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Game Idea: Solomon's Key 2600


Retrofan

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Hi, this is my first posting in this forum but I allready read a lot. Because there is no ideas topic I post my game idea here. Yes, I have an idea for a new VCS Game I can?t program myself (surprise). I think it is possible to make a port of the famous arcade game Solomon?s Key. I had a little mail discussion with Thomas Jentzsch about my ideas und screenshots, so this is the second result:

 

Original:

Solomonskey_Arcade.gif

 

My 2600 design idea:

Solomonskey_2600b.gif

 

Please help to make it possible. I need your feedback and one interested programmer to realize it. If nobody want it I will forget the project and go back into my cave ;)

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It does look possible but I don't think you can have that many different object on screen at once. It'd have to use more identcal object rather than different object or you could try the flickering bit like Adventure.

 

I haven't played Solomon's Key in ages so I can't remember but how many screens are there in total?

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Wow! I have dreamed of Solomon's Key on the VCS many times, but never thought it was possible. The whole "find the key - get to the door - next room" type of game has been one of my favorites as long as I can remember. The puzzles aspect of Solomon's Key is particularly appealing, as well as The Adventure of Lolo (NES) and Donkey Kong 95 (SGB). If it is possible, I'd really like to see it done on the VCS.

 

I really like the mockup! :-)

 

I love puzzle games. I was really impressed with the Sokoban demo... Although, I'd like to see the game completed with several more levels. :-)

 

I wonder what is it exactly about playing one of these games implemented on the VCS that excites me so much. I can always play the arcade version on Mame... or a graphically superior port on another console, but when a game is ported just right, I always prefer the VCS version. Is that weird? Does anyone else feel this way?

 

BTW, great idea... I really hope that it gets implemented some day. :-)

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Thanx for the first comments. I don't know much more about the later levels. But unlike DonkeyKong the levels bases on the same graphics and functions so I think it's not the problem. A for the 2600 version 20 levels would be ok. (excuse my bad english, I do my best)

 

A new version with little modifications:

 

Solomonskey_2600c.gif

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I barely remember how Solomon's Key plays, I remember it being fun though and would be a GREAT port to the VCS. The main thing about your screen shot that would be tough is the color. You've got a lot of sprites on a single line with a lot of color. A few of those sprites (ie the player) may need to be mono-chromatic. You are definitely looking at a flicker fest as is, if its even possible.

 

I would LOVE to see this happen though.

 

Great idea!

:) :) 8) 8)

 

and don't sweat your english, its just fine.

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The score is impossible. Remember, no more than 48 pixel/row. That's usually just 6 digits. Better forget any descriptions there. :)

 

What are the maximum sizes for a Solomon's Key level. How many rows and columns of blocks?

 

Maybe you could post some screenshots (or mockups) of maximum sized levels.

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Maybe he could do something like the score bar in Desert Falcon where they put the descriptions ABOVE the numbers etc. :?:  :?:

Yes, though that will cost some maybe valuable vertical space.

 

But you can increase the vertical size to at least 200 pixels, maybe even a few more.

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true. Could he also use a smaller amount of space at the top of the screen(minus the descriptions) to keep track of that extra info (ala the "lives" and "flashes" in Tutankham) and minimize the amount of space needed for the score at the bottom. Thus giving him more space for the actual game field? The trade off would be the amount of description he could have.

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the max. Solomons Key Level is 15 x 10 blocks. I don't know the arcade levels but I found a walkthrough for the Nintendo version. That are not the same levels but the matrix is the same. If someone have all screens of the arcade version please send me.

 

NES Example of higher level:

 

Solomonskey_NES.gif

 

latest 2600 Screen with smaller score and less colors for the sprites:

 

Solomonskey_2600d.gif

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That more recent screenshot looks more doable.

 

I would point you toward Andrew Davie's Programming for Newbies forum. Once there you can begin steps to turn this baby into a reality! It seems like there are a lot of people who would like to see this happen. :) :) :) :)

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Solomon´s Key is a great game, indeed.I played it a lot on the ATARI ST which got a quite good version (much better than the PC port).

 

This would also be a nice game for the ATARI 5200 (800) or the 7800, these systems should have no problems with such a game (since it was ported to almost any 8 Bit System except ATARI in the 80s - even for C64 and Sinclair Spectrum).

 

Thimo

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the max. Solomons Key Level is 15 x 10 blocks.

Ok, now we can do some calculations for the RAM consumption.

 

Currently each block is 2 Playfield (PF) pixel (4*2=8 sprite pixel wide), so you only need 30 PF pixel in total for the variable part. Therefore for each block row you need 4x2=8 bytes (2 bytes, because need differrent patterns for the striped blocks). With 10 rows, you need a total of 80 bytes, leaving you just 48 bytes for the rest of the whole game. That's not very much, maybe only just enough.

 

The number of RAM bytes used could be slightly reduced, by reducing the number of rows, but that's probably not a good idea.

 

An alternative would be, to let the striped blocks flicker instead (making them look darker too). This would halve the RAM consumption for the display kernel, but the flicker may get annoying. And then you need some additional RAM again just to store the block pattern, because during flickering that information gets lost. With some optimizing this should be 1 bit/block (~20 Bytes in total) and we now would need 60 bytes in total for the blocks layout, leaving 68 bytes for other things. Sounds better! :)

 

So IMO theoretically the game is doable, but maybe only with too much flicker (PF and sprites) going on.

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Sorry, but I'm not a programmer. I'm only able to make a concept and some drawings but the coding is a job for someone else.

 

Solomonskey_2600e.gif

 

I think if the striped blocks flicker it's very annoying. The sprites (but the player) can flicker if that's necessary (for the fire it looks very good). I had to make the door a sprite because its not everytime at the top (what I think first).

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Sorry, but I'm not a programmer. I'm only able to make a concept and some drawings but the coding is a job for someone else.

 

 

bah, you could do it! :) :)

 

Some of the objects sprites would probably have to flicker anyway, but without using the flickering block shortcut its going to be hard to conserve enough RAM to get all of the other stuff in.

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