #17 on:** August 24, 2009, 02:47:26 pm

Quote from: Flash on August 24, 2009, 09:54:02 am

Well, the main thing is it was somebody's birthday...

Yeah, congratulations to whoever it was.

spacefractal · **Reply #18 on:** August 24, 2009, 03:48:01 pm

its someone in my family, hehe

The XM version of title tune is excepted to been max 500kb for mix of 16bit and 8 bit 22khz instruments.

Lobo · **Reply #19 on:** August 24, 2009, 07:26:13 pm

Happy Birthday everyone! Just in case!

Obvious sketch of very obvious placement unless someone got better ideas ~

orange strip - conversation about 16px height should be enough?
description of room/object below two/three lines?
Once you pick the icon, the green field (16px h) writes the actual object being examined (bed/pillow/closet,etc.). And no, it's not supposed to be green, just b/w as in original.
Also, somewhere below can be an icon to quit and just maybe save your progress?

flash · **Reply #20 on:** August 24, 2009, 08:15:46 pm

Looks like a great layout Lobo...

I was thinking today (while playing HK's latest commit) what to do with the blank area on the top screen? I wondered if a wrist watch spread horizonatal in the blank part would not only look good but also give you a easy visual. The watch could be an analogue one (perhaps even with a second hand)

What do you think HK?

headkaze · **Reply #21 on:** August 25, 2009, 11:06:31 am

Sorry about not replying sooner, the website was down yesterday and didn't get a chance to reply until now. First of all I am really liking the title tune at the moment but it may need a bit of work to remove the clicking sound when it's playing on the DS. But it had a great feel and adds a nice creepy atmosphere. Also I will need to record the organ sound when you walk into a room when there has been a murder. It would be great if this could be recreated as a small xm.

I hope Lobo doesn't mind but I've sent him all the graphics of TDG via e-mail. Hopefully I explained things okay. I really like your interface design there Lobo. I was thinking of keeping it closer to the original but I think for touch screen support your design is more practical.

I really like the idea of the analog watch at the top of the screen Flash. The game starts at 9:10 and you are shot at 12:00 if you don't solve the murder. So I think a wristwatch would look great. I did mention to Lobo that he could extend the levels up more if he wanted to but I do like the watch idea.

spacefractal · **Reply #22 on:** August 25, 2009, 11:27:01 am

can I do more tunes in the same mod and play on diffecent position, so the game only have one XM but with more tunes included (this save memory too)? The organ is allready own sample, so I could reuse that and then save memory. I wait for a demo, so I can hear which sample that cause the click, which I guess is one of the instrument loop (I have 5 samples that is looped), which might loop incorrectly and then clicks.

headkaze · **Reply #23 on:** August 25, 2009, 12:04:27 pm

It sounds like the bass is clicking. Sent you over a demo. Actually it would be better to have the "murder organ" in a separate mod as it's easier to handle it that way. I still have heaps of memory free so there's no problem there.

spacefractal · **Reply #24 on:** August 25, 2009, 12:08:25 pm

then I do that. Its sample 2 (Beneath) that do the clicking sound, not the bass sound.

Lobo · **Reply #25 on:** August 25, 2009, 03:47:28 pm

Quote from: headkaze on August 25, 2009, 11:06:31 am

.. I've sent him all the graphics of TDG via e-mail.

Just checked, nothing in my mailbox from you (unless you're nicole21xxxboobjob?).

Hmm..the top screen part, about the watch, there is a huge chunk of space left there darnit. You know, at one point in the original game I was really hoping for some kinda interactive map but dunno if you guys are for that idea. I guess the watch can do. Have to check to see just how cause it's a huge space dammit, can fit a russian submarine in there, need coffee first.

headkaze · **Reply #26 on:** August 25, 2009, 05:44:50 pm

My internet connection went down in the middle of sending it so perhaps it didn't make it? I've just sent it again. It's 2MB in size so let me know if your inbox can't handle it.

Lobo · **Reply #27 on:** August 25, 2009, 05:58:06 pm

Just received it! No limits though that I know of so it's fine.
Also, no worries about the game itself, played it many sweet times and died as many, think I solved it eventually (butler?)

I'll look through the pack and work bits by bits, if something goes awfully wrong I'll let you know.

EDIT: Oh, here we go, a question! Just to clarify..all the gfx will use the same palette. Ok, so I can build my own palette and then share this one with all the characters and all the tiles (rooms) as well? Or can the rooms have a separate palette (not a big deal if they can't)? With that in mind, interface and menu screen palette, again the same as else or separate?
That oughta be all (for now).

headkaze · **Reply #28 on:** August 25, 2009, 06:27:46 pm

The rooms can have a separate palette to the sprites and the menu screen can also have a separate palette.

Actually each room can have it's own palette too but if you end up putting a watch on the top screen it will need to have colors reserved in each room's palette for it.

I don't actually know who the murder is yet! lol Me and my cousin who played it alot never actually solved it! I will find out soon though. I'm actually thinking of adding an extra mystery to solve so there is a new game to play for those that have played through the original

Lobo · **Reply #29 on:** August 25, 2009, 06:46:24 pm

Excellent! I'll just use one palette for the menu/interface, one for characters and third for all the rooms probably (should be enough to have one to fit them all).