Phoenix500
A downloadable game
# phoenix500
remake of Phoenix for ECS/AGA Amiga
jotd: reverse-engineering, transcode, graphics conversion
no9: music
Toni Galvez: AGA recolored graphics
Christopher from http://www.computerarcheology.com/Arcade/Phoenix/: Z80 disassembly and small RE
PascalDe73: amiga icons
mrv2k: flyer
Features:
- 99% same gameplay (see below for the 1% difference)
- enhanced colors for AGA version
- updating highscore is now done in real-time not when restarting a game
- applied Don Hodges fix to avoid score corruption when shooting 3 flying birds
Instructions:
5/fire: insert coin
1/up/2nd button: start 1P game
left/right joystick/arrows: move ship
fire/ctrl: shoot
2nd button/down/alt: shield
If 2nd button is pressed once (to start game or to trigger shield) then the game
will disable down for shield.
Extra life at 3000 and 30000 (easiest dipswitch setting)
Cheat keys:
F1: toggle invincibility
F2: toggle infinite lives
F3: add 500 points
F4: skip level
Command line options:
INVINCIBLE: can't be killed
INFLIVES: infinite lives
CHEATKEYS: enable cheatkeys (see above)
B2SHIELD: disable shield with joy up/down, just use 2nd button
STARTLIVES: configure number of lives at start (matches dipswitches)
Vulture vertical movement:
I spent too much time trying to understand why vultures didn't go up or at least
very rarely. There are several pseudo-random variables involved and timers. I think
I have transcoded the exact same code as the original but I couldn't reproduce the
same sequence... So instead of losing my mind over this, I implemented a kludge
to force vultures up if they hadn't gone up for too long.
(means: the random value is 0 for too long instead of 1 when it's possible to go up).
Combined to an anti-wrap check which avoids that the vultures attack the player by
rising from the bottom, it works pretty well.
I still don't understand how the original game manages to do that part given the randomness
involved.
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Comments
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Downloaded the newest version and tried it in WinUAE and Denise emulators. Looks like "down", to activate the shield, no longer works, even if you start the game correctly (by pressing "up") and without using Fire-2 button once, because then it's deactivated and would be correct, but no matter how I start the game, Firebutton-2 always works for the shield and the direction "down" never. Have not tested it on any of my real Amiga500, but WinUAE and Denise have a very high compatibility rate, I would be surprised if both emulators behaved differently than the original computer here in this point (but, possible is anything).
yes, because the floppy menu has the option to prevent "down" to work. I have removed it now.
Nice. Activating the shield with "down" works now. Was Fire2 for the shield now completely removed?
By the way, when i played the game longer, i had it a few times, that the parts of enemy sprites, that had already been shot, were not always completely removed from the screen immediately. It takes a while and then, in isolated cases, you can still briefly see a part of an enemy, that has already been killed. Happens not often, but happened a few times here so far. Apart from that, this beta-version plays well, already now. Looking forward to the final release.
Hello jotd. I'm a bit confused as to which games are finished and which are still in development. Would it be possible to click on your View all by jotd button, select edit theme, and choose Layout: grid instead of side bar. Then you can move your games around, and place the completed Released games at the top or at the bottom. :)
Seems finished now.
amazing conversion but for some reason on A1200 I simply cannot get the shield to work. I assume you pull down on the joystick for that??
If you have a second button joystick you can use it. Else up and down should do the trick. But if you have pressed at least 2nd button once, the game disregards up and down.
thanks
Wow, nice version and already now, in Beta status, the game plays really well. Played it on two A500 Amigas, which both have Kick1.3 and 512kb Chipram and 512kb Fastram (Slowram, like it's called now, the well known A501 trapdoor memory-expansion) and the game runs good there. Looking forward to the final version of "Phoenix 500", because i loved this game on the Arcade, back then and having it now on Amiga too, is really great. Graphics looks like in the Arcade and playability is close. Good work.
Thank you for another quality port !! :) <3
Outstanding work. Just did a livestream covering all of the JOTD released arcade games, comparing them to the arcade machines, and they hold up very well. Keep them coming!
Very nice arcade conversion with lovely AGA support and graphics. Our German-language review can be found in our recorded livestream starting at 02:12:32. English subtitles are also available. Subscription to our YouTube and Twitch channel is welcome. 🙂
Update works well on my a500 no accelerator screen did start flashing green for a time but its playable Thankyou
Hi,
No Problems for me (No FLashing green)
Tested on :
1) a real A500 Rev.6A 68000 (512+512k) KS 1.3 PAL SYSTEM
2) Another real A500 with an ACA500Plus 68000 1MB CHIP KS 1.3 PAL SYSTEM
3) Tested too under WHDLoad (ACA500Plus 68000 & A1200) .
Only did it once but still i thought it better to report it.. second loading it was fine a game that in my opinion is needed for many amiga setup
Great conversion, wonderful arcade game!
Very good game, thanks. I also added it to my new "Gameplay of New Amiga Games from April 2024" video.
This is insanely good. From the audio to the graphics and the movement of those sprites, it is virtually indistinguishable from the arcade.
I hope that you fix some of the issues in the original game as an option. Smooth out some of the animation, etc. Have a better Phoenix than Phoenix. You already nailed a replica, please, perfect the original!
Improving the animation would require full reimplementation, which isn't going to happen, but there's a AGA version (32 colors) with stunning graphics from Toni Galvez.
Another terrific job, and I like the optional AGA enhancements. Five lives, though?
Aga ver. - excellent game!
So good, you are doing such amazing work our favourite platform!
There's a memory issue that I have fixed but not published. I have to fix a few bugs before releasing a new version
At this rate, soon we don't need MAME anymore! Great stuff. Bought.
I still need MAME on Windows to debug the games, but I don't use it to play anymore. Thanks!
Beta - gameplay:
Why is this not available on Aminet so everyone can download it and enjoy it? 😐
I'd rather have it downloadable here so people can donate (or not)
Another Incredible Amiga port, Many Thanks.
very good
Awesome!