F-4

[s0c7]

Ok, guess it's time to quit cluttering up the main thread.

 

This is my 1st game in batari's wonderful Basic. Still not completely finished, but I have now finally decided how I want the gameplay to work (helps to start a game with a clear vision of what you want to end up with ).

 

*** Gameplay has changed somewhat. Scroll down to the most current release.

Edited July 24, 2005 by s0c7

[s0c7]

Ok... found a minor bug. Subtract 1 from everything I said occurs at a certain score. (Ex. the 2 jets change to 1 at 14 instead of 15). 0 is still game over.

 

I'll make the change for this in the next release which probably won't be until next week (and will hopefully include sound, etc.)

[kisrael]

Not a bad little game of cat and mouse...

 

Some further suggestions:

* don't launch a missile until the firebutton has been released...it's too easy to waste a shot after a kill if your thumb hasn't had time to let go of the button. You can do that with code like this:

36 u = 1 : rem "up" -- 1 when button is released

102 if !joy0fire then u = 1

211 rem if button was never up, ignore
212 if u = 0 then 300
213 u = 0

 

* also, holding down the fire button freezes the player

* sometimes the double planes do that stutter thing on the left side

 

Ideas for features...

* it would be nice if the bomber actually lived up to its name, you should have an extra missile for that?

* I wonder how hard it would be to have a seconds elapsed timer, and then change the score to that. A single variable can probably hold just 256, and I know from experience that the score is hard to manipulate, but still it's a thought

* obviously a bit of sound,...a victory fanfare might be in keeping with the spirit...

[s0c7]

* also, holding down the fire button freezes the player

* sometimes the double planes do that stutter thing on the left side

 

 

 

These have been fixed for the next release. Did a rush job when I converted it over from just one enemy and didn't think to redo the boundary checking (which I did a complete overhaul on this time).

 

Playtesting with a PC keyboard you tend to forget to try some things. Just curious, I don't have all the necessary hardware, but are the bin's Kroko/Cuttle Cart compatible?

 

I've got some ideas for what happens if you win. Possibly unlocking a special "mode".

[kisrael]

* also, holding down the fire button freezes the player

* sometimes the double planes do that stutter thing on the left side

Playtesting with a PC keyboard you tend to forget to try some things. Just curious, I don't have all the necessary hardware, but are the bin's Kroko/Cuttle Cart compatible?

I'd be rather stunned if they weren't Krok/Cuttle compatible.

 

I should fire up my supercharger...

[s0c7]

OK, you know me.... changed the gameplay..... again.

 

You work your way up through the enemy to get to the bomber, same as before. This time the score is the # of rounds of ammo you have. It starts at 50 and if it gets to 0, game over. Shoot down the bomber to win.

 

This is the "Over the Rainbow" release (and no it doesn't have gay munchkins in it). If you win the 50 rounds of ammo game, it unlocks the COLOR game. The color game has 100 rounds and is better suited for trying to beat your best score.

 

Oh and all the bugs in the last one were fixed (except the one that appears to be compiler related).

 

I was going to add audio to this one, but with all the other changes I thought I'd wait and see if there are any bugs in this first.

 

Am open to suggestions to the color scheme for the color game. Not entirely happy with what I have, but it has a Combat sort of feel, so I guess it's cool.

 

**** 7/28 - d/l removed. Keep scrolling down to get the latest version.

Edited July 29, 2005 by s0c7

[The Lurking Horror]

Nice little game. I managed to get the color mode and beat the bomber. The little parachutes are a nice touch.

[s0c7]

Hmmm... just realized I got rid of the post that had the instructions in it.

 

Anyway, getting closer to a final version. The main highlight of this release is sound. Also now allows you to move up higher into the playfield.

 

For those that haven't seen my various rambling posts on the game, here is a brief overview.

 

This game is (very) loosely based on the arcade game Phantom II.

You begin the game with 50 rounds of ammuntion (your score). You must shoot down 24 enemy jets to reach the enemy bomber. Shoot it down to win. This gives you 2 shots each to win, so be selective. Early on there will be 2 jets flying in formation. A hit on either counts. As you get closer to the bomber, it will drop to just 1 jet.

 

Shooting down the bomber also unlocks the color version of the game (the 50 rounds of ammo game is in b&w). As you have "won", you'll have to hit reset. The color version also starts you out with 100 rounds of ammo, which mostly assures you of victory. This allows you to play to try and beat your best score.

 

The enemy employs a "Death Star trench" method of defence (get in the way and let yourself get shot down so the bomber can make it through). The do not shoot back. You can collide with them though (automatic game over). You are safe at the lowest level of the screen. They don't come down all the way. Higher up you run the risk.

 

Please report any bugs you may encounter. I apologize for the state of the source. I started writing this with the original version of the compiler and only a vague idea of what I wanted to end up with.

Edited July 31, 2005 by s0c7

[potatohead]

Nice game! I enjoyed it.

 

I noticed you have three sprites? How did you do that?

 

Nevermind, I see at least one missile is working !?!

 

(Cool!)

 

Man, that changes a lot of stuff where my game is concerned!

Edited July 29, 2005 by potatohead

[s0c7]

Nevermind, I see at least one missile is working !?!

900687[/snapback]

 

Missile0 is working. Not entirely sure about missile1. I tried using it once and no matter what, it always seemed to be on the far right of the screen. Even when I hard coded a number into it's x value. The y value was working correctly.

 

I don't know if this was just my own stupidity or a bug. I was going to write a small program to test it, but never got around to it.

[potatohead]

Nevermind, I see at least one missile is working !?!

900687[/snapback]

 

Missile0 is working. Not entirely sure about missile1. I tried using it once and no matter what, it always seemed to be on the far right of the screen. Even when I hard coded a number into it's x value. The y value was working correctly.

 

I don't know if this was just my own stupidity or a bug. I was going to write a small program to test it, but never got around to it.

900819[/snapback]

 

They both work just fine. I'm using the last code Batari posted.

[s0c7]

FINAL VERSION........ (I hope)

 

And so this is it (unless somebody finds a bug). For once, the gameplay hasn't changed. See description a few posts up if you are new to it.

What's new since last time:

- Was going for a 70's kind of feel, so hadn't really planned to do a title screen. As it seems to be expected though, I did a simple one.

- Various minor graphic glitches have been fixed. Parachute placement is much better.

- The reset switch now works in-game.

- Once you win the b&w game, not only does it unlock the color game, it also releases the console switches. B&W switch now works in case you want to keep playing in b&w. Left difficulty switch now toggles between day (b) and night (a) missions. No gameplay difference, just different colors.

 

Gotta say I'm really impressed. I expected to run out of space quickly. According to bB, I still have 1798 bytes free.

Edited August 4, 2005 by s0c7

[Luigi301]

You could go for the early Atari style and fit another game in there somehow

 

Or, try and squeeze it into 2K!

Edited July 31, 2005 by Luigi301

[kisrael]

Gotta say I'm really impressed.  I expected to run out of space quickly.  According to bB, I still have 1798 bytes free.

Cool stuff...

I remember being surprised at how spacious 4K could be while writing JoustPong. (Of course it took me a lot longer to find out.) Big graphics and sound can chew ROM, but there is a pretty large amount of room for gameplay mechanics.

[s0c7]

You could go for the early Atari style and fit another game in there somehow

 

That should be relatively easy (assuming you plan ahead). I should be able to write another game independently and if I keep it small enough, combine it with this one. I may try that later. For now, this is a game unto itself.

[Jess Ragan]

Yeah, this is pretty robust by early 2600 standards.

 

I had enough room in my code to squeeze mini-games into both the E and AO versions of Solar Plexus. They're more of a novelty than anything else, but they ARE there for anyone who's looking for hidden content.

 

JR

[s0c7]

FINAL VERSION........ (I hope)

 

And of course, it wasn't......

 

Added 2-player mode (player 2 controls the enemy jet(s)). This is set with the right difficulty switch (a) - 2 player (b) - 2600 controlled.

 

The cool thing about doing it this way as opposed to a seperate game selection is that it can be toggled back and forth on the fly.

 

[EDIT : Download removed. I'll post a updated 0.35 or higher compatible version sometime. May try to clean up the source a little as well.]

Edited September 18, 2005 by s0c7

[s0c7]

As nobody has reported any bugs, I'm declaring this one to be finished. I'll wait for the next version of bB before moving on to something more complex.

 

I will point out to anybody with little kids this one falls into the Bowling category of being little kid friendly. My 2 yr old tried it for the first time the other day. He didn't even bother trying to move the jet, just hit the fire button. He did pretty good all things considered.