wow that's a lot. It would probably not fit in the RAM , and since the contest disallows using ASM/BASIC code, you wouldn't be able to use the archive like you want either. (I think Axe has an archive/unarchive command that can solve this, though, but that would cause a lot of defragmenting/garbage collecting)

I have some good news and some bad news.  I'll make the bad news short and simple: The game is on hold, though maybe not indefinitely.  It will not be ready in time for the Axe Parser contest.

The good news is, I am at the point in Seek and Destroy where I don't have to have hours to sit down and code.  Thus, my work on it will continue normally throughout the summer.

What would be the reason why the game is on hold? Is it due to SAD main game progress resuming?

Sort of...actually, SAD is resuming because the other is on hold.  I got a job this summer, and so that will take up a lot of my time.

HA! looks really cool (NOTICE: this is a reaction on the Eye candy map you posted earlier I can't get my comment to appear below that...) but maybe you should make tiles that are rounded of so you get a smoother map. especially the "random" looking tile could use some smoothing on the edges! that makes the map not only less repetitive but just overally looking better (according to me...)!