StoneAge (WIP)

[TIX]

4 hours ago, TwentySixHundred said:

Another update i really couldn't wait to share, well could call this build of more an example build of what to come.

..

 

Looking great Anthony !

 

 

Edited October 15, 2023 by TIX

[TwentySixHundred]

Small update:

• changelog
• graphic - caveman's animation speed reduced
• graphic - caveman now stands in idle position when not running
• randomness - dino egg now has a random cycle
• mother dino - will not lay eggs when stunned

StoneAge 20231015-b.a78 StoneAge 20231015-b.bin

[+fdr4prez]

5 hours ago, TwentySixHundred said:

Thanks and no worries i can post short gameplay videos aswell.

Thanks. 

 

I like the opening sequence. The squished caveman was a nice surprise. 

 

In the first video/version the dino was twice the height of the caveman, but in this last video they are now basically the same height. 

 

It looks a little odd this way. 

 

You can move the volcano to be more center on the screen and if you move it, then you can make the dino more taller. 

 

I cannot see the boomerang at all, so it looks like you simply walk up to the dino and it gets dizzy by your presence, and since it doesn't breathe fire while facing forward then there is seemingly no danger for just walking up to it and standing there while you wait for the egg. 

 

Having the dino being much higher than the caveman in the original game means that you are without your boomerang longer, so here if you need to throw it sooner, then you are without it longer for stopping the birds, and since you get to see it fly towards the dino's head you wait in anticipation to see if you hit it as the dino can randomly drop its head to the front or rear, then there is good (even a small) chance that you will miss. 

[TIX]

1 hour ago, fdr4prez said:

In the first video/version the dino was twice the height of ..

yes, the running caveman is only the first change on a list of many..

sray tuned !

[+fdr4prez]

Nice, thanks 

[TwentySixHundred]

@fdr4prez Yeah i probably should have waited but was too excited to see him action. Really wanted to share because it shows a stark difference from my average sprites to what TIX has come up with.

 

Other changes i have made like the egg's random spawning and so on, are changes that wont be effected too much when changing to the revamped graphics. These changes are more behind the scenes to improve gameplay. As the new sprites come through, i will need to make changes to the code that controls their functionality to accommodate.

 

Thanks for all the input and keep it coming as everything helps make the game more refined.

 

TIX has shown me a preview of the T-Rex and it too also looks incredible as a rough draft.

[+fdr4prez]

Yeah, sorry, the new caveman is great and now we need to patiently wait for the new dino graphics. 

[TwentySixHundred]

Big thanks to TIX for working magic, we now have a revamped T-Rex.

 

Preview only for the moment as the game is getting a revamp code wise as well.

 

 

[Defender_2600]

Great progress!

[+fdr4prez]

that's a great looking dino

[+saxmeister]

That looks better than ever! I love the dino artwork and the tweaks to the caveman. This will be great!!!

 

[TwentySixHundred]

Update.

Special thanks to TIX!

Changelog:

• graphics     - caveman egg carry sprite
• graphics     - egg sprite
• graphics     - stone axe (replacement of boomerang)
• graphics     - stone axe display counter
• graphics     - background tiles (volcano is now background tiles) (BG Tiles are rough test)
• graphics     - revamped T-Rex
• engine        - many changes with how the caveman handles the egg
• engine        - improved walk cycle and starting frame
• engine        - egg cage now removed as caveman stacks the eggs
• code           - further optimization
• known bug - hit detection's

StoneAge 20231028.a78 StoneAge 20231028.bin

 

 

[KrunchyTC]

Looks great!

 

 

[TIX]

Looking good Antony,

 

I think you are not using the latest sets, but I can see a couple of things that needs improvement in the animation.. I'll take a look as soon as possible.

Once we finalize the caveman, I'll start work on mama t-rex.. I can't wait 🙂

[Bakasama]

is it possible add more frames of animation to the caveman?

[TwentySixHundred]

3 hours ago, TIX said:

Looking good Antony,

 

I think you are not using the latest sets, but I can see a couple of things that needs improvement in the animation.. I'll take a look as soon as possible.

Once we finalize the caveman, I'll start work on mama t-rex.. I can't wait 🙂

Ah yes i knew there was something i forgot 😆

 

I got stuck into updating the egg carrying sprite and all the changes to code i forgot to update his walking animation.

 

Will get onto it shortly.

 

34 minutes ago, Bakasama said:

is it possible add more frames of animation to the caveman?

Yes the new caveman sprites Konstantinos speaks about are improved and have an additional frame. They flow a lot better i just haven't added them yet, thanks for the input.

[+fdr4prez]

Looks good! 

[TwentySixHundred]

Latest Build

Changelog: Build 20231031

• graphics - new caveman walk sprites (KG)
• graphics - new lives HUD sprites (AQ)
• graphics - background tiles update (AQ)
• graphics - new lava rock sprites (AQ)
• graphics - new volcano lava sprite (AQ)
• engine   - various gameplay changes (AQ)
• bugfix   - egg stash - glitch displaying eggs when player never had any (AQ)

 

StoneAge 20231031.a78 StoneAge 20231031.bin

 

 

[TwentySixHundred]

Latest Build:StoneAge 20231107.a78StoneAge 20231107.bin

 

Changelog:

• graphics - caveman walk sprites update (KG)
• graphics - caveman egg carry sprites update (KG)
• graphics - caveman idle pose no egg sprite (KG)
• graphics - caveman idle pose with egg sprite update (KG)
• graphics - caveman hit sprite (temp) (KG) (AQ)
• engine    - caveman now walks 25% slower when carrying an egg (AQ)
• sound     - pokey sound effects (testing) (AQ)
• code       - further cleanup (AQ)

[+fdr4prez]

22 minutes ago, TwentySixHundred said:

engine    - caveman now walks 25% slower when carrying an egg

That's a nice consideration 

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

 ZeroPage Homebrew is playing StoneAge on tomorrow's ZPH stream LIVE on Twitch! Hope you can join us in the chat tomorrow!

 

Fri Nov 10, 2023 | 12PM PT | 3PM ET | 8PM GMT

WATCH LIVE: https://www.twitch.tv/zeropagehomebrew/
WATCH LATER: https://youtube.com/zeropagehomebrew/

 

Games:

• Knight Guy - In Another Castle (2023 WIP | 7800) by Vladimir Zuñiga @vhzc
• GoSub (2020 | 7800) by Chris Read @atari2600land / Konstantinos Giamalidis @TIX (Graphics)
• StoneAge (2023 WIP | 7800) by Anthony Quinlan @TwentySixHundred / Konstantinos Giamalidis @TIX (Graphics)

 

[TwentySixHundred]

Latest Build: StoneAge 20231115.a78 StoneAge 20231115.bin

 

Build_20231115

• graphics - colour tweak egg now matches caveman outline (KG)(AQ)
• graphics - background tile changes (AQ)
• graphics - changes to splash screen (AQ)
• engine   - pterodactyl random appearance toned down (KG)(AQ)
• engine   - egg stash depletes during level intermission (AQ)
• engine   - player cannot walk past the dino (AQ)
• engine   - egg stash alignment (AQ)
• engine   - T-Rex now lays at rear and egg "rolls" to front (AQ)
• engine   - fire buttons reversed (AQ)
• sound    - pokey sound effects added (testing)(AQ)
• code     - changes
• fix      - when player has an egg and hit it's not counted in the stash (AQ)

 

 

[+fdr4prez]

The new opening is neat. 

 

The flying pterodactyls in the original game has two flight paths. They are basically the same path, but randomly they would pop down and grab an egg and sometimes they would just stay up and not grab the egg, so there is a random chance that they don't go down to grab it and you never know if your egg will be safe or not. 

 

Do you have a list of additional things to be added? 

 

Such as the dino biting down (or breathing down) on you as you grab the egg? Remember the original game had the dino breathe fire down on you.   While an egg is there she still goes down to breathe fire on it.

 

Maybe she is keeping it warm so it'll hatch, or she's just trying to block you away from the egg.

 

And she would just randomly biting/breathing down if there is no egg there.   

 

Still a plan to have the egg roll back to have a baby dino pop out?  So you need to get the egg within a certain amount of time, otherwise you loose that egg. 

 

I think those are the two main things missing from the original game. 

 

Any new things you thinking of adding to expand on the game? 

 

In the original game there is an advanced mode. In that version there is only one axe/hammer, so once you throw it then you need to return home to get another, and there are two pterodactyls flying around. 

 

[Trebor]

If possible, it really would be nice to perhaps cycle through palette colors. 

 

Maybe the palette can change at the completion of a level (?)  Even if it's just the sky. 

 

Current default set to SKY $10, here are some other varieties:

 

SKY $70:

 

SKY $60:

 

SKY $A0:

 

SKY $50:

 

And here's one for fun that changes up: Dino $B4-->$34 | Sky $10 -->Sky $A0 | Ground $13 --> $D3:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TwentySixHundred]

10 hours ago, fdr4prez said:

The new opening is neat. 

Thank you, but unfortunately im going to have to drop it unless i work on expanding the game and using banksets

 

10 hours ago, fdr4prez said:

The flying pterodactyls in the original game has two flight paths. They are basically the same path, but randomly they would pop down and grab an egg and sometimes they would just stay up and not grab the egg, so there is a random chance that they don't go down to grab it and you never know if your egg will be safe or not. 

 

Do you have a list of additional things to be added? 

This is true and most likely will be something i play around with once we get to the pterodactyl. Tix is working on some sprites and supplied some rough drafts. Although the dimensions is something we are discussing at this moment. Once we have a definitive idea on sizing i can then later work on adding some polish. The idea of two is something floating around my mind. Personally i forgot all about the fact he wouldn't always take the egg so there is that risk verses reward. Thanks for the reminder 👍

 

As for a list, i haven't at this moment, other than what's floating around in my head.

 

10 hours ago, fdr4prez said:

Such as the dino biting down (or breathing down) on you as you grab the egg? Remember the original game had the dino breathe fire down on you.   While an egg is there she still goes down to breathe fire on it.

 

Maybe she is keeping it warm so it'll hatch, or she's just trying to block you away from the egg.

 

And she would just randomly biting/breathing down if there is no egg there.   

Absolutely the plan is to at least have her breathing fire. If possible to have her bite would make a nice addition. She is made of large sprites so i guess the amount of possibilities would be limited to graphics bank space.

 

10 hours ago, fdr4prez said:

Still a plan to have the egg roll back to have a baby dino pop out?  So you need to get the egg within a certain amount of time, otherwise you loose that egg. 

 

I think those are the two main things missing from the original game. 

 

Any new things you thinking of adding to expand on the game? 

Yes the baby dino is planned to hatch after sometime. Tix mentioned we could have the baby run around chasing the caveman for a bit. I actually like the idea and would require a jump mechanic. This would also differentiate the games mechanics from the original.

 

10 hours ago, fdr4prez said:

In the original game there is an advanced mode. In that version there is only one axe/hammer, so once you throw it then you need to return home to get another, and there are two pterodactyls flying around. 

 

It's possible to use the difficulty switch just as the original did. Having just one axe would definitely make the game harder. I could always add this once getting the core mechanics and sprites sorted.

 

Thanks for all the feedback, some really solid input that helps greatly 👍

 

9 hours ago, Trebor said:

If possible, it really would be nice to perhaps cycle through palette colors. 

 

Maybe the palette can change at the completion of a level (?)  Even if it's just the sky. 

 

Current default set to SKY $10, here are some other varieties:

After reading this post earlier i decided to play around with the feature. I really like the idea of palette swapping between levels, as it gives the sense of progress and harder difficulty. Great addition thanks 👍