How about Berzerk for INTV?

[ZillaRUSH]

Would be a great addition to the Homebrew list!

[+Gemintronic]

I'm already tagged for a legally distinct homage.. but, you should look up IntyBASIC here in the forums and make this. If you can handle BASIC it should be imminently doable.

http://nanochess.org/intybasic.html

 

The mutual support on AtariAge is outstanding. Oscar even published a book if that's your preferred learning style.

[+Steve Jones]

Oscar just did a great version for TI99 last year so he could probably knock this out in a spare afternoon.

[+Gemintronic]

Oscar just did a great version for TI99 last year so he could probably knock this out in a spare afternoon.

 

If he's making games then less work gets done on IntyBASIC.. which means many more people don't get new features to make a Berserk homage. Shhhhh...

[carlsson]

I believe there has been a handful starts on Berzerk! already. Some may be closer to finishing than others. While it might not yet exist, in particular not in cartridge form, it is definitely not unheard of before.

[+Tarzilla]

Would be a great addition to the Homebrew list!

Berzerk has had a lot of discussion, in multiple threads, for instance:

 

http://atariage.com/forums/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=search&fromMainBar=1

 

There is also a gif somewhere on Rev's site showing a work in progress.

[IMBerzerk]

With Intellivoice support would be colossal for the Inty!

 

But I'm biased. Lol!

[digress]

not too hard. boot hill is not very dissimilar to bezerk . I'd probably suggest frenzy instead though

[carlsson]

Or how about Shamus, to follow up on the trend of porting 8-bit computer games to the Intellivision?

[+DZ-Jay]

not too hard. boot hill is not very dissimilar to bezerk . I'd probably suggest frenzy instead though

 

Well, the difficulty is in making many robots move simultaneously and autonomously, each one with the ability to shoot independently as well. If you limit it to 4 robots only (to conserve sprites for the player and bullets), then it's not much of a Berzerk game because it loses the "enemy swarm" feel.

 

This can be done with background or so-called "software" sprites, which requires additional logic and processing, and has its own challenges for animation and collision detection. Although this is not the hardest thing to do on an Intellivision, it is an advanced programming technique, and therefore not trivial.

 

There have been various attempts in the past, but it has mostly been treated as an "engineering challenge." That is, once the programmer reaches the point of, "look, I can put 20 robots on the screen all moving and shooting independently," then they move on to something else, or life gets in the way to distract them. Thus, we have a few "technology demos" that show off how it can be done, but not a full game yet.

 

-dZ.

[mr_me]

Even though arcade berzerk can have ten enemy robots on the screen, with Intellivision's lower resolution, seven robots might do. That means all missiles are done as background animation. That's how it was done with intv commando. Doing the robots in background might mean limiting their movement orthogonally, but you'd have more of them.

Edited January 18, 2019 by mr_me

[+DZ-Jay]

Even though arcade berzerk can have ten enemy robots on the screen, with Intellivision's lower resolution, seven robots might do. That means all missiles are done as background animation. That's how it was done with intv commando. Doing the robots in background might mean limiting their movement orthogonally, but you'd have more of them.

 

Sure. But that's still not trivial, and not as simple as Boot Hill.

 

You can also animate the robots in the background to move diagonally. It will just require more GRAM cards dedicated to each one, and of course more computations and more effort. It also means making sure that there are no robots sharing a larger surrounding space.

 

I believe it is technically possible, but like you said, perhaps overkill for this game. Seven robots seems plenty on an Intellivision screen.

 

-dZ.

[+nanochess]

Something is being done that's the only I can say ;)

[carlsson]

When it comes to software sprites, I think it can be nice to get inspired about how similar games on other systems worked.

 

Roger Merritt made Amok for the unexpanded VIC-20. It moves the robots in all 8 directions, one robot at a time by sliding it into the next position. It would translate to using BACKTAB and when each robot is about to move, put a MOB in its place, animate it into the new position and store it into the BACKTAB again. Perhaps a bit unconventional way to do it, but in theory you could have 50++ robots on screeen.

 

Roger apparently redesigned the game as Super Amok which is a 8K cartridge game. This version implements full software sprites where all robots simultaneously move around slowly, either horizontally or vertically (not diagonals), though it seems they don't collide into eachother.

 

Tom Griner made Shamus, also a 8K cartridge game. This one has plenty of evil beings, clustered together where they move one pixel at a time as very clever software sprites. Of course the VIC-20 has room for 256 redefinable characters which perhaps makes it easier to do these software sprites.

[+DZ-Jay]

Actually, that's like some Martel games work. Specifically, MLB Baseball: it reuses a MOB to move the field players, and then "parks" them in the BACKTAB when at rest.

 

It works great as long as you can get away with limiting the number of sprites that move simultaneously. That can work for Berzerk, but keep in mind that in the original, all robots have the ability to move simultaneously to trap you, and changing that has potential implications on difficulty and game mechanics.

 

Still, a practical alternative.

dZ.

[carlsson]

Yep. It all depends on whether one is aiming for an exact Berzerk game or would settle with a Berzerk-esque game like Amok, Frenzy etc are.

Edited January 18, 2019 by carlsson

[+JasonlikesINTV]

Dumb it down and call it a prequel

[+DZ-Jay]

Dumb it down and call it a prequel

Or put a single robot and call it "Mildly Irritated."

[+JasonlikesINTV]

Or put a single robot and call it "Mildly Irritated."

Make it an apathetic robot and call it Meh.

[wolfy62]

Something is being done that's the only I can say ;)

I like the sound of that...?

[carlsson]

Make it an apathetic robot and call it Meh.

 

Isn't it a bit unnecessary violence to shoot a robot that minds its own business and basically is leaving you alone?

[+DZ-Jay]

 

Isn't it a bit unnecessary violence to shoot a robot that minds its own business and basically is leaving you alone?

 

You are right. Then, the game-play should be that your little man goes around giving candy and hugs to the robots, trying to make them smile.

[carlsson]

Yes, and perhaps locate a robot friend for our lonely friend so they can form a nice little couple, even have robot children one day if everything works out fine.

[+JasonlikesINTV]

Fingers crossed for robot fertility...

 

... And what family is complete without a pet?

 

Edited January 19, 2019 by JasonlikesINTV

[+Lathe26]

Fingers crossed for robot fertility...

 

... And what family is complete without a pet?

 

I find that GIF... unsettling.