126 replies to this topic

[Random Terrain]

Zach, on Sun Nov 27, 2011 10:05 PM, said:

I think the lesson from Video Game Critic is not to try to learn how to play in a hurry. That was my experience too. When I ran the game the first time, I was in left-handed mode and found the controls pretty confusing and frustrating. Even when I read the manual, I had to peruse it a few times to even understand what LH and RH meant.

Glad to see people are enjoying this game. I'll give it another try when I have the time.

I'll look at the online manual tomorrow and see if it can be made clearer. (I wanted the words to be spelled out in the game, instead of using RH and LH, but I ran out of space.)


Thanks.

Byte Knight, on Sun Nov 27, 2011 10:57 PM, said:

Random Terrain, on Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:38 PM, said:

When I asked him if he could review it (although it wasn't on cartridge yet), he said that he was busy, but he'd try since he has a Harmony cart. I guess we're lucky he found time to review it. It just sucks that it seems like he played it for 5 minutes and spent about 3 seconds glancing over the online manual. But a bad review is better than no review. At least it's in the list on his web site and more people might see it.

It's great that this game is getting attention, even if it's occasionally bad attention...  Awesome job with the game RT!

Thanks.

Edited by Random Terrain, Sun Nov 27, 2011 11:05 PM.

[Byte Knight]

sandmountainslim, on Sun Nov 27, 2011 3:56 PM, said:

Not a bad game at all and fun to play.  My only complaint is it reminds me somewhat of Yar's Revenge ....that would be a COMPLIMENT coming from anyone else but I don't like Yar's Revenge.   Can't put my finger on WHY this game reminds me of it.

As I've said before, Seaweed Assault is a cross between Centipede and Yar's Revenge - two of the best Atari 2600 games!

[Random Terrain]

Random Terrain, on Sun Nov 27, 2011 11:03 PM, said:

Zach, on Sun Nov 27, 2011 10:05 PM, said:

I think the lesson from Video Game Critic is not to try to learn how to play in a hurry. That was my experience too. When I ran the game the first time, I was in left-handed mode and found the controls pretty confusing and frustrating. Even when I read the manual, I had to peruse it a few times to even understand what LH and RH meant.

Glad to see people are enjoying this game. I'll give it another try when I have the time.

I'll look at the online manual tomorrow and see if it can be made clearer. (I wanted the words to be spelled out in the game, instead of using RH and LH, but I ran out of space.)

I added a screenshot to make it easier to find:

http://www.randomter...t.html#controls

Byte Knight, on Sun Nov 27, 2011 11:11 PM, said:

sandmountainslim, on Sun Nov 27, 2011 3:56 PM, said:

Not a bad game at all and fun to play.  My only complaint is it reminds me somewhat of Yars' Revenge ....that would be a COMPLIMENT coming from anyone else but I don't like Yars' Revenge.   Can't put my finger on WHY this game reminds me of it.

As I've said before, Seaweed Assault is a cross between Centipede and Yars' Revenge - two of the best Atari 2600 games!

Oh yeah, I remember that post. That's a good way to explain the game to people who haven't played it.

[Schizophretard]

Random Terrain, on Sun Nov 27, 2011 8:12 PM, said:

sandmountainslim, on Sun Nov 27, 2011 3:56 PM, said:

I like the game.  I also like The Video Game Critic.

Not a bad game at all and fun to play.  My only complaint is it reminds me somewhat of Yars' Revenge ....that would be a COMPLIMENT coming from anyone else but I don't like Yars' Revenge.   Can't put my finger on WHY this game reminds me of it.

Similarities that come to mind:

You can move and shoot in 8 directions.

Certain objects know where you are and come after you.

You can shoot playfield pixels.

You're generally on the move the whole time you are playing.

Living ship(A Yar can fly through space, can shoot, is alive, and looks somewhat similar to the Manatee)
A Yar inspired Easter Egg.
Another Yar inspired "Easter Egg".
An object that shoots at you that can either be harmful or beneficial.
You can get stuck.
You have to dodge an object.
Pause feature.
Controlled Randomness.
Creepy sounds.
Addictive gameplay.
Programmer knows how to play E.T.

[Zach]

Quote

I added a screenshot to make it easier to find:

http://www.randomter...t.html#controls

Thanks. One reason I was confused was it wasn't even in my consciousness that a person would rotate a joystick to play with the left hand. I'm a lefty and I use a Genesis controller. Consider starting the paragraph with an introduction to right-handed and left-handed play written for an audience that has no idea what you're talking about. Something like "Most games only allow right-handed play. Seaweed assault offers another option for left-handed players."

(An illustration of two joysticks in the respective positions would be best.)

Edited by Zach, Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:07 AM.

[pimpmaul69]

i love seaweed assault and wanted to see how good it was on my flashback 2 and it doesnt work

[Schizophretard]

Zach, on Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:00 AM, said:

Quote

I added a screenshot to make it easier to find:

http://www.randomter...t.html#controls

Thanks. One reason I was confused was it wasn't even in my consciousness that a person would rotate a joystick to play with the left hand. I'm a lefty and I use a Genesis controller. Consider starting the paragraph with an introduction to right-handed and left-handed play written for an audience that has no idea what you're talking about. Something like "Most games only allow right-handed play. Seaweed assault offers another option for left-handed players."

(An illustration of two joysticks in the respective positions would be best.)

Suncom had a Lefty Joystick Adaptor that did the same thing. As far as I know this is the first time a VCS game done it. It makes it so left-handed people don't have to buy an adaptor, a two button controller, or rewire their joystick. It makes it so a right-handed and left-handed person can take turns without the inconvenience of buying something and unplugging it when it is the right-handed players turn. It also has benefits for right-handed players. My StarFighter has a short stick, so I can put my thumb on top and control it like a D-pad. Anyway, I can see how it might be somewhat confusing at first. Maybe he can include something in the manual about turning the controller 90 degrees to the right or two pictures showing hands holding the joystick?
.

[Schizophretard]

pimpmaul69, on Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:52 PM, said:

i love seaweed assault and wanted to see how good it was on my flashback 2 and it doesnt work

What's different between a modded Flashback 2 and a VCS that would cause that?

[RevEng]

Schizophretard, on Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:57 PM, said:

What's different between a modded Flashback 2 and a VCS that would cause that?

There's not a real 6507 or TIA inside a flashback 2. There are compatibility issues with some games, apparently including those that use undocumented opcodes and SC ram.

[Schizophretard]

RevEng, on Tue Nov 29, 2011 10:50 PM, said:

Schizophretard, on Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:57 PM, said:

What's different between a modded Flashback 2 and a VCS that would cause that?

There's not a real 6507 or TIA inside a flashback 2. There are compatibility issues with some games, apparently including those that use undocumented opcodes and SC ram.

Is there a way to solve the problem?

[RevEng]

Theoretically, yes. Practically, no.

RT would need to switch to a non-Sara Chip format and rewrite much of the game, losing features he gained from using SC ram. Additionally, the bB kernel would need to be re-written to not use the SBX opcode, which means the kernel would be less capable.

My 2 cents is, unless there's zero impact on the game, game developers shouldn't modify their game to accommodate bugs in emulator implementations.

[Schizophretard]

RevEng, on Tue Nov 29, 2011 11:14 PM, said:

Theoretically, yes. Practically, no.

RT would need to switch to a non-Sara Chip format and rewrite much of the game, losing features he gained from using SC ram. Additionally, the bB kernel would need to be re-written to not use the SBX opcode, which means the kernel would be less capable.

My 2 cents is, unless there's zero impact on the game, game developers shouldn't modify their game to accommodate bugs in emulator implementations.

I mean solve the problem by a modification to a flashback or a software update for the Harmony Cart?

[RevEng]

The incompatibilities are ingrained in the custom chip in the FB2. Unless they release a new one without the faults this can't be fixed by the end-user or externally.

[Random Terrain]

See if this is any better

Zach, on Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:00 AM, said:

Quote

I added a screenshot to make it easier to find:

http://www.randomter...t.html#controls

Thanks. One reason I was confused was it wasn't even in my consciousness that a person would rotate a joystick to play with the left hand. I'm a lefty and I use a Genesis controller. Consider starting the paragraph with an introduction to right-handed and left-handed play written for an audience that has no idea what you're talking about. Something like "Most games only allow right-handed play. Seaweed assault offers another option for left-handed players."

(An illustration of two joysticks in the respective positions would be best.)

See if this is better:

http://www.randomter...t.html#controls

[pimpmaul69]

Random Terrain, on Wed Nov 30, 2011 12:03 AM, said:

See if this is better:

http://www.randomter...t.html#controls

kind of irony really. you use the fb2 controllers in your pic and we are discussing how this game wont play on an fb2. by the way great job RT. this is a sweet game.

Edited by pimpmaul69, Wed Nov 30, 2011 1:09 AM.

[Random Terrain]

pimpmaul69, on Wed Nov 30, 2011 1:06 AM, said:

kind of irony really. you use the fb2 controllers in your pic and we are discussing how this game wont play on an fb2. by the way great job RT. this is a sweet game.

Thanks. The main reason to buy an FB2 is just to get some new joysticks to use with a real Atari 2600. A classic Atari 2600 joystick costs around 15 bucks, so getting 2 joysticks for 20 bucks is a pretty good deal.

[pimpmaul69]

Random Terrain, on Wed Nov 30, 2011 1:20 AM, said:

pimpmaul69, on Wed Nov 30, 2011 1:06 AM, said:

kind of irony really. you use the fb2 controllers in your pic and we are discussing how this game wont play on an fb2. by the way great job RT. this is a sweet game.

Thanks. The main reason to buy an FB2 is just to get some new joysticks to use with a real Atari 2600. A classic Atari 2600 joystick costs around 15 bucks, so getting 2 joysticks for 20 bucks is a pretty good deal.

and fb3 controllers are worth the 30 dollars i paid for the system. Joysticks from fb3 are a 30 year dream come true

[Random Terrain]

I'm adding links to reviews of the game on the right side of the Seaweed Assault page:

www.randomterrain.com/atari-2600-memories-program-seaweed-assault.html

If anyone notices any more reviews over time, even if it is months or years later, please post a link here and I'll add a link to it on that page.


Thanks.

[Nathan Strum]

Random Terrain, on Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:38 PM, said:

When I asked him if he could review it (although it wasn't on cartridge yet), he said that he was busy, but he'd try since he has a Harmony cart. I guess we're lucky he found time to review it. It just sucks that it seems like he played it for 5 minutes and spent about 3 seconds glancing over the online manual. But a bad review is better than no review. At least it's in the list on his web site and more people might see it.

For what it's worth, you're in good company.

[sandmountainslim]

I have been playing it daily and in spite of the controls reminding me of Yar's Revenge I am really diggin it    Good work!

[Random Terrain]

sandmountainslim, on Sun Dec 4, 2011 10:14 PM, said:

I have been playing it daily and in spite of the controls reminding me of Yars' Revenge I am really diggin it    Good work!

Thanks. I hope what I learned from all the help I got with this game will make the games to follow better than they would have been if I had finished them years ago.

Gyvolver is the next game on the list to be finished.

[pimpmaul69]

Whoever might read this, there are 4 more people needed to want to buy this to get them to release another run. Several of us want this game so please help us out. Please respond in the seaweed assault thread in the marketplace.

[Curious Sofa]

I'm in.    Just found out about this a bit late.
And I'm in for all the right reasons, as well as to thwart The Video Game Critic.  He reviews a lot of games, sure, and it's nice that he does Classics.
But anyone that would give Cosmic Ark a C-, the Dreadnaught Factor (5200) a D-.... he's clearly not giving some games a shot, and/or is completely insane.
I respect not pulling punches, but some of the homebrews he rips on, he's just simply wrong, both in principle and in accuracy (helps to read the instructions, dude).  Off to PM huggy I go.

Oh, and LOVE the instructions / info page, RT!!!  

[Random Terrain]

Useless random blogs are choking the life out of the Internet like the seaweed in Seaweed Assault, but now they actually contain seaweed:

http://cridekicretit...r-of-technique/

Quote

It looked out that he had soon chewed a penrose size into his design and thought it with social friendship and gangs.

Which was nearly electrical if they were blowing received it had to with the announcement seaweed assault that the station media had of plotting town.

Other to legal gnomes are too exhausted in tasty overall wars or since in men and offered as Suncast GO3216 Free Shipping.

[R. Jones]

Hi,

First, thanks for the game.  I've been playing a few rounds after work recently.

A lot of random thoughts and feedback:

The reason it caught my eye in the first place is because of how outspoken you are with gaming opinions.  Your pages on ET explaining the high points and strategy of the game convinced me to have another go at that game.  The ET pages and your posts on randomness made me curious about what type of game you'd make from scratch.

I remember a post where you compared ET favorably to Pitfall!  It seemed like hyperbole, but after playing Seaweed Assault I can definitely see you really meaning it.  Pitfall! makes an amazing first impression, but over time its lack of depth shows.  ET, I now realize, does almost the opposite.  ET gives a very jarring first impression, but over time its depth slowly surfaces.  Seaweed Assault makes a much better first impression than ET, but it still has a muted first impression.  The graphics seem utilitarian.  We need seaweed to grow randomly and the only way to make that possible is for the seaweed to  be composed of simple rectangles.  The ship, the canisters, and (to a lesser extent) the Wrothopods seem also to be drawn with a purpose.  The canisters don't have a pixel art kind of visual appeal, but when a damaged canister starts to rotate in the peripheral: an electric startle jolts up the spine.

There's _a lot_ of negative reactions in the game.  That was my immediate first impression when I played the game with no context.  After I've read the manual, browsed the threads, and played a little deeper, I still feel it.  The percentage of actions in the game that result in something bad happening give the game a kind of Operation type of frustration.  It's stylistic, and probably inherent to the game's core idea, but it definitely makes me play less than say Oystron or (to be unfair) Metal Slug 3.

The sound effects are very effective.  The bring the ET pages to mind again.  All of the sound effects sound pleasant on their own, but what makes them significant is the way they're used to convey things about the game.  It's almost the opposite of Pitfall Harry's tarzan yell that sounds awesome on its own, but exists solely to sound awesome.

You'll forgive if I couldn't get into the game more.  I guess I'm a Pitfall kind of guy,
-R. Jones