2600 Homebrew game "Isolate"

[ThumpNugget]

Hey! So do you Like fast paced games that test your reflexes and leave you spent with a sore hand and potentially suffering from carpel tunnel syndrome? Well friend be ready to be disappointed because "Isolate" for the Atari 2600 is based off a Milton Bradley game I played with my brother as kid called "isolation". The rules of the game are very simple: Each player has one pawn and a 6x8 grid. Each turn a player will move his or her pawn in one direction to any (still existing) square and then punch out any remaining square. As long as you are still able to move your piece on your turn then you are in the game. If you can't you are "isolated" and lose the game.

 

This sounded like a simple enough concept to try my first 2600 game. I first purchased the original game from eBay:

 

The game:

 

 

and the board:

 

 

Here are some of the game screens as the game currently exists:

 

Splash screen...

 

 

Select a game (there are a total of eight game variations)

 

Game #1 - Standard Game, player vs player

Game #2 - Standard Game, player vs computer

Game #3 - Both players must pop squares, player vs player

Game #4 - Both players must pop squares, player vs computer

Game #5 - pawns can move any number of spaces, no diagonals, player vs player

Game #6 - pawns can move any number of spaces, no diagonals, player vs computer

Game #7 - combination of #3 and #5, player vs player

Game #8 - combination of #3 and #5, player vs computer

 

 

Player 1 move your piece:

 

 

Player 1 remove a piece:

 

 

Player 2 remove a piece:

 

 

Player 1 Wins (yeah I have not put in the "wins" word yet)

 

 

Game Variation where it takes both players to remove a square. If you "punch" the square you can still move to that square but your opponent can't so you are only blocked from squares your opponent punches out. Square shows the color of the piece that is still allowed to move to it.

 

 

 

The game is 16K because all I had for testing on real systems was 16K eproms. Currently 2 4K banks are being used though it would fit into one 4K right now. As of yet the game does not have sound and only uses one joystick for both players. I also have not put in the computer A/I yet and that is the real big hurdle I have left..

 

I put this game aside to finish up school but with school ending march 29th I now get to finish this game starting in earnest in April. Until then I'm hoping to solicit some ideas as to how to go about doing the A/I... First picking the best square to remove and then where to move the pawn... I Have some basic ideas but nothing that I think will make the computer tough to beat.

 

Remember no laughing now

isolate.bin

[TrekMD]

Cool. Thanks for sharing!

[Godzilla]

wow, that is a great start and a great kernel for that game. i remember playing that game as a kid. hope you can find some way to get some fun ai in there. make sure you leave a 'teddy-bear' option for those us not looking to be humbled by 128 bytes of ram :-)

[Devin]

I have no idea how to play the game, but I am impressed with this! The graphics and effects are exemplary!

 

... now, I have to learn to play!

[nonner242]

Looks cool.

Gotta try this after work.

[+Nathan Strum]

That's very cool. Never played the game before, but it's one of those "minute to learn, lifetime to master" concepts. Looking forward to seeing how the AI shapes up.

[vdub_bobby]

Very cool. Can't wait to see the AI.

[NML32]

Very nice. Looks like a fun game.

[nonner242]

Im really digging it!

Great Job

[toiletunes]

+1

[roland p]

+1

 

Adding points is actually a feature of this forum. Below each post, you can use the '+' button to add a point.

[bomberpunk]

neat, i didn't know that either.

 

i can't +1 myself, what a bunch of baloney.

Edited March 6, 2010 by bomberpunk

[accousticguitar]

i can't +1 myself, what a bunch of baloney.

Plus 1 for that!

[NML32]

Any updates?

[roland p]

The following phrase pops into my head everytime I see this topic:

 

It can get very lonely out there.

Also very isolated. I think isolation is available everywhere.

In the icebox, in the home, in your minds.

All the time.

You can make isolation into loneliness and make yourself, I think more miserable.

But I think isolation can lead to solitude.

And solitude could be also very powerful positive an emotion and thought that - and feeling! - that takes you to another state.

[iwan-iwanowitsch-goratschin]

WOW!+1!!!

[ThumpNugget]

Any updates?

 

Hey there.. I mentioned in the initial posting that school ends for me on March 29th and I wasn't planning on working on it until then.. I hope to start back up by next weekend.

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

We'll be featuring Isolate LIVE on tomorrow's (Friday) ZeroPage Homebrew stream on Twitch at 12PM PT | 3PM ET | 8PM GMT! Hope everyone can watch!

 

Twitch Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/zeropagehomebrew/

 

Games:

• Matchie (2006 WIP) by John Payson aka @supercat
• Melbourne Tatty (2007) by Edward Griffiths aka @CPFace
• Isolate (2010 WIP) by @ThumpNugget
• 21 Blue (2011) by Mike Saarna aka @RevEng

 

 (SET VIDEO TO 1080P60 FOR FULL QUALITY)

 

 

 

Edited March 1, 2020 by ZeroPage Homebrew