Jump to content
IGNORED

LOST CAT


graywest

Recommended Posts

Hello all!

 

This is a work in progress. I've put together the beginnings of an action game with a simulated "three quarters" overhead view.

 

You can move the player around the dungeon. Colors and sprites change depending on which direction he/she is facing. The player will be hidden behind walls at the bottom of the screen, and appear in front of walls at the top of the screen.

 

The name might change - originally I was thinking of something along the lines of Berzerk, Frenzy, etc. But I need to work out the enemy mechanics before I settle on a permanent name. Right now, there are no enemies. There are lots of objects to pick up, though!

 

Treasures: gold chalice, gold coins, gold crown, gold ring, gold cross, gold sword, gold skull, gold gem, gold Atari 2600 and gold Fuji symbol

 

Items: chicken leg, med kit, bandage, fish, bacon, a heart, an apple, and a cat

 

Currently, treasures give you points. Items do nothing. I was trying to make the sprites as small as possible to give the sense that the player is in a large environment. Some of them are kind of iffy. :-)

 

The world isn't persistent, but I made one concession in that direction. New rooms are generated on the fly, but if you turn around and re-enter the room that you just left, it should be the same. If you try to retrace your steps any farther though, you will find that new rooms have replaced the old rooms.

 

Next up: I need to work on the enemies and AI. I am hoping to have a variety of enemies and attack patterns, if I can figure out how to do that.

 

I also need a cool weapon for the player. I'm thinking about using the ball as a weapon that will circle the player's sprite while the button is held down. That way, it can be used as a shield. Then when the fire button is released, it will ricochet around the room until it hits something.

 

Comments and suggestions are welcome!

 

post-6856-0-07565500-1427601093_thumb.png

post-6856-0-18283900-1427601101_thumb.png

post-6856-0-00489200-1427601108_thumb.png

post-6856-0-89737700-1427911524_thumb.png

 

EDIT: Updated binary: LostCat V11.bin - added additional object starting positions and gave enemies varying amounts of hit points.

LostCat V10.bin

LostCatInstructions.pdf

LostCat V11.bin

Edited by graywest
  • Like 10
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice start. I like games where you can freely roam around. And I like variety in games. I look forward to see where this goes.

 

I am also very curious as to how useful the cat item is.

 

Thanks!

 

I added the cat sprite on a whim, but now I'm thinking that maybe the object of the game would be to rescue the cat. Maybe the cat wandered into the maze and got lost... might be a little more amusing than the standard "princess" goal.

 

post-6856-0-40269800-1427347770_thumb.png

 

EDIT: Update the binary file. New title screen, added a "bolo" type weapon that can be swung around as a shield and thrown.

Hysteria.bin

Edited by graywest
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice start. I like games where you can freely roam around. And I like variety in games. I look forward to see where this goes.

 

I am also very curious as to how useful the cat item is.

 

You could always pi$$ off the cat and throw it on something!?! That would be a GREAT concept for a shooter! Razzed animals, fruit (ToeJam & Earl), tornado in a can, and my personal favorite, the auto-depantser!!

 

Okay.. now I'll try the game..

Edited by Papa
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Thanks!

 

I added the cat sprite on a whim, but now I'm thinking that maybe the object of the game would be to rescue the cat. Maybe the cat wandered into the maze and got lost... might be a little more amusing than the standard "princess" goal.

"We're sorry, but your pussy is in another castle!!" :P

 

 

Gone are the days when you get your cat out of a tree! Now he's lost in an endless labyrinth!!

 

I like the gameplay. The animation has variety and there are lots of cool little items to get (including a replacement cat!)..

He's really shucking when he runs and the rooms are very well made. I like the overhanging doorways. Cool game!!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

"We're sorry, but your pussy is in another castle!!" :P

 

Ha!

 

Thanks for trying the game. I'm posting the latest version. I found out that I can use 16kb EPROMS with my cartridge boards, so I went ahead and moved into 16kb land. I'm so excited about all of this extra space!

 

Updates in this version: there is a bit of extra animation on the title screen. When you push the button to start a game, the cat runs off into the maze.

 

Also, there is a new set of objects. These are the "cat lure" objects. The idea is that you will have to collect all of the cat objects: litter box, cat toy, cat treats, mouse, piece of string, etc. before you can pick up the cat and exit the maze. Right now, the cat objects are appearing far more frequently than they would in the final game since I'm testing them. I'm thinking about maybe only having those objects be dropped when an enemy is defeated.

 

I tweaked some of the "standard objects". I removed a couple that didn't really fit in: the heart and the bandage, and added a new one: an invisible trap. Basically it's a black square that causes damage when you step on it. Using your weapon can reveal it, though. The other standard objects now have a purpose: the food items restore one point of health, and the med kit (red cross symbol) restores all of your health.

 

I realized that I was going to need at least one missile for the enemy's weapon, so I had to drop the player0 colors. Now the player is one solid color that represents the player's health level. Starts out green, turns orange after getting hit several times, and finally turns red when only one hit point remains.

 

I think that's it - time to get started on some enemies...

LostCat.bin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really like your animations. And missile spinning around you when you hold the button down is a nice touch. I almost did that with my game. Keep up the good wok.

 

Thank you! I am having way too much fun with this.

 

Here's the latest. I made a ton of updates over the past couple of days.

  • The treasures now "sparkle"
  • The inventory system is working. There are seven items that you must pick up in order to lure the cat. They are: cat bed, mouse, collar, piece of string, food dish, cat treats and a ball of yarn.
  • The cat will run away from you and won't allow you to pick it up unless you have all seven items first.
  • If you have all seven items, you can pick up the cat, but you still have to catch it...
  • If you catch the cat and get to one of the "outdoor" rooms (the ones with no walls) then you win the game.
  • There is a "winning" screen - pushing fire takes you back to the title screen.
  • There is also a "death" animation. You have only one life, but can take 7 hits. Food items in the maze will restore your health. Traps will decrease your health. The player changes color as health increases or decreases.
  • Traps are invisible, but if you throw your weapon ahead of you, you will be able to see their black outlines.
  • Items (including traps) are now placed at one of nine locations inside a room, instead of being stuck right in the middle.
  • I adjusted or revamped several of the item sprites.

I keep saying that I am going to add the monsters next, but then I get distracted. Well, now I have done everything else! I have 6kb left over for monsters and AI. Should be plenty.

LostCat V3.bin

Edited by graywest
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I WON!! I got a collar, a s#itter box, a whole cord of rats, a fuji, an animated goblet !?!, lots of other things. The cat appeared to be close several times and I looked and looked and finally found it! After striking it with the bolo at least once, I decided that just chasing it around was probably the best idea. I caught up and then saw a little screen with a giant heart and (AAAAAAHHHCHOOOOOO!)...my cat!

 

FUN!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cool, I think I won too.

A couple of things:

The game is begging for sound. I'm sure you are working on this. It's also begging for some more danger, monsters, traps etc. You're probably working on this as well.

You can stand in a door way and flip the rooms back and forth until you get the item you want, there isn't a lot of incentive to explore. Possibly keep certain items with permanent or fixed locations.

 

Your game is coming a long nicely.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I WON!! I got a collar, a s#itter box, a whole cord of rats, a fuji, an animated goblet !?!, lots of other things. The cat appeared to be close several times and I looked and looked and finally found it! After striking it with the bolo at least once, I decided that just chasing it around was probably the best idea. I caught up and then saw a little screen with a giant heart and (AAAAAAHHHCHOOOOOO!)...my cat!

 

FUN!

 

Hahaha - well, the "shitter box" was supposed to be a cat bed, but your idea is funnier, so I think it will be that from now on!

 

The game has enemies now - a stationary gun turret that shoots at the player, and a radioactive blob that chases the player. I've noticed a couple of bugs that occur with the enemy behavior, so I'm going to fix those soon. Also, the cat items no longer appear in empty rooms - they are only dropped when you kill an enemy. The cat has also been kidnapped by the enemies, so you must kill them to free the cat.

 

Flipping the left difficulty switch to A gives you a handicap - you can only take 4 hits before dying. Left difficulty B is the easier mode with a 7 hit life counter.

 

Also up next on the to-do list: a couple more enemies, SOUND, and a way to prevent the player from flipping between two rooms to get new items. I think I am going to store the type of item that was in the previous room (or store "empty" if it was picked up) to keep this from happening.

 

Thanks for all suggestions!

LostCat V5.bin

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's the latest - LostCat V6.bin.

 

This version has a lot of bugfixes and minor gameplay tweaks. The biggest new feature is an addition that saves the state of the previous room, so players can no longer "flip" back and forth between two rooms in order to get new items or clear out enemies. The game only saves the object/enemy type and position from the room you just left, so if you go even farther back, you will see new items. Of course, you would have to traverse the old room again and leave through another exit, so players might as well press on and move forward! Hopefully this will give people the incentive to explore...

 

Also - I set up the reset switch to restart the game. Pressing reset from any section of the game should clear the score and return the player to the title screen. Pressing the fire button will start the game from the title screen.

 

I added the ability to continue the game after you win - at the "ending" screen, press the fire button to keep playing without resetting your current score. The cat will run off and the hunt will start anew. You get a 10,000 point bonus each time you rescue the cat.

 

Missiles fired from the gun turret will now pass through your thrown weapon - you can no longer destroy them by firing. I think it was too easy before, so now you have to dodge a little in order to destroy the turrets. You can still destroy the missiles if you are standing still and swinging the weapon around in a circle as a "shield".

 

Both difficulty switches now work - the left difficulty switch determines your maximum health (see my post above) and the right difficulty switch makes the traps visible or invisible. "Visible Traps" mode is basically a kids' version - I think it makes the game too easy, but if you find the traps frustrating, give it a try.

 

I fixed several issues with the enemy AI and missiles disappearing/reappearing when the player moved to the next screen or destroyed an enemy. I think I fixed everything, but let me know if you see any weird issues.

 

Next on the to-do list: I would like to add one or two more enemy types. Also, I'm going to start working on sound.

 

Enjoy!

LostCat V6.bin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I added a new enemy type - this one is a big "alien" that chases when you are not shooting. If you do shoot, the alien will attempt to dodge and return fire. I think the new enemy ramps up the difficulty significantly. I find that "run the hell away" is a valid strategy when health is low and I am confronted with a difficult enemy.

 

Also added: animated explosions that occur when an enemy is destroyed. Don't touch the fireball!

 

My question is this: is the game too hard now? Are you still able to win? Does it provide enough challenge?

 

Next up: SOUND!

LostCat V7.bin

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I added a new enemy type - this one is a big "alien" that chases when you are not shooting. If you do shoot, the alien will attempt to dodge and return fire. I think the new enemy ramps up the difficulty significantly. I find that "run the hell away" is a valid strategy when health is low and I am confronted with a difficult enemy.

 

Also added: animated explosions that occur when an enemy is destroyed. Don't touch the fireball!

 

My question is this: is the game too hard now? Are you still able to win? Does it provide enough challenge?

 

Next up: SOUND!

i just played v6 and v7..........v6 is good - reminds me of AD&D for the INTV - v7 is better with the big alien but too many of them and for some reason there's several grey blocks in different rooms, and some of them kill you - i prefer the small icons you had in v6

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

i just played v6 and v7..........v6 is good - reminds me of AD&D for the INTV - v7 is better with the big alien but too many of them and for some reason there's several grey blocks in different rooms, and some of them kill you - i prefer the small icons you had in v6

 

Hi Arenafoot - thanks for the feedback! The grey blocks are actually traps, and they have always been there, though not always visible. I swapped the difficulty switch settings so that Right Difficulty A is for invisible traps, and Right Difficulty B is for visible traps. When the traps are invisible, you can still reveal them by throwing your weapon ahead of you as you walk - the ball will reveal a black outline on the floor when it passes over a trap.

 

Also, the other small icons (treasures, food, etc.) are still there - they appear randomly in rooms, though not as frequently as traps, which is probably why you didn't see them. I'll look into balancing the enemy/trap frequency in a future update.

 

Tonight's update has the sound added - finally! It's starting to seem like a real game to me now. I'm still wanting to add a short tune for the title and win screens, but most other events have a sound effect in version 8. I have about 1.5 kb left, so let me know if you have suggestions for other things that could be added.

LostCat V8.bin

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Hi Arenafoot - thanks for the feedback! The grey blocks are actually traps, and they have always been there, though not always visible. I swapped the difficulty switch settings so that Right Difficulty A is for invisible traps, and Right Difficulty B is for visible traps. When the traps are invisible, you can still reveal them by throwing your weapon ahead of you as you walk - the ball will reveal a black outline on the floor when it passes over a trap.

 

Also, the other small icons (treasures, food, etc.) are still there - they appear randomly in rooms, though not as frequently as traps, which is probably why you didn't see them. I'll look into balancing the enemy/trap frequency in a future update.

 

Tonight's update has the sound added - finally! It's starting to seem like a real game to me now. I'm still wanting to add a short tune for the title and win screens, but most other events have a sound effect in version 8. I have about 1.5 kb left, so let me know if you have suggestions for other things that could be added.

So, are all of the traps bad??? I walk over each one and it hurts my man 1 level.......i shoot the grey square and it doesn't do anything to it???

 

Seems like the small icons are rarer now than in V6........I did find the Atari Fuji symbol though which I had not seen before. I also was able to shoot the multi-colored ball and it turned into the cat but i didn't have the right number of items and the cat killed me.

 

I noticed that if I shoot in one room and quickly go out the exit into the next room - the shot carries over to that room too. Is this a glitch?

 

I like the sound too! Is there any way of having an visual of inventory items that have been picked up? and items still needed?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, are all of the traps bad??? I walk over each one and it hurts my man 1 level.......i shoot the grey square and it doesn't do anything to it???

 

Seems like the small icons are rarer now than in V6........I did find the Atari Fuji symbol though which I had not seen before. I also was able to shoot the multi-colored ball and it turned into the cat but i didn't have the right number of items and the cat killed me.

 

I noticed that if I shoot in one room and quickly go out the exit into the next room - the shot carries over to that room too. Is this a glitch?

 

I like the sound too! Is there any way of having an visual of inventory items that have been picked up? and items still needed?

 

Yes, the traps always hurt the player - there is no way to destroy them. They are really meant to be invisible (Right Difficulty A) but if your Right Difficulty switch is set to B, they show up as grey blocks.

 

I'm still working on balancing the number of items that appear vs. the number of traps and enemies - this may change in the future. The cat should not kill the player ever, so it looks like that is a bug that I need to fix! The cat is supposed to run away and not let you pick it up if you don't have all seven different cat items, but should not do any damage. It seems that if you don't have all seven, and exit the room that the cat is in, then come back, the cat can then kill you. I'll change that for the next version.

 

You are right about shooting, exiting the room, and still seeing the shot onscreen - that is another bug that I didn't know about. I will work on fixing that.

 

I'm not sure about the onscreen inventory - I don't know if I have enough cycles left for another mini-kernel to do it. I'll think about it though, there may be another way to set that up.

 

I appreciate the feedback!!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

NIcely Done Graywest.

The sound is a big improvement. This game is a lot of fun.

A couple of things.

The turret enemy you can sneak up on at a weird angle and just hold in the fire button and let the shield take it out.

The blob you can hang out in a lower doorway and it can't reach you. A "cheese fort" as a friend calls a safety zone in "Destiny" where you can't get hit.

The Alien is the best enemy, He can be a little predictable when you hold down the button. In earlier versions there were some spots where he couldn't hit you, but you may have fixed them. I didn't see them in V8.

 

But great job, keep up the great work.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks again to those that have played the game and especially to people who have given me feedback. I'm posting another update - this is "Version 9".

 

The major additions this time around are a short intro song that plays at the title screen, and a new "high score" feature that saves the player's high score and displays it at the title screen. The score will flip between the last game's score and the current high score (which flashes.) The high score starts out at 10k.

 

Other fixes include one for a bug where the player's shot stayed onscreen when exiting the room, and some issues with the cat reappearing when entering the previous room. There are still some quirky bugs to fix, but it's getting there.

 

I'm down to about 1 kb of space left. I want to adjust the AI routines for the enemies, get rid of the safe spaces where the player can stay out of the reach of the blob, and fix shooting angles for the turret.

LostCat V9.bin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...