Harry Potter Cart Label

[atari_aaron]

No, there is not such cart. I've got the basics of a Quidditch game laid out on a bunch of graph paper - it actually includes several pages in a notebook of assembly code... but alas, it probably won't get coded anytime soon... if ever.

 

But if I ever had a cart label designed for a Quidditch type game, I would hope it would look something along the style of the cover found on the Danish edition of the Chamber of Secrets. Why? Because I feel that it is similar to the old old-school Atari cart label/box graphics that you find on games like Warlords and Adventure.

 

Check out the blue version of the Danish book cover:

http://hol.9cy.com/covergallery2.htm

 

What does everyone think?

 

Aaron

[Susuwatari]

Harry Potter Quidditch? Video Olympics or Pong Sports might work here.

[Cootster]

I was thinking Pele's Soccer hack . . .

[atari_aaron]

I've never played Pele's Soccer, but my idea is more like a video version of table top hockey.

[Cootster]

It does have an Atari-art feel to it, indeed . . .

 

And the books are available in Iran? That's quite surprising.

[Philflound]

Is that the game with the flying ball when they are on broomsticks? Sorry, I'm not a HP geek.

 

Anyway, I would say a combination of Joust to fly, and combine it with whatever type of pong game is suitable. Do they carry a ball? Then I would add something like a basketball game where the player controls the ball. Again, sorry for my memory loss.

 

Phil

[Susuwatari]

Quidditch basics:

There is one goalie who guards the 3 hoops at their end.

2 beaters who carries a bat and drives one of the 2 bludgers toward oppoments to try and knoch them off and protect their team member.

3 chasers who carries the Quaffle and tries to score.

And one seeker who looks for the Golden Snitch.

 

The bludgers are nasty and will chase anyone at random. Many broken bones and broken brooms have occured.

Quaffle is a large ball that is used for scoring.

Snitch is a tiny walnut sized ball with wing that moves fast and are often hard to catch. Catching one ends the game.

 

Each score by the quaffle is worth 10 points. Catching the snitch is worth 150 points. Usually whoever catches the snitch wins the game so seekers becomes a favorite target by the beaters.

[Cootster]

Were you planning to stuff it all in one screen?

 

I like the way the GBA version does it, where chasing the Snitch gets its own separate scene (which reminds me of the old Activision 8-bit game Master of the Lamps).

 

That could be done. Maybe a variant of Spitfire Attack for that portion?

 

I stand by Pele's Soccer as being perfect for the other portion, one would just have to change the single goal into 3 separate ones. And find some way to have randomly floating Bludgers move around.

[frogstar_robot]

I like the idea. I really do. Unfortunately, HP's publishers will unleash the Trademark Dementors who will haul you down into the Chamber of Copyrights and give you a special kiss.........

 

Seriously, the publishers are notorious for picking on fan sites and I have no doubt the videogame rights are big money on their own. Whoever publishes the HP videogames and the literary publishers would both have bones to pick with you.

[atari_aaron]

I too am concerned about the Trademark Dementors. (BTW, I believe that Electronic Arts has the rights to all Harry Potter related video games.) However, I have given this much thought:

 

Fall back plan: Name the game Broomsticks and remove all referrences to Harry Potter and Quidditch.

 

Ideal plan: I have no grand vision for Table Top Quidditch other than to eventually complete it, and make it available for people to play. So with that in mind I would develop a 2600 version of Quidditch for charitable purposes... the profits of any sales would go to J.K. Rowling's favorite charity - Comic Relief for the support of children's charities around the world... much in the same manner that profits from the sale of "Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them" and "Quidditch Through the Ages" go to Comic Relief. Possibly, I would attempt to get her to sign two of the carts, and place them on ebay, with all procedes going to charity.

 

Step 1: Get some sort of demo game running on the Stella emulator.

 

Step 2: Write J.K. Rowling a fan letter telling her about the idea and include the emulator demo to see if I get a response.

 

Step 3: Hire a lawyer to see if I can get the rights to publish HP games on classic Atari systems (2600/5200/7800) with the idea that all profits go to a charity of J.K. Rowling's choice.

 

At this point I'm at step zero.

 

What's that you say? It can't be done!!?

 

Well you maybe right, but I've been able to quite a few things that people have told me were impossible. My job for instance. I was told my dozens of people that there was no way I could ever get any funding to set up a 3D graphics lab for archaeology. But $2,000,000 dollars later they've been proven wrong (see http://atl.ndsu.edu/ ). Besides this is a hobby for me. The only time the dementors will come after me is if I actually try to publish a completed version. And I'd just be happy to complete a working game for myself.

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

but alas, it probably won't get coded anytime soon... if ever.

 

What about "Eric Bergstrom's KC-135" then? Dead?

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[atari_aaron]

No, its not dead, I just realized that it was a much more complicated game than my skills could handle at the time. I decided that I would come back to it after I completed something less complex. Possibly, I would do a 7800 version of it instead.

 

Because of that, I purchased a CC2 so I would be able to eventually develop for both the 2600 and 7800. In fact, I have two CC2's just in case one craps out on me eventually.

 

Anyway, It's just really difficult to do a game like I had envisioned for EB KC-135 with just one button on the joystick. Actually Quidditch seems kind of difficult too, but I've got some ideas there. So EB KC-135 is not dead, but I'm putting development of my VCS graphics editor first, and then I'll put the graphics editor to the test while making TTQ. After TTQ, I'll look at the best way in which to implement EB KC-135.