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R-Type

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Remake
{| align="right" valign="top"|{{Infobox Game|Image = [[Image:Rtype cover.jpgpng|thumbcenter|200px300px|R-Type Titlescreen of the game cover]]|Company = [[Electric Dreams]]|Developer = [[Keith A. Goodyer]], [[Coder]], [[Coder]]|Publisher = [[Publisher Company]]|Musician = [[Richard Stevenson]]|Release = [[Category:Games 1988|1988]]|Platform = [[Amiga]], [[Amstrad CPC|CPC]], [[Atari ST]], [[Commodore 64|C64]], [[Game Boy]], [[MSX]], [[SEGA Master System]], [[TurboGrafx-16]], [[ZX Spectrum]]|Genre = Action|GameModes = {{Single player}}|Controls = {{Keyboard}} {{Joystick}}|Media = {{Disk}} {{Tape}}|Language = {{EN}} |Info = Remake 2012}}|}
R-Type is a classical and cult Shoot'em up ported from the famous IREM's arcade game with the same name, released in 1987.
It was R-Type is a classic and cult Shoot'em up ported on almost every computer of from the era. And was famous IREM's arcade game with the same name, released on Amstrad CPC in 19881987.
And despite It was ported on almost every computer of the era and was released on Amstrad CPC in 1988. Despite being good, it remains an awfull case of [[Speccy Port]].  '''''You make one little mistake in your life and the internet will never let you live it down.... Electric Dreams / Activision gave me 21 days to do the port. I wish i had the time to do a nice mode 0 port with new graphics, but alas it was never to be.''''' ''Keith A Goodyer at [http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?topic=699.msg5756#msg5756 CPCwiki forum], 02/25/2010 '' '''''The completed Spectrum version - including the source code - was handed over on September 16th 1988 (Activision didn't quite get it that day but that's another story). This was the first day of the PCW show at Earls Court in London and Activision had press releases stating that the release date for this, and for the original Amstrad CPC version, would be November 1988. Keith received the source code the following week and started work immediately on the conversion (after a phone call or two) which means that, allowing for the 21 days it took to complete the conversion, the original CPC version was finished mid October.''''' ''Bob Pape at [http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?topic=699.msg31597#msg31597 CPCWiki forum], 03/10/2011
==The Fluff==
==The Game==
A Considered nowadays as a classical lateral/horizontal shooter., R-Type introduced two revolutionary concepts in gameplay :
The game was notorious for being very hard, as you have to know precisely the patterns of enemy waves and movements.
Also *Extra module named "Force" that can be docked on front or behind the Weapon system was good and new at the timeplayer ship.*Loaded shot named "Beam".When you are loading the Beam , its power grows but you can not shot (except additionnal missiles)
Graphics and design were typically inspired by GIGER's Alien designs.
Some Bosses were actually made of Vagina, sphincters and strange tubular appendices, even clitoris...
Also the 3rd level started the great tradition The mastery of the big-big-big boss : A ship so big that it theses features is required if you want to master the level in game itself.
==The Port==
As said above, R-Type on CPC was a Speccy port.
Yet because With gorgeous "Gigerish" graphics , unforgeable soundtrack , perfect gameplay and innovative level design , R-Type became a legend of the spectrum version was perhaps one video game.There are a lot of the best in the 8 bit area clones and sequels , and a lot of shooters were (and many say the best speccy game everstill are), the Amstrad version remained playable, fun, yet so disapointing... and inspired by far inferior to the Spectrum's onethis game.
It is well known the Amstrad R-Type is perhaps the worst version ever, yet this game remains good.==The Port==
As said above, R-Type on CPC was a Speccy port.
Animation Yet because the spectrum version was a bit sluggish, lacked perhaps one of the best in the smooth moves and precision. Scrolling was a 8 bit saccaded. Backgrounds were mono-coloured area (a classical Speccy port feature) despite and many say the Mode 1 screen displaying 5 colours...(maybe six...sometimes ?best speccy game ever) As usual, a Raster is includedthe Amstrad version remained playable, just for nothing ! Sprites managed to feature a bit more coloursfun, yet were afflicted by pseudo colour attributes maybe disappointing and inferior to the Spectrum original: 8x8 pixels tiles were 1 bit coded, buta sprite could feature different inks.  Sprites were not masked too, as unmasked sprites were a trick to avoid Colour Clashes on ZX spectrum...
Thanksfully*Animation is a bit sluggish, lacking the smooth moves and precision.*Scrolling is a bit cascaded.*Backgrounds are mono-coloured (a classical Speccy port feature) despite the Mode 1 screen displaying 5 colours*As usual, a Raster is included, to no effect*Sprites manage to feature a bit more colours, yet are afflicted by pseudo colour attributes : 8x8 pixels tiles were 1 bit coded, but sprites could feature different inks*Sprites are not masked either, as unmasked sprites were a trick to avoid Colour Clashes on ZX spectrum*Thankfully, it still features no colour clashes.*A code analysis by [[Arnoldemu]] showed that double buffer is not used, and screen is located from &0040. &5800 even has attribute data just like on a real spectrum. &7800 has a copy of the attribute data (maybe double buffered so colours can be changed and then updated quickly). Screen is only updated where necessary. it is possible that the same programmer worked on both the Spectrum and Amstrad version, with the process being: start with the Spectrum version, remove some colours because the cpc can only display 4 colours in mode 1 (without using raster tricks), use 90% Spectrum code and convert graphics at runtime into CPC form colouring them as you do this. The result is R-type. This explains why the colours are bad and why the game is so slow.
*Comment from Arnoldemu: I looked at the code to discover why R-Type was like this.Double buffer It is not used, screen is located from &0040. &5800 even has attribute data just like on a real spectrum. &7800 has a copy of note that the attribute data speccy version was itself ported (maybe double buffered so colours can be changed and then updated quicklygraphically). Screen is only updated where necessary. I think from the same programmer worked on both the Spectrum and Amstrad Atari ST version. Ok, start with the Spectrum version, remove some colours because the cpc can only display 4 colours in mode 1 (without using raster tricks), now use 90% Spectrum code and convert graphics at runtime into CPC form colouring them as you do this. The result is R-type. This explains all.. it explains why the colours are bad and why the game is so slow.
==The good Aspects==
As said the Spectrum version was good.
The main reason was because it was so close and faithfull to the Arcade version (the original)version.
* In graphics : the fine square pixels (Mode 1) allows allow fine details.* In Gameplay : most enemies patterns were are closely respected.
As a result, even the humble Amstrad version was very close to the Arcade, at least in gameplay (even sometimes more than the c64 version).
Also the Amstrad version did include good (though sparse) sound effects too... yet they were too few (and no real music)It is also of note that the game is quite big, as it includes the full 8, challenging levels.
It is also notable that the game was quite voluminous, as it included the full 8 levels... and very challenging too. Last but not least, the intro screen was is in Mode0 and quite nice.
== Screenshots ==
<gallery>
Image:Rtype.png|Intro screen
Image:rtype_lvl1.png|Level 1Image:Rtype1.png|IngameLevel 8
</gallery>
Good exemple of pure fail:*mono colour backgrounds*unmasked sprites.*colour attributes.==The Cure==
Being attribute based animated, R-Type was of course a bit short on 464/664 config (=64K RAM) to get properly recoded in 2bpp graphic data.Yet the original design were faithfully ported a 128K RAM version can actually benefit from such true Amstrad CPC graphics and still awesomedisplay 4 colours per 8x8 character (mode1) or 16 colours per 4x8 characters (mode0, wider pixels).
==The Cure==However, the single coder who did the port in 3 weeks simply couldn't do that because he had no graphician to re-do the graphics and no 128K version was actually planned.  '''How it is :'''
[[File:RType original level 2 Cpc.gif|800px]]
Original Version, level Level 2.
 
'''How it could be:'''
[[File:Level2 plus.bmp|800px]]
''Level recoloured and redesigned in CPC standards by MacDeath.''
How it should have beenLevel 2 mock-up, redesigned by MacDeath.  '''What will be:''' [[File:Rtype128k_stage2.. level png|800px]] Stage 2 againmap from the 128k version by Easter Egg.  [[File:Carnivac games-r type-mode0.png]]  Mode 0 mock-up, courtesy of Carnivac Games. 
Some often argue that a good Amstrad Version would be in Mode0.Why not too, but Mode 1 could have been better used too and get fine detailed graphics, and have the merit to actually exist.{{#ev:youtube|C_GDjT1tivo|360}}
[[File:Carnivac games-r type-mode0.png]]Mode0 R-type mock-upStage 1 video preview (original vs 128k), courtesy of Carnivac Gamesby Xyphoe.
== Game map ==
==Links==
[http://www.irem.co.jp/e/official/r/index.html *{{CPCPower|1848}}*{{CPCPower|7174}} (128k version)*{{EnWiki}}*Official R-Type page at Irem web site] [http://www.sitedesteph.freesurf.fr/rtype/index.php A good site in French] [http://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=1848 Game page at CPC Power (French)]no more exist
[[Category:Games]][[Category:Games 1988]][[Category:Video contents]][[Category:Shoot them Up]][[Category:Extended RAM Software]][[Category:Arcade]][[Category:Arcade Port]]
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