EagleSoft Ltd's New
Gamedev PC!
(Part 1)
EagleSoft Ltd's New GameDev PC! (Part 1)
Knuckles' Clackers: Sonic Hacking Contest 2023 demo release (v0.2c)!
Knuckles' Clackers:
Sonic Hacking Contest 2023 demo release (v0.2c)!
A new build of Knuckles' Clackers has been released (v0.2c demo) and was submitted to this year's Sonic Hacking Contest 2023 and Bitbridge Halloween Showcase 2023! Knuckles' Clackers is an award-winning, major Knuckles' Chaotix ROM hack for the almighty Sega Genesis 32x.
The game mod features new zones, new music, new artwork, code edits,
engine bugfixes, and restored Knuckles' Chaotix/Sonic Crackers beta
content.
Build v0.2c demo is an accumulative update from the v0.11b Demo.
It features new music, more polish, new artwork, a few new custom objects, and other code edits. Most importantly it features a new Techno Tower Zone Classic Act 4 level, which is a 3-boss rush level based on the first half of Egg Gauntlet Zone (Sonic 2 2013)
The new build was submitted to this year's Sonic Hacking Contest 2023 and won a few trophies! The community, judges, and media panel enjoyed the game while playing and streaming the new build. Thank you everybody for judging and voting the game; winning a few trophies this year was both an honor and a surprise!
Trophies:
- Hexadecimal Trophy (Community, Honorable Mention)
- Hexadecimal Trophy (Judged)
- Spinball Trophy (Judged)
- Spinball Trophy (Community)
The build was also featured at the annual Bitbridge Halloween Showcase 2023 in Pittsburgh, on real Sega 32x hardware and on my EverDrive MD v3 flash cartridge. The public had fun having Halloween candy, dressing up in costumes, and testing out the local Indie gamedev scene's video games.
Mega Cat Studios was there and showcased their new Indie game, Wrestle Quest, on Steam Deck. It was nice running into and catching up with my former boss and manager at their booth. Mega Cat Studios is an awesome retro game studio, making new games for retro video game consoles (Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, and others) and new Indie games for modern platforms. I highly recommend checking them out, following them on social media, and supporting them with the new Wrestle Quest game release on Steam/Nintendo Switch!
Mega Cat Studios was there and showcased their new Indie game, Wrestle Quest, on Steam Deck. It was nice running into and catching up with my former boss and manager at their booth. Mega Cat Studios is an awesome retro game studio, making new games for retro video game consoles (Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, and others) and new Indie games for modern platforms. I highly recommend checking them out, following them on social media, and supporting them with the new Wrestle Quest game release on Steam/Nintendo Switch!
Knuckles' Clackers booth at the
Bitbridge Halloween Showcase 2023
Bitbridge Halloween Showcase 2023
Sega Genesis homebrew booths of a friend and I.
I'm on the left, in an Eagle costume
Changelog (v0.2c Demo):
- v0.2c Demo
- Sonic Hacking Contest 2023 demo update HOTFIX (09/25/2023)
- Fixed a game breaking bug with TTZ4/Egg Gauntlet zone boss triggers and partner death in 2P mode
- If in 2P mode, player 1 dies, and the 2nd player reaches a boss trigger in TTZ4/Egg Gauntlet Zone, he will be called towards the dead player 1 (out-of-bounds) from the boss arena.
- This bug leads to a soft lock
- This bug also causes a ghostly, transparent second Espio to appear in Isolated Island (Intro) act 0 on a new save game
- Both bugs fixed!
- v0.2b
- Sonic Hacking Contest 2023 build (update week, 09/25/2023)
- Implemented new Death Egg Zone (Sonic 2 port) song for TTZ Act 4 level
- Implemented lava palette cycling for TTZ Act 4 level
- Changed graphics for TTZ4 projector screen blocks/tiles (AAZ mini/boss)
- Fixed crashes near lava section and from backtracking in TTZ Act 4 (simpler 32x sprite object placement)
- Added more right one-way doors in TTZ Act 4, modified level layout for doors
- Improved object positioning for TTZ Act 4 level
- Improved collision for quarter pipe launch off chunks
- Replaced a quarter pipe chunk with an alternate chunk to hide Sega 32x sprite loop spritemasker in floor (TTZ Act 3)
- Fixed bug with Shrink powerup effect instantaneously becoming undone
- v0.2a
- Summary
- Sonic Hacking Contest 2023 demo (09/16/2023)
- New Egg Gauntlet Zone part 1 level (Techno Tower Zone Classic Act 4, from Sonic 2 2013 mobile)
- Implemented engine changes to allow for multiple bosses within an act (boss rush mode)
- New Music
- Hidden Palace Zone (Sonic 2)
- For Proto Palace Zone
- Sonic 2 Club Mix (Sonic 2 beta)
- For Speed Slider Zone Classic
- Credits to LordXernon/DJ Error for permission to port these to Chaotix
- Imported Splash (HyperDimension Neptunia Re;birth 1) song
- For TTZC/other bosses
- Hidden Palace Zone (Sonic 2)
- Summary
IPS download patch available (v0.2c) at the
(Older video of Techno Tower Zone Act 4)
Stay tuned for more Chaotix research and Knuckles Clackers' development
- At this blog
- My YouTube channel
- SSRG hack thread
- GenesisDoes
Farworld Pioneers release!
Farworld Pioneers release!
The Indie video game Farworld Pioneers was released for Steam (PC) and Xbox One/Series X(S) on May 30 2023! A PlayStation 4/5 version should be available soon ™. This release marks my (MrTamkis') fourth professional Indie video game release in the gamedev industry that I have contributed development for. The game was developed by Igloosoft Games and published by tinyBuild.
I worked at Igloosoft Games as a contract Unity/C# developer for the game's development on the devteam from Dec 2021-Dec 2022. This was for the main version of the game (PC/Steam).
Duties included:
- Creating new enemy creature AI
- Designing a character editor
- Designing compound setpieces from procedural generation code
- Polishing up the game, implementing bugfixes and new features
- Iterating on feedback
- Participating in private and public playtesting sessions for bug hunting on networked multiplayer games
Farworld Pioneers is an open-world, 2D, sandbox space colony survival game on foreign planets, with Minecraft-like block crafting/world building, PvP colony battles. It has online multiplayer and colonial building for you faction's bases. Similar in design to Starbound but better.
Description from the Steam Store page:
"
Play with friends co-operatively or form hostile factions:
In this open-world galactic sandbox, how you play is up to you! Bring your friends into the frontier in your own private server, or make new friends (and enemies) in large public multiplayer servers. Play peacefully in co-op, or use the dynamic multiplayer faction system to band together and split apart dynamically as allegiances change.
Build ships from scratch and travel to new planets:
Your first planet is where you’ll learn to survive, but that’s just the start. Build your very own starship and use it to colonise new worlds. It won’t be easy, and only the most successful colonies will be able to pool the resources and knowledge necessary to break orbit. Once you launch, the stars hold brand-new planets, new biomes, bosses and challenges.
Craft, research, loot and exploit your environment:
You’ll need to prepare to take on this hostile part of the galaxy. Get mining, farming, growing, developing, researching, and building hundreds of different items, from winter combat gear to advanced laboratories. Find something you can’t work out for yourself. Strap on your handcrafted laser rifle and venture out into the unknown to explore dungeons, procedural bases, NPC stores and much more.
Defend what you’ve built, or take on the galaxy:
Defend your colony with fast-paced combat that utilizes physics like bullet drop, projectile speed and spread. Thwart enemy raids on your base with your stock of handcrafted grenades. Tired of just defending? Lay waste to enemy bases with destructible terrain as you wield everything from rusty old carbines to nuke launchers and energy weapons that harness the power of lightning!
Develop and construct advanced bases for protection:
Grow from a tiny outpost into an advanced, nuclear-powered fortress. Manage resources carefully and choose research paths based on the items and challenges you encounter on each planet. Watch out, though: the bigger your colony gets, the more of a target it becomes for raiders (and jealous friends).
Automate work and train up a team:
Even out here, you’re not alone. Save AI survivors and build a colony together. A range of unique stats, perks and flaws mean every colonist has something different to contribute. As your AI colonists complete tasks they’ll level up and get smarter, stronger and faster. Best of all, you can assign tasks and orders to NPCs to do the grunt work for you and prioritize their roles based on those skills. Want to take a break from mining to destroy an underground alien nest? Let your colonists handle that for you!
And Remember
Your ship may be in ruins, your ammunition running low, and your teammates scattered across the surface, but remember this:
You’re more than just another adventurous spirit.
You’re a Farworld Pioneer."
You can learn more about the game at Igloosoft Games' official Farworld Pioneers website .
Game store links:
Game store links:
Knuckles' Clackers: v0.11b demo release!
Knuckles' Clackers: v0.11b demo release
A new build of Knuckles' Clackers has been released (v0.11b demo)! Knuckles' Clackers is a major Knuckles' Chaotix ROM hack for the almighty Sega Genesis 32x. The game mod features new zones, new music, new artwork, code edits, engine bugfixes, and restored Knuckles' Chaotix/Sonic Crackers beta content.
Build v0.11b demo is an update from the v0.1a Demo. It still features the same 3 acts of Techno Tower zone and the Tutorial Zone, but has more polish, including new music, new SFX and PWM samples, new artwork, and other code edits.
Changelog (v0.11b Demo):
- Artwork edits
- Menus
- New Title Screen road palette/cycle
- New 8x8 menu font
- Final Fantasy 6 SNES font
- Tri-color
- New Menu Background artwork
- Purple background oval
- Sega Neptune console logo
- Neptune logo (HyperDimension Neptunia)
- Sprites
- New Genesis/32x level icon sprites
- SSZC (Speed Slider Zone Classic)
- TTZC (Techno Tower Zone Classic)
- Level icons for Data Load menu (Genesis sprites)
- Level icons for HUB level status screen (32x sprites)
- Level edits
- Final boss edits
- Blue Metal Sonic Kai Genesis/32x palettes
- Green boss arena (32x polygon palette)
- Techno Tower Zone Classic
- New tiles, blocks, and chunks for loop sections
- Better chunk artwork for player 32x sprite prioirty to go "behind" loop sections
- Audio edits
- Music
- New song for $01 Door Into Summer
- Isolated Island/Training zone song
- South Island (Sonic OVA anime)
- Updated song $03 PSG/PWM test
- New song for $0D Overture
- Intro cutscene song
- Intro song (Geograph Seal, Sharp X68000)
- New song for $11 Take A Nap
- New game intro level song
- Helper's Rest (Kirby Superstar Ultra)
- Replaced song for $12 Surging Power
- Invincibility jingle
- SRB2 Invincibility song
- Updated song $1A Tachy Touchy
- Bonus Stage song
- Elegy (HyperDimension Neptunia V)
- Rearranged song with new Orchestra Hit PWM samples
- New song for $28 Just Another Day
- Good Ending song
- Dimension Tripper!!! (HyperDimension Neptunia: The Animation OP)
- SFX
- Combine Ring powerup SFX (SFX $3E, Sonic CD port)
- Shrink powerup SFX edit (SFX $59, Sonic CD port)
- Grow powerup SFX edit (SFX $5A, Sonic CD port)
- Dash SFX edit (SFX $5B, Sonic CD port)
- Jump SFX edit (SFX $5F, port of PSG Jump from S3K)
- PWM
- Bugfixes to removal looping electrical buzz noise from PWM samples
- New Orch Hit PWM Samples
- Sample IDs $9F-$A2
- Code edits
- Disabled autoDemos
- Modified Intro cutscene with sound effects
- Unrestricted Character Select menu (can select duplicate players in 2P menu for Training)
- Engine bugfixes
- Removed ring cap from both levels and Bonus Stage (now > 255 rings)
- Bugfix for 1 second timing for Bonus Stage ring drain countdown
- Save/Restore the level timer when entering/exiting the Bonus Stage
- Prevents issues with time up gameover
Stay tuned for more Chaotix research and Knuckles Clackers' development
- At this blog
- My YouTube channel
- SSRG hack thread
- GenesisDoes
XBandPi NOOBS Compatible image released! (v1.23/v1.7 DLE)
XB∀NDPi NOOBS
Compatible image released!
(v1.23/v1.7 DLE)
DreamPi DX NOOBS-compatible image updated! (v1.22/v1.7 DLE)
DreamPi DX
NOOBS-compatible
image updated! (v1.22/v1.7 DLE)
NOOBS-compatible
image updated! (v1.22/v1.7 DLE)
During 2020, I released an update for my DreamPi NOOBS-compatible image (v1.21) for Raspberry Pi for the Sega Dreamcast, built against v1.7 DLE stock image.
A DreamPi
is a customized Linux distro and a set
of hardware created by a fellow named "Kazade" which will create a
simplified dialup network server in order to get a Sega Dreamcast back online for web surfing and online gaming. The DreamPi is a standardized Raspberry Pi setup with dialup hardware and appropriate software to suit. Online gaming is handled via resurrected, private
game servers. The stock DreamPi image is one which must be written to
the entire SD card of the Raspberry Pi, and thus doesn't easily allow a multi-boot setup with
other Linux distros on the same SD card. This DreamPi NOOBS-compatible
image is compatible with NOOBS or PINN bootloaders.
NOOBS is a simple bootloader which allows one to install
NOOBS-compatible distro images in such a way as to allow for a simple
multi-boot configuration, while PINN is an enhanced
version of NOOBS. PINN fixes some design flaws and adds new useful,
convenient features. PINN is highly recommended over NOOBS.
The DreamPi NOOBS compatible image works with both NOOBS and PINN, and allows
one to install a DreamPi distro with others in a multi-boot configuration. During 2020, the DreamPi NOOBS image was upgraded against v1.7 DLE, a few new online games were added to the supported games list within the installation slideshow, and online repository support was added to allow installing DreamPi NOOBS via the internet (PINN support only).
Since my older v1.7 DLE NOOBS image (v1.21) was released, 1 new game has had their online support resurrected:
Dee Dee Planet gameplay
Sega Saturn Netlink modem review
Changelog (DreamPi DX NOOBS v1.22/v1.7 DLE):
You can download the latest DreamPi NOOBS compatible image (for offline install) and read the guide at this EagleSoft page. The latest version can also be installed online as usual through the Tamkis NOOBS Repo; just add the line
- First DreamPi NOOBS DX Image release (addons to stock DreamPi image)
- Separate image flavors
- "DreamPi4 DX" for newer Raspberry Pi models (RPi 4 and newer)
- "DreamPi" for older Raspberry Pi models
- Patch addons
- DreamPi Netlink Tunneler for Netlink (Sega Saturn)
- Allows for web browsing, Netlink Zone/features, dialup gameplay for applicable Sega Saturn Netlink/Sega Saturn XBand modem games
- Sega Saturn VOIP Guide
- DreamPi Netlink Tunneler patch
- Dreamcast Now for BBA
- Allows DreamPi to appear on Dreamcast Now service when using a BBA connection
- DC Now BBA patch thread
- Usage
- Login in to DreamPi, run
. /home/pi/dreampi/dreampi_now.ksh - Select the game ID
- Login in to DreamPi, run
- Wi-Fi to Ethernet bridge (BBA)
- If the DreamPi is using WiFi connection for internet and Dreamcast is using a BBA, allows to repeat/bridge highspeed broadband connection to the Dreamcast
- WiFi/Ethernet bridge patch thread
- Usage
- Login into DreamPi
- Run
. /home/pi/wifi-to-eth-route.sh
- DreamPi Netlink Tunneler for Netlink (Sega Saturn)
- Updated installation slideshow
- Added new slides detailing information on the DX patch addons
- Added new slides on information for Xrider's BBA conversion kit
- Added new slide for information
- Updated slides with latest game listing support (Dee Dee Planet)
alt_image_source=http://raw.githubusercontent.com/Tamk1s/Tamkis_NOOBS_Repo/main/os_list_v3.json to your recovery.cmdline file at the root of your PINN installation and connect online. The images will be located under "Games" tab.
Tamkis NOOBS Repo
For those whom want faster internet speeds and bandwidth on their Sega Dreamcast but cannot afford the rare and expensive BBA (Broadband) adapter, you can purchase and build yourself a DIY BBA Adapter using Xrider's Conversion Kit (RetroRGB article, Dreamcast Talk thread). Just salvage a G2 bus connector from an old Dreamcast dial-up modem, purchase Xrider's kit, find an Atomiswave Communication Cartridge, and solder it all together. The Sega Sammy Atomiswave was an awesome arcade version of the Sega Dreamcast with similiar hardware, more RAM, and a Broadband modem variant built-in (the Atomiswave Communication Cartridge). If you are feeling adventurous, you could also hack up both a Dreamcast dial-up modem and the DIY BBA modem together for a combo modem to have the best of both worlds without swapping out modems. (Both the dial-up and BBA modems handle different sets of games.)
DIY Sega Dreamcast BBA
Converter kit tutorial
Converter kit tutorial
Have
fun playing online on Sega Saturn (Netlink/XBAND) gaming, and on the Sega Dreamcast with high-speed broadband internet access
Welcome to the next level
-TamkisKnuckles' Clackers: Project and v0.1a demo release
Knuckles' Clackers: Project and v0.1a demo release
Since Fall of 2019, EagleSoft Ltd has been working on a Knuckles Chaotix ROM hack for the Sega 32x addon privately called Knuckles' Clackers. Other than a few minor ROM hacks and one with a custom engine based on Chaotix (Sonic 4: Cybernetic Outbreak), Knuckles' Chaotix has had very few major hacks made for it. Although disassemblies of the game's code exist (M68k, SH-2, Z80 code), they are IDA Pro databases used for reference, not fully documented, and are not a split disassembly that can be rebuilt. Some research about how this game works has had information spread out throughout the internet, and isn't well documented or had most of its information consolidated into one place.
Knuckles' Clackers aims to be one of the 1st fully-fledged Chaotix ROM hacks. During development, I am further documenting, annotating, and simplifying the old IDA disassemblies of the game's code for research. Development is currently being done using SonED2 and extended ROMulan scripts to modify game data and code.
The ROM hack features some ports of Sonic Crackers beta zones (Techno Tower, Speed Slider), new SMPS32x music, new Sega 32x sprite artwork, restored beta content, and many other features.
Summary of features:
- New levels
- Ports and edits of beta Techno Tower and Speed Slider Zones layouts and assets from Sonic Crackers
- New zones
- New music
- New artwork
- Genesis tilemaps, sprites
- 32x sprite artwork
- Genesis/32x palettes and palette cycling
- Genesis animated level art
- Assembly code edits where possible/necessary
- Some restored/recreated Chaotix beta content
An early v0.1 demo of Knuckles' Clackers has been released for the Sega 32x, as part of 2021's BitBridge Halloween Showcase. Available here as an IPS patch.It features acts 1-3 of Techno Tower Zone Classic, new SMPS32x music, and art edits.
Stay tuned for more Chaotix research and Knuckles Clackers' development- At this blog
- My YouTube channel
- SSRG hack thread
- GenesisDoes
EagleSoft Ltd. v2.0 Soft-Launch!
EagleSoft Ltd. v2.0a Soft-Launch!
For those unaware of recent events within the tech industry and Google, in August 2020, Google announced that all Google Sites websites would be required to transition to their New Google Sites system by September 1st, 2021. Prior to this, in 2016 an updated Google Sites experience was deployed, and an announcement in 2017 was sent out that the previous 2016 Google Sites system (now referred to as "Classic Google Sites") would be replaced soon. In August 2020, details on the transition to New Google Sites was released. Full details below in the email screenshot.
EagleSoft Ltd. is a Google Sites website with a custom URL. This blog (EagleSoft Labs) in turn is a Blogger blog, with a subdomain of "blog" nested under the primary domain. EagleSoft Ltd. is a Google Sites website; therefore, it was required to migrate it to the New Google Sites system.
A wave of migrating crows Classic Google Sites websites for the Fall
^deadline
Although I had a year's worth of notice about the transition deadline, in typical Engineering fashion, I procrastinated until 2 weeks before the Sept 1st 2021 deadline to do the migration 😐. The 1st week was just a single day of auto-converting the website to the New Google Sites system, followed by some more procrastination and finally tweaking and editing around the new website in the web builder interface a week before.
Apparently the New Google Sites system is too simple, too concise, too barebones, and is more tailored to say, Bloggers creating simple websites, not beautiful ones like the old EagleSoft Ltd v1.0 site was. The New Google Sites system lacks some of the great features that Classic Sites did, and is too barebones for power users such as myself. Armed with the knowledge about the New Google Sites regressions from some colleagues, I quickly plowed through a few late nights of work fixing up and reformatting the site to work in time before the deadline.
Thwimp v1.2.0.1 update!
Thwimp v1.2.0.1 Update!
Almost a year since the v1.2 release, Thwimp,
the modification utility which allows one to view, to rip, and to
encode Nintendo THP video files from/for Mario Kart Wii, has been
updated to v1.2.0.1 today!
This is a minor update to the original v1.2 build with internal code changes and bugfixes. It contains some bugfixes for some application-breaking issues related to parsing and displaying of Single datatypes on foreign machines within the application.
Bug fixes:
- Fixed various cultural issues that would cause the application to break when processing THP videos and to display wrongly formatted data on foreign machines
- Enforced invariant culture for the bugfixes to parse and to display Single datatype values properly
- Added more input validation within the THP Viewer/Ripper sections
- Fixed a coding typo of handling the video end frame value as a Single datatype instead of as a UShort in the THP Viewer/Ripper section
Enhancements:
- Added a notification MsgBox on successful save of the application's log file
- Updated default "Elevator Music" (song.wav) include with application to final version of Mario Kart Wii Menu SMPS32x song from my own WIP Knuckles Clackers game mod
- Updated copyright date to ©2021
- GNU FOSS license of source code
- Manual
- Application build data
New Elevator Music song
Download and full changelog available on the releases page
Enjoy!
-Tamkis