MauS

@mausthekat.bsky.social

53 Followers 15 Following

I make retro games to distract myself from *gestures broadly at everything*. Jet Set Willy: Next @ https://jetsetwilly.net Other games @ https://mausthekat.itch.io

Oids title screen
A screenshot of the WIP ZX Spectrum Next conversion of Oids, running in the MAME emulator.
Oids title screen, version 0.9.6
Oids Instructions Page 1: Mission
August and Everything After - Counting Crows
A panel showing that there have been 1003 unique downloads of Jet Set Willy: Next across all supported platforms.
Early progress on a ZX Spectrum Next conversion of the Atari ST game Oids (later converted officially and unofficially for Mac and Amiga).
The Cartography Room from Jet Set Willy 2 implemented in a custom map pack in Jet Set Willy: Next. The Cartography room fills in its blocks based on where you have been in the map.
A crop from the Rocket Room in JSW2. The rocket has taken off, and the flame can be seen below it.
Logo for Jet Set Willy: Next. (Based, with permission, on original artwork by Andy Noble)
Jet Set Willy: Next logo with black background.
New logo for Jet Set Willy: Next
The update screen, informing the user that a new version is available.
A screenshot from the ZX Spectrum Next version of Jet Set Willy: Redux, showing the room Nomen Luni, with the rear end of a plane sticking out of the mansion roof.
Left Panel: ZX Spectrum Next client Right Panel: PC client The video shows basic multiplayer comms. Willy's movements are synchronized in both clients.
JSW:R Single player mode, running on MacOS, showing the in-game map.
A screenshot of the bathroom in Jet Set Willy: Redux showing the single player adaptations, a minimap at the top, and a banner saying "JET SET WILLY" down the right hand side, covering the chat box and the multiplayer info panel respectively.
Screenshot of Jet Set Willy Redux showing single-player mode with a "visited rooms" map replacing the multiplayer chat box and a placeholder image obstructing the multiplayer info panel on the right.
Minimap render showing rooms explored in Jet Set Willy Redux
Jet Set Willy: Redux main menu, with options as follows: 1. Single Player 2. Play Online 3. Custom Willy 4. Options 5. Willypedia 6. Release Notes 0. Exit The number indicates the key to press for that option.
The video shows Willy walking through a few rooms of his mansion.
A photo of a Spectrum Next playing JSW:R showing the Manic Miner mode.
An early shot of Jet Set Willy: Redux running on the ZX Spectrum Next natively.
Jet Set Willy Redux running on a KS2 ZX Spectrum Next, showing the bathroom.
The Bathroom from Jet Set Willy: Redux running within the CSpect ZX Spectrum Next emulator, using the "Gorgeous" tileset.
A custom 404 page based on the well-known (to Gen X at least) Jet Set Willy screen "We must perform a quirkafleeg"
Banshee Chapter
Test case 1: going from the top of this room (The Wine Cellar) to The Beach its a short hop.
The video show Willy repeatedly falling and dying into a variant of the classic death room "Entrance to Hades". The room title has been changed to "Entrance to 404" and the classic "DIE MORTAL" text that was spelled out in flashing tiles has been changed to "404" using the ZX Spectrum standard font as a guideline.
The CRT menu, showing about ten configurable settings, including scanlines, bloom, dot crawl and others. The (currently red) background color-cycles so you can see the effect on various shades.
The video shows Willy demonstrating the effect of each trap type in game. The text in the chat box describes each trap type: 1. Mine (blows willy up). 2. Banana Skin (can't stop moving for 5 seconds, can only make 3 direction changes) 3. Whisky (drunk for 5 seconds, blurs screen - causes double vision). 4. Orchid (reverses left and right controls for 5 seconds). 5. Glue (half speed for 5 seconds, unable to jump). 6. Spring (can't stop jumping for 5 seconds). As Willy suffers under the effect of each trap, an icon appears flashing above his head to indicate the effect.
The video shows the start room of the game as if the player were extremely drunk. The view blurs and doubles, making it very hard to see what's happening.
An in-game sprite editor for creating custom Willies. The edit window is in the top left, the palette is to the right. Tool Select and Animation Preview are below that, and the Frame Select area is across the bottom of the screen along with Instructions.
It's probably going to wreck the image quality but this shows the the MC paths in the original 60 room JSW map.
The final image from Jet Set Willy after completing the game. Willy rushes from his bedroom to the bathroom and dives headfirst into the toilet.
One of the rooms from the original Jet Set Willy rendered using a gorgeous tileset from an old mobile phone conversion of the game.
A screenshot of a JSW:R "tag" game with 6 players. The game theoretically supports up to 16 players.
A zoomed in portion of the first Manic Miner level (The Central Cavern) showing some partially crumbled platforms.
A screenshot of the Jet Set Willy: Redux web server, showing a game in progress.
Screenshot of Jet Set Willy Redux, a retro pixel-art platform game. The character MauS stands on the left side of a red-orange platform in a room titled “The Bathroom” (Room ID: 32). The level contains multiple platforms, a diagonal ramp leading upward, and vertical shafts made of patterned blocks. Three floor mines sit on the lower platform near MauS—two armed mines colored red and yellow, and one unarmed mine colored blue/cyan. A yellow collectible item appears on a platform to the right, above a cyan line. Interface panels surround the play area: a host information log at the top with connection messages, a player/lobby panel on the right showing MauS as the only player, and a status bar along the bottom displaying Items collected: 0 and the in-game time 7:02am, along with small colored character icons representing players.
Screenshot of a multiplayer “Jet Set Willy: Redux” server dashboard showing a large, zoomed-out map made of brightly colored 8-bit rooms on a black background. At the top, status text indicates the game is “In Game,” with two players connected and running a “First to collect – 30 items wins” mode. The central area displays the full platform layout with neon-style tiles, ladders, ropes, and enemies rendered in a ZX Spectrum–inspired palette. At the bottom center, a smaller game window titled “JSW Redux” shows live gameplay in a room called “The Bathroom,” with two player characters on platforms connected by a rope, a collectible item above them, and a sidebar leaderboard. A chat panel logs match events, and a client information panel lists connected platforms, including a Raspberry Pi 400 running Debian Linux (arm64). The image demonstrates the Raspberry Pi client successfully connected and running the game smoothly within the multiplayer environment.
A numeric code entry screen based on the original Jet Set Willy/Jet Set Willy II piracy prevention screens. The display has a black background framed by a thick rectangular border made of brightly colored square tiles. The tiles cycle through vivid ZX Spectrum–style colors — red, blue, cyan, green, magenta, yellow, and white — arranged in a repeating pattern around all four edges. The overall aesthetic strongly mimics 8-bit microcomputer graphics. In the center of the screen: • Large pixelated white text reads: “ENTER CODE” • Beneath it are four dark grey square placeholders, indicating a four-digit entry. • Below the placeholders, a yellow “50” countdown timer appears. • Small cyan text underneath reads: “1-6 COLOUR BACKSPACE UNDO ESC CANCEL” At the bottom center are six colored square buttons labeled 1 through 6, each in a different color: • 1 – Blue • 2 – Red • 3 – Magenta • 4 – Green • 5 – Cyan • 6 – Yellow Each number sits inside a chunky pixel-art tile matching its color.
Screenshot of a desktop web browser displaying the “Jet Set Willy: Redux” dedicated server status page with a live multiplayer game window overlaid. The visuals closely follow the original Jet Set Willy, using bright 8-bit pixel graphics on a black background. Gameplay is single-screen per room with no side scrolling, adapted for online multiplayer. At the top left, bold yellow pixel text reads “JET SET WILLY: REDUX,” with smaller text indicating Dedicated Server v0.45.0. A horizontal status bar shows: Status “In Game,” Game Mode “First to collect,” Game Type “30 items wins,” Players “1,” Uptime about 13 minutes, Map “main (255),” and Physics Tick “940.” The center shows a wide, static overview of the full map made up of many rectangular rooms placed side by side. Each room is confined to one screen and contains fixed platforms, ladders, ropes, hazards, and decorative pixel art. Some rooms include large pixel creatures and geometric structures. The layout resembles a connected network of distinct platforming rooms rather than a scrolling world. Overlapping the right side is a smaller window titled “JSW Redux,” showing the live game. The current room is labeled “The Bathroom.” It has blue brick-patterned walls, orange platforms, and a diagonal rope between two points. Small collectible items rest on platforms. The player character, labeled “MauS,” stands on a platform. A HUD along the bottom shows “Items collected” with small character icons and an in-game clock reading about 7:02am. A blue chat panel at the top displays welcome text, server details, and a player message. There is a green dot representing the character shown at the corresponding position on the map. At the bottom of the webpage, a server log shows “MauS has joined the game,” followed by “GAME STARTING: First to collect – 30 items wins” and “GAME STARTED,” plus a chat message from MauS. The page combines a retro single-screen platform game with a modern web-based multiplayer server dashboard.
A screenshot showing the JSWR client connected to a server overlaid over a web page showing live server stats, updated in realtime.
The Willypedia. An in-game browser with information and instructions. It uses a subset of markdown so I can edit in a sensible editor. The text says: Jet Set Willy Redux is a remake of a remake of a remake, possibly with a few other remakes thrown in. In 1984, programmer Matthew Smith released Jet Set Willy for the ZX Spectrum, the long-awaited sequel to Manic Miner, through a new company called Software Projects. Jet Set Willy is a platform adventure set in Willy's enormous mansion, with 60 interconnected rooms to explore. After a wild party, Maria the housekeeper refuses to let Willy sleep until every item has been collected, so you must clear the house while avoiding guardians, deadly hazards, and famously unforgiving jumps. Shortly after, Matthew Smith disappeared from public view, and a sequel, Jet Set Willy II: The Final Frontier (1985), written by D.P. Rowson, was released, based on the expanded Amstrad CPC version.
Jet Set Willy Redux running on a Raspberry Pi 400, with the CRT shader active. It's a bit choppy and needs optimization, but that's a good thing. If I can get it running at speed on this, it will run on anything. Of course, I may not be able to keep the CRT shader on the Pi 4 as it's pretty GPU-thirsty. Getting it running on this also revealed some easy optimizations and improvements that will benefit all platforms, as well as a couple of deeply buried bugs, so it wasn't a procrastinating waste of time after all!
I added some useful diagnostic commands to help with the next testing session: "/sendlogs" sends all of the client log files up to the server :)
The victory screen. The winner and two runners up stand in first, second, and third place on the winners podium. They're all me.
Title screen of “Jet Set Willy Redux” displayed in a desktop window labeled “JSW Redux.” A colorful 3D Penrose triangle logo sits centered on a black background with the stylized pink script “Jet Set Willy” over it and “Redux” beneath. Red pixel text reads “Press JUMP to start.” Yellow scrolling text below says “SET WILLY REDUX … BY MauS.” In a smaller font, version number “v0.37.0” appears in the lower left in cyan, and MauS appears in the lower right, also in cyan.
A screen from JSW with a bright red backend and magenta foreground with the CRT filter applies. It looks terrible, with lots of ghosting and color bleed - just like I remember from 1984.
The WIP title screen showing the stylized text "Jet Set Willy Redux" in pink over a cyan, green and blue Penrose triangle. Thanks to Andy Noble for permission to use his awesome graphics!
ASCII Art logo for the server. The logo shows the text Jet Set Willy Redux over a Penrose triangle.
Two game clients side-by-side showing that the room guardians and ropes are synchronized in the Jet Set Willy room, "The Swimming Pool". The client on the right shows a ping of 50, and that the bandwidth used is currently 0.0kbps for RX and TX.
A screenshot showing a white pixel based character surrounded by blue walls with a white lift and a green teacup like thing. The interesting thing about the images is that the colors bleed and discolor very similarly to computers and consoles from the 80s plugged into a TV via the RF cable.
BEFORE: Willy's colors do not merge with the colored background, so he appears white over the red/yellow blocks.
First Landing from Jet Set Willy
A replay in progress; Willy is standing on a platform over the beach, waiting to jump on the swinging rope.
Reported post for Child Safety violation.