[OLD] XChase - Supervision GFX

This release is only about the progress on GFX on Supervision

[OLD] XChase - WRX ZX81

This release is only about WRX ZX81 versions

[OLD] XChase - New targets and graphics of many more targets

More Targets and Graphics:

This release is HUGE.
The main features are

• lots of new targets (some only experimental)
• lots of new and previous targets get graphics (inclinding the NES, Atari 5200, Texas Instrucments calculators, Jupiter Ace, etc.)
• targets with low memory (Galaksija 6k, Vic 20, C16) get improved TINY versions thanks to special memory settings

[OLD] XChase - Bombs can dance

BOMBS CAN DANCE
This release contains more re-factoring a little nice extra challenge in the game that I have been able to include with a very low cost (about 100 bytes): on higher levels, the mines (bombs) will move from their position at each ghost kill. This makes the game more challenging because it won't be enough to align multiple enemies against a mine.

[OLD] XChase - SharedGraphics

SHARED GRAPHICS

This is a major change in the code: all graphics routines are shared among different targets across different devkits.
Currently the shared graphics code support different modes:

• conio-like (conio, ncurses, adm3a, vt52, vt100, etc...)
• memory-mapped (both main and video memory mapped systems)
• bit-mapped (linear bit-mapped systems)
• TGI (cc65 graphics lib)
• Z88DK sprites
• CPCRSLIB (CPC graphics lib)

[OLD] XChase - Bug-Fixes and Size Optimization

This release is about bug fixes and size optimization:

• fixing zombie item behavior
• optimize code for size
• fix missile detection
• tuning
• squeeze and improve more targets in just 16k (FULL on unexpanded C16) or even less (FULL on Vic20+8k)

[OLD] XChase - Support for CP/M and SPRITES!

CPM, SPRITES and lots more

This release is about lots of new experimental targets and features in the library (CROSS LIB), which is the library that makes it possible for the code of CROSS CHASE to be decoupled from the hardware.

NEW FEATURES
The new main features are

1. the support for Z88DK software sprite routine. CROSS LIB now has a "driver" to use software sprites on LOTS ofr Z80 targets! This means that more tragets will be supported and many targets will be real graphics with very little extra efford.
2. the support for the ADM-3A escape/control codes, which makes possible to support many more systems including many CP/M targets and some non-CP/M targets.

IMPROVEMENTS TO PREVIOUS SYSTEMS

• more systems now have auto-load (VG-5000, Sharp X1, etc.) are now immediately loaded (thanks to improvements in Z88DK by Stefano Bodrato)
• more systems now have FULL versions (Sharp X1, unexpanded Commodore 16, Creativision, PCEngine, etc.)
• Robotron Z 1013 has good input (thanks again to improvements in Z88DK by Stefano Bodrato)
• ZX-80 has slightly improved graphics

NEW TARGETS
Most new targets are experimental and may still be missing some features (text, score, etc.).
The new main systems are:

• [TINY] CP/M with ADM-3A control sequences (e.g., Decision Mate V, Aussie Byte (Knight 2000), multiple Kaypro variants, etc.)
• [LIGHT experimental] Amstrad NC 100 (with sprites!)
• [TINY experimental] Robotron KC 85/2, 85/3, 85/4, 85/5, HC900 (with sprites!)
• [FULL] Robotron Z 1013 (now with decent input)
• [FULL] Sharp X1 (now with auto-boot disk!)
• [TINY and FULL] Epson PX-4/HC-40 (with conio display, as well as with new putc4x6 fonts)
• [TINY and FULL] Epson PX-8/HC-80 (with adm-3a display)
• [TINY and FULL] TRS-80 Model 1/2/4
• [FULL experimental] Unexpanded Commodore 16 (it lacks user-defined graphics and some text)
• [FULL experimental] Creativision (characters need to be re-defined)
• [FULL] PCEngine

NEXT DEVELOPMENT
In the next weeks and months many Z80 targets will get software sprites!

[OLD] XChase - Lots of More Features

LOTS OF MORE FEATURES

This release is about lots of things:

1. GAMEPLAY

• MANY more items to pick-up. Kill the skull and destroy the missile bases to unlock them!
• More level variations: horizontal walls that grow during the game

2. NEW TARGETS
   More targets including new systems and new configurations, some of which are experimental:

• [EXPERIMENTAL TINY] Commodore Vic 20 with NO expansion (just 3.4 kbytes!)
• [FULL and LIGHT] Sega SC 3000 (both 16k and 32k versions)
• [EXPERIMENTAL LIGHT] Atari Lynx (hand-held console)
• [EXPERIMENTAL TINY] PCEngine (console)
• [TINY] Mattel Aquarius +4k expansion

3. IMPROVED EXISTING TARGETS

• Improved graphics for the Vic 20 + 3k that now gets user-defined graphics and some sound
• Sound for the SVI 318 target

4. CODE

• Support for the cmoc compiler by Pierre Sarrazin!
• WinCMOC is still supported by either only TINY version or on a different specific branch
• Obejct-oriented code (!!!) to handle items as a derived class from generic characters
• Major re-factoring: simplified display framework

[OLD] XChase - WORKING TINY Versions + More targets

WORKING TINY Versions + More targets

NEW SYSTEMS:

• CCE MC 1000 16k and 48k
• NEC PC-6001 32K
• Ohio Scientific 1P 8k and 32k
• Creativision 8k rom
• Galaksija 22k
• Gamate
• Sinclair Spectrum 16k
• Commodore Vic 20 + 3k

WHAT'S NEW:

1. TINY VERSIONS:
   CROSS CHASE now exists in 3 flavors (FULL, LIGHT, TINY) to better cover systems that came with very little memory.
   ALL 3 versions are generated by the VERY SAME code. This is a strict rule of the project. Specific code is very limited.

FULL: Full-fledged version of the game that will get further expanded in the future (on most systems >16k required)
LIGHT: You get standard enemies + the skull with slow-down and gun power-ups.
TINY: You only get standard enemies.

So now systems like the Vic20 + 3k (with only 8k of total ram) and the Spectrum 16k (only 8.7kbyte of usable ram for code) can run the game in its tiny variant.

2. OPTIMIZED MEMORY
   In order to get the tiny versions to work on half a dozen kilobytes, I had to improve the code in terms of memory. This makes it possible to put more stuff on some LIGHT and FULL versions for systems that were barely capable of running the previous versions of the game.
   So for example the unexpanded Philips VG-5000 now gets sound effects and the ATARI 5200 gets the full version.

3. MORE TARGETS SUPPORTED
   Some more targets are now supported including some exotic computer like the Yugoslav Galaksija and Brazilian CCE MC1000 and the Ohio Scientific 1P. Now I am supporting about 60 different systems!

4. IMPROVED COCO AND DRAGON SUPPORT
   CoCo and Dragon computers now get improved keyboard input (thanks to Simon Jonassen) and sound effects (this may need extended basic so a no-sound version is also available to cover more configurations)

On top of this, I have managed to fix a few bugs. I may have introduced new ones, though.

[OLD] XChase - LOTS of Targets including 6809-based Targets!

LOTS of Targets including 6809-based Targets!

This release is about the addition of support for 8 new Z80-based (including some rare systems)
and the first 6809 targets with a version for the CoCo computer series!

• CoCo computer series
• Memotech MTX series
• MicroBee
• Lambda 8300
• Sharp MZ seris
• Sam Coupe
• Luxor ABC 80
• Philips P2000
• Robotron Z 9001

This release also contains little improvements including

• an improved gameplay for the NES target (still black and white, though);
• better colors and more support for sound in multiple targets.