From b3532358b55af97983418e6edbf76029bc2e7162 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "B. Watson" Date: Thu, 7 Jan 2016 08:12:21 -0500 Subject: update readme, dike out unused sounds --- README.txt | 53 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++------------ 1 file changed, 41 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-) (limited to 'README.txt') diff --git a/README.txt b/README.txt index ed78879..f951ca1 100644 --- a/README.txt +++ b/README.txt @@ -23,10 +23,6 @@ can be found here: http://www.taipangame.com/ What's missing: -- Sound. The Linux/curses port doesn't have any, but I'm planning to - have the Atari mimic the sounds from the Apple II version, plus - maybe a few more (cannon shots and explosions during combat). - - Large integer (or floating point) support. Cash, Bank, and Debt amounts will roll over to 0 if they exceed the max value for a 32-bit unsigned integer (around 4 billion). I'm not sure if this is a real @@ -125,6 +121,12 @@ arcade game). Bugs! At least these: +- The BSS overlaps the start of the title screen. Consequences: There + is a momentary graphics glitch when the main game is done loading and + before it shows the "name your firm" screen. Also, we can't go back + and display the title screen (but that's not something really necessary + anyway). The fix: make the damn code smaller! + - The "negative interest" bug is currently missing, due to using unsigned values for debt. Plus, it's cheating. It'll get added back when I either start using big numbers (floats or 64-bit ints or whatever), @@ -162,11 +164,12 @@ Bugs! At least these: - One of my playtesters reported that, when running away from combat, it said 4 billion ships were attacking (number of ships must have gone - negative). + negative). I was never able to reproduce this. -- After a fight, "Arriving at Manila" or such sometimes appears on the +- After a fight, "Arriving at Manila" or such would sometimes appears on the fight screen without clearing it first (if you ran away, you can still - see ships). + see ships). I *think* this is fixed, but I don't understand what caused + it so I'm leaving it in this list in case I'm wrong. Differences between the Apple II original and Linux port: @@ -193,8 +196,19 @@ and it complicates the code more than I want to deal with. Also #10 will probably not happen (to me, the slow ship-sinking of the Apple version is annoying anyway). -Right now, items 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 are implemented Apple-style; -and 3, 6, 10 are Linux-style. +Right now, items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 are implemented Apple-style; +and 6, 10 are Linux-style. + +Added a few features not in the Apple or Linux versions: + +- I made it possible to disable the sound, since it's kinda repetitive + and annoying, plus the game "freezes" while sounds are playing (no + threading on Atari!) which slows down gameplay. + +- Added a way to change the background color and text brightness. Only + 3 brightness levels available, and only 3 colors: green, amber, and + black (to mimic the 3 most popular types of monitor used with Apple + computers back in the day). I've made a few changes to the UI, compared to the Apple version: @@ -209,7 +223,21 @@ I've made a few changes to the UI, compared to the Apple version: it matches the "You can afford 5" inverse video box on the trading screen. -- "You're ship is overloaded" => "Your ship is overloaded". +- The + that indicates more ships offscreen is inverse video. I find + that I don't notice it's there, if it's normal video. + +- "You're ship is overloaded" => "Your ship is overloaded". Sorry, + grammar nazi. + +- Updating the port status screen, and text printing in general, happens + faster and cleaner-looking, due to using C and asm rather than BASIC, + and also because the static parts of the screen aren't redrawn unless + they need to be. + +- The title screen now has a help menu and some key commands to change the + screen colors and enable/disable sound. The "Press 'ESC' to start" + has been changed to "Press 'ESC' for help", and any non-command key + starts the game. Other things that need doing to the code: @@ -271,7 +299,7 @@ Other things that need doing to the code: 4 digits there, 9999trillion would be the max. Or, abbreviate "billion" as "bil", allowing 4 more digits. "99999999 bil" would be 99 quadrillion. -- Size optimization. Right now, the executable is almost 27K of code. I'd +- Size optimization. Right now, the executable is almost 28K of code. I'd like it to at least fit on a 16K cartridge. A lot of the C code is redundant, and some things can be rewritten in asm if need be. I've already eliminated all uses of printf() and its ilk, which removed 2K @@ -313,7 +341,8 @@ faithful to the original, and the Plus version could have some or all of: - Actual market trends, rather than a base price + random number. There might be news events that cause prices to go up/down (e.g. Arms are up at Saigon because there's a gang war in progress, Opium is up at - some port but the chances of getting busted are higher). + some port but the chances of getting busted are higher). This feature + actually exists in Art Canfil's TRS-80 Taipan "version 10". - Ability to control a fleet of ships. Each one will either be a cargo ship or a warship. -- cgit v1.2.3