Genus Prime - 8bit compo WIP

Started by Derron, February 02, 2019, 16:06:42

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Derron

@ overcomplication
The framework can already handle it... So I can shovel in an image and it would try to find suiting colors within the allowed palette (or extended if you use the alternating-color trick) but as I have the wrong colord in the allowed palette...
This would even allow for some kind of gradient color request...and it chooses the most suiting (,0human perceived) color. Did not try it visually but maybe it somewhen comes as a handy helper.

Nonetheless the colors differ so much that certain gradients look different when adjusted ... Or some color mixes now work which were not possible before (because of the vibrance of these "wrong/godot" colors).

Will adjust the images when I get next spare time without other bugs to squash or interruptions by the kids who do not want to sleep as good as we parents want it :-p.


Bye
Ron

Derron

Updated colors:

Level start:


Ingame:



Characters:


As you see the C64 palette misses a darker gray so the "dark mysterious dude" now looks like he wears a gra jogging hoodie :(


bye
Ron

Derron

New evening with some hours of sparetime (yeah!) ends now (dizzy ;-)).

- dynamic techtree/upgrades texts (tells effective changes)
- techtree modifiers adjusted for better value "steps"
- some slight gfx overhauls
- now 3 speed steps
- ships, planets, ... get informed about approaching objects
- added missiles (planet upgrades to allow a slight self-defense ;-))

I thought of adding "cloaks" so players would not see others ships until they approach near a player's planet. This would on the one hand lower "gpu stress" (less stuff to render) but is imho something "annoying" (surprise 200 ships approaching). So I think the planetary defense (only some rockets...) should do for now.
And yes - the missiles are also able to attack nearby planets. Will have to try the next lunch break if this is a suitable idea too.
Should remind myself to not fell into the "feature creep issue".


Still not sure how to include the planetary upgrade (for now its only useful to have the planetary defense there...) into the interface.
Think the "upgrade button"/"knowledge hub" (window to upgrade "all planets/global") does have to stay there all the time. I initially thought to have it context sensitive: 1 planet selected: planet upgrade box. More or no planet selected: global upgrade box.

Talking about the box on the bottom right of this picture:



Hmm so much for now.


bye
Ron

Qube

Looks like it's shaping up to be a sweet little sim :)

QuoteI thought of adding "cloaks" so players would not see others ships until they approach near a player's planet. This would on the one hand lower "gpu stress" (less stuff to render) but is imho something "annoying" (surprise 200 ships approaching).
Nah, don't do "cloak" to save GPU stress. Have them beauties on screen hurtling towards you ;D
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Until the next time.

Xerra

This game is making me think PSI5 trading company.
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3DzForMe

Quote.   - dynamic techtree/upgrades texts (tells effective changes)
- techtree modifiers adjusted for better value "steps"
- some slight gfx overhauls
- now 3 speed steps
- ships, planets, ... get informed about approaching objects
- added missiles (planet upgrades to allow a slight self-defense ;-))     

That's the kind of attention to detail that floats my boat.
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Oldest Hardware: Commodore Amiga 1200 with 1084S Monitor & Blitz Basic 2.1

MrmediamanX

Man I'm glad I have a GPD win 2, I can play all these games on the go ... neat.
very solid stuff, i'm alway down for a bit of the old strat-sim games.
It's a thing that doe's when it don't..

Derron

#37
Productive 90 minute lunch break:
- added missiles-slot to the interface (lots of trial-and-error until I was satisfied)
- added some "sliders" for the data-part of the interface (some of you enjoy blinky-blinky-animations don't you? ;-))
- added missile-fly-by-attack support (so they also attack enemies just "flying by" - range for this is a bit less than for "attacking" ships)


While the kids are now enjoying some ice cream I got the time to record a little gameplay video. No "scenarios/missions" yet. Also no settings menu, save/load, ... music or sfx. But feature wise I think I got everything for now. AI needs to know about the techtree and planetary upgrades too. Not to talk about balancing (missiles are either refilling too fast, limits to high or costs to low ;-))




PS: I am totally aware that the visual presentation is not what would be possible that way on the C64 (maybe some C64-magician could do but I surely break some "color block limits", sprite limits, ...). Think it is more a "low res c64 color palette"-entry.

bye
Ron

Xerra

Don't be so sure, Derron. The c64 could multiplex sprites so, while not many would try to do it on a real C64, it's actually possible to write pixels as bit operations onto a sprite to simulate individual pixels. They could also be small and within range of each other if you were using multiple single colour sprites where needed so you didn't need to have double-width pixels.

Agree, it's highly likely anyone would have gone to that much trouble during the C64 games heydays because of the coding headaches and memory required in the machine to do all that but it COULD have been done.

Interesting game, now I've seen it moving. Kind of feels like PSI5 - as I said earlier - in looks but, gameplay-wise, I get a Megalomania feel along with Risk.

Looking forward to playing it a lot more now.
M2 Pro Mac mini - 16GB 512 SSD
ACER Nitro 5 15.6" Gaming Laptop - Intel® Core™ i7, RTX 3050, 1 TB SSD
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Latest game - https://xerra.itch.io/Gridrunner
Blog: http://xerra.co.uk
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Qube

Looks like a fun little strategy game and coming along well :)

QuotePS: I am totally aware that the visual presentation is not what would be possible that way on the C64 (maybe some C64-magician could do but I surely break some "color block limits", sprite limits, ...). Think it is more a "low res c64 color palette"-entry.
Don't worry about that. If you want to add in whizzy explosions and particle madness then go for it ;D
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Until the next time.

Steve Elliott

Quote
PS: I am totally aware that the visual presentation is not what would be possible that way on the C64

The only restriction was palette colours, this is not a competition to 100% replicate the original computer limitations (no fun in that!).  Just look and feel.
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Derron

#41
Seems the cake is there - it just needs the decoration to hide everything I forgot in the pastry :-)

Ok in other words - lunch break's gone, youngest is almost awake and wife asked for a sparetime afternoon for herself. Glad we got >15°C now and warm and welcome sunshine. Time to go out for a walk and maybe stop by at the parents for a beer or so :-)


What did I achieve during almost 2 hours of sparetime:

- Savegame support (for now only quicksave via keys, no GUI thingy) - Brucey's Persistence.mod is a breeze  :-*
- Toast/Ingame messages (auto-close, stacking, ...) so to inform about the defeat of other races
- restructuring a bit of code here and there for proper screen support (intro, main, game ...)
- game over/game won states (and the required gamestate checks + lookup caches to avoid counting 2000 ships on each loop :-))
- wrote a simple screen fader utilizing small black rectangles :-)
- and as always: surely a load of bugs if you achieve to write stuff in a short amount of time

Minor question to you - as you know my mother tongue is not English so I am absolutely sure to choose the wrong words.
So if a race in the game lost all its planets an ships in a system it does not mean that they are extinguished at all - they are just no longer present in that area.
How to write that in a concise and short sentence?

For now I use "NAME was effaced from the system." which isn't as "harsh" or is it? I want to avoid to have the game sound "brutal" at it would collide with the "cute" alien look. Maybe there is a "kind" word for pushing someone out of the room  / exile / oust ... ?


(maybe the "time until the message auto-closes without click"-bar should not be in one of the players colors - simple bright-gray might do as well)


bye
Ron

Steve Elliott

Removed or purged from the system.
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Derron

Removed from the system ... in passive then "XYZ was removed from the system" or "got removed" ?
Think that suits.

Thanks for your suggestion. "Purged" reminds me of "Purge" (movie) which wouldn't be so nice then ;-)


bye
Ron

Steve Elliott

#44
Quote
"XYZ was removed from the system" or "got removed" ?

Think that suits.

"XYZ was removed from the system" is better English.

For what you want I think it's appropriate.

Quote
Thanks for your suggestion. "Purged" reminds me of "Purge" (movie) which wouldn't be so nice then ;-)

You're welcome.  lol yes purged is more forceful.
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