Games we want to see

16KVIC20 · Post by **16KVIC20** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 11:36 am

I still think a VIC 20 version of Bloxorz (aka W*H*B* on ZX Spectrum) would be pretty cool. I don't think there's anything like it for the VIC.

Surely a 16K version could do it justice? Not that I have even a clue how to write it.

16KVIC20 · Post by **16KVIC20** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 11:58 am

Is a VIC 20 port of Summer Games/Winter games possible with 16K?

Nothing really like that for the VIC either.

For me the most interesting thing is to see games that never made it to the VIC as it had been discontinued by then.

tokra · Post by **tokra** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 1:33 pm

Well there are rip-offs from Germany of Winter Games and Summer Games for the C16 and that one doesn't have sprites as well, so technically it might be a challenge but I won't say it's impossible.

You can find at least a graphically pleasing of the Biathlon-event for the VIC-20 which was issued as a type-in.

Spectrum · Post by **Spectrum** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:08 am

Mayhem wrote:There are a couple of Pooyan clones on the Vic20, "Outback" springs to mind.

OH MY! I remember Outback!!! I played with it when I was a boy! I played it a lot!
Oh, what sweet memories you recalled to me!!!

Spectrum · Post by **Spectrum** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:15 am

16KVIC20 wrote:I still think a VIC 20 version of Bloxorz (aka W*H*B* on ZX Spectrum) would be pretty cool. I don't think there's anything like it for the VIC.

Surely a 16K version could do it justice? Not that I have even a clue how to write it.

The Speccy was my second home computer. I was trying to remember to this game you're talking about: W*H*B*... but I could not. "How's possible?" I thought "...if it is a game well known even among Vic fellows, it surely was a famous game! Why I have no memories of it?"

Looking on World of Spectrum I discovered it's quite a new game, released in 2009! That's why!!!
I know, this is just a silly comment...

PhilRanger · Post by **PhilRanger** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 4:58 am

I'm still waiting to see something in this thread that isn't a copy of an existing one and seems playable and simple enough for my next programming task...

Spectrum · Post by **Spectrum** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 6:04 am

PhilRanger wrote:I'm still waiting to see something in this thread that isn't a copy of an existing one and seems playable and simple enough for my next programming task...

Oh, I see. So you're looking for a new game-concept, aren't you?

PhilRanger · Post by **PhilRanger** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 6:15 am

Yep. And I swear I'll develop it for the VIC and share for free here, not resell it or steal it!

16KVIC20 · Post by **16KVIC20** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:23 am

tokra wrote:Well there are rip-offs from Germany of Winter Games and Summer Games for the C16 and that one doesn't have sprites as well, so technically it might be a challenge but I won't say it's impossible.

You can find at least a graphically pleasing of the Biathlon-event for the VIC-20 which was issued as a type-in.

Thanks for that link, I remember seeing that before. Now I have discovered WinTZX, I'll have a go at those!

16KVIC20 · Post by **16KVIC20** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:25 am

Spectrum wrote:
16KVIC20 wrote:I still think a VIC 20 version of Bloxorz (aka W*H*B* on ZX Spectrum) would be pretty cool. I don't think there's anything like it for the VIC.

Surely a 16K version could do it justice? Not that I have even a clue how to write it.
The Speccy was my second home computer. I was trying to remember to this game you're talking about: W*H*B*... but I could not. "How's possible?" I thought "...if it is a game well known even among Vic fellows, it surely was a famous game! Why I have no memories of it?"

Looking on World of Spectrum I discovered it's quite a new game, released in 2009! That's why!!!
I know, this is just a silly comment...

W*H*B* is indeed a new game, published by Chronosoft, but also available for download from the author's website. It's a great game IMO, would love a VIC version.

You can play the spectrum version here:

http://www.zxspectrum.net/

Just scroll down to 2009, and select W.H.B.

16KVIC20 · Post by **16KVIC20** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:29 am

PhilRanger wrote:I'm still waiting to see something in this thread that isn't a copy of an existing one and seems playable and simple enough for my next programming task...

I see what you mean, but original ideas are quite hard to come by. Is it such a bad thing to write a game for the VIC that there is no previous version of?

If you want ideas for a new game I have one. It is a top down game where you control a car driving along a seafront, which is two lanes, seperated by a central reservation. Your job is to find a parking space, and get into it, all of this with dodging the bikes, pedestrians, hotdog stands etc. I had the idea when I was on holiday in France, perhaps it's rubbish, but I thought there could be something in there. I do think maybe the C64 or Spectrum may be better platforms though.

PhilRanger · Post by **PhilRanger** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:22 pm

16KVIC20 wrote:Is it such a bad thing to write a game for the VIC that there is no previous version of?

People usually always compare it way too much to the original, and to do a proper job you need the original to give a proper feel, which usually can't be achieved because of resolution differences, smmothness of joystick, etc. And I'd be much prouder of a medium original than of a good rip-off

rhurst · Post by **rhurst** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 6:43 am

I agree an "original" game to claim as your own is far more enjoyable -- to its author -- than redux work on a clone, or worse, taking code from somewhere else and doing a straight port translation.

But on this old platform with a very small active user community, it will be hard to get any "popularity" or "same love" out of it. Hey, I like writing and playing games, but if I am going to do VIC 20 work, it's more of a motivator if I think it might attract at least a few dozen people; else, I probably will not even bother.

Look at these last comments on this thread... I think it expresses an accurate sentiment. I wrote my largest and greatest space-shooter game, as a sequel to Omega Race, and it is an original game (not a clone), but yet it attracted so few users. But my clones in Quikman and Berzerk had outrageous attention and reviews, followed by some noticeable interest with Sprite Invaders and Break-Out!, but "crickets" for Omega Fury.

As I say in the thread, that's okay. I got to complete what I always thought I could do, and I had a blast doing it.

16KVIC20 · Post by **16KVIC20** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 10:06 am

Much as I like shooters/space shooters, and as great as Omega Fury is (and I really mean that), I think the VIC 20 has plenty of shooters. It would be nice to see a genre that it is not known for or is under represented in.

I don't think all the fun of a game is just in the music or the graphics.

I was impressed to see the VIC version of Tetris, one day I will get it on tape so that I can play it on my real VIC and on a real TV so the pieces aren't stretched on my PC monitor! VICColumns is also good.

That Biathlon game tokra mentioned looks like a really good VIC rendition of that part of Winter Games.

Now that MOST people who like the VIC can use an emulator, and probably have expansion memory, would it be a bad idea to have a new "standard" which is 16K games? I think traditionally there seems to have been a notion that if you write for UXP then you include everybody, which is very noble, but I'm not sure it matters now.

I had always written the C16 off as being an also ran, but seeing the software library on the C16 website, and some of the screen shots then they got quite a bit out of the C16. Now a 16K expanded VIC has almost 20K, surely we can rewrite the balance, and make some games that teh C16 could never have managed?

So in short, I like new games, ie new ideas, but in the absence of them then I reckon its best to concentrate on game types the VIC never had; but I am only one person, and no programmer at that.

I would like to be able to program, machine code preferably, but it seems like such a mountain to climb.

Vic20-Ian · Post by **Vic20-Ian** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 10:28 am

Try the frontpage link to Jeff's games, many have unique gameplay and extract a massive amount of playability in 3.5k in basic.

http://sleepingelephant.com/denial/games/

e.g. try TenTen