MSXdev'18 #9 - Shoulder Blade OVERDRIVE

Well done. IMHO it well deserves gameplay even in real hardware.

Really cool!!! Your games are always very original!!! I've played a couple of games to this one and it's interesting to figure things out. In my first game I was just shooting without paying any attention. But then I realized that the robot can dash and jump, and also learned how the shield regenerates, which adds another layer of strategy to the game. Pretty cool!!!

The visuals are also quite impressive, specially given how fast everything moves! Good job! Leaving the bar very high!

@valkyre I'm running late, but I'll give it my best! I started setting things up last week, and today I even started coding!

Game is not working on my F9S loading with ODO. Of course, I force boot, but I only get the game music working, and if you press space to start and fire, you hear the SFX, so something is happening there, but the video only outputs garbage.

Loading it on a Megaflash works fine, tho.

No no, ODO always worked fine with 48k ROM starting at 4000h. The info on that link is a bit confusing, ODO loads the ROM correctly at 0000 and the MSX-BIOS executes the part at 4000h if AB header is found there. In fact SBO executes and works, just the video shows a mess. Must be something a tiny silly thing for sure...

I wouldn't worry a lot, as the game works from cartridge and that's a better way to play with it :) But I can't avoid be curious about what happens...

(note, tried now with 4mb external RAM, as internal is in sub-slot and does the same, so no idea where's the problem, I loaded Perfect Fit with ODO -same, 48ks, starting at 4000h- and it works... I need to check another MSX, my F9S can be picky)

The game looks pretty amazing. I'll need to read the manual to give it a proper go, first (just blindly hammering buttons didn't get me far).

Sorry! A last thing!
Cause I can get my arse calm... I made another test with ODO
Loaded the game, hard booted AND disabled SD Card when booting. The game works

I think that can be useful for people that still has no linear FlashROM and have to load into RAM. Probably it will work anyway if they don't use the old LPE SD card, but just in case.

Also my F9S can be a bit extra tricky cause the internal firmware ROM. But worked, Man 1 - Machine 0

Ok, I'll try tomorrow under the same config. What you do is right, so no idea why this happens, but I'll check that debg rom.

Realization very professional.

This is often the case with Rom for MSX2 because them use more Ram than 16kB.

Does exactly the same. SD on, fail. SD off, success.
Maybe the Fat16 patch steps on something, but ..... right now, interesting enough, I loaded the rom on OpenMSX with ODO, emulating a TR-GT with IDE. Then it boots from the IDE image, with MSX-DOS (Fat12 here). From DOS I load the rom with ODO and I get the same result as on my MSX So next I got more simple. Just a DSK folder with DOS1 (command.com and msxdos.sys), got the same :/ So maybe the problem is with MSX-DOS itself.

Oh nice game!

It's not the SD it's MSX-DOS. Even DOS1. And no, using HTIMI all for you shouldn't be a problem here. I do the same.
I'm quite lost too. Anyway as It's easier to just disable the disk drive (with SHIFT) once you boot the ROM, I wouldn't worry anymore.

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The double sized sprites are really cool☆

So, I had to give this some time to properly judge it. But what a wonderful present, mister Washio!
What can I say. Compared to your earlier gifts to MSX, like Buddaghillie, this game is, regarding setting, obviously more straight-forward and more grounded in the material world than in the metaphysical or spiritual planes. But the gameplay itself unfolds to give us just as deep gameplay as your previous offerings.
Your games aren't always easy to master; they are never little snacks to pick up and casually devour. I will never be good at "Draconic Throne" for instance. They require some effort to get into the world that you create. But when the player manages to do just that, it is only extra rewarding.

This game resonated with me on multiple levels; as soon as the controls are understood, it truly feels like controlling a sturdy, but powerful battle mech against all odds on the harsh, unforgiving killing fields in the middle of enemy territory. It feels very satisfying to fend off and survive the relentless waves of enemy assaults. Especially when taking down the bosses. This game has some 'breathing' moments, luckily, but it sure keeps the player on his toes. It is so much fun. The more you understand and 'feel' the mechanics of the game, the more enjoyable it gets.

I often deplored the lack of the 'pseudo 3D' style games on MSX. Sure, there is Buck Rogers, Zoom 909, Hyper Rally, Penguin Adventure, Vaxol, Feedback, ANMA's "Squeek" and "Troxx", Karoshi's excellent "Night Driver" port, to name most of them. But this type of perspective could have been explored much more. I've never understood why "Space Harrier" was never ported to MSX by Sega itself, as they did take the effort to bring a lot of their stuff over to it.
When announced, I assumed this game, sharing that "from the back" perspective, would play like those games, but I was wrong. This is a unique experience. The only thing that it shares with aformentioned games is the perspective, but the gameplay itself is a whole other experience.

Domo arigato, Washio-san. This game may not be fun for everyone (my girlfriend, who is more a Nintendo fan anyway but really loved your "Zevimodoki") found it to be a borderline-epilectic experience, but to me, you have once again surpassed yourself with this.