Messages

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Virtual Boy audio very closely resembles PC Engine audio]

While most VB games that I've played never did anything as layered or interesting as what you hear on the PCE, I do recommend the Red Alarm soundtrack.  It has long, hummable attempts at GB/VB techno on each stage.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Unreleased Tengen PC Engine games.]

TENGEN of Japan abandoned a lot of their projects suddenly in the early '90s.  GDRI just updated their page on the company, so it's worth having a look: http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Tengen_(Japan)

Perhaps it has something to do with their purchase by Time Warner in 1994 (and they were shut down 3 years later.)

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: how could some PCE games achieve parallax scrolling?]

Yes, the Neo-Geo has a single non-scrolling background, used mainly just for score and text display.  Everything else is Sprites.  It's sprites all the way down.

But apparently, the sprite RAM can be modified mid-screen, allowing for per-scanline scaling & scrolling effects.  (As in Ragnarok, intro to Sengoku 2)

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: How did Japanese developers create their artwork?]

Am I silly for thinking this is the same graphics editor?
(2) Was the graphics editor software ported? Emulated? Is the article mistaken? (Is ICOM actually is using PC-98/X6800)?

You are silly but for unrelated reasons.  ;-D

It probably is the same software, and I think Hudson made MS-DOS versions of their software for Western developers.
NEC also charged an arm and a leg for the devkit and the software was reportedly totally crap to boot.  IIRC, Mike Dailly, who programmed Ballistix and Shadow of the Beast for the PCE/TG, wrote about this.

Here: http://www.javalemmings.com/DMA/DMA3_5.htm
http://www.javalemmings.com/DMA/DMA4_1.htm

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: How did Japanese developers create their artwork?]

Does anyone know what the official development systems plugged into?

I don't know about all companies, but the official dev systems were connected to PC-9801 computers.  Who knows how they handled the colour limitations of computers in the '80s...?  But here's a link and video footage to give some hints:

https://www.chrismcovell.com/secret/PCE_1989Q4.html#pcedev

Do any of the original Hudson graphics tools exist?

Yes!  I think they were found in the ISO of ACD Art of Fighting or somesuch.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Alien Crush secret glitch?]

like sound test 40 on Blazing Lazers, did Naxat use it in both games?

Naxat is only a publisher, and not of Gunhed / Blazing Lazers.

The name of the developer was Compile, which is why there's that familiar sound.  It's in basically all their games (Devil's Crush, Guardian Legend, Puyo Puyo, Aleste...)

[Off-Topic / Re: Japs & Fat Gay Niggers]

Is this some kind of performance art?

Silence faggot.

Hmm... Was it stress?  Mid-term exam study frustration, I would have said, but the 6th grade doesn't have them as such.

[Off-Topic / Re: Japs & Fat Gay Niggers]

Is this some kind of performance art?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: A Huge find! (SuperGrafx protos!)]

Thanks!  But a per-page reminder: this was an April Fool's joke.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: September 1991 - Developers' opinions of Super CD format]

Q: How do you know you are old?
A: When you forget about stuff from only a few years ago

EEEHH??  WHAT'S THAT???  (WHAT DID HE SAY????)

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: September 1991 - Developers' opinions of Super CD format]

I have some Hyper Catalog discs, too, but...I wish I could get the raw data.

I think pcecp.com was built by dumping the data from the "final" (theoretically most up-to-date) Hyper Catalog disc...

That just reminded me, I had extracted the data from the latest Hyper Catalog CD that I had & converted it into an OpenOffice spreadsheet and HTML file (back in 2011, apparently).  However, data such as release date/media format/company were in a different database, so I never merged the two.

Anyway, the games, review, cheats, etc. you can download in this giant file here: https://chrismcovell.com/data/PCE_Catalogue.zip

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: September 1991 - Developers' opinions of Super CD format]

According to pcedaisakusen, japanese retail titles:

CD: 121
SCD: 282

Yes, but things get more interesting when we chart those 121 CD (and, if possible, the SCD) releases by MONTH and see how the transition from CD ----> SCD unfolded.

Also, just for my own curiosity, it would be interesting to have a breakdown by publisher...to see how different companies handled it.

You know, you can do this sort of filtering in the PC-Engine Hyper Catalogue CDs.

(I don't know of any automated way to do it on computer, though.)

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Tony Hawk's Amazing Turbo Duo Promo VHS tape.]

Add the shittiest effects using Video Toaster hooked up to Amiga 500.

<snarky nerd voice>
Heh, the Amiga 500 couldn't hook up to any video expansion board, let alone a Video Toaster. <snort> The Toaster went inside of the Amiga 2000 as a matter of course. <snarfle>
</snarky nerd voice>

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: PCE, SNES and Genesis, screen comparison.]

Like the quality of the earlier stills into fully smoothly animated clips with at least fairly accurate colors and resolutions?

Find animgif software with dynamic palettes and no dithering?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Tony Hawk's Amazing Turbo Duo Promo VHS tape.]

IIRC, Tony Hawk, Wil Wheaton, etc. are on one or two early '90s Video Toaster promotional videos as well.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Japanese Games - What draws you in?]

A little bit less of the adolescent obsession with graphic violence.

...which was fine when I was an adolescent, but beauty, grace, and playfulness are more timeless.

I don't really care for turn-based RPGs, so what's left of classic Japanese games are adventures, action-puzzlers, space shoot-em-ups with no life bars, etc. 

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: HUVideo Why didn't this get used WAY more often?]

Looking around we might be the only damn system left without a copy of bad apple...

Atari 2600 check
Ti calculator check
Vectrex Check
Apple II, check
IMB AT/XT check
Master system check
Nes check
Sansa clip fucking mp3 player check

"Me too! Me too!" impressing absolutely no-one if we did it on PCE.  (Sherlock Holmes did video & audio streaming, in hi-res, in 1991.)

That ship has sailed.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: SUPERZAPPER RECHARGE! Tempest 2000 - Mind's Eye (TG-16 Chiptune Cover)]

I like how you converted the choir hits into a standard instrument in the tune!  This soundtrack was always one of my favourites.

In the section at the very end with the 'pyeew-pyeew' acid instrument, before it loops, you could try phasing 2 nearly-identical channels by having their frequencies offset very slightly.  This might replicate the resonance/filter sweeps heard in the original instrument.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: PC Engine Creator Memories]

IN DEFENSE OF TENNOKOE BANK

(1) I think you are overlooking an important factor: ease of use for all consumers, including average/dumbass/child.

You do have a point; I can see stupid kids saying, "Wakkanaiiii".  However, some PCE games make gamers delete files before continuing, showing a screen with saves and their byte sizes, so even little kids should have gotten used to copying saves and watching their sizes anyway.

FURTHER SIPS OF THE HOOKAH...

(a) "Bank" as a metaphor...
...
...

Or maybe you don't.

Yeah, the current Bank functionality was an incredibly wasted opportunity.  Moving around save files (and even intelligently duplicating them as I did in my BRAM ROM) as a software programmer isn't rocket science.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Hideo Kojima and Oji Hiroi interview]

Yes, this is quite an interesting interview!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Do people already know about the Tennokoe Bank code?]

Thank god you put a comma in there.  :]

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Do people already know about the Tennokoe Bank code?]

I'd known about this easter egg for a while, just never bothered to try it.

Luckily, my Tennokoe Bank had an empty slot 4!



After entering the code, it says there's a present for users from Hudson Soft.  At this screen, no button press does anything; you have to reset/turn off the console.  The above save games are in slot 4 to be copied to the user's BRAM.

So, here's a dump of that BRAM!
https://chrismcovell.com/data/hudson-bram.zip

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: PCE FPGA]

I had no idea about the drama on that thread.  Who the hell was that PCEngineHell douchebag?  A collectard?  A goverrat? 

...but the community has soured him greatly.

I think that referring to that one complete jerk, among all of us, as "community" is totally wrong.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: PCE FPGA]

Everything I've read about the FPGA (Like the Analogue Nt) is that since it is hardware emulation, not software based like Retron 5, it is spot on.

Does anyone know if these FPGA's are not as legit as advertised? I haven't tried one.

I do hate to see that "the community" has pissed off Kevtris, and yes, Joe and Dave did mention him in their show. I know that Game-Tech US also prominently features Kevtris.

FPGAs in theory can have no lag, shearing, frame stuttering, or slowdown, as opposed to software emulators on non-realtime OSes.  However, a poor designer can still make a shitty FPGA core that doesn't work accurately, so FPGAs are not a silver bullet or anything.

I have used a Minimig, an Amiga custom chipset recreation on an FPGA board, for several years, and it is pretty awesome.  Not perfect, but still really good.  I'd have bought a MIST emulation box a while ago myself, if it weren't for all the incomplete and experimental cores on that thing.

I guess it goes to show just how having a perfectionist like Kevtris designing the cores on the NT mini and Zimba 3K can make them far more attractive for being super-accurate.

Anyway, about the PCE, Kentaro in Japan had been working on an FPGA core for the PC-Engine for several years now, though his project is somewhat dormant/slow.  His info page: wayback.geocities.jp/team_zero_three/PC2E/

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Top 3 Cinemas]

I haven't watched a lot of the more cinematic games' cinematics, but:

Star Parodier, NEXZR, Ys III/IV.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: PC Engine Creator Memories]

But I wonder how much of that is true for the Super Grafx though. From what I heard earlier, it was initially supposed to be a real 16-bit machine competing in the 16-bit era, but it ended up being released earlier and as just a slight hardware upgrade for enthusiasts.

The SuperGrafx is an enigma.  Released at the end of 1989 for way too much money and little software support.

Nintendo did showcase their Super Famicom in late 1988, and again in mid-1989, to achieve (theoretically) at least 2 purposes: 1) to trick buyers into thinking the SFC is coming soon, and so save their money they might otherwise spend on PCE or MegaDrive system purchases; 2) to spook other hardware manufacturers into releasing their unfinished hardware projects sooner, and so play their hand first.

To me it looks like NEC swallowed the bait and did #2.  Hudson even didn't have much confidence in the SGX but were forced to put on a big smile when following NEC's whims.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Small intros]

Cool stuff.  Polar coord systems need a workout on the PCE.

[Off-Topic / Re: Game Sack]

It's nice to see Chalvo 55 get some attention.  By the way, I did make maps of the levels:


a bunch of PNGs here: https://www.chrismcovell.com/data/Chalvo55_Maps.zip

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Favorite PCE cover art?]

I was always partial to Gomola Speed


Others, too, I'm sure.  I prefer action, landscape scenery, cool Escheresque imagery, rather than just well-drawn Anime faces.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Shovel Knight for the PCE possible?]

The game unfortunately uses typical euro-esque chiptune stuff with a hint of Capcom percussion, so I got tired of the soundtrack rather fast.

1) Manami Matsumae contributed to the soundtrack, so it is neither 100% Euro nor 0% Capcom.
2) The intro/title tune has Capcom toms a-go-go.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: HuCard (Who Card or Hugh Card) You decide!]

It all makes sense really.

You've got Japanese Stockholm syndrome already without ever having lived here; that's impressive.  ;-)

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: HuCard (Who Card or Hugh Card) You decide!]

My point was that they're words (sequences of syllables or letters), and so mathematical rules cannot possibly apply in a logical way.  Yet the Japanese try.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: HuCard (Who Card or Hugh Card) You decide!]

replacing letters in the middle of words with numbers and the public apparently loves it.

Popularity will not suddenly make me consider something 'not stupid.'

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: HuCard (Who Card or Hugh Card) You decide!]

Another fun fact: CD-ROM² is pronounced "CD ROM ROM"

Yes, that's an example of stupid Japanese "word math".

eg:

W = "double" (that's why "DOUBLE RING" and "Double Dungeons" have Ws on their title screens.)
word² is supposed to be read as wordword

:/

Although going by the above logic, CD ROM ROM should really be CD WROM.  Since ROM² would really be R*R+R*O+R*M+R*O+O*O+O*M+R*M+O*M+M*M.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Shovel Knight for the PCE possible?]

The colour depth is below the PCE's abilities; more NES than PCE.  Audio, mostly no problem.  The layers of parallax scrolling would be a real challenge to do well; if one were to do it just on the stock PCE by using sprites as BG elements, there would be a bit of sprite flicker in-game.

What would it take?  It would take a team roughly as talented and dedicated and roughly the size of Yacht Club games.

[General Gaming / Re: Konami Reveals the Cute and Sexy Bombergirl for Japanese Arcades]

Now?

What took so long?

Well, really in 2012.  But I wanted to use that phrase.  :]

[General Gaming / Re: Konami Reveals the Cute and Sexy Bombergirl for Japanese Arcades]

Konami are dead to me now.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Simon Belmont OBEYS! (Super Castlevania IV Chiptune Cover)]

People will either be like "I've never heard of that game" or "No... you can't be trying that on the PC-Engine"

Can't eat.  Can't sleep.  Cca.... can't... stop... this......... FEVER!  ;)

Oh, great!  You're doing Atari's GOTCHA!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Cadash ports]

Yeah, Taito's own arcade ports like Cadash, New Zealand Story, Volfied... had really, really weak sound drivers.  NES PSG+, basically.  That's the first thing I noticed with all these games, and many of you here too, probably.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Simon Belmont OBEYS! (Super Castlevania IV Chiptune Cover)]

What's funny is, I copied the waveforms straight from the SNES channel rips, but I didn't like how noisy and grindy they sounded coming out of the PC-Engine, so i softened them and mellowed them out a little bit.

I'm not a sound or SNES HW expert, but one thing that can't carry over are the overtones/shaping that come from the SNES DSP.  If you copy the overtones as part of the PCE sample waveform, the overtones themselves scale with the note on the PCE, and that's something that doesn't happen on the SNES.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Simon Belmont OBEYS! (Super Castlevania IV Chiptune Cover)]

The middle of the song is good to great, but the intro needs a fuller/noisier organ sound -- and in the bridge/"break", too.

Also, maybe you have the volume levels too low on instruments that fade in?  In the original, where there are some that fade in, I could hear them faintly, while in this cover, they're still silent & fade in like a second later than they should.

[General Gaming / Re: RetroBlox : Another new Play-Everything "Retro" Console]

But when they've had this "big reveal" to let people know about the project, and then folks turn around and ask sensible questions as a follow up, about things that the team *should* already have decided by now, and the official answer is just "More will be revealed during our kickstarter next month." ... well ... that doesn't sound good.

Yes, I think giving details early is like a "Rolling Start" in Daytona USA... best to start the Kickstarter with awareness of the product, rather than spin your tires when the KS begins.

[General Gaming / Re: RetroBlox : Another new Play-Everything "Retro" Console]

I share SignOfZeta's frustration.  When emus / game boxes display on modern TVs, they seldom do the no-brainer: integer scaling.  The only good, customizable examples of such I have seen recently have been (by sheer coincidence, I'm sure) FPGA-based complete systems (or NES PPU addons/replacements).

But I'm a CRT holdout who never got rid of all his '80s/'90s game systems, so I'm not a desirable customer, anyway...

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Double Dragon 2 (PC Engine) Vs. Double Dragon 2 (Nes)]

... ooookayyy, so what's with the rambling and the mention of Sunsoft?  Double Dragon II NES is a Technos game, and the PCE-CD version was developed by KID, and published by NAXAT.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Seeking coders / artists / musicians for a PCE megademo!]

Can't believe you guys neve saw this stuff before.

I remember all of it; it's fantastic.  Ahh, alas, time and talent is wanting in most of us.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Seeking coders / artists / musicians for a PCE megademo!]

Earth calling Bonknuts ... Earth calling Bonknuts ... Earth calling ccovell ... Earth calling ccovell ... 

I've been asked by the DESiRE guys too, but I think this year I'll be too busy to make involved code for a(nother) project.

[General Gaming / Re: Masaya Nakamura dies]

Super Play, not enough saliva.

The founder of game company Namco, now *spit* Bandai *ptew* Namco, passed away.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: First 3 games you played]

Booby Boys is the real version, Doraemon is the bastardization.

Kid no Hore Hore Daisakusen is the original that Cratermaze was based on.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs]

Is that really in the super gameboy?  I don't recall that much about the movie theatre frame other than that it was there.

Select any frame, and tap L,L,L,L,R.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs]

do you think they're playing pokemon on those gameboys?

Impossible, since this is from 1994's Super Game Boy, and Pokemon came out in 1996.