If I were to make a Mega Man-style game for the 7800...

[ApolloBoy]

...which method of getting special items would you prefer? Would you like to have special abilities (like double jumping or increased speed) and some special weapons that you have to find in the game, or would you like to collect all weapons (but with no abilities in the game at all) after defeating all the bosses?

Edited March 13, 2007 by ApolloBoy

[mimo]

option 1 please

[Mord]

...which method of getting special items would you prefer? Would you like to have special abilities (like double jumping or increased speed) and some special weapons that you have to find in the game, or would you like to collect all weapons (but with no abilities in the game at all) after defeating all the bosses?

 

An idea I had written down for a megaman style game I had (And may yet) try to do in the (somewhat distant) future was to have some of the mini-bosses (essentially just stronger monsters in a level) have a chance of dropping their own weapon. Those weapons would have their own energy meter and when you used up all the energy, you'd lose the weapon. Recharging would happen if you picked up another instance of the weapon while already having it.

[Pixelboy]

Sounds to me like your real question is whether people would prefer a MegaMan-style or Metroid-style upgrade system...

 

Either would be quite interesting, although I don't know how much RAM and ROM space is available on the 7800... Either types of games require a lot of memory resources...

[EricBall]

Either would be quite interesting, although I don't know how much RAM and ROM space is available on the 7800... Either types of games require a lot of memory resources...

ROM is 32K without special HW. There's more address space available, but you'd need a PLD to keep the ROM from conflicting with RAM. So bankswitching would make more sense if you need more than 32K. Sprite GFX also chews up address space in 2K or 4K chunks.

 

RAM is 4K but a lot of that gets used up for the display lists. (You do get 192 bytes of zero page, 50% more than the 2600!) For RAM heavy games (>1K needed) you probably will need to put SRAM on the cart.

 

Also be aware that a 4 color 160res tiled background will consume about half MARIA's DMA budget. (And that's 4 colors for each row of tiles.)

[8th lutz]

As a Megaman fan, I have to say, Option 1.

Edited March 13, 2007 by 8th lutz

[+Propane13]

I started on a mega-man style game like 3-4 years ago (maybe more), and never managed to find the time to complete it.

I did get it scrolling though, and had cool lookup tables for sprites (background, foreground, etc). And, the main character was just a guy in pants that didn't even animate. He was a hideous sprite-- I guess that's why I'm not a graphic artist.

 

The main thing to think about is the fact that there are no select/start buttons.

That should help drive the engine. Think about it-- if you want weapons, you're not going to be able to switch unless doing something like "up and B". That works for maybe a special weapon, like in Scrapyard dog, but if you have that launch a separate sub-screen, it could get annoying during gameplay and cause issues if accidentally pressed. So, that should drive gameplay. Or, we can add a booster grip "select/start" button for fun. Just my 2 cents.

 

Regards,

-John

[Shawn]

I started on a mega-man style game like 3-4 years ago (maybe more), and never managed to find the time to complete it.

I did get it scrolling though, and had cool lookup tables for sprites (background, foreground, etc). And, the main character was just a guy in pants that didn't even animate. He was a hideous sprite-- I guess that's why I'm not a graphic artist.

 

The main thing to think about is the fact that there are no select/start buttons.

That should help drive the engine. Think about it-- if you want weapons, you're not going to be able to switch unless doing something like "up and B". That works for maybe a special weapon, like in Scrapyard dog, but if you have that launch a separate sub-screen, it could get annoying during gameplay and cause issues if accidentally pressed. So, that should drive gameplay. Or, we can add a booster grip "select/start" button for fun. Just my 2 cents.

 

Regards,

-John

 

 

Keyboar conroller in player 2 port should cover any needs for extra buttons.

[Trip_Cannon]

Or if you were physically close to the system, you could use the difficulty switches, as in the case with F-18 Hornet.... which, yes, was a pain in the ass, but it was there to make the game work...

[+Propane13]

Actually, I remember what my practical solution was.

Remember in Mega-Man that there were those "Dr. Wily Robot transporters"?

The ones where you would use them to battle the robots one-on-one?

 

I thought it would be cool to put those in different places in levels. Using them would allow for weapon pick-up.

And, you could have some cool twists on things. For example, let's say you have a level that has a water section.

There's a "port" machine just before the water.

 

Do you choose the submarine armor, that allows you to not sink?

Or, do you choose the twisty-arm armor, which is the only thing that can defeat the metallic sharks?

Or, do you potentially go for the mega-heavy armor, to sink to the bottom into the most difficult peril imaginable, but to give the chance for an extra life, or a power-up?

 

I think in that case, it would be the least invasive solution (to the player), and it could allow for some interesting level design.

You could make it so there's a "good" choice for some sections of a level, but for other options.

In doing so, this ups the replayability too.

 

So, if someone designs a mega-man like game, that's what I'd recommend.

 

-John

[kenfused]

48K without special HW (unless you want to throw a pokey in there)

Edited March 13, 2007 by kenfused

[rockman_x_2002]

I started on a mega-man style game like 3-4 years ago (maybe more), and never managed to find the time to complete it.

I did get it scrolling though, and had cool lookup tables for sprites (background, foreground, etc). And, the main character was just a guy in pants that didn't even animate. He was a hideous sprite-- I guess that's why I'm not a graphic artist.

 

The main thing to think about is the fact that there are no select/start buttons.

That should help drive the engine. Think about it-- if you want weapons, you're not going to be able to switch unless doing something like "up and B". That works for maybe a special weapon, like in Scrapyard dog, but if you have that launch a separate sub-screen, it could get annoying during gameplay and cause issues if accidentally pressed. So, that should drive gameplay. Or, we can add a booster grip "select/start" button for fun. Just my 2 cents.

 

Regards,

-John

 

 

Keyboar conroller in player 2 port should cover any needs for extra buttons.

 

Even simpler, just use a joystick in port 2. You would only need its buttons to open and close a subscreen, allowing the main joystick in port 1 to control weapon/item selection, use, etc. You might consider making this function work on Atari 2600 joysticks, too. It would be easier to hit a button like that during heavy gameplay.

[Video]

You'd have a bout a zillion buyers. (well, ok, not, but I'd buy one)

 

I definately prefer the "find it and use it as you go" method in these games. Though you could include a 'super hard' mode with no upgrades till you beat the boss.

 

I also prefer selectable from a menue (pause) weapons. Sometimes 'upgrades' aren't, and I just like the option of useing something better, besides, it could make switching weapons/accessories mid level strategic.

[EricBall]

48K without special HW (unless you want to throw a pokey in there)

You're right. Bruce Tomlin's ulta-mini would do 48K with a 74LS02 (and up to 1M with a PLD). And I think CPUWIZ had also developed a couple of PCBs too.