Need 8x7 sprite design!

[+batari]

I'm looking for a good sprite design for my 4k minigame - download here:

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?a...ach&id=1297

 

It's a sequel to Maze Craze, which features a 128x128 scrolling maze and computer AI, among other things.

 

But... I need a player sprite. The one in there is a placeholder until I get something more appropriate. The sprite is 8 pixels wide by 7 high, in a single color. Right now it's static, so I'd prefer a static sprite. Though if you have a good idea for an animated sprite, go ahead and post it but I can't guarantee that I'll have the space to use it.

 

You will get credit in the instructions and source code if your sprite is used. I hope to select something by Friday (the 25th) so act now, and please post to this thread!

[Dragnerok X]

Here's one that might work.....fairly simple.....not too distracting.

 

Edited August 31, 2006 by Dragnerok X

[ZylonBane]

But... I need a player sprite. The one in there is a placeholder until I get something more appropriate.

And "more appropriate" would be... what? Do you want a little man, a car, an umbrella, fuzzy dice, or a transmolecular dot?

[+batari]

But... I need a player sprite. The one in there is a placeholder until I get something more appropriate.

And "more appropriate" would be... what? Do you want a little man, a car, an umbrella, fuzzy dice, or a transmolecular dot?

I don't know, just not what is there now.

 

The original Maze Craze was supposed to be "cops and robbers" but that doesn't work here. There aren't "cops" roaming about, just a bot that is trying to get out of the maze before you do.

 

So think of this as a game without a theme. So think of a theme, and design a sprite to match the theme.

 

For a theme, maybe you're a pan-dimensional being who commissioned the construction of a giant computer, the Earth, that would provide the question of the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. But at the moment you are pretending to be a laboratory mouse running through a maze so you can covertly conduct an elaborate experiment on humans. But not this, as it doesn't explain why another mouse is running through the maze, and there's that whole plagiarism from Douglas Adams thing...

[s0c7]

Bats negotiating a cave might be a good alternative to mice going through a maze. Still doesn't make much sense, but it would give you something cool for the artwork if you put it on cart.

[+atari2600land]

How about going through a gigantic hedge maze? It's already green and the brown could be dirt so you wouldn't have to change anything.

 

BTW, how about this:

%11100111

%00100100

%00111100

%11111111

%00011000

%00111100

%00011000

Edited August 22, 2006 by atari2600land

[MausBoy]

I like atari2600land's idea.

[+batari]

I like atari2600land's idea.

I agree - I'll go with that theme. I got a PM earlier that suggested that as well. The brown and green are actually left over from my Rally X demo, which used some of the same code. Though instead of a hedge maze, let's say it's a maize maze

 

But I'll add a twist to the theme. The maze is a "crop circle" created by alien invaders for navigation purposes. However, your mothership is having computer problems due to a buggy installation of Windows® E.T., so they can't test the integrity of the maze. So you, Glorb VanTheseus, have volunteered to teleport down to the beginning to run through the maze to see if it is solvable. However, your nemesis, Xlaxx McMinotaur, teleports down at the same time, hoping to finish first and steal your glory.

 

So let's see your best alien

[vdub_bobby]

So let's see your best alien

Here's ten.

 

Two eyes on stalks:

One eye on a stalk:

One big eye on a stalk:

ET!

ET-spinoff:

Giant head, tiny body:

Big head with probiscus, tiny body:

Sta-Puft marshmallow head, tiny body:

Alien head:

Three-legged camel alien:

[+atari2600land]

Here's my version of E.T. I know it's larger than 8x7, I just wanted feedback on him. (Didn't know whether to post it here or on superdosman's E.T. topic in the batari Basic forum.)

And here's my version of an alien that *is* 8x7.

Edited August 24, 2006 by atari2600land

[Retrofan]

A maze needs a mouse:

 

[+batari]

A maze needs a mouse:

 

Y'all are gonna hate me for this, but I thought the mouse sprites were really slick. That's what I used. I didn't get the side shots of the mouse, but the front view worked well since the animation is symmetrical - just hit REFPx.

 

Anyway, here's the bin. I'm gonna submit this soon. Hopefully it will be accepted...

 

EDIT: I don't think I mentioned that this is a Supercharger game. Could someone test the .bin on a real supercharger?

twisty_passages.bin

Edited August 27, 2006 by batari

[jbanes]

"You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike..."

 

"...now go get the cheese!"

 

 

Any chance you could add in the mouse point left or right depending on which direction he's going? I really think it would be a nice addition. Also, you may want to consider smaller mazes for an "easy" mode. (Perhaps set by the difficulty switches.) The maze is currently so large that I ended up getting annoyed and just quit the game.

 

Oh, and any chance you could make the mouse faster? His current speed is okay, but I think it adds to the tedium of crawling through the maze. By upping the movement speed, you could make it a bit more of a white-knuckled race.

Edited August 28, 2006 by jbanes

[+atari2600land]

The maze is currently so large that I ended up getting annoyed and just quit the game.

Me, too. I'd like a smaller maze, also.

[+batari]

"You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike..."

 

"...now go get the cheese!"

 

 

Any chance you could add in the mouse point left or right depending on which direction he's going? I really think it would be a nice addition. Also, you may want to consider smaller mazes for an "easy" mode. (Perhaps set by the difficulty switches.) The maze is currently so large that I ended up getting annoyed and just quit the game.

 

Oh, and any chance you could make the mouse faster? His current speed is okay, but I think it adds to the tedium of crawling through the maze. By upping the movement speed, you could make it a bit more of a white-knuckled race.

Finally someone got the reference...

 

There will be a 6k version too, but this one is for the 4k minigame compo which only goes for a few more days, so I won't be able to make any significant changes. There are around 5 bytes left. As for a faster mouse, better sprites and smaller maze, those will have to wait.

 

However, I agree that the maze is hard. As for making the game easier, I've made a new version where you can select a braided maze (multiple passages to the exit) by flipping the left difficulty switch to "B" before you generate a maze. Putting it on "A" will give you the difficult, perfect maze as before. The braided maze is much easier.

twisty_passages.bin

[+atari2600land]

I didn't know it was possible to make a 6k Atari 2600 game.

[vdub_bobby]

I didn't know it was possible to make a 6k Atari 2600 game.

Supercharger.

 

And, of course, you can put a 6K game in an 8K bankswitched cart.

[jbanes]

Finally someone got the reference...

I'm guessing everyone got the reference, they just didn't feel the need to point it out.

 

However, I agree that the maze is hard. As for making the game easier, I've made a new version where you can select a braided maze (multiple passages to the exit) by flipping the left difficulty switch to "B" before you generate a maze. Putting it on "A" will give you the difficult, perfect maze as before. The braided maze is much easier.

Hmm... I think the braided maze is more like "different" rather than easier. (Although I did get to the end after some perseverance.) Perhaps you should use the select button in the 6K version? i.e. Game variations would differ on maze size, braiding, and possibly speed. The difficulty switches could then be used to handicap you or the computer. Whenever a switch is moved to the 'A' position, it will slow that character down.

 

It's a thought, anyway.

 

I didn't know it was possible to make a 6k Atari 2600 game.

Anything beyond 4K is bank-switching land. Once you start bankswitching, all bets are off. You could have 6K, 8K, 10K, 16K, etc. Pretty much any size you want, as long as only 4K of the data is mapped into the cartridge memory at any given time. The "standard" method of bankswitching is to move the entire window. Which means that an 8K cart would switch between the first 4K and second 4K. However, a 6K cart would likely use a scheme whereby only the top or bottom 2K is switched out. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages.

 

Since you're used to bBASIC, you'll need to upgrade to the latest build (0.99) to obtain bank-switching abilities. Be warned that bankswitching is a pain! But it does allow you to cram a lot more software into the 2600.

[+batari]

Hmm... I think the braided maze is more like "different" rather than easier. (Although I did get to the end after some perseverance.) Perhaps you should use the select button in the 6K version? i.e. Game variations would differ on maze size, braiding, and possibly speed. The difficulty switches could then be used to handicap you or the computer. Whenever a switch is moved to the 'A' position, it will slow that character down.

 

It's a thought, anyway.

The latest build of the 6k does have a selection screen where you can choose whether the maze is braided or not, and also the IQ of the bot. There was no room for such a screen in the 4k, so the smart bot was used and the difficulty for the maze type. I like the idea of the difficulty switches for handicapping - I'll probably do that.

 

Maze size is definitely possible too. Probably 64x64, which is a quarter of the size. I can't see a need to go any smaller than that!

[Atari-Jess]

How about going through a gigantic hedge maze? It's already green and the brown could be dirt so you wouldn't have to change anything.

 

Alice in wonderland anyone?

[Bucket]

Not to burst your bubble, but this really reminds me of Radar Rat Race.

[+batari]

Not to burst your bubble, but this really reminds me of Radar Rat Race.

That's not surprising, as this game shares some code with a Rally X demo I wrote, which is the game that RRR was derived from.