Entry 2015: Stunt Cycle

[GroovyBee]

I just took a look. Very nice. Thanks.

No problem. The original assembly source was pretty clunky and just a "get you going" example. I took a little extra time with the new version and made the assembly language into something more flexible.

 

I thought I was getting pretty close playing with what you posted above, but I was not. I don't think I would have ever gotten the (("0"-" ")* . I think I understand it, but I would have never thought of it.

All that does is make the card index for the digits become a (0*8 ) to (9*8 ) index from 0. Then you add the GRAM definition (x8) to it, in order to move it into the correct index in the GRAM cards.

[fsuinnc]

Not much of an update, but a story none the less. A good friend of mine enjoyed video games as a kid. He had an O2 and every once in a while we talk about games. He now has a 5 year old daughter and she has him playing my upright Astereroids machine and my SteepleChase arcade machine when they visit. Anyway, we usually hit our favorite watering hole on Sundays to eat too many chicken wings and drink way too many beers. But this past Sunday he had his daughter in tow so we stayed at the house doing mostly nothing. When they arrived I had my Inty 2 with my intellicart hooked to my laptop and the big screen TV in the living room. (I was planning to play some Copter Command and get in a last minute score for the contest). Anyway, they saw the mess of wires and he eventually ask me how that motorcycle game I showed him a couple of months ago was doing.

 

We spent the next hour playing Stunt Cycle. Eventually, we had four of us playing (his girlfriend showed up) while my wife watched us.

 

All in all, I think everyone enjoyed playing it. My friend (Paul) turned out to be better than me at the game. and even though the game is still not finished and the movement is still pretty jerky, we had a damn good time.

 

All in all, I felt pretty good about the game. (Sort of a childhood dream fulfilled)

 

Here is the version we were playing. I am not sure if it is any different from previous posts. It gives a bonus life if you complete a jump over 10 buses and the end of game screen shows the winner.

 

StuntCycle_012416.bas

 

stuntcycle_021416.rom

[fsuinnc]

Some improvements, changes to background and cycle colors. motion is still choppy but pretty playable.

 

stuntcycle_031316.rom

 

StuntCycle_031316.bas

[GroovyBee]

still choppy but pretty playable.

 

Hopefully I'll get some time to finish that fixed point tutorial in the next week or so.

[+DZ-Jay]

Some improvements, changes to background and cycle colors. motion is still choppy but pretty playable.

 

stuntcycle_031316.rom

 

StuntCycle_031316.bas

Screenshots, or it didn't happened.

[fsuinnc]

Screenshots, or it didn't happened.

 

here is the "Game Over" screen. Background is now Blue and tracks are white. When more than one player it rolls through all player scores displaying each player and the last jump they were attempting.

motorcycle is now lightblue rather than black, at least currently. Touching anything on the controller when the game over is playing starts the game back at the attract screen.

 

The problem is I am not very good at the game, especially on my laptop, so I don't usually get past 5 or 6 buses.

 

click to animate

Edited March 20, 2016 by fsuinnc

[+DZ-Jay]

Played in emulation. I found a bug, and have some suggestions:

• I don't really get the "turbo boost" option when you press the action button, since it just makes you crash.
• I also don't get the two-platform build-up to the ramp, other than it looks good and fills up the space nicely. There's no challenge in running fast or slow on them, and even when I fully stop on the last tunnel, I can always boost back to a good speed to succeed. It feels like "filler." That said, I don't have suggestions at the moment, though I'll think about it some more.
• It took me a while to understand why I can only crash on every jump, no matter how fast I go. I realized then that for success, I needed to land on the red area of the landing ramp. This is not very clear. Perhaps a simple cut-scene with a short animation pointing this out may be of use. For instance:
  • First show the ramp with a message "aim to land on the ramp"
  • Then show the motorcycle landing outside the red strip and point out "crash!"
  • Then show the motorcycle landing within the red strip and point out "success!"
• Another suggestion I have is to make the motorcycle tumble in the air when the landing ramp has been overshot (at least when the jump is high enough). I realized that part of my lack of understanding of the landing was that a very high and long jump looks very nice and perfect until the guy hits the floor and it says "crash!". It felt almost arbitrary. Tumbling in the air may give more indication that it was a bad jump.
• Personally, I am not fond of the title screen scrolling multiple times. It looks very cool as it comes in, but then it just continues scrolling and it seems weird. I recommend limiting it to a single scroll.
• There is considerable screen "tearing" during the scroll sequence. This could be a timing issue in your code or in the way IntyBASIC performs the scrolling.
• During the title screen scrolling sequence, the program does not respond to input until the scrolling stops, even though the scrolling screen says "ANY BUTTON TO START." I would expect it to immediately jump to the "Players?" screen when I press any button. Perhaps limiting the scrolling to a single time would help with this.
• In the "Players?" screen, do not put the "ENTER TO START" message until you are ready to accept it. Here are two ways you could go:
  • Default to "1" player instead of "?" and have the message, so that if the player presses ENTER, it starts in single-player mode.
  • Remove the "ENTER TO START" message and only display it after the use has made a selection.
• After selecting players, I am treated to yet another interstitial screen in which nothing happens until I press a button, yet it is not clear on this one what to do. This would be a great time to show the cut-scene I mentioned above. Alternatively, I would recommend putting a message saying "PRESS THROTTLE WHEN READY" or something like that, to give the player an idea that as soon as he hits a button, the game will actually start. Another alternative is to start a visual counter: "3... 2... 1..." and the game starts. However, this may not be appropriate since there is no real "action" until the player presses the throttle button.
• It's hard to discern the different information in the HUD header because it is all white. I recommend using colours for the icons, for example the "buses" and the "cycles" icon could be in a different colour. Also, considering that the game doesn't seem to use too many sprites, you could reserve some of them for these icons, to give them better resolution at 8x16. The "PLAYER X" message could stand out in a different colour as well.
• In general, the screen could use more colour and detail. Perhaps some grass-looking splotches on the green area, I don't know.
• BUG: From the "Game Over" screen, you press any key to return to the title screen, when you go through the input screens and start a new game, the play-field is corrupted. It looks like the colour/screen mode was set wrong. To fix it, I must hit the RESET button.

 

Cheers!

-dZ.

Edited March 20, 2016 by DZ-Jay

[GroovyBee]

Played in emulation. I found a bug, and have some suggestions:

• I also don't get the two-platform build-up to the ramp, other than it looks good and fills up the space nicely. There's no challenge in running fast or slow on them, and even when I fully stop on the last tunnel, I can always boost back to a good speed to succeed. It feels like "filler." That said, I don't have suggestions at the moment, though I'll think about it some more.

Once the game starts using higher precision for position, velocity and acceleration you'll probably need those platforms to get your speed into a good range to make the jump.

[emerson]

It might be fun to add minor obstacles such as oil spills where the player would slip if going too fast or rusty platforms that break and you fall when you aren't going fast enough. This would give more purpose to the platforms and also add another level of skill to the game.

[freewheel]

There should also be hoops of fire to jump through. And a shark tank level.

[+cmart604]

There should also be hoops of fire to jump through. And a shark tank level.

Evel Knievel vs The Fonz!

[fsuinnc]

Played in emulation. I found a bug, and have some suggestions:

• I don't really get the "turbo boost" option when you press the action button, since it just makes you crash.
• I also don't get the two-platform build-up to the ramp, other than it looks good and fills up the space nicely. There's no challenge in running fast or slow on them, and even when I fully stop on the last tunnel, I can always boost back to a good speed to succeed. It feels like "filler." That said, I don't have suggestions at the moment, though I'll think about it some more.
• It took me a while to understand why I can only crash on every jump, no matter how fast I go. I realized then that for success, I needed to land on the red area of the landing ramp. This is not very clear. Perhaps a simple cut-scene with a short animation pointing this out may be of use. For instance:
  • First show the ramp with a message "aim to land on the ramp"
  • Then show the motorcycle landing outside the red strip and point out "crash!"
  • Then show the motorcycle landing within the red strip and point out "success!"
• Another suggestion I have is to make the motorcycle tumble in the air when the landing ramp has been overshot (at least when the jump is high enough). I realized that part of my lack of understanding of the landing was that a very high and long jump looks very nice and perfect until the guy hits the floor and it says "crash!". It felt almost arbitrary. Tumbling in the air may give more indication that it was a bad jump.
• Personally, I am not fond of the title screen scrolling multiple times. It looks very cool as it comes in, but then it just continues scrolling and it seems weird. I recommend limiting it to a single scroll.
• There is considerable screen "tearing" during the scroll sequence. This could be a timing issue in your code or in the way IntyBASIC performs the scrolling.
• During the title screen scrolling sequence, the program does not respond to input until the scrolling stops, even though the scrolling screen says "ANY BUTTON TO START." I would expect it to immediately jump to the "Players?" screen when I press any button. Perhaps limiting the scrolling to a single time would help with this.
• In the "Players?" screen, do not put the "ENTER TO START" message until you are ready to accept it. Here are two ways you could go:
  • Default to "1" player instead of "?" and have the message, so that if the player presses ENTER, it starts in single-player mode.
  • Remove the "ENTER TO START" message and only display it after the use has made a selection.
• After selecting players, I am treated to yet another interstitial screen in which nothing happens until I press a button, yet it is not clear on this one what to do. This would be a great time to show the cut-scene I mentioned above. Alternatively, I would recommend putting a message saying "PRESS THROTTLE WHEN READY" or something like that, to give the player an idea that as soon as he hits a button, the game will actually start. Another alternative is to start a visual counter: "3... 2... 1..." and the game starts. However, this may not be appropriate since there is no real "action" until the player presses the throttle button.
• It's hard to discern the different information in the HUD header because it is all white. I recommend using colours for the icons, for example the "buses" and the "cycles" icon could be in a different colour. Also, considering that the game doesn't seem to use too many sprites, you could reserve some of them for these icons, to give them better resolution at 8x16. The "PLAYER X" message could stand out in a different colour as well.
• In general, the screen could use more colour and detail. Perhaps some grass-looking splotches on the green area, I don't know.
• BUG: From the "Game Over" screen, you press any key to return to the title screen, when you go through the input screens and start a new game, the play-field is corrupted. It looks like the colour/screen mode was set wrong. To fix it, I must hit the RESET button.

 

Cheers!

-dZ.

 

WOW, I think you have paid more attention to the game than I have. Thanks for all the great suggestions. (I feel very bad that I had not seen your post until just now).

 

I do think the attraction screen scrolling needs some work. It was sort of an add in after I started the game and then ran across the 'Landscape' in the IntyBASIC Samples and thought it was awesome. It is intended to accept input and then continue to scroll until the cycle gets to the left of the screen and then stop, or stop after 4 complete cycles of the image. But I agree it should stop when there is any input and go to the screen to get the number of players.

 

As for the landings. The game is based on the arcade game Stunt Cycle, or at least my memory of it, and I think you had to land on or very near the landing ramp for a successful jump. I agree this is unclear but figured that people would figure it out or that it would be included in the instructions (which I haven't really created). While I think your idea of including a cut scene is a good one I am not sure if I can pull that off. (But will certainly think about it). To some degree I kind of like the old school idea of leaving it to the instruction book.

 

The turbo boost and the two platform build up are also from the original arcade game. In the arcade version (and home units) the turbo makes you do a wheelie and if you turbo for too long you crash. During the IntyBASIC contest I considered removing the two platforms and changing the game (based on the sample 'Landscape' again) so that the cycle stays in the middle of the screen and the ramps scroll right to left. This would allow unlimited buses and lots of other stuff but then it seemed more like ExcitrBike (which I love) and I decided to stay closer to the Stunt Cycle arcade.

 

I am hoping to add the wheelies and I have worked the routine that draws the ramp and buses so it works left to right and right to left (sort of) and I am hoping to add a jump on the middle platform.

 

I really like you're suggestions for the number of players. I have considered allowing the player(s) to select what color they want for their player and stuff like that but it just seems like it already takes too long to get to the game play.

 

If you have a chance, try playing the game in 4 player mode. The HUD is actually in the color of the current player. I get what you are saying and the icons can use some work. My hope was that by using the color of the player and by using only a single a color it would allow 4 people to play, everyone can share the controllers and it doesn't matter which controller a person grabs and, assuming no one cheats, the color of the HUD lets people know when it their turn.

 

Regarding the Bug, that is so weird, until yesterday I had never had that happen to me. Yesterday it happened in jzintv4droid. I thought it was a just a fluke but now that you mentioned it (even though I know that was a week ago) I now realize I have been stopping after 1 game since the latest build and I missed it.

 

I am hoping to add some more details to the screen, grass patches, maybe some clouds and birds occasionally. Even more so, I want to work on getting from turning on the intellivision to playing the game more quickly and smoothly.

[+DZ-Jay]

All sounds good! I think the wheelies will add an element of excitement and challenge, especially if there is a danger of falling off if overused.

 

As for the cut-scenes, I only mention it because I recall old-school arcade games with expository attract sequences, where the mechanics and scoring systems are explained. Examples of this include Pac-Man, Galaga, Donkey Kong Jr., Joust, Defender, among others. Of course, this was always to give the illusion of control to the player, so that they didn't fell cheated when they put their first quarter in and died immediately thereafter. (Also, if you haven't noticed, I really like cut-scenes. )

 

It doesn't have to be a fancy cut-scene, but just simple static illustrations with little or no text to them. Instructions are good and all, but it always feels like a cop-out when the player has to read the manual to understand what's going on -- especially so in an arcade/action title.

 

Regarding the colours, it's a good idea to colour-code each player. However, I do not think the entire HUD needs to be one colour. Colouring one prominent element, say, the score, should be enough, in my opinion.

 

-dZ.

Edited March 26, 2016 by DZ-Jay

[fsuinnc]

I really appreciate the new version and all the work. I have been using version 1.2.5 and just went to 1.2.7. I believe I copied everything to the correct folders to work with IntyBasic SDK. But when I build using the new version using the same .BAS file the game screen is different. I am not sure if I was doing something wrong that happen to work in the old version or what. Does the newer version require that I advance to the first color for color stack mode or something.

 

my game screen used to look like this

With the background being blue.

 

using 1.2.7 it looks like this

with the background mostly Black

 

I copied in the Constants.BAS that was with 1.2.7 even though I believe it was the same as the one I had.

 

Code is here if anybody wants it. StuntCycle_081816.bas

 

 

[atari5200dude82]

looks cool and awesome. It needs a cib release honor

[Hyperboy]

One of my top 3 favorite games! I have the arcade, both variations of stand alone CIB and 2600 repro CIB. I would love to add an Inty version!! It looks great!

 

Sent from my non beer holding hand.

[+DZ-Jay]

I really appreciate the new version and all the work. I have been using version 1.2.5 and just went to 1.2.7. I believe I copied everything to the correct folders to work with IntyBasic SDK. But when I build using the new version using the same .BAS file the game screen is different. I am not sure if I was doing something wrong that happen to work in the old version or what. Does the newer version require that I advance to the first color for color stack mode or something.

 

my game screen used to look like this

four_player.gif

With the background being blue.

 

using 1.2.7 it looks like this

shot0000.gif

with the background mostly Black

 

I copied in the Constants.BAS that was with 1.2.7 even though I believe it was the same as the one I had.

 

Code is here if anybody wants it. StuntCycle_081816.bas

 

 

 

Did you copy the "prologue.asm" and "epilogue.asm" of the new compiler into the "lib" directory of the SDK?

[fsuinnc]

NO!. Damn I feel stupid. Thanks so much, this solved all my problems (for now)

[+DZ-Jay]

NO!. Damn I feel stupid. Thanks so much, this solved all my problems (for now)

 

No worries, that has happened to everybody so far.

 

-dZ.

[+nanochess]

Yep, sorry for that, but recently I've been made slight changes in prologue and epilogue files

[fsuinnc]

Yep, sorry for that, but recently I've been made slight changes in prologue and epilogue files

 

I should have figured it out. But thanks to everybody for the help. Working great now.

[+DZ-Jay]

Yep, sorry for that, but recently I've been made slight changes in prologue and epilogue files

 

 

I don't think it's your fault. I should get off my ass and complete the update to the IntyBASIC SDK v2.0 and get it stable. That way, it is just a matter of packaging the updated binaries and libraries whenever you make an update to the compiler.

 

In the meantime, people using the SDK need to be mindful to update all necessary files themselves.

 

I am truly sorry about the continued delays, but I am finally catching up with the rest of the stuff I have in my queue, and the next item in the list is the IntyBASIC SDK. I should be working on it by next month.

 

-dZ.

[fsuinnc]

 

 

I don't think it's your fault. I should get off my ass and complete the update to the IntyBASIC SDK v2.0 and get it stable. That way, it is just a matter of packaging the updated binaries and libraries whenever you make an update to the compiler.

 

In the meantime, people using the SDK need to be mindful to update all necessary files themselves.

 

I am truly sorry about the continued delays, but I am finally catching up with the rest of the stuff I have in my queue, and the next item in the list is the IntyBASIC SDK. I should be working on it by next month.

 

-dZ.

 

I agree. It's all your fault. Please stop everything else you have going on in your life and finish the update to the SDK. I probably would have released dozens of unbelievably amazing games by now if only this tool had been updated!!!!

 

Is what I would say if I was a lunatic.

 

Seriously, I would love any updates to any of the tools people have time for. Mostly just so I can entertain myself playing with them. Thanks again.

[fsuinnc]

Ok, so I have a small update to Stunt Cycle.

 

Still a very basic game but I like it.. I think I need better control mechanism or something because once I know where to press on the disc to jump a certain number of buses then the game gets pretty easy.

 

I am trying some different colors, etc. Side button boost produces a bit of a wheelie and too much will make you crash.

 

Having the LTO Flash is amazing and playing my own game on real hardware is pretty cool.

 

 

Download it if you want.

 

stuntcycle_092516.zip

 

as always, thanks to everybody for the help and comments are always welcome.

Edited September 30, 2016 by fsuinnc

[+KylJoy]

Hey, I LOVE Stunt Cycle! Thanks for doing it!