New Phoenix High Score Save

[philmurr]

I was never completely happy with the Phoenix high score save kit I made over 3 years ago (http://www.ukvac.com/forum/phoenix-high-score-save_topic353371.html). It was a bit clunky and could still cause issues because of the way Phoenix accesses its RAM. Also it didn't have a proper high score table allowing you to enter your initials. Phoenix is still one of my favourite games though hence my obsession with it...

So fast forward 3 years and I wanted to get things right. First off, Phoenix has almost ZERO spare ROM space, so to do something properly I needed to add some ROM. Then to get over the RAM addressing issue, I wanted to have some properly addressed non-volatile RAM. Finally I wanted a simple plug-in solution with no soldering.

So that involved a new PCB design (not simple, as the 8085 CPU uses a shared address/data bus so it needed a bit of thought). Anyway, board designed, GAL programmed and hey it works as a single ROM board, good first steps.

Then about 4 weeks on/off writing the updated game code to give some nice features...

- software-selectable DIPs, covering:-

--- number of lives

--- bonus score

--- coin settings

--- freeplay or not

--- sound in attract mode

--- enable or disable 204K point bug

- attract maintained in freeplay mode

- sound in attract mode (selectable on/off) - this works apart from the background noise in the mothership attract stage where the CPU just can't manage it

- enable or disable the bug that gives ~204K bonus (yes, it's a bug)

- high scores saved to FRAM (no batteries)

- 5 position high score table (there's plenty more NVRAM, just no space on the screen)

- enter your initials (3 letters only, "old-school")

- print "FREEPLAY" on screen in freeplay mode and don't display credits

- don't ask to insert coins in freeplay mode

- you can remove the existing game ROMs from the flaky sockets

There's still some more I'd like to do - I want to sort out the awful collision-detection, the bullets that pass through you, and stopping you from dying when you have definitely pressed the barrier...all to come and there's now stacks of spare ROM space to let me to do all of this. For now though I'm just going to enjoy playing the game with the added features.

Photos (sorry for the blur on the menu and initials entry photos - the background does funky star scrolling so it doesn't look as clear on the photos as it does in reality)...

 

[guddler]

Very impressive

If this is something that you’d be likely to sell then I’d be up for one. I do like a bit of Phoenix and I’m sure I’ve got one here somewhere

 

[Monstermug]

yes 1 for me too. and taito SI 3 layer save kit and multi when thats done =)

 

[TWB]

nice work.

Would it be possible to have independent high score tables that would be switched depending on whether the 204k bug was active or not (one for if the bug is active and a different one if it’s not)?

As above if this kit is going to be available for purchase I would like to buy one too

TWB2019-12-22 18:37:38

 

[philmurr]

I could supply the PCB and GAL (a programmed ROM and FRAM at a push) and instructions that I'd need to write, but I'm not going to be selling assembled kits.

@twb - nice idea, yes that would be fairly easy to implement. Plus I'm already planning code to backup your scores before a party, and restore them afterwards (so friends don't beat your scores

)

 

[DonkeyKongler]

cool,
one for me, pls.........

 

[guddler]

I’m guessing for me I’d probably just need the pcb and the fram? Without knowing the parts list, or how readily available this stuff is. I’ve got certain GALs.

Anyway, regardless of all that, this is really cool!

 

[philmurr]

The total parts cost will be about £25 and any software updates that I do will be free. The only bits that aren't generally available are the PCB and the GAL, the rest is 74 series, chip sockets, headers and a few caps (not shown on the photos and probably not really needed).

PCB and programmed GAL is £10, PCB, GAL, ROM and FRAM is £17, GAL code isn't going to be made freely available.

 

[edwoodjnr]

awesome work Phil.

 

[bonehead]

Very nice work.
I’m up for a kit. I have a few faulty Phoenix pcbs but one was fixed would definatly want this kit on it.

 

[Alpha1]

Amazeballs work dude

 

[Digimon]

great work!

I take one 17£ kit.

when will it be available?

With the new PCB, will a switch to pleiades be possible in the future, too?

 

[TWB]

Nothing worse that mates with high scores on your cabs, for some reason they never let you forget it.

could I take a £17 kit, please

 

[guddler]

The total parts cost will be about £25 and any software updates that I do will be free.  The only bits that aren't generally available are the PCB and the GAL, the rest is 74 series, chip sockets, headers and a few caps (not shown on the photos and probably not really needed).

PCB and programmed GAL is £10, PCB, GAL, ROM and FRAM is £17, GAL code isn't going to be made freely available.

Ah, gotcha. I only asked because I have a box of GALs here but if the gal code isn’t being released then I can having the right GAL doesn’t help anyway ??

 

[philmurr]

A quick pre-Christmas update. I've added some additional features that have been requested. It's now available for beta testing and should hopefully (any bugs permitting) be released early in the New Year:-

- only displays "FREEPLAY" in attract mode and it's not displayed during
gameplay (if you're not in freeplay mode, it still displays the credits
in both attract mode and gameplay like the original game)

- 2 separate high score tables, one for when the 204K point bug is
enabled, one for when it is disabled (you can't cheat and manually
select which one, it's automatic)

- Option to backup and restore the high score tables (so when you're
having a party you can restore your old scores when it's finished)

- Timeout in name entry mode. If you leave it sat there without
entering your initials, it will time out in about a minute, still save
the score but save the initials as "- - -"

- Access to menu only on power-up (hold down P1 & P2 start when
applying power) so nobody can get to the menu "accidentally")

Photos of the updates are below

New menu options

"Freeplay" shown on screen in attract mode

"Freeplay" not shown on screen in gameplay

High score table showing initials replaced by "- - -" if you take too long to enter your initials

 

[philmurr]

Just a small update until beta testing is complete. The beta
test boards are built, tested and ready to be posted out over the weekend.
Feature set on release will be:-

- menu driven software-selectable DIPs, covering:-
--- number of lives
--- bonus score
--- coin settings
--- freeplay or not
--- sound in attract mode
--- enable or disable 204K point bug

- attract maintained in freeplay mode

- sound in attract mode (selectable on/off) - this works apart from the
background noise in the mothership attract stage where the CPU just
isn't powerful enough to manage it

- enable or disable the bug that gives ~204K bonus

- high scores saved to FRAM (no batteries)

- 5 position high score table (there's plenty more NVRAM, just no space on the screen)

- enter your initials (3 letters only, "old-school")

- print "FREEPLAY" on screen in freeplay mode and don't display credits (only during attract mode and not in gameplay)

- if you're not in freeplay mode, it still displays the credits in both attract mode and gameplay like the original game

- doesn't ask you to insert coins in freeplay mode

- you can remove the existing game ROMs from the flaky sockets

- 2 separate high score tables, one for when the 204K point bug is
enabled, one for when it is disabled (you can't cheat and manually
select which one, it's automatic)

- reset high score table from menu only resets the "current" high score table (204K bug enabled or disabled HST)

- Option to backup and restore the high score tables (so when you're
having a party you can restore your old scores when it's finished)

- Timeout in name entry mode. If you leave it sat there without entering
your initials, it will time out in about a minute, still save the score
but save the initials as "- - -"

- Access to menu on power-up or during "high score table" screen in
attract mode - hold down "left" and "fire" (for ~2 seconds when in
attract mode)

A few people have asked about Pleiads. Well the high score save PCB was
also designed for Pleiads (see the silk-screening on the photo below) which
is very similar hardware and software. I'll be doing a high score save
kit for Pleiads just because it makes sense to.

As for a Phoenix/Pleiads multigame, possibly but unlikely, as the sound
hardware in particular is different, and I wouldn't be able to do it
justice and get Pleaids sounding right on a Phoenix board. The graphics
are not an issue though, so for now it's going to stay as "possibly"

 

[Digimon]

I have assembled mine today.

It works great.
Thanks for building these HSS Kits.

 

[andykmv]

andykmv2022-09-28 09:17:57

 

[andykmv]

i just read about the Phoenix High Score Save kit - great work on the kit.

my phoenix doesnt get enough play time and this will give me incentive to pull it out and fire it up

 

[Newthing34]

I would like one of these Kits, are they for sale ???