+Gemintronic Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 (edited) Gnuberubs Sojourn by TheLoon for the Sega Genesis DEV BLOG HERE: http://www.atariage.com/forums/blog/514-gnuberubs-sojourn-dev-journal/ Description: Gnuberub must find the five artifacts scattered across the land! Each artifact has a unique bond with a particular location. The evil Squarox has already stolen and hidden several items. To correct the lands Feng Shui Gnuberub must find each artifact and place it back in its correct location. Only one artifact can be carried at a time but two power-ups salvaged from enemies can be used. In addition, the sonar ability can locate artifacts and their coinciding drop-off points (at a substantial energy cost). Flying across the land also requires energy. If reserves get too low Gruberub must forage the current area for energy sources. Returning to the bat cave will also replenish energy reserves and allow you to store artifacts until needed. The game can be divided between these level/screen types: Land Map Bat travel view. Can see whole sections of land. Player can opt to move (takes energy) scan (takes energy) or dive into the current area. Area View Top down scrolling shooter view. The player must traverse a section of land. The environment and enemies will be determined by the type of land section. There will always be chances to pick up energy and weapon parts. At the limit of the section the player will either enter the inner sanctum of that section or escape to the Land Map. Boss View Here the screen stops and the player is confronted with a boss. When the boss is defeated it may drop an item including keys to inner sanctums or allowing entrance to the current inner sanctum. Bat Cave This is an an enclosed section that scrolls a bit. Artifacts may be removed from inventory and safely stashed. Inner sanctums of Area views contain artifacts or artifact drop-off points or other prizes. Game Completion The game is won when all 5 artifacts have been found and paired with the 5 coinciding drop-off points. The game is lost if all bats are destroyed. Further notes: Per Yurkies request I decided to start an Arcade type homebrew. As there is no Genesis programming section I've posted it here. This was going to be a semi-port of ZBlast of Linux and Sinclair fame. Since then I've been mulling what I can do with my current skills and decided a port may not be the answer. As well, I wanted something original yet paying homage to games I admire. Thus, Gnuberub's Sojourn was born! What if you played a game from the perspective of a certain item stealing bat? What if walls weren't an obstacle? Could one make an exciting shooter based off of a premise like item swapping? I plan to find out! Since the premise change no current work will be thrown out. The work setting up the tools and creating the font will be retained. Actually, if I hadn't done a 180 on the game design I wouldn't have known to get permission to edit the first post. Thanks Albert! Edited November 7, 2012 by theloon 4 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
108 Stars Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Great to see some MD love here! I'll check out the ROM later tonight. The MD can use more homebrew; it's getting more already, but still miles away from Atari systems, so this is great! Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2604230 Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonner242 Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Too bad I have everything packed up...or id try it out. Well soon I will be back to normal. Cant wait to read/see more. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2604277 Share on other sites More sharing options...
108 Stars Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Just tried it on Picodrive for PSP. Works fine, I can move and the background scrolls vertically all th time. Button a lets the purple letters change place. Looking forward to progress! Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2604292 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Yurkie Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Thanks theloon. Can't wait till there are things to blast! Are you considering doing Galaga? Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2604355 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted September 21, 2012 Author Share Posted September 21, 2012 Thanks theloon. Can't wait till there are things to blast! Are you considering doing Galaga? Naw, sorry Yurkie. It's a tribute to another game called ZBlast SD http://www.svgalib.org/rus/zblastsdp.html I'm a little too dense to properly simulate the wave attack patterns in Galaga. I know that's what you wanted. Still, a nice, simple shoot'em up would be good? 1 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2604358 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Still, a nice, simple shoot'em up would be good? If it's fun. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2604362 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted September 21, 2012 Author Share Posted September 21, 2012 If it's fun. Okay, I'll bite. What o you consider "fun" in a shooter? Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2604363 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Yurkie Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Naw, sorry Yurkie. It's a tribute to another game called ZBlast SD http://www.svgalib.o.../zblastsdp.html I'm a little too dense to properly simulate the wave attack patterns in Galaga. I know that's what you wanted. Still, a nice, simple shoot'em up would be good? I knew from the first post that this game wasn't going to be Galaga. I meant to ask if you planned on doing Galaga after you finished this. Sorry for my poor communication. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2604369 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Okay, I'll bite. What o you consider "fun" in a shooter? Bite? Bite on what? It wasn't meant as a jab at you or anything. If you really want me to answer, then, hm.. I think it depends on what kind of shooter you are aiming for. As far as games in general though, I don't feel it's ever about a single trait that is "fun". To me it's about a combination of traits that make for a fun experience. A player shouldn't have to think about what's "fun"--They should feel it and enjoy it right when they pick up the controller. Things like tight, responsive controls, actions that feel good, a nice variety of enemies that are slowly introduced as the game progresses, and ironing out all traits that could cause irritation or frustration (i.e., choppy framerates, inaccurate hit detection, etc.) can help a lot. Catchy music is always a plus, too. Talking about shooters specifically, hm.. I am gathering that you are trying to create an early '80s arcade-style shooter like Galaga? Well, a game that starts off relatively easy, but picks up in difficulty as the player progresses, is good. Enemies that aren't completely static (i.e., Galaga-like patterns as opposed to Space Invaders). Perhaps enemies that can morph into one-another to form larger enemies. Being able to shoot more than a single bullet at a time (Galaga does two; I would prefer three or four to make the action faster). Enemy patterns that might seem tricky at first, but can be overcome methodically when the player gets familiar with them. Bullets. Always have to have bullets. Maybe not a ton, but have them come out faster and more frequently as the player gets farther. Oh, and power-ups. I think the Space Invaders-kind can get stale, but power-ups can keep it fresh. Have a laser that slices through a whole row. Maybe a spread shot. Also, having a nifty scoring system in place will add depth. For instance, in Galaga you can blast away as quickly as you can, and that's fun as-is. But you can also wait for groups of enemies to appear and fly down at you. Certain ones and certain patterns will give you a lot more points, but it's dangerous. That gives a nice risk versus reward element in the game. 1 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2604371 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Yurkie Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Bite? Bite on what? It wasn't meant as a jab at you or anything. If you really want me to answer, then, hm.. I think it depends on what kind of shooter you are aiming for. As far as games in general though, I don't feel it's ever about a single trait that is "fun". To me it's about a combination of traits that make for a fun experience. A player shouldn't have to think about what's "fun"--They should feel it and enjoy it right when they pick up the controller. Things like tight, responsive controls, actions that feel good, a nice variety of enemies that are slowly introduced as the game progresses, and ironing out all traits that could cause irritation or frustration (i.e., choppy framerates, inaccurate hit detection, etc.) can help a lot. Catchy music is always a plus, too. Talking about shooters specifically, hm.. I am gathering that you are trying to create an early '80s arcade-style shooter like Galaga? Well, a game that starts off relatively easy, but picks up in difficulty as the player progresses, is good. Enemies that aren't completely static (i.e., Galaga-like patterns as opposed to Space Invaders). Perhaps enemies that can morph into one-another to form larger enemies. Being able to shoot more than a single bullet at a time (Galaga does two; I would prefer three or four to make the action faster). Enemy patterns that might seem tricky at first, but can be overcome methodically when the player gets familiar with them. Bullets. Always have to have bullets. Maybe not a ton, but have them come out faster and more frequently as the player gets farther. Oh, and power-ups. I think the Space Invaders-kind can get stale, but power-ups can keep it fresh. Have a laser that slices through a whole row. Maybe a spread shot. Also, having a nifty scoring system in place will add depth. For instance, in Galaga you can blast away as quickly as you can, and that's fun as-is. But you can also wait for groups of enemies to appear and fly down at you. Certain ones and certain patterns will give you a lot more points. Great articulate response! Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2604380 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted September 24, 2012 Author Share Posted September 24, 2012 (edited) Yeah! Thanks Austin for the response. Just thought the word "fun" wasn't enough to understand your comment. To Yurkie: I never considered doing a Galaga port. I could never obtain the rights. I did get permission for ZBlast though. If you need a Genesis Galaga fix take a look at this: DOWNLOAD LINK: http://www.romnation...-padded-PD.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9ZG-_nIhHM I could make a small homebrew shooter though. Just wanted to know what people would like in such things. I'm an RPG man myself Edited September 24, 2012 by theloon Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2605750 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Yurkie Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Do you have any updates on your game theloon? Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2607343 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted September 28, 2012 Author Share Posted September 28, 2012 (edited) Do you have any updates on your game theloon? Thanks for checking up Yurkie! Right now I'm working on the font. GroovyBee has given me some pointers to make it look better. Some of the characters are left over from the IBM ASCII table. Those will be changed over time. I'm not sure what style I'm gonna use for the graphics. I may go super, super retro on this. We're talking Sinclair/MZ-700/Aquarius type graphics. What about weapon shops? Should there be any? Or just power ups? Edited September 28, 2012 by theloon Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2608358 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Yurkie Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 I would prefer power ups. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2608407 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 If there are weapon shops, then maybe some form of currency that the enemies drop will be a good idea (think Lords of Thunder, Forgotten Worlds, Magical Chase, Fantasy Zone, etc). Otherwise traditional power-ups should work fine. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2608437 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted September 28, 2012 Author Share Posted September 28, 2012 Is that a vote for weapon shops? Also, in my previous post, what's up with the font? Anything retarded about it? Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2608480 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroovyBee Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Is that a vote for weapon shops? Also, in my previous post, what's up with the font? Anything retarded about it? It still doesn't look consistent to me. At a first glance, "f" needs a thin part at the top, so does "Z". I'll have a closer look later. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2608483 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted September 28, 2012 Author Share Posted September 28, 2012 (edited) It still doesn't look consistent to me. At a first glance, "f" needs a thin part at the top, so does "Z". I'll have a closer look later. I have no idea what you're talkin' about, man. *cough* (thanks again) Edited September 28, 2012 by theloon Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2608488 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted October 8, 2012 Author Share Posted October 8, 2012 (edited) Not much to report this week as I decided to be sick. Spent most my free time recuperating. I did try and flesh out more of what this game could be. There are a few areas I could explore including simple RPG elements, rouge/elite style exploration and "tiles". "Tiles" is still an idea being fleshed out. The basic concept being, since Genesis games are made of tiles - why not elevate that to a full game mechanic? Customize your ship by piecing together tiles. Construct missiles using different parts. One could collect and buy new tiles. Terrain and enemies could change based on what tiles land where. Again, still mulling it over. Although I had my compiler of choice installed I never bothered to see if my current music and sound effect code could run. After some downloading and scrounging things sorted themselves out. As well, I had assumed Game Maker 5 would be fine for not just font building but tiles too. Problem is, I've got a custom palette and Game maker does not support such things. Good 'ol MS Paint seems to support custom palettes but I nevere figured out how. Finally, I found a free sprite/animation tool called GraphicsGale FreeEdition that meets my requirements. Right now the music engine I know how to use is pretty dead. It's been taken off the developers web site and no one seems to want to respond to posts about it. I've tried over the years to convert songs to its format and have usually failed. It may be time to figure out a new music system called "Echo". Managed to successfully convert an .XM (mod/tracker music) file to the "Echo" sound system so more points,er, point to using it. I'm looking into that whilst limping along with the old stuff. Stay tuned for more next week fellas! Edited October 8, 2012 by theloon Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2614179 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted October 8, 2012 Author Share Posted October 8, 2012 I cannot edit the original post even though I'm the topic creator. This would be bad as I'm used to posting the very freshest versions of my games on the first post. I've finally, finally finalized the game title and concept but no way to edit the first post... Hmmmn.. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2614574 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroovyBee Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 There used to be a thread where you could ask for specific posts (of your own) in a thread to be editable again. If you can't find that thread then drop Albert a PM. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2614607 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted October 9, 2012 Author Share Posted October 9, 2012 (edited) There used to be a thread where you could ask for specific posts (of your own) in a thread to be editable again. If you can't find that thread then drop Albert a PM. I already PM'ed Albert on a separate matter and haven't heard back in about a week. Maybe a mod for this section of the forum could help? How do I find out who be the guardian of this section? Edited October 9, 2012 by theloon Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2614945 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroovyBee Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Here's the "I'd like to edit ...." thread :- http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/135961-important-note-regarding-post-editing 1 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2614955 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted October 10, 2012 Author Share Posted October 10, 2012 Okay fellas. Check the first post. It now has some details about the game mechanics for my new game: Gnuberubs Sojourn. Whaddaya think? Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/203091-gruberubs-sojourn-in-progress/#findComment-2615775 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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