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I can reproduce the attr artifacts and stuttering in Nintendulator and FCEUX 2.2.3 using the new PPU. But everything is gravy with the old PPU for me on 2.2.3. Well guess I will checkout the screen shake code and then after that the palette animation logic for waterfalls.....

Thanks for the detailed info. I was aware of this issue, but cannot reliably reproduce it. One prerequisite does appear to be that Debs needs three dash charges though so that's something.

I don't know if this is relevant, but under the right (now hopefully impossible to trigger) conditions the explosion-drawing code in Wrecking Balls will run past the end of vblank in FCEUX (2.2.2 with new PPU), but work fine in Nestopia and Mednafen.

I don't know which is accurate, since I don't have NTSC hardware to test on, but there's definitely a difference between emulators.

You can use the FCEUX movie to reproduce it and all the regular debugging features work with movies too.

Thanks for the info Rahsennor that may be a lead.

I haven't tried FCEUX movies with debugging that sounds great.

I discovered that the screen going gray when paused happens if i simply start fceux (again, 2.2.2). Selecting the old PPU fixes it for the duration of the session, and switching back doesn't retrig the problem. I'm half assuming the game is tickling a bug specific to that version of fceux?

I also found that you can glitch through the left walls (including the invisible barrier far left) by dashing against them, as long as you've scrolled at least one tick. Glitching (dashing repeatedly) all the way through and wrapping around the screen offsets the object position relative to the collision map.

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http://www.frankengraphics.com - personal NES blog

Thanks for the info FrankenGraphics. Interesting about the gray screen bug.

Just updated the original post with a new build that includes the following bug fixes:

* Debs can no longer dash into and climb walls.
* Debs can no longer dash past the screen boundary and into the unknown.

I haven't been able to trigger the Debs mysteriously-dying-on-the-first-level bug recently which used to happen 1/4 attempts of level 1 roughly, so I am very interested in reports either way on that one.

Figured out the Debs dying suddenly bug and uploaded a new build in the original post. Now I just need to crack the nut that is the weird attr behavior and y scrolling jitters on levels 2 and 3!

Re: weird attr, scrolling jitters, and (for me on powerpak) tile corruption.
These sound like the usual symptoms of writing outside of VBlank.

Mild glitches appart (I didn't get anything nasty), this may be my favourite submission this year. I love the Capcom feeling all around. Congrats!

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http://www.mojontwins.com

Yeah, I will be interested to finally get that fixed!



Thanks! I've enjoyed your entries as well!

I liked the game, but I hit the things others have also mentioned - the hero dying in midair with enemies nowhere in sight, walking into bricks, and slight jitter when moving.

You asked for more info about that, it happened on the point in the attached picture, in the first level. I jumped up and dashed to the platform, then boom, dead. Using the compo build.

Had a lot of fun with this - I beat it on actual hardware! (Save states? Who needs em?) I didn't run into any of the glitches other folks have mentioned, thankfully. It did feel a little short, but I guess the prequel, and Demo on the title screen shoulda clued me in to that.

Great entry.