Homebrews No Longer Obtainable?

[hizzy]

Here's another thing I'm curious to ask, lol. What homebrews do hombrewers love? You can pick your own games, of course, but are there some homebrew games that you just can't put down?

 

Has there been a homebrewing documentary yet? I bet one could be very cool.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

I don't play that much anymore, mainly because (like every developer) I am playing and testing a lot during development. So homebrews where I am involved into development don't count.

 

From the other homebrews the ones I have played the most are Lady Bug and Oystron.

[Gemintronic]

I'm in a similar position as Thomas regarding playing Atari like normal people. Pretty much all my game time is taken up writing code, testing on Stella then testing on a Harmony cart. Rinse and repeat.

 

I've been playing some Megamania and Spider Fighter as research for a game in development.

 

I've partnered with Ricky Henry at the Louisville ArcadeRX Expo for a presentation on his indie comic/video series. Went as a vendor there selling off some of my collection. Most likely going as just another visitor at the Classic Console & Arcade Gaming Show in Ohio.

 

I personally never set hard limits on my own releases. I don't have the expertise to solder together my own 2600 boards though. On the Sega Genesis side I can program my own boards just fine.

[+Andromeda Stardust]

 

Real Nintendo fanboys are fluent in spoken and written Japanese so they can play their import games!

Surprisingly a lot of early Famicom games, as well as some Super Famicom and PC Engine titles, have English menus or are very easy to play without an intimate knowledge of Japanese (for instance, run & jump platformers, SHMUPs, puzzlers, aren't that hard to figure out). As far as RPGs or Adventure games go, translation or bust.

 

Among my favorite imported titles are the trilogy of Parodius games for Super Famicom.

[+Andromeda Stardust]

I've been playing some Megamania and Spider Fighter as research for a game in development.

Sounds like fun, tehe. Spider fighter is an awesome game that stays true to Atari limitations.

 

Do let us know when you have something to show.

[Andrew Davie]

Here's another thing I'm curious to ask, lol. What homebrews do hombrewers love? You can pick your own games, of course, but are there some homebrew games that you just can't put down?

 

Has there been a homebrewing documentary yet? I bet one could be very cool.

 

I don't play games - can't stand them ever since it became my professional job back in the '80s. Games became "work" not "fun" and that has stuck.

Documentary is a good idea!

[+Andromeda Stardust]

 

Games became "work" not "fun" and that has stuck.

That sucks.

 

But thank you for your sacrifice. I hope it means something to you that others enjoyed and still enjoy playing your games!

[+KaeruYojimbo]

Surprisingly a lot of early Famicom games, as well as some Super Famicom and PC Engine titles, have English menus or are very easy to play without an intimate knowledge of Japanese (for instance, run & jump platformers, SHMUPs, puzzlers, aren't that hard to figure out). As far as RPGs or Adventure games go, translation or bust.

 

Among my favorite imported titles are the trilogy of Parodius games for Super Famicom.

 

Yeah, I've played a lot of the Japanese baseball games for the NES and was surprised by the amount of English. I guess it's much more common for Japanese kids to have a rudimentary understanding of English than it is for American kids to have a rudimentary understanding of Japanese.

 

The game where Popeye teaches English (can't remember the name, too lazy to look it up) is a riot. I know Nintendo already owned the rights to the character, but one of his defining characteristics is his lousy speech. There's some fun engrish mixed in there too.

[Mr SQL]

 

I don't play games - can't stand them ever since it became my professional job back in the '80s. Games became "work" not "fun" and that has stuck.

Documentary is a good idea!

 

Wow - I felt the exact opposite and still do! You may have been badly underpaid working for game companies, I remember you posting something to the effect you wished you had owned your own software company. That would put a different light on the subject; programmers didn't get paid anything, the software houses either raked in the cash or they pulled their advertisements and stopped going to Expo's and quietly folded. You could tell how long they were in the black by the duration of their magazine ads.

 

It helped that I loved the games and still do but today it's 180% different; Hege Funds and special sector pay programmers better than CIO's and most small business owners.

 

I always make programming a game. I want to make it fun for anyone I work with; when people have fun they learn and enjoy what they do. And they write more code too, if it's fun!

 

Your presentation cracked me up - I like how you corrected your fan's spelling!

 

OK, heres a new unobtainium cartridge for the 4th of July that no one can have, but everybody can play - that's what I want folks to do with my games, it's not about collecting though that's also cool but with my games, I want the players to play them! That's why I write them, I'm a player those are games. I wouldn't be able to stand it if I wrote a game like BD; I would need to rewrite the memory access layer so more people could play - I'm not sure you understood my perspective earlier.

[+Andromeda Stardust]

 

Yeah, I've played a lot of the Japanese baseball games for the NES and was surprised by the amount of English. I guess it's much more common for Japanese kids to have a rudimentary understanding of English than it is for American kids to have a rudimentary understanding of Japanese.

 

The game where Popeye teaches English (can't remember the name, too lazy to look it up) is a riot. I know Nintendo already owned the rights to the character, but one of his defining characteristics is his lousy speech. There's some fun engrish mixed in there too.

Yeah, aside from the fact that I can differentiate Japanese text from other Asian character sets like Chinese or Korean (Chinese is much more ornate than Japanese, and Korean has tons of circles), and one of the characters in their alphabet has been famously used as a "shrug" emoji ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, I know dick as far as reading it.

 

That Popeye game sounds like fun. If it's like DK Math, it will be worth it for the laughs.

 

EDIT: Snagged one on the 'bay. Impulse buy!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/182626785079

[+Andromeda Stardust]

 

Wow - I felt the exact opposite and still do! You may have been badly underpaid working for game companies, I remember you posting something to the effect you wished you had owned your own software company. That would put a different light on the subject; programmers didn't get paid anything, the software houses either raked in the cash or they pulled their advertisements and stopped going to Expo's and quietly folded. You could tell how long they were in the black by the duration of their magazine ads.

 

 

This happens more often than you think. When a hobby becomes a "job" it ceases to be a hobby. Most gamers aren't developers, so it is possible the converse could be true that a developer isn't a gamer (except that it is a "job" to playtest, and by definition one is playing a game by doing so). Everyone's experience is different. Some veteran developers still love playing games new and old; others are so burned out by the tedium of development that they may never want to look at or hold another joystick / gamepad.

 

The fact that your experience is different to Andrew Davie's does not invalidate his experience, just like your acceptance of "30Hz flicker" does not invalidate the fact it may nauseate other gamers.

[Mr SQL]

 

This happens more often than you think. When a hobby becomes a "job" it ceases to be a hobby. Most gamers aren't developers, so it is possible the converse could be true that a developer isn't a gamer (except that it is a "job" to playtest, and by definition one is playing a game by doing so). Everyone's experience is different. Some veteran developers still love playing games new and old; others are so burned out by the tedium of development that they may never want to look at or hold another joystick / gamepad.

 

The fact that your experience is different to Andrew Davie's does not invalidate his experience, just like your acceptance of "30Hz flicker" does not invalidate the fact it may nauseate other gamers.

 

Those are all good points Stardust. I added 60 HZ modes to STARBLITZ and Starfleet Simulation so anyone who had problems with 30 HZ could still enjoy them; for those who can tolerate 30 HZ or enjoy it, the games will have a smoother look and feel, they do in my perception and I did design them for it.

 

I cannot invalidate any of Andrew's experiences, only share mine and encourage him to enjoy writing and playing the games - he's so good at it it shouldn't be a chore. That's just my perspective though, I'm interested in hearing Andrew's and what happened that specifically made gaming and coding turn unfun - I bet it had to do with a company taking advantage of his skills, let's see.

[hizzy]

Man, how does Flappy only have one review? Surely, people bought it. It would be cool to see more reviews/feedback for games.

 

I understand how fun can become work. I used to translate films from French to English. Now, when I watch a movie, all I do is look for flaws in the translation.

[+KaeruYojimbo]

 

This happens more often than you think. When a hobby becomes a "job" it ceases to be a hobby. Most gamers aren't developers, so it is possible the converse could be true that a developer isn't a gamer (except that it is a "job" to playtest, and by definition one is playing a game by doing so). Everyone's experience is different. Some veteran developers still love playing games new and old; others are so burned out by the tedium of development that they may never want to look at or hold another joystick / gamepad.

 

The fact that your experience is different to Andrew Davie's does not invalidate his experience, just like your acceptance of "30Hz flicker" does not invalidate the fact it may nauseate other gamers.

 

Calling me a developer is a stretch (I've finished exactly one game and am slowly working on a second), but I have had music and art related side projects that became "jobs" and it didn't take long for me to despise them. Hobbies give us a chance to spend time doing something we love without needing to meet deadlines or please someone else. The freedom is part of the fun. As soon as the freedom is gone, so is that much of the enjoyment.

 

Back to games, I still very much enjoy playing video games and especially discovering new ones, whether it's a new homebrew or some obscure import only title that I'm just now getting to play. But I am a hobbyist developer, not a professional. One game I can't play though is my own. When I do, all I see are the things that could have been better. Plus, knowing the inner workings removes the thrill of discovery.

Edited July 6, 2017 by KaeruYojimbo

[+Random Terrain]

One game I can't play though is my own. When I do, all I see are the things that could have been better. Plus, knowing the inner workings removes the thrill of discovery.

If I get to make some games that are more of the type that I like before the planet explodes or holographic aliens attack, I'm going to use Controlled Randomness so I'll be able to play my own games. I hope to be almost as surprised as any other player.

[gauauu]

 

One game I can't play though is my own. When I do, all I see are the things that could have been better. Plus, knowing the inner workings removes the thrill of discovery.

 

For me, it's the fact that I played through my own games about a jillion times during testing. I get pretty sick of each one by the time I'm finished.

[+RevEng]

For me, it's the fact that I played through my own games about a jillion times during testing. I get pretty sick of each one by the time I'm finished.

I get the same thing. I think if you're not sick of your own game, it's highly likely you either weren't ambitious enough, or your testing was insufficient.

 

That said, I find the sickness eventually passes. After a year or so of time off, I've been playing a fair bit of T:ME Salvo lately, just for fun.

[gauauu]

I think if you're not sick of your own game, it's highly likely you either weren't ambitious enough, or your testing was insufficient.

 

 

I find my testing if often insufficient even AFTER I'm crazy sick of the game.

[+KaeruYojimbo]

 

For me, it's the fact that I played through my own games about a jillion times during testing. I get pretty sick of each one by the time I'm finished.

 

Yeah, that too. One time my girlfriend asked me what my high score was and I told her I didn't know. I never played for the sake of playing. I played to make sure things worked the way they were supposed to or to do crazy things and try to break the game so I could fix them and make it as bulletproof as possible.

 

 

If I get to make some games that are more of the type that I like before the planet explodes or holographic aliens attack, I'm going to use Controlled Randomness so I'll be able to play my own games. I hope to be almost as surprised as any other player.

 

Even with controlled randomness, because the randomness exists within a framework and I'm the one who designed that framework, I'm never completely surprised.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

I'm going to use Controlled Randomness so I'll be able to play my own games. I hope to be almost as surprised as any other player.

Since you dislike Pitfall! with passion, how about my Pitfall!x256 hack? Are 256 different mazes (randomly selectable) and additional obstacle variations random enough for you?

[gauauu]

Since you dislike Pitfall! with passion, how about my Pitfall!x256 hack? Are 256 different mazes (randomly selectable) and additional obstacle variations random enough for you?

 

While I think the hack awesome, the problem with pitfall (in my opinion) is the two uneven levels of challenge. Making it through the rooms without dying is fun at first. But to actually complete the game, the task of surviving the individual rooms long enough to navigate just becomes really tedious.

 

That said, I think it's a great game. But once I got good enough to survive reliably, I never had enough interest left to map it out and try to actually win.

[Good_Times]

Since you dislike Pitfall! with passion, how about my Pitfall!x256 hack? Are 256 different mazes (randomly selectable) and additional obstacle variations random enough for you?

Awesome, thank you!

[+Atarius Maximus]

Is Steve Engelhardt still active? Some of his hacks & games are among my favorites

 

Yep, I'm still around, real life has just prevented me from being as active as I'd like to be. Thanks for the compliment!

 

...Steve

[hizzy]

 

Yep, I'm still around, real life has just prevented me from being as active as I'd like to be. Thanks for the compliment!

 

...Steve

 

I hope that we see a Cave In sequel one day. Good to see you still active. I will check out your 7800 games!