Working on a TRS-80 Color / Dragon game and more!

[erico]

Hello chaps, after quite a while doing games based on the COCO and with the retro push from Matchy, I thought to do a game on the real thing, in BASIC.
Now why is this here? Because if I ever get to pull an "ACTION game for an 8 BIT system in BASIC", and if you are over 35 LOL giggling, it will be a bliss to port it to PC-WIN and extras through GLB, and I will sure do that so the game reaches more people.

Here is one punchy punk;)

[erico]

Finishing the first 2 full players. They will help scope how much content I can do at what performance.
So far the thing is moving along quite good. Here is the punk playing around with a butterfly knife.

[dreamerman]

What is COCO, something like PICO8 or I'm missing something
This meant to be some kind of Double Dragon/Final Fight style of game? Looks very nice in 8 colors ant that retro style, in mentioned games player was able to pick different items/weapons, like knifes and so one, You planning to add something like this? As this may be harder to recognize item with such art style. It feels literally as it could be made with some Basic interpreter on 8-bit machines

[erico]

Yep, it is made with a Basic interpreter native to the TRS-80 Color Computer (Extended Color Basic), an 8-bit 80s machine also known as Dragon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Color_Computer

It is more like Street Fighter, Karateka kind of game. One on one fights over multiple static scenes, about 3 enemies per scene.
Hopefully, I can code it in a way that changing characters and their moves is possible, so you are not going to pick a weapon but you can choose to have that move.

Its visuals are the same from my last GLB game, THE OUTHOUSE, wherein I tried to mimic the semigraphics 4 mode on GLB.

[erico]

Got to share the devlog on VITNO - Vintage is the New Old, a retro site I have been following ever since.
This should help exposing the feat.
https://vintageisthenewold.com/a-trs-80-color-computer-commercial-quality-action-fight-game-in-basic-part-1/

[SnooPI]

   Excellent! 
Erico aka PixelMan!

This game reminds me of another that I saw some time ago : Dot Fighters
But it has too many pixels compared to yours 

Good job Erico! 

[erico]

Nice! Never saw that one, will check it out.

[erico]

Here the final performance and memory tests, I will be able to keep the game at this speed or better, neat!

[erico]

I got part 2 on VITNO today:
https://vintageisthenewold.com/a-trs-80-color-computer-commercial-quality-action-fight-game-in-basic-part-2/

It is still a bit behind the main development blog, but should get together in a few days.

As for the game, I´m battling gameplay. The past 3 weeks could not produce a proper fun deal but a mechanic game.
Today I think I found a solution, or at least a way to go, will try implementing it these next days.

[ampos]

Memories...

I made a Karate game back in 1985 for my beloved Commodore Vic-20

After loading, before running, if you typed "print free(0)" you get the memory left... it says "3 bytes free".

Yeah, I made a Karate game in Basic in a 3583 bytes free computer that left just 3 bytes free of memory.

And it was lost, like tears in the rain...

[bigsofty]

Memories...

I made a Karate game back in 1985 for my beloved Commodore Vic-20

The first game I ever made was a Karate game, it was terrible but I loved making it all the same...

Still vids of it on YT...

 

[erico]

Great old fight games, Big, yours is from 1988?? Gee.
I made a few text ones on the COCO long ago but never finished, always got stuck on performance.

I ended up doing another on AMOS amiga during the early 90s, this one came out okaysh but the emulators can't quite display it correctly.

[bigsofty]

Great old fight games, Big, yours is from 1988?? Gee.

Lol, yeah I was still at school, the process was load up assembler, load up source, edit, compile and write game, save source, reset CPC, run game, crash game (all done via tape)  LOL, I had a lot of fun though.

I ended up doing another on AMOS amiga during the early 90s, this one came out okaysh but the emulators can't quite display it correctly.

This actually looks great IMHO, its fast and fluid, animation has a nice anime look, better AI (street fighter like?) than mine too! 

I still think its one of the harder genres to take on, due to the AI and the amount of character animation involved.

[SnooPI]

Hey! It was really good for the time, well done guys! 

[erico]

...
I still think its one of the harder genres to take on, due to the AI and the amount of character animation involved.

Yep, but what I find the hardest part is the gameplay. I currently have 2characters full of moves and an ok AI, everything structured to create the other guys and the rest of the game... but the game sucks to play, I don't know how to say it but it is not fun but just bashing the joypad. I will want a bit of karateka gameplay, something like you can see the opponent move before and take action if you are fast enough, or something closer to that idea, probably slow things a bit and add more frames, I might also have to work on the walking stance to make it more complex and possibly try to reduce the delay between button/action. Yep very hard bit to solve, a platformer would be so much easier.