2007-09-13
This new version of R’n’D contains several new, smaller features and will be
needed as the base for upcoming new and updated level sets; in particular,
there will be an update to the EMC level collection soon which will use some
of the new features mentioned below. The new version also fixes some program
bugs, so it is recommended to upgrade to the new version.
Most important changes since last release version 3.2.3:
- added file loader for native Diamond Caves II levels and level packages
- added new elements for newly supported Diamond Caves II levels
- added graphic configuration directives for control of game panel
- added new setup option to select game speed (from very slow to very fast)
- added new setup option to select scroll delay value (from 0 to 8)
- improved handling of title screen images and title text messages
- improved handling of title and menu screen fading definitions
- extended (R’n’D based) EMC graphics engine that can display long animations
- fixed broken editor copy and paste for custom elements between levels
For details, see the ChangeLog
file (also included in the package).
Now available from the Download section!
2007-02-27
In the last years, Rocks’n’Diamonds was getting more and more complex,
but there was only very few documentation available for it. Many people
asked for a manual that would explain things that are hidden or less
self-explaining.
Finally, Francesco S. Carta took a lot of time and
effort and created The Rocks’n’Diamonds Manual!
This great new manual currently consists of the following four parts:
-
The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
This part was really needed, and it hopefully answers most questions
that are asked again and again in the forum
and by personal mail (including the famous “How does snapping
work?” question).
-
The Program Manual
This is the main part of the manual and describes the installation of
the game, gives an overview of the menu structure (and especially
describes the various options in the setup menu), the tape recorder,
where your levels are installed and how to create your own level sets.
-
The Elements Reference
This is a description of most game elements and how they interact
with other elements, grouped by element type. In many cases this is
more helpful than the single element descriptions in the level editor.
-
The Editor Tutorial
This detailed description of the level editor not only shows how to
use the various “drawing” functions (including information about the
not-so-obvious aspects of some of the tools), but also explains in
detail how to edit element properties, including a section about
custom element programming, which makes it possible to create
completely new game elements with unique, new features.
All four parts are also accessible from the
manual’s start page.
Francesco has done a great job with the creation of this manual!
Thanks a lot for contributing this outstanding work to the R’n’D project!
Also available from the Documentation section!
2007-01-05
This release is mainly a bugfix release. It also contains some improvements
on program startup performance.
For details, see the ChangeLog
file (also included in the package).
Now available from the Download section!
2006-08-29
The release of the outstanding one-level set
“Zelda” by Alan Bond – with a playing
time that can easily reach over one hour – again showed the limitations of
tape reloading, which takes far too long for very long tapes. This required
the invention of a new technique, which uses internal game engine snapshots
and allows for instant reloading of the last played or saved tape
without any delay. Besides that, this new version contains two major
bugfixes and is therefore considered a recommended upgrade.
Most important changes since last release version 3.2.1:
- instant tape reloading for the last saved tape using “quick save/load”
- fixed bug that prevented solving levels without exit (like in Sokoban)
- fixed bug with quick loading tapes in fullscreen with EMC game engine
Now available from the Download section!
And don’t miss “Zelda” from the
“Levels & Artwork” section!
2006-08-21
After many years of work, which involved collecting of old floppy disk images,
writing level and artwork converters and the integration of a completely new,
highly compatible game engine, the result is finally available now:
A total rework of the already existing, huge Emerald Mine Club level
collection! The main intention was to try as hard as possible to keep the
spirit of the original game play, original graphics (ECS or AGA)
and original sounds and music of this series of games for the classic
Amiga computer.
The resulting level collection released today contains 50337 single levels
in 564 level sets – probably more than anybody could play in a life. ;-)
But if you played these games on your Amiga in the past, it is most likely
that you will find nearly all EMC disks you played in this collection for a
nostalgic experience. In any case, you will find many very good level sets
with their original graphics! If you never played these games, you will find
that the graphics have a lower resolution than the normal R’n’D graphics.
For those who prefer to play these level sets with higher quality graphics,
it is planned to release an artwork specifically created for the EMC level
collection in the future.
This collection also contains some sets which re-use levels from other sets
of the same collection, in a different combination or with different artwork
(examples are the “Recycled Mines” or the “PacMine Deluxe” level sets) as an
early form of “level set mash-ups”, so don’t be surprised to find some levels
more than once in this collection. (In fact, the overall number of 50337
single levels contains “only” 41657 unique levels.) To make life easier
for those who don’t want to dig through all those hundreds of level sets, it is
planned to release a “best of” selection of those level sets which you
think should belong to such a set – therefore, please let me know which sets
you would like to see in such a compilation!
Even though this level collection is quite complete, there are still a few EMC
disks that are missing in this package. As far as I know, only the following
disks are missing now:
- Aladdin Mine 1 - 4
- Demo Mine V6
- Den Mine 13
- Down Under Mine 20
- (Into The) Dusty Mine 1 + 2
- Einstein Mine 23
- Emerald Dash 6
- RuppelMine 7
- Super Freak Professional
- Tough & Deadly
If you should have them around or find them on the web, I would be happy to
add them to this collection and close the last gaps. :-)
Important note: Due to a level time bug in version 3.2.0 that affects
the EMC levels, you should update Rocks’n’Diamonds to the new version 3.2.1
(released yesterday) to play the EMC levels!
This new level collection package is available now at the
“Levels & Artwork” section!