Zach Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 (edited) Four-Play is a board game with easy-to-learn rules. Red and Blue take turns dropping marbles into an upright board. The first player to align four marbles horizontally, vertically, or diagonally wins. You can play against the computer A.I. at four difficulty levels, or in two-player mode. The game will feature title and label artwork by Nathan Strum and music by vdub_bobby. Have Fun! fourplay_31Jul06.zip Edited November 2, 2006 by Zach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+atari2600land Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 The second picture has four blue pieces diagonally. Is that from the end of a game? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathtrappomegranate Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 The original "Connect Four" game has a 7x6 grid - this game looks like it's 7x7. That will give an unfair advantage to whoever plays first, I suspect. However, it's a cool game idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Posted August 1, 2006 Author Share Posted August 1, 2006 The second picture has four blue pieces diagonally. Is that from the end of a game? Correct. The original "Connect Four" game has a 7x6 grid - this game looks like it's 7x7. That will give an unfair advantage to whoever plays first, I suspect. However, it's a cool game idea. Thanks for noticing that this game is not "Connect Four". The first player has an advantage in the 7x6 game too. The difference between the two is difficult to measure in exact terms, since so much depends on the player's strategy. However, with perfect play the first player definitely has no advantage in 7x7 Four-Play. In the 7x6 game the first player can force a win, but can only force a draw when the board is 7x7. (source) The best way to balance the advantage is for both players to take turns playing Red and Blue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathtrappomegranate Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 Thanks for noticing that this game is not "Connect Four". The first player has an advantage in the 7x6 game too. The difference between the two is difficult to measure in exact terms, since so much depends on the player's strategy. However, with perfect play the first player definitely has no advantage in 7x7 Four-Play. In the 7x6 game the first player can force a win, but can only force a draw when the board is 7x7. (source) The best way to balance the advantage is for both players to take turns playing Red and Blue. Thanks for the link! That is an interesting read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cd-w Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 Looks great - the AI speed improvements are impressive and make the game much more playable. Is there anything else to do before release now except for the title music (I am assuming you are aiming for the OVGE)? A few tiny suggestons: It might be nice to select the colour with Left/Right and the difficulty with Up/Down on the title screen. The game could also be played using the driving controllers. You could also have a timed 2 player mode, where each player only has limited time to make their move. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 Thanks for noticing that this game is not "Connect Four". How about making the number of rows (and columns maybe) user selectable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Posted August 2, 2006 Author Share Posted August 2, 2006 Thanks, Chris and Thomas, for the suggestions. There is always one more feature that would be nice to add, but at some point the game needs to be finished. I'm only going to do a few things at this point: Install the title music as soon as Bob has the final version ready. Stabilize the scanline count during state transitions, for example switching from the title screen to the game. Final testing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cd-w Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 Thanks, Chris and Thomas, for the suggestions. There is always one more feature that would be nice to add, but at some point the game needs to be finished. I'm only going to do a few things at this point... It will be nice to see this on a cart - any ideas what your next homebrew project will be yet Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Posted August 3, 2006 Author Share Posted August 3, 2006 It will be nice to see this on a cart - any ideas what your next homebrew project will be yet I have too many ideas. What I think I'll do is work on several projects in parallel for a while and see which one shows the most promise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r_type2600 Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 I must admit that I've been only remotely following Four-Play (FP) as it did not appear to be particularly exciting as a videogame - at first. Another game to fill the board-games library of the VCS, joining the early Atari and Activision efforts, and one I would have to pick up as a collector sooner or later, but not one of the most thrilling of the latest homebrews; so I thought, to be frank. But I am glad to say I had to revise this perception after checking out the latest version of FP! For one the game plays very smoothly and the AI is impressive. I actually really enjoyed playing the computer, and to my surprise discovered that, while remaining a thinkers game, the simplicity and shortness of a round almost give FP action game qualities. A very satisfying gaming experience! The other appealing factor which I think contributes to enhaling charme and memorability to FP is the clever title (and label) created by Nathan. In short, I would say that FP at this stage is a very good game and I hardly see anything which should be improved on the core game itself. However, I feel that with a few additions the game could be, with relatively little effort, be turned into a great all-around accomplished new game gem for the 2600. Some suggestions: - a victory jingle to accompany the flashing of the winning tiles at the end of the round. - a couple of tournament modes, like "best of 5" or " best of 9". Would greatly improve the long-term appeal of FP. - building on the tournament modes, a couple of fancier End-Game screens/animations to motivate and recompensate the players. Would be a great opportunity for Nathan's memorable "tilies" to make a re-appearance and come to life, injecting further character to FP. I realize that you prefer to focus on other projects now, but it would be great if you could consider some of the above, whenever you get motivated to take another look at Four-Play. Maybe as a "+" version Cheers, Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Posted August 25, 2006 Author Share Posted August 25, 2006 Another game to fill the board-games library of the VCS, joining the early Atari and Activision efforts, and one I would have to pick up as a collector sooner or later, but not one of the most thrilling of the latest homebrews; so I thought, to be frank. But I am glad to say I had to revise this perception after checking out the latest version of FP! Thanks Eric. I think that is a common reaction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vdub_bobby Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 If you've been reading my blog - and if you haven't, well, why not? - you'll know that I just finished the Four-Play music. Have a listen: FourPlaySong20060828.bin It's about 2:20 and then it repeats. Hope you like it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Posted September 2, 2006 Author Share Posted September 2, 2006 Beta Version: fourplay_02Sep06.zip If no one finds any problems with this version by the end of the long weekend, I'll consider it finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cd-w Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 Beta Version: fourplay_02Sep06.zip If no one finds any problems with this version by the end of the long weekend, I'll consider it finished. Looks great to me, and I haven't found any bugs yet I know you are keen to get this finished, but the title screen looks a bit static with the music playing in the background. How about flashing the borders in time to the music, or (even better) having a computer vs computer attract mode? Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Posted September 3, 2006 Author Share Posted September 3, 2006 (edited) computer vs computer attract mode? Now that is a great idea, Chris! I think I can delay the release a little to implement that, especially since the AA store is closed until the 15th. Attract mode does present a dilemma though. I don't want to interrupt Bob's music. On the other hand, who wants to wait over two minutes for attract mode to come on? (BTW, there is not enough memory to run the game and the music at the same time.) Edited September 3, 2006 by Zach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nathan Strum Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 Can you make a "fake" game for the demo mode? Where it's not actually playing, but just running a pre-set pattern? (Of course, I have absolutely no idea if that would let you run the music or not.) Another thought... if you could just display the board in various states, and have that alternate with the title screen, and time it all to the music. So maybe during the brief breaks in the music, you'd see the board for a second. A music video title screen, of sorts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+atari2600land Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 I made a MIDI of the win music: midis.atari2600land.com/fourplaywin.mid sorry if hotlinking isn't allowed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Posted September 4, 2006 Author Share Posted September 4, 2006 I made a MIDI of the win music: midis.atari2600land.com/fourplaywin.mid sorry if hotlinking isn't allowed. Nice. There are two other jingles you can do too. The red win, and the draw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cd-w Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 Now that is a great idea, Chris! I think I can delay the release a little to implement that, especially since the AA store is closed until the 15th. Attract mode does present a dilemma though. I don't want to interrupt Bob's music. On the other hand, who wants to wait over two minutes for attract mode to come on? It could be a hidden bonus for anyone who listens to the music all the way through - can't think of any other solution Incidentally, I found a bug/feature in the game. If you continue to hold the joystick in the "down" direction after dropping a piece, then the game does not continue until you release the stick. I guess this is to stop you acidentally dropping multiple pieces? My own preference would be to use the fire button instead, since it is easy to accidentally move diagonally down. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diggs130 Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 Very addicting game you have here! unfortunetly level 4 is unplayable for me using z26 can only drop a few marbles before the animation screen freezes up and wont let the board screen come back up. Could be my set up though,by no means am I a expert at these emulators! definitely going to pick it up on cart~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vdub_bobby Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 How much RAM is free during gameplay? I could try to optimize the music driver... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Posted September 4, 2006 Author Share Posted September 4, 2006 Very addicting game you have here! unfortunetly level 4 is unplayable for me using z26 can only drop a few marbles before the animation screen freezes up and wont let the board screen come back up. Thanks! Level 4 usually takes less than 30 seconds to calculate a move, but sometimes can take up to 2 1/2 minutes. Is your screen frozen, or is the Atari just taking its time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diggs130 Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 Thanks! Level 4 usually takes less than 30 seconds to calculate a move, but sometimes can take up to 2 1/2 minutes. Is your screen frozen, or is the Atari just taking its time? Just gave it a try again and It seems that it was working fine in that regards!Last night it was actually freezing up,but maybe something was stealing my resources to run it correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Posted September 4, 2006 Author Share Posted September 4, 2006 (edited) How much RAM is free during gameplay? I could try to optimize the music driver... The game uses just about every byte of RAM available. If I used pre-set games like Nathan suggested, I could save of a lot of RAM. Off the top of my head, I would need: 49 bytes for the board position 32 bytes for self-modifying code (can probably be optimized) 1 byte to save the current level number 1 byte for a move counter 1 byte for a timer so the game doesn't run too fast 1 byte for a random seed, to select different pre-set games So that's around 85 bytes. EDIT: Just counted the RAM in the music driver: 32. That adds up to 117. Edited September 5, 2006 by Zach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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