The Carribean Tavern - GemTOS 2023 Plouf Of Concept release

[Fadest]

 

Download the latest version of the game here: The Carribean Tavern by Fadest (itch.io)

 

This is the secondof the 2 prototype Jaguar games I sent to the GemTOS. Unfortunaltely, I was not able to attend, so you will have to wait for feedback from participants.

 

The GemTOS is a french Atari convention that held this week-end at St-Just en Chaussée, organised by @PMMS

For historians, the whole conception phase of this game has been done in 2006 inside the Jagware Team (I was only the game designer and we built a team with great coder, musician and artists), even before I started to code on Jaguar.

The pitch was :

"Imagine a North a South like game, but on Jaguar, for 4 players, and a pirate theme"

For those who don't know about it, North & South is a computer game, based on a popular french comic. It was a fave of us that we played for hours when we were young. I would describe the game as a strategic game inspired by Risk (the boardgame) but with mini arcade games. You can watch a longplay here :

I was kind of a predecessor of the Mario Party game collection, but with a more advanced boardgame phase, and less mini-games (and only 2 players)

During conception, I decided to use Pirate's Cove by Alan R. Moon and published by Days of Wonder as inspiration for the boardgame phase.

Pirate's Cove | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

As you will see, there is less characteristics, the tactical combat phase is replaced by an arcade game, I have added calamities (inspired by N&S), and many other points are differents, removed, or added... But there is the same theme, and hidden selection mechanic.

 

In 2008, while the team was kind of desesperate of working for the Jaguar, I started to learn to code for the Jaguar, but wanted to work on another project before (S.P.A.C.E. for those who remember, which was also a strategic boardgame inspired game, but with none arcade feeling/mini games).

Then some events and behaviours from here and there finally led me to leave the Jag scene for a (long) while.

 

 

Last year, @PMMS launched a 1 year contest for the 2023 GemTOS convention with many categories.

One of them was to create a 4 player games for an Atari device (console or computer). This is why I worked on some prototypes last year just to learn JagStudio and see what I could do to enter the contest. I also reworked on Blackhole, in order to be able to make something for this contest.

In january, I rethought of this old concept, digged into documentation and started to want to do it on my own with JagStudio.

 

Here is the first preliminary version. I call it the "Plouf Of Concept" version, many things are missing, but the core of the game is here :

 

 

 

 

What is present:

- boardgame inspired phases & mechanics,

- score system and ship characteristics/enhancement

- User interface

- placeholder graphs & music. They are good enough right now, but depending on the game status/progression, I will need to do something about them

 

What is missing:

- arcade mini-games 1 vs 3. Only the combat phase and the cannon island event are present, but consider them as placeholders as they are very incomplete. The goal is to have at least 6 polished mini-games,

- SFX,

- User Interface polishing and enhancement. I am quite happy with it, but it can probably be better,

- Add animations, extra stuff on screen for more fun,

- balancing the game,

- AI: right now, the AI select randomly a destination island, get rewards, and nothing more (do not interact with mini-games, or enhance ship). Note that the AI can still win a game...

 

The list seems short, but believe me, there is stil a huge work to do

 

 

 

 

There is no plan or expected release date on the publishing side, so right now, itch.io is the only source or reference for this game.

 

If you find it elsewhere, or on sale somewhere, this is just another pirate (but the kind of pirate that is here for ROM, not RUM) trying to make money on our back. These ones are part of the here and there that made me take a nearly 15 years break (and even in 2006, on the Lyns scene - wonder why the game was intented on a Pirates and ROM RUM theme ?)...

Think about it when you give these guys some money, it is not about me, but about every developer that is working hard to give you some new homebrew games on your favorite consoles, and see his hard work stolen.

[KidGameR186496]

This might be one of the most promising homebrew games for the Jaguar i've seen i a while. If it does become a full fledged game, it would immediatedly be one of the best post-releases for the console. No question 😀

[Fadest]

Thanks you, I agree with you, it could be the best post-release game in its category, where it should be on its own

 

But to be honest, there are many very good post-release games, and it would be silly for me to think it could be in par with masterpieces like Jumping at Shadows or Gravitic Mines (just to name a few of the recent/current developments - but I could have give many other names).

 

[doctorclu]

Pirates Gold for Jaguar?   Nice.   Make sure to have a sword fight segment. 

 

[agradeneu]

Welcome back Fadest, great project!

[Fadest]

Thanks you.

 

The game is best played with overlay :

 

 

I like this little gimmick, could of course be done by inputting a direction on a pad, but this is so intuitive. And on modern (less than 30 years :D) console standard pads, only the Jagpad can do this.

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by Fadest

[KidGameR186496]

On 5/30/2023 at 10:39 PM, doctorclu said:

Pirates Gold for Jaguar?   Nice.   Make sure to have a sword fight segment. 

 

Hey, if the segment can be made to work like that duel minigame in Mario Party 2 on Pirate Land then i'm in

[KidGameR186496]

On 5/31/2023 at 5:20 AM, Fadest said:

Thanks you.

 

The game is best played with overlay :

 

 

I like this little gimmick, could of course be done by inputting a direction on a pad, but this is so intuitive. And on modern (less than 30 years :D) console standard pads, only the Jagpad can do this.

 

Hey Fadest, perhaps You should submit your project un this homebrew Showcase  Just a suggestion

 

 

[Fadest]

Thanks you, Matt already got in touch with me about this, I need to check which games to send in my Lynx/GB/Jag WIP list

I hope pe to see some nice Jag games in this showcase

[+Biff Burgertime]

On 5/31/2023 at 5:20 AM, Fadest said:

Thanks you.

 

The game is best played with overlay :

 

 

I like this little gimmick, could of course be done by inputting a direction on a pad, but this is so intuitive. And on modern (less than 30 years :D) console standard pads, only the Jagpad can do this.

 

That overlay looks gorgeous!

[UHATEIT]

I had a good time playing the 10 rounds with this one. It's got some major potential when it's finished. Even for what you call a POC its pretty good and playable so far!

[+madman]

Very cool, something a little different for the Jag.

[RollOut]

I absolutely love the North and South Port on the NES. Such a great local multiplayer experience with a friend. This seems like an awesome spiritual successor on the Jag. I'll have to give your PoC version a try. I'll be really excited to see this develop.

[PeterG]

This looks cool, I really enjoyed North and South back in the day although I really sucked at it too. Always felt like no matter how I move, the other dude gets more troops, more trains, money etc.

 

Gonna try it out later, thanks for sharing.

[guSTaw]

It looks great! I liked: M.U.L.E., North & South and Catan

Edited June 10, 2023 by guSTaw