Choplifter V1.1.1

(Simon) #1

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Choplifter

Another favourite from my childhood - Choplifter.

The source code can be found here > https://github.com/filmote/Choplifter
The compiled HEX and Arduboy files can be found here > https://github.com/filmote/Choplifter/tree/master/distributable

This one is going to test your dexterity with the Arduboy’s buttons. For example, to shoot the tanks you must hover above them but in range of them shooting you! You cannot simply fly at the maximum altitude and bomb away.

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Buttons

D-Pad - moves the helicopter
A-Button - Shoot
B-Button - Rotate

If you come in and land too hard, you will crash!

[WIP] Choplifter Remake
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(Simon) #2

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?

(fred ) #3

I downloaded. Have you made updates recently? Only the first camp let me rescue people and I could not blow up the tank. Can not wait for it to be done.

(Simon) #4

I have updated since you downloaded it four days ago. You can bomb the tanks and the dormitories to release more people. However, you must swoop down on the tanks to shoot them - you cannot simply hover at maximum height and bomb them! Just like the original …

It has more tanks than the original but is missing the jets. I think the screen is just too small to allow me to squeeze that detail in.

(Simon) #5

I have updated this to V1.0 … just because I think the V0.9 is scaring people away!

(Stephane C) #6

I don’t know if it’s intended this way but, the Choplifter i played when i was a kid was easier to control. I don’t remember having to hold up all the time. It makes the game way too hard to play for me. or at least could you make it so that we’re not going down that fast when not holding up.

It’s too bad because everything else is so nicely done, the animation, pseudo 3d scrolling of the fences.

Good job all around but the controls are killing it for me.

(Simon) #7

Thanks for the feedback … I modelled it from this version > https://archive.org/details/Choplifter1982Broderbund

In the Apple ][ version, when you let go of the up button you began to fall. In my version, the helicopter accelerates as it falls - maybe I can look removing the acceleration so that the controls are easier. I am concerned that it will be too easy though.

I actually find it much easier to play on ProjectABE, simply because the buttons (keys) are easier to press simultaneously.

(Scott R) #8

I’m finding that I have to fall with style to hit the tanks. If the fall speed was reduced it may be possible to hover mid screen by tapping up at the right pace.

Edit:
Could possibly end up with flappy bird style flight

(Simon) #9

Right … so the consensus is so far that the ‘falling’ acceleration is too much. You all want to defy gravity??

I was falling 1px, then 2 px then 4 pxs at a time. I might need to incorporate @pharap’s floating fixed point numbers into the game to get a more balanced acceleration.

(Scott) #10

I think you mean fixed point. You can look at my version of FlappyBall as an example of how to use fixed point numbers to simulate acceleration due to gravity.

(Pharap) #11

Come to think of it, there’s a 16-bit floating point standard but it hardly ever gets used. *adds to todo list*

(Simon) #12

Ahhh I meant fixed point.

I have used @Pharap’s library in my 1943 game. It is a really well thought out and mature library.

(Simon) #13

@Vampirics and @Keyboard_Camper … can I ask for more feedback.

When I play it, I use my left thumb to press the up and left / up and right buttons together and as I am coming into land I release the left / right buttons to stop moving so I can land properly. Have you tried this and did this make the flying easier?

If I make the flying too simple, the game itself might be too simple (especially as I don’t have the jets to crash into you). I am a little concerned about simplifications.

(Simon) #14

@Vampirics and @Keyboard_Camper … here we go.

32%20pm

I have added an easy and hard option to the game. Easy means you do not accelerate towards the ground, the tanks fire a little less and its easier to kill them. Hard is pretty much as it was.

You will have to grab the code from GitHub at the moment as I haven’t packaged it up.

I would appreciate your feedback on the latest version. Cheers!

(Scott R) #15

I’m finding hostages are heading too far left if you destroy all the tanks and buildings your left flying out to nowhere for ages to find them.
I’m up to 63 hostages so far and posting on my phone whilst flying left.

(Simon) #16

LOL … really, I wonder why they err to the left? Its supposed to be random. I’ll have a look.

Are you playing the easy or hard level??

(Scott R) #17

On easy. I’m now having a run on hard I’ve also noticed they like to hang around the tanks and get themselves killed … these people are beyond saving :joy:

38 hostages on hard and then I’m flying around in an empty game with none to be found.

(Scott) #18

Designing a game to rely on a single finger pressing two buttons simultaneously is not a good practice. Some people might have difficulty doing this. And, although it’s relatively easy on a real Arduboy, it may prove to be next to impossible on some home made systems or even the Arduboy DevKit.

(Simon) #19

Seriously? The Arduboy lacks a joystick so unless you are planning to write games that have no diagonal movements then you need to press two buttons at once. In fact, controlling the helicopter is the challenge on the ‘hard’ level.

As for the home grown Arduboys or the dev kit, I cannot concern myself with those. If they cannot play my game then they have a number of others to chose from. Maybe a home grown Arduboy might have a joystick on it in which case they will love the game.

(Scott) #20

Then, as a courtesy, you may at least wish to document that this technique is expected to be used, and may be difficult to achieve on non-official hardware, to save some people from wasting their time uploading it.