What I'm doing right now. (Manic Maker)

[spacefractal]

Yes I'm have not done a lots of coding on either languages at all. That mean it's has been a while I'm have Updated ios and android versions. I'm not even plan to start a new code project at all..

What I'm doing now is testing a game named Manic Maker, which release before Xmas (a free for fun project). Manic Maker is a game editor based on various retro games like Manic Miner (Spectrum, c64, ds lost levels and Sam Coupé is all covered), Blagger (c64), Chuicke Egg (Spectrum),  Mr Robot (c64), Sir Lancelot (Spectrum) and few other games as well. It's also soon sneak a Vic 20 game in as well.

Yes even our own Manic Miner - The lost levels (I'm did music for), is also covers all original 20 levels.

Here is how it's look:
http://flashbangstudio.uk

Also I'm loved that credits screen Micheal Ware only did for me and feedback it's was priceless. I'm allways loved that game it based in.

Ps. It's a unity game, hence Here.

[spacefractal]

here is two of the levels. That blagger levels is quite annoying to get right and need some help from the programmer, which allready have did the level once on the Nintendo DS. Blagger was a nice Manic Miner akin game.

[mentalthink]

Nice, I remind when I saw this game in a Sinclair.
About the art , remind me to C64.

When you put some video about the development, please comment, I'm sure a lot of people of retroforum will like your work.

[spacefractal]

both picture is taken from C64 version (upper was Blagger, buttom was c64 version of Manic Miner).

Yes, there is a video from the game from http://www.greatflash.co.uk, howover the video is from last year (yes Mario bros was even sneaked in, but will not been a part of the game). The engine is today allready very nice now.

The lastest engine to the editor is the Vic 20 game named, The Perils of Willy. Here the original game is quite buggy and even some bugs, which was abused by design and is now recently simulated those bugs (but can been disabled for user levels as its should). Its is howover more playable in this version and no sign of flickers.

Chicken Egg is now got more of the original Spectrum sound back in, which is nice. Im also did some levels for that engine as well for fun.

Also.... you can do hd graphics of levels with your own graphics. Lobo did some of those kind of levels. When im get a video, im will post it. So its here im using some of my time recently.

PS. And yes, a port of Manic Miner - The Lost Levels (Nintendo DS) is coming to Windows in this way. WillyWood might follow suit.

[Ian Price]

Cool

Just had a look at the site and I love the Bounty Bob Strikes Back inspired bird credit screen. I always though that was really cool.

Coincidentally I'm working on a Manic Miner text adventure right now for the RetroRemakes mini-comp.

So any idea when this is likely to be available?

[spacefractal]

Micheal have wrote  before Christmas. It's should definitely possible with the engines that is included. Today we did sprite init bug fixed in the Blagger engine. Now require a little refix on all blagger levels.

The Bounty Bob screen was a release, just for me. And I'm liked it. I'm named that game somewhere back, so he took some fun out of that. I'm do not think that game is hard to put in this engine. We have a similar game already.

But this project was just started to show those possible in Unity and 2d, but expanded much more now.

Good luck with your text adventure. You can take a look intro Manic Miner The Lost Level, which have a story on the bottom screen.....

[erico]

That is nice retro project Space! But I think I did not understand it in full.
Is is a set of old games updated to modern platforms + a level editor capable of pulling out full game variations? (like GACK)

[spacefractal]

It's named Manic Maker. So it's a game is with a level editor with various game engines to been chosen from. The Manic Miner DS version is most complex. But it's also covered various ports of the original Manic Miner games.

It's could also been compared to gack really yes, but focus on Manic Miner type platform games and some of its variations. Even bugs in some engines is simulated, but with no color clash and flickers. New engines is quite easy to add.

Flash hoping create a new video soon about the project.

We don't have plan to release it as a paid commercial game, but more just for fun project. It's a Unity game.

[erico]

I get it now, well, keep us informed.
Retro things are always awesome.

Are you going to be able to keep the pixels in unite? Or are we going to see rotated pixels?
I will wait for the video.

[spacefractal]

no rotated pixels. Manic Miner did not have rotated sprites (also actors as its called in the engine).

The engines would been pretty much spot on the original games. We recently added Perils of Willy. That game had some weird bugs in the original, which was abused by design. So those bugs is also simulated to in the engine, but can been disabled throught.

Perils of Willy is such a game which diddent use 1x1 pixels, due Vic 20 nature, so its have been stretched a bit, so its would look more to the original.

[erico]

I see, what I meant was, are you running the exact original resolution in a way that when things move, they do so on the pixel level of the original resolution? Or are you working a higher resolution but the art is pixelated?
Nothing wrong either way, I´m just curious about it.

[MrPlow]

OOOOooooh! Niiiiiiice!

Like the sound of it - great project!! When you have it ready I know a couple of guys that will announce to retro fans for you.

Love that Color TV Pallette BTW! Looks super!

[spacefractal]

Seen im got misse the two posts.

sprites is using smooth movements, not per pixel as the original resolution. They moving using by using .25 subpixel. That means graphics is scaled up by 4x from the original. The game engines howover would been pretty much spot on with the original game with the engines used. That also means HD graphics is also possible, which is done for some levels by Lobo (they look excellent). New graphics is possible for all engines.

All games will been done to 50 fps. but games that use Spectrum preshifting for sprites is also simulated for most cases.

There is of course some differents from various enginges (etc Sam Coupe is a excellent version, which is faster and cool music etc). We also have your own engine, which is the Nintendo DS version. Complete with all animations that happens in the original. Its a spot on ports and nice to play it in windows. The only missing is howover the story yet.

Also gameplay is a bit faster in this version for Perils of Willy, since the original was.... quite slow. but all its bugs is simulated (some was also abused by design).

A release should been pretty much before xmas. But the game is allready quite very very solid.

Orignal idae as Micheal Ware was wanted to show me and Few other how codning would works in Unity, which now turns to a bigger projects. But we dont have plans to sell its. Its all for fun. fun is also behind the project.

[MrPlow]

I think you could sell on Steam Direct and get buys from Retro Fans...You could always giveaway later too if you want.

[spacefractal]

we cant because we need to get rights from the various devs first from the original developers, or its would been against Steam TOS (all graphics is grabbed from those old games, some original levels does use own graphics, mostly those by Lobo). So we dont do plans to release it to Steam at all. This project was not created with money in mind, but fun in mind and fun to design levels in mind.

So we dont have plans to release it to steam at all. But we might release it to itch.io instead or such indie game site.

But a possible new steam game could have been Manic Miner - The Lost Levels really. All graphics and music works is done by us self here. Here the levels was collected from various Manic Miner games and was originally released to Nintendo DS (which required a "piracy" card to play it, here fully legal).

The port is awesome with all animations keeps from that version....