PlayBASIC Live: Making a Game series - So what type of game prototype ??

[kevin]

  PlayBASIC Live: Making a Game series - So what type of game prototype ??

     I would like to make some more video series that show hands on, line by line coding of a game..   but what game(s)  would  be interesting ??

     The thing to consider is the series need to be interesting enough for people to want to watch, not require tones of media,  or if so, there's enough free media packs out there that we can use to build a working prototype and supply the media to user so they can 'see' how things are used..  

     
     Discuss bellow !


   Related Links:

        -    Rygar Arcade




PlayBASIC Video Blog Ep #0006 (2017-12-09)

   

[stevmjon]

hey kev

i think this is a great idea. perfect for people learning playbasic. this will explain game making in more detail, rather than people reverse-engineering game code themselves(this takes much longer to learn). it will be a more popular tutorial too.

well... what type of game? i guess you want to make a platformer going by the rygar arcade link in post#1, so i think maybe a combination of features that look cool to add. not based on one particular game.
eg. i like the busy multi-layered scrolling background of bloo kid 2, and the more free range of character movement and the different angled tiles also from bloo kid 2, and i like the combat from rygar as well as the foreground lava etc, and the cut scenes changing levels/areas. i also love the puzzle solving from shadow of the beast 2. i also like to build in game too, like terraria etc. building in games is very popular now.  the list goes on...

so i think make a platformer game with different features to give a more all-round experience. maybe you could start the game and get some votes on what to add next?

i can even help with graphics too. i haven't fired up my 3D program in a while. it's getting cobwebs and rust all over it. you are also welcome to use any graphics from my 'holly platformer game' demo. it has a variety of graphics you can instantly use. the map graphics are separate though, as i assembled these pieces in game. i can make them into a single map image if you like, or you can use any individual pieces you would like to use on their own.

this project sounds fun. i am excited to see it grow.

  stevmjon

[kevin]

Hey Steve,

 Thanks for the feedback !

 The Rygar thing is a bit of in-joke really..  Way back when I was obsessed with that 'how to make rygar'  on my C64/C128 coding days..  Then later on when moving to the Amiga it was one of re-occuring ideas..  

 fast forward 20 odd years and  I had assumed Rygar was ported to Amiga officially, but apparently it wasn't... so when seeing a forum thread about a fan based version it rekindled some of that fire :)

 See -> Conversion Capers: Rygar

 It's a good read.   A few pages into the thread and there's some videos / screen  shots..  

well... what type of game? i guess you want to make a platformer going by the rygar arcade link in post#1, so i think maybe a combination of features that look cool to add. not based on one particular game.
eg. i like the busy multi-layered scrolling background of bloo kid 2, and the more free range of character movement and the different angled tiles also from bloo kid 2, and i like the combat from rygar as well as the foreground lava etc, and the cut scenes changing levels/areas. i also love the puzzle solving from shadow of the beast 2. i also like to build in game too, like terraria etc. building in games is very popular now.

 Sounds cool..   Reminds me of bionic commando a bit...    

 the list goes on...

   yeah..  ideally I'd like to avoid too much feature creep..

so i think make a platformer game with different features to give a more all-round experience. maybe you could start the game and get some votes on what to add next?

 Good idea..      The only rational of doing something that already exists is that the viewer can see the end result first.   In the blog, I mentioned the idea of Rygar, but really was thinking of something more like a early classic coin op,  not necessarily Space invaders  but something like Galaga.   Where we don't need a lot of media and ideally won't taken a huge number of episodes to get to something reassembles a game.    

 Since posting this i'm starting to lean more towards the simpler side of things, which of course is just a perspective thing as what simple for oldbies sure isn't for those new to coding..  

 It's a shame we don't have some more pick through /  videos on what we already have..  Even I though tend to think that type of video doesn't work for teaching..  

 Anyway, I guess there's no reason why this needs to be a one of..    So we could start with something simple as a dry run, work out what needs to be done for future videos..  


A quick google shows this, which has got some looking platform media.    (login required)

[kevin]

While looking at some old Amiga stuff ran into Ruff 'n Tumble (Code: Jason Perkins - Graphics: Robin Levy - Music: Jason Page)

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruff_%27n%27_Tumble

[kevin]

Here's a version of Galaga 3 (Gaplus)arcade game that i only remember seeing once as a kid.. In includes the ability to capture a bunch of ships and use them as part of your ship.. 

Arcade Game: Gaplus (Aka Galaga 3) (1984 Namco)

[kevin]

 
  I've had a few dry runs at this and I'd sad to say it's looking less and less likely, as the size of the videos just get way beyound what I can actually edit in a timely manor.   I've no idea what Youtubers use to create content but it makes want to write a front end TOOL over some backend :(  - yes, that's how frustrating this becomes :(

[baggey]

The very first games i really remember are Manic Miner , Jet Pac and Atic Atac

These were all games written for the Zx Spectrum and C64

Keeping to basics with something Visual happening has got to be a no brainner for me. Too learn and build on.

Let's Say Manic Miner :-

We start with building a level editor and an editor for our sprites.
Then move on to our Main Character "Minner Willy"

We could have him jumping around a basic level! why not the origonal FIRST LEVEL for example?

Even adding and building on his animation to walk. Why not even using TYPES changing his image so he animates etc.

We can build on his control logic of am i standing on something? Am i jumping? Have i collected anything, Have i hit a baddy.

One all this defining Logic is sorted it can be repeated!

Baddy logic can be added in to get more interaction etc.

I think this is where some might say weve created a Game Engine for "Manic Miner"

Latter in the series we could make him shot bullets or something adding a little twist to the origonal. Maybe a Monty Mole twist or a game on the C64 "GHOST HUNTER" Clone.

Of course im always going to want something Retro thou lets say 256 x 192 or 320 x 200 Resolution. We could create are screen in memory for speed. Where by we feed an Array the piece's to make the screen!  ::)

This could be a template or even a new built in "PLAYBASIC" Function or a link to a .Dll that later on in the Series we could just feed our 8 Bit screen engine the information to define any type of GAME!  ;D

There is something in the Arduino market called a GAMEDUINO. Thats the sort of engine we could create for a Retro Computer engine in PlayBasic.

Right now the Zx NEXT is being created the C64 Mini is being created.

Id prefer a Software approach using good old simple PLAYBASIC commands. Where our Game Series could have a Dual Boot! I mean turn Pc on and boot to RETRO PLAYBASIC Game engine.

OR a .exe that goes to our retro PLAYBASIC engine. Imagine all the different display resoloutions at our finger tips and all the sound CHIPS at our finger tips well one spring's to mind The SID chip!

Typing commands as if we had a Hi Bread retro 80's COMPUTER under our finger tips! Next time we Reboot just go to plain simple boring WINDOWS?

[kevin]

 There's a number of classic games that have already been made in PlayBASIC,  Stuff like  JetPAK was done over a decade ago..    PlayBASIC Live : JetPAK code overview ( 2017-09-09)  

I don't mind the idea of doing something again, as old examples tend to be poorly written and almost impossible to comprehend for 3rd parties regardless of skill levels.   Even a lot of never example are far from ideal, but then again, they're not written as teaching aids.

For example; What Type of Video Games Can I Create With PlayBASIC

Let's Say Manic Miner :-

We start with building a level editor and an editor for our sprites.
Then move on to our Main Character "Minner Willy"

We could have him jumping around a basic level! why not the origonal FIRST LEVEL for example?

Even adding and building on his animation to walk. Why not even using TYPES changing his image so he animates etc.

We can build on his control logic of am i standing on something? Am i jumping? Have i collected anything, Have i hit a baddy.

One all this defining Logic is sorted it can be repeated!

Baddy logic can be added in to get more interaction etc.

I think this is where some might say weve created a Game Engine for "Manic Miner"

  The process is one of he most important aspects of these types of projects; so choosing the wrong strategy tend to end up in failure or something even worse, which is a game that's so award to build content for it might as well not exist.   Sadly if you look around, those types of projects are in high supply right across the BASIC landscape.    Which is shame.


   With something like a classic single screen shooter,  Galaxians / Galaga we can get away with not needing to build 'editor / conversion' tools, or at least not trying to build a game maker tools, which is the generally the wrong way of solving such things.   
 

[baggey]

How about Space Firebird it's Like Galaga but has waves of alien swarming around set movement paths. I remember after playing for a while picking certain spots at different times would enable you to kill every wave. Getting a max score bonus.

I remember in two player mode it was laerning the patterns and getting a clean sheet was what kept you hooked.

The smallest screen resoloution thou on my graphics card is 400 x 300 to get a nice square pixel. It would be nice to make exactly the same! I find a lot of the remakes are not the same and graphics are at different resoloutions ending up with games looking more like someone cut and pasted them to the screen and out of shape.

Id like to learn how to make pixel perfect remakes. The same as the origonal.

Id even go as far as trying to rip the graphics into a useable format. If i knew how they need to be layed out, So there usable if it help's.
Even the sounds could be recorded.

What about Defender or Pleaids?