New Atari 2600 Homebrew: Ultar's Lair

[Fenris78]

Greetings to all.

My name is Jorge Romero, from Oniric Factor.
 

I've been making videogames for classic consoles and computers for quite some time. However I hadn't touched Atari circuits before.

We have just finished our first Atari 2600 game and I would like to share it with you.

ULTAR'S LAIR:

 

A terrible epidemic ravages the inhabitants of Ekeanor, drying up their fields and turning its people to stone.

Only a young druid knows the origin of such a dreadful curse: it is the legacy of Ultar, the sorcery of an insidious wizard who hides in an ancient, forgotten temple buried deep within the earth.
 

His malevolent spell siphons the vital energy from the creatures on the surface to fuel his own power, seeking his return to the realm of the living where he plans to rule with an iron fist.
 

Armed only with an enchanted dagger and the strength of his will, our hero ventures into the depths of the abyss, determined to face a legion of demons and uproot the source of this dreadful curse.

Control the hero with the joystick and attack with the fire button.

Locate the key on each dungeon level to open the exit and continue descending into the depths.
 

 

By pressing the console switch, you can view the map of each dungeon that makes up Ultar's lair.

 

Use it to avoid getting lost.
 

In each dungeon, you will find items that will strengthen and aid you in your mission: increasing your hit points, improving your weapon, increasing your movement speed, or even allowing you to resurrect once after falling in combat.
 

As you delve deeper into Ultar's lair, new enemies will appear. Remember that while they flicker in blue, they will be immune to your attacks.

Wait for the right moment to stab their black hearts!
 

 

In each dungeon level, there is also a room where you can recover your strength.

Take note of their locations to make your mission easier.

While we study the options for a physical edition, the digital version of Ultar's Lair for ATARI 2600 is already available at itchio:

https://oniric-factor.itch.io/ultars-lair

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 4 by Fenris78
Include new screenshots

[LatchKeyKid]

Great idea to incorporate the dungeon map into the game with a console switch.    Did you use Batari Basic or code in ASM out of curiosity?   If you chose the former, why did you decide to use 9 rows instead of 11 for the playfield and did that shrink the playable space?    As someone new to coding, I try to ask questions about why choices are made by more experienced programmers.

[Fenris78]

Quote

Great idea to incorporate the dungeon map into the game with a console switch

Thanks!

Quote

Did you use Batari Basic or code in ASM out of curiosity?   If you chose the former, why did you decide to use 9 rows instead of 11 for the playfield and did that shrink the playable space?

I've used Batari Basic, and a couple of ASM mini kernels for the multi score and the bitmap screens. I think that it is powerfull and simple enough to make great games!

I thought of a 9 rows and 9 lines design because I wanted to have a symmetrical area for each dungeon design. On the other hand, it is a way to save memory, since the "arrays" (They are not exactly that, although they are used in a similar way) that defines each area are smaller. The “engine” underneath manages multiple dungeons with a maximum of 81 screens each (9x9), which I considered enough to be able to run reasonably complex mazes, but without driving the player crazy and saving a little program memory. It's usefull too to gain game cycles and speed.

 

2 hours ago, LatchKeyKid said:

As someone new to coding, I try to ask questions about why choices are made by more experienced programmers.

Of course, I often do the same. It's the best way to keep learning!

Thanks for your interest!

PD: Your RONIN! project looks great!

Edited June 4 by Fenris78

[LatchKeyKid]

Thanks for the explanation and I appreciate the kind feedback.   I like the way the staggered blocks for the walls and the large sprites combine into a single asthetic in your game.  

[Almaric]

What a pleasant surprise! I purchased the digital copy and played it a bit. Very nice aesthetic - simple but polished. The hero even has that little Nintendo bounce! Thank you so much for making the ROM available!

 

Any plans to produce a manual?

Edited June 4 by Almaric

[Fenris78]

Thanks a lot for the feedback!

 

This weekend I plan to start making a more immersive manual (dungeons & dragons books style).

[Prizrak]

Purchased as well, I'll be playing this weekend. Looks great.

[Bomberman94]

Is a PAL version planned in the future?

[Fenris78]

Yes, I plan to do it soon. It's a matter of adjusting some colors in the palette for when the game runs on a PAL machine.

 

Edited June 7 by Fenris78

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

ZeroPage Homebrew will be playing Ultar's Lair on Tuesday's ZPH stream LIVE on Twitch! Hope you can join us!

 

Tue Jun 11, 2024 | LIVE @ 6PM PT | 9PM ET | 1AM GMT+1Day

WATCH LIVE: https://twitch.tv/zeropagehomebrew/

WATCH LATER: https://youtube.com/zeropagehomebrew/

 

Games:

• Oh Shoot! (2024 Exclusive World Premiere | 2600) by Phillip Meyer
• Aliens, Plasma Guns & Chewing Gum (2024 Exclusive World Premiere | 2600) by Ketil Ronne @Magovinna
• Ninja Block (2024 Exclusive World Premiere | 2600) by Mirsad Sarajlic @kikipdph
• Ultar's Lair (2024 Final | 2600) by Jorge Romero @Fenris78

 

[merman]

This is excellent, it looks really good and plays well

[+Bruce-Robert Pocock]

Added to my collection, although I would not look askew at a physical copy.

[Fenris78]

Thank you very much for your kind support.

I have created a PDF manual, as promised.

Right now I am very encouraged thanks to you, I hope to develop more and better games in the future!

Ultar's Lair.pdf