diff --git a/glados3.3/NOTES b/glados3.3/NOTES index f1f25732..34221b1e 100644 --- a/glados3.3/NOTES +++ b/glados3.3/NOTES @@ -3,3 +3,9 @@ http://pastebin.com/9pQcGnip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxwgd0PVyQQ http://www.steamgames.com/v/img/whatsnew/StillAlive.pdf + +/* Media */ +https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13392173 +http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/01/14/apple_2_fan_puts_the_port_in_portal/ +http://gizmodo.com/hero-coder-adapts-portal-for-the-apple-ii-1791213030 +http://www.avclub.com/article/guy-made-portal-apple-ii-complete-remade-still-ali-248404 diff --git a/glados3.3/TODO b/glados3.3/TODO new file mode 100644 index 00000000..e67af5f6 --- /dev/null +++ b/glados3.3/TODO @@ -0,0 +1,30 @@ +Open bugs: ++ Someone says one of the notes is wrong in still alive ++ Fix color change issues (on Apple II, this means ensure always + at odd or even screen address) ++ Start level with some residual velocity sometimes? ++ Can currently walk when falling + +Assuming we port to assembly language: + ++ Paramaterized level selection ++ 19 levels. Properly paramaterized level open screen ++ Method of picking up objects with 'E' button ++ Have more than one object ++ Change the turret and cube into objects ++ Limit the portals to appearing on walls ++ Mouse support? ++ Allow making portals at various angles, multiples of 45 degrees? ++ Bouncy blue goo and sliding orange goo? ++ Add a walking animation + +Final Level: ++ Multiple spheres, countdown timer + + +Closing Credits: ++ Convert to assembly language? ++ If not on IIe, then use 40 column mode. + Pictures above, text below in that case.. + Also auto-convert to uppercase? ++ Mockingboard AY-3-8910 chiptune version of song diff --git a/glados3.3/faq.html b/glados3.3/faq.html new file mode 100644 index 00000000..c6c27803 --- /dev/null +++ b/glados3.3/faq.html @@ -0,0 +1,172 @@ + +Applesoft Portal FAQ + + + +

Applesoft Portal FAQ

+ +This project turned out way more popular than I expected. Usually +I make a silly video, forward it to a few friends, and maybe send +it to hackaday (or adafruit if it involved a raspberry pi). +Rarely do I get more than a few thousand hits. +

+ +I'm too lazy to make an account on all the sites that covered this, +so here's a bunch of responses to questions that came up. + +
    +
  1. Have you tried a BASIC compiler? +

    + The hackernews commentators seem to understand this best. +

    + + The challenge/fun of this project was trying to take something modern + and reimplementing it in a medium that seems impossible (see + the con-tiki project). +

    + + Using a BASIC compiler or using assembly language would definitely + make the game run faster/better/allow more features, but at + the same time then the project just becomes a standard Apple II + 2-D platform game (of which there were many, the pinnacle + probably being Prince of Persia which is frankly amazing for + the hardware it was on). +

    + +
  2. Wow your IIe platinum looks amazing. Did you retrobrite it? +

    + +No. I should post a picture, but shielded parts of the case are definitely +much much whiter than exposed parts. It's just compared to the tan +of non-platinum IIes it looks original. +

    + +
  3. Was it cool being interviewed by theregister?

    + +Yes, though mildly disappointed I didn't get referred to as a "boffin". +I did find their "The cake is a IIe" tagline particularly inspired +

    + +
  4. Is the Apple II's hires mode as bad as you make it sound?

    + +Worse actually. BASIC typically hides most of the complexity from you. +I was being difficult by trying +to get colored output using the DRAW/XDRAW shapetable support which +is a silly thing to even attempt. You'll note in the code I cheated +a bit to accomplish this.

    + +I won't admit how much time I wasted trying to get the colors right +on my VMW logo on the title screen. If you'll look closely you'll +see I had to compromise on at least one of the pixels. +

    + +
  5. You said that it took a week to put this together?

    + +Yes, though I had some pre-existing tools (for example the pcx to hgr +converter, the shape table compiler, and the disk image writer) +that sped up the process. Though they also slowed things down +as I wasted time re-writing (and re-indenting) the code as it was +old and much of it is coded really inefficiently. +

    + +
  6. Do you really code your webpages by hand?

    + +Yes. Using the nano editor. You don't even want to know +how I check my e-mail. +

    + +
  7. What's the workflow for how you made this?

    + +I edit the text on a Linux box, using a text editor (nano). +I use a custom BASIC tokenizer and a dos33 utility to put the files +in a disk image (a Makefile handles all this). Then I run things +under the Linapple emulator to test. Once it all works I transfer +to a USB key which I hook up to the CFFA3000 disk emulator inside +of my IIe. If I want to transfer to a floppy I use Copy II plus +to the floppy drives in slot #5. +

    + +
  8. This is your second Applesoft game conversion. + Do you plan any others? +

    + No. That doesn't mean it won't happen though. + Only certain kind of games map well to this kind of project, + and it has to be a game I enjoy playing enough to get a good + feel for the gameplay. A certain amount of procrastination + is involved too. +

    + +
  9. Why is the disk image called glados33.dsk?

    + + It was an obscure joke due to the fact that the disk image + is in Apple DOS 3.3 format. +

    + +
  10. Did you like the Portal games? +

    + Yes. Though I might be alone in thinking this, but + I really didn't like the Portal2 Wheatley character much, I found + him really annoying. +

    + +
  11. Why is there no cake? Was it a lie? +

    + It turns out to be really hard to draw a convincing cake, + either in ASCII art or in pixel form. After wasting a long + time perfecting the companion cube I decided not to bother. +

    + +
  12. Why is the video so grainy in the "Still Alive" credits? +

    + The Apple II's "NTSC" output was a bit nonstandard at the + best of times, even when in 40 column mode. The composite to VGA + scan converter I am using can barely display this, and + it doesn't really handle the higher-bandwidth 80 column mode + well at all. Yes, I was too lazy to find a CRT for purposes + of making this video. +

    + + +
  13. Why does the title screen imply it has been "cracked"? +

    + Growing up many of the Apple II games I played were from floppies + of dubious provenance. To me it feels traditional for there + to be some sort of cracked copy protection notice on + the title screen. +

    + +
  14. How do you make your videos? +

    + A cheap Canon camera and a tripod. I edit things together + with kdenlive which crashes a lot but mostly works. + The biggest issue I have is trying to record my desktop for + the emulator scenes, as I can never get the Linux microphone + support to work well. +

    + +
  15. Where did you get your time machine? +

    + Well I traded this crazy looking guy some plutonium... +

    + No, really, I just like blinky LED lights and it's the perfect + project if you like that kind of thing. I was vaguely trying + to get it all finished for the BTTF2/2015 anniversary and it was + mostly working but I had grand plans to put it in my car for + a while but that never happened. + You can find out more + + here.

    + There are plans and mostly enough info to build your + own copy if you want. + A few people have tried, but I've never heard back + on any successes. +

    + + +
  16. Has Valve sent you a cease-and-desist letter yet?

    + + Not yet. +

    + + +