Duck Attack! - new Atari 2600 homebrew (NTSC & PAL)

[TrekMD]

I like the fade...

[+Nathan Strum]

Fade looks great over a gray background, but static works everywhere (over other colored backgrounds, with ducks in front of you, etc).

[Nostalgic]

Hello once again. I spent some time playing version 0.15 tonight. Thank you for considering my comments and implementing some changes as a result! I'm glad that I was able to help.

 

I have some more comments and questions about the latest version...

 

Having the blue balloon available in Level 2 can really change how one plays the game! I spent a lot of time traveling over low walls, almost as if the bat from Adventure was carrying me in the belly of a dragon, but with me in control. It was nice to see the layout of the level, but I wonder if something is lost by having such free movement instead of wandering through mazes, especially in the early levels. (Getting past them in later levels would be a nice convenience.) I'm not saying having the blue balloon early is bad - just different. What motivated you to make it appear earlier?

 

That said, I learned it's also possible to get stuck while ballooning without pressing the button to drop the balloon - bump into another object. I found this out the hard way on Level 3 by ballooning into the room containing the shield while also carrying an egg. Touching the shield caused me to drop one of my two carried objects, which turned out to be the balloon. This caused me to get stuck in the lower wall. What would you think of setting up a priority system for dropping objects, so that when you're carrying the balloon and something else, the something else always gets dropped first? It would help avoid this situation.

 

Can ducks travel through doors or was it only my imagination? I tried running through doors on several occasions to escape a duck attack only to find the duck on the same screen I went to! I wonder if it might be good to delay a duck slightly - even if only a couple of seconds - when it travels through a door. After all, it's a huge duck pushing itself through a small door!

 

I do like that there is a pause after the robot is defeated, but I think it would be helpful to have something more than simply disappearing. This could be misinterpreted as a glitch. (I see that you've posted some possible alternatives, but I haven't had a chance to look at them yet.)

 

I did find a glitch in the death process, though. I was carrying the magnet, which appears at near the lower left of the robot, and ran into a tank. When the robot disappeared, the magnet jumped to the top of the screen. When the robot is killed, does it just get positioned out of view?

 

Is the duck supposed to be able to swallow you while you're carrying the zapper? I was a little surprised when it happened. Wouldn't the duck get a rather nasty case of heartburn? (It's fine if this was intentional; it would just be helpful to know this can happen.)

 

Please keep it up! I was pleasantly surprised to see a couple of updates come out this week.

 

Edit: I looked at the three death animations. I prefer the fade out - it's clear that something bad happened to the robot since it disappears completely at the end. However, I noticed that the robot's shape is still visible. Its color matches the background, but if what hit it slides "under" the dying robot, you can still see the robot's silhouette. (Try this out with the first tank you encounter.)

Edited January 15, 2010 by Nostalgic

[+Nathan Strum]

Having the blue balloon available in Level 2 can really change how one plays the game! I spent a lot of time traveling over low walls, almost as if the bat from Adventure was carrying me in the belly of a dragon, but with me in control. It was nice to see the layout of the level, but I wonder if something is lost by having such free movement instead of wandering through mazes, especially in the early levels.

I agree... it'd be nice to make you explore more, early on.

 

That said, I learned it's also possible to get stuck while ballooning without pressing the button to drop the balloon - bump into another object. I found this out the hard way on Level 3 by ballooning into the room containing the shield while also carrying an egg. Touching the shield caused me to drop one of my two carried objects, which turned out to be the balloon. This caused me to get stuck in the lower wall.

This happened to me, too. Either a priority system, or you can still pick up a balloon after dropping it, regardless of where you are.

 

Can ducks travel through doors or was it only my imagination?

Ducks fly.

[e1will]

Here's a new idea I had for the death animation. Thoughts?

 

--Will

Edited January 28, 2010 by e1will

[e1will]

Hello once again. I spent some time playing version 0.15 tonight. Thank you for considering my comments and implementing some changes as a result! I'm glad that I was able to help.

 

I have some more comments and questions about the latest version...

 

Having the blue balloon available in Level 2 can really change how one plays the game! I spent a lot of time traveling over low walls, almost as if the bat from Adventure was carrying me in the belly of a dragon, but with me in control. It was nice to see the layout of the level, but I wonder if something is lost by having such free movement instead of wandering through mazes, especially in the early levels. (Getting past them in later levels would be a nice convenience.) I'm not saying having the blue balloon early is bad - just different. What motivated you to make it appear earlier?

 

My main motivation was to make the game easier. The results of the poll I posted really surprised me... no one had completed anything past Level 3! But I think, as Nathan points out, moving the balloon to Level 2 makes it too easy. Exploring the mazes is part of the fun, and having the blue balloon available too early short-circuits that. I've restored it to its earlier location. As before, you'll need to work your way up to Level 10 to earn the blue balloon.

 

That said, I learned it's also possible to get stuck while ballooning without pressing the button to drop the balloon - bump into another object. I found this out the hard way on Level 3 by ballooning into the room containing the shield while also carrying an egg. Touching the shield caused me to drop one of my two carried objects, which turned out to be the balloon. This caused me to get stuck in the lower wall. What would you think of setting up a priority system for dropping objects, so that when you're carrying the balloon and something else, the something else always gets dropped first? It would help avoid this situation.

 

Good suggestion! I've made that change.

 

Can ducks travel through doors or was it only my imagination? I tried running through doors on several occasions to escape a duck attack only to find the duck on the same screen I went to! I wonder if it might be good to delay a duck slightly - even if only a couple of seconds - when it travels through a door. After all, it's a huge duck pushing itself through a small door!

 

They can indeed! But only one of them at a time. If there are five chasing you and you go through a door, you'll only have one to contend with then.

 

I do like that there is a pause after the robot is defeated, but I think it would be helpful to have something more than simply disappearing. This could be misinterpreted as a glitch. (I see that you've posted some possible alternatives, but I haven't had a chance to look at them yet.)

 

I've redone the death animation. Let me know what you think.

 

I did find a glitch in the death process, though. I was carrying the magnet, which appears at near the lower left of the robot, and ran into a tank. When the robot disappeared, the magnet jumped to the top of the screen. When the robot is killed, does it just get positioned out of view?

 

I fixed the magnet bug. (And yes, in that version of the code I was moving the player above the visible screen. I've reworked that.)

 

Is the duck supposed to be able to swallow you while you're carrying the zapper? I was a little surprised when it happened. Wouldn't the duck get a rather nasty case of heartburn? (It's fine if this was intentional; it would just be helpful to know this can happen.)

 

Yep, you have to throw the zapper or place it in a duck's path, just holding it doesn't do anything.

 

Thanks again for your feedback, these are great observations and suggestions!

 

--Will

 

Version v0.19 attached.

Edited January 20, 2010 by e1will

[e1will]

The biggest change in this version is that it is MUCH easier. Specifically:

* The ducks appear more gradually: only 1 duck in Level 1, 2 ducks in Level 2, etc.

I think level 1 is too easy now. I miss seeing the duck in the maze.

 

I agree. For v0.19 I put the ducks back the way they were before.

 

--Will

[yuppicide]

This game is awesome! I don't know what to do really, but grab stuff so far.

 

I got stuck in some water it appears and floated on a screen full of water, got stuck and couldn't move. The duck ate me.

 

Can't believe I only found this game today. Amazing work. The duck is scary he's so big. Love all the screens, the colors on the title screen, etc.

 

I for one love the classic game references.

[e1will]

This game is awesome! I don't know what to do really, but grab stuff so far.

 

I got stuck in some water it appears and floated on a screen full of water, got stuck and couldn't move. The duck ate me.

 

Can't believe I only found this game today. Amazing work. The duck is scary he's so big. Love all the screens, the colors on the title screen, etc.

 

I for one love the classic game references.

 

Thanks! I'm glad you like it.

 

There's a manual online that describes what each of the objects do. It's a little out of date but should give you a good start.

 

http://willnicholes.com/duck

 

--Will

[yuppicide]

You can pick an egg up and drop it off screen making it impossible to get.

 

Yeah, I had skipped reading the manual. Now that you said it, I read it, and made it to level 2. Awesome.

Edited January 17, 2010 by yuppicide

[Nostalgic]

Good morning! I just played a couple of games of version 0.19. I finally completed level 3! This game provides quite a bit of challenge! I wonder if I'll have the gaming skills to make it to the higher levels...

 

I like the new death animation. It's clear that the robot has been defeated. There's even a bit of humor in that the robot's eyes still move if you move the joystick.

 

I found it is possible to drop the magnet off-screen and have it be lost. Since the magnet appears on the left side of the robot, I moved to the left side of the screen, with the magnet off the left edge, and dropped the magnet. It was not on the screen to the left nor on the current screen.

 

I noticed that if you're carrying the zapper and an egg and you press the trigger, the zapper is fired rather than you dropping the egg. This is definitely a good thing!

 

When a duck tries to bite, it "quacks" and pauses for a few seconds. If you move through a door, the duck follows you to the next screen, still paused. I think it would be more natural for the duck to remain in the previous room since it had stopped moving. (I asked about ducks following you before, but this is a specific case - only when the duck just attacked and paused.)

 

In the dark areas, while moving to the right, I came onto a screen on the left side and was placed on top of the snake. It's frustrating to die instantly upon entering a room. I suppose I could learn not to move along the snake's path in an upcoming room, but it is irritating to lose a life without having at least a chance to avoid it. (I'd rather fail through action rather than blundering.)

 

I managed to shoot the zapper onto the next screen! I was in the center of a dark room and shot the zapper at a duck to my right. It hit the duck then seemed to disappear. I then went to the screen on the right and picked up the zapper there. Could this be because there was no wall to stop it?

 

In dark rooms, the zapper when discharged is the same color as the background. Also, using the background color makes it look like the robot's antennae have fallen off. It may be good to change this so that it is apparent you are carrying a discharged zapper.

 

The doorways on the left and right sides of the Berzerk room that has exits on those sides are wider than those in the Dodge 'Em room. This makes it possible to appear to get stuck, particularly when you leave the right side of the Berzerk room for the left side of the Dodge 'Em room. Hold the joystick right and you'll bounce between the two rooms.

 

Animations are still looping while the game is paused.

 

One annoyance I encountered is that when you go through a door, sometimes you are positioned in the next room such that it's very easy to move back through the same door by accident. This can be frustrating while trying to escape a duck. Is the program sending you to the next room as soon as you touch the door? If so, what would you think of having it require you touch the door for a certain amount of time - maybe a half-second or a second - or having to move to the center of the door? That might eliminate accidental moves through doors. (It might cause trouble with getting the black egg to the black door on Level 2, though.)

 

This game keeps on improving! Thanks for the updates and for listening to these suggestions!

[e1will]

You can pick an egg up and drop it off screen making it impossible to get.

 

Yeah, I had skipped reading the manual. Now that you said it, I read it, and made it to level 2. Awesome.

 

You found a bug! Looks like when you drop an object off the left side of the screen, it actually ends up in the room to the RIGHT of the room you're in (at least some of the time.)

 

I have fixed this in v0.20, which I'll be posting shortly.

 

--Will

[e1will]

Good morning! I just played a couple of games of version 0.19. I finally completed level 3! This game provides quite a bit of challenge! I wonder if I'll have the gaming skills to make it to the higher levels...

 

I like the new death animation. It's clear that the robot has been defeated. There's even a bit of humor in that the robot's eyes still move if you move the joystick.

 

I found it is possible to drop the magnet off-screen and have it be lost. Since the magnet appears on the left side of the robot, I moved to the left side of the screen, with the magnet off the left edge, and dropped the magnet. It was not on the screen to the left nor on the current screen.

 

Looks like you ran into the same bug that Yuppicide encountered. It took a while to fix this, but it's fixed in the version I'll be posting shortly (v0.20).

 

I noticed that if you're carrying the zapper and an egg and you press the trigger, the zapper is fired rather than you dropping the egg. This is definitely a good thing!

 

When a duck tries to bite, it "quacks" and pauses for a few seconds. If you move through a door, the duck follows you to the next screen, still paused. I think it would be more natural for the duck to remain in the previous room since it had stopped moving. (I asked about ducks following you before, but this is a specific case - only when the duck just attacked and paused.)

 

Yep, that's by design: if the duck is attacking, he'll follow you through the door. Seems to make it too easy to outrun them otherwise.

 

In the dark areas, while moving to the right, I came onto a screen on the left side and was placed on top of the snake. It's frustrating to die instantly upon entering a room. I suppose I could learn not to move along the snake's path in an upcoming room, but it is irritating to lose a life without having at least a chance to avoid it. (I'd rather fail through action rather than blundering.)

 

I've tweaked the snake logic a bit; you should be less likely to run into one on the very edge of the rooms now.

 

I managed to shoot the zapper onto the next screen! I was in the center of a dark room and shot the zapper at a duck to my right. It hit the duck then seemed to disappear. I then went to the screen on the right and picked up the zapper there. Could this be because there was no wall to stop it?

 

Yep!

 

In dark rooms, the zapper when discharged is the same color as the background. Also, using the background color makes it look like the robot's antennae have fallen off. It may be good to change this so that it is apparent you are carrying a discharged zapper.

 

Good suggestion. I've made the gray rooms a slightly different shade of gray, so you should be able to see the gray objects now.

 

The doorways on the left and right sides of the Berzerk room that has exits on those sides are wider than those in the Dodge 'Em room. This makes it possible to appear to get stuck, particularly when you leave the right side of the Berzerk room for the left side of the Dodge 'Em room. Hold the joystick right and you'll bounce between the two rooms.

 

I've noticed that too, but I'm not sure what to do about it without making the Berzerk room look less like Berzerk or the Dodge 'Em room look less like Dodge 'Em. But I'm open to suggestions!

 

Animations are still looping while the game is paused.

 

One annoyance I encountered is that when you go through a door, sometimes you are positioned in the next room such that it's very easy to move back through the same door by accident. This can be frustrating while trying to escape a duck. Is the program sending you to the next room as soon as you touch the door? If so, what would you think of having it require you touch the door for a certain amount of time - maybe a half-second or a second - or having to move to the center of the door? That might eliminate accidental moves through doors. (It might cause trouble with getting the black egg to the black door on Level 2, though.)

 

I'll have to give that some thought. I don't want to make the game seem less responsive.

 

This game keeps on improving! Thanks for the updates and for listening to these suggestions!

 

Thanks! And thank you again for your comments, the feedback is very much appreciated.

 

--Will

[e1will]

Hello everyone!

 

Here's the latest version, v0.20.

 

Some bug fixes in this one, and a 6th duck.

 

Comments, bug reports and suggestions are appreciated as always. Enjoy!

 

--Will

Edited January 28, 2010 by e1will

[gambler172]

Hi Will

The game is really great and becomes better with every new version.Really good,what you do on the 2600.

greetings Walter

[e1will]

Hi Will

The game is really great and becomes better with every new version.Really good,what you do on the 2600.

greetings Walter

 

Thank you!

[e1will]

Hello everyone!

 

I was able to refactor some redundant AI code and came up with a few cycles and ROM bytes free, so I added some "background" sounds.

 

In this version:

- the bees buzz

- the snakes hiss

- the tanks rumble

- the electrical outlets hum

- the warp of death growls

- the rivers whoosh

- and... well, you can probably guess what kind of sound this room makes.

 

 

This version (v0.21) does have a couple of small bugs that cause the NTSC scanline count to be off once in a while. It shouldn't be too noticeable, and should be fixed in v0.23.

 

One thing to note about the new bee buzz sound: there will be a faint buzzing if a bee is in the room directly below you, to warn you to get out of the way. The buzzing is louder once the bee actually enters the room.

 

--Will

 

EDIT: Fixed the bug Nathan found below (and a couple more.) Version v0.22 now attached.

Edited January 28, 2010 by e1will

[+Nathan Strum]

I noticed a bug, of sorts.

 

If you enter the credits room, and move all the way over to the right and down,

 

 

this happens:

Edited January 20, 2010 by Nathan Strum

[e1will]

I noticed a bug, of sorts.

 

Wow! That is quite a bug! I'll quash that for v0.22.

 

Thanks,

--Will

[e1will]

Fixed.

Edited January 20, 2010 by e1will

[+thegoldenband]

I just played the latest version for a few minutes, and the sound effects are a welcome addition.

 

One immediate suggestion: I highly recommend you use a roughly 60Hz square wave for the power outlet, i.e. AUDF0=16 and AUDC0=6 (or 10), to mimic the sound of 60Hz AC current. It's one of those little gestures that can really elevate a game, IMHO. For the PAL version, it'd be a nice touch to use AUDF0=19 for 50Hz.

 

You're using something similar for the bee, so you'll want to change that -- I might suggest a higher pitch, unless it's a very big bee (which I suppose it is). A couple of the sound effects could benefit from a bit of tweaking -- the river sound in particular seems too constant, and suggests an idle engine rather than waterflow.

 

Overall, a terrific game! I'm going to have to sit down with this one, on real hardware via the Harmony cart, and really try to play through everything you've got.

[e1will]

I just played the latest version for a few minutes, and the sound effects are a welcome addition.

 

One immediate suggestion: I highly recommend you use a roughly 60Hz square wave for the power outlet, i.e. AUDF0=16 and AUDC0=6 (or 10), to mimic the sound of 60Hz AC current. It's one of those little gestures that can really elevate a game, IMHO. For the PAL version, it'd be a nice touch to use AUDF0=19 for 50Hz.

 

Ooh! I like that. That'll be in the next version, for sure.

 

You're using something similar for the bee, so you'll want to change that -- I might suggest a higher pitch, unless it's a very big bee (which I suppose it is). A couple of the sound effects could benefit from a bit of tweaking -- the river sound in particular seems too constant, and suggests an idle engine rather than waterflow.

 

Yeah, I'd like for the river to go up and down in volume, but it's already plenty loud at the lowest volume setting. I'll have to play around with it some more.

 

Overall, a terrific game! I'm going to have to sit down with this one, on real hardware via the Harmony cart, and really try to play through everything you've got.

 

Thanks!

 

--Will

[Nostalgic]

Good evening. This time I played with version 0.22.

 

The new sound effects really add to the game, bringing more "life" to the obstacles you face. They are a great addition.

 

Yep, that's by design: if the duck is attacking, he'll follow you through the door. Seems to make it too easy to outrun them otherwise.

 

It's only easy if there's a door. It would be a useful method of escape, though, if you're in a room with tight corridors such that it's hard to fire the zapper. Also, I thought that since the duck was momentarily stopped while its mouth was open, it shouldn't be able to move into the next room.

 

Speaking of ducks appearing at odd times, after I lost a life and went through the door to enter the first room, I was immediately attacked by a duck! On level 1, no less. I think it would be best for that first room to be "safe" if one comes in right after losing a life, if even for just a few seconds.

 

Also on level 1, the yellow balloon appeared in the room that has an empty circle in the center. By being in the center, it was unreachable. This is unfortunate placement for a 5000 point bonus object.

 

I was surprised to find out that if you shoot the zapper in a room in which the magnet is also present, the zapper's path is affected! I thought it might after the zapper landed. It's an interesting wrinkle that I think should be left in.

 

On some occasions when pausing the game, the text at the bottom of the screen is "AUSED: ", with the left half of the "A" missing. I'm not sure what causes it, though it seems to be when there is a lot of objects on the screen.

 

I found that you can go up the right-hand side of the Dodge 'Em room to the Video Pinball room to the bottom of the room with the oil barrel, but you're blocked once you're there. Would it be feasible to move the walls over by one playfield block to the right to prevent this?

 

The death warp appeared on level 4, though the manual states it appears on level 7. Is the manual just behind on the updates?

 

While carrying both the flashlight and the zapper, I touched the charging station with the flashlight. The zapper ended up charged! It was another interesting surprise.

 

I've now made it past level 4, but only by using the warp. I hope to make it past without a sacrifice in future testing.

 

Thank you again for all of your hard work on Duck Attack!

[+Nathan Strum]

Speaking of ducks appearing at odd times, after I lost a life and went through the door to enter the first room, I was immediately attacked by a duck!

Well in all fairness... it is called Duck Attack!

[e1will]

It's only easy if there's a door. It would be a useful method of escape, though, if you're in a room with tight corridors such that it's hard to fire the zapper. Also, I thought that since the duck was momentarily stopped while its mouth was open, it shouldn't be able to move into the next room.

 

Speaking of ducks appearing at odd times, after I lost a life and went through the door to enter the first room, I was immediately attacked by a duck! On level 1, no less. I think it would be best for that first room to be "safe" if one comes in right after losing a life, if even for just a few seconds.

 

On both of those, I think the "oh @#$% I wasn't expecting a duck to be there" factor is an important part of the challenge. But I'll keep an open mind, and see if other folks agree that a change would improve the game play. At any rate, if you can make it to the door before he sees you, he won't follow you.

 

Also on level 1, the yellow balloon appeared in the room that has an empty circle in the center. By being in the center, it was unreachable. This is unfortunate placement for a 5000 point bonus object.

 

It is reachable if you have super-speed. If you don't, well, yeah, it's a bit of a tease. But f you can't/don't pick it up when it first appears, it will appear again later.

 

On some occasions when pausing the game, the text at the bottom of the screen is "AUSED: ", with the left half of the "A" missing. I'm not sure what causes it, though it seems to be when there is a lot of objects on the screen.

 

Hmm, another bug. I'll track that down.

 

I found that you can go up the right-hand side of the Dodge 'Em room to the Video Pinball room to the bottom of the room with the oil barrel, but you're blocked once you're there. Would it be feasible to move the walls over by one playfield block to the right to prevent this?

 

It would, but I kind of like the "secret corridor" effect in the arcade rooms. I did put in a couple of tweaks that prevent you from getting stuck there; you should be able to always get back to the main playing area even if you're able to "sneak backstage" on those rooms.

 

The death warp appeared on level 4, though the manual states it appears on level 7. Is the manual just behind on the updates?

 

Yep.

 

While carrying both the flashlight and the zapper, I touched the charging station with the flashlight. The zapper ended up charged! It was another interesting surprise.

 

I've now made it past level 4, but only by using the warp. I hope to make it past without a sacrifice in future testing.

 

Thank you again for all of your hard work on Duck Attack!

 

Thanks! I look forward to seeing what you find on the higher levels.

 

--Will