Time Pilot 1.0

Time Pilot 1.0 (C) 1982 Konami (C) 2018 New Generation

Time Pilot 1.0 ng – Screenshot 01

Time Pilot 1.0 ng – Screenshot 02

• Shooter
• Created after the original by Konami
• Credits: Solo, Laoo, Roland, Miker, Tiger, Raster
• Official Time Pilot project page
• EXEcutable file

May 16 2018 Release info (edited) from AtariAge:

About the project:

I always didn’t like it that our machine doesn’t have Timepilot game in the library. It’s not atari-friendly game to make but one day after long, long break (our last production was Forsaken Love demo in 2004) we have decided that we will take the challenge and make almost arcade perfect port for stock Atari XL/XE. At start Laoo (our coder and my friend) texted me “let’s make small 1-day production for Wapniak 2016”. I replied to him with youtube video: let’s make Timepilot. He was like “fuck you Solo!” but later on provided brilliant soft-sprite renderer.

What’s new in the final version:

– better performance
– fixed various bugs
– new game balance (earlier levels are easier, later – harder)
– fixed and better high scores with option to delete character
– additional lives
– asteroids and cosmonaut (level 5 – space stage)
– enemy squadrons
– enemy bombs
– UFO missiles
– pause button (with option to back to the title screen)
– full PAL/NTSC support
– auto Rapidus detection (with engine auto-parametrisation and of course 1 frame)
– additional new game mode: THE SWARM (only for Rapidus; press SELECT on the title screen)

Title screen:

FIRE/START – start the game
SELECT – the SWARM (additional game mode; Rapidus only)

Game play:

START or any key – pause
OPTION during pause – back to title screen

High score:

up/down – change letter
left – delete letter
fire – next letter

THE SWARM:

– enemies won’t shoot
– enemies won’t drop bombs
– enemies will behave differently (will try to swarm to players position)
– enemies are faster
– tons of enemies

What didn’t make it:

Helicopter missiles – there were no free ram for additional animated soft sprite (the soft sprites story). But the rest is there.

About the engine:

We think it’s good – not perfect – but we will refactor it for easy generic purpose later on. Theoretically it can render unlimited soft sprites with n-parameters (like agility, velocity, position, custom flags and so on) for every object.

A lot of things is queued/spawned to object list then process by different part of code. There is also small cool stuff like input lag fix, original arcade control (it has exceptions here and there), big cloud x player mask (to hide player P/M object under bigcloud).

Big thanx for all the feedback you provide to us. See you in our next project (it’s on the move already).

Bootable disk (ATR / 7-Zip): Time Pilot 1.0 NG
Mads Assembler Source code (7-Zip): TimePilot-1.0 Source code