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Grail of the Gods - a Rogue-like game in compiled XB


majestyx

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Great work. Good to see the source code still getting more mileage from its Dark Basic beginnings. Code on!

 

Nice to see you here, Jim! I've drawn inspiration from your ports to the MC-10. I figure if you can do it on that little machine, there's not reason a lot of that stuff can't also work on the TI. Now it's just a matter of finding the time.

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  • 1 month later...

Here is my latest (final? never say never, I guess) iteration of this game, aside from any new editions (more like map packs) which would be pretty much the same game, just with new maps...if there would be any interest in that.

 

I recompiled it with some new runtime libraries that senior_falcon was kind enough to send me to fix an issue with the ACCEPT AT command. I also used his updated LOADER program that he posted a few months back. I made a minor change to the exit of level 3 and the corresponding starting point of level 4, plus a change of the way at least one message displayed that I wasn't quite happy with in the previous version. I'm now pretty happy with the final result and hope that anyone who was looking for a Rogue-like game for the TI is now satisfied that there is one.

 

This program does have an odd quirk when it runs in Classic99. Sometimes (not all the time) when you are asked for a Y/N response to use the ladder or to play again, the program will simply beep at you and not accept or display the Y or N that is typed for up to 60 seconds. I cannot reproduce this issue when running it in the browser-based emulator js99er. It has never done it even once in that emulator after playing through about 5 full games and a few more games where I died before completing the final level. It seems to do it at least once or twice in a full 8-level game in Classic99, so if you are playing it in that emulator (as I do and did while programming and testing it), then just be patient if it doesn't accept your response. It eventually will.

 

I have included in the ZIP file the original Extended BASIC program (GRAILEB) which is far too slow to play except in CPU Overdrive and even that is a bit painful, the compiled program that can be run in XB (GRAILEB-X), the Editor/Assembler version which the new LOADER program creates (GRAILEB-E & -F), and the entire listing of the XB program in a txt file with some explanatory information at the beginning of the listing.

 

Have fun~!

GrailOfTheGods-TI-XB-v1.2.zip

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It seems to do it at least once or twice in a full 8-level game in Classic99, so if you are playing it in that emulator (as I do and did while programming and testing it), then just be patient if it doesn't accept your response. It eventually will.

 

Just in case, if you hit that case, try pressing enter to clear the meta-state (rather than waiting) then press your Y/N key. If that works, let me know and I'll look more closely at it. A similar issue showed up recently for another piece of software.

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Just in case, if you hit that case, try pressing enter to clear the meta-state (rather than waiting) then press your Y/N key. If that works, let me know and I'll look more closely at it. A similar issue showed up recently for another piece of software.

 

senior_falcon PMd me about this too and sure enough, after Enter is pressed, it does accept input.

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  • 5 weeks later...
Well, I just can't seem to leave well enough alone, so here is one final version of this particular edition of Grail of the Gods.


Since I still had memory left over, I decided to expand the game to include an additional 8-level dungeon with a higher challenge level than the first one. I've retroactively called the first one DUNGEON OF DOOM while the second one is called FIRES OF HELL. Both are based on dungeons that were used in Origin's EXODUS: ULTIMA III.


I know this will be the final edition since I needed to consolidate the DATA statements which make up the dungeon levels due to running out of memory when trying to run the game. I believe that I've taken care of any bugs that may have been present and am pretty pleased with the play balance of the two dungeons (special thanks to arcadeshopper for testing it out), with DOOM being the starter dungeon and FIRES being a tougher challenge which I'm almost certain you won't be able to complete anywhere near as many times as DOOM. The only spoiler I'll provide is that Level 7 will likely be the toughest of all the levels and will still require some strategy to get through it once you know the layout.


This is not to say I won't revisit this same type of game engine in the future, but for now, I think it's time to move on to another project.


I've once again included in the ZIP file the original Extended BASIC program (GOTGXL) which is far too slow to play except in CPU Overdrive and even that is a bit painful, the compiled program that can be run in XB (GOTGXL-X), the Editor/Assembler version which the new LOADER program creates (GOTGXL-E, -F, & -G), and the entire listing of the XB program in a txt file with some explanatory information at the beginning of the listing.


Hope you enjoy playing it as much as I did making it~!

GOTGXL.zip

Edited by majestyx
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I played it through to level 7 or so... then had to shut it off for the night.

 

I very much like the way it plays... feels like a Roguelike. :)

 

I'm guessing your levels are static then... by the way you described above. I know in most roguelikes, the procedural generation of the maze is part of the mystique. Since your levels are static, it gives you much more control over the player's experience which (as a game designer) feels pretty good. :)

 

Have you thought about developing a procedural map generator, using the same display routines you created for this game? It really does play nicely, and a simple procedural level generator might give nearly endless combinations of map layouts.

 

 

Over all, I love what you did... and you accomplished what you set out to do. Congrats, and thank you very much for such a cool game!

post-24953-0-32347300-1517558954.png

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Thanks for the feedback, guys.

 

Regarding the dungeon layouts - yes, I ended up going with static dungeons as I couldn't come up with an efficient process (i.e. one that wouldn't take a long time) to create valid dungeons where there weren't inaccessible locations or wasted space. As I was programming the game, I thought of your exact suggestion of creating a level designer. That can be for another day and another project. It looks like those who have played it seem to like it, but based on the number of downloads to this point, that doesn't look like too many people. It's also a matter of if anyone actually cares enough about it to want a dungeon creator, since it would be a shame to waste time on a project very few people are interested in. Feedback has been pretty limited, but maybe not everyone looks in the Development forum and just may not realize this game is even available.

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I haven't downloaded it yet but I plan to when I have time to spend playing it.

 

My last game got less than 20 downloads in its completed form. It's an active forum, but not a huge one. You gotta enjoy what you're doing as its own reward, and you should be proud of what you did here, this looks great. I'm looking forward to exploring it.

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I haven't downloaded it yet but I plan to when I have time to spend playing it.

 

My last game got less than 20 downloads in its completed form. It's an active forum, but not a huge one. You gotta enjoy what you're doing as its own reward, and you should be proud of what you did here, this looks great. I'm looking forward to exploring it.

 

Indeed, I did it as a mix of two objectives. I saw there were people wanting a Rogue-like game for the TI and I wanted to see if I could actually do something like this. If only tools like Harry's compiler were available back when I owned a TI back in 1983 (and if I only could have afforded the TI Extended BASIC cart, 32K expansion, and a PEB too), I find it cool to see what COULD have been done, especially since it's using the same technology that would run on a machine back then. Regardless, I certainly am happy to have created something that both I and other people can enjoy.

 

Thanks again for the supportive posts~!

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I've been reading this thread and I couldn't resist the temptation of porting the original game to Intellivision using IntyBASIC, and the community added graphics, music and sound.

 

Feel free to check the result. Maybe you could use some ideas to improve on yours. :)

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/275233-grail-of-the-gods-rogue-like-or-mini-rpg/

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I've been reading this thread and I couldn't resist the temptation of porting the original game to Intellivision using IntyBASIC, and the community added graphics, music and sound.

 

Feel free to check the result. Maybe you could use some ideas to improve on yours. :)

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/275233-grail-of-the-gods-rogue-like-or-mini-rpg/

So nice! I love your version with graphics and sound too... <3. Good job...

Need you the label for the cart? :P

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I've been reading this thread and I couldn't resist the temptation of porting the original game to Intellivision using IntyBASIC, and the community added graphics, music and sound.

 

Feel free to check the result. Maybe you could use some ideas to improve on yours. :)

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/275233-grail-of-the-gods-rogue-like-or-mini-rpg/

 

 

Ridiculous.... just.... ridiculous.

 

 

You've got mad skills, my friend.

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Very nice. made it to level 9 in Doom and died. I will complete both levels over the next few days. Good Job! I'm running the -X version on a real console. runs great.

 

Uhg, keep commenting on this folks, I need a constant reminder - LOL - I really want to complete this game in its entirety... just need to make the time.

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