Maids + Elevators = 2600 Homebrew

[PressureCooker2600]

one comment......

 

this game looks awesome and i want a cart version if it ever becomes available

 

great job, vdub

[PressureCooker2600]

the tagline for the game could be: "Have Mercy on the Maid"

[vdub_bobby]

Update:

ElevRep20070409.bin

 

Changes:

-turn background music on/off with B&W/COLOR switch (PAUSE on 7800)

-changed level bonus. Get 100xLevel plus extra depending on difficulty level

-added maid animation! Didn't use espire8's - sorry not to use your work - but made my own. I think it turned out ok.

-stabilized scanline count (at 264).

 

 

Also: I came up with a name! None of the Maid/Made puns were really working for me and I decided about a week ago that I wanted the word "Elevator" in the title. End result:

Elevators Amiss

 

Still to do:

-Add title across top of screen upon powerup, display "LVL: 01" at all other times

-tweak music/colors/graphics/gameplay

-PAL conversion

 

I think I'm getting very close here - I'm pretty excited.

 

So I'm looking for beta testers: anyone interested in beta testing, probably in a few weeks, please send me a PM.

Edited April 9, 2007 by vdub_bobby

[Gateway]

I like the "CHILD" version best!

 

I noticed that when you reach the top and disappear off screen you return to the bottom( or rather the illusion that you return there ). It feels like you are starting over at the bottom floor because the color of the wall(blue, IIRC is at the bottom). The only difference I notice for this accoplisment is the increase in elevators and/or their speed.

 

Perhaps, the wall colors could alternate when you reach the top into a new "screen"/section of the building or something to suggest how tall the building is. Right now it feels like you teleport back to the bottom as your "reward" for reaching the top.

 

Not sure if that makes sense.

 

Overall, It is a very nice variation of Spy's Demise/Elevator Repairman!

 

One other thought with the game title: You could write it as Elevators aMiss and still acknowldege the maid in the game(assuming she is unmarried )

[almightytodd]

This is a terrific little game, vdub. Congratulations on your nearing the finish line.

[vdub_bobby]

I like the "CHILD" version best!

The difficulty is a bit unbalanced at the moment; IMO "NORMAL" is a bit too hard and, actually, I want to make "CHILD" easier.

I noticed that when you reach the top and disappear off screen you return to the bottom( or rather the illusion that you return there ). It feels like you are starting over at the bottom floor because the color of the wall(blue, IIRC is at the bottom). The only difference I notice for this accoplisment is the increase in elevators and/or their speed.

 

Perhaps, the wall colors could alternate when you reach the top into a new "screen"/section of the building or something to suggest how tall the building is. Right now it feels like you teleport back to the bottom as your "reward" for reaching the top.

 

Not sure if that makes sense.

I'll look into some different things; the kernel is pretty packed at the moment and I don't think I can fit anything else in - but my plan is to add the level number to the screen, so you'll have at least a little reward for beating the level.

 

But, ultimately, this is the kind of game where aiming for a high score is the primary reward, much like Space Invaders, etc. It is partially by design and partially a limitation of the 4K ROM size.

 

Overall, It is a very nice variation of Spy's Demise/Elevator Repairman!

Thanks!

 

One other thought with the game title: You could write it as Elevators aMiss and still acknowldege the maid in the game(assuming she is unmarried )

You can certainly assume that she is unmarried - I'll probably write some goofy backstory for the manual making this explicit. After a lengthy period of temptation, however, I believe I have sworn off all puns for the title.

 

 

Also: I forgot to mention in the post above, but extra lives are awarded (up to a maximum of 9) upon completion of a level. However: On NORMAL difficulty, no extra lives are awarded beyond level 10 and on EXPERT difficulty no extra lives are awarded beyond level 3.

 

And, to be precise, on CHILD and NOVICE difficulty, no extra lives are awarded beyond level 98.

[espire8]

-added maid animation! Didn't use espire8's - sorry not to use your work - but made my own. I think it turned out ok.

I think what you did looks terrific!

I'm glad how it turned out.. even if you're not using my work, it is after all your maid design and it sure works well even better than what I last posted. I'm just not as good doing 2 frames of animation as with 3 or 4.

 

Also: I came up with a name! None of the Maid/Made puns were really working for me and I decided about a week ago that I wanted the word "Elevator" in the title. End result:

Elevators Amiss

Great name! the word A'miss' points to the maid and sound good with 'elevator', has a nice ring to it !

[Albert]

Just played the latest version--it's come quite a ways since the last time I tried it out! I do think the "Normal" difficulty is a bit hard--on my first try I exhausted all my lives before I got to the top! I didn't even try "Expert" although I suppose I should.

 

I did try "Child" and it is quite easy, but I think that's the whole point of a "Child" difficulty level so I would not make that any harder.

 

The maid animation is great, as are the tunes (and nice that you can turn them off). It's one of those addictive games you want to play over and over again to see how far you can get. Yet at the same time it'll probably make you throw your joystick in aggravation!

 

..Al

[vdub_bobby]

Just played the latest version--it's come quite a ways since the last time I tried it out! I do think the "Normal" difficulty is a bit hard--on my first try I exhausted all my lives before I got to the top! I didn't even try "Expert" although I suppose I should.

 

I did try "Child" and it is quite easy, but I think that's the whole point of a "Child" difficulty level so I would not make that any harder.

 

The maid animation is great, as are the tunes (and nice that you can turn them off). It's one of those addictive games you want to play over and over again to see how far you can get. Yet at the same time it'll probably make you throw your joystick in aggravation!

Thanks.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Before doing the PAL conversion, please make sure that the scanline count is constant. Currently it switches between 263 and 264 scanlines.

 

BTW: I noticed that the game sometimes reacts a bit slow when I am trying to reverse direction. Is that just me or is there a delay?

[vdub_bobby]

Before doing the PAL conversion, please make sure that the scanline count is constant. Currently it switches between 263 and 264 scanlines.

Yeah, it's on my list.

 

BTW: I noticed that the game sometimes reacts a bit slow when I am trying to reverse direction. Is that just me or is there a delay?

I've never noticed that...there should never be more than a 1 frame delay, if that.

[vdub_bobby]

Another update:

 

ElevatorsAmiss20070411.bin

 

Changes:

-rock solid 270 scanlines now (I think )

-toyed with adding the title to the top of the screen but there isn't room and I didn't like the way it looked. Switched gears and added copyright/level # to the bottom:

Copyright will show until the first game is started, thereafter it will show what level you are on (or were on when your game ended).

-tweaked difficulty a bit. Made the elevators a hair smaller and the maid a hair faster. Also changed initial elevator speeds for Novice and Normal difficulty levels.

 

Let me know what you think.

Edited April 11, 2007 by vdub_bobby

[+Nathan Strum]

It seems better now, speed-wise. Less frustrating on the first screen.

 

A few ideas...

 

Color-wise, the game looks really nice, but you don't get any sense of moving on from one level to the next.

 

What if you made each level a different overall color?

 

 

And maybe made the top floor lead into the color of the next level?

 

 

Or if those look too bland, how about keeping within a range of colors for each level (warm or cool colors, that sort of thing)?

 

 

(These were hastily slapped together - they could be made to look much nicer.)

 

Gameplay-wise, how about using the fire button to allow the maid to stop some of the elevators? So as she's running along a floor, you'd hit fire, and the elevator whose path you were crossing would stop and pause at that floor the next time it arrived there. After you crossed its path again, it would resume moving. You could limit it so maybe only one elevator could stop at a time. It could add some interesting strategy to the game. (I'm not sure how you'd indicate that an elevator was going to stop someplace though. Are all objects being used?)

Edited April 11, 2007 by Nathan Strum

[vdub_bobby]

It seems better now, speed-wise. Less frustrating on the first screen.

Good.

Color-wise, the game looks really nice, but you don't get any sense of moving on from one level to the next.

 

What if you made each level a different overall color?

I like your mockups, and it's a good idea, but I can't change the background colors from level to level. There just isn't time in the kernel to do things differently.

 

However, I can easily change the elevator/stairs color (they have to be the same) from level to level. Here are some examples:

White:

Black:

 

Or any other color.

 

Also, relatedly, I'm not married to the current background colors; anyone have any suggestions? The rainbow effect is certainly colorful, but it seems a little gratuitous to me.

Gameplay-wise, how about using the fire button to allow the maid to stop some of the elevators? So as she's running along a floor, you'd hit fire, and the elevator whose path you were crossing would stop and pause at that floor the next time it arrived there. After you crossed its path again, it would resume moving. You could limit it so maybe only one elevator could stop at a time. It could add some interesting strategy to the game. (I'm not sure how you'd indicate that an elevator was going to stop someplace though. Are all objects being used?)

That is kind of intriguing but I think it is too complicated to fit in the space I have remaining. I do have a little space, though, so I will probably try to get the fire button speed boost in and see how that works.

 

Thanks for the suggestions and ideas.

[vdub_bobby]

Quickie update: ElevatorsAmiss20070412.bin

 

Added fire button boost. Increases your speed by about 50% but the timer runs down 8 times faster! Thoughts? Does it make it too easy now? Does it add much?

[SeaGtGruff]

I like your mockups, and it's a good idea, but I can't change the background colors from level to level. There just isn't time in the kernel to do things differently.

 

However, I can easily change the elevator/stairs color (they have to be the same) from level to level. Here are some examples:

Changing the elevator/stairs color might be good.

 

Michael

[+Nathan Strum]

However, I can easily change the elevator/stairs color (they have to be the same) from level to level. Here are some examples:

White:

Black:

Or any other color.

That would work really well. It just needs something to help show the levels changing.

 

It also brings up an interesting (and evil) possibility... changing the elevator colors so they match one of the background colors.

 

 

So in each level, you'd have a different floor where you couldn't see the elevators. (A little like Fade Out. Sort of.)

 

You might want to restrict this to the higher levels, or at least keep it out of the kids' game.

Edited April 12, 2007 by Nathan Strum

[vdub_bobby]

Another quickie update:

ElevatorsAmiss20070412.bin

 

Changed background colors to be a bit darker, more closely approximating what color actual hotel decor might be. In my mind, anyway.

 

Also: elevators'/stairs' color changes every level. Almost. It's a 10-level pattern, where the first and last level (in the pattern) are the same. I.e., Levels 1, 10, 11, 20, 21, 30, etc. are white.

 

Here are pictures, in order:

 

Also fixed a bug.

[Albert]

So in each level, you'd have a different floor where you couldn't see the elevators. (A little like Fade Out. Sort of.)

 

You might want to restrict this to the higher levels, or at least keep it out of the kids' game.

This is evil.

 

..Al

[oldgames]

 

Also: I came up with a name! None of the Maid/Made puns were really working for me and I decided about a week ago that I wanted the word "Elevator" in the title. End result:

Elevators Amiss

 

 

This looks great! It might just be the one that pushes me into getting set up for emulation. Hopefully this will make it to cart form down the road also.

 

I know I'm a little late, since you have already picked a name, but I think

 

Elevator Evader

 

has a nice ring to it.

 

I also like

 

Elevator (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more) Action

 

but that might not be original enough.

 

[vdub_bobby]

Actually, a couple of days ago my brother or wife suggested redoing the maid sprite as a Pitfall! alligator and calling it Elevator Gator.

 

I was so amused I considered it for a few minutes...

[Gateway]

Yeah, what Nathan posted is what I was trying to say earlier-- that the screens needed to have a sense of something different to indicate progress...but Nathan said it better.

 

The change in stair/elevator color is a good idea. I like the mock-ups.

[+Nathan Strum]

Actually, a couple of days ago my brother or wife suggested redoing the maid sprite as a Pitfall! alligator and calling it Elevator Gator.

 

I was so amused I considered it for a few minutes...

How about (brace yourselves for it)...

 

Ella-Vader?

 

 

 

[SeaGtGruff]

How about (brace yourselves for it)...

 

Ella-Vader?

 

 

 

Only if hitting an elevator with the light saber will temporarily freeze it.

 

Michael

[djmips]

Color-wise, the game looks really nice, but you don't get any sense of moving on from one level to the next.

What if you made each level a different overall color?

I like your mockups, and it's a good idea, but I can't change the background colors from level to level. There just isn't time in the kernel to do things differently.

 

I think that if you worked at it a little you could find the time in the kernel. On most paths you have quite a few extra cycles available. On the tightest path you don't have any to give (easily). But you only need to change a LDA ABS,Y to a LDA (ZP),Y and so you only need one more cycle. I think your biggest problem is memory. You only have about 90 bytes free at the end of the colour table IIRC. Since the colour table is only about 80 some bytes long, you could at least have a second table OR... you could make the table as long as possible and retreat by one colour for every few levels, so that only the top floor gets a new color.

 

So I'm pretty sure it's doable. I hacked around with it but the code is quite convoluted. If you move the load to before the jump into the label where you do the COLUBK store I think you usually have 8 or 9 cycles available. In the worst case you only have perhaps 4 available but I think if you stare at if for a while you could figure something out. I could send you a proposed mod if you're interested in shooting it down.