Action RPG Game - MAUS LAB

[MausBoy]

This project has changed completely to an overhead action RPG that is sort of a really scaled down legend of zelda combined with elements of dragon warrior combined with keychain virtual pets.

 

The game starts in a lab where you create your pet mouse and name it, then begin training it for battle. Once your mouse has enough experience and skill, you can take it outside of the lab for the rpg section of the game. The goal of this part is to rescue a baby mouse and bring it back to the lab, at which point you can create a new character.

 

Characters will be nameable/saveable, and there will also be a tournament .bin with 10 to 20 (not sure yet) 2-4 player minigames.

Edited July 20, 2007 by MausBoy

[MausBoy]

One of the cool things about this one is that it can have 16x44 sprites for the objects/landmarks/badguys. They are generally facing forward since it's a first-person battle system. If anyone would like to contribute some cool sprites, I'm open to about anything for this game. I like the enemy sprites used in Phantasy Star 1 for the sms, it would be great to have some like that in 16x44.

 

I'll also 100% be wanting label/manual art for this one, any suggestions?

Edited July 20, 2007 by MausBoy

[Bakasama]

I suppose you have to give some details about the story. That would give us a general idea where you're going with this game.

[MausBoy]

EDIT:

 

I don't like having to make up a good story, so really there is none. Create a mouse, kill stuff, win. That's the new story.

Edited July 20, 2007 by MausBoy

[Bakasama]

It's the usual kind of story, you are Maus, you have to save your kidnapped girlfriend from an evil exterminator. The story is pretty sketchy still, I guess I should fill it in a little huh? There are all kinds of settings, indoors and out, above and underground, in trees, etc. The enemies can/will be pretty much anything that would kill a mouse. Ideas for settings are welcome too.

 

Yeah that gives me a better idea what you're shooting for. I envision a journey through mouse holes, interiors of house, sewer pipes, etc. I see items like cheese, mouse traps, and rat poison. I would think you would have deal with poison alot but some anidote would help. I guess you can fight rats, cats, and the like.

[+atari2600land]

I think you should finish the Tetris clone.

[MausBoy]

I think you should finish the block game clone.

 

I definately am. Like I said in the first post, this is a piece-of-cake project that I play with when the stuff like the block game is getting on my nerves too bad.

[MausBoy]

It's the usual kind of story, you are Maus, you have to save your kidnapped girlfriend from an evil exterminator. The story is pretty sketchy still, I guess I should fill it in a little huh? There are all kinds of settings, indoors and out, above and underground, in trees, etc. The enemies can/will be pretty much anything that would kill a mouse. Ideas for settings are welcome too.

 

Yeah that gives me a better idea what you're shooting for. I envision a journey through mouse holes, interiors of house, sewer pipes, etc. I see items like cheese, mouse traps, and rat poison. I would think you would have deal with poison alot but some anidote would help. I guess you can fight rats, cats, and the like.

 

That all sounds great! I enjoy making sprites, but I like to see other peoples visions, which are usually better. Can you do sprites? 16x42 max.

[+atari2600land]

A hunka hunka yummy cheese, perhaps?

[A Sprite]

Just to be totally random, and avoid repetition, could enemy types be varied by adjectives or mood?

 

Just imagine, it's you, wandering down the hall, when suddenly

 

PLAYFUL KITTEN ATTACKS!

 

You kill it by making it choke on your bones, when suddenly

 

LONELY KITTEN ATTACKS!

 

What will you do? Even if you win,

 

OBLIVIOUS KITTEN awaits...

[MausBoy]

I'm limited to a 32x24 playfield and a 16x42 sprite or two 8x42 sprites on each screen, and now there is a full alphabet six character marquee for text.

Edited July 20, 2007 by MausBoy

[s0c7]

A lot of people who enjoy Pirate like the fact that it is a quick playing "beer & pretzels" type game. Other people hate it for the same reason. I wouldn't worry about trying to please everybody - just make it to your specs. Your audience will find you.

 

The quick color version I banged out as a "Thank you" to the fans of it (a full blown Pirate II may appear one day).

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...t&p=1231667

[Nognir]

I just thought of the german pen & paper RPG "Plüsch, Power & Plunder". In that game you're taking control of a plush doll and have some interesting and funny adventures just like saving another doll from being washed in the washing machine and so on. (There was one really funny adventure called "The Woolminator")

 

Maybe you can also make your adventure game of this style. this would be very unique and would also fit to your characters.

[Impaler_26]

Hm.... a RPG-type game with mice and cheese.... why not call it "The Cheese of Destiny" ?

 

Story could be something like this:

"You are Maus on your quest for the fabled Cheese of Destiny... the one cheese who knows all the answers to EVERYTHING.

Just one bite of it will make you ruler of the galaxy. But beware, your girlfriends searching for it too.

You better find it before her or you'll be in big trouble..."

 

I can't think of a "cheesier" story at the moment....

 

I'd like to see a demo or wip of the game, this would surely give me some more ideas...

[A Sprite]

The man above, no, not God...I think, has inspired me! I want to play some more, if it's okay?

 

It's the usual kind of story, you are Maus, you have to save your kidnapped girlfriend from an evil exterminator

 

Before he can marry her. You see, once he was a good exterminator, and he and the mice lived in peace together. He was very poor, as you can imagine, until one day, a cat showed up at his door. But this was no ordinary cat, you see, though he wore boots, they were military grade, twice the cat's size, and he had a curious goose step approach.

 

And this cat, this evil, vile beast, made a deal with the Exterminator...that he would find true love in exchange for his SOUL! MWAHAHAHAHAHMEOW!

 

The exterminator thought this was very cute. "Sure." He laughed. "You can have my soul. Just don't let Maus catch you with it. That mouse worries about me."

 

And so the deadly bargain was struck...

 

PS. OH...I have to wait until AFTER you release the game to write a fan fiction?

 

What a rip-off...

 

;_;

[jbanes]

I also wanted to do a sequel to s0c7's Pirates game after I finished Deimos Lander. The big difference is that I was thinking of using a custom kernal to show pictures using the 6 sprite mode I used for text in Deimos. That would allow for high-resolution images of the different areas. The only catch is that there aren't enough cycles to use different colors on different lines.

 

The same trick could be used for a (scrolling?) map, selectable with one of the switches on the front of the console. The only catch with such a map is that it might be tricky to not show unexplored areas.

 

Both problems could be solved by interlacing the image with a 30Hz flicker.

 

And of course, I wanted to add adventure to finding the island. Perhaps a competing team of Pirates who would race you to the treasure. They might even setup an ambuse before you reach the island, resulting in a ship-to-ship fight ala Sid Meier's Pirates! If there was space, I was thinking that it would also be cool to get your destination from informants in bars. At first you'd get favors from a few people who owed you, then you'd have to start paying out booty to get the info.

 

Those were some of my ideas, anyway. Feel free to see if any of them work for you.

[+atari2600land]

Any updates on this game?

[MausBoy]

Individual screens were taking up too much space because of all the different pfcolor tables, so I switched to a legend of zelda style overhead screen-by-screen format. This dosn't have a lot in common with Pirates! anymore. Since I'm so limited with sprites, I added a battle system thats sort of an extremely stripped down dragon warrior or phantasy star. I'm working on using the vox/memkey to name characters and save progress.

The game starts with an extended training mode that is a lot like a virtual pet, so not a lot happens when you first start out. Once you've beat every part of the game you can retire a character and start over or keep that character and play through a second time with a much higher difficulty level.

I'm also working on a battle rom that can load two characters from vox/memkey with 10 minigames. I haven't been able to test or find out if multiple vox/memkeys can be plugged into port two and read. If so then I might make a four player battle rom too, but I'm not sure if bB supports four paddles.

 

I don't expect to be done soon. None of that is too hard, it's just a lot of typing and making decisions and testing, and possibly for something that won't be even a little bit fun. At least I learned some new tricks though.

[A Sprite]

Will the player's actions in the training room in any way determine the stats?

[MausBoy]

Will the player's actions in the training room in any way determine the stats?

 

Yes, in every way. Everything you do in the "Lab" with/to your character effects their stats and abilities, and it's best to learn how to raise a good character before you ever bother venturing outside. You can come back inside at any time for any amount of time, but only if you are able to make it back to the Lab without being killed. It is also rare to be able to eat or sleep outside of the Lab, so it's important to plan ahead and pay attention to your stats when outside.

 

I'm not that great at making sprites, I need help. I came up with decent mouse sprites, but I'm sure someone else could do a lot better. I need overhead animated sprites that move in four directions. I also need 16x48 enemy sprites for the battle sequences, that are in the style of dragon warrior and phantasy star. I guess I have my work cut out for me with that.

[gambler172]

Hi Mausboy

is there an actual bin available?

greetings gambler172

[A Sprite]

Will the player's actions in the training room in any way determine the stats?

 

Yes, in every way. Everything you do in the "Lab" with/to your character effects their stats and abilities, and it's best to learn how to raise a good character before you ever bother venturing outside. You can come back inside at any time for any amount of time, but only if you are able to make it back to the Lab without being killed. It is also rare to be able to eat or sleep outside of the Lab, so it's important to plan ahead and pay attention to your stats when outside.

 

I'm not that great at making sprites, I need help. I came up with decent mouse sprites, but I'm sure someone else could do a lot better. I need overhead animated sprites that move in four directions. I also need 16x48 enemy sprites for the battle sequences, that are in the style of dragon warrior and phantasy star. I guess I have my work cut out for me with that.

 

Edited July 16, 2007 by A Sprite

[A Sprite]

 

Ver: 2.0 Now with pointier kitten ears.

 

Ver: 3.0 Attempting a tongue.

 

I can't draw. But maybe a real artist will be inspired since the bar has been set so low.

Edited July 16, 2007 by A Sprite

[A Sprite]

Is it really so bad it doesn't deserve comment? At least tell me what I'm doing wrong...

 

How else can I learn?

[Bakasama]

Well, since you asked, I'll tell ya.

 

The graphics you crafted are really more suited to for an NES game than an Atari 2600 game. The pixels you're using aren't the ones used by the 2600. The pixels for that tend to be horizontal rectangles. The 2600 has an, uh, interesting way of displaying colors. A horizontal line of pixels can only have two colors.

 

I'm sure someone that knows how the 2600 better than me can explain this in more detail.