Game Idea: Arkanoid 2600/7800

[Lord-Chaos]

Just asked this in the programming forum.

 

There is no really advanced Breakout game for the ATARI 2600 - just the very old ones - Breakout and Super Breakout.

 

Wouldn´t it be a good idea to create a Arkanoid-type game for the VCS , a Breakout game with enemies , different bricks , specials , extras , levels , maybe a boss like Doh in Arkanoid ?

 

Designed for use with paddles .

 

Or something like Krakout on the C64 ?

 

Should be possible.

 

Also on the ATARI 7800 .Arkanoid 1 or 2 - type games should be possible.

 

For the ATARI 800 there are Arkanoid (1) , Unicum (clone) , Ataroid (clone) and maybe more.

 

 

Thimo

[Cupcakus]

I think there is an Arkanoid "type" game for the 2600... I just can't think of it off hand.

[Inky]

I think there is an Arkanoid "type" game for the 2600... I just can't think of it off hand.

 

You may be thinking of 'Off The Wall' which is close, but not the same.

 

I think an Arkanoid clone would be doable, but then I'm not a programmer.

[AtariLeaf]

If someone did a homebrew of this and slapped it on a cart I'd definitely pick it up. Great idea if it can be pulled off.

[Witchfynde]

I think there is an Arkanoid "type" game for the 2600... I just can't think of it off hand.

 

There was Fireball for the Supercharger, where you control a juggler instead of a paddle, which, when he missed a ball, it was like an old vauldeville act: a big hook would drag him off the stage

 

There was also Jinks for the 7800, being a cross between Pong, Breakout and Jr. Pac-Man, I suppose, since the screen(s) would scroll...the playfield was the equivalent to being several screens long, side by side. You only got one ball, and the only way to lose it would be if it bounced into a set of teeth, which would eat the ball. A very weird and different game, and a bit fun too.

[King Atari]

There's no reason why Arkanoid couldn't be ported to the 2600. They did Off The Wall, which uses more graphics, Arkanoid would actually be simpler.

[Paul Slocum]

I love Fireball. It's really fun playing with all 6 balls at once and I love that scoring sound. Very hypnotic.

 

IMO it would be impossible to port Arkanoid to the 2600. It would probably be possible (but difficult) to do something similar to Arkanoid but designed to be more 2600 friendly. Reading the paddles while displaying moderately complex graphics is a challenge. Off The Wall uses the joystick which is lame.

 

-Paul

[Xot]

I love Fireball.  It's really fun playing with all 6 balls at once and I love that scoring sound.  Very hypnotic.

 

IMO it would be impossible to port Arkanoid to the 2600.  It would probably be possible (but difficult) to do something similar to Arkanoid but designed to be more 2600 friendly.  Reading the paddles while displaying moderately complex graphics is a challenge.  Off The Wall uses the joystick which is lame.

 

-Paul

 

Wow, this from the author of Marble Craze?! What if you didn't include the obstacles (the molecules, cones and cubes that come floating out of the top of the screen)? But then it's just Breakout with guns. I mean, come one. Who *ever* takes Extend or Disrupt over Laser?

[NoahsMyBro]

Are you playing for longevity, or points?

 

I play for points, if for no other reason than to get as many extra lives as I can. Consequently, I try to hit [em]every[/em] single power-up that comes down. Each one is 1000 points. AND, if you keep shooting while a power up is coming down, you destroy bricks that could possibly have released another power up for another 1000 points. If you keep multiple balls in play, you also forfeit any additional opportunities.

 

I guess I'm going on to a ridiculous length for such a silly matter, but really, it just seems far better to me to go for every single power up you can find.

 

Steve

[Paul Slocum]

This was discussed a little on the Stella list a while back. A big problem is that it would be quite difficult to display bricks that are different colors. You really have to be able to display at least three colors to have a reasonable port since the silver and gold bricks are functionally different. Even if you didn't have the creatures, drawing different colored bricks, up to 3 balls, and the pills in addition to reading the paddles would be extremely difficult. Memory would probably also be very tight.

 

But something like Arkanoid would probably be possible if you made some compromises like saying that you can only have one type of bricks per row and removed the creatures. But you could make up for it by adding features that would be easier on the 2600. I think it would be really cool to have multi-screen levels. Maybe give it some pinball elements.

 

-Paul

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Hm, what about the interlaced mode that was recently discovered? You could get up to four brick colors by mixing odd and even PF lines with different colors.

 

And with massive flicker the 2600 can display nearly everything.

[Albert]

I would love to see an Arkanoid-style game for the Atari 2600. In fact, this is one project I have considered as my first 2600 programming project. Imagine my horror as I opened up this thread today. So much for a surprise!

 

..Al

[Witchfynde]

Hm, what about the interlaced mode that was recently discovered? You could  get up to four brick colors by mixing odd and even PF lines with different colors.

 

And with massive flicker the 2600 can display nearly everything.

 

Plus several games for the Atari 2600 back in '89 were up to 64K, which I read in an interview with Nolan Bushnell, so that would help a bit.

 

I think an Arkanoid deal could be possible, given those circumstances.

[MegaManFan]

Plus several games for the Atari 2600 back in '89 were up to 64K, which I read in an interview with Nolan Bushnell, so that would help a bit.

 

I think an Arkanoid deal could be possible, given those circumstances.

 

OK, so yes it's possible. As a HOMEBREW though, it would flop. Nobody is going to be able to mass produce 64K carts!

[Lord-Chaos]

This was discussed a little on the Stella list a while back. A big problem is that it would be quite difficult to display bricks that are different colors.  You really have to be able to display at least three colors to have a reasonable port since the silver and gold bricks are functionally different.  Even if you didn't have the creatures, drawing different colored bricks, up to 3 balls, and the pills in addition to reading the paddles would be extremely difficult.  Memory would probably also be very tight.

 

But something like Arkanoid would probably be possible if you made some compromises like saying that you can only have one type of bricks per row and removed the creatures.  But you could make up for it by adding features that would be easier on the 2600.  I think it would be really cool to have multi-screen levels.  Maybe give it some pinball elements.

 

-Paul

 

And what about a Krakout (C64 game) clone ?

 

Krakout was different , because it was turned 90 deg. , the bricks were right or left and your bat left or right.

 

This game had bigger bricks than Arkanoid and a lot more levels.

 

Would this be more difficult or easier to program ?

 

Thimo

[Paul Slocum]

The largest game Atari ever released is Fatal Run at 32k. It is possible to produce 32k homebrews (Marble Craze is 32k). However a huge ROM doesn't help that much. If it is possible to write a display kernal that will support it, I tend to think Arkanoid could fit in 16k even with a fancy title screen and music.

 

Thomas, that's a good idea. There are probably several ways you can indicate which bricks are which type without having to display more than one color per line. You could even have the unbreakable ones flicker and the regular ones solid. But I still think it would be pretty tough.

 

The Marble Craze kernal is actually quite similar to what you'd need. It reads paddles, displays a blocky asymetrical playfield out of RAM, draws player graphics, and does playfield color changes per-line out of RAM. I can see how it could be modified to display the bricks (with cues to which type of brick it is), the pills, the ball, and read the paddles. But I'm not so sure about doing 3 balls at once or the laser mode. And IMO, creatures would be out of the question. I might try modifying my MC kernal at some point to see what's possible, or if someone else wants to try it, I can send you the source.

 

-Paul