RevEng Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Died after the 3rd level getting to the 4th. I made what I thought was a perfectly fast run through the underwater portion but still ran out of air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junosix Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 (edited) I'll post a video of me playing it to show how those early levels can be completed. Try to learn where you're going to end up on a new screen, if the door is at the bottom then get ready to beat the crap out of the fire button so he can get a gasp of air. In that respect it's less of a straight platformer and a bit of a memory game/puzzler instead, you'll find as you get quicker at doing the levels then there'll be less water to swim up through on the next screen so you can get yourself a full stock of air again. You find on some screens the rising water level can help you and you can use that as a "hack" if the platforms are proving troublesome. Just don't be leisurely about it You'll also find that after every 4 rooms or so the water level drops as he escapes to the next floor so there's some respite there. I'll be writing some instructions to stick with the game soon so I'll mention all that. It's possible to do a run from start to finish in about 5 minutes once you've learned the levels. Edited March 5, 2011 by Junosix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junosix Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 Actually, maybe this test video I did a few weeks ago might give some clues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9X_zDFFtb8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koopa64 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 On second thought, seriously junosix, this game has a ridiculously creepy synopsis. Even the title is giving me chills... Thank goodness this is on the Atari 2600, where things are never overly realistic. Damn that kind of graphics to hell from whence it came. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayhem Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 We don't do kind, happy stuff here in the UK you know... all doom and depression I've known Juno a fair bit, he's good people... we're just an odd sarcastic, black humoured nation at heart hah hah... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junosix Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 Too true, Mat No malice intended with this game, just tried to think of a bit of a backstory for it. Have you fired it up on your Cuttle Cart yet? Uploaded the absolutely final version in this Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Wicked-Father/166528353398833?sk=info (you don't have to be a FB member to view it), plus some instructions. Have fun! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raskar42 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junosix Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinMos3 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I liked the first demo you posted a while back and was looking forward to more. I've tried out your "final" version and find the controls too frustrating to enjoy the game. I hope you will consider revising the controls before leaving it as totally finished. I would love to see the player not be knocked down by touching a wall during a jump. Even the slightest miscalculation about the placement of your jump can keep you from completing the level and result in a game over. When going into water, this is especially frustrating. As you are sinking, if you touch the sides of a wall, your character will not respond properly once on the bottom. This usually guarantees death. A continue option would also be a nice addition, especially if you don't want to revise the controls. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junosix Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 (edited) It actually wouldn't be too difficult to add lives, you always start at the same point on a new screen so it would just be a question of pulling out a pre-determined RESP0 delay and vertical sprite level to position him back again and a pre-determined water level (and there are enough spare bytes in my level data to do that). But as it stands, The Wicked Father is done, dusted and complete. I might do a The Wicked Father 2 or a Super The Wicked Father at some point though, but I've got some other projects planned that I want to get done before I get back and do anything more with the evil old boy. The key thing is when you're in the water is not to gingerly tap the fire button, but to hammer the heck out of it instead. Doing that will let you swim up even if you've hit a wall. Best thing to do though is try to avoid them if they cause you bother. One other thing to do is anticipate where you're going to need to start moving on each successive screen and get ready before the new screen appears (it of course means you'll need to die a few times to learn that). Admittedly some of the platforms are a bitch, but it is utterly completable as it is (remember, the water is sometimes your friend...), if I'd made it any easier it would turn out to be a very short, boring game. I'm really pleased with the challenge that's already there Keep practising, there's 19 rooms plus an end screen and it takes about 5 minutes from start to end once you know it. I'm sure you'll get there! (Would love to know how you got on with it Mayhem, I've seen you go nuts on a fire button before!) Edited March 11, 2011 by Junosix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junosix Posted April 5, 2011 Author Share Posted April 5, 2011 Got a proper Facebook username for the page now http://www.facebook.com/thewickedfather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junosix Posted September 25, 2011 Author Share Posted September 25, 2011 (edited) Got asked for the source code to this so I thought I might as well pop in and post it here too if anyone's interested: http://junosix.adsl2...ather-final.asm (it's not well commented at all but some people might want to pick through it) Got reviewed in UK magazine Retro Gamer a few months ago and got 78%! Edited September 25, 2011 by Junosix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junosix Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 Been asked so many times about adjusting the difficulty, so later on today when I've got a bit of time I'm going to increase the time you have under water, slightly decrease the water speed, and also some other things. Quick hack, like - haven't really got the time to add lives and stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Propane13 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Though revisiting old source code for tweaks is kind of a pain, I'd recommend that you take your time and maybe look into a few of the recommended features. I don't think there's any need for a hack-like reaction; this game seems it just needs a tiny bit more polish, and then it will make all of the difference. People here are used to waiting for things that are worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junosix Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 Cool - I will! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maibock Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 get cracking Juno! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BladeJunker Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Been asked so many times about adjusting the difficulty, so later on today when I've got a bit of time I'm going to increase the time you have under water, slightly decrease the water speed, and also some other things. Quick hack, like - haven't really got the time to add lives and stuff! Is there any chance multiple difficulty settings are possible since that would satisfy both camps and give those switches on the 2600 console some much needed use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junosix Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 get cracking Juno! Yeah, think I will do two difficulties - the game -is- completable as it is, it's just hard as nails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junosix Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 I decided to - finally - revisit the source code tonight and make a few tweaks to create a more forgiving (but still challenging) game. There are now two difficulty settings which alter the behaviour of the water from screen-to-screen, and a much-needed reset option when you're in a tight spot and want to quit back to the title screen. It can be downloaded from https://www.facebook.com/thewickedfather and played on a 2600 emulator (http://stella.sourceforge.net/) or the real hardware if you own a 2600 and a Harmony cartridge. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ZeroPage Homebrew Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 (edited) We'll be featuring The Wicked Father LIVE on tomorrow's (Wednesday) ZeroPage Homebrew stream on Twitch at 11AM PT | 2PM ET | 6PM GMT ! Hope everyone can watch! Twitch Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/zeropagehomebrew/ Games: - Dog Walk (2019 WIP) by Vojta aka nooly - The Wicked Father (2011) by Jamie Hamshere aka Junosix - RoboMechanik (2018 WIP) by Krzysztof Kluczek aka KK/Altair EDIT: Archive Video of Stream (SET VIDEO TO 1080P60 FOR FULL QUALITY) Edited September 5, 2019 by ZeroPage Homebrew 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linndrum Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 Wow, that dude completely disappeared. None of his links exist anymore. Not even the Soundcloud page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impaler_26 Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 1 hour ago, Linndrum said: Wow, that dude completely disappeared. None of his links exist anymore. Not even the Soundcloud page. Indeed. But you can grab the Wicked Father ROM here: https://atariage.com/forums/topic/276956-zeropage-homebrew-twitch-stream/?do=findComment&comment=4311416 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linndrum Posted September 8, 2019 Share Posted September 8, 2019 Thanks for the linkage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junosix Posted September 25, 2019 Author Share Posted September 25, 2019 Hey guys, cool to see it get reviewed! I'm still around, turned my attention to writing some music for a couple of Jeff Minter's games and creating a chiptune+softsynth tracker for the Atari STE (Turbochip). I did revisit The Wicked Father for a third and final time years ago to alter some of the levels to get rid of the dead ends, it's still insanely difficult though. Have attached it here. The trick with the swimming is to go crazy on the fire button when you're completely under water, then go for more of a gentle tap when you've hit the surface. thewickedfather-270514.zip 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junosix Posted September 26, 2019 Author Share Posted September 26, 2019 Longplay on Difficulty A, hopefully demonstrates the swimming: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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