"New" Game - ZONKEY KONG! by DnD

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computergui
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Re: "New" Game - ZONKEY KONG! by DnD

Post by computergui »

JohnsBargs wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 4:33 pm
Moggy wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 1:02 pm If it works on real kit and the windows version of Eighty One I would have thought the problem lies at your end.

Is your emulator a straight Linux one or running through retro-arch? I only ask as I have had endless hassle keyboard wise when running a zx81/spectrum emulator through retro-arch.
As I said in my previous comment, it has control issues in the Windows version of EightyOne too. I've never had the slightest control/keyboard issues with any other game in the Retropie version.
I've run it on both EightyOne and ZEsaurux. Yes, there are some key combinations that don't work. We found that out late in the development primarily because both of us used very similar keycodes.

I use J and K for left and right and F and V for up and down and never have had a problem. I'll load it up on my retropie and see if I can replicate what you're seeing.
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JohnsBargs
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Re: "New" Game - ZONKEY KONG! by DnD

Post by JohnsBargs »

computergui wrote: Thu Apr 22, 2021 1:22 am I use J and K for left and right and F and V for up and down and never have had a problem. I'll load it up on my retropie and see if I can replicate what you're seeing.
I think my last combo was very similar to that. It worked fine for going up and down the ladders normally, but not with the hammer. On the Windows version of EightyOne I was using Q and Z, with which I could go up the ladder with the hammer but not down.

[EDIT: just tried on the Retropie with those exact keys and got the same results as before - works fine for normal ladder action, but neither up nor down is possible while carrying the hammer.]
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TMD2003
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Re: "New" Game - ZONKEY KONG! by DnD

Post by TMD2003 »

computergui wrote: Thu Apr 22, 2021 1:22 am I've run it on both EightyOne and ZEsaurux. Yes, there are some key combinations that don't work. We found that out late in the development primarily because both of us used very similar keycodes.

I use J and K for left and right and F and V for up and down and never have had a problem. I'll load it up on my retropie and see if I can replicate what you're seeing.
What I was trying to do in my CSSCGC review was list all the controls that didn't work. 3, W, A, 7 and Y won't respond at all during the redefine-keys process, and that's absolutely consistent every time I loaded the game. I also tried to compile a list of "dodgy controls" that won't respond after they've been defined... and it changes every time. My original draft of the review listed 2, U G and M but when I came to cut it down to an acceptable length I thought it was best to be thorough and test every key defined as left, right, up and down. I never had any problems with up and down, but left and right controls would refuse to work on different keys. What I think is happening is that certain key combinations don't work as they should; Z/X/P/L works fine every time, so I found, but (avoiding A which I couldn't define), 1/Q/O/P sees P disabled as a right-movement key, though other times it would work - it seems to depend also on what's defined for left!

In the end I had to abandon the idea to fathom all the working and non-working controls, and just warn of the keys that couldn't be defined. The upshot of the control bugs is, this is what has spared Zonkey Kong from moving into pole position for Least Crap Game Of The Year and the honour (or should that be punishment?) of running next year's CSSCGC - the leader, Hedge1970's Mono-Rail Simulator, works absolutely fine with no trouble.

And surely, moving up and down ladders while carrying the hammer shouldn't be possible anyway?
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BarryN
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Re: "New" Game - ZONKEY KONG! by DnD

Post by BarryN »

On regular Donkey Kong, you can't go up or down a ladder while carrying the hammer. Regarding the controls I have had similar control issues with keys that just don't work at all and I am running on the actual hardware, not an emulator.
JohnsBargs
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Re: "New" Game - ZONKEY KONG! by DnD

Post by JohnsBargs »

BarryN wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 8:08 pm On regular Donkey Kong, you can't go up or down a ladder while carrying the hammer.
Yes, I wasn’t sure if being able to or NOT being able to was the bug. Anyway I hope the control issues can be sorted out as otherwise it’s a really smashing little game, one of the 81’s finest.
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BarryN
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Re: "New" Game - ZONKEY KONG! by DnD

Post by BarryN »

I agree, great little game. Support for the joystick on my ZXPand would be nice if possible.
computergui
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Re: "New" Game - ZONKEY KONG! by DnD

Post by computergui »

BarryN wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:34 pm I agree, great little game. Support for the joystick on my ZXPand would be nice if possible.
Well, neither myself or the other D currently own a ZXPand, so we didn't develop for it. If you can point me in the direction of hardware specs, I'd love to add it in. Glad you enjoy the game. It's certainly got plenty of "character" :) Or bugs, or....

I'll see what I can dig up for the ZXPand.

D
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computergui
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Re: "New" Game - ZONKEY KONG! by DnD

Post by computergui »

JohnsBargs wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 10:04 pm
BarryN wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 8:08 pm On regular Donkey Kong, you can't go up or down a ladder while carrying the hammer.
Yes, I wasn’t sure if being able to or NOT being able to was the bug. Anyway I hope the control issues can be sorted out as otherwise it’s a really smashing little game, one of the 81’s finest.
Appreciate the comments. We're reviewing the keyboard issues.

Also, I did find the ZXPand manual with details. Let me see what I can whip up.
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Spinnetti
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Re: "New" Game - ZONKEY KONG! by DnD

Post by Spinnetti »

Thanks for the feedback. We'll give the keyboard handler a rewrite. You should not be able to go up or down ladders with the hammer running. Code specifically skips even looking for those keys if the hammer is running, so no idea how that could be possible. We don't have a zxpand to test joystick, but would if we had one ;) There were a couple other little bugs, and an update is in the first post (unannounced as it was minor stuff). We'll update again when the keyboard is sorted, but I do find that some combos of machines, keyboards and emulators just don't seem to work (I'm on Eightyone 1.21 underbootcamp on a iMac). Another option I suppose which is a lot easier is to just fix the keys and not allow picking your own. QZBM is what I use....
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JohnsBargs
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Re: "New" Game - ZONKEY KONG! by DnD

Post by JohnsBargs »

Spinnetti wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 9:29 pm Another option I suppose which is a lot easier is to just fix the keys and not allow picking your own. QZBM is what I use....
I think that’d be best tbh, as it’s a bit of an arseache having to select the keys before you start anyway. Although redefining could always be an option.
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