Hungry Hippos

[easmith]

Spitballing an idea: a hungry hippos game. This would be a 4 player paddle game . Thinking out loud here to organize thoughts.

 

Triggers would control hippo heads. Player who eats most marbles wins after so many rounds / or first to a specified number .

 

Should have some features such as the ability to take out an opponent by capturing special marble and choosing or knocking a special marble into opponent's head. Could be interesting .......

 

Some challenges to try to overcome .

 

 

1. The original game had 20 marbles. Getting 20 marbles on screen without too much flicker could be a challenge.

 

2. The heads will have to move based on how long the trigger is depressed , and marbles only "eaten" if the trigger has just been released . This would attempt to simulate the real game in which the head raises up and must be lowered onto the marble.

 

3. Does this already exist / Would this be too similar to Warlords/ Medieval Mayhem ( and certainly inferior) to justify the effort ?

 

Would be probably 8K asm.

 

Rough sketch (image is rotated , sorry ...)

 

[s0c7]

Hasbro still makes it and is known to be Cease & Desist happy. You would probably want to retheme it.

[Swami]

Hasbro still makes it and is known to be Cease & Desist happy. You would probably want to retheme it.

Put horns on the noses and call it Ravenous Rhinos

[+Muddyfunster]

Famished Ferrets

 

Starving Snakes

 

Carnivorous Camels

 

Esurient Emus

 

Greedy Geese

 

(I'll get my coat..)

[+Nathan Strum]

Peckish 'Potamuses

[BassGuitari]

This is idea is so simple and awesome that it's amazing it hasn't been done already.

 

I love the idea of there being "bad" marbles that knock you out or temporarily stun you or something, or "weapon" marbles you can shoot at other players, or "special" or "bonus" marbles that do different things like steal marbles from other players, or stun all the other players for a couple seconds or something.

 

An idea for an alternate game mode could be something like Crossfire, where you fire marbles at a "bad" marble (or two or three...) to get it to hit the other players and take them out. Sort of a combination of Crossfire (the board game) and Warlords (the video game).

 

Getting 20 balls on screen at once would definitely be a problem, but maybe having just a couple of them onscreen but moving very fast (and/or erratically?) would effectively simulate the chaotic nature of the original game?

 

Put horns on the noses and call it Ravenous Rhinos

 

There it is.

[KevKelley]

Piggish Pachyderms?

 

I personally love the idea of a Hungry Hippos style game and think it could be simple yet fun.

[vhzc]

Famished Ferrets

 

Starving Snakes

 

Carnivorous Camels

 

Esurient Emus

 

Greedy Geese

 

(I'll get my coat..)

 

Anger-issued Artiodactyla?

Edited October 20, 2018 by vhzc

[easmith]

I sat down to start working on this , but found that after making 3 games this year I am just a bit burned out . So I don't know if I will ever work on this.

 

If anyone else would like to claim this then go for it . Someone with better programming chops than me .

 

I also was wondering if anyone remembers the old board game Dark Tower. Perhaps this would make a good conversion to video game if it has not been done before. Again, would need to be done by someone with more skill than me . I know it is bad form to suggest

ideas for others, but just a thought.

 

 

 

Edited October 24, 2018 by easmith

[s0c7]

Again, Hasbro....

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/186219-dark-tower/?p=2347330

[CapitanClassic]

Spitballing an idea: a hungry hippos game. This would be a 4 player paddle game . Thinking out loud here to organize thoughts.

 

Triggers would control hippo heads. Player who eats most marbles wins after so many rounds / or first to a specified number .

 

2. The heads will have to move based on how long the trigger is depressed , and marbles only "eaten" if the trigger has just been released . This would attempt to simulate the real game in which the head raises up and must be lowered onto the marble.

 

IMG_0979.jpg

It makes more sense to me to have the paddle control the hippo heads. The physical game has a lever that you can press lightly to extend the head and raise the mouth. It is only when your lever is pressed pass a certain point that the spring mechanism forces the head to chomp down and retract, capturing any marbles that are within the edges of the head. (Marbles at the edges tend to bounce out and gain extra momentum)

 

The fire button could be used to launch one of your five marbles onto the playfield, or used to launch special negative marbles with the other marbles released on some sort of timer.

[KevKelley]

There could also be some liberties taken so that this doesn't run foul of any rights holders. I like the idea of paddles. Or if joysticks can move the heads left or right while up/down extend and retract the head and the button does something like fire. Maybe a cross between Crossfire and Hungry Hungry Hippos.

 

I like this idea but I'm still learning and I got my own game otherwise I would love to try this. Lol

[Swami]

There could also be some liberties taken so that this doesn't run foul of any rights holders. I like the idea of paddles. Or if joysticks can move the heads left or right while up/down extend and retract the head and the button does something like fire. Maybe a cross between Crossfire and Hungry Hungry Hippos.

 

I like this idea but I'm still learning and I got my own game otherwise I would love to try this. Lol

 

I think this is kind of game REALLY well suited to the Track and Field Controller, at least as an option. Moving to the left, right or straight forward with back to the origin being automatic.