Trying a simple Atlantis remake

By rremedio Date 2016-09-07 14:41 Edited 2016-09-14 15:29

Hi there!

Github link
Windows Executables

A bit frustrated for never finishing my games I decided to try something simpler. I have a soft spot for the Atari 2600 and back in the day some of my favorite games were Atlantis and Cosmic Ark so I decided to remake Atlantis just for the sake of doing it. It is a bit trickier than I expected and using Chipmunk was probably overkill but it is almost completed. I just need to add the sound effects and it will be completed as far as remaking the original game goes. I did change a few things to get it closer to my tastes (mainly enemy spacing, spawning system, and point system.

I'm also thinking about adding a second stage. The original game had no way to win (like most Atari 2600 games), but when you died it would show the Cosmic Ark launching and this would link it to the next game in the series: Cosmic Ark. This was neat for that time if you count the hardware limitations (and sequels not being a thing at all back then), but I think having the Ark going to space and fighting some aliens before it starts its journey would be nice.

Once it is finished I will post it at Github. There isn't very much going on in the code but at least it shows some Chipmunk uses that were not covered in the Chipmunk integration tutorial. It is a fun project and maybe I will do it again for other Atari games (my initial idea was to remake Phoenix, another one of my favorites, and Cosmic Arc could use a remake with some changes). For now, I would like to know if you guys have any idea about what the second stage should look like. My initial thought is something in the vein of Space Invaders/Demon Attack to keep the Atari 2600 feeling. What do you think?

EDIT: since I won't be able to work in this game for the next few weeks I decided to commit it to Github. You can check it at HERE. I'm aware of the chaos in the code with some variables being passed here and the for no reason, no logical organization at all of the many parts of the code, and methods (and maybe classes) I don't even call at all. I know I shouldn't, but I always go for getting it working and only worry about getting it working correctly later.

By kjarrigan Date 2016-09-08 13:02

Hi there!

I tried the game unter Ubuntu 14.04 64bit and it works - as far as I can tell. When I finally lost all my buildings the background is flickering like crazy and no Game Over Screen appears. Is this intended?

As far as the code goes I I just have two comments with highly personal preference:
1) You could add a Gemfile with your dependencies. Sure there are just the two (gosu and chipmunk) but at least for me it's the basic instinct that runs bundle install right after cloning an git-Repository ;-)
2) You use tabs to intend the code. I prefer two spaces - it's more readable (for example in the github-Viewer).

Otherwise nice work and I'm kind of jealous, as your first sentence perfectly describes my situation. Started like 10 games but never actually finished as my goals were to ambitious. Currently I'm working on something new. Much simpler this time - wich me luck :-)

By rremedio Date 2016-09-08 19:22

Thank you!

Good catch on the Gemfile, no reason not to add it! Should be done soon.

About tabs. I understand that many people prefer spaces but I can't help myself. It is a very old habit and I actually suffer trying to code without tabs.

The original game ends with the flickering screens, but it has an animation of a spaceship taking off. I will probably add it (and a proper "game over" screen) later, but I'm still thinking about adding the second stage before that.

Good luck with your projects!

By jlnr (dev) Date 2016-09-11 08:04

Not sure about the second stage. But if you add retro: true to every Image.new call, the game will look splendid in full-screen mode ;)

By rremedio Date 2016-09-13 16:34

Thanks! tileable: also helps a lot!