User:Dr. Floppy/Apex

Apex is a side-scrolling adventure/exploration game. It serves as a testament to the "golden age" of console gaming (circa early '90's)- a celebration of what was, what is and what might have been.

Overview

• Project owner: Retrometheus
• Developer: Retrometheus
• Compiler: None (hex coding)
• Sound driver: Retrodriver™
• Soundtrack by: Retrometheus
• Started on: 5/2011
• Status: Preproduction
• Mapper: MMC5 (unique submapper, tentatively dubbed "EXROM")
• PRG-ROM: 1024 KB
• CHR-ROM: 1024 KB
• PRG-RAM: 64 KB

Story

Bioterrorists are cultivating superviruses in labs hidden at the bottom of the ocean.

Gameplay

Apex is a rather nondescript purple angelfish with two basic attacks: a stationary somersault and high-velocity bubble projectiles.

RAM Map

$00-0D: Music channel pointers
$0E-0F: Rhythm Array pointer
$10-1D: Repeat Coda pointers
$1E: Song Data bank#
$1F: DPCM sample data Bank#
$20-2F: Cycle countdowns & reiterations
$30-3F: Timbre/volume/misc.
$40-47: Music "jukebox" variables
$5C: Current macromode
$5D: Macromode transition destination
$5F: Transition status [#00 = null; #01: activate; #FF: transitioning]
$60-63: Sound effect variables
$B0-B2: Controller 1 buttons (old, regular, new)
$B8-BA: Controller 2 buttons (old, regular, new)
$C0: Current Spritesheet
$C1: Current BG Tilesheet
$F8: SPR-OAM Transfer on next NMI? (#00 = yes)
$FC: Frame Counter
$FF: Used in terminal MPL loop.

$100-1FF: Stack

$200-2FF: Sprites

ROM Map

$E0010: Default music data bank
$E4010: Alternate music data bank
$E8010-F000F: Reserved for expansion
$F0010-FE00F: Seven 8kB DPCM banks
$FE010: NMI Routine
$FF010: Init. Routine
$FF090: Title Screen draw routine
$FF0F0-FF10F: Title Screen palettes
$FF110: Main Program Loop
$FFC10: Music frequency table
$FFD10: Tempo Offsets
$FFF10: Music/Tempo/DPCM Bank index
$100000: Waiting for NMI