Keen 4-6 Action Format

Tools, assembly, and file formats.
levellass
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Post by levellass »

Right, so you don't want actions as such, but the addresses of actions, to see which are valid?

How are you going to read sprite behaviors? (Not actions, the stuff with speeds, jump heights and such) They have action addresses in them that are never wrong and you can then just get further addresses from the next action address.
gerstrong
Posts: 63
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 3:21 pm

Post by gerstrong »

Yeah, maybe, but to be honest I'm basing all the action read stuff on the action.doc.

I'm not sure how keen actions change in the other episodes, but having the base address, I think it's enough to get the sprites moved.

About the other values like jump height, speeds and such I was planning to hardcode them as in Keen 1-3, but if you have a better method to read them I'm open to a better idea...
levellass
Posts: 3001
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2006 12:03 pm
Location: Ngaruawahia New Zealand

Post by levellass »

Whelp, Keen actions are pretty much the same beetween all episodes, with a few small alterations such as Keen mooning or the neat Keen-on-platforms pose. They're even in the same order. (1st action: Keen standing still, 2nd is Keen looking up when bored...) So hard-coding may help you there.

A lot of sprite properties are set on spawn or in behavior, and it's actually quite possible to scan code for the variables, if you know where a sprite's stuff is located. For example, in Keen 5, $C7 $07 appears before a sprite's type (See $1061E which sets the platform's type as 6, or 'can be stood on') I have a list for Keen 4-6 for the various tell-tale code bits for things like 'forground beh' 'change h-velocity' and 'change direction' I don't know if it'd be easier than hard-coding though.
gerstrong
Posts: 63
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 3:21 pm

Post by gerstrong »

Thanks Levellass!

What help me is a table like action.doc but for Keen5,6 and maybe Dreams.

I only need the initial directions... for every sprite. That's the only thing I will hardcode, and there aren't many of them really
levellass
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Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2006 12:03 pm
Location: Ngaruawahia New Zealand

Post by levellass »

Remember that some directions are random. (Quite a few actually, I have a list.)

I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'table' but I have a list of the locations of the sprite actions for Keen 4-6, and also the Patch Index has an 'action list' which gives the AZ value of every default action and what that action is for.
gerstrong
Posts: 63
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 3:21 pm

Post by gerstrong »

Yeah....

Thinking about it, we will need those default actions, the others can be read through next action. Wow, never thought it would be that hard.

If you could send me that list or point to find it, I would be very grateful!
gerstrong
Posts: 63
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 3:21 pm

Post by gerstrong »

Keen Dreams also have to have them, well... our black sheep!

Thanks again, for your help!
gerstrong
Posts: 63
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 3:21 pm

Post by gerstrong »

Oh I though the Keen action format offsets would share some relative offsets regardless the episode.

Too bad, I will have to map them. Good thing is I can save a lot of trouble when putting the frames into the objects. With the Action Format I won't need to hardcode that.

Thanks again!
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