rob.ocelot.RemoveThis@gmail.com wrote:
> Matt Fisher wrote:
> > Sounds great! Can't wait to get mine. Now, random thoughts. The
> > programmers and designers I admire the most (and whose games I like the
> > best) are the ones who can come up with new game ideas.
Hmm thats good to know guys,, As a developer I don't enjoy classic
cloning so much either, it can be frustrating as you are copying an
idea that was designed for another system with differing strengths and
weaknesses. For the first time I'm now looking to produce a classically
influenced game in the form of Joust Evolution, but the keyword here is
Evolution, I'm exploring where the game concept can take me, I was
fortunate that Joust itself was pretty easy to copy, now for the fun
part where I get so bend it. Currently the closest thing to the concept
I hope to add is the original AAario Bros warp tubes although why they
are necessary I will leave as a mystery.
I'm also heartened by the comments I'm reading about Spike's Circus, I
produced an original game concept in Star Sling too but comparisons
were made to (er something, I forget now
it seems now that people
are accepting SC at least as original!
If anyone tells me its a copy of Mario's Freaky Circus Juggling
Nightmare I'll scream!
>
> IMHO though I really don't see the point of porting a game that the
> Vectrex isn't technically suited for. New games that utilise the
> hardware are more interesting to me.
Yep, JE is a challenge , not least as it takes up my time forcing me
to resist the original ideas I have. I'm still trying to dream up the
ultimate vector "killer app/game", it will come to me one day!
Vectors.. scaling, vectors.. scaling, think, think, think !!
>
>
> > And I especially like the implementation of anlog control for the Vec;
> > you have the analog stick, so why not use it!
>
> The lack of true analog control games on the Vec may have a technical
> reason -- I believe it takes more processor cycles to poll the
> joysticks in full analog.
hmm, yes and no. You're right in terms of processor cycles. It takes a
relative age to read the analogue postion of the stick. In fact there
are actually 8 resolutions that you can read the analogue values at,
higher the res the longer it takes. Sadly 5 or 6 of them are nigh on
useless. Both SS and SC have used the highest resolution, although
VVarlords only used a 5 position res. (3 bits) for the bat as that all
it seemed to need. The "no" part is that Star Sling reads both the X
and Y axis on both joysticks during the 2 player simultaneous mode.
(noone has posted anything about the 2 player experience!
so this
means I am reading 4 analogue channels all at maximum resolution and
still the game nips along. I think from memory, reading both joysticks
took a combined total of about 15% total cycle time (at 30Hz) which
leaves plenty to work with. Since most games are only 1 player the
cycles taken up are no excuse not to use analogue more often. (IMVHO)
>
> > On a slightly different topic, now that we have more analog games and
> > even new imager games on the way, what could be done with the light
> > pen? There's got to be some way to use that capability in a "real"
> > game. Art Master is fun to play with, but hardly a game... Perhaps it
> > could be used a little like a light gun? I know gun games are hardly a
> > new game idea, but I'm just thinking out loud here. Any thoughts?
Yeah, I have pondered this, especially with John nagging me to drive up
lightpen market demand!
My very limited experience of the light pen
is, unlike a normal lightpen/light gun that is working in conjunction
with a raster scanline is it needs to "see" where it is all the time.
If you move the pen too quickly it gets lost and spawns a "web" to try
to locate it again or in the case of melody master it must draw every
possible location a pen might appear in.
In my opinion its just a mismatch of technologies, you can't win them
all and the light pen just isn't suited to a Vector display with the
limits of our beloved Vectrex. Hence I haven't yet come up with any
game that is not clumsy when compared to a joystick, especially the
instant positioning of an analoge stick used with absolute coordinates.
I don't think light pen game development is particularly hard (unlike
3D imager coding which is rocket science
but I do think its hard to
produce anything fun from it.
As for the light gun I think its even less likely considering the
awkwardness of the technologies. Prove me wrong someone please!
> Hopefully Mail Plane will surface at some point so we'll have that.
Yeah.. (ahem.)
>
> Hope my Spike's Circus arrives soon. I'm itching to play it.
Good! Lots of comments on the packaging from folks, I'm keen to hear
how it plays and the relative merits of the different disciplines..
Tightropes.. necessary evil to add a dimension and make it challenging
or just a pain in the proverbial? ..Discuss
>> Stay informed about: Spike's Circus - my comments 
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