Schizophretard Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Looks good. Well, lets see how it works then. Does the rate of seaweed reproduction always increase at 100 pieces or is there a maximum rate? Please explain how it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted September 13, 2011 Author Share Posted September 13, 2011 Does the rate of seaweed reproduction always increase at 100 pieces or is there a maximum rate? Please explain how it works. The way it is now, the range is 0 through 14. The higher the number, the harder the difficulty. The game starts out at 1 and increases by 1 every time the player shoots 100 pieces of seaweed. The difficulty will never go higher than 14. But 14 might be too difficult. I'll have to play with the numbers. The limit will probably have to be lowered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian O Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Hey, RT -- Is the bin file in the first post the latest version? Thanks, B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted September 13, 2011 Author Share Posted September 13, 2011 (edited) Hey, RT -- Is the bin file in the first post the latest version? Thanks, B Nope. It's the original. It will be marked as the old version when I upload the latest. I figured it would probably irritate people for me to post a new version until enough changes have been made. After I get the beaten up Health Canister working, that will probably be a good time to post an update. I'll see if I can finish that part of the game sometime tomorrow. In case you want to know, I put the date in my file names so people can tell when I made them (and so they'll be in the correct order in my project folders). For example, the original version in the first post ends with this: 2010y_11m_30d_2020t.bin Which means: 2010 year 11 month 30 day 2020 military time Edited September 13, 2011 by Random Terrain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I'm glad that it has a maximum. I was worried that it would work in a way that what determined the maximum was when the rate got to a point that it becomes an impossibility for any human to continue. How can you tell if 14 is too high? Is there a way for you to personally tell that you have reached 14? I can't tell because there is no indicator. All I know is that the minimum possible points for 14 would be 2800(1400 pieces of seaweed at 2 points each with no combos). That's around half my high score but a lot of my score is combos and health canisters so, that does seem like a lot for a minimum score and I assume I haven't reached 14. Is there a way to make reproduction cycles? Like maybe lower the the maximum to 7 and then once it gets there it jumps back to 1 and goes back up(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,1,2,3,4,5,6,7)? It will be obvious that you made it through because you will be able to clear the screen easily. Then if you made it through, change it to go from 7 gradually down to 1 and back up(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,2,3,4,5,6,7). It will be less easy to clear the screen because it will be gradual but you will feel it slowly go down and back up again. If it doesn't work then you know 7 is too high. If it does work but it is too easy then you know to try 8. Once you find the best number it would still be cool if you had it set up to go to the maximum, gradually back down, and back up again because it would give a slight breather, a chance to clear the screen again, and a feeling that you survived a battle of the war. If not it would at least be a good experiment to find the best maximum number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted September 14, 2011 Author Share Posted September 14, 2011 (edited) I'm glad that it has a maximum. I was worried that it would work in a way that what determined the maximum was when the rate got to a point that it becomes an impossibility for any human to continue. How can you tell if 14 is too high? I need to test it by making it start at each number and see how hard it is. If it gets impossible too early, I might have to do more than adjust that number. Is there a way for you to personally tell that you have reached 14? I can't tell because there is no indicator. All I know is that the minimum possible points for 14 would be 2800(1400 pieces of seaweed at 2 points each with no combos). That's around half my high score but a lot of my score is combos and health canisters so, that does seem like a lot for a minimum score and I assume I haven't reached 14. The numbers are behind the scenes. All the player has to know is that the game gets harder every time they shoot 100 pieces of seaweed (up to a point, but the player doesn't have to know that). Like I said, the way the difficulty is handled will probably have to change. If I can soften the difficulty by using larger numbers, the maximum could be a lot higher than 14. Is there a way to make reproduction cycles? Like maybe lower the the maximum to 7 and then once it gets there it jumps back to 1 and goes back up(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,1,2,3,4,5,6,7)? It will be obvious that you made it through because you will be able to clear the screen easily. Then if you made it through, change it to go from 7 gradually down to 1 and back up(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,2,3,4,5,6,7). It will be less easy to clear the screen because it will be gradual but you will feel it slowly go down and back up again. If it doesn't work then you know 7 is too high. If it does work but it is too easy then you know to try 8. Once you find the best number it would still be cool if you had it set up to go to the maximum, gradually back down, and back up again because it would give a slight breather, a chance to clear the screen again, and a feeling that you survived a battle of the war. If not it would at least be a good experiment to find the best maximum number. I could try something like that, but I better get the beaten up Health Canister finished first. New Idea: I had an idea earlier today. The background color behind the score can be any color I want. Right now it is $C4: http://www.randomterrain.com/atari-2600-memories-tia-color-charts.html#ntsc_color_tool If I can adjust the colors of the Health Energy Indicator so they look OK with the different shades, I could make the score background color start at $C8, then get darker for every 20 bits of seaweed that you shoot. When the score background is darkest, you'll know you only have 20 left to shoot before you reach 100. After you shoot 100 bits of seaweed, the score background color will reset to $C8 and start all over again. Edited September 14, 2011 by Random Terrain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 If you do that idea with the health energy indicator will it blink when 100 pieces is reached? Maybe red as a warning to let you know your danger just increased? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian O Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Nope. It's the original. It will be marked as the old version when I upload the latest. I figured it would probably irritate people for me to post a new version until enough changes have been made. After I get the beaten up Health Canister working, that will probably be a good time to post an update. I'll see if I can finish that part of the game sometime tomorrow. In case you want to know, I put the date in my file names so people can tell when I made them (and so they'll be in the correct order in my project folders). For example, the original version in the first post ends with this: 2010y_11m_30d_2020t.bin Which means: 2010 year 11 month 30 day 2020 military time Thanks, RT. Looking forward to the latest version. -B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted September 14, 2011 Author Share Posted September 14, 2011 If you do that idea with the health energy indicator will it blink when 100 pieces is reached? Maybe red as a warning to let you know your danger just increased? I just PMed you the latest version where the score background color changes for every 20 bits of seaweed that you shoot. By the time you get to the last 20, the green is very dark. Players might subconsciously equate that to a storm coming or trouble brewing. As soon as the last piece has been shot, the color goes back to a brighter green and a Health Canister drops. After trying it, if you think it needs more, maybe I could do a couple dark red to light red color cycles, then switch to the lighter green. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Edit: Duh! I forgot it was already there I just never had anything to indicate that the canister was about to drop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted September 15, 2011 Author Share Posted September 15, 2011 Thanks, RT. Looking forward to the latest version. Sorry, it's taking longer than I hoped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disjaukifa Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 I can't wait to see a new binary! Glad to see you really progressing with the development of this game so quickly! You should get Brian O. to do label and box art for the game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted September 16, 2011 Author Share Posted September 16, 2011 (edited) In case anyone wants to know, here's the latest idea: Corroded Homing Health Canisters You'll never know where or when, but sometimes a long lost Corroded Homing Health Canister will be trapped behind a bit of seaweed. When you shoot that bit of seaweed, the Corroded Homing Health Canister will be released and it will take around 2 seconds for its sensors to activate. If you can salvage it in time, you'll get one unit of health energy and 25 points. Since every Corroded Homing Health Canister has damaged circuits, if you don't salvage it before the sensors have activated, it will use its last bit of energy to home in on the Manatee and try to ram it, causing damage that will take one health unit to repair. The bad news is that you can't shoot it or outrun it. The good news is that it can get caught up and lost in the bits of seaweed again, so if a Corroded Homing Health Canister comes after you, try to get some seaweed between it and you. Edited September 16, 2011 by Random Terrain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 In case anyone wants to know, here's the latest idea: Corroded Homing Health Canisters You'll never know where or when, but sometimes a long lost Corroded Homing Health Canister will be trapped behind a bit of seaweed. When you shoot that bit of seaweed, the Corroded Homing Health Canister will be released and it will take around 2 seconds for its sensors to activate. If you can salvage it in time, you'll get one unit of health energy and 25 points. Since every Corroded Homing Health Canister has damaged circuits, if you don't salvage it before the sensors have activated, it will use its last bit of energy to home in on the Manatee and try to ram it, causing damage that will take one health unit to repair. The bad news is that you can't shoot it or outrun it. The good news is that it can get caught up and lost in the bits of seaweed again, so if a Corroded Homing Health Canister comes after you, try to get some seaweed between it and you. I wish you explained it like that before. Gas missiles! I can't wait to see it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted September 30, 2011 Author Share Posted September 30, 2011 (edited) I wanted to let anyone who is interested know that Schizophretard has been suggesting ideas and testing the game to find bugs. I had some pretty horrible ones, but they all seem to be fixed. Although there are still a few things left to do, I'll post what I have some time on September 30, 2011 and update the 'manual' in the first post. Should I leave the old 'manual' the way it is, and just copy it, make a line, paste the copy above the old 'manual', then edit the copy? Edited September 30, 2011 by Random Terrain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 I wanted to let anyone who is interested know that Schizophretard has been suggesting ideas and testing the game to find bugs. I had some pretty horrible ones, but they all seem to be fixed. Although there are still a few things left to do, I'll post what I have some time on September 30, 2011 and update the 'manual' in the first post. Should I leave the old 'manual' the way it is, and just copy it, make a line, paste the copy above the old 'manual', then edit the copy? I would say just edit this copy to the changes, so people don't get them confused and at the top in bold red put something to make it clear it is updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disjaukifa Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 I would say just edit this copy to the changes, so people don't get them confused and at the top in bold red put something to make it clear it is updated. I agree, back up the old one just for historical sakes and update the current, that will cut down on almost all confusion. Looking forward to trying the new binary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted October 1, 2011 Author Share Posted October 1, 2011 Latest version of the game is in the first post. I'm editing the 'manual' since some things have changed, but it might take me a few hours. I'll post a new message when I'm done editing the 'manual' in the first post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animan Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 I love it! Very polished and addictive. I'd pay for a cartridge version, even. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorfy Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 Very cool game, RT. Nice work!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted October 2, 2011 Author Share Posted October 2, 2011 I love it! Very polished and addictive. I'd pay for a cartridge version, even. Very cool game, RT. Nice work!!! Thanks. After more people get a chance to play it and post what they like and don't like about it, I'll be able to tweak and polish it a little bit more so we can consider it finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian O Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Just played new bin file. Looks great! I really enjoy playing this game (although playing on an emulator using a keyboard can make you an arthritis candidate pretty quickly!). So far, I haven't been able to crack 1,000, but not for lack of trying. You really did a nice job on this. Had this game been out back in the early 80s, it would have been right next to my Activision and Imagic carts -B I guess the crab didn't make the final cut, huh? Having played your earlier versions, I kept expecting him to pop up somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disjaukifa Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Great build, I really like it so far, I need to play it more to get a better feel for it. Great job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted October 2, 2011 Author Share Posted October 2, 2011 Just played new bin file. Looks great! I really enjoy playing this game (although playing on an emulator using a keyboard can make you an arthritis candidate pretty quickly!). So far, I haven't been able to crack 1,000, but not for lack of trying. You really did a nice job on this. Had this game been out back in the early 80s, it would have been right next to my Activision and Imagic carts Thanks. I guess the crab didn't make the final cut, huh? Having played your earlier versions, I kept expecting him to pop up somewhere. The main loop had to be spread out over 3 banks. I have 621 bytes of ROM space left in one bank, 291 bytes of ROM space left in another bank, and 651 bytes of ROM space left in the other bank. So there is a little room for small changes and an Easter egg. I also have 2 unused banks, but they can't be jumped to every frame, so they are useless in the game. I could use those 2 banks for a mini game or something that could be secretly accessed from the title screen, but do I want to spend more months working on a mini game? Great build, I really like it so far, I need to play it more to get a better feel for it. Great job! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 I was thinking about what I suggested about having either the falling or homing canister randomly drop at every 100 pieces and the 16 slots for a variety of wrothopods you're using. Would something like this be possible?: Have 8 types of canisters that drop randomly at 100 pieces: The changing color falling canister. A blue falling canister. A yellow falling canister. A red falling canister. The changing color homing canister. A blue homing canister. A yellow homing canister. A red homing canister. That way even though you know you will receive a canister you won't know which one and the game will be different every time. You will be surprised each time just like you are surprised when you find a corroded canister or when a random wrothopod shows. Sometimes you will be very lucky and get a blue homing canister and sometimes you will be very unlucky and get a red falling canister but overall it will balance out and you will always have a 50/50 chance that it will either be falling or homing. I don't know how you would have to do it. Maybe use the 16 slots thing like the wrothopods but put all 8 in twice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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