Homestar Runner RPG Demo

[Cootster]

...but the project is now on hold indefinitely.  

 

The only homebrew game that could ever claim to be "As Seen On TV" and it gets put on hold

 

I think there were a lot of people expecting this game... but now it will just be forgotten about and most likely never finished

 

Actually, it's not the only one. . . Didn't Marble Craze get mentioned in the same segment?

 

But, yeah . . . This is a major bummer. Damn, this game so needs to happen.

[gulag picture radio]

That last comment was entirely uncalled for, BJK. Paul's got a lot on his plate right now and I think that if we want him to return to the game, he's probably appreciate some encouragement rather than gloomy assessments.

[Robert M]

Patience is a virtue.  

 

Paul is letting us all down.    

 

 

Which one do you listen to?

[Paul Slocum]

The code is commented pretty well (a lot better than previous projects of mine). It's already so complicated that I couldn't deal with it without having a lot of comments.

 

I'd love to bust ass and get this game done, but I have a lot of stuff that's in demand yet where there's no money to be had (It'd be nice if I could take time off work to finish some of this stuff ). People want my band to play all over the place and put out CDs, but we're so unusual that it's tough to break even. People want to see my art and fly me to places (like Europe!) to talk about it, but as you can probably guess, computer based conceptual art doesn't sell too good. And as we all know, homebrewing doesn't make any money. I only work 30 hours a week, and put time in on my own programming/music/art projects ALL the time, every day. There's only so much time in a day.

 

I didn't say this project won't ever be done, but not any time soon. As you know, I DO finish projects usually. But I've got too many other ideas that I've been pushing back and pushing back mainly because of the RPG. It's just time to put the RPG on hold and move on to some of these other things.

 

-paul

[Albert]

While it's fine to be disappointed that this project is on hold, people have to keep in mind that this is just a hobby for Paul--something he does in his spare time. I'm sure he, more than anyone, did not want to put this project on hiatus, but there's only so much time in the day and this is just one of many projects Paul is involved with. I'd rather know that the game is on hold, rather than wondering why updates are not forthcoming.

 

I have confidence that Paul will deliver a Homestar Runner game in the future, and at some point will start up the RPG development again. The RPG endeavor is very ambitious for the 2600, and I'd rather see him do it properly and give it the time it deserves, and not rush it out the door because throngs of HSR fans are screaming for it.

 

..Al

[Cootster]

The code is commented pretty well (a lot better than previous projects of mine).  It's already so complicated that I couldn't deal with it without having a lot of comments.

 

I'd love to bust ass and get this game done, but I have a lot of stuff that's in demand yet where there's no money to be had (It'd be nice if I could take time off work to finish some of this stuff ).  People want my band to play all over the place and put out CDs, but we're so unusual that it's tough to break even.  People want to see my art and fly me to places (like Europe!) to talk about it, but as you can probably guess, computer based conceptual art doesn't sell too good.  And as we all know, homebrewing doesn't make any money.  I only work 30 hours a week, and put time in on my own programming/music/art projects ALL the time, every day.   There's only so much time in a day.

 

I didn't say this project won't ever be done, but not any time soon.  As you know, I DO finish projects usually.  But I've got too many other ideas that I've been pushing back and pushing back mainly because of the RPG.  It's just time to put the RPG on hold and move on to some of these other things.

 

-paul

 

Your music owns, but, yeah, it's not exactly the type of thing to bump Jessica Simpson and OutKast out of the charts . . . And no visual arts make much money, unless they involve black velvet and Jesus and Elvis playing poker with a bunch of dogs. . . But, I can't imagine Homestar RPG selling less than 1,000 copies, what with all the rabid collectors out there that snag anything they put out and who probably wouldn't even open the box, much less those of us who plan on actually playing it . . . Standard homebrew royalties are $5 each, right? It wouldn't exactly be non-lucrative at that rate . . .

[MegaManFan]

Would it make any difference if a pool of AA and Homestar Runner fans "invested" in the time it tooks to complete this game, so your labor of love wasn't going unrewarded?

[birdie3]

That game looks really cool (I use Stella and I could not get past the start screen..) and I bet it is quite fun to play. Not to be a prick here bud but I think, going forward of course, that any announcements of awesome looking homebrews would be better made be made once the game is complete and ready to release. That way there is no negativity and disbelief when stuff like this happens. It's totally up to you though so ignore me if you like. Good luck with it.

[Paul Slocum]

. . . But, I can't imagine Homestar RPG selling less than 1,000 copies, what with all the rabid collectors out there that snag anything they put out and who probably wouldn't even open the box, much less those of us who plan on actually playing it . . . Standard homebrew royalties are $5 each, right?  It wouldn't exactly be non-lucrative at that rate . . .

 

Considering the amount of time that's gone into the RPG and what's required to finish it, it's not so great. And we really don't know how many it'll sell. There are a lot of H*R fans, but I doubt many of them have working 2600s.

 

I think any H*R game or set of minigames will sell about the same. In fact, the Matt told me he suspects that an action game would sell BETTER than an RPG. And writing a new set of minigames or a good regular action game is actually much less work than completing the RPG (especially since we can still use some of the code and graphics that have been completed for the RPG like the title screen, text engine, and character displays).

 

-paul

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Not to be a prick here bud but I think, going forward of course, that any announcements of awesome looking homebrews would be better made be made once the game is complete and ready to release. That way there is no negativity and disbelief when stuff like this happens.

That would be a good idea, but then it would also destroy the very creative process of exchange between the homebrewers and the people who will play the game. Something I definetely wouldn't want to miss.

[legeek]

There are two Homebrews I will buy as soon as they are available: The Artist formally known as Adventure II and Homestar Runner RPG. But don't sweat it Paul. Lifes too short to work on stuff your not into at the moment

 

Cheers,

Ben

[Paul Slocum]

Not to be a prick here bud but I think, going forward of course, that any announcements of awesome looking homebrews would

 

Well where I come from (earth) video games, movies, inventions, etc. tend to be announced before they are completed for many reasons (some that Thomas mentioned). Sometimes things get done and sometimes they don't. Sometimes they get delayed a lot. That's life, things happen. Hope the news isn't too hard on you. Again, this is a HOBBY. And note that I did do a proof of concept before I originally announced this (a very complex map display system and a carefully planned memory map).

 

But also again, I never said this is completely cancelled, but delayed indefinitely until I have more time and can get some other projects finished. Maybe somebody else will even take it over or help out at some point? AND I'm saying I plan on doing an alternate H*R game in the mean time.

 

Hey, I'm totally bummed about this too. I want to see this game as much as you guys do, but it's just not going to happen right now. I didn't anticipate my other projects taking off as well as they have, and I can't pass up some of these opportunities right now.

 

-paul

[moycon]

This is some of the saddest news ever posted on this board. (Involving the Atari)

 

It would be easy to state that Paul Slocum is a disappointment.

But consider this....

The man has a life to lead and everyone needs priorities to make the most of it.

 

Would be interesting to see a poll of how many people we're waiting to buy this game. Personally I think it would have been the highest selling homebrew ever. Outselling even Thrust +.

 

Oh well. The fact remains it's just on hold and not dead...right?

 

Would also be interesting to hear what events would have to take place in Pauls life to make this project a top priority again. I noticed MegaManFan's comment went un-answered.

 

In any case.

 

If I had an Atari wish right now it would be that one of the other Atari guru's would consider taking up the project...maybe as just a straight classic RPG (In case Paul ever did come back and finish his original vision) using the available code. This cannot be wasted!!

 

Ahhhh a moycon can wish, can't he?

[gulag picture radio]

Sometimes it's not just money that's an issue. In my own professional life, I've been faced with many opportunites that I have to jump on right away, or they disappear forever. Some of you need to expand your thinking about this project beyond your immediate disappointment.

 

I'm pretty taken aback at the negative tone I'm seeing aimed at a guy who gives a lot to the community through his games, was on national TV discussing the Atari scene, is carving a truly worthwhile niche for himself in music etc. More success for Paul = more really cool stuff later, be it Atari, music, or whatever.

 

I've seen too many projects (not just in Atari but in my professional life etc.) that just get unceremoniously dumped, and here Paul has had the good grace to say that he'll return to the project when he has more time to devote to it fully.

 

This will come definitely come together as Paul has always delivered on everything he's ever announced, and then some. You won't find me on these boards whining like a disappointed child on Christmas morning. More power to you, Paul... Let us know if we can help.

[Inky]

Thanx for the uppdate Paul!

 

On the one hand I'm disappointed, because it just looks so damn cool, but on the other hand you gotta do what's in your best interest first. I know if I was faced with the same situation, it'd be a no-brainer for me.

 

Let me know when you start pre-orders!

[Cootster]

. . . But' date=' I can't imagine Homestar RPG selling less than 1' date='000 copies, what with all the rabid collectors out there that snag anything they put out and who probably wouldn't even open the box, much less those of us who plan on actually playing it . . . Standard homebrew royalties are $5 each, right? It wouldn't exactly be non-lucrative at that rate . . .[/quote'']

 

Considering the amount of time that's gone into the RPG and what's required to finish it, it's not so great. And we really don't know how many it'll sell. There are a lot of H*R fans, but I doubt many of them have working 2600s.

 

Wouldn't matter, like I say, there are people who'd buy it and not open it.

 

I think any H*R game or set of minigames will sell about the same. In fact, the Matt told me he suspects that an action game would sell BETTER than an RPG. And writing a new set of minigames or a good regular action game is actually much less work than completing the RPG (especially since we can still use some of the code and graphics that have been completed for the RPG like the title screen, text engine, and character displays).

 

Not only that, I would venture it would be less expensive and time-consuming to produce, since the RPG would certainly be the most advanced cart ever released for the system . . . Heck, it even has its own bankswitching and support for hardware that isn't finished yet . . . And they do have plenty of games on the site which already have logic and are probably cloneable (Secret Collect, Pigs on Head, Trogdor, etc.) . . . And I'd definitely buy it, also . . .

[Paul Slocum]

I still plan on using the new 64K board since Joe took the time to design a proto. Although I'll probably fill up a bunch of full 4k banks with speech or fancy graphics data.

 

And I don't want to give the impression that I'm going to just throw together some sloppy H*R thing to be done with it. I plan on doing something nice, polished, and fun. Just a lot simpler and easier to program and test. I've already discussed several ideas with Matt and I'll make a decision and announcement before too long. I may need to program a proof of concept or two first.

 

Maybe a new crazy 2600 demo will make you guys feel better (attached)

 

-paul

scroller.zip

[Hida Yoshinaka]

Erm, perhaps this is the wrong place to ask, but I have been curious ever since i first found the game online...is there a Trogdor cart for 2600? Or plans to make one? I do enjoy Trogdor...

 

Once again, sorry if this is the wrong place fo rthe question but I'm pretty curious.

 

Any chace the H*R game(s) would be available through AtariAge, or jsut the H*R homepage?

Thanks!

[Albert]

Maybe a new crazy 2600 demo will make you guys feel better (attached)  

 

Neat demo, what does it say?

 

..Al

[Brad2600]

You go, Paul! Take your time and when the time comes, Homestar Runner will be finished.

 

Life's too short to get disappointed, people.

[Shaggy the Atarian]

That's a cool little demo, I've never seen scrolling at that speed on the 2600 before...of course it was on an emulator, but even still, it was cool.

[gulag picture radio]

I was asking some of my diehard C64 programmer friends whether this was the largest (in screen size) scrolltext they've seen. They're pretty sure that if it's no the biggest, it is certainly one of the biggest - and getting animated text that big is a real challenge if you know what's involved.

[mos6507]

It seems like games are sometimes finished in much shorter time than they used to be.  I have no idea why that is.

 

-paul

 

They can be finished in a shorter period of time. Qb was a very quick dev cycle. Other homebrews took a very long time to get finished because of competition from "real life".

 

The typical 2600 game in the olden days took six months to write, or half that in a rush. Solaris took something like a year and a half total, though.

[mos6507]

 

I have confidence that Paul will deliver a Homestar Runner game in the future, and at some point will start up the RPG development again.  The RPG endeavor is very ambitious for the 2600, and I'd rather see him do it properly and give it the time it deserves, and not rush it out the door because throngs of HSR fans are screaming for it.  

 

He's also not the only guy who's put a game on hold (wink wink).

[birdie3]

Thomas makes an excellent point. We have all seen this idea in action here in some form or another. I just assumed that a game is not a game until it's finished and playable. No offense.

 

As for other priorities... I have three kids and lift 15 tons of trash a day for a living. I know all about hobbies versus real life priorities. Situations like your own are totally understandable. Good luck with it. I am going home (mars).