September 2026

Still working, don't worry everyone!

I have moved into the phase where I am focusing on performance improvements for the next build.
There will be some improvements outside of the fixes already mentioned such as more recovered UI, and more recovered background effects.
This is because I have been trying to finish the banana collection animation where it moves up to the counter in the HUD.
I thought that would be fairly simple to finish up, but it turns out it was attached to an effects system that was not fully recovered.

I also looked into the "Deadzone" issue, and after running tests on real hardware the default Naomi controls already map 1:1 to an original Dreamcast controller stick.
This means any differences felt during play are most likely related to player movement that has not been fully recovered yet. This may or may not be fixed in the next build.

Obviously the site has had a visual update as well to try and mirror something more authentic to an original release.
Thanks for reading!

Progress on the next build is going pretty well.
PCWZRD did a livestream on the DreamcasticChannel of the game yesterday that was fun to watch!
It also uncovered that I need to support VMUs that have had the extra blocks opened through Dreamexplorer, so that will be fixed in the next build as well.
Also 4x VMUs do not work, and as I do not have one to test with there is no ETA on if that will be added.

I Kind of fell down a bit of a rabbit hole looking into the arcade service mode functions yesterday.
There's some really interesting stuff in there, even if it probably won't make it into the port.

For example, there is a mode for taking screenshots of the game, and even a screenshot viewer!
There is also a mouse mode that can be enabled by pressing 2 buttons on the second controller.
It shows a mouse cursor on the screen that can be moved with the controller. It looks like it can be used to move HUD assets around.

Pretty interesting stuff!

I have been going through and adjusting things for the next build based on user feedback, so the next release will be more than a fix for the Floor 18 issue.

Here is the list so far:
Adjusted controller deadzones
Restored Hurry Up music
Restored Time Over logic
Restored life counter combination logic
Restored banana collection logic
Floor 18 Red Goal fix

I would like to also like to look at trying to improve performance for the next build, but I have not started that yet.
Because this build changes gameplay, scores on the site will be reset on release. Also when you boot the new build for the first time scores on the VMU will be reset. Other user settings will be retained.
There is no exact release date for this build as I still need to run tests on real hardware.

Welcome to all the new players!
Thank you for all the kind comments on the video as well.

While not all of your scores are qualifying for the leaderboard I can see the attempts in the leaderboard backend!

I'm still working on pinning down the read issue for the Red bonus goal on Advanced stage 18. It is related to how many levels it skips and streaming new assets.
After that fix I am returning to general performance work before continuing on recovering missing Naomi logic.

Not so much of a progress update and more of a post about the current state of the game.

There is currently a disc read issue on real hardware that can prevent loading a level when going through bonus goals on certain stages.
I just found this issue on Advanced Stage 18, and I'm currently working on a fix.
Other levels may have this issue as well.

As for playing the game on emulators, nothing is guaranteed to work.
Development uses Flycast 2.7 exclusively, and final tests are run on real hardware from burned CDs.
Before release the build is tested on a completely stock/fresh install of Flycast 2.7.
If certain visuals seem off, especially in the browser, try Settings > Video > Full Framebuffer Emulation On
No other emulators have been tested, and the focus of the project remains producing results on real Dreamcast hardware.
I can try to help if I can, but because there are so many variables emulator troubleshooting is not a priority.

When new builds are released the Scores on the site and the VMU save are automatically cleared to account for gameplay differences and to keep things fair.
That said, if I produce a small hotfix unrelated to gameplay I will preserve the scores on the site.

A new version is ready!
Time to show the world what you're made of!
There is also a new homepage for the site.

This build includes:
- New custom menus
- VMU Saving (9 Blocks)
- CRT Scaling settings
- Audio Settings
- Gameplay Settings
- High Score uploading and Website Browser

Networking supports both Modem and BBA - Tested on real hardware
Networking tested in Flycast v2.7 with stock Modem settings and BBA
Expert Floor 17 and the Name Entry stage are the slowest running stages.

If you notice any game breaking issues please leave a message on the chat page.

If you have been checking the pages on the site you may have noticed an update to the Leaderboards page.
Yes, the next build is focused on restoring high score saving and a TON of other custom quality of life options.

This includes:
- New custom menus
- VMU Saving
- CRT Scaling settings
- Audio Settings
- Gameplay Settings
- High Score uploading and Website Browser
- Continued performance and rendering optimizations

No ETA as of this second, but it's coming soon.
This is going to be a big milestone for the project.

I was at the Retro World Expo (RWX) over the weekend and had a lot of fun!
Got to talk with some nice people that were interested in the project, and picked up some cool Dreamcast games to play online.
I was looking for Naomi parts but sadly I did not find anything. I saw some Naomi stuff last year and now I'm kicking myself for not buying it.
Also they did not have Monkey Ball in the free-play arcade haha.

Now I'm getting back to work!

The big things I am focusing on right now are:
- Performance
- Gameplay (physics and camera)
- High score saving and name entry

I want to avoid saving high scores if the game plays different in every build. This way I can avoid having to make some sort of way to wipe scores automatically or instructing people to do so.

That said, I am going away for a few days and will not be back until Monday. I will try to get some things done while at the hotel, but there probably won't be any updates until I'm back home.

A new version is ready!
Mostly a continuation of yesterday's build.

Fixes:
- More accurate movement
- Added NAOMI accurate stage select (L+R+START on title screen)
- Corrected stage music intros in normal gameplay and stage select.
- Preloaded character voices to reduce hitching during gameplay.
- Restored bumper flash and fixed stage lighting.
- Rumble (jump pack) intensity increased from 4 to 7
- Further renderer optimizations

The minimap is disabled in this version.
Stages that don't hit 60FPS will appear choppy, but will not slow down to 30FPS.
Saving is disabled and finishing a difficulty sends the player back to the title.
When playing a floor through stage select, pause then press B to quit.

A new version is ready!
Just in time for Dreamcast day!

Fixes:
- All characters restored
- Many stage effect restorations
- Most fonts/UI restored
- Most lighting effects restored
- General gameplay, transition, audio, rendering, and stage-data fixes
- Custom title screen and VMU display changes

The minimap is disabled in this version until real hardware can handle it in all stages.
Stages that don't hit 60FPS will appear choppy, but will not slow down to 30FPS.
Saving is disabled and finishing a difficulty sends the player back to the title.

So I have a build that runs pretty well in an emulator, but has serious rendering issues on real hardware. I'm still working to see if I can fix it tonight, but it is 10PM here so I'm starting to think this will go into tomorrow.

SORRY!

Advanced Extra Floor 5 is getting closer to 60FPS, and the Naomi to Dreamcast SDK continues to be useful.
Got some small updates to the website in the meantime. Users can now like update posts or chat messages. Click the "[Like]" button on a post or the white text of a chat message.

Just spent multiple days trying to pin down a character rendering issue that appeared while trying to improve performance. Luckily it has been fixed, and the normal work can resume. One positive side effect of this is that the physics should be much closer to the Naomi version in the next build compared to what I was originally going to release.