I've created tape and disk images of the latest pre-release version for people to test if they want. I'd particularly like to hear how the game plays on the real hardware - I've been developing and testing the game with Elkulator.

At this point, I can think of new features to add, but I'm getting less and less interested in adding them. However, bug reports and suggestions for improvements are welcome.

Have a safe journey!

Can't believe noone has replied to this already. Me included!

I had a bash at this the other day - the game has a bit of a strange addictive quality, although I have to confess to not really understanding what I'm doing or what I have to overcome in order to escape the jungle. Is it just finding a jungle exit screen? I think I found a blue key, tho couldn't see what to do with it - I didn't come across any doors. I kept picking up lots of things, though I wasn't quite sure what most of them did ...

I think having a key to what the objects are might help, though I don't know whether your intention is for people to discover such things for themselves?

Oh, and I like the loading screen ... reminded me a bit of the one for Superior Software's conversion of Barbarian too.

Sam.

Hmm. I'll have to work on some instructions, I think. There should be a door near the top of the map on the first level. I've put the map online here to give you an idea of where things are.



Not too sure that was the effect I was aiming for.

Thanks for taking a look at it. Which emulator are you using to play it?

Looks really nice, good job! Was immediately reminded of Atic Atac, right down to the way the projectile weapon moves!

One comment - I think the disparity between the vertical and horizontal movement speed is a little odd. I reckon it'd feel more fluid if the vertical movement were sped up a little, e.g. 6 pixels at a time instead of 4.

And plenty of nice touches - I particularly loved the high score name entry mechanism... I need something similar for Blurp. The nice thing with the procedurally generated world is that it can be as much fun for the developer to explore as the player!

I didn't manage to find a key, or a door, by the way (but I refuse to cheat and look at the map you posted!).

Ahh, like Rich, I think it would be cheating a bit to look at a complete map - at least, producing such a thing is probably something which should be left for the player.

I think it's enough to know that the goal is to escape the level - and that there are, in fact, different levels! I do think a key to the available objects would be handy - they provided one of those in the instructions for Ravenskull and, I think, Repton too. Not sure about the Ultimate: Play The Game and other titles that inspired you - I never owned any of them.

As for the Barbarian loading screen, to be clear, I wasn't referring to the awful reproduction of the racy cover art. I meant the intermediary screen with the title on:


It's probably not that close in reality, but that's the memory it evoked for me.

I was using Elkulator to play the UEF version.

Sam.

Not so much bouncing around the room, though.



Yes, that would probably be better. I'll have to look at the plotting routines and see if that's easily done. It might simplify some other things, too.



I hope there isn't a bug lurking in there, but it's not quite the final version so it's not the end of the world if there is.

The generated maps are fun to explore, though I think it would have been possible to have stored levels if I'd been more relaxed about how much memory I could use. I'm not using much of the memory from &1F00 downwards, and only after the game is loaded, to allow the game to run on high PAGE systems. On an unexpanded Electron, I could use a lot more memory for things like level data, though on balance I think I prefer the generated maps.

Get those coloured pencils out.



I'm working on some materials to go with the game which will probably be in PDF format. Actually, most of the objects are only there for score. The different weapons do slightly different things, though.



Did the sound come out OK? On my system it's a bit choppy, so I wondered how it would sound on other people's machines. I think I'll save the racy cover art for the faux packaging materials.

That's far too high! I don't know any reason why PAGE would be as high as &1F00 (ADFS on a regular Beeb perhaps?). On a DFS based Beeb, it should be safe to use from &1100 upwards, and even from &E00 if you load it higher in memory, select *TAPE, and relocate it down to &E00 before executing it.

Also remember that there are plenty of other bits you can use too (&400-&7FF, &900-&BFF, and &C00-&CFF if you don't use user defined characters).

I'm at work so can't specifically test it again, but I don't remember that standing out as an issue. But, then, I have pretty low expectations for sound from an Electron.


As you're targetting the Electron, tho, don't forget that the addons like the Plus 1 (for the use of joysticks etc.) have workspaces down in those ranges, unlike a beeb.

Sam.

IIRC the Plus 1 workspace was somewhere in $D00-$DFF.

You got me there ... I was doing it from memory. Clearly a Bad Program in there somewhere.

Sam.

That's good to know, thanks. It seems like my installation of BeebEm is configured to use DFS and ADFS, so maybe that's why PAGE is so high. I'll probably move the code down in memory a bit.



I'd like to add joystick support, though I've no idea how I'll test it.

Yes, that sounds like PAGE with ADFS on a beeb.

Elkulator has perfect joystick support - works a treat as digital or analogue, even with two players!

In other news, I heard someone else has been playing Jungle Journey recently, so you might find some more feedback coming in soon, hopefully!

Sam.

Finally had a chance to have a play of this game at long last. I like it, it's a great little game, fun to play and shows that a version of Sabre Wulf could of worked on the Acorn Electron.

I am playing the game under emulation on RISC OS using 6502em in the Electron mode and it seems to work fine, makes sounds and the character moves around well.

However my only complaint is the lack of instructions which i'm sure will come about later on, also what keys do what ? and what is the objective of the game?

Overall I think this is a great game, well worth playing and hope it gets a full release on completion. I will give it a mention in my next 8 bit column for Drag N Drop magazine.

Thanks! It's good to hear that it works fine in 6502em as well.



Sounds good. I'm working on instructions and incorporating feedback from the pre-releases into what will hopefully be a final release. I think the feedback so far has made the game better, so thanks to everyone for that.

I've managed to complete the first level now. I did find and collect a key, and found the exit which was a big door. But was the key needed to complete the level or has it some other significance for opening another door somewhere else ?

I've saved the game state at the start of level 2 so I can carry on playing it, rather than having to go back to the start of level 1.

You need to find the key before the door on each level. If you find the door first, it will be closed, so you will then have to find the key and return there.

Is it possible to replenish your strength during the game at all ?

Just tried Jungle Journey on BeebIT emulator on RISC OS and it runs perfectly, not too fast, nothing peculiar, excellent sutff.

You can boost your health by collecting the parcels/presents scattered around.
This page of the instructions (it's an SVG file) should cover this.

It's good to hear that it works fine on BeebIT. It's been a while since I've used that.