by: Wulfy Categories:
Founded in 1990 by Maarten Loor and Mark Verhappen, NOP is a software development organization for MSX.
Recently NOP to participate in the Pisa DevCon 2024, where it presented its development techniques, particularly for projects such as Unknown Reality and PSG samples ingame.
Two particularly well-known games on MSX are now in their viewfinder, The Gonnies and Kings Valley, two Konami hits from the '80s. What are they doing?
Their project is simple for us, it is a matter of changing the whole soundtrack (noise and music) to include those of the film. Yes! Just that! And all play in real time on the game.
Ah yes last detail! Without changing the hardware of your MSX or adding a sound card like MoonSound or other Homebrew hardware pilot by I don't know which hardware emulator.
Their software technology runs on your MSX with its Z80 to 3.57 MHz processor
The project is presented as a technical challenge rather than an attempt to create a playable game, highlighting the limits of the audio capabilities of the original material.
Key Points
- The upgrade project uses a custom compiler to modify the game without modern hardware.
- The main improvement concerns the total replacement of audio with musical samples and sound effects.
- The music used comes from the film « The Goonies »enriching the gaming experience.
- The sound effects and music are mixed in real time at a frequency of 6 kHz.
- The original sound of the game used a programmable sound generator AY-3-8910 of the MSX, limiting audio capabilities.
- Two versions of the game were mentioned, with corrections and optimizations in version 6125.
Another iconic platform game on MSX was also the subject of a sound update. And the result is quite bluffing even if it remains 6KHz The guys managed to get the trip out of the MSX sound processor in an amazing way.
To see and especially to listen.
The games are still in development but it gives a hell of a desire to go back.
Listen to the result and especially try playable versions