I think that the preview of the project is really promising, Dvik! I'd say: GO FOR IT! 

 

Yay!

I think same... in 8x8 scrolling shooter screen is scrolling anyway, even if you don´t move and your movement doesn´t affect scrolling at all... 

in 8x8 scrolling platform  your movement controls scrolling... Adventure Island/Wonderboy is one good example of horrible result using 8x8 scrolling... I have never completed second stage just because it is impossible to jump over certain water area..... probably someone can do it.. but i can´t .... it´s good game, but i can´t stand it because it is so hard to time your jumps as screen scrolls in 8x8 blocks...

I mean... in Nemesis and other 8x8 scrolling shooters scenery is scrolling SLOWLY... blocky scrolling doesn´t spoil gameplay as you have enough time to see what is coming to you.... 

But in 8x8 scrolling FAST platform games, you really don´t have time to see everything as screen scrolls so fast and it is much harder to calculate exact position of you hero for correct jumps as it would be in 1x1 scrolling platforms...


SuperBoy with it´s 8x8 scrolling is playable thought... but there surely are many places where jumping is much much much MUCH harder than it should be just because of 8x8 scrolling....

I guess you got my point..

For me, TAKAHASHI NO BOUKEJIMA is one of the best MSX games. It's amazing to consider that such a long game can be packed in a 32 KB ROM with no advanced compression (Huffman, etc). Block scroll is not a problem if you keep moving, as you should, because the scroll is fast enough to give a smooth finish. I must agree that this changes when you have to move step by step.

Just in case, Masaxi, the keyboard controls are Z and X. Keep one pressed and jump with the other one: you'll get further!

Of couse, for more platform based games, smooth scroll can help. But, once again, design is everything in MSX development.

I'll go even further: in game development, design is everything (Dupont et Dupont may say it)

First of all I must say that I'm really impressed with the actual status, now this is far from a tech demo!, it's starting to look like a real prototype of game, very promising at all!. Nice work Dvik!

Now, my opinions about some questions I've seen exposed in the thread:

- Sprite/character shots: I slighty prefer the character option, it's colourful, fast and has no number constraints. The drawback is how to manage weapons like fire, they could look strange due the 8x8 movement.

- IMHO the use of a smooth scroll (ss) or a blocky scroll (bs) leads obviously to a very different graphic approaches, without the ss constraints (resources and complexity) we can focus on the design of GFX full of SC2 color and diversity, also the sprites can even be replaced by character created sprites. The result will be more MSX in the way we're used to; but, as the GnG demo has born as a tech project to show how far the MSX1 can reach, I say go for the 1x1 scroll!.

Thanks! I never tried to press BOTH z and x...    I quickly tried game to see longer jump in action and it worked!! Thanks! Must try game some day again when I know this "secret" !    Ok... so 8x8 scrolling was not causing unplayability to Takahashi... it was just that i didn´t know "the secret" !

Games you mentioned imanok... Thexder is only game I have played... 8x8 scrolling didn´t bother me in that game.