Wednesday, November 9, 2011 5:48:00 AM
paku
After eight months in development and testing, version 1.6 of Paku Paku has been released. I've also revamped my programming website to host it officially -- so from now on if you're looking for information about Paku Paku, the new site is:
http://www.deathshadow.com/With the page about Paku Paku being here:
http://www.deathshadow.com/pakuPakuYou can also play the game live on that site if you have Java installed, using the java port of DOSBox.
http://www.deathshadow.com/pakuPakuLiveThe new version adds a slew of bugfixes, new hardware support, and a much more compact and speedy executable.
ENJOY!
Monday, March 21, 2011 8:40:56 PM
paku
Download Link:
http://www.cutcodedown.com/retroGames/paku_1_5.rarI have to apologize for the 1.4 release -- the system I was using for versioning completely screwed up the distribution copy, with code regressions all the way back to 0.89 in some places. This is why the private 1.5 beta was a whole different beast from the automated build on the server. These regressions are why it was broken on PC Jr, broken on Tandy TL but not earlier models, and it was slower despite changes that were supposed to make it faster.
I've since scrapped the automated build and cleaned up that entire mess by hand, so 1.5 is contains the PROPER changes 1.4 was supposed to have.
Also thanks to a discussion on
oldskool ramblings there have been some changes to the codebase which increases the blitting routine speed by anywhere from 25 to 36 percent, which should be enough to clear up any remaining slowdowns on 4.77mhz systems. We've been discussing on there getting right down into the prefetch and memory bus effects on opcode execution times -- which is to say really complex stuff most coders never even think about anymore; and many coders never even really thought about back then!
Included in the .rar file is also a "PAKUT1JR.EXE" file which removes the code for non-Tandy non-PcJr systems and tries to use the 160x200 graphics mode line-doubled. The normal paku.exe is the preferred method of running the game, but if on certain tandy models or the PcJr you get video corruption you can try that version instead.
Overall this is a much cleaner/better release... basically what I WANTED 1.4 to be.
Saturday, March 5, 2011 9:29:26 PM
paku
Here's the link to the latest, and possibly last version:
http://www.cutcodedown.com/retroGames/paku_1_4.rarI put the readme.htm up in that directory.
http://www.cutcodedown.com/retroGames/README.HTMThis version mostly has fixes for slower systems and certain problematic joystick interfaces (like the one on the Jr). Users on DosBox will likely notice no real changes -- those of you using old PC's like the Tandy 1000, PcJr or original 4.77mhz 8088 PC's will find smoother gameplay and better joystick response.
This is probably the final relase of the game -- not much I can think of to add to it, and unless I can figure out why some CGA cards meant to drive LCD's choke on it, it's done.
I have started coding some of the game logic for one of my next two games; this one has the working title "Offense Command" and is going to take bits and pieces from various "invaders" type games ranging from "Defense Command" on the TRS-80 to later games like Silpheed... and of course the PC game based on Defense Command -- Moonbugs.
Here's a small preview, some of the sprites I've drawn for the game. Not sure if all of them are going into it, I'm mostly just playing around at this point.
Monday, February 14, 2011 11:10:11 AM
paku
1.3 Is now released to the public.
http://www.cutcodedown.com/retroGames/paku_1_3.rar
To sum up the changes:
1. Added Joystick Support
2. Tracking of five most recent high scores
3. Saving of high scores to disk
4. New font renderer uses less memory and sped up menu.
5. Fixed bug with MCGA detecting as VGA
6. Fixed audio 'buzz' on PS/2 speakers
7. Fixed PC Jr. blink/intensity not being set right (maybe)
8. Memory footprint down to 67k
System Requirements
4.77mhz or faster 8088
128k of RAM (67,584 bytes free in DOS)
CGA,Tandy/PcJr, EGA or VGA video
System Recommendations
Tandy/PcJr, C/MS Game Blaster
or Adlib sound
Enjoy.
I had thought I had the slowdowns with joystick enabled dealt with on 4.77mhz machines, but there can still be occasional lag at certain points in the game. It's not a gameplay breaker, but it's not as smooth as a 7.15mhz (like the Tandy 1000EX I use for testing) or faster machine will deliver. Leaving joystick disabled it runs just fine on the slower clock speed.
... and again for modern systems (even linux) it runs great under DosBox.
Some screenshots:
Joystick Calibration
Click for larger View (800x500)
New Main Menu
Click for larger View (800x500)
Gameplay
Click for larger View (800x500)
Thursday, February 10, 2011 6:52:41 AM
paku
Yup, a new version with MAJOR code changes only two days after my initial release.
Grab it here:
http://www.cutcodedown.com/retroGames/paku_1_2.rarI threw away most of the existing sprite handling and implemented a dual off-screen buffer system. This sped up the game a good deal and by compositing background and sprite off-screen, there's no flicker as the retrace blows by when the sprite is erased. Double-buffering is how the pro's do it, I just didn't think the old 4.77mhz 8088's were up to the job when the CGA has no extra on-board RAM for pulling it off.
I've removed the speed test, slow machine warning and changed all the memory size limits. The two buffers total 16k, bringing the total memory footprint up to 128k... though I can now firmly state that for version 1.2, the recommended system spec is:
4.77mhz or faster 8088
CGA or better color video card.
128K of RAM with 70k free under DOS
Which was actually my original goal!
My Opera
