Re: A89: Re: Phoenix for TI-89

To: <assembly-89@lists.ticalc.org>
Subject: Re: A89: Re: Phoenix for TI-89
From: "Miles Raymond" <m_rayman@bigfoot.com>
Date: Fri, 30 Oct 1998 18:21:10 -0600
Delivered-To: assembly-89-outgoing@towerguard.unix.edu.sollentuna.se
Reply-To: assembly-89@lists.ticalc.org

I still think the "ESC" key should be used instead of the "." key.

-----Original Message-----
From: EeulPlek <axeeodyx@easley.net>
To: assembly-89@lists.ticalc.org <assembly-89@lists.ticalc.org>
Date: Friday, October 30, 1998 2:00 PM
Subject: Re: A89: Re: Phoenix for TI-89


>
>Miles Raymond wrote:
>
>> The bags of money are hard to distinguish between bombs: could you
>> maybe increase the size?
>> Since there was no text file, and I have never played this game
>> previously, I am guessing that the bar that keeps decreasing on the
>> bottom is my shield.  What is the bar across the top?  Why do all of
>> the ships go off the screen?
>
>Phoenix was originally a TI-92 game.  The TI-89 version you have is one
>that was somewhat adjusted to the smaller screen size.  I didn't want
>to have to lay out everything again, so I just took off the edges of
>the gameplay screen.  The sides just had the scrolling background,
>which was unnecessary.  I also had to take off about 10 lines on the
>top and bottom, but I don't think you missed anything too important.
>
>The bar on top is originally meant to deal with a display artifact on
>the TI-92.  Whenever the top pixel in a column is darkened, the entire
>column below it appears somewhat darker.  As a result, drawing moving
>objects on the top line disrupts the entire display.  Since it does
>darken things in, I colored in the whole top line to make everything a
>little darker so fast-moving objects will appear better.  I'm not sure
>whether this is really useful on a TI-89.
>
>> How come the two, three and four-cannon purchases only work half the
>> time?  (I haven't gotten enough money to test the other weapons...)
>
>I'm not sure about that; I've never observed that problem myself.
>By the way, if you want to get more money for testing purposed, you
>can press the LN key on the shop screen.  Each time you press it, you
>receive an extra $1000.  Cheating in this way will, however, prevent
>you from entering the high score table.
>
>> WHY IS THE GAME SO DAMN HARD ON EASY?!?!?!?!  I'd expect that kind 
>> of skill level to be more advanced...
>
>The easy level is just meant to be less difficult than the others.
>I still wanted it to be hard enough that most players wouldn't win
>the first time they played it.
>
>> Why is the exit key "." instead of the "ESC" key?
>
>Since the ESC key is around a lot of other keys you normally use,
>people might press it accidentally.
>
>> Why are they scores set so high??  I can't even get on there trying
>> my absolute hardest...
>
>You only get into the high scores if you finish the game.  In that
>case, a "final scoring" screen will appear telling you how you got your
>point total.  If you don't finish the game, you can never get into the
>high score table.  Whenever you do finish, you will probably always get
>into the default table, though getting to the very top will be extremely
>hard.