The Wildest West

[3DzForMe]

Here it is, my worklog - well I tried to locate images of an arcade game from my grey matter from a holiday in Morecombe (I know - Rock n Roll right!) back in the early eighties. I need to confirm with my mum and dad what year we went there.

Anyway - could not find ANY images of my inspiration! This was EVEN before I got my ZX Spectrum.   

No spoilers - got a working executable and heres the code in all its glory:

[iWasAdam]

Hmm. I think the game you are referring to is 1977 "Boot Hill":

https://www.gamesdatabase.org/game/arcade/boot-hill

[Derron]

I played a way cheaper/blockier looking variant on the "32 games" cartridge of my Atari 2600.


Bye
Ron

[Rick Nasher]

[3DzForMe]

@Iwasadam, we'll done - thats the game, didn't realise it was in the 70s, wow.

The Atari game, proper retro! And it probably retailed at 30 quid!

[Derron]

@ Rick
Exactly this game.

bye
Ron

[3DzForMe]

There s a small chance it was gunfight, although I suspect boot hills right on the money

http://widerscreen.fi/numerot/2015-1-2/upon-time-screen-wild-west-computer-video-games/

Looks like I could finish this one.....

a two-player game does not require artificial intelligence, and moving two characters plus a few bullets onscreen is within the reach of any moderately seasoned programmer.

[Derron]

Do they say you do not need an AI player or that moving a figure up/down + shooting bullets does not require something you can call "AI" ?
Think you could nearly code the AI like a homing missile: it always tries to catch up with the "y" of the opponent - and if the bullet would hit the opponent it fires. Then just add some "tricks" (like pretending to move to somewhere or so).


bye
Ron

[3DzForMe]

Cheers Derron - was thinking of doing boot hill with a twist - maybe more than one enemy - jeez, there I go getting all ambitious already    

Even got a cactus on the go - much easier now I've a pimped out man cave 

And... got drop box working happily to my surprise - thats my version of a tortoise SVN for now

[3DzForMe]

2 player keyboard interface page done.

[3DzForMe]

Today's challenge,  will collision detection code fit on one page.......moreover how the hell does the syntax hang together?

[Xerra]

Are you going to have a tinker and try to put a basic AI opponent in the game? I would think it would make an ideal game for trying to do something like this as a learning exersize because there's very few rules for the computer player to react against. You could even have a smart and dumb version for a couple of game levels, I reckon.

If player is moving up then move up but slightly below his position so you don't walk straight into a bullet.

Same for going down.

If there's a player bullet on screen then work out how far it is away from you based on how many pixels it moves each game update. The smarter AI could react a bit quicker then the dumb AI here. Make one move up and one move down to avoid the bullet, for example, and it depends on the sprite size if and where they get short. Just in case you're looking at having a couple of shots to win the game unless it's a direct head shot.

Then again, first shot could always just shoot the opponents hat off, if they get the head. That would be really cool.

[Derron]

Also the AI should know about "shootable obstacles" - at least on the Atari you were able (and it was often required) to shoot through a waggon or cactus.


To enhance the game: add collectibles: like "bullets" which refill your gun instead of having a short refill timer blocking perma-fire. Or have "seeds" - collecting them lets a cactus grow in the middle lane ...
Then moving waggons might be interesting - or stuff like rolling tumbleweed?


And maybe even add boss levels: with more than 1 opponent - eg 1-2 static "red shirts" lurking around behind two kegs/barrels.


bye
Ron

[3DzForMe]

Thanks for the extra suggestions,  all good stuff!

[3DzForMe]

{And one dad knap later - my kids are 18 and 20 - but I still qualify - right?}

....So, come in from work - I've all sorts of crazy ideas about where to go with my 'western' - (Rockstar might have a competitor for their recent cowboy thing..... )

Spend half hour searching for some isometric thing I just new was somewhere - fog of tiredness overcame me. One snooze later..... Da Daaaaa :--

https://socoder.net/?Showcase=66453

    Happy Dayz.