My Another Remake: "H.E.R.O." by activation.

spacefractal · **on:** April 30, 2009, 03:43:24 pm

I gonna to create my next game (Headkaze, no the other car game is still on hold, due inexpension with 3d) would been H.E.R.O.

H.E.R.O. is one of my favourite game at all and I actually prefer the Atari 2600 version of this game because it have a nice and clean graphics, even it simply than other versions and the fact I have the original of this game to Atari 2600 before I lost the original. Even today I still sometime play this very cool game. The only remark I have seen is a demo version of a Amiga version, which was pretty cool, but only constain few costume levels.

The goal is put in all 20 original levels as well costume levels with new enemies, but still the original gameplay and is arcade cabinet friendly.

The game is still en very early stages, since I just started on it in this week, I do have recreated 5 levels but still missing the snake and the bat as well hero itself (using 2600 graphics as placeholder graphics with no animation), but you can allready in this stage navigate thought levels. All levels is designed using a png file with a bit on ini with speed of the moth, bonus etc.

But since I'm are no graphics artist, I need help to spice the foregrounds as well sprites at bit, if somebody can help me?

Here is a very very early screens of a test screen... (the lamp is a nice sprite, but the moth is awful, which is a far to big).

NB. The resolution is here designed with 960x600 in mind, but the game can been scaled to both 16:9 as well 4:3 resolutions (includning 640x480). in 4:3 mode the statusbar is just a bit bigger, so the aspect would been retained.

NNB. I post about this game as retro remakes not to long. but not today.

spacefractal · **Reply #1 on:** May 16, 2009, 08:52:31 am

Any want to create levels for HERO? The game progress is begin nicely, even there is still missing to been added (bombs, Tentacle etc).

Here is the newest screenscren from the game (using a test level) using classic Atari 2600 graphics with scanline (which look odd when it got resized, so click on the picture for big version):

The status have been changed due variouis screensize and I want to it look good on all of these.

flash · **Reply #2 on:** May 26, 2009, 02:18:00 pm

Thank you for the Demo SF..

I have played it quite a bit now and love the style and execution.. really impressed mate

spacefractal · **Reply #3 on:** May 26, 2009, 09:06:52 pm

Which vesion did you really got? I got couply bugs fixed (yes it was a demo and still have bugs in it). Example when the light go off the crusher wall diddent show correctly.

Acuelly I have recreated 19 out or 20 levels now without having animal speed adjusted for later levels.

I also adjusted the maxpower, the time you have to complete a level and giving extra life at 25000 points instead of normally 20000 (you get a bit more bonus in this version).

Howover did the control fell correct for you?

flash · **Reply #4 on:** May 26, 2009, 10:05:32 pm

It was HERO7

Yes, the contol feels quite good, perhaps slighly too slow when falling to move upwards? not sure to be honest?

Feels pretty close to the VCS version to me - a good thing

spacefractal · **Reply #5 on:** May 27, 2009, 11:26:51 pm

the new hero sprite is awesome which I just got it today (pt only one frame). He still using helicopter pack and not a jetpack.... That mean I remove the scanline effect now, but might keep the noise effect, propenty on the score. I also removed the blocky thing top and bottom, except water. Also not needed anymore.

Have tried to adjust the speed a little bit.

spacefractal · **Reply #6 on:** June 01, 2009, 09:56:43 am

Just to notice the beta have been relased officiel:

http://www.spacefractal.com/index.php?id=Cave_Heroes

flash · **Reply #7 on:** June 01, 2009, 10:09:09 am

I love it SF,

There are just 3 things that dont feel right.

1) you cannot turn on the spot. So, if you fall down a chasm facing left and an enemy if right of you, it is nearly impossible to turn to shoot without touching the enemy.
2) take off from ground is a little too slow... only a split second, but enough to notice
3) when you reach the miner at the end, is it better to be level with him to end level? At the moment, i can land on his head and finish the level mid air.

Apart from that "SWEET"

(Though i much prefer the original grahics - i must be getting old)

spacefractal · **Reply #8 on:** June 01, 2009, 10:19:57 am

1) Which scene and level was it on? The game should been checking for the shoot<>enemy collision before the hero <-> enemy collision. It might been a bug here or priority went wrong.
2) He was quite heavy. But I can look into this.
3) This is like the original. it do the same there (or which was level did this one happens?).

flash · **Reply #9 on:** June 01, 2009, 10:31:43 am

1) level 13 about 4 screens down on the right hand side.

3) any level. Pehaps when you get to the minor he can just land? I don't remember this on the C64 version... Hmmmm. Perhaps my memory is failing LOL

flash · **Reply #10 on:** June 01, 2009, 10:33:09 am

one other little thing,

I much prefered "down" to lay TNT. Using "Alt" i kepp pressing that instead of fire and killing myself LOL

spacefractal · **Reply #11 on:** June 01, 2009, 10:48:34 am

Remap the bomb key in config.ini to down. There was confuction about it with new players and hence I changed it.

1) should been fixed even you cross posted it.
2) He now take off slightly faster.
3) He now auto fall to ground when reach the miner.

For designing levels, make sure there is a ceil over him (if you looked into that). There is some guideless I have not public documented.

Updated to 0.9d and find it on the homepage.

flash · **Reply #12 on:** June 01, 2009, 10:56:40 am

with 3)

You are right, even on the c64 version, you just hung there in mid air, i had never really noticed that. Perhaps I always walked into the miner.?

Will check out your latest

flash · **Reply #13 on:** June 01, 2009, 11:06:49 am

The tricky bit mentioned in 1)

it is here on level 13.. If you fall facing left. When you tap right, should you not flip to right before moving, this also would make it a little easier to navigae some of the harder "hot walls" later?

ps. Much better now i changed the keys

pps. The highscore, could we not just type if we have a keyboard?

spacefractal · **Reply #14 on:** June 01, 2009, 11:25:49 am

You dosen't die directly when you touch a lava wall and you dosen't need to fit 100% aligent in small lava holes. There is some tolerance around it, because he dosent move in blocks like in the original. In version D, this screen should been farily easier now, if you shoot before turning, and make sure the bat is down.

for the hiscore, I really hate keyboard inserting, because this allways broke the arcade cabinet status, when the rest can been played fine in a cabinet. That why you cant use keyboard. Howover I could of course add a config.ini option to do that in one of the next release...... Should been easy.

spacefractal · **Reply #15 on:** June 01, 2009, 08:11:26 pm

I still havent added the keyboard insert feature, but have focus to fix remaining bugs. This time chrusing walls diddent show correctly. The tolerance when touching enimies sometimes just stop the enemy instead of countinue moving. They should first stop when you die. This should now been easier to get past the tricky place. You can also fly up again and "tap" right to the lava wall and fall agian. You do not die on lava walls if you just tap into that.

Enemies also only repostion in every level start instead of each screen. Be aware about it.

Atari 2600 he actuelly take longer time to take off than C64 version, I guess this one is somewhare between now and works actuelly fine.

Hope I got all fixed in version F?

PS. I was focus to bugfix my game, but I play your demo very very soon and get feedback :-D.

spacefractal · **Reply #16 on:** June 05, 2009, 12:17:21 pm

More bugfixes and released a version G.

Your request about keyboard insert have been added and can still been used the joystick insert (hence no cabinet break).

I are still creating new levels, but have take a little break.

spacefractal · **Reply #17 on:** July 13, 2009, 03:12:17 pm

These of new users might known I created music for Warhawk, but I also sometimes also create my own projects, here a game remake of H.E.R.O

I have updated this to v1.0 and now out of beta (there was no reason to do that anymore on beta), and have included 15 speciel levels (total 35 levels).

Screenshots have been updated to sync with the new release (etc my name only show once example).

flash · **Reply #18 on:** July 16, 2009, 04:38:58 pm

SF gets a write up in RetroGamer!

headkaze · **Reply #19 on:** August 11, 2009, 08:20:51 pm

Congrats SF!

spacefractal · **Reply #20 on:** March 11, 2010, 04:43:43 pm

Yep over 4 month ago I posted here, but this game became my first MAC game (a port of course). Now I have MultiFE and SeesawCircus left. For MultiFE I most get MAME (SDLMame) and Music to get work first.

There was some timing issues, which only caused on the first level computer play. That got fixed.