+Random Terrain Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 That's why I like games where you discover something new while playing. In Cosmic Ark it was just those tiny little creatures, in Thrust you discover all new caves, Boulder Dash introduces new elements slowly and faces you with new levels and challenges. Same for SF2, where a lot of thought was put into the level design. It would be nice to make something like that using controlled randomness to assist in assembling the levels so even the programmer can play and be surprised. That would also mean that players could finish the game many times and never know exactly what will happen or what surprises may pop up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandmountainslim Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Colony 7 Seawolf Gunfight Wolfenstein Next Mission Crazy Balloon Climber 5 Ladybug Berzerk VE Star Fire Phantom II/Pirate Conquest of Mars Hunchy II 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian R. Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Before the Kickstarter project and before I joined the development of Star Castle Arcade, I only knew it by its name. It becomes (IMO) brutally hard in the Arcade original soon. We have reduced that difficulty ramp up significantly, but it still definitely is no game for casual gaming. That was kind of a bummer to hear. I was, maybe still am, considering buying it boxed anyway. Is the ship difficult to control? Hard to gauge by watching a video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 That was kind of a bummer to hear. I was, maybe still am, considering buying it boxed anyway. Is the ship difficult to control? Hard to gauge by watching a video. Like driving a car on ice. Left and right rotate the ship, up creates thrust. As you rotate the space ship, it continues to travel in the original direction, much like steering a real space ship. There is however a small amount of friction, like in asteroids, so your ship will slow down if you don't produce thrust. however it is in your best interest to continue moving so that you aren't a "sitting duck" to the Star Castle. I won't deny that it is hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 It would be nice to make something like that using controlled randomness to assist in assembling the levels so even the programmer can play and be surprised. That would also mean that players could finish the game many times and never know exactly what will happen or what surprises may pop up. I am all for variation. But the more factors you have in play, the more difficult it becomes to design fair levels that way. You have to tweak randomness so that a level doesn't become too hard or plain impossible. And then a lot of levels become to easy. E.g. in SF2 all levels are designed by extensive play testing. This made sure, all levels are beatable but never unfair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masschamber Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 Space instigators and holiday qb, really really want to buy zippy and stay frosty, had halo, but I had to sell it for the same obnoxious reason I can't buy zippy and stay frosty, student loans, man that stay frosty 2 has so much Christmas cheer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 I am all for variation. But the more factors you have in play, the more difficult it becomes to design fair levels that way. You have to tweak randomness so that a level doesn't become too hard or plain impossible. And then a lot of levels become to easy. E.g. in SF2 all levels are designed by extensive play testing. This made sure, all levels are beatable but never unfair. In games of a certain type, the levels would be put together using what could be described as puzzle pieces. Nothing would be unfair because all combinations would be designed to fit properly. There would be easy, medium and hard combinations that the game would select from at the appropriate times so a game could smoothly progress from easy to hard. Each level could have a required piece or pieces that the programmer always wants there and the game would fill in the rest according to the difficultly of that level and any other 'thinking' that the programmer told the game to do when assembling a level. My favorite kind of controlled randomness includes a bit of artificial intelligence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 In games of a certain type, the levels would be put together using what could be described as puzzle pieces. Nothing would be unfair because all combinations would be designed to fit properly. There would be easy, medium and hard combinations that the game would select from at the appropriate times so a game could smoothly progress from easy to hard. Each level could have a required piece or pieces that the programmer always wants there and the game would fill in the rest according to the difficultly of that level and any other 'thinking' that the programmer told the game to do when assembling a level. My favorite kind of controlled randomness includes a bit of artificial intelligence. Probably we should move this to a dedicated thread. In theory you are right, in practice you will find a lot of reasons where too much or even any randomness doesn't do the result any good. Just putting something randomly here and there doesn't make the game entertaining for much longer (see River Raid). It only becomes interesting, when the new positions or combinations with other elements form new challenges for the player. And to control that with randomness is pretty tough, if not impossible in many cases. If it makes you happy , I am currently overhauling a game mainly by adding heaps of controlled randomness which allow generating huge maps on-the-fly with obstacles and items all over the place. When it gets released you should give it a try. IMO the result is quite good, but the hand crafted levels in e.g. SF2 are more entertaining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+sramirez2008 Posted December 14, 2015 Author Share Posted December 14, 2015 Space instigators and holiday qb, really really want to buy zippy and stay frosty, had halo, but I had to sell it for the same obnoxious reason I can't buy zippy and stay frosty, student loans, man that stay frosty 2 has so much Christmas cheer Space Instigators and Holiday QB are both fun. I hope you can pick up Stay Frosty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Innit Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 Increased my homebrew games by two more. Blinky Goes Up and Stay Frosty 2 both arrived today. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glimglam Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 Increased my homebrew games by two more. Blinky Goes Up and Stay Frosty 2 both arrived today. Nice. I just ordered Stay Frosty 2 myself, along with Star Castle Arcade, Juno First, and Pac-Man 4k. I continue to be amazed at the stunning new content being produced for a console that is nearly forty years old, now. Makes me proud to own one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 Only 6 so far: Space Rocks (CIB) Lady Bug Fall Down Frenzy (CIB) Astro Blaster Juno First (just ordered it) There's a couple I've been looking forward to like Circus Atariage and Draconian but not sure when or if they'll ever make it to cart. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 Circus AtariAge is long overdue. Been advertised for a while on the little flyers you get when purchasing homebrews here. Draconian is still under development, but thought Circus was completed a while ago? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 Circus AtariAge is long overdue. Been advertised for a while on the little flyers you get when purchasing homebrews here. Draconian is still under development, but thought Circus was completed a while ago? It's not finished yet--Jeff is still working on it. It'll be worth the wait, as he's done a fantastic job so far. I really enjoy paddle games, so it's always nice to see another homebrew that supports them. And it's very much a fun game! ..Al 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck D. Head Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 I sadly have too few of the great homebrews. Let's see: Chunkout Jack and the Beanstalk CGE Adventures Stella's Stocking Halo 2600 Reflex (I believe this is a ripoff HB of a different game) Ladybug (absolutely amazing!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Circus AtariAge is long overdue. Been advertised for a while on the little flyers you get when purchasing homebrews here. Draconian is still under development, but thought Circus was completed a while ago? It's not finished yet--Jeff is still working on it. It'll be worth the wait, as he's done a fantastic job so far. I really enjoy paddle games, so it's always nice to see another homebrew that supports them. And it's very much a fun game! ..Al I still have the PRGE 2013 demo with the spinning AA logo when booted off Harmony but not in Stella. No idea how he pulled it off. Can't wait for official release! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 (edited) It's not finished yet--Jeff is still working on it. It'll be worth the wait, as he's done a fantastic job so far. I really enjoy paddle games, so it's always nice to see another homebrew that supports them. And it's very much a fun game! ..Al Are there two Circus Atari homebrews in development? Circus Atariage is for the 2600 correct? I thought I remember reading about or seeing something about a 7800 version too but my memory is fuzzy on it. Regardless, Circus Atari is my absolute favorite game on the 2600 (my username was originally "I_love_circus_atari" when I started on AA) and am really looking forward to this updated version. It does look fantastic. Edited April 13, 2016 by AtariLeaf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Are there two Circus Atari homebrews in development? Circus Atariage is for the 2600 correct? I thought I remember reading about or seeing something about a 7800 version too but my memory is fuzzy on it. Regardless, Circus Atari is my absolute favorite game on the 2600 (my username was originally "I_love_circus_atari" when I started on AA) and am really looking forward to this updated version. It does look fantastic. The 7800 Super Circus AtariAge, along with Bentley Bear, the 320 Pacmans, and others are waiting on drop in Hokey/Pokey replacements to become available, I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 There's a couple I've been looking forward to like Circus Atariage and Draconian but not sure when or if they'll ever make it to cart. Sorry to disappoint you, but as happens from time to time I get burnt out on coding. Since I can't take a break from the day job, the hobby takes the hit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 All of your games rock Spice! Sure hope to see Draconian finished and in the AA store someday. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Sorry to disappoint you, but as happens from time to time I get burnt out on coding. Since I can't take a break from the day job, the hobby takes the hit. I'm still waiting on the VCS Circus AA. Take your time though. Until then, I can always throw the PRGE 2013 ROM on my Harmony. That thing more than paid for itself... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 I'm still waiting on the VCS Circus AA. Take your time though. Until then, I can always throw the PRGE 2013 ROM on my Harmony. That thing more than paid for itself... Circus AtariAge is Omegamatrix' project. I'm eagerly waiting for him to finish it as well 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Sorry to disappoint you, but as happens from time to time I get burnt out on coding. Since I can't take a break from the day job, the hobby takes the hit. No pressure at all, just love your stuff so much. Space Rocks is by far my favorite homebrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KaeruYojimbo Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 (edited) Reflex (I believe this is a ripoff HB of a different game) It's an original homebrew, but the cartridge release was done without the author's permission. There was a thread about it here somewhere, but I can't find it. I have a copy too. It's a great game. It's really a shame it didn't get an "official" release. edit: one of the threads - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/223296-reflex-2600-released-in-cartridge-form/ I remember there being another one though. Edited April 13, 2016 by KaeruYojimbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Circus AtariAge is Omegamatrix' project. I'm eagerly waiting for him to finish it as well Oops, my bad... No pressure at all, just love your stuff so much. Space Rocks is by far my favorite homebrew Space Rocks is amazing. If anyone hasn't downloaded the Tournament Edition, it is balls hard but makes a very impressive tech demo for the Harmony cart. Do my eyes deceive me? It should not be possible at all with amount of objects the VCS is capable of handling onscreen. Yes I'm aware the game uses the Melody ARM but still... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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