At the main page of our website you can see a first screenshot of Thunder in the Deep, by Deviant group. This is the image of part of one game level. Authors have tried to create a more interesting game than Boulder Dash for example. Possibility to use weapon, the meeting with different enemies and bonuses. All actions of the main hero has nice animation and sound effects. Only some of new features will be present in the demo version, which include one simple level. Quantity of levels in the game is unknown today.
The game uses the Accelerator and Sprinter's Audio System (mode of Covox with buffer). The game needs BIOS 3.00.

Also the game uses hardware scrolling of screen, which was made specially for arcade games. Game include file with special version of firmware (which define hardware features) for loading to the Altera PLD. All changes of firmware will be temporary. Previous firmware will be restored after game finishing. Usage of special version of firmware do possibility more fluent movement of the game screen, pixel by pixel, for example.
So, this new drive is cause of delay of demo version publishing. But we hope, the demo version will be finished this week. Demo version will be free, certainly. And several new screenshots of different levels will be published for our visitors who haven't Sprinter today.


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PETERS PLUS LTD

Why don't you use this special firmware? It couldn't temporary because fluent movments could be useful for others applications and games

This version of firmware was created specially for a new game, Thunder in the Deep. This is the first Sprinter game which necessarily needs fluent movements by hardware. But any your new program will has possibility to use it. We will publish this version of firmware (separated file with documentation, certainly) after release of Thunder in the Deep.

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PETERS PLUS LTD

Some news about the game.
The game has a scenario. Thunder search... something.
The hero will be traveling in several worlds.
Some levels will include a puzzle.
Each group of levels can has a boss.
Diamonds (or rubies? ) serves for opening a door, certainly. But level can has more one solution...

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PETERS PLUS LTD

Some news from authors of Thunder in the Deep.
Code of the game was optimized. Now the game has screen in one frame.
Next step - audio effects.

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PETERS PLUS LTD

Demo version of the game will be published 15 of November as ZIP file (0,5Mb).
Demo version works on the real Sprinter computer only. All visitors will see several most interesting screenshots.


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PETERS PLUS LTD

Demo version of the game is available now. Authors (Deviants) wait your opinions and suggestions.
This game is the first experience of usage a parts of traditional gamemakers technology on the Sprinter. But nice gameplay is a main target of the work, certainly.

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PETERS PLUS LTD

good job!!

Graphic is very nice, I remeber the Amiga...
Tthe frame of the hero is cool !
I don't have ear the music :(
I hope is present in the next release.
The redefine key option dosen't work.

Compliment at the Deviants for this good game!

davide

I'm having problems loading it. My BIOS is v3.00.253, and Estex v1.55.

The problem is:

o- I boot to Estex, then FN starts,
o- I quit FN, and change directory to C:\GAMES\THUNDER (where I unzipped it),
o- I start the EXE. Screens for PetersPlus and Deviants appear (VERY NICE screens, I must say),
o- After the screens fade out, I have the main "intro" screen (superb!), some disk activity, and... NOTHING ELSE. Disk activity stops and keyboard dead, no mouse. Only way out is RESET.

Any suggestions? Am I doing anything the wrong way? Should I place the game in the root folder or something? Some software titles have those "odd" requirements...

I'm downloading it again, just in case. Will let all you know.

Thanks for the help!

Marcelo.
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Speccy rules, its staff is Sprinter.

May be, bad quality of the game copy is cause of your trouble. Flex Navigator has poor control of disk errors. Try to copy already extracted game from PC HDD to Sprinter HDD.
We know, Sprinter needs support of PC Link... We should finish this work.

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PETERS PLUS LTD

Yes, you are right! Redefine key option not work. Your bug report was first! Thank you.

BTW, print screen option works fine.
F6 - save game screen as .bmp file (indexed colors) supported by Sprinter.
F7 - save screen as .bmp file (RGB colors).

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PETERS PLUS LTD

Actually, unzipping at the PC and tranfer via floppy is what I did. I do not (yet) unzip on Sprinter 'cos I use long names in the ZIP files to better describe what I download.

Anyway, any form of speedy transfer between Sprinter and a PC will be VERY welcome!

Thanks,

Marcelo.
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Speccy rules, its staff is Sprinter.

Don't use ESC key in redefine menu. Select other key than ESC for the Abort option.

Game is packed into single file and decompressing is performed while loading.
In depacked form the demoversion occupies more than 3 megabytes.
For the first time the tiling capabilities of Sprinter graphics mode is used.
Tile is a 8x8 pixels square portion of the screen what can be repeated in any part of screen by duplication of its index.
Game is working in graphical mode 320x256 and uses 512 colors.
There are smooth 1-pixel scrolling with use of special "Game" configuration.
The maximum game map size can be up to 64x64 elements (it could be not only a square) 24x24 pixels each.
A number of animated graphics sequencies was created for the game. Only a part of the total graphics set is available in demoversion.
Animated sprites of the hero and enemies are mixed with backround using an accelerator.
The number of actually available elements of backroung is higher what can be loaded in video ram at once, because the elements are reloading in realtime.
The combined sprites are used for the hero (a bag for the diamonds is a separate sprite).
The engine is capable of filling the whole game area with with animated and moving objects (diamonds, stones, water).
To increase a speed of the program, all time-consumption tasks are performed from 16k cache (fast RAM).

Deviants.

Great work!!!
I hope to buy very soon Sprinter for playing this game.
Is there a port of the game for pc?
Why you haven't used another bios for smoot scrolling as wrote some months ago?

It's a pity, but UNZIP.EXE is a beta version only. It can work not correctly with a large archive.
We still wait a final version of this useful program from author.

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PETERS PLUS LTD

Disregard my previous post about Thunder not working after intro screens. I downloaded it again and unzipped it to a NEW floppy on Win98, then copied it with FN to C:\Games\Thunder in Sprinter. It worked.

It IS good. VERY good indeed!

Thanks,

Marcelo.
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Speccy rules, its staff is Sprinter.

And there are not any bugs?
And what about gameplay? What about incorrect game situations?

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PETERS PLUS LTD

Although I did NOT redefine the play keys, the first screen part I tested was OK. I will surely use the redefine thing; I did not before because of the forum reports.
Smooth grx, moves and scroll; sound seemed to me a little bit low volume, but the effects are nice, especially the "AAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHH" when you die . I had to turn my desktop speakers all the way up to hear it.
First session (5 lives? Did not count'em) I scored some sad 138 points ... I improved then, but not a lot (gravity kills, you know ). I'll give it a second try this weekend.
I did not, so far, see any "incorrect situation", but my game life-span is... LIMITED!


Marcelo.
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Speccy rules, its staff is Sprinter.

I think it's incorrect:



Alexander Shabarshin (shaos@mail.ru)
NedoPC Project

Edited by Shaos on 2002/11/19 15:28.

We can show the one screen of future full version of the game.



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PETERS PLUS LTD

Some news from Deviants.



The mechanism for ingathering of diamonds which opens...



... The Level Gate.

You should see animation of work of the mechanism and the gate!
What do you think about one more demo version of this game?

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PETERS PLUS LTD

In reply to:

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Is there a port of the game for pc?

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In reply to:

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Why you haven't used another bios for smoot scrolling as wrote some months ago?

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> Probably, you ask about it?

Yes! you have done a good work!!

A question to Sprinter users which saw the demo version.

By the way.. The game (as every of them) is not freeware, is it?
And if it isn't: how to buy the games?

Yes, full game will be not free, certainly.
It will be available in two variants:
1. By downloading from our site (one price)
2. By receiving CD with the game (another price)

Any way, game will need our authorization. It will be possible after payment.
Sorry, more detailed info about publishing the game will be available at the end of February.

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PETERS PLUS LTD

ok, I see.
of course downloadable version would be more user-friednly way. ;-)
but I'm afraid price for sending money will be bigger than price for the game. :(

We accepts payment by Western Union Money Order and to our bank account. Second way is more easy, isn't it?
Also we examine PayPal.

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PETERS PLUS LTD

We plan to publish the game 21 of March.

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PETERS PLUS LTD

Finally the first large game for Sprinter computer was published. Distribution package is available for free download.
Mini CD with the game Thunder In The Deep is available too. Its price - $18. Registration fee and postage are included.
CD include bonus: sprites from the game, addtional music for main menu and poster.

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PETERS PLUS LTD

I have two questions -
1) is it still not-working on 4Mb memory? (demo of the game wrote: not enought memory)
2) is it still required to put everything to main path of C: disk? (it is not a good idea for game-installation. They must have their own catalogues...)

1) is it still not-working on 4Mb memory? (demo of the game wrote: not enought memory)

You can run demo or full version of Thunder on 4MB memory! The game requires 3,2MB memory. But the memory not so free if you used several programs before start the game. For example, such situation can be if you run User Menu, next run Flex Navigator, next run the game. Try to run the game in Flex Navigator after power computer on.

2) is it still required to put everything to main path of C: disk? (it is not a good idea for game-installation. They must have their own catalogues...)

No problem. You can run the game in any disk directory. The full game has installer which allow to make choice a path.



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PETERS PLUS LTD

well, the full game includes 50 levels... that's all news? i not found any info

Full game also has a second gfx set for example.

Yes, you are right. We should add this information. Game screenshots will be updated soon too.
So, the full game Thunder In The Deep contains following new features:
- installer which allows to install the game in any disk directory
- music in the main menu (you can add your favorite music too)
- tuning background color
- each 5 levels has a password
- the second sprites set which was used for design of most deep rooms of the pyramid
- quick levels with limited time
- bonuses and helpful things
- secret levels

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PETERS PLUS LTD