Game idea: Capture The Flag

[tacrec]

Just brainstorming here:

 

Each team would have two attackers who go after the opponent's flag, and two defenders who stay back and protect their own flag.

 

Territories would be one half the width of the screen. An attacker would need to grab the flag at the back end of the opponent's territory and bring it back across mid field to their own territory for a victory. If a player is tagged by the opposing team, the tagged player will automatically run back to their own territory and the flag returns to its original place. If a player with the flag is in danger of being tagged, he can pass the flag to the other attacker.

 

Games can either be one player, two player, or all computer. In the one or two player option, computer would control all players except for one player on each team. Human can change the player they control by pushing a number key (1-4) (Don't know if this is the best method, I can't think of another way).

 

Games would consist of three rounds. The team who wins two rounds first wins the game.

 

Sounds like it might be a good one for Inty Basic. Thoughts?

 

 

 

[Rev]

Sounds pretty cool.

[catsfolly]

Sounds like a fun idea!

 

Technically, with 4 players on each side and 2 flags moving around, you need 10 sprites, but the Intellivision has only 8.

 

Here are some different ways to deal with this:

 

1. Have 3 players on each team (easiest way!).

2. Multiplex the players and flags.

3. Replace the least active player with a static background picture (baseball style).

 

Should forward passing be allowed? It might make the game too easily a player could grab the flag and get it across the screen with a few forward passes...

 

Catsfolly

Edited December 23, 2016 by catsfolly

[carlsson]

If it is an action game, controlling four different players seems difficult. Do you really need one player defending the flag? Perhaps the flag wouldn't need to be a sprite, but a GRAM card you drag along.

 

As a completely different game, yet with some similarities, I would like to point to Hypa-Ball on the C64 and ZX Spectrum which I mentioned two weeks ago. Each team has 3 players: two strikers with jetpacks and one grounder running around. The player closest to the ball is automatically in control, and when the gameplay happens on the left side, the right side players are inactive and vice versa. I can think of a variation with flags to pick up, if not the original ball game is interesting enough to port.

 

[tacrec]

I wouldn't have the flags moving around, like the sports games the player sprite would be identified with the flag somehow. Maybe the sprite that has the flag could flash or change color.

 

I was thinking the passing of the flag would be a handoff, not a throw. The sprite with the flag would just need to run into the other sprite to pass. But passing would only be allowed if two players on your team are in opposing territory.

 

As far as computer controlled players, maybe have pre-defined routes the computer could use, like in football. Either the human player could choose an attack plan and the computer players would follow, or the computer will pick one at random.

 

I also thought of having a choice of conditions to play on, such as day (green field), night (black field), snow (white field), etc.

Edited December 23, 2016 by tacrec

[+Darrin9999]

Sounds cool!

[First Spear]

Great idea. Would you like to try to "mock up" a static sample screen or 2 of what you are envisioning? You could make the 160x96 play field and wash it through IntyColor to see how it works out.

[tacrec]

I did some mock-ups using football graphics, that's all I know how to do. The orange and cyan players are human controlled.

 

Normal screen (day):

 

Night:

 

Snow:

Edited December 28, 2016 by tacrec