Super Smash Bros. Possible on Atari 2600?

[Primordial Ooze]

Would Super Smash Brother's be possible on the Atari 2600 and if so what would be the limitations? I'm thinking of starting a project like this but, want to know beforehand if it is possible before i spend hours trying to get it working only to find it isn't possible due to the Atari 2600's limitations. Any assistance in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

 

Sincerely,

 

Primordial Ooze

[BladeJunker]

I'm guessing rendering 4 unique player sprites would be one of the main challenges.

 

I was thinking of this idea too but I only got as far the controls. May I suggest the paddle controllers as this would allow for the maximum of 4 players. Beyond that I thought the knob potentiometer would allow for gradual movement speed as in turn left a little to walk left, turn it more and more to the left to ramp up running speed and Fire as jump I guess.

 

Well that's all I got.

[Lodmot]

Actually, maybe what you can do is program it to make full use of the DualCommand controller, which has the paddle AND joystick all in one.

The player can hold the controller horizontally, use the paddle knob to move the character around, push the joystick up to jump, and the fire button to attack?

I think the controller pinouts for the paddle knob and the regular joystick controls don't conflict with each other, so maybe it's possible to read both sets of controls simultaneously?

Though that may feel a bit awkward holding it in your hand that way.

[BladeJunker]

Actually, maybe what you can do is program it to make full use of the DualCommand controller, which has the paddle AND joystick all in one.

The player can hold the controller horizontally, use the paddle knob to move the character around, push the joystick up to jump, and the fire button to attack?

I think the controller pinouts for the paddle knob and the regular joystick controls don't conflict with each other, so maybe it's possible to read both sets of controls simultaneously?

Though that may feel a bit awkward holding it in your hand that way.

Neat controller, this is the first time I've heard of it. I think I read Up & Down work but I think Paddle Left and Joystick Left use the same pin in the 2600 as well as the Right, I'm not certain but at the very least Up & Down on the joystick could be used along with the Fire button for actions if the knob moves the character. I saw 3 used ones on Amazon, the listing says Sega but I also see Coleco Gemini, who made this controller?

[+Gemintronic]

I know bB cannot handle more than 2 sprites on the same horizontal row but I swear I've seen assembly examples that do this. Can anyone point to a good example with source for multi sprite without flicker?

[BydoEmpire]

Anything's possible, you just have to be creative and persistent!

[Lodmot]

I know bB cannot handle more than 2 sprites on the same horizontal row but I swear I've seen assembly examples that do this. Can anyone point to a good example with source for multi sprite without flicker?

Boulder Dash can do it too, but in that game the pixels are drawn every other horizontal line for some reason.

I don't think it's really worth the aggravation, because it's Atari 2600. You can't expect too much.

 

Also, I made a game that uses the multisprite kernel, and it has flicker as well, but the objects in my game move very quickly around the screen, so the flicker isn't even that noticeable.

[+Gemintronic]

I know bB cannot handle more than 2 sprites on the same horizontal row but I swear I've seen assembly examples that do this. Can anyone point to a good example with source for multi sprite without flicker?

Boulder Dash can do it too, but in that game the pixels are drawn every other horizontal line for some reason.

I don't think it's really worth the aggravation, because it's Atari 2600. You can't expect too much.

 

Also, I made a game that uses the multisprite kernel, and it has flicker as well, but the objects in my game move very quickly around the screen, so the flicker isn't even that noticeable.

 

Yeah, but Super Smashed Bros will have more than 3 Freshmen on the same horizontal platform at a time almost guaranteed. Someone made an awesome Donkey Krunked 3 clone with bB and the bee sprites flickered like the eyelids of a hyperactive raver snorting sour punch staws for three days straight under a strobe light!

 

Assembly Ninjas could sneak in and execute flicker free with lethal efficiency! Everybody was Code-Fu fighting! Those DASM compilers were fast as lightning! It was a little bit frightening: they drew the beam with expert timing! There was little GroovyBee and mighty roland p. Here comes Ed Fries! Zap! Zap! Let's get it on!

Edited April 4, 2012 by theloon

[Primordial Ooze]

What about just having 2 sprites instead and making it a fighting game? Would something along the lines of street fighter work or is this also too ambicious for the Atari 2600? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 

Sincerely,

 

Primordial Ooze

[NinjaFlicker]

The biggest problem you'll have is fitting in animation frames and AI. You might want to try Mortal Kombat's original idea of giving the characters all the same basic moves and just making the specials unique. Another possibility to save space would be to use Rayman's animation technique - no arms and legs, just fist and feet flying freely. Or, if you want a good system proven to work on the platform, check out Double Dragon for the 2600. ( Although you'd need to increase the effectiveness of your basic attacks, and the controls are more complex than they need to be - the elbow punch can work just by the location of the enemy, as proven in the Gameboy port.)

[Jan Hermanns]

...

Another possibility to save space would be to use Rayman's animation technique - no arms and legs, just fist and feet flying freely.

...

Did you know that this technique was also used back then in "The Attack of the Phantom Karate Devils" - a fighting game btw from 1983!

 

[Syntaxerror999]

Most atari game are overhead. If you make the game a side view game how will this translate over?

[Phredreeke]

I know bB cannot handle more than 2 sprites on the same horizontal row but I swear I've seen assembly examples that do this. Can anyone point to a good example with source for multi sprite without flicker?

 

The Atari 2600 can repeat sprites one or two times with set distances. So you can have 2 groups of 3 sprites (but said sprites are either 8 or 24 pixels spaced a part in a group) on a single line. Certain games (Galaxian for example) gets additional sprites by repositioning mid-scanline.

[+Andrew Davie]

I know bB cannot handle more than 2 sprites on the same horizontal row but I swear I've seen assembly examples that do this. Can anyone point to a good example with source for multi sprite without flicker?

Boulder Dash can do it too, but in that game the pixels are drawn every other horizontal line for some reason.

I don't think it's really worth the aggravation, because it's Atari 2600. You can't expect too much.

 

Also, I made a game that uses the multisprite kernel, and it has flicker as well, but the objects in my game move very quickly around the screen, so the flicker isn't even that noticeable.

 

Um. No, Boulder Dash only has a single sprite -- the player.

ALL other graphics are drawn using playfield. Yes, butterflies, amoeba, fireflies, diamonds, boulders... playfield.

And pixels are NOT drawn "every other line". There are triplets of lines, each representing three separate colours. By mixing which of the triplet lines have ON or OFF pixels, you get a multi-colour playfield.

So it may look (sometimes) like every other line is used. But in reality, it's EVERY line is used, but a pixel may be on or off on any individual line, based on the triplet colour being used for the virtual 3-line 'pixel'. Hereby dubbed a "vixel".

Cheers

A