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Please write down your email address; I might send you the updated Rob-Man. I’ve removed the level start triggered by the joystick fire button, and the parallax scroll no longer stops when we aren't moving. For now, I’m curious to see how you like it. The full update isn’t finished yet (I haven't managed to get an original paddle yet).

Thanks,
Robert

Hi! Thank you for these great suggestions. Here are my thoughts on them:

1. Kinetic scrolling: This is a fantastic idea! I can implement this in v1.1. I will set the minimum 'drift' speed to 2 pixels per frame, because in C64 multi-color mode, anything slower would make the background pattern break apart. It will definitely add to the atmosphere!
2. Speed boost with Fire: Technically I could do this, but from my experience (especially with shooters), it doesn't work well in the heat of the action. With a joystick, it’s almost impossible to stop perfectly still just to fire the cannon while the ball is flying around.
   
3. Autofire & Level transitions: You are right about the 'braindead' start. If someone uses a joystick with auto-fire turned on, the next level starts instantly. To fix this, I’m considering moving the 'Start Level' trigger from the Fire button to the 'S' key. By the way, I recommend trying the game with the keyboard; I find it much more precise than a joystick for this type of game!
   
4. The Ultimate Solution: The best experience will definitely be the Paddle support. With a paddle, the speed is 100% in your hands: turn it slowly for fine adjustments, or flick it fast for a quick save. It perfectly follows your rhythm. I highly recommend getting one—it will be a whole new game with it!
   Thanks again for the constructive ideas, stay tuned for v1.1

Technical Note for VICE & Real C64 Users:
Please avoid using traditional disk loading (.d64) for the .prg file, as the game utilizes almost the entire 64KB RAM (up to $FF4F). While compression (Exomizer) is possible, I do not recommend it due to potential memory conflicts with the decompression routines. For a flawless experience, please use the 'Inject to RAM' feature in VICE or load the .prg directly. This ensures all 133 sprites and complex IRQ routines initialize correctly without interference

Thank you for your purchase!

Have fun playing!

Thank you for your purchase!

Have fun playing!

In Vice Simulator, make sure the "Inject into RAM" option is checked in the Autostart settings.

Preferences / Settings / Host / Autostart:

Check "Inject into RAM" 

and "Attach image LOAD and RUN"

Then, use the mouse to select the .prg file, and simply drop it onto VICE

Thank you for your purchase!

Have fun playing!

In Vice Simulator, make sure the "Inject into RAM" option is checked in the Autostart settings.

Preferences / Settings / Host / Autostart:

Check "Inject into RAM" 

and "Attach image LOAD and RUN"

Then, use the mouse to select the .prg file, and simply drop it onto VIC

Thank you for your purchase!

Have fun playing!