Programming - Game Making: Mad Killer shares his experience creating games for the ZX Spectrum.

<b>Programming</b> - Game Making: Mad Killer shares his experience creating games for the ZX Spectrum.

         Game Making

(C) Mad Killer


  Guten tak, dear readers! In this
section, you will not find ready-made procedures and
programs. So, fans of a freebie (ie
took pulled, put in - it works), this
entry does not bring to you a proper result, but the benefit of 
that material, because ready procedures abound in other

Sp-editions.

  I've always wanted to read this section, where a simple 
affordable level (and not like a pro - loaded a bunch of info 
and all) was all talked about what and how. C

problem of writing the game is facing, perhaps every second 
spektrumist, whether BASIC or if the forces allow the assembler.

In BASIC problems are much smaller than in
ACME (Oh, and the rate of 70 times smaller -
ca. Cooper'a). Therefore, we will
spend more time writing papers
it is in assembler. Here we describe
My experience in this matter. As a positive,
and negative. In fact, any experience
clearly needed, although we must try,
to be less negative. Then the problems abated, and make room for
Progressive raboty.Daby solve some
questions related to this problemma and forced me to write this 
opus on the subject.


  To start let's see what genre of game you are going to write 
about. Sorted out? Ca. Now we can take a piece of (net;)

paper and estimate design toys. I do
as always, and in the process of appearance
often varies
of your ideas, desires and opportunities. Leaf, usually taken 
in the cell is drawn frame size such as a cell - one

familiarity. Next, draw a primitive sketch. If you have at hand 
an artist or you "The director himself;), then it discusses the 
possibility of technical realization drawn. If the result is 
positive, is pleased with everything;)


  Then - most importantly, in my opinion,
what is sometimes forgotten, and then often
strains of developers - it's memory allocation. Again, I do not 
znav such First, faced with a shortage of

memory for my treatments. What to do now. I take back the 
handle, a piece of paper, preferably a small notebook and write 
what I want see in his progrmme.Vse major procedures, music, 
graphics, the main program code. Where will the object code 
length Music ... In general, all burn. Watch

that remains. If the memory is used up
and that is not included, look, what can be sacrificed, and 
without which it can not do. Believe me, having done that, 
you're first, you will not puzzle that much, and secondly, how

was with me in a month does not forget that
to be shipped and how it is interconnected. And a trick: If 
possible, always leave a buffer in memory length of 6912 bytes. 
Why so? Or maybe you want to throw a stupor at the end of the 
picture, and will not be going? Or for many procedures need a 
buffer and you just have not noticed this, but here will be a 
great joy, length missing. And the most extreme case can go 
shove some kind of trick it - you're the champion;)


  Slightly digressing from the topic and to speculate,
rather, I will tell you, dear friends, the people
Gentlemen (who you like more). Do not threaten the enormous 
Projects with a bunch of levels and all-different bells and 
whistles. Make a better game with a finished level and simpler, 
but with the possibility of further continue playing the game. 
How do I know Projects frozen and irrevocably lost because of 
this. So, think about it. I it seems that people would like to 
see finished a little game, rather than abrupt, but

view a demo version.

  Come on, comrades;) for more or less
intelligible understanding figure out how to be
named files to your game, but what happens nemeryannom files 
and where they do, horseradish remember. (Note Cooper'a: mda 
... voobscheto, in my opinion, have a bunch of files - this is 
bad form to write games. You can work directly from the tracks 
and sectors, bypassing the file system. Is it possible to 
extract files directly from hrip or rar archives. Complex there 
are, in principle, nothing no.) I would advise to do so:


name.asm1 (source asma version 1)
name.sprb1 (sprite battle 1)
name.scrov (Screen Game Over)

And so on. So rather convenient to navigate in the sea-related 
files to its development.


  Thank God, it's already gone. We will try to further 
understand the outswing this event! ;))) 

  Well, another important question. Be sure to make multiple 
copies of all what to do! And preferably on a daily basis (or 
rather, constantly, after each step). I It was very, very bad, 
when disk my six-month effort flew out of the Gluck TR-DOS. I 
nearly croaked from anger and would have been handy 
sledgehammer, I for myself do not answer! ;)))


  Also, I always try, if possible, store the data as follows: 
one disc graphics + music (one reserve), another drive - lyrics

asma (also copy) + scratch disk (the whole improvisation + 
music + graphics and try to whenever possible, to make it all 
work. 

  Well for starters, I think, will suffice. I dare to hope that 
this topic will be permanent on the pages of our magazine and 
we can still a lot to learn and draw interesting

and new for all of us as starh warriors
and recruits.


  Sincerely, your humble servant and "stupid" journalist, 
genius;))) of all time Mad Killer, in cahoots with the very 
best people from the RSM in the same gang of Patriots. 

 Until next time, friends!

P. S. I hope that you have something to tell us!