This is a latest picture I created for C64. Idea is based on a gfx from the game Stormlord but I also wanted to try a technique invented by Knut/Fossil for displaying gfx on borders.
In short it is 160×284 image with sprites on up/bottom borders. Sprites are displayed every second line – with some trick.
In 2018 Fossil released a C64 demo called „Old Men in Used Cars” On side B there’s a picture by Archmage that uses a technique I wanted to try for long time. Some time before this demo Knut shared with me the routine he developed around 2016, 2017 (?). I tested it but had no idea how to use it efficiently. Later, Knut asked me to not use it till Arch made some gfx with it. So I waited patiently as I was curious of what a master Archmage can do with it.
Time passed and I decided to do my try with this mode.
Sprites in this mode are expanded and displayed every second line. The trick is that on the middle of the screen there’s a „split” so first 80 pixel lines are like 1 0 1 0 1 0. The next 80 pixel lines are 0 1 0 1. You will get the idea when you check Archmage pic in bespoken demo. The pic in the middle could be normal koala multicolor. Which I wanted to try as Achmage made some „shortcut” and made all picture like scanlined. I believe there’s a lot of potential in this gfx mode hence this image today.
I have 2 more images I currently work on and they both use this mode.
The tool? Well there’s none. I have only a KickAsm code template from Knut that I can customize. I can feed it with a regular koala image + a .png image with 4 colors that KickAsm converts to the sprites (check the zip file as it includes the png file) I can also setup the colors for background and sprites. Here I used yellow as a background color.
The theme is something I wanted to do for long time. I love references to old games or demos. Expect more from me on that matter 🙂 A short article describing how to work with this mode is also planned.
Commodre plus/4 version is mandatory 😀 Soon!
Enjoy
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