Progress Thread - Nebs & Debs Prequel

Moderator: Moderators

dullahan
Posts: 96
Joined: Mon Dec 07, 2009 11:08 am
Location: USA

Re: Progress Thread - Nebs & Debs Prequel

Post by dullahan »

rainwarrior wrote:I was using FCEUX 2.2.3 (+ a few more recent additions, I build from source, but it's basically 2.2.3), though it might be important that I use New PPU mode.

I don't seem to see the attribute problems on the first stage, but they seem to occur frequently in the second stage. I also notice in the second stage "bumps" in the vertical scrolling now and then, almost like the scrolling is set too late, might be related to the same problem?

Problem seems to occur in Nintendulator too (the vertical shake + the attribute corruption, specifically in stage 2).
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.....
dullahan
Posts: 96
Joined: Mon Dec 07, 2009 11:08 am
Location: USA

Re: Progress Thread - Nebs & Debs Prequel

Post by dullahan »

rainwarrior wrote:I've noticed another problem. This has happened to me a few times in the first stage, if I take the "lower" path and get the extra dash token, there's a high probability that I get killed by an invisible enemy in one particular spot.

Attached is a short FCEUX movie file demonstrating the problem, around about frame 1800 (~30 seconds) I seem to hit an invisible enemy in the air?

This is a picture of the spot just before it happens:
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.
Rahsennor
Posts: 479
Joined: Thu Aug 20, 2015 3:09 am

Re: Progress Thread - Nebs & Debs Prequel

Post by Rahsennor »

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.
User avatar
rainwarrior
Posts: 8731
Joined: Sun Jan 22, 2012 12:03 pm
Location: Canada
Contact:

Re: Progress Thread - Nebs & Debs Prequel

Post by rainwarrior »

dullahan wrote: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.
You can use the FCEUX movie to reproduce it and all the regular debugging features work with movies too.
dullahan
Posts: 96
Joined: Mon Dec 07, 2009 11:08 am
Location: USA

Re: Progress Thread - Nebs & Debs Prequel

Post by dullahan »

Rahsennor wrote: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.
Thanks for the info Rahsennor that may be a lead.
dullahan
Posts: 96
Joined: Mon Dec 07, 2009 11:08 am
Location: USA

Re: Progress Thread - Nebs & Debs Prequel

Post by dullahan »

rainwarrior wrote:
dullahan wrote: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.
You can use the FCEUX movie to reproduce it and all the regular debugging features work with movies too.
I haven't tried FCEUX movies with debugging that sounds great.
User avatar
FrankenGraphics
Formerly WheelInventor
Posts: 2064
Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2016 2:55 am
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Contact:

Re: Progress Thread - Nebs & Debs Prequel

Post by FrankenGraphics »

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.
dullahan
Posts: 96
Joined: Mon Dec 07, 2009 11:08 am
Location: USA

Re: Progress Thread - Nebs & Debs Prequel

Post by dullahan »

FrankenGraphics wrote: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.
Thanks for the info FrankenGraphics. Interesting about the gray screen bug.
dullahan
Posts: 96
Joined: Mon Dec 07, 2009 11:08 am
Location: USA

Re: Progress Thread - Nebs & Debs Prequel

Post by dullahan »

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.
dullahan
Posts: 96
Joined: Mon Dec 07, 2009 11:08 am
Location: USA

Re: Progress Thread - Nebs & Debs Prequel

Post by dullahan »

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!
JRoatch
Formerly 43110
Posts: 422
Joined: Wed Feb 05, 2014 7:01 am
Contact:

Re: Progress Thread - Nebs & Debs Prequel

Post by JRoatch »

Re: weird attr, scrolling jitters, and (for me on powerpak) tile corruption.
These sound like the usual symptoms of writing outside of VBlank.
na_th_an
Posts: 558
Joined: Mon May 27, 2013 9:40 am

Re: Progress Thread - Nebs & Debs Prequel

Post by na_th_an »

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!
dullahan
Posts: 96
Joined: Mon Dec 07, 2009 11:08 am
Location: USA

Re: Progress Thread - Nebs & Debs Prequel

Post by dullahan »

JRoatch wrote:Re: weird attr, scrolling jitters, and (for me on powerpak) tile corruption.
These sound like the usual symptoms of writing outside of VBlank.
Yeah, I will be interested to finally get that fixed!
na_th_an wrote: may be my favourite submission this year. I love the Capcom feeling all around. Congrats!
Thanks! I've enjoyed your entries as well!
calima
Posts: 1745
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2015 10:16 am

Re: Progress Thread - Nebs & Debs Prequel

Post by calima »

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.
Attachments
bug.png
bug.png (1015 Bytes) Viewed 17790 times
cppchriscpp
Posts: 102
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2013 4:28 pm

Re: Progress Thread - Nebs & Debs Prequel

Post by cppchriscpp »

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.
Post Reply