Cyborg game for Atari 2600

[Syzygy1]

The only DC Comics game released for the Atari 2600 was a Superman game. And I'm really sad there was just one DC game. Because around 1982, teen titan Cyborg could've had his own game. A majority of the people who liked him also liked Atari and other arcade and video games back then.

 

The main problem is that I don't know how to make a homebrew game like most of you do, and I know you're gonna say "well go learn how to," but IT IS TOO TIME-CONSUMING and I have a hobby of making music that was much easier to learn; plus I have a Mac and I'm not gonna go through the whole heck of downloading the thing and running it on Wine. Don't you actually have to compile it? And besides, it looks impossible to learn in this 16 year old girl's eyes. Programming has always been hard to me.

 

Maybe I can come up with the story and objective and find a programmer to design and develop the game? Besides, that's what companies did back in the day. We could start our own company! ...Syzyco?

 

Any ideas for a Cyborg game? I've already got the title: "Cyborg of the New Teen Titans."

[AkashicRecord]

Yeah, too bad the only DC game was the completely horrid, childhood-scarring, pile of trash that was Superman... (Hilariously, the Nintendo 64 title was somehow worse.)

 

I think I'd rather see something like this:

 

[Heroes & Shadows]

You can write the game in Batari Basic, which has almost no learning curve and takes very little time to produce a basic game. I don't remember if bB works on Mac though so can someone else please chime in. There are plenty of bBer's to help you along. For an idea of a cyborg game, I always wanted to see this on an Atari 2600.

Edited November 1, 2018 by Heroes & Shadows

[+Karl G]

bB definitely works on the Mac, but you need to use the command-line. You can run the Visual Basic IDE under Wine (but I never have).

 

To the OP: the Homebrews forum has a post directed at non-programmers who wish to inspire others to write their games. I think the tone is a little harsh, but it's a useful recommendation on how to come-up with a good write-up of a game concept.

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/82555-to-all-non-programmer-idea-peddlers/

[Syzygy1]

You can write the game in Batari Basic, which has almost no learning curve and takes very little time to produce a basic game. I don't remember if bB works on Mac though so can someone else please chime in. There are plenty of bBer's to help you along. For an idea of a cyborg game, I always wanted to see

on an Atari 2600.

A. TTG sucks

B. That looks more like NES Mega Man stuff. That's impossible to reproduce on a 2600 but hey if Solaris exists we can make a game that looks like Solaris.

 

I want kinda like an Alien or Spacemaster X7 kinda game? Maybe we could do something with the Superman game? I mean I don't really know a lot about Cyborg in the 80s comics besides he looked like Denzel Washington wore a thigh high romper exposing his pecs and was angry for no reason. And also spoke jive.

[+KaeruYojimbo]

B. That looks more like NES Mega Man stuff. That's impossible to reproduce on a 2600.

 

Nothing is impossible.

 

Actually, many things are impossible, but not that.

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/146735-mega-man-2600-demo-game-binary/

 

(bonus - Done with batari Basic)

[Syzygy1]

I'd like to see something Atari could have done in 1982 if they decided to make a Cyborg game. Maybe like Adventures of TRON but you're saving the Titans?

[JeffJetton]

I don't know how to make a homebrew game like most of you do, and I know you're gonna say "well go learn how to," but IT IS TOO TIME-CONSUMING and I have a hobby of making music that was much easier to learn; plus I have a Mac and I'm not gonna go through the whole heck of downloading the thing and running it on Wine. Don't you actually have to compile it? And besides, it looks impossible to learn in this 16 year old girl's eyes. Programming has always been hard to me.

 

 

I don't totally know how to make a home-brew game either... yet. I'm learning. That how life is I guess. There are lots of things I didn't know how to do at one point--then I learned how, and now I do. Like anything else, it's all about having an interest and passion for something. If you want to do something, you allocate the time to do it. Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. It's just a matter of what you decide to spend the time on.

 

Anyway, it's possible to program 2600 games on a Mac just fine, in either BASIC or assembly. I use a Mac myself. (Remember, Windows didn't even exist when they wrote the first Atari games, and that didn't stop anyone.)

 

P.S. I also make music. Personally, I've always been able to find a challenge in it somewhere. If you found it too easy to learn then you might've stopped too early. Go listen to harder music! :-)

[+Gemintronic]

Yeah, it's going to be tough to find someone to make your game for free. A lot of developers are here to make their own visions come true. If not that, they're looking for grocery money like me

 

Your arguments against doing yourself would make sense if you're truly alone in this. We're a friendly bunch and the batari BASIC forum section is active. You need help or feedback? You got it!

 

Your passion for the project is what makes you a better artist and developer. People will recognize that.

 

 

To sum up, the great thing about 2600 games is that you can start really, REALLY simple. Make the simplest Cyborg game possible. Build on it.

 

The alternative is to use code-free options like NES Maker or YoYo Games Game Maker. If coding is something you don't want to grow into you might have to choose other platforms.

[Syzygy1]

okay uh where's Batari Visual Basic for Mac?

[Syzygy1]

It's rather I have the idea and I like to do the more creative approach to things rather than technical approach. If Visual Basic was more easier to learn, worked easier on Macs, and functioned similar to Excel, I'd have made this game in no time. Instead, I seek out others to do the coding while I contribute by laying out the sprites, music, etc.

 

I still need to know what game we should hack, or we could do an original game. I want to make it like an Atari licensed title from 1982. Yeah, it'd suck, or maybe it'd be good. Cyborg needed his own Atari game back in the day because he EXUDED what Atari was all about, and many fans of him also played Atari if the responses I've got are anything to go by.

I was thinking of making it like Adventures of TRON or Alien, but your ideas can work, too! Remember: this is based off the poorly-aged, racist nowadays, romper-wearing, jive-talking 80s Cyborg depicted on my avatar, who didn't say "BOOYAH!" at all. That's like the only good thing the 2003 cartoon gave us. They turned Cyborg from an incredibly sexy character to a usually not sexy at all character. Good thing he's now incredibly sexy again, well except for TTG.

Edited April 4, 2019 by Syzygy1

[ZackAttack]

Why don't you start posting some graphics? If you provide some screen mockups you'll get feedback on what is and isn't possible with a classic 4/8k game.

 

You'll have a better chance at recruiting programmers or programming it yourself if the game design is well documented and properly matched to the 2600 limitations.

[+Karl G]

I use this sprite editor extensively:

 

https://alienbill.com/2600/playerpalnext.html

[KevKelley]

okay uh where's Batari Visual Basic for Mac?

What about the thread about Visual Studio? I have seen the comments about that software used for development. I have been using vbB and I like it alot but I had no programming experience apart from using qbasic and programming simple games from my ti99/4a and apple IIc books. And these forums are great resources.

[Syzygy1]

I somehow managed to make a Cyborg sprite on that. It looks ambiguous, like how Superman was rendered.