Parallaxian: Combat & Enemy Systems

1 November 2022 · Updated 26 February 2026

Following a quiet period during which real-life obligations took precedence, this update highlights substantial technical advancements in Parallaxian development. The break from constant coding provided perspective that informed several design revisions.

Video Demonstration

Recorded gameplay showcases multiple combat encounters demonstrating the variety of threats players will face: pursuit sequences against the Backfire enemy with its dangerous approach patterns, aerial battles against Hunter-Killer drones that coordinate their attacks, and confrontation with the Groundhog (also known as “Tarantula”) requiring different tactical approaches. The footage additionally reveals updated explosion visuals with expanded animation frames and respawn sequences that maintain gameplay flow after player destruction.

Hyper Sprite Concept

An innovative sprite method that switches between high-resolution and multi-color mode definitions within individual sprites on alternating frames, producing dynamic smoothing without additional sprite allocation. This technique overcomes issues associated with vertically-scaled sprites that would otherwise appear blocky or undefined at larger sizes.

The approach exploits persistence of vision to blend the crisp edges of high-resolution mode with the color depth of multicolor mode, achieving an apparent quality exceeding either mode alone. Frame timing is critical to avoid visible flicker.

Compound Sprite Concept

This approach employs high-resolution character graphics as underlays instead of the more common overlay technique to improve ground vehicle rendering while preserving performance. Though tanks use horizontal expansion to achieve appropriate visual scale, the hi-res character underlays prevent the resolution degradation that would otherwise result from the doubled pixel width.

The technique requires careful color planning to ensure character and sprite colors complement rather than conflict, particularly during movement across varied terrain.

Enemy Designs

Bomblebee — Aerial opponents susceptible only to bombs, creating tactical situations where players must manage altitude; slated for removal due to visual presentation issues that made the sprites difficult to read during fast action
Groundhog/Tarantula — Surface-based enemies that must be destroyed before nearby Swarm units become targetable, creating priority decisions during ground attack phases
Backfire — Fast pursuit enemy equipped with hazardous laser weaponry that tracks the player; needs complete code overhaul to improve approach patterns and attack timing
Piranha — Morphing stealth craft built around exploiting the Figment’s tailslide combat maneuver, rewarding skilled players who master advanced techniques

Outstanding Development Tasks

Remaining incomplete features include operational radar providing tactical awareness, rescue mission logic with survivor AI, refined hit detection for fair combat, touchdown mechanics for smooth landings, guided missiles requiring player tracking, and environmental systems affecting gameplay. Debugging and hardware constraint workarounds consume roughly 95% of development effort, as initial implementations rarely survive contact with the full game context.

External circumstances have caused delays, yet completion draws nearer than originally anticipated. Continuous learning through community resources, repeated code restructuring as better approaches emerge, and the ongoing challenge of extracting maximum performance from Commodore 64 hardware continue to define the development experience.