SinitreX 2000

[phoboz]

A port of a Vectrex game that was never released. It was one of my learning projects for the Jaguar (just like SpideX), before the development of Wormhole 2000 started.

 

[+Saturn]

That looks great

[+Stephen]

Nice!  What did you use to develop this?

[phoboz]

42 minutes ago, Stephen said:

Nice!  What did you use to develop this?

As usual, a Linux computer, and the Removers' library + toolchain.

[vrocko]

Saw this yesterday on Youtube. Great game! Would love to have it for the Jag. "I live! I am Sinistar! Run Coward! RUN, RUN, RUN!" Or should I say Sinitrex? How do you keep pumping out Jag games so fast? Just incredible!!

Edited November 11, 2021 by vrocko

[agradeneu]

3 hours ago, vrocko said:

Saw this yesterday on Youtube. Great game! Would love to have it for the Jag. "I live! I am Sinistar! Run Coward! RUN, RUN, RUN!" Or should I say Sinitrex? How do you keep pumping out Jag games so fast? Just incredible!!

Because its more like a proto/tech demo, not at the level of a full game like Kings of Edom. It's stage 1 of development: 

You can do a "simple" alpha proto in a matter of week(s), but fleshing it out takes a couple of months or even years.

 

[vrocko]

27 minutes ago, agradeneu said:

Because its more like a proto/tech demo, not at the level of a full game like Kings of Edom. It's stage 1 of development: 

You can do a "simple" alpha proto in a matter of week(s), but fleshing it out takes a couple of months or even years.

 

It looks good to me. I know there's five levels in Sinistar and after the first one, which is unnamed, it goes through the other four Worker, Warrior, Planetoid, Void, then back to the Worker Zone again. I would think it would take quite some time to get the zones all created, tested and make sure there are no errors or glitches before a final program is made to be put on cart or CD. It just seems to me that I've seen a lot of Jaguar games being created lately.

[phoboz]

52 minutes ago, agradeneu said:

Because its more like a proto/tech demo, not at the level of a full game like Kings of Edom. It's stage 1 of development: 

You can do a "simple" alpha proto in a matter of week(s), but fleshing it out takes a couple of months or even years.

 

Yes, and no.

 

1. It is a proof of concept, e.g. not a complete game yet.

 

2. As mentioned, it is a port of a project I started on the Vectrex. You see this is not your regular physics engine with instant destruction upon collision. Here each object bounce off against each other. The asteroids move slightly when hit, and break after a while with the pieces flying in different directions. It probably took me a couple of months the develop this physics engine on the Vectrex, which has a 6809 CPU, which is much slower than the 68000 on the Jaugar.

 

 

Edited November 11, 2021 by phoboz

[agradeneu]

1 hour ago, vrocko said:

It looks good to me. I know there's five levels in Sinistar and after the first one, which is unnamed, it goes through the other four Worker, Warrior, Planetoid, Void, then back to the Worker Zone again. I would think it would take quite some time to get the zones all created, tested and make sure there are no errors or glitches before a final program is made to be put on cart or CD. It just seems to me that I've seen a lot of Jaguar games being created lately.

It's a proof of concept, as Phoboz agrees.

I did not mean this as some sort of criticism, it's just not a full game yet,  obviously.

 

I have seen quite a lot of protos (from other developers) that are waiting to be fleshed out. But not everything is shown in public btw.

Edited November 11, 2021 by agradeneu

[phoboz]

On 11/11/2021 at 6:31 PM, vrocko said:

I know there's five levels in Sinistar and after the first one, which is unnamed, it goes through the other four Worker, Warrior, Planetoid, Void, then back to the Worker Zone again

Is there a reference that describes what are the differances between these levels?

 

Or do you know this by heart?

Edited November 12, 2021 by phoboz

[+jgkspsx]

What would make this truly amazing would be if the Sinistar were Skylar and her lines were the lines from Cybermorph.

 

EDIT: and of course the ship and enemies would have to be from the game, and the bombs would be the energy pods…

[+neogeo1982]

20 minutes ago, jgkspsx said:

What would make this truly amazing would be if the Sinistar were Skylar and her lines were the lines from Cybermorph.

 

EDIT: and of course the ship and enemies would have to be from the game, and the bombs would be the energy pods…

I like that sense of humor. ?

[+jgkspsx]

CYBERSTAR 2000

[+neogeo1982]

50 minutes ago, jgkspsx said:

CYBERSTAR 2000

Where did you learn to fly?

[vrocko]

On 11/12/2021 at 2:45 PM, phoboz said:

Is there a reference that describes what are the differances between these levels?

 

Or do you know this by heart?

Not that I know of but I looked it up on Wikipedia and found that there are four levels, five if you count the very first one but it only appears once when you first start the game then the game loops back to the Worker level when you've defeated the Void level. They didn't have a name for it since it only appears one time. I'm not quite sure on the exact differences between levels but I do remember when playing it in the 80's and 90's the first level was basic, workers and warriors together but not too many. Next the Worker level had mainly workers that would try to steal your gems you mine, the Warrior level had more fighters on it and they would come faster. They would attack and destroy you while protecting the workers. I don't remember too much about the Planetoid level. Possibly they had more Planetoids in it but then Sinistar could be built faster as the workers could collect gems faster. I know the Void level there were very little Planetoids to shoot and get gems from. Enough to make bombs to destroy Sinistar maybe a couple more but you had to really fight the warriors and the workers just to get what you could.

 

Ah here's a link that describes the levels some (very brief): https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/arcade/584170-sinistar/faqs/28426

 

The Planetoid level is just as I thought, more Planetoids. 

 

[+neogeo1982]

Any sound effects or music yet for this? Or is that one of the last things you put in??

[phoboz]

On 11/27/2021 at 6:14 PM, neogeo1982 said:

Any sound effects or music yet for this? Or is that one of the last things you put in??

It doesn't need to be the last thing, but it's always good to try out a game idea before start working on music and SFX.

[alucardX]

On 11/12/2021 at 12:15 PM, jgkspsx said:

What would make this truly amazing would be if the Sinistar were Skylar and her lines were the lines from Cybermorph.

 

EDIT: and of course the ship and enemies would have to be from the game, and the bombs would be the energy pods…

That is actually a fun idea.

[Editorb]

Always loved arcade game but didn't grasp its subtleties:

 

The Philosophical Revelations of Sinistar

One of the great, unrecognized, philosophical geniuses of this century or any other is a figure known by some as Sinistar. Sinistar left behind a legacy of seven phrases that encompass his minimalist philosophy. We are fortunate enough to have with us audio records of what he said, so that we may greater comprehend his intent.*
Sinistar will always be an enigma, as nothing is known of his life. It seems as if he lived a life filled with motivation and direction, as if desperately yearning to accomplish all that he could, before he could be brought low by those who would destroy him. Sinistar's revelations follow, with an interpretation of their intent.
1. I am Sinistar. Here, Sinistar clearly makes two ideas known. First, that he exists; he is aware and he thinks. The second is that he has a singular identity. He is unique, and, in a sense, alone. Some have argued that this may imply a sense of self-determination, but Sinistar's perspective on the free will debate is unknown. I believe that, with what little is known about his life, Sinistar would be a determinist. People are destined to act out their lives guided by the hand of another force. The rest of us are mere automatons, carrying out algorithms.
2. I hunger. Again, Sinistar asserts his reality. He believes in a very real, physical, world and believes that he takes a part in it. Thus, Sinistar is essentially a monist. He hungers, therefore he has sense, and his senses speak to him of needs that must be fulfilled. He can trust his senses; something of a leap of faith, and therefore interact. There are two other interpretations that must be proposed here. Some have criticized Sinistar as a hedonist, attempting to consume all in his path. This is, however, clearly contradicted below. The second represents Sinistar as a living thing, and all living things must consume, or perish. In this statement, Sinistar acknowledges human mortality and our chain in the natural process of being.
3. Run, coward! Sinistar here, having established existence and our place in nature, now seems to take his stance on ethics. With those two words, Sinistar sums up his desire to delve into life's mysteries. The act of living itself is an act for the bold, and those who cannot stand in the face of wonder should flee. This attitude may also account for my perception of his stance on determinism. If knowledge is possible (It obviously is, of course) then perhaps knowledge of the universe is possible, and one day people will view it as it is, an elaborate music box of experience. Very deistic. The other important feature of this statement is Sinistar's use of an imperative. This clearly reinforces his view of a real universe, that is inhabited by other people. The true enigma lies next.
4. Run, Run, Run! Initially, this appears to be a restatement of #3, but I believe that the truth behind Sinistar lies deeper. It is commonly held that while Sinistar believed in a deity, Sinistar did not hold that deity to be omniscient or omnipotent. Instead, the God of Sinistar was a being (or perhaps beings) of supreme intelligence and creativity, with the power to make and compile. The power to engineer a world. While this is an impressive task, it does not imply that omniscience/omnipotence is a necessary or sufficient condition for the task. In fact, the idea of an omniscient and omnipotent being becomes fairly self-contradictory. Sinistar probably intended this to be another ethical statement, to live to the fullest of your ability, but he could've meant so much more, such as the desire to experience and question all that is possible within a lifetime. Lastly, it is another imperative statement. Why would a determinist believe that he could affect the world around him?
5. Beware, coward! Perhaps these fragments come from a lost dialogue between Sinistar and the coward. Unfortunately, if there were every any responses from the 'coward', they are probably lost forever. This seems to be an affirmation of Cartesian doubt. One should resolve issues for one's self, based on their own doubt and deduction. More importantly, however, is the idea that God is what you make it, or, as is the usual case, what someone else makes it for you.
6. Beware, I live! The sixth statement of Sinistar is a shocking reminder of the power that human beings hold over one another. Because I live, I have the power to affect your life. There is nothing that keeps me from harming you, aside from the mutual trust that humans develop for one another, and it is not so much a mutual trust, as we are a mutual threat to each other.
7. Aargh. Here is Sinistar's response to the question of whether or not all problems of philosophy may be solved through mere debate. Obviously, to Sinistar, there are some things, some ideas that can be expressed beyond the wall of speech. Either that, or this is an expression of Sinistar's primal rage at a mechanical universe. Sinistar may have been a determinist, but it does not mean he was pleased with the concept. He may have just felt no other answer could be possible. Perhaps that is why he attempted to inspire so many, so they could succeed where he had failed.
- Andrew Boyd

[+jgkspsx]

That is one of my favorite pieces of game writing ever.

[joeatari1]

That. Was. Epic.  Mic drop.?

[+Biff Burgertime]

On 11/11/2021 at 12:33 PM, phoboz said:

Yes, and no.

 

1. It is a proof of concept, e.g. not a complete game yet.

 

2. As mentioned, it is a port of a project I started on the Vectrex. You see this is not your regular physics engine with instant destruction upon collision. Here each object bounce off against each other. The asteroids move slightly when hit, and break after a while with the pieces flying in different directions. It probably took me a couple of months the develop this physics engine on the Vectrex, which has a 6809 CPU, which is much slower than the 68000 on the Jaugar.

 

 

As someone that knows little of game programming or physics, I'm curious how you create something like this (you personally in this case, your experience).

 

Is there any existing physics engine or existing code you based this off of, or perhaps some equation(s)? Or do you just program the foundation of objects bouncing off each other and tweak it until it feels like right/is fun?

 

I'm just curious and fascinated by this stuff. When I write code it's just cold automation tools and utilities.

[phoboz]

9 hours ago, Buffalo Biff Burgertime said:

As someone that knows little of game programming or physics, I'm curious how you create something like this (you personally in this case, your experience).

 

Is there any existing physics engine or existing code you based this off of, or perhaps some equation(s)? Or do you just program the foundation of objects bouncing off each other and tweak it until it feels like right/is fun?

 

I'm just curious and fascinated by this stuff. When I write code it's just cold automation tools and utilities.

It is a custom built physics engine. When I program, I test a lot. Tweak until it feels right. Currently it felt a little bit to bouncy, so I am adding a damping factor.

 

The process is like you described above. Code, test, tweak, test, tweak etc.

It is very important for me that the physics feels right, not nessesary 100% realistic (according to the laws of physics), but it has to feel like you are in control, and that it's fun to play.

Edited December 2, 2021 by phoboz