abaudrand Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 (edited) Jurell, it seems that EggVenture doesn't work on my real PAL console + Harmony cart. Has someone tested the game on a PAL console? Tested too and got problem with the colours as I previously stated. (edited I had problems with epic adventures too in the other forum) Edited July 19, 2011 by abaudrand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Philsan Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Jurell, it seems that EggVenture doesn't work on my real PAL console + Harmony cart. Has someone tested the game on a PAL console? Tested too and got problem with the colours as I previously stated. (edited I had problems with epic adventures too in the other forum) Epic Adventure doesn't work too! When I start the game I get garbage on screen for seconds then a black screen. In other words, games don't start at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScumSoft Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 (edited) I don't have a PAL console to do real hardware testing on, so I am in the dark here. Stella uses it's own DPC+ handlers which is why things seem to run almost perfect on it. The real DPC+ seems to reuse all the pointers for different aspects and overwrites them causing screen corruption. I'm looking into this issue today, so I'll see what I can find. Thanks for testing. I hope to have some major changes completed in the next release test. Edited July 19, 2011 by ScumSoft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Philsan Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 I don't have a PAL console to do real hardware testing on, so I am in the dark here. Stella uses it's own DPC+ handlers which is why things seem to run almost perfect on it. The real DPC+ seems to reuse all the pointers for different aspects and overwrites them causing screen corruption. I'm looking into this issue today, so I'll see what I can find. Thanks for testing. I hope to have some major changes completed in the next release test. Problem solved! I updated again my Harmony cart firmware and now it works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrok Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Very nice work! Reminds me a bit of Space Taxi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScumSoft Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 Game updated to RC3 beta, all feedback on the changes welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevEng Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Lots of changes! Some observations... I like the new "drop an egg, get a puzzle piece" format. This makes it feel more planned and structured. I think the current life+energy levels are too low. Because its a long quest, when I lose a life early my instinct is to give up because I probably won't make it through the rest of the game on my remaining lives. I like the shortcut that opens up! The Adventure level is really neat, though its a bit odd that you move twice as fast horizontally as vertically. Its frustrating that when you're slowing down to avoid a wall that you're actually bounced into the wall, causing instant death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScumSoft Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 Yeah the collision code is something I'm still trying to get working right. As far as moving twice as fast Horizontally, the values are the same for both but this is also something I've noted that will be ironed out in the next release test, as well as a fully working Adventure world like it should be. I was internally testing the game at 10 lives and thought this might be a bit to easy, so I halved it before posting. Would gaining a life per egg you collect be an acceptable compromise? Thanks for helping test as always, I need the feedback to improve certain gameplay mechanics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianC Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 (edited) I disagree that the number of lives is the issue. The bird just keeps taking damage after getting hit with little chance of escape. A short period vulnerability after getting hit should help. Very impressive work so far, though. I noticed sometimes one of the raindrops would turn into a bat. Is this intentional? If so, the bat seemed a bit too hard to avoid and resulted in an insta-kill when I got hit. I like how the bird bounces off the ground now. I noticed that sometimes I would take damage and sometimes I wouldn't when touching the ground. I like the new base for placing the eggs. I'm not sure about the superhero theme, but I like the new sprite much better than the old one. I liked the infinite lives/1 hit of the old build, though. With the changes made, things are more intense, which is good, but also changes how it plays. The old one didn't need a life meter, but with more stuff on screen, it helps (I like going back to base at a loss of a life). However, with the above issue, it's like you still take only one hit. Checkpoints and shortcuts back to the base may be helpful depending on the length of the game. I don't recommend using the life meter as an excuse for unavoidable hits. It made games like Tyrian more frustrating and cheapened the experience a bit (though I still like Tyrian). Edited August 13, 2011 by BrianC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrok Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Yeah the collision code is something I'm still trying to get working right. Thanks for helping test as always, I need the feedback to improve certain gameplay mechanics. I disagree that the number of lives is the issue. The bird just keeps taking damage after getting hit with little chance of escape. A short period vulnerability after getting hit should help. Very impressive work so far, though. I guess I'm torn about this, because in some ways even a moment or two of invincibility after a hit might spoil the challenge. Maybe if there was just a little more predictability to what would happen after a hit, so you could take calculated risks (and maybe even calculated bounce damage?) Right now it feels a little bit random in terms of what happens in the wake of a hit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianC Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 (edited) I guess I'm torn about this, because in some ways even a moment or two of invincibility after a hit might spoil the challenge. I agree, but I feel there should be a balance. I edited my previous post before I saw your post a bit to elaborate a bit. The method in the earlier build worked, but the bat would be impossible to avoid the way it is in this build without the life meter. However, that may be the issue right there (though at the same time, it's meant to be a harder obstacle that needs the flame in order to pass it. Maybe having the bat push you back or an indicator that it needs something to pass it?). Edit: Forgot to keep the flame in mind, which does make it possible to pass without a hit since you get it right away. The other bat is an issue, but I'm not sure if that is intentional. I should add that I like the new reward system for bringing back the eggs in this build. I love the Adventure mini game so far too. The way the life meter is now, it's hard to tell if it's too much or too little. But, over three lives and 3-5 hits may be overkill. This may sound odd, but I recommend keeping both 2.0 and the newer version up since they play so differently. Maybe have both styles as an option, if possible? Edit: I noticed the bat doesn't come out if the torch is gone. I like this. However, if I torch gets doused by a drop, sometimes the torch is gone and sometimes it goes back to start, making the bat still come out. Also, if a small peroid of vulnerability ala some NES games like SMB makes things too easy, maybe altering the collision to bounce off instead of multiple hits might work? Another thing I just noticed. That one flat area on the ground in the cave is where I took damage when touching the ground. Is this supposed to be a pit? Maybe a color change or a change in graphics to indicate this, if possible? Edited August 13, 2011 by BrianC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScumSoft Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 (edited) [* ]The bird just keeps taking damage after getting hit with little chance of escape. A short period vulnerability after getting hit should help. I noticed sometimes one of the raindrops would turn into a bat. Is this intentional? I like how the bird bounces off the ground now. I noticed that sometimes I would take damage and sometimes I wouldn't when touching the ground. I'm not sure about the superhero theme, but I like the new sprite much better than the old one. I liked the infinite lives/1 hit of the old build, though. The old one didn't need a life meter, but with more stuff on screen, it helps (I like going back to base at a loss of a life). However, with the above issue, it's like you still take only one hit. Checkpoints and shortcuts back to the base may be helpful depending on the length of the game. I don't recommend using the life meter as an excuse for unavoidable hits. Thanks for all the feedback. 1) The collision routine needs more checks in it to determine proper rebound velocities, right now the values are hard coded and reverse upon impact. The idea was to bounce you into a safe area and give the player half a second of invulnerability to avoid constant collision. However this backfired and ends up sucking the player into the objects and enemies. I think I have a fix for it, I'll get this working completely like it should in the next release. 2) This shouldn't happen, the bat is supposed to fly in from off the screen however I overlooked which player object I used for the water drop and it's the same as the bat. Which is why the bat spawns out of a droplet. I'll make the needed adjustments so the bat enters the screen properly to chase the player. 3) Touching the ground should never cause damage and the player should always bounce. I need to address comment #1 and see if that solves this issue as well. 4) I wanted to stick with a chicken theme, but this is what I ended up with. I think it works better to be an alien hunting gold eggs instead. A chicken flying into a cave seems like an odd story to explain, so I redesigned the player to accommodate the levels but tried to retain a chicken feeling. 5) I might change it back depending on how the new collisions end up working. Staying alive longer was the goal since I added many new dangers, but if more people agree that a 1hit KO would be a better gameplay mechanic, I'll revert right away. 6) Right now it's set to 255 and halves on each hit. If collisions work properly that should be 8 impacts before you respawn. 7) The game isn't overly long if you know exactly what to do, however once I finish the game it should a bit longer to complete 100%. But I will retain the ability for a short play through with the penalty of a lower score There should never be any unavoidable hits, the life meter was added so the player doesn't die when touching the walls. I might make enemies kill you in one hit, if that would be a good balance. But only more testing will tell. I guess I'm torn about this, because in some ways even a moment or two of invincibility after a hit might spoil the challenge. Maybe if there was just a little more predictability to what would happen after a hit, so you could take calculated risks (and maybe even calculated bounce damage?) Right now it feels a little bit random in terms of what happens in the wake of a hit. A design flaw on my end, I have a short period of non-collision after you collide to allow travel away from the collision. I wanted to avoid clipping through the playfield, however the period is too short and you rebound into the wall on next check. The collision code currently checks which direction you were traveling and reverses upon impact, however it's not behaving as intended and will be #1 on my TODO list. Maybe having the bat push you back or an indicator that it needs something to pass it?). This may sound odd, but I recommend keeping both 2.0 and the newer version up since they play so differently. Maybe have both styles as an option, if possible? I noticed the bat doesn't come out if the torch is gone. I like this. However, if I torch gets doused by a drop, sometimes the torch is gone and sometimes it goes back to start, making the bat still come out. That one flat area on the ground in the cave is where I took damage when touching the ground. Is this supposed to be a pit? Maybe a color change or a change in graphics to indicate this, if possible? The bat is an entrance guard and keeper of the second egg, in order to collect his egg you must burn it with the torch. This will show it who's boss and he will then sit quietly. However once you've collected a certain amount of eggs, the other bat will start chasing you upon return. The only method is to avoid this one since you cannot fight it. If there are major changes to the gameplay I'll leave the older ones for contrast, but I would recommend playing the final products rather than the prototypes. There isn't enough space left for multiple game mechanics, everything left is being occupied by the pitfall minigame. A nice thought though. The torch should always be at the ship until you use it on the bat...so if it disappears then there is a logic error somewhere I'll need to track down. As for the last question, I have no clue. All pits are marked by curved walls and all ground should be seen clearly. This was an issue in 2.0 where the ground was one playfield off and hidden behind the score. I've elevated the ground above the playfield to adjust for this, but going along with the collision code fixes, hitting the ground should not cause any damage in the next release. Thanks for all the feedback and testing. I'll get the next update out once the pitfall minigame is completed. Edited August 16, 2011 by ScumSoft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piggles Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 The Solar Jetman for the 2600! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScumSoft Posted August 16, 2011 Author Share Posted August 16, 2011 (edited) The Solar Jetman for the 2600! Funny you mention that game as it's one of my favorite nes titles. However this game won't give due justice to that one I would say thrust is much more akin to Solar Jetman that any other. Edited August 16, 2011 by ScumSoft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrok Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I was playing this again today, and thought it might be kind of interesting if the damage the player takes from a collision scales with the player's velocity at impact. In other words, the faster the player is moving when it hits a wall, the more damage it takes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScumSoft Posted August 17, 2011 Author Share Posted August 17, 2011 Currently on my end the player will damage if you hit the playfield to fast, and receive no damage on slow impacts. I'll try scaling the damage and see how it plays, if it seems good I'll keep it. Thanks for the suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eegad Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 hi. just wondering if this game is still being worked on / revised, since the topic has been quiet for a few weeks. i just d/l and tried the game last night (the rc3 version) and from what i can play, it's really good. i'm playing on a harmony cart though, and the game crashes for me as soon as i try to go to the room to the right of the big dragon. i read in this discussion that it crashes on harmony when you bring the key to the adventurer....just thought i'd add my own experience here - it crashes when going right from the dragon even if i'm not carrying anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScumSoft Posted September 7, 2011 Author Share Posted September 7, 2011 Yeah I am still working hard on it, I've been reworking the collision mechanics and think I've found something that works well enough. But the real holdup is that I want to get Adventure and Pitfall done before the next release, I am trying to squeeze them in the best I can. Not sure when the next release will happen but I will let everyone know once it's finished thanks for the interest. As far as the crashing goes, the game is beta and RC3 has quite a few bugs in it. I've squished most of them but I am sure more will pop up, thanks for helping me test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinMos3 Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Just bumping this to see if there are still plans to finish and release. I was playing this again the other day and marveling at it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScumSoft Posted December 22, 2012 Author Share Posted December 22, 2012 I would love nothing more than to get back to reprogramming these games, this time from the ground up in asm to do things right. These games were my crash course in 2600 programming Back in Dec 11', I had inadvertently burned myself out programming so much. I also had to move in January and accept my old job back as a staples easytech. I've just had no mental energy on my days off to pursue this properly, and have been struggling to survive and make ends meet. (bottom line, I just need a better job, retail is horrible and killing me) I would also need to acquire a 2600 again, I was borrowing my uncles back then and no longer have access to it. But I would like to purchase one and s-video mod it so it will connect to my new Commodore 1702 monitor or one that's already been premodded. I also apologize for avoiding this wonderful place all this time. I needed a complete mental break from everything I revolved my life around, in order to get my priorities straight and focus on the important things. I'll hope to see you all again come this new year! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chavert Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 (edited) i found on my pc. Edited February 8, 2016 by chavert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain King Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 This games really interesting. Is there a Rom I can try? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impaler_26 Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 (edited) On 2/5/2016 at 6:55 AM, Mountain King said: This games really interesting. Is there a Rom I can try? EDIT: I removed the old ROMs. Check out the latest builds in the first post. Edited January 8, 2021 by Impaler_26 Old ROMs removed by request of Programmer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain King Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Thanks Impaler. Interesting game. It really Jitters on Stella. How does it play on real hardware? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ZeroPage Homebrew Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 We'll be featuring EggVenture 2600 LIVE on this Wednesday's ZeroPage Homebrew stream on Twitch at 11AM PT | 2PM ET | 6PM GMT! Hope everyone can watch! Twitch Stream: https://www.twitch.t...ropagehomebrew/ Games: - Championship Golf (2019 WIP) by Edward Smith aka easmith - EggVenture 2600 (2011 WIP) by Jurell Silks aka ScumSoft - Bifröst (2019 Update) by David Weavil aka s0c7 - Diamond Drop (2015 WIP) by by Steve Engelhardt aka Atarius Maximus 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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