Game 1Unit 7 of 101 hr learning time
Dawn Breaks
A run needs an ending you can reach: the fifth watch held becomes the true win — a new state, the morning's own screen, and a blocking ceremony that sweeps the square gold row by row.
70% of The Long Night
Hold all five watches of the night you built last unit, and your reward is… watch five again. And again. The tables clamp, the difficulty plateaus, and the run only ever ends one way: NIGHT FALLS, eventually, for everyone. That’s the endless arcade model, and it has an honourable history — but the playtest killed it here without sentiment, and the reasoning deserves to be quoted into your design vocabulary: a run this demanding needs an ending you can reach, not just a wall you eventually hit. Endless reframes every run as a defeat deferred. A reachable dawn reframes the same five watches as a story with a last page — and the difference in how a loss feels afterwards is enormous, because now you lost three watches short of morning, not three watches into infinity.
Milestone 1 — an ending that exists
The machinery is everything you already know how to build, which is itself the lesson — endings are cheap once state machines are in your hands. A new state, STATE_DAWN. One check at the only beat the game can be won: the eighth lamp lights, and before the ordinary held-screen path runs, ask which watch is this? On the last one, take the other exit: the morning’s own screen — same lift-and-say shape as the win screen, with DAWN BREAKS in the morning’s words — the fanfare, and a state whose only future is the title. The run is over, and it was won.
Step 1: STATE_DAWN, the last-watch check, and the morning's screen
+33
| 41 | 41 | STATE_PLAY equ 1 | |
| 42 | 42 | STATE_WIN equ 2 ; a dusk held — the night deepens | |
| 43 | 43 | STATE_LOSE equ 3 ; night falls — the game is lost | |
| 44 | + | STATE_DAWN equ 4 ; the fifth dusk held — morning, | |
| 45 | + | ; the TRUE win | |
| 46 | + | DAWN_COL equ 10 ; centres the eleven characters | |
| 44 | 47 | | |
| 45 | 48 | LOCK equ 25 ; input-lock frames after entering a screen | |
| 46 | 49 | | |
| ... | |||
| 166 | 169 | ld a, (lit_count) | |
| 167 | 170 | cp NUM_LAMPS | |
| 168 | 171 | ret nz | |
| 172 | + | ; the eighth lamp: is this the last watch of the night? | |
| 173 | + | ld a, (dusk) | |
| 174 | + | cp NUM_DUSKS - 1 | |
| 175 | + | jr z, .thedawn | |
| 169 | 176 | ; the night is held — the lives you kept are the score | |
| 170 | 177 | ld a, (lives) | |
| 171 | 178 | ld hl, best_lives | |
| ... | |||
| 178 | 185 | ld a, LOCK | |
| 179 | 186 | ld (input_lock), a | |
| 180 | 187 | ld a, STATE_WIN | |
| 188 | + | ld (game_state), a | |
| 189 | + | ret | |
| 190 | + | .thedawn: | |
| 191 | + | call draw_dawn_screen | |
| 192 | + | call fanfare_held | |
| 193 | + | ld a, LOCK | |
| 194 | + | ld (input_lock), a | |
| 195 | + | ld a, STATE_DAWN | |
| 181 | 196 | ld (game_state), a | |
| 182 | 197 | ret | |
| 183 | 198 | | |
| ... | |||
| 491 | 506 | | |
| 492 | 507 | ; draw_lose_screen — the whole attribute table goes black: every lamp, | |
| 493 | 508 | ; every wall, every warm cell, gone in one LDIR. Then the words. | |
| 509 | + | ; draw_dawn_screen — the same lift-and-say as the win screen, with | |
| 510 | + | ; the morning's own words. The square stands as the run left it. | |
| 511 | + | draw_dawn_screen: | |
| 512 | + | call restore_under | |
| 513 | + | ld hl, dawn_text | |
| 514 | + | ld b, MSG_ROW | |
| 515 | + | ld c, DAWN_COL | |
| 516 | + | call print_string | |
| 517 | + | ld hl, prompt_text | |
| 518 | + | ld b, CONT_ROW | |
| 519 | + | ld c, PROMPT_COL | |
| 520 | + | call print_string | |
| 521 | + | ret | |
| 522 | + | | |
| 494 | 523 | draw_lose_screen: | |
| 495 | 524 | ld hl, $5800 | |
| 496 | 525 | ld de, $5801 | |
| ... | |||
| 1860 | 1889 | | |
| 1861 | 1890 | lose_text: | |
| 1862 | 1891 | defb "NIGHT FALLS" | |
| 1892 | + | defb $FF | |
| 1893 | + | | |
| 1894 | + | dawn_text: | |
| 1895 | + | defb "DAWN BREAKS" | |
| 1863 | 1896 | defb $FF | |
| 1864 | 1897 | | |
| 1865 | 1898 | end start |
The complete step 1 program
; The Long Night — Unit 7: Dawn Breaks
; Cumulative build; every step runs on its own. Narrative: the unit page.
; A run needs an ending you can reach: hold the fifth watch and morning comes.
org 32768
COBBLE equ %00000001 ; PAPER black (0), INK blue (1) — dark ground
GLOW equ %00000110 ; pool-warmed cobble: yellow INK on black —
; ground the light holds
DARK equ %01000001 ; the night made solid: blue INK on black,
; BRIGHT — impassable, unmistakably there
WALL equ %00001111 ; PAPER blue (1), INK white (7) — pale stone
WALL_BIT equ 3 ; the attribute bit that says "this is wall"
LAMP_ATTR equ %01000111 ; BRIGHT, PAPER black, INK white — his own light
LAMP_UNLIT equ %00000101 ; cold cyan INK on black PAPER — bit 3
; clear, so a lamp reads as floor
LAMP_LIT equ %01000110 ; BRIGHT yellow INK on black — a held flame
DRAUGHT_ATTR equ %01000101 ; the wisp: BRIGHT cyan on black — cold light
LIVES equ 3
LIFE_PIP equ %01010000 ; a life: BRIGHT red PAPER — a small ember
LIFE_BASE equ $5800 + 28 ; row 0, right of the ledge — three cells
NUM_DUSKS equ 5 ; five watches of night — the tables
; below give each watch its teeth
PIP_UNLIT equ %00101000 ; a cold pip: cyan PAPER, a solid block
PIP_LIT equ %01110000 ; a warm pip: BRIGHT yellow PAPER
PIP_BASE equ $5800 + 12 ; row 0, column 12 — the HUD ledge,
; eight cells, centred over the square
NUM_LAMPS equ 8
MSG_ATTR equ %01000111 ; message text: bright white on black
MSG_ROW equ 11
LOSE_COL equ 10 ; centres the eleven characters
WIN_COL equ 7 ; centres the seventeen characters
FONT equ $3C00 ; the ROM font, addressed so that
; ASCII x 8 lands on the right glyph
STATE_TITLE equ 0
STATE_PLAY equ 1
STATE_WIN equ 2 ; a dusk held — the night deepens
STATE_LOSE equ 3 ; night falls — the game is lost
STATE_DAWN equ 4 ; the fifth dusk held — morning,
; the TRUE win
DAWN_COL equ 10 ; centres the eleven characters
LOCK equ 25 ; input-lock frames after entering a screen
SPEAKER equ %00010000 ; port $FE bit 4 — the beeper's one bit
TITLE_COL equ 12 ; GLOAMING, centred
PROMPT_COL equ 10 ; PRESS SPACE, centred
TITLE_ROW equ 8
PROMPT_ROW equ 14
CONT_ROW equ 16 ; "PRESS SPACE" under a win/lose line
START_COL equ 15 ; where the lamplighter begins
START_ROW equ 11
PLAYER_REPEAT equ 6 ; frames between steps while a key is held
GATHER equ 120 ; frames the dark gathers before its first step
WREST equ 48 ; frames it rests at home after a withdrawal —
; the snuff window holds even when home is close
KEYS_OP equ $DFFE ; half-row P O I U Y — bits 1 and 0
KEYS_Q equ $FBFE ; half-row Q W E R T — bit 0 is Q
KEYS_A equ $FDFE ; half-row A S D F G — bit 0 is A
KEYS_SPACE equ $7FFE ; half-row SPACE SYM M N B — bit 0
start:
; --- the border goes black — the night beyond the square ---
; Port $FE bits 0-2 set the BORDER colour. A = 0 = black.
ld a, 0
out ($FE), a
ld a, STATE_TITLE
ld (game_state), a
call draw_title_screen
im 1
ei
call chime_dusk ; after EI — the rests need the interrupt
main_loop:
halt
; the dispatch: each state names what a frame means — the
; title listens for a beginning, PLAY beats the game forward,
; WIN and LOSE hold the screen exactly as it stands
ld a, (game_state)
cp STATE_TITLE
jr z, .do_title
cp STATE_PLAY
jr z, .do_play
call end_step ; WIN or LOSE — wait for a key, then title
jr main_loop
.do_title:
call title_step
jr main_loop
.do_play:
call play_step
jr main_loop
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; title_step — SPACE starts a fresh game.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
title_step:
ld a, (input_lock)
or a
jr z, .tready
dec a
ld (input_lock), a
ret
.tready:
ld bc, KEYS_SPACE
in a, (c)
bit 0, a
ret nz
call init_run
ld a, STATE_PLAY
ld (game_state), a
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; end_step — after the lock, SPACE moves on. A held dusk continues
; the run — the night deepens; only NIGHT FALLS returns to the title.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
end_step:
ld a, (input_lock)
or a
jr z, .eready
dec a
ld (input_lock), a
ret
.eready:
ld bc, KEYS_SPACE
in a, (c)
bit 0, a
ret nz
ld a, (game_state)
cp STATE_WIN
jr z, .deeper
call draw_title_screen
call chime_dusk
ld a, LOCK
ld (input_lock), a
ld a, STATE_TITLE
ld (game_state), a
ret
.deeper:
; the dusk was held — the night is NOT over. Deepen and
; go again: the square relights, and the lives carry.
ld hl, dusk
inc (hl)
call init_game
ld a, STATE_PLAY
ld (game_state), a
ret
; play_step — one beat of the game: ask the keyboard.
play_step:
call player_step
; contact can end the game mid-frame — if it did, stop here
ld a, (game_state)
cp STATE_PLAY
ret nz
call draught_step
ld a, (game_state)
cp STATE_PLAY
ret nz
; the win check, at the only beat the count can have changed
ld a, (lit_count)
cp NUM_LAMPS
ret nz
; the eighth lamp: is this the last watch of the night?
ld a, (dusk)
cp NUM_DUSKS - 1
jr z, .thedawn
; the night is held — the lives you kept are the score
ld a, (lives)
ld hl, best_lives
cp (hl)
jr c, .nobest
ld (hl), a
.nobest:
call draw_win_screen
call fanfare_held
ld a, LOCK
ld (input_lock), a
ld a, STATE_WIN
ld (game_state), a
ret
.thedawn:
call draw_dawn_screen
call fanfare_held
ld a, LOCK
ld (input_lock), a
ld a, STATE_DAWN
ld (game_state), a
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; init_run / init_game — a run is a NIGHT now: dusk 0, full lives.
; Each held dusk re-enters init_game with dusk bumped — the square
; relights, the lives carry. What resets per RUN and what resets per
; WATCH is the whole design decision, drawn as two entry points.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
init_run:
xor a
ld (dusk), a
ld a, LIVES
ld (lives), a
; fall through into the per-dusk setup
init_game:
xor a
ld (lit_count), a
; --- place the lamplighter ---
; His position is data. Everything that draws him reads it.
ld a, START_COL
ld (lamp_col), a
ld a, START_ROW
ld (lamp_row), a
; the dark probes from a new quarter each watch —
; a lesson the square teaches by ITSELF: watch 2 already
; feels different before anything else has changed
ld a, (dusk)
and 3
add a, a
ld e, a
ld d, 0
ld hl, corner_tab
add hl, de
ld a, (hl)
ld (draught_col), a
ld (draught_home_col), a
inc hl
ld a, (hl)
ld (draught_row), a
ld (draught_home_row), a
; the night deepens: the wisp's pace comes from the dusk
; table, deeper dusks holding the last entry
ld a, (dusk)
cp NUM_DUSKS
jr c, .dpace
ld a, NUM_DUSKS - 1
.dpace:
ld e, a
ld d, 0
ld hl, dusk_table
add hl, de
ld a, (hl)
ld (dusk_speed), a
; ...but it gathers before the first step — a beat to read
; the square before the hunt begins
ld a, GATHER
ld (draught_timer), a
; the tendril reaches further as the night deepens
ld hl, dusk_lentab
add hl, de
ld a, (hl)
ld (tendril_max), a
xor a
ld (player_timer), a
ld (tendril_len), a
ld (tendril_head), a
ld (draught_mode), a
ld (lit_qcount), a
; --- wipe the canvas ---
; The bitmap ($4000-$57FF) is the pixel layer; whatever was on
; screen before us still lives there. Zero it so only our
; attribute colours show.
call clear_bitmap
; --- texture the ground ---
; Blit the cobble stipple into every cell's bitmap, rows 1-23.
; The attributes will colour these pixels in a moment.
call fill_ground
; --- wash in the cobbles ---
; Seed the first attribute cell, point DE one cell ahead, and
; let LDIR cascade the byte through all 768 cells.
ld hl, $5800
ld de, $5801
ld (hl), COBBLE
ld bc, 767
ldir
call warm_walls
call paint_buildings
; --- brick the walls ---
; Now that the wall cells are painted, fill_walls can read the
; map back and lay brick wherever the wall bit is set.
call fill_walls
call draw_pips
call draw_lives
call draw_lamps
; save what he is about to stand on, BEFORE the first draw
call save_under
call draw_lamp
call save_draught
call draw_draught
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; warm_walls — the square's edge, one attribute write per cell; the
; colour is no longer a constant but the wall_ramp entry for how many
; lamps are lit. Same painting loop as ever — only where C comes from
; has changed.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
warm_walls:
ld a, (lit_count)
ld e, a
ld d, 0
ld hl, wall_ramp
add hl, de
ld c, (hl) ; the byte every wall cell gets
; the top wall: row 1 is 32 cells in a row from $5820
; (row 0 is kept back — it becomes the HUD later)
ld hl, $5820
ld b, 32
.wt:
ld (hl), c
inc hl
djnz .wt
; the bottom wall: row 23, 32 cells from $5AE0
ld hl, $5AE0
ld b, 32
.wb:
ld (hl), c
inc hl
djnz .wb
; the side walls: column 0 and column 31 of rows 1-23.
; Write the row's first cell, hop 31 cells to its last,
; then step a full row (32) down — 23 times.
ld hl, $5820
ld b, 23
.ws:
ld (hl), c
push hl
ld de, 31
add hl, de
ld (hl), c
pop hl
ld de, 32
add hl, de
djnz .ws
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; The beeper. One bit on port $FE: set it, wait, clear it, wait — a
; square wave by hand. C is the half-period (pitch: bigger is lower),
; B the number of cycles (duration). DI while it sounds: the 50 Hz
; interrupt would stretch random half-periods and buzz the tone.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
beep:
di
.bcyc:
ld a, SPEAKER
out ($FE), a
ld a, c
.bd1:
dec a
jr nz, .bd1
xor a
out ($FE), a
ld a, c
.bd2:
dec a
jr nz, .bd2
djnz .bcyc
ei
ret
blip_lit: ; a rising third — the lamp catches
ld b, $17 ; C6
ld c, $67
call beep
ld b, $28 ; E6
ld c, $51
jp beep
chime_dusk: ; two cold tolls, then the motif far off
ld b, $84 ; A4
ld c, $F7
call beep
ld b, 10
call rest
ld b, $84 ; A4
ld c, $F7
call beep
ld b, 13
call rest
ld b, $92 ; E5
ld c, $A4
call beep
ld b, 4
call rest
ld b, $9D ; C5
ld c, $CF
jp beep
; rest — B frames of silence. Musical time rides the heartbeat: the
; gaps between notes are counted in HALTs, not busy-loops.
rest:
halt
djnz rest
ret
fanfare_held: ; THE NIGHT IS HELD — a rising run
ld b, $83 ; C5
ld c, $CF
call beep
ld b, 3
call rest
ld b, $A5 ; E5
ld c, $A4
call beep
ld b, 3
call rest
ld b, $C4 ; G5
ld c, $8A
call beep
ld b, 3
call rest
ld b, $FF ; C6, held — B only counts to 255,
ld c, $67
call beep
ld b, $FF ; so hold it by sounding it twice
ld c, $67
jp beep
sting_nightfall: ; NIGHT FALLS — two steps down, then dark
ld b, $53 ; E5
ld c, $A4
call beep
ld b, 4
call rest
ld b, $49 ; D5
ld c, $B8
call beep
ld b, 4
call rest
ld b, $DC ; A4, long — the night settles on it
ld c, $F7
jp beep
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; Screens.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; draw_win_screen — lift the lamplighter off the board (restore his
; cell: the eighth lamp, lit, comes out of the buffer), then say it.
; draw_title_screen — sparse and suggestive: a black void, the name,
; the invitation. Everything else is left to the imagination, which
; is both the aesthetic and the budget.
draw_title_screen:
call clear_bitmap
ld hl, $5800
ld de, $5801
ld (hl), %00000000
ld bc, 767
ldir
ld hl, title_text
ld b, TITLE_ROW
ld c, TITLE_COL
call print_string
ld hl, prompt_text
ld b, PROMPT_ROW
ld c, PROMPT_COL
call print_string
; your best night — the lives you kept on your finest win,
; read in lamps (no digits). It survives the loop back to
; the title: the go-again hook.
ld hl, $5800 + 11 * 32 + 14
ld b, LIVES
ld a, (best_lives)
ld c, a
.tpip:
ld a, PIP_UNLIT
inc c
dec c
jr z, .tpcold
ld a, PIP_LIT
dec c
.tpcold:
ld (hl), a
inc hl
djnz .tpip
ret
draw_win_screen:
call restore_under
ld hl, win_text
ld b, MSG_ROW
ld c, WIN_COL
call print_string
ld hl, prompt_text
ld b, CONT_ROW
ld c, PROMPT_COL
call print_string
ret
; draw_lose_screen — the whole attribute table goes black: every lamp,
; every wall, every warm cell, gone in one LDIR. Then the words.
; draw_dawn_screen — the same lift-and-say as the win screen, with
; the morning's own words. The square stands as the run left it.
draw_dawn_screen:
call restore_under
ld hl, dawn_text
ld b, MSG_ROW
ld c, DAWN_COL
call print_string
ld hl, prompt_text
ld b, CONT_ROW
ld c, PROMPT_COL
call print_string
ret
draw_lose_screen:
ld hl, $5800
ld de, $5801
ld (hl), %00000000
ld bc, 767
ldir
ld hl, lose_text
ld b, MSG_ROW
ld c, LOSE_COL
call print_string
ld hl, prompt_text
ld b, CONT_ROW
ld c, PROMPT_COL
call print_string
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; clear_bitmap — zero the pixel layer, $4000-$57FF, with the same
; seed-and-cascade LDIR idiom the cobble wash uses.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
clear_bitmap:
ld hl, $4000
ld de, $4001
ld (hl), 0
ld bc, 6143
ldir
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; player_step — the keys become movement. Each direction key edits a
; TARGET position (tcol, trow) — a proposal, not yet a move — so it
; can be vetoed before it becomes real. Then the move commits: leave
; the old cell, take the new one, draw.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
player_step:
; --- propose: the target starts where he stands ---
ld a, (lamp_col)
ld (tcol), a
ld a, (lamp_row)
ld (trow), a
; The held-key gate: the first press steps at once, then one
; step every PLAYER_REPEAT frames. Releasing every direction
; key re-arms the instant first step, so taps stay crisp.
ld bc, KEYS_OP
in a, (c)
cpl
and %00000011
ld e, a
ld bc, KEYS_Q
in a, (c)
cpl
and %00000001
or e
ld e, a
ld bc, KEYS_A
in a, (c)
cpl
and %00000001
or e
jr nz, .held
xor a
ld (player_timer), a
ret
.held:
ld a, (player_timer)
or a
jr z, .stepnow
dec a
ld (player_timer), a
ret
.stepnow:
ld a, PLAYER_REPEAT
ld (player_timer), a
ld bc, KEYS_OP
in a, (c)
bit 1, a ; O — a zero bit is a pressed key
jr z, .pleft
bit 0, a ; P, same half-row
jr z, .pright
ld bc, KEYS_Q
in a, (c)
bit 0, a ; Q
jr z, .pup
ld bc, KEYS_A
in a, (c)
bit 0, a ; A
jr z, .pdown
ret ; nothing held — nothing to do
.pleft:
ld hl, tcol
dec (hl)
jr .pmove
.pright:
ld hl, tcol
inc (hl)
jr .pmove
.pup:
ld hl, trow
dec (hl)
jr .pmove
.pdown:
ld hl, trow
inc (hl)
.pmove:
; The veto: ask the target cell's attribute whether it's wall.
; NZ means brick — the proposal dies here and he stays put.
ld a, (trow)
ld b, a
ld a, (tcol)
ld c, a
call wall_at
ret nz
; the solid night blocks too — you cannot walk into the dark
ld a, (hl)
cp DARK
ret z
; and the mirror rule: he cannot step onto the wisp either
ld a, (tcol)
ld hl, draught_col
cp (hl)
jr nz, .pcommit
ld a, (trow)
ld hl, draught_row
cp (hl)
jr nz, .pcommit
call lose_life ; walking into the cold costs the same
ret
.pcommit:
; --- commit: restore, step, save, draw — in that order ---
call restore_under
ld a, (tcol)
ld (lamp_col), a
ld a, (trow)
ld (lamp_row), a
call save_under
; light it where it lives: while he covers the lamp, its truth
; is the buffer — rewrite the saved attribute, and restore will
; paint the lamp back lit when he leaves
ld a, (under_lamp + 8)
cp LAMP_UNLIT
jr nz, .pdrawn
ld a, LAMP_LIT
ld (under_lamp + 8), a
; record the lighting order — the night bears its grudges
; oldest-first (lamp_col/lamp_row are the lamplighter's
; position, and he is standing on the lamp)
ld a, (lamp_col)
ld c, a
ld a, (lamp_row)
ld b, a
call lamp_index_at
call lit_push
call light_pip
call blip_lit
call warm_walls
call recompute_pools
.pdrawn:
call draw_lamp
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; fill_ground — the cobble stipple. Not decoration: the stipple is what
; makes ground-state changes visible later, when the game starts
; recolouring these pixels. Rows 1-23 (row 0 is the HUD).
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
fill_ground:
ld b, 1 ; rows 1-23 (row 0 is the HUD)
.fgr:
ld c, 0
.fgc:
ld de, cobble_tex
call blit_tex
inc c
ld a, c
cp 32
jr c, .fgc
inc b
ld a, b
cp 24
jr c, .fgr
ret
; fill_walls — brickwork. Driven by the wall attribute bit, so anything
; painted as wall — now or later in the game — gets its brick for free:
; the map itself decides where the brick goes.
fill_walls:
ld b, 1
.fwr:
ld c, 0
.fwc:
push bc
call attr_addr_cr
bit WALL_BIT, (hl)
pop bc
jr z, .fwn
ld de, brick_tex
call blit_tex
.fwn:
inc c
ld a, c
cp 32
jr c, .fwc
inc b
ld a, b
cp 24
jr c, .fwr
ret
; blit_tex — write the 8-byte texture at DE into cell (C, B)'s bitmap.
; scr_addr_cr finds the cell's first pixel row; INC H steps down the
; other seven, 256 bytes apart.
blit_tex:
push bc
call scr_addr_cr
ld b, 8
.bt:
ld a, (de)
ld (hl), a
inc de
inc h
djnz .bt
pop bc
ret
cobble_tex:
defb %10000010
defb %00000000
defb %00001000
defb %00000000
defb %00100001
defb %00000000
defb %00010000
defb %00000000
mist_tex:
; the solid night — dense, swirling, unmistakably *there*
defb %01101100
defb %11011011
defb %00110110
defb %01101101
defb %11011010
defb %10110110
defb %01101011
defb %11010110
brick_tex:
; mortar courses with staggered verticals — dusk-lit stone
defb %00001000
defb %00001000
defb %00001000
defb %11111111
defb %10000000
defb %10000000
defb %10000000
defb %11111111
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; recompute_pools — the lamps cast their light. Every glow cell dies
; back to bare cobble, then every LIT lamp warms its eight neighbours.
; Derived, not tracked: called after any light or snuff, it rebuilds
; the whole layer from lamp truth, so the pools can never drift.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
recompute_pools:
; the discipline: both movers OFF the screen first, so the
; recolour reads and writes true ground — never a sprite,
; and never into a buffer that would restore stale colour
call restore_under
call restore_draught
ld hl, $5820 ; rows 1-23 (row 0 is the HUD)
ld bc, 736
.rp1:
ld a, (hl)
cp GLOW
jr nz, .rp1n
ld (hl), COBBLE
.rp1n:
inc hl
dec bc
ld a, b
or c
jr nz, .rp1
ld hl, lamp_data
.rp2:
ld a, (hl)
cp $FF
jr z, .rpdone
ld c, a
inc hl
ld b, (hl)
inc hl
push hl
push bc
call attr_addr_cr
ld a, (hl)
pop bc
cp LAMP_LIT
jr nz, .rp2n
call glow_ring
.rp2n:
pop hl
jr .rp2
.rpdone:
; ...and back on, their buffers re-photographing ground
; that now includes the glow
call save_under
call save_draught
call draw_lamp
call draw_draught
ret
; glow_ring — warm the eight cells around lamp (C = col, B = row) where
; they are bare cobble. Pools never take walls, posts, or the dark.
glow_ring:
ld hl, ring_offsets
ld e, 8
.gr:
push hl
push de
push bc
ld a, (hl)
add a, c
ld c, a
inc hl
ld a, (hl)
add a, b
ld b, a
call attr_addr_cr
ld a, (hl)
cp COBBLE
jr nz, .grn
ld (hl), GLOW
.grn:
pop bc
pop de
pop hl
inc hl
inc hl
dec e
jr nz, .gr
ret
ring_offsets:
defb -1, -1, 0, -1, 1, -1
defb -1, 0, 1, 0
defb -1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; lamp_index_at — which lamp_data entry sits at (C = col, B = row)?
; Returns the index in A ($FF if none — callers only ask about cells
; they know hold a lamp).
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
lamp_index_at:
ld hl, lamp_data
ld e, 0
.lia:
ld a, (hl)
cp $FF
ret z
cp c
jr nz, .lian
inc hl
ld a, (hl)
dec hl
cp b
jr nz, .lian
ld a, e
ret
.lian:
inc hl
inc hl
inc e
jr .lia
; lit_push — append lamp index (A) to the lit-order queue.
lit_push:
ld e, a
ld a, (lit_qcount)
ld d, a
inc a
ld (lit_qcount), a
ld a, d
ld hl, lit_queue
add a, l
ld l, a
jr nc, .lp
inc h
.lp:
ld (hl), e
ret
; lit_remove — take lamp index (A) out of the lit-order queue,
; closing the gap.
lit_remove:
ld e, a
ld hl, lit_queue
ld a, (lit_qcount)
ld d, a
or a
ret z
.lr:
ld a, (hl)
cp e
jr z, .lrfound
inc hl
dec d
jr nz, .lr
ret
.lrfound:
dec d
jr z, .lrlast
.lrshift:
inc hl
ld a, (hl)
dec hl
ld (hl), a
inc hl
dec d
jr nz, .lrshift
.lrlast:
ld a, (lit_qcount)
dec a
ld (lit_qcount), a
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; draught_step — the hunt bears grudges. The wisp steps toward the
; OLDEST grievance: the head of the lit-order queue, or, with
; nothing lit, the lamplighter's own flame. Still no walls.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
draught_step:
ld a, (draught_timer)
dec a
ld (draught_timer), a
ret nz
ld a, (dusk_speed)
ld (draught_timer), a
; withdrawing? after a snuff the night carries its prize
; home before hunting again — behaviour is a MODE now, and
; the mode decides what this beat means
ld a, (draught_mode)
or a
jr z, .hunt
ld a, (draught_home_col)
ld hl, draught_col
cp (hl)
jr nz, .whome
ld a, (draught_home_row)
ld hl, draught_row
cp (hl)
jr nz, .whome
xor a ; home — rest, then the hunt resumes
ld (draught_mode), a
ld a, WREST
ld (draught_timer), a
ret
.whome:
ld a, (draught_home_col)
ld (seek_col), a
ld a, (draught_home_row)
ld (seek_row), a
jp .chase
.hunt:
; the oldest flame is the night's grievance — it reclaims
; the ground it lost first. With nothing lit, it hunts the
; lamplighter's own flame: light your first lamp and the
; hunt turns away from you.
ld a, (lit_qcount)
or a
jr nz, .oldest
ld a, (lamp_col)
ld (seek_col), a
ld a, (lamp_row)
ld (seek_row), a
jr .chase
.oldest:
ld a, (lit_queue)
add a, a
ld e, a
ld d, 0
ld hl, lamp_data
add hl, de
ld a, (hl)
ld (seek_col), a
inc hl
ld a, (hl)
ld (seek_row), a
.chase:
; step one cell along the axis with the greater distance
; (ties go sideways) — the night is 4-connected, like the
; lamplighter
ld a, (draught_col)
ld (dtcol), a
ld a, (draught_row)
ld (dtrow), a
ld a, (seek_col)
ld hl, draught_col
sub (hl)
jp p, .absc
neg
.absc:
ld d, a ; D = |dc|
ld a, (seek_row)
ld hl, draught_row
sub (hl)
jp p, .absr
neg
.absr:
cp d ; |dr| vs |dc|
jr z, .tie
jr c, .horiz
jr .vert
.tie:
ld a, d
or a
ret z ; already on the light
jr .horiz
.horiz:
ld a, (seek_col)
ld hl, draught_col
cp (hl)
jr c, .hleft
ld a, (hl)
inc a
ld (dtcol), a
jr .contact
.hleft:
ld a, (hl)
dec a
ld (dtcol), a
jr .contact
.vert:
ld a, (seek_row)
ld hl, draught_row
cp (hl)
jr c, .vup
ld a, (hl)
inc a
ld (dtrow), a
jr .contact
.vup:
ld a, (hl)
dec a
ld (dtrow), a
.contact:
; never step ONTO the lamplighter: adjacent is as close as
; the night comes. Two movers, two buffers — and one cell
; can only ever be under one of them.
ld a, (dtcol)
ld hl, lamp_col
cp (hl)
jr nz, .dmove
ld a, (dtrow)
ld hl, lamp_row
cp (hl)
jr nz, .dmove
call lose_life ; the touch, priced
ret
.dmove:
call restore_draught
; the tendril: night pools where the wisp has walked. Ground
; and spilt light are both taken; posts and stone are not.
ld a, (draught_col)
ld c, a
ld a, (draught_row)
ld b, a
push bc
call attr_addr_cr
pop bc
ld a, (hl)
cp DARK
jr z, .retake
cp COBBLE
jr z, .take
cp GLOW
jr nz, .notake
.take:
ld (hl), DARK
ld de, mist_tex
call blit_tex
.retake:
call tendril_push
.notake:
ld a, (dtcol)
ld (draught_col), a
ld a, (dtrow)
ld (draught_row), a
call save_draught
; the snuff: while the wisp covers a lit lamp, the lamp's
; truth is ITS buffer — the same saved-under rule that lights
; lamps beneath the lamplighter, run by the villain. Rewrite
; the saved attribute to cold, and the wisp's own restore
; will leave the lamp out as it moves on.
ld a, (under_draught + 8)
cp LAMP_LIT
jr nz, .nosnuff
ld a, LAMP_UNLIT
ld (under_draught + 8), a
; the grievance is settled — off the lit-order queue
ld a, (draught_col)
ld c, a
ld a, (draught_row)
ld b, a
call lamp_index_at
call lit_remove
call unlight_pip
call warm_walls
call recompute_pools
ld a, 1 ; the prize is taken — withdraw
ld (draught_mode), a
.nosnuff:
call draw_draught
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; tendril_push — record darkened cell (C = col, B = row) in the tendril
; ring. When the ring is full the oldest cell releases back to bare
; cobble first — the night cannot hold ground beyond its reach, so the
; tendril can never permanently wall the square off.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
tendril_push:
ld a, (tendril_len)
ld hl, tendril_max
cp (hl)
jr c, .tgrow
; full: release the oldest cell (the slot head points at)
push bc
ld a, (tendril_head)
add a, a
ld e, a
ld d, 0
ld hl, tendril_buf
add hl, de
ld c, (hl)
inc hl
ld b, (hl)
; a newer ring entry may still claim this cell (the wisp
; re-walks its own trail) — then the night keeps it
call tendril_claimed
jr z, .treld
; if the wisp itself is crossing that cell, mend its saved
; ground instead of the screen
ld a, (draught_col)
cp c
jr nz, .trel
ld a, (draught_row)
cp b
jr nz, .trel
; mend the wisp's saved ground: stipple, and glow if a lit
; lamp still pools this cell — the light heals behind the dark
push bc
ld hl, cobble_tex
ld de, under_draught
ld bc, 8
ldir
pop bc
call pooled_at
ld a, COBBLE
jr nz, .tsetu
ld a, GLOW
.tsetu:
ld (under_draught + 8), a
jr .treld
.trel:
push bc
call attr_addr_cr
pop bc
ld a, (hl)
cp DARK
jr nz, .treld
push hl
call pooled_at
pop hl
ld a, COBBLE
jr nz, .tset
ld a, GLOW
.tset:
ld (hl), a
ld de, cobble_tex
call blit_tex
.treld:
pop bc
jr .tstore
.tgrow:
inc a
ld (tendril_len), a
.tstore:
ld a, (tendril_head)
add a, a
ld e, a
ld d, 0
ld hl, tendril_buf
add hl, de
ld (hl), c
inc hl
ld (hl), b
ld a, (tendril_head)
inc a
ld hl, tendril_max
cp (hl)
jr c, .tadv
xor a
.tadv:
ld (tendril_head), a
ret
; paint_buildings — walk the rectangle table: each entry is col, row,
; width, height; $FF ends the list. Every cell inside a rectangle gets
; the WALL attribute — and because fill_walls textures by the wall bit,
; the brickwork arrives without another line of drawing code.
paint_buildings:
ld hl, bldg_data
.pb:
ld a, (hl)
cp $FF
ret z
ld c, a ; col
inc hl
ld b, (hl) ; row
inc hl
ld d, (hl) ; width
inc hl
ld e, (hl) ; height
inc hl
push hl
.pbrow:
push bc
push de
.pbcol:
push bc
push de
call attr_addr_cr
ld (hl), WALL
pop de
pop bc
inc c
dec d
jr nz, .pbcol
pop de
pop bc
inc b
dec e
jr nz, .pbrow
pop hl
jr .pb
bldg_data:
defb 5, 5, 4, 3
defb 23, 5, 4, 3
defb $FF
corner_tab:
; where the dark enters, per watch (NE, SE, SW, NW)
defb 28, 4
defb 28, 19
defb 3, 19
defb 3, 4
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; tendril_claimed — does any ring slot other than head hold (C, B)?
; Z set if claimed. Only called with the ring full, so every slot holds
; a real cell.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
tendril_claimed:
ld hl, tendril_buf
ld e, 0
.tc:
ld a, (tendril_head)
cp e
jr z, .tcn ; the slot being released — skip
ld a, (hl)
cp c
jr nz, .tcn
inc hl
ld a, (hl)
dec hl
cp b
jr nz, .tcn
xor a ; Z — a newer claim holds it
ret
.tcn:
inc hl
inc hl
inc e
ld a, (tendril_max)
cp e
jr nz, .tc
or a ; NZ (max is never 0) — free
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; pooled_at — is cell (C, B) within one cell of a LIT lamp? Z if so.
; The light heals: released tendril ground inside a live pool returns
; to glow, not bare cobble.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
pooled_at:
ld hl, lamp_data
.pa:
ld a, (hl)
cp $FF
jr z, .pano
ld e, a ; lamp col
inc hl
ld d, (hl) ; lamp row
inc hl
ld a, e
sub c
jp p, .pac
neg
.pac:
cp 2
jr nc, .pa
ld a, d
sub b
jp p, .par
neg
.par:
cp 2
jr nc, .pa
push hl
push bc
ld c, e
ld b, d
call attr_addr_cr
ld a, (hl)
pop bc
pop hl
cp LAMP_LIT
jr nz, .pa
xor a ; Z — pooled by a lit lamp
ret
.pano:
or 1 ; NZ — bare ground
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; lose_life — the price of the touch: one ember out, and either a
; fresh start or the fall of night.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
lose_life:
ld a, (lives)
dec a
ld (lives), a
ld e, a
ld d, 0
ld hl, LIFE_BASE
add hl, de
ld (hl), COBBLE ; the ember at the new count goes out
ld a, (lives)
or a
jr z, .gone
; a life left: the lamplighter returns to the start cell
call restore_under
ld a, START_COL
ld (lamp_col), a
ld a, START_ROW
ld (lamp_row), a
call save_under
call draw_lamp
; the taking costs the night its reach — the wisp recoils to
; the far corner, so every life buys a whole fresh chase
; (leaving it beside the respawn made a catch strip every
; life in seconds once the draught learnt to hunt)
call restore_draught
ld a, (draught_home_col)
ld (draught_col), a
ld a, (draught_home_row)
ld (draught_row), a
ld a, (dusk_speed)
ld (draught_timer), a
xor a ; already home — hunt on arrival
ld (draught_mode), a
call save_draught
call draw_draught
ret
.gone:
call draw_lose_screen
call sting_nightfall
ld a, LOCK
ld (input_lock), a
ld a, STATE_LOSE
ld (game_state), a
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; print_string / print_char — the machine's own letters. The Spectrum
; keeps its font in ROM: eight bytes per character, and FONT is chosen
; so that ASCII code x 8 + FONT is the glyph's address. Each character
; is drawn like any cell: attribute first, eight rows down the cell.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
print_string:
.ps:
ld a, (hl)
cp $FF
ret z
push hl
push bc
call print_char
pop bc
pop hl
inc hl
inc c
jr .ps
print_char:
ld l, a
ld h, 0
add hl, hl
add hl, hl
add hl, hl
ld de, FONT
add hl, de
ex de, hl
push de
call attr_addr_cr
ld (hl), MSG_ATTR
call scr_addr_cr
pop de
ld b, 8
.pc:
ld a, (de)
ld (hl), a
inc de
inc h
djnz .pc
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; light_pip / unlight_pip / draw_pips / draw_lives.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; light_pip — warm the next pip along and count the lamp. lit_count is
; the index of the pip to light AND the number of lamps lit so far —
; read it for the address, then step it.
light_pip:
ld a, (lit_count)
ld e, a
ld d, 0
inc a
ld (lit_count), a
ld hl, PIP_BASE
add hl, de
ld (hl), PIP_LIT
ret
; unlight_pip — light_pip's mirror: step the count back and cool the
; pip at the new count. The tally can go DOWN now.
unlight_pip:
ld a, (lit_count)
dec a
ld (lit_count), a
ld e, a
ld d, 0
ld hl, PIP_BASE
add hl, de
ld (hl), PIP_UNLIT
ret
; draw_pips — the tally row: one cell per lamp on the HUD ledge, all
; cold to start. A pip is pure attribute — no glyph, just a block of
; PAPER — so the row costs eight bytes of screen and no bitmap at all.
draw_pips:
ld hl, PIP_BASE
ld b, NUM_LAMPS
ld a, PIP_UNLIT
.dp:
ld (hl), a
inc hl
djnz .dp
ret
; draw_lives — the embers on the ledge's right shoulder. Read the
; CARRIED lives, not the constant: a run's lives survive the watches
; now, and the ledge must say so. (The constant version repainted
; three every watch — a lie we only caught while taking this game
; apart for this module. Playtests read the square; nobody read the
; ledger across a watch boundary.)
draw_lives:
ld hl, LIFE_BASE
ld a, (lives)
ld b, a
ld a, LIFE_PIP
.dlv:
ld (hl), a
inc hl
djnz .dlv
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; draw_lamps — walk the position table: col, row pairs, $FF to finish.
; Placement is data; the drawing code neither knows nor cares how many
; lamps the town has tonight.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
draw_lamps:
ld hl, lamp_data
.next:
ld a, (hl)
cp $FF
ret z
ld c, a
inc hl
ld b, (hl)
inc hl
push hl
call draw_lantern
pop hl
jr .next
; draw_lantern — an unlit lamp into cell (C, B): cold cyan attribute,
; then the lantern glyph down the cell like any texture.
draw_lantern:
call attr_addr_cr
ld (hl), LAMP_UNLIT
call scr_addr_cr
ld de, lantern
ld b, 8
.dlt:
ld a, (de)
ld (hl), a
inc de
inc h
djnz .dlt
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; scr_addr_cr — HL = bitmap address of cell (C, B)'s first pixel row.
; The row's top two bits pick the third of the screen (H), its bottom
; three become L's top bits, and the column fills L's low five.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
scr_addr_cr:
ld a, b
and %00011000 ; the third (row bits 4-3) ...
or %01000000 ; ... under the screen base $40xx
ld h, a
ld a, b
and %00000111 ; the char row within the third ...
rrca ; ... rotated into bits 7-5
rrca
rrca
or c ; the column in bits 4-0
ld l, a
ret
; attr_addr_cr — HL = attribute address of cell (C, B):
; $5800 + row*32 + col, the row shifted up five times.
attr_addr_cr:
ld a, b
ld l, a
ld h, 0
add hl, hl
add hl, hl
add hl, hl
add hl, hl
add hl, hl
ld de, $5800
add hl, de
ld a, c
ld e, a
ld d, 0
add hl, de
ret
; wall_at — is cell (C, B) wall? The answer is already on the screen:
; every wall cell's attribute has WALL_BIT set, so one bit-test of
; attribute memory is the whole collision system. NZ = wall.
wall_at:
call attr_addr_cr
bit WALL_BIT, (hl)
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; The lamplighter's save / restore / draw.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; pos_bc — the lamplighter's cell into (C, B), read fresh from the data.
pos_bc:
ld a, (lamp_row)
ld b, a
ld a, (lamp_col)
ld c, a
ret
; save_under — copy the nine bytes of his cell into the buffer: eight
; bitmap rows, then the attribute. Runs as he ARRIVES, before the
; draw — so the buffer always holds true ground, never him.
save_under:
call pos_bc
call scr_addr_cr
ld de, under_lamp
ld b, 8
.su:
ld a, (hl)
ld (de), a
inc de
inc h
djnz .su
call pos_bc
call attr_addr_cr
ld a, (hl)
ld (under_lamp + 8), a
ret
; restore_under — the same nine bytes back the other way: the ground
; returns exactly as it was. Runs as he LEAVES, while the position
; still points at the old cell.
restore_under:
call pos_bc
call scr_addr_cr
ld de, under_lamp
ld b, 8
.ru:
ld a, (de)
ld (hl), a
inc de
inc h
djnz .ru
call pos_bc
call attr_addr_cr
ld a, (under_lamp + 8)
ld (hl), a
ret
draw_lamp:
; his colour first: the cell's attribute becomes his own —
; bright white on the black, his own light about him
call pos_bc
call attr_addr_cr
ld (hl), LAMP_ATTR
; then his shape, eight bytes down the cell like any texture
call pos_bc
call scr_addr_cr
ld de, lamplighter
ld b, 8
.dl:
ld a, (de)
ld (hl), a
inc de
inc h
djnz .dl
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; The draught's save / restore / draw — the lamplighter's engine, twice.
; Same loops, same nine-byte contract, its own buffer and its own
; position: two movers can share a world but never a buffer.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
dpos_bc:
ld a, (draught_row)
ld b, a
ld a, (draught_col)
ld c, a
ret
save_draught:
call dpos_bc
call scr_addr_cr
ld de, under_draught
ld b, 8
.sd:
ld a, (hl)
ld (de), a
inc de
inc h
djnz .sd
call dpos_bc
call attr_addr_cr
ld a, (hl)
ld (under_draught + 8), a
ret
restore_draught:
call dpos_bc
call scr_addr_cr
ld de, under_draught
ld b, 8
.rd:
ld a, (de)
ld (hl), a
inc de
inc h
djnz .rd
call dpos_bc
call attr_addr_cr
ld a, (under_draught + 8)
ld (hl), a
ret
draw_draught:
call dpos_bc
call attr_addr_cr
ld (hl), DRAUGHT_ATTR
call dpos_bc
call scr_addr_cr
ld de, draught_glyph
ld b, 8
.dd:
ld a, (de)
ld (hl), a
inc de
inc h
djnz .dd
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; Data.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
game_state:
defb STATE_TITLE
input_lock:
defb 0
dusk_table:
; the wisp's pace per dusk (frames between steps) — the
; night deepens as data, not code. Dusk 1 is gentle on
; purpose: the hunt must be readable before it's a threat.
; The final watch is pace 9, not 8 — playtested: 8 is the
; human wall, 9 is beatable. The last watch should be the
; climax, not the ceiling.
defb 16, 13, 11, 9, 9
dusk_lentab:
; the tendril's reach per watch (cells of night held) —
; the second axis of the deepening. Front-loading reach
; made watch 1 brutal (playtested: a practised player lost
; at watch 2) — the opening teaches the mechanic, the deep
; watches punish with it.
defb 3, 6, 9, 13, 18
wall_ramp:
; The square warms in the game's own vocabulary: the stone
; stays dusk-blue; the lamplight catches the mortar first
; (ink white -> yellow), then the whole face glows BRIGHT.
; Never magenta — warmth is yellow here, not red-shifted blue.
defb %00001111 ; dusk stone, white mortar
defb %00001111
defb %00001111
defb %00001110 ; the mortar warms — yellow ink
defb %00001110
defb %00001110
defb %01001110 ; the stone catches the glow — BRIGHT
defb %01001110
defb %01110000 ; all eight lit: the square aglow —
; warm yellow stone, only at the win
lamp_data:
defb 4, 3
defb 27, 3
defb 9, 7
defb 22, 7
defb 6, 15
defb 25, 15
defb 13, 20
defb 18, 20
defb $FF
lamp_col:
defb START_COL
lamp_row:
defb START_ROW
tcol:
defb 0
trow:
defb 0
lit_count:
defb 0
lives:
defb LIVES
best_lives:
defb 0 ; lives kept on the finest win — never reset
draught_col:
defb 28
draught_row:
defb 4
draught_home_col:
defb 28
draught_home_row:
defb 4
draught_mode:
defb 0 ; 0 = hunting, 1 = withdrawing home
draught_timer:
defb 16
player_timer:
defb 0
dusk:
defb 0 ; which watch of the night this is
dusk_speed:
defb 16
seek_col:
defb 0
seek_row:
defb 0
lit_queue:
defb 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
lit_qcount:
defb 0
tendril_head:
defb 0
tendril_len:
defb 0
tendril_max:
defb 6 ; the night's reach — six cells of held ground
tendril_buf:
defb 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
defb 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
dtcol:
defb 0
dtrow:
defb 0
under_lamp:
defb 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
under_draught:
defb 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
lamplighter:
defb %00111100
defb %00111100
defb %00011000
defb %01111110
defb %00011000
defb %00011000
defb %00100100
defb %01000010
lantern:
defb %00011000
defb %00100100
defb %01111110
defb %01111110
defb %01011010
defb %01111110
defb %01111110
defb %00111100
draught_glyph:
defb %00000000
defb %00111100
defb %01111110
defb %11111111
defb %11111111
defb %01111110
defb %00111100
defb %00000000
title_text:
defb "GLOAMING"
defb $FF
prompt_text:
defb "PRESS SPACE"
defb $FF
win_text:
defb "THE NIGHT IS HELD"
defb $FF
lose_text:
defb "NIGHT FALLS"
defb $FF
dawn_text:
defb "DAWN BREAKS"
defb $FF
end start
Two shapes worth noticing. The check is cp NUM_DUSKS - 1 on the current watch — dawn is deciding at the moment of the win, not after the interstitial, so the fifth held dusk never shows the ordinary held screen at all. And end_step needed no change whatsoever: STATE_DAWN isn’t STATE_WIN, so the existing “anything that isn’t a win waits for SPACE, then title” branch already does the right thing. A well-shaped default absorbs new states for free — that’s why the win check was written as the special case back when there were only two endings.
Milestone 2 — the ceremony
Play step 1’s ending and feel what’s missing. The words are right; the world hasn’t heard the news. Gloaming’s endings already knew this lesson in miniature — the fanfare blocks gladly, because the game it would pause is already over — and the dawn deserves the full version: morning enters from the sky. Row by row, top to bottom, the ground warms to gold: cobble and pool alike to GLOW, and the night’s mist burns off entirely — dark cells get their stipple back and then their gold, the one place the tendril’s claims are erased by something other than the ring. Walls, lamps, text and the two figures keep their own palettes; morning arrives around them.
Step 2: dawn_sweep — the morning, one row per two heartbeats
+46
| 189 | 189 | ret | |
| 190 | 190 | .thedawn: | |
| 191 | 191 | call draw_dawn_screen | |
| 192 | + | call dawn_sweep | |
| 192 | 193 | call fanfare_held | |
| 193 | 194 | ld a, LOCK | |
| 194 | 195 | ld (input_lock), a | |
| ... | |||
| 870 | 871 | defb -1, -1, 0, -1, 1, -1 | |
| 871 | 872 | defb -1, 0, 1, 0 | |
| 872 | 873 | defb -1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1 | |
| 874 | + | | |
| 875 | + | ; ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |
| 876 | + | ; dawn_sweep — morning enters from the sky: row by row the ground | |
| 877 | + | ; warms to gold and the night's mist burns off (dark cells get their | |
| 878 | + | ; stipple back). Walls, lamps, text, and the two figures are left to | |
| 879 | + | ; the palettes they already wear. Blocking, like the fanfare — the | |
| 880 | + | ; ending is allowed a second of ceremony. | |
| 881 | + | ; ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |
| 882 | + | dawn_sweep: | |
| 883 | + | ld b, 1 | |
| 884 | + | .dsr: | |
| 885 | + | halt | |
| 886 | + | halt | |
| 887 | + | ld c, 0 | |
| 888 | + | .dsc: | |
| 889 | + | push bc | |
| 890 | + | call attr_addr_cr | |
| 891 | + | ld a, (hl) | |
| 892 | + | cp DARK | |
| 893 | + | jr nz, .dsn1 | |
| 894 | + | pop bc | |
| 895 | + | push bc | |
| 896 | + | push hl | |
| 897 | + | ld de, cobble_tex | |
| 898 | + | call blit_tex | |
| 899 | + | pop hl | |
| 900 | + | jr .dsset | |
| 901 | + | .dsn1: | |
| 902 | + | cp COBBLE | |
| 903 | + | jr z, .dsset | |
| 904 | + | cp GLOW | |
| 905 | + | jr nz, .dsnext | |
| 906 | + | .dsset: | |
| 907 | + | ld (hl), GLOW | |
| 908 | + | .dsnext: | |
| 909 | + | pop bc | |
| 910 | + | inc c | |
| 911 | + | ld a, c | |
| 912 | + | cp 32 | |
| 913 | + | jr c, .dsc | |
| 914 | + | inc b | |
| 915 | + | ld a, b | |
| 916 | + | cp 24 | |
| 917 | + | jr c, .dsr | |
| 918 | + | ret | |
| 873 | 919 | | |
| 874 | 920 | ; ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |
| 875 | 921 | ; lamp_index_at — which lamp_data entry sits at (C = col, B = row)? |
The complete step 2 program
; The Long Night — Unit 7: Dawn Breaks
; Cumulative build; every step runs on its own. Narrative: the unit page.
; A run needs an ending you can reach: hold the fifth watch and morning comes.
org 32768
COBBLE equ %00000001 ; PAPER black (0), INK blue (1) — dark ground
GLOW equ %00000110 ; pool-warmed cobble: yellow INK on black —
; ground the light holds
DARK equ %01000001 ; the night made solid: blue INK on black,
; BRIGHT — impassable, unmistakably there
WALL equ %00001111 ; PAPER blue (1), INK white (7) — pale stone
WALL_BIT equ 3 ; the attribute bit that says "this is wall"
LAMP_ATTR equ %01000111 ; BRIGHT, PAPER black, INK white — his own light
LAMP_UNLIT equ %00000101 ; cold cyan INK on black PAPER — bit 3
; clear, so a lamp reads as floor
LAMP_LIT equ %01000110 ; BRIGHT yellow INK on black — a held flame
DRAUGHT_ATTR equ %01000101 ; the wisp: BRIGHT cyan on black — cold light
LIVES equ 3
LIFE_PIP equ %01010000 ; a life: BRIGHT red PAPER — a small ember
LIFE_BASE equ $5800 + 28 ; row 0, right of the ledge — three cells
NUM_DUSKS equ 5 ; five watches of night — the tables
; below give each watch its teeth
PIP_UNLIT equ %00101000 ; a cold pip: cyan PAPER, a solid block
PIP_LIT equ %01110000 ; a warm pip: BRIGHT yellow PAPER
PIP_BASE equ $5800 + 12 ; row 0, column 12 — the HUD ledge,
; eight cells, centred over the square
NUM_LAMPS equ 8
MSG_ATTR equ %01000111 ; message text: bright white on black
MSG_ROW equ 11
LOSE_COL equ 10 ; centres the eleven characters
WIN_COL equ 7 ; centres the seventeen characters
FONT equ $3C00 ; the ROM font, addressed so that
; ASCII x 8 lands on the right glyph
STATE_TITLE equ 0
STATE_PLAY equ 1
STATE_WIN equ 2 ; a dusk held — the night deepens
STATE_LOSE equ 3 ; night falls — the game is lost
STATE_DAWN equ 4 ; the fifth dusk held — morning,
; the TRUE win
DAWN_COL equ 10 ; centres the eleven characters
LOCK equ 25 ; input-lock frames after entering a screen
SPEAKER equ %00010000 ; port $FE bit 4 — the beeper's one bit
TITLE_COL equ 12 ; GLOAMING, centred
PROMPT_COL equ 10 ; PRESS SPACE, centred
TITLE_ROW equ 8
PROMPT_ROW equ 14
CONT_ROW equ 16 ; "PRESS SPACE" under a win/lose line
START_COL equ 15 ; where the lamplighter begins
START_ROW equ 11
PLAYER_REPEAT equ 6 ; frames between steps while a key is held
GATHER equ 120 ; frames the dark gathers before its first step
WREST equ 48 ; frames it rests at home after a withdrawal —
; the snuff window holds even when home is close
KEYS_OP equ $DFFE ; half-row P O I U Y — bits 1 and 0
KEYS_Q equ $FBFE ; half-row Q W E R T — bit 0 is Q
KEYS_A equ $FDFE ; half-row A S D F G — bit 0 is A
KEYS_SPACE equ $7FFE ; half-row SPACE SYM M N B — bit 0
start:
; --- the border goes black — the night beyond the square ---
; Port $FE bits 0-2 set the BORDER colour. A = 0 = black.
ld a, 0
out ($FE), a
ld a, STATE_TITLE
ld (game_state), a
call draw_title_screen
im 1
ei
call chime_dusk ; after EI — the rests need the interrupt
main_loop:
halt
; the dispatch: each state names what a frame means — the
; title listens for a beginning, PLAY beats the game forward,
; WIN and LOSE hold the screen exactly as it stands
ld a, (game_state)
cp STATE_TITLE
jr z, .do_title
cp STATE_PLAY
jr z, .do_play
call end_step ; WIN or LOSE — wait for a key, then title
jr main_loop
.do_title:
call title_step
jr main_loop
.do_play:
call play_step
jr main_loop
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; title_step — SPACE starts a fresh game.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
title_step:
ld a, (input_lock)
or a
jr z, .tready
dec a
ld (input_lock), a
ret
.tready:
ld bc, KEYS_SPACE
in a, (c)
bit 0, a
ret nz
call init_run
ld a, STATE_PLAY
ld (game_state), a
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; end_step — after the lock, SPACE moves on. A held dusk continues
; the run — the night deepens; only NIGHT FALLS returns to the title.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
end_step:
ld a, (input_lock)
or a
jr z, .eready
dec a
ld (input_lock), a
ret
.eready:
ld bc, KEYS_SPACE
in a, (c)
bit 0, a
ret nz
ld a, (game_state)
cp STATE_WIN
jr z, .deeper
call draw_title_screen
call chime_dusk
ld a, LOCK
ld (input_lock), a
ld a, STATE_TITLE
ld (game_state), a
ret
.deeper:
; the dusk was held — the night is NOT over. Deepen and
; go again: the square relights, and the lives carry.
ld hl, dusk
inc (hl)
call init_game
ld a, STATE_PLAY
ld (game_state), a
ret
; play_step — one beat of the game: ask the keyboard.
play_step:
call player_step
; contact can end the game mid-frame — if it did, stop here
ld a, (game_state)
cp STATE_PLAY
ret nz
call draught_step
ld a, (game_state)
cp STATE_PLAY
ret nz
; the win check, at the only beat the count can have changed
ld a, (lit_count)
cp NUM_LAMPS
ret nz
; the eighth lamp: is this the last watch of the night?
ld a, (dusk)
cp NUM_DUSKS - 1
jr z, .thedawn
; the night is held — the lives you kept are the score
ld a, (lives)
ld hl, best_lives
cp (hl)
jr c, .nobest
ld (hl), a
.nobest:
call draw_win_screen
call fanfare_held
ld a, LOCK
ld (input_lock), a
ld a, STATE_WIN
ld (game_state), a
ret
.thedawn:
call draw_dawn_screen
call dawn_sweep
call fanfare_held
ld a, LOCK
ld (input_lock), a
ld a, STATE_DAWN
ld (game_state), a
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; init_run / init_game — a run is a NIGHT now: dusk 0, full lives.
; Each held dusk re-enters init_game with dusk bumped — the square
; relights, the lives carry. What resets per RUN and what resets per
; WATCH is the whole design decision, drawn as two entry points.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
init_run:
xor a
ld (dusk), a
ld a, LIVES
ld (lives), a
; fall through into the per-dusk setup
init_game:
xor a
ld (lit_count), a
; --- place the lamplighter ---
; His position is data. Everything that draws him reads it.
ld a, START_COL
ld (lamp_col), a
ld a, START_ROW
ld (lamp_row), a
; the dark probes from a new quarter each watch —
; a lesson the square teaches by ITSELF: watch 2 already
; feels different before anything else has changed
ld a, (dusk)
and 3
add a, a
ld e, a
ld d, 0
ld hl, corner_tab
add hl, de
ld a, (hl)
ld (draught_col), a
ld (draught_home_col), a
inc hl
ld a, (hl)
ld (draught_row), a
ld (draught_home_row), a
; the night deepens: the wisp's pace comes from the dusk
; table, deeper dusks holding the last entry
ld a, (dusk)
cp NUM_DUSKS
jr c, .dpace
ld a, NUM_DUSKS - 1
.dpace:
ld e, a
ld d, 0
ld hl, dusk_table
add hl, de
ld a, (hl)
ld (dusk_speed), a
; ...but it gathers before the first step — a beat to read
; the square before the hunt begins
ld a, GATHER
ld (draught_timer), a
; the tendril reaches further as the night deepens
ld hl, dusk_lentab
add hl, de
ld a, (hl)
ld (tendril_max), a
xor a
ld (player_timer), a
ld (tendril_len), a
ld (tendril_head), a
ld (draught_mode), a
ld (lit_qcount), a
; --- wipe the canvas ---
; The bitmap ($4000-$57FF) is the pixel layer; whatever was on
; screen before us still lives there. Zero it so only our
; attribute colours show.
call clear_bitmap
; --- texture the ground ---
; Blit the cobble stipple into every cell's bitmap, rows 1-23.
; The attributes will colour these pixels in a moment.
call fill_ground
; --- wash in the cobbles ---
; Seed the first attribute cell, point DE one cell ahead, and
; let LDIR cascade the byte through all 768 cells.
ld hl, $5800
ld de, $5801
ld (hl), COBBLE
ld bc, 767
ldir
call warm_walls
call paint_buildings
; --- brick the walls ---
; Now that the wall cells are painted, fill_walls can read the
; map back and lay brick wherever the wall bit is set.
call fill_walls
call draw_pips
call draw_lives
call draw_lamps
; save what he is about to stand on, BEFORE the first draw
call save_under
call draw_lamp
call save_draught
call draw_draught
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; warm_walls — the square's edge, one attribute write per cell; the
; colour is no longer a constant but the wall_ramp entry for how many
; lamps are lit. Same painting loop as ever — only where C comes from
; has changed.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
warm_walls:
ld a, (lit_count)
ld e, a
ld d, 0
ld hl, wall_ramp
add hl, de
ld c, (hl) ; the byte every wall cell gets
; the top wall: row 1 is 32 cells in a row from $5820
; (row 0 is kept back — it becomes the HUD later)
ld hl, $5820
ld b, 32
.wt:
ld (hl), c
inc hl
djnz .wt
; the bottom wall: row 23, 32 cells from $5AE0
ld hl, $5AE0
ld b, 32
.wb:
ld (hl), c
inc hl
djnz .wb
; the side walls: column 0 and column 31 of rows 1-23.
; Write the row's first cell, hop 31 cells to its last,
; then step a full row (32) down — 23 times.
ld hl, $5820
ld b, 23
.ws:
ld (hl), c
push hl
ld de, 31
add hl, de
ld (hl), c
pop hl
ld de, 32
add hl, de
djnz .ws
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; The beeper. One bit on port $FE: set it, wait, clear it, wait — a
; square wave by hand. C is the half-period (pitch: bigger is lower),
; B the number of cycles (duration). DI while it sounds: the 50 Hz
; interrupt would stretch random half-periods and buzz the tone.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
beep:
di
.bcyc:
ld a, SPEAKER
out ($FE), a
ld a, c
.bd1:
dec a
jr nz, .bd1
xor a
out ($FE), a
ld a, c
.bd2:
dec a
jr nz, .bd2
djnz .bcyc
ei
ret
blip_lit: ; a rising third — the lamp catches
ld b, $17 ; C6
ld c, $67
call beep
ld b, $28 ; E6
ld c, $51
jp beep
chime_dusk: ; two cold tolls, then the motif far off
ld b, $84 ; A4
ld c, $F7
call beep
ld b, 10
call rest
ld b, $84 ; A4
ld c, $F7
call beep
ld b, 13
call rest
ld b, $92 ; E5
ld c, $A4
call beep
ld b, 4
call rest
ld b, $9D ; C5
ld c, $CF
jp beep
; rest — B frames of silence. Musical time rides the heartbeat: the
; gaps between notes are counted in HALTs, not busy-loops.
rest:
halt
djnz rest
ret
fanfare_held: ; THE NIGHT IS HELD — a rising run
ld b, $83 ; C5
ld c, $CF
call beep
ld b, 3
call rest
ld b, $A5 ; E5
ld c, $A4
call beep
ld b, 3
call rest
ld b, $C4 ; G5
ld c, $8A
call beep
ld b, 3
call rest
ld b, $FF ; C6, held — B only counts to 255,
ld c, $67
call beep
ld b, $FF ; so hold it by sounding it twice
ld c, $67
jp beep
sting_nightfall: ; NIGHT FALLS — two steps down, then dark
ld b, $53 ; E5
ld c, $A4
call beep
ld b, 4
call rest
ld b, $49 ; D5
ld c, $B8
call beep
ld b, 4
call rest
ld b, $DC ; A4, long — the night settles on it
ld c, $F7
jp beep
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; Screens.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; draw_win_screen — lift the lamplighter off the board (restore his
; cell: the eighth lamp, lit, comes out of the buffer), then say it.
; draw_title_screen — sparse and suggestive: a black void, the name,
; the invitation. Everything else is left to the imagination, which
; is both the aesthetic and the budget.
draw_title_screen:
call clear_bitmap
ld hl, $5800
ld de, $5801
ld (hl), %00000000
ld bc, 767
ldir
ld hl, title_text
ld b, TITLE_ROW
ld c, TITLE_COL
call print_string
ld hl, prompt_text
ld b, PROMPT_ROW
ld c, PROMPT_COL
call print_string
; your best night — the lives you kept on your finest win,
; read in lamps (no digits). It survives the loop back to
; the title: the go-again hook.
ld hl, $5800 + 11 * 32 + 14
ld b, LIVES
ld a, (best_lives)
ld c, a
.tpip:
ld a, PIP_UNLIT
inc c
dec c
jr z, .tpcold
ld a, PIP_LIT
dec c
.tpcold:
ld (hl), a
inc hl
djnz .tpip
ret
draw_win_screen:
call restore_under
ld hl, win_text
ld b, MSG_ROW
ld c, WIN_COL
call print_string
ld hl, prompt_text
ld b, CONT_ROW
ld c, PROMPT_COL
call print_string
ret
; draw_lose_screen — the whole attribute table goes black: every lamp,
; every wall, every warm cell, gone in one LDIR. Then the words.
; draw_dawn_screen — the same lift-and-say as the win screen, with
; the morning's own words. The square stands as the run left it.
draw_dawn_screen:
call restore_under
ld hl, dawn_text
ld b, MSG_ROW
ld c, DAWN_COL
call print_string
ld hl, prompt_text
ld b, CONT_ROW
ld c, PROMPT_COL
call print_string
ret
draw_lose_screen:
ld hl, $5800
ld de, $5801
ld (hl), %00000000
ld bc, 767
ldir
ld hl, lose_text
ld b, MSG_ROW
ld c, LOSE_COL
call print_string
ld hl, prompt_text
ld b, CONT_ROW
ld c, PROMPT_COL
call print_string
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; clear_bitmap — zero the pixel layer, $4000-$57FF, with the same
; seed-and-cascade LDIR idiom the cobble wash uses.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
clear_bitmap:
ld hl, $4000
ld de, $4001
ld (hl), 0
ld bc, 6143
ldir
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; player_step — the keys become movement. Each direction key edits a
; TARGET position (tcol, trow) — a proposal, not yet a move — so it
; can be vetoed before it becomes real. Then the move commits: leave
; the old cell, take the new one, draw.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
player_step:
; --- propose: the target starts where he stands ---
ld a, (lamp_col)
ld (tcol), a
ld a, (lamp_row)
ld (trow), a
; The held-key gate: the first press steps at once, then one
; step every PLAYER_REPEAT frames. Releasing every direction
; key re-arms the instant first step, so taps stay crisp.
ld bc, KEYS_OP
in a, (c)
cpl
and %00000011
ld e, a
ld bc, KEYS_Q
in a, (c)
cpl
and %00000001
or e
ld e, a
ld bc, KEYS_A
in a, (c)
cpl
and %00000001
or e
jr nz, .held
xor a
ld (player_timer), a
ret
.held:
ld a, (player_timer)
or a
jr z, .stepnow
dec a
ld (player_timer), a
ret
.stepnow:
ld a, PLAYER_REPEAT
ld (player_timer), a
ld bc, KEYS_OP
in a, (c)
bit 1, a ; O — a zero bit is a pressed key
jr z, .pleft
bit 0, a ; P, same half-row
jr z, .pright
ld bc, KEYS_Q
in a, (c)
bit 0, a ; Q
jr z, .pup
ld bc, KEYS_A
in a, (c)
bit 0, a ; A
jr z, .pdown
ret ; nothing held — nothing to do
.pleft:
ld hl, tcol
dec (hl)
jr .pmove
.pright:
ld hl, tcol
inc (hl)
jr .pmove
.pup:
ld hl, trow
dec (hl)
jr .pmove
.pdown:
ld hl, trow
inc (hl)
.pmove:
; The veto: ask the target cell's attribute whether it's wall.
; NZ means brick — the proposal dies here and he stays put.
ld a, (trow)
ld b, a
ld a, (tcol)
ld c, a
call wall_at
ret nz
; the solid night blocks too — you cannot walk into the dark
ld a, (hl)
cp DARK
ret z
; and the mirror rule: he cannot step onto the wisp either
ld a, (tcol)
ld hl, draught_col
cp (hl)
jr nz, .pcommit
ld a, (trow)
ld hl, draught_row
cp (hl)
jr nz, .pcommit
call lose_life ; walking into the cold costs the same
ret
.pcommit:
; --- commit: restore, step, save, draw — in that order ---
call restore_under
ld a, (tcol)
ld (lamp_col), a
ld a, (trow)
ld (lamp_row), a
call save_under
; light it where it lives: while he covers the lamp, its truth
; is the buffer — rewrite the saved attribute, and restore will
; paint the lamp back lit when he leaves
ld a, (under_lamp + 8)
cp LAMP_UNLIT
jr nz, .pdrawn
ld a, LAMP_LIT
ld (under_lamp + 8), a
; record the lighting order — the night bears its grudges
; oldest-first (lamp_col/lamp_row are the lamplighter's
; position, and he is standing on the lamp)
ld a, (lamp_col)
ld c, a
ld a, (lamp_row)
ld b, a
call lamp_index_at
call lit_push
call light_pip
call blip_lit
call warm_walls
call recompute_pools
.pdrawn:
call draw_lamp
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; fill_ground — the cobble stipple. Not decoration: the stipple is what
; makes ground-state changes visible later, when the game starts
; recolouring these pixels. Rows 1-23 (row 0 is the HUD).
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
fill_ground:
ld b, 1 ; rows 1-23 (row 0 is the HUD)
.fgr:
ld c, 0
.fgc:
ld de, cobble_tex
call blit_tex
inc c
ld a, c
cp 32
jr c, .fgc
inc b
ld a, b
cp 24
jr c, .fgr
ret
; fill_walls — brickwork. Driven by the wall attribute bit, so anything
; painted as wall — now or later in the game — gets its brick for free:
; the map itself decides where the brick goes.
fill_walls:
ld b, 1
.fwr:
ld c, 0
.fwc:
push bc
call attr_addr_cr
bit WALL_BIT, (hl)
pop bc
jr z, .fwn
ld de, brick_tex
call blit_tex
.fwn:
inc c
ld a, c
cp 32
jr c, .fwc
inc b
ld a, b
cp 24
jr c, .fwr
ret
; blit_tex — write the 8-byte texture at DE into cell (C, B)'s bitmap.
; scr_addr_cr finds the cell's first pixel row; INC H steps down the
; other seven, 256 bytes apart.
blit_tex:
push bc
call scr_addr_cr
ld b, 8
.bt:
ld a, (de)
ld (hl), a
inc de
inc h
djnz .bt
pop bc
ret
cobble_tex:
defb %10000010
defb %00000000
defb %00001000
defb %00000000
defb %00100001
defb %00000000
defb %00010000
defb %00000000
mist_tex:
; the solid night — dense, swirling, unmistakably *there*
defb %01101100
defb %11011011
defb %00110110
defb %01101101
defb %11011010
defb %10110110
defb %01101011
defb %11010110
brick_tex:
; mortar courses with staggered verticals — dusk-lit stone
defb %00001000
defb %00001000
defb %00001000
defb %11111111
defb %10000000
defb %10000000
defb %10000000
defb %11111111
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; recompute_pools — the lamps cast their light. Every glow cell dies
; back to bare cobble, then every LIT lamp warms its eight neighbours.
; Derived, not tracked: called after any light or snuff, it rebuilds
; the whole layer from lamp truth, so the pools can never drift.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
recompute_pools:
; the discipline: both movers OFF the screen first, so the
; recolour reads and writes true ground — never a sprite,
; and never into a buffer that would restore stale colour
call restore_under
call restore_draught
ld hl, $5820 ; rows 1-23 (row 0 is the HUD)
ld bc, 736
.rp1:
ld a, (hl)
cp GLOW
jr nz, .rp1n
ld (hl), COBBLE
.rp1n:
inc hl
dec bc
ld a, b
or c
jr nz, .rp1
ld hl, lamp_data
.rp2:
ld a, (hl)
cp $FF
jr z, .rpdone
ld c, a
inc hl
ld b, (hl)
inc hl
push hl
push bc
call attr_addr_cr
ld a, (hl)
pop bc
cp LAMP_LIT
jr nz, .rp2n
call glow_ring
.rp2n:
pop hl
jr .rp2
.rpdone:
; ...and back on, their buffers re-photographing ground
; that now includes the glow
call save_under
call save_draught
call draw_lamp
call draw_draught
ret
; glow_ring — warm the eight cells around lamp (C = col, B = row) where
; they are bare cobble. Pools never take walls, posts, or the dark.
glow_ring:
ld hl, ring_offsets
ld e, 8
.gr:
push hl
push de
push bc
ld a, (hl)
add a, c
ld c, a
inc hl
ld a, (hl)
add a, b
ld b, a
call attr_addr_cr
ld a, (hl)
cp COBBLE
jr nz, .grn
ld (hl), GLOW
.grn:
pop bc
pop de
pop hl
inc hl
inc hl
dec e
jr nz, .gr
ret
ring_offsets:
defb -1, -1, 0, -1, 1, -1
defb -1, 0, 1, 0
defb -1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; dawn_sweep — morning enters from the sky: row by row the ground
; warms to gold and the night's mist burns off (dark cells get their
; stipple back). Walls, lamps, text, and the two figures are left to
; the palettes they already wear. Blocking, like the fanfare — the
; ending is allowed a second of ceremony.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
dawn_sweep:
ld b, 1
.dsr:
halt
halt
ld c, 0
.dsc:
push bc
call attr_addr_cr
ld a, (hl)
cp DARK
jr nz, .dsn1
pop bc
push bc
push hl
ld de, cobble_tex
call blit_tex
pop hl
jr .dsset
.dsn1:
cp COBBLE
jr z, .dsset
cp GLOW
jr nz, .dsnext
.dsset:
ld (hl), GLOW
.dsnext:
pop bc
inc c
ld a, c
cp 32
jr c, .dsc
inc b
ld a, b
cp 24
jr c, .dsr
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; lamp_index_at — which lamp_data entry sits at (C = col, B = row)?
; Returns the index in A ($FF if none — callers only ask about cells
; they know hold a lamp).
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
lamp_index_at:
ld hl, lamp_data
ld e, 0
.lia:
ld a, (hl)
cp $FF
ret z
cp c
jr nz, .lian
inc hl
ld a, (hl)
dec hl
cp b
jr nz, .lian
ld a, e
ret
.lian:
inc hl
inc hl
inc e
jr .lia
; lit_push — append lamp index (A) to the lit-order queue.
lit_push:
ld e, a
ld a, (lit_qcount)
ld d, a
inc a
ld (lit_qcount), a
ld a, d
ld hl, lit_queue
add a, l
ld l, a
jr nc, .lp
inc h
.lp:
ld (hl), e
ret
; lit_remove — take lamp index (A) out of the lit-order queue,
; closing the gap.
lit_remove:
ld e, a
ld hl, lit_queue
ld a, (lit_qcount)
ld d, a
or a
ret z
.lr:
ld a, (hl)
cp e
jr z, .lrfound
inc hl
dec d
jr nz, .lr
ret
.lrfound:
dec d
jr z, .lrlast
.lrshift:
inc hl
ld a, (hl)
dec hl
ld (hl), a
inc hl
dec d
jr nz, .lrshift
.lrlast:
ld a, (lit_qcount)
dec a
ld (lit_qcount), a
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; draught_step — the hunt bears grudges. The wisp steps toward the
; OLDEST grievance: the head of the lit-order queue, or, with
; nothing lit, the lamplighter's own flame. Still no walls.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
draught_step:
ld a, (draught_timer)
dec a
ld (draught_timer), a
ret nz
ld a, (dusk_speed)
ld (draught_timer), a
; withdrawing? after a snuff the night carries its prize
; home before hunting again — behaviour is a MODE now, and
; the mode decides what this beat means
ld a, (draught_mode)
or a
jr z, .hunt
ld a, (draught_home_col)
ld hl, draught_col
cp (hl)
jr nz, .whome
ld a, (draught_home_row)
ld hl, draught_row
cp (hl)
jr nz, .whome
xor a ; home — rest, then the hunt resumes
ld (draught_mode), a
ld a, WREST
ld (draught_timer), a
ret
.whome:
ld a, (draught_home_col)
ld (seek_col), a
ld a, (draught_home_row)
ld (seek_row), a
jp .chase
.hunt:
; the oldest flame is the night's grievance — it reclaims
; the ground it lost first. With nothing lit, it hunts the
; lamplighter's own flame: light your first lamp and the
; hunt turns away from you.
ld a, (lit_qcount)
or a
jr nz, .oldest
ld a, (lamp_col)
ld (seek_col), a
ld a, (lamp_row)
ld (seek_row), a
jr .chase
.oldest:
ld a, (lit_queue)
add a, a
ld e, a
ld d, 0
ld hl, lamp_data
add hl, de
ld a, (hl)
ld (seek_col), a
inc hl
ld a, (hl)
ld (seek_row), a
.chase:
; step one cell along the axis with the greater distance
; (ties go sideways) — the night is 4-connected, like the
; lamplighter
ld a, (draught_col)
ld (dtcol), a
ld a, (draught_row)
ld (dtrow), a
ld a, (seek_col)
ld hl, draught_col
sub (hl)
jp p, .absc
neg
.absc:
ld d, a ; D = |dc|
ld a, (seek_row)
ld hl, draught_row
sub (hl)
jp p, .absr
neg
.absr:
cp d ; |dr| vs |dc|
jr z, .tie
jr c, .horiz
jr .vert
.tie:
ld a, d
or a
ret z ; already on the light
jr .horiz
.horiz:
ld a, (seek_col)
ld hl, draught_col
cp (hl)
jr c, .hleft
ld a, (hl)
inc a
ld (dtcol), a
jr .contact
.hleft:
ld a, (hl)
dec a
ld (dtcol), a
jr .contact
.vert:
ld a, (seek_row)
ld hl, draught_row
cp (hl)
jr c, .vup
ld a, (hl)
inc a
ld (dtrow), a
jr .contact
.vup:
ld a, (hl)
dec a
ld (dtrow), a
.contact:
; never step ONTO the lamplighter: adjacent is as close as
; the night comes. Two movers, two buffers — and one cell
; can only ever be under one of them.
ld a, (dtcol)
ld hl, lamp_col
cp (hl)
jr nz, .dmove
ld a, (dtrow)
ld hl, lamp_row
cp (hl)
jr nz, .dmove
call lose_life ; the touch, priced
ret
.dmove:
call restore_draught
; the tendril: night pools where the wisp has walked. Ground
; and spilt light are both taken; posts and stone are not.
ld a, (draught_col)
ld c, a
ld a, (draught_row)
ld b, a
push bc
call attr_addr_cr
pop bc
ld a, (hl)
cp DARK
jr z, .retake
cp COBBLE
jr z, .take
cp GLOW
jr nz, .notake
.take:
ld (hl), DARK
ld de, mist_tex
call blit_tex
.retake:
call tendril_push
.notake:
ld a, (dtcol)
ld (draught_col), a
ld a, (dtrow)
ld (draught_row), a
call save_draught
; the snuff: while the wisp covers a lit lamp, the lamp's
; truth is ITS buffer — the same saved-under rule that lights
; lamps beneath the lamplighter, run by the villain. Rewrite
; the saved attribute to cold, and the wisp's own restore
; will leave the lamp out as it moves on.
ld a, (under_draught + 8)
cp LAMP_LIT
jr nz, .nosnuff
ld a, LAMP_UNLIT
ld (under_draught + 8), a
; the grievance is settled — off the lit-order queue
ld a, (draught_col)
ld c, a
ld a, (draught_row)
ld b, a
call lamp_index_at
call lit_remove
call unlight_pip
call warm_walls
call recompute_pools
ld a, 1 ; the prize is taken — withdraw
ld (draught_mode), a
.nosnuff:
call draw_draught
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; tendril_push — record darkened cell (C = col, B = row) in the tendril
; ring. When the ring is full the oldest cell releases back to bare
; cobble first — the night cannot hold ground beyond its reach, so the
; tendril can never permanently wall the square off.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
tendril_push:
ld a, (tendril_len)
ld hl, tendril_max
cp (hl)
jr c, .tgrow
; full: release the oldest cell (the slot head points at)
push bc
ld a, (tendril_head)
add a, a
ld e, a
ld d, 0
ld hl, tendril_buf
add hl, de
ld c, (hl)
inc hl
ld b, (hl)
; a newer ring entry may still claim this cell (the wisp
; re-walks its own trail) — then the night keeps it
call tendril_claimed
jr z, .treld
; if the wisp itself is crossing that cell, mend its saved
; ground instead of the screen
ld a, (draught_col)
cp c
jr nz, .trel
ld a, (draught_row)
cp b
jr nz, .trel
; mend the wisp's saved ground: stipple, and glow if a lit
; lamp still pools this cell — the light heals behind the dark
push bc
ld hl, cobble_tex
ld de, under_draught
ld bc, 8
ldir
pop bc
call pooled_at
ld a, COBBLE
jr nz, .tsetu
ld a, GLOW
.tsetu:
ld (under_draught + 8), a
jr .treld
.trel:
push bc
call attr_addr_cr
pop bc
ld a, (hl)
cp DARK
jr nz, .treld
push hl
call pooled_at
pop hl
ld a, COBBLE
jr nz, .tset
ld a, GLOW
.tset:
ld (hl), a
ld de, cobble_tex
call blit_tex
.treld:
pop bc
jr .tstore
.tgrow:
inc a
ld (tendril_len), a
.tstore:
ld a, (tendril_head)
add a, a
ld e, a
ld d, 0
ld hl, tendril_buf
add hl, de
ld (hl), c
inc hl
ld (hl), b
ld a, (tendril_head)
inc a
ld hl, tendril_max
cp (hl)
jr c, .tadv
xor a
.tadv:
ld (tendril_head), a
ret
; paint_buildings — walk the rectangle table: each entry is col, row,
; width, height; $FF ends the list. Every cell inside a rectangle gets
; the WALL attribute — and because fill_walls textures by the wall bit,
; the brickwork arrives without another line of drawing code.
paint_buildings:
ld hl, bldg_data
.pb:
ld a, (hl)
cp $FF
ret z
ld c, a ; col
inc hl
ld b, (hl) ; row
inc hl
ld d, (hl) ; width
inc hl
ld e, (hl) ; height
inc hl
push hl
.pbrow:
push bc
push de
.pbcol:
push bc
push de
call attr_addr_cr
ld (hl), WALL
pop de
pop bc
inc c
dec d
jr nz, .pbcol
pop de
pop bc
inc b
dec e
jr nz, .pbrow
pop hl
jr .pb
bldg_data:
defb 5, 5, 4, 3
defb 23, 5, 4, 3
defb $FF
corner_tab:
; where the dark enters, per watch (NE, SE, SW, NW)
defb 28, 4
defb 28, 19
defb 3, 19
defb 3, 4
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; tendril_claimed — does any ring slot other than head hold (C, B)?
; Z set if claimed. Only called with the ring full, so every slot holds
; a real cell.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
tendril_claimed:
ld hl, tendril_buf
ld e, 0
.tc:
ld a, (tendril_head)
cp e
jr z, .tcn ; the slot being released — skip
ld a, (hl)
cp c
jr nz, .tcn
inc hl
ld a, (hl)
dec hl
cp b
jr nz, .tcn
xor a ; Z — a newer claim holds it
ret
.tcn:
inc hl
inc hl
inc e
ld a, (tendril_max)
cp e
jr nz, .tc
or a ; NZ (max is never 0) — free
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; pooled_at — is cell (C, B) within one cell of a LIT lamp? Z if so.
; The light heals: released tendril ground inside a live pool returns
; to glow, not bare cobble.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
pooled_at:
ld hl, lamp_data
.pa:
ld a, (hl)
cp $FF
jr z, .pano
ld e, a ; lamp col
inc hl
ld d, (hl) ; lamp row
inc hl
ld a, e
sub c
jp p, .pac
neg
.pac:
cp 2
jr nc, .pa
ld a, d
sub b
jp p, .par
neg
.par:
cp 2
jr nc, .pa
push hl
push bc
ld c, e
ld b, d
call attr_addr_cr
ld a, (hl)
pop bc
pop hl
cp LAMP_LIT
jr nz, .pa
xor a ; Z — pooled by a lit lamp
ret
.pano:
or 1 ; NZ — bare ground
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; lose_life — the price of the touch: one ember out, and either a
; fresh start or the fall of night.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
lose_life:
ld a, (lives)
dec a
ld (lives), a
ld e, a
ld d, 0
ld hl, LIFE_BASE
add hl, de
ld (hl), COBBLE ; the ember at the new count goes out
ld a, (lives)
or a
jr z, .gone
; a life left: the lamplighter returns to the start cell
call restore_under
ld a, START_COL
ld (lamp_col), a
ld a, START_ROW
ld (lamp_row), a
call save_under
call draw_lamp
; the taking costs the night its reach — the wisp recoils to
; the far corner, so every life buys a whole fresh chase
; (leaving it beside the respawn made a catch strip every
; life in seconds once the draught learnt to hunt)
call restore_draught
ld a, (draught_home_col)
ld (draught_col), a
ld a, (draught_home_row)
ld (draught_row), a
ld a, (dusk_speed)
ld (draught_timer), a
xor a ; already home — hunt on arrival
ld (draught_mode), a
call save_draught
call draw_draught
ret
.gone:
call draw_lose_screen
call sting_nightfall
ld a, LOCK
ld (input_lock), a
ld a, STATE_LOSE
ld (game_state), a
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; print_string / print_char — the machine's own letters. The Spectrum
; keeps its font in ROM: eight bytes per character, and FONT is chosen
; so that ASCII code x 8 + FONT is the glyph's address. Each character
; is drawn like any cell: attribute first, eight rows down the cell.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
print_string:
.ps:
ld a, (hl)
cp $FF
ret z
push hl
push bc
call print_char
pop bc
pop hl
inc hl
inc c
jr .ps
print_char:
ld l, a
ld h, 0
add hl, hl
add hl, hl
add hl, hl
ld de, FONT
add hl, de
ex de, hl
push de
call attr_addr_cr
ld (hl), MSG_ATTR
call scr_addr_cr
pop de
ld b, 8
.pc:
ld a, (de)
ld (hl), a
inc de
inc h
djnz .pc
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; light_pip / unlight_pip / draw_pips / draw_lives.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; light_pip — warm the next pip along and count the lamp. lit_count is
; the index of the pip to light AND the number of lamps lit so far —
; read it for the address, then step it.
light_pip:
ld a, (lit_count)
ld e, a
ld d, 0
inc a
ld (lit_count), a
ld hl, PIP_BASE
add hl, de
ld (hl), PIP_LIT
ret
; unlight_pip — light_pip's mirror: step the count back and cool the
; pip at the new count. The tally can go DOWN now.
unlight_pip:
ld a, (lit_count)
dec a
ld (lit_count), a
ld e, a
ld d, 0
ld hl, PIP_BASE
add hl, de
ld (hl), PIP_UNLIT
ret
; draw_pips — the tally row: one cell per lamp on the HUD ledge, all
; cold to start. A pip is pure attribute — no glyph, just a block of
; PAPER — so the row costs eight bytes of screen and no bitmap at all.
draw_pips:
ld hl, PIP_BASE
ld b, NUM_LAMPS
ld a, PIP_UNLIT
.dp:
ld (hl), a
inc hl
djnz .dp
ret
; draw_lives — the embers on the ledge's right shoulder. Read the
; CARRIED lives, not the constant: a run's lives survive the watches
; now, and the ledge must say so. (The constant version repainted
; three every watch — a lie we only caught while taking this game
; apart for this module. Playtests read the square; nobody read the
; ledger across a watch boundary.)
draw_lives:
ld hl, LIFE_BASE
ld a, (lives)
ld b, a
ld a, LIFE_PIP
.dlv:
ld (hl), a
inc hl
djnz .dlv
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; draw_lamps — walk the position table: col, row pairs, $FF to finish.
; Placement is data; the drawing code neither knows nor cares how many
; lamps the town has tonight.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
draw_lamps:
ld hl, lamp_data
.next:
ld a, (hl)
cp $FF
ret z
ld c, a
inc hl
ld b, (hl)
inc hl
push hl
call draw_lantern
pop hl
jr .next
; draw_lantern — an unlit lamp into cell (C, B): cold cyan attribute,
; then the lantern glyph down the cell like any texture.
draw_lantern:
call attr_addr_cr
ld (hl), LAMP_UNLIT
call scr_addr_cr
ld de, lantern
ld b, 8
.dlt:
ld a, (de)
ld (hl), a
inc de
inc h
djnz .dlt
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; scr_addr_cr — HL = bitmap address of cell (C, B)'s first pixel row.
; The row's top two bits pick the third of the screen (H), its bottom
; three become L's top bits, and the column fills L's low five.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
scr_addr_cr:
ld a, b
and %00011000 ; the third (row bits 4-3) ...
or %01000000 ; ... under the screen base $40xx
ld h, a
ld a, b
and %00000111 ; the char row within the third ...
rrca ; ... rotated into bits 7-5
rrca
rrca
or c ; the column in bits 4-0
ld l, a
ret
; attr_addr_cr — HL = attribute address of cell (C, B):
; $5800 + row*32 + col, the row shifted up five times.
attr_addr_cr:
ld a, b
ld l, a
ld h, 0
add hl, hl
add hl, hl
add hl, hl
add hl, hl
add hl, hl
ld de, $5800
add hl, de
ld a, c
ld e, a
ld d, 0
add hl, de
ret
; wall_at — is cell (C, B) wall? The answer is already on the screen:
; every wall cell's attribute has WALL_BIT set, so one bit-test of
; attribute memory is the whole collision system. NZ = wall.
wall_at:
call attr_addr_cr
bit WALL_BIT, (hl)
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; The lamplighter's save / restore / draw.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; pos_bc — the lamplighter's cell into (C, B), read fresh from the data.
pos_bc:
ld a, (lamp_row)
ld b, a
ld a, (lamp_col)
ld c, a
ret
; save_under — copy the nine bytes of his cell into the buffer: eight
; bitmap rows, then the attribute. Runs as he ARRIVES, before the
; draw — so the buffer always holds true ground, never him.
save_under:
call pos_bc
call scr_addr_cr
ld de, under_lamp
ld b, 8
.su:
ld a, (hl)
ld (de), a
inc de
inc h
djnz .su
call pos_bc
call attr_addr_cr
ld a, (hl)
ld (under_lamp + 8), a
ret
; restore_under — the same nine bytes back the other way: the ground
; returns exactly as it was. Runs as he LEAVES, while the position
; still points at the old cell.
restore_under:
call pos_bc
call scr_addr_cr
ld de, under_lamp
ld b, 8
.ru:
ld a, (de)
ld (hl), a
inc de
inc h
djnz .ru
call pos_bc
call attr_addr_cr
ld a, (under_lamp + 8)
ld (hl), a
ret
draw_lamp:
; his colour first: the cell's attribute becomes his own —
; bright white on the black, his own light about him
call pos_bc
call attr_addr_cr
ld (hl), LAMP_ATTR
; then his shape, eight bytes down the cell like any texture
call pos_bc
call scr_addr_cr
ld de, lamplighter
ld b, 8
.dl:
ld a, (de)
ld (hl), a
inc de
inc h
djnz .dl
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; The draught's save / restore / draw — the lamplighter's engine, twice.
; Same loops, same nine-byte contract, its own buffer and its own
; position: two movers can share a world but never a buffer.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
dpos_bc:
ld a, (draught_row)
ld b, a
ld a, (draught_col)
ld c, a
ret
save_draught:
call dpos_bc
call scr_addr_cr
ld de, under_draught
ld b, 8
.sd:
ld a, (hl)
ld (de), a
inc de
inc h
djnz .sd
call dpos_bc
call attr_addr_cr
ld a, (hl)
ld (under_draught + 8), a
ret
restore_draught:
call dpos_bc
call scr_addr_cr
ld de, under_draught
ld b, 8
.rd:
ld a, (de)
ld (hl), a
inc de
inc h
djnz .rd
call dpos_bc
call attr_addr_cr
ld a, (under_draught + 8)
ld (hl), a
ret
draw_draught:
call dpos_bc
call attr_addr_cr
ld (hl), DRAUGHT_ATTR
call dpos_bc
call scr_addr_cr
ld de, draught_glyph
ld b, 8
.dd:
ld a, (de)
ld (hl), a
inc de
inc h
djnz .dd
ret
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; Data.
; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
game_state:
defb STATE_TITLE
input_lock:
defb 0
dusk_table:
; the wisp's pace per dusk (frames between steps) — the
; night deepens as data, not code. Dusk 1 is gentle on
; purpose: the hunt must be readable before it's a threat.
; The final watch is pace 9, not 8 — playtested: 8 is the
; human wall, 9 is beatable. The last watch should be the
; climax, not the ceiling.
defb 16, 13, 11, 9, 9
dusk_lentab:
; the tendril's reach per watch (cells of night held) —
; the second axis of the deepening. Front-loading reach
; made watch 1 brutal (playtested: a practised player lost
; at watch 2) — the opening teaches the mechanic, the deep
; watches punish with it.
defb 3, 6, 9, 13, 18
wall_ramp:
; The square warms in the game's own vocabulary: the stone
; stays dusk-blue; the lamplight catches the mortar first
; (ink white -> yellow), then the whole face glows BRIGHT.
; Never magenta — warmth is yellow here, not red-shifted blue.
defb %00001111 ; dusk stone, white mortar
defb %00001111
defb %00001111
defb %00001110 ; the mortar warms — yellow ink
defb %00001110
defb %00001110
defb %01001110 ; the stone catches the glow — BRIGHT
defb %01001110
defb %01110000 ; all eight lit: the square aglow —
; warm yellow stone, only at the win
lamp_data:
defb 4, 3
defb 27, 3
defb 9, 7
defb 22, 7
defb 6, 15
defb 25, 15
defb 13, 20
defb 18, 20
defb $FF
lamp_col:
defb START_COL
lamp_row:
defb START_ROW
tcol:
defb 0
trow:
defb 0
lit_count:
defb 0
lives:
defb LIVES
best_lives:
defb 0 ; lives kept on the finest win — never reset
draught_col:
defb 28
draught_row:
defb 4
draught_home_col:
defb 28
draught_home_row:
defb 4
draught_mode:
defb 0 ; 0 = hunting, 1 = withdrawing home
draught_timer:
defb 16
player_timer:
defb 0
dusk:
defb 0 ; which watch of the night this is
dusk_speed:
defb 16
seek_col:
defb 0
seek_row:
defb 0
lit_queue:
defb 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
lit_qcount:
defb 0
tendril_head:
defb 0
tendril_len:
defb 0
tendril_max:
defb 6 ; the night's reach — six cells of held ground
tendril_buf:
defb 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
defb 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
dtcol:
defb 0
dtrow:
defb 0
under_lamp:
defb 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
under_draught:
defb 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
lamplighter:
defb %00111100
defb %00111100
defb %00011000
defb %01111110
defb %00011000
defb %00011000
defb %00100100
defb %01000010
lantern:
defb %00011000
defb %00100100
defb %01111110
defb %01111110
defb %01011010
defb %01111110
defb %01111110
defb %00111100
draught_glyph:
defb %00000000
defb %00111100
defb %01111110
defb %11111111
defb %11111111
defb %01111110
defb %00111100
defb %00000000
title_text:
defb "GLOAMING"
defb $FF
prompt_text:
defb "PRESS SPACE"
defb $FF
win_text:
defb "THE NIGHT IS HELD"
defb $FF
lose_text:
defb "NIGHT FALLS"
defb $FF
dawn_text:
defb "DAWN BREAKS"
defb $FF
end start
The sweep blocks — two HALTs per row, twenty-three rows, most of a second of nothing but sunrise — and that’s a decision, not an accident. Blocking is this course’s cardinal sin during play, and endings are the one place the rule inverts: there is no game left to starve. Pace ceremony in heartbeats, same as the rests in the music.
When it’s wrong, see why
- Dawn fires at watch 4. The check compares against
NUM_DUSKS - 1becauseduskcounts from zero — watch five is dusk 4. Off-by-one here ends the night a watch early, and the run feels inexplicably short. - Dawn never fires. The check must run before the ordinary win path, in the same beat — after
jr z, .thedawnfalls through to the held screen, there is no second chance until the next watch. - The sweep gilds the walls or the text. The row loop covers rows 1–23, and the cell test converts only
COBBLE,GLOWandDARK. Anything else it touches means a missing compare — the sweep’s restraint is what keeps the figures and the words legible through it. - Mist survives into the morning. The
DARKbranch must re-blit the stipple and set the gold — mist pixels under a gold attribute read as gilded fog, which is atmospheric and wrong. - SPACE during the sweep is lost. It isn’t — it’s blocked, like everything else, and that’s correct. The input lock after the sweep is what eats the stale press, exactly as on every other end screen.
Before and after
The night has a last page. Losing still costs the same, but it costs against morning now — the run has a destination, the fifth watch is a climax instead of a treadmill, and the game’s full shape is finally on the board: five watches, one dawn, or the fall of night. The engineering was almost embarrassingly cheap — one state, one check at the one beat wins happen, one screen, one sweep — which is the unit’s quiet point: by this stage of the course, meaning costs less than mechanics. The expensive part was knowing an ending was needed; the playtest paid that for you.
Try this: morning from the east
Make the sweep enter column by column instead — the loops swap roles, the HALTs move to the column loop. Watch it and notice it reads as wind, not sunrise. Vertical light is a deep human prior; the direction of a ceremony is doing more work than you’d guess.
Try this: the long night indeed
Set NUM_DUSKS to 7 and pad both tables (clamped entries for the tail). The dawn moves two watches further away — feel how the fourth watch changes emotionally when it’s no longer the penultimate one, even though its numbers are identical. Endings radiate backwards through everything that leads to them.
What you’ve learnt
- Reachable endings beat endless walls — the same difficulty reads as story instead of attrition when there’s a last page.
- New endings are cheap state machinery: a state, a check at the win beat, a screen — and a well-shaped default (
end_step’s else-branch) absorbs the new state without edits. - Ceremony may block — endings are the one place frame discipline inverts, and heartbeats make good ceremony clocks.
- Sweeps are recompute-with-manners: the dawn is
recompute_pools’ vocabulary (read cell, convert by kind) with time as a paintbrush. - Watch your zero-based counts at the boundaries — the last watch is
NUM_DUSKS - 1, and endings are where off-by-ones get seen by everyone.
What’s next
The night is complete — and almost silent. One chime at boot, a blip per lamp, and nothing else in a game that now runs ten minutes. Unit 8 opens the finish phase: the title learns the dusk bells — a real tune — and with it the hardest small lesson in game audio: a tune on the title changes the input contract of every screen that returns there. Plus, at last, the snuff finds its voice.