Wizard of Wor

[timdu]

I want to start a new thread about this:

I am serious and passionate about the seeing a WIZARD OF WOR game come to fruition for our beloved Odyssey2 / Videopac.
So much so, it is a personal goal I have set.
I want to learn how to program assembly. I am getting the tools. Now I must to try to learn. Chris is a good coach, and
he is providing examples and pointing me in the right direction.  I also need some free time. If I only did not have to sleep! We'll see what happens.

I have been researching the arcade coin-op version of WIZARD OF WOR and I have a question about porting it:

In level one, there are six blue Burwors (monsters) in the dungeon (maze). If we were to utilize the 2 stock man sprites that
the system has for player 1 and player 2, can the Odyssey2 / Videopac display 6 monsters on the screen and have them each move independently and separately from each other?  Would the number of monsters have to be reduced?

A while back, Chris made a mock up screen:

[Rafael]

I think it can be hard as initial project. I never had played this game back in the days, so first time I tried it was with Bally Astrocade emu and later with Vcs 2600, in fact I don´t liked it to much, I just saw it as a kind of Berzerk clone,  later I tried it on MAME and with a player controled by machine I liked it.

I have been researching the arcade coin-op version of WIZARD OF WOR and I have a question about porting it:

In level one, there are six blue Burwors (monsters) in the dungeon (maze). If we were to utilize the 2 stock man sprites that
the system has for player 1 and player 2, can the Odyssey2 / Videopac display 6 monsters on the screen and have them each move independently and separately from each other?  Would the number of monsters have to be reduced?

One of things I like in classic gaming and make it really beautfull is that port something is a really challenge, you need to find your own way. For instance, in Ody´s Frogger the programmer needed to split the screen in two. Each console had your own versions for an arcade game. Playing Tutankham in Atari, Odyssey and Intv you´ll play 3 diferent games. So for this game you don´t need necessarly put 6 monsters on screen on same time. VCS Kangaroo came to my mind, they removed the Gorilla from conversion but it keep the felling very close to arcade thing. I created something I call multsprites,  actauuly I trying to use it in Mean Santa (dogs), use it in a maze type game, can be much more complex, but here´s attached a project I (just) started years ago, called CyberCop, where you can see the miracle of bread

[Rafael]

Here´s another experience. I think the red guys can be nice monsters for this kind of game.

[timdu]

This is not my initial project. Chris and Rene have helped me with a simple game called ASSES. It is a game about two donkeys.
I don't know if this will be released. It needs more work.

Wizard of Wor is a game that I have always enjoyed. I liked the coin-op arcade machine years and years ago.
I bought the Atari 2600 version in the 1980's and played it for hours. Upgraded to the Atari 8-bit version.

I have always thought WIZARD OF WOR would be a good fitted game for the Odyssey² / Videopac.

So I know it will be difficult. I will have to think beyond... to overcome the obstacles. Must think that there are no limits...
And find ways to work around them and defeat and conquer them!

Reminds me of the powerful Bruce Lee quote about limits:

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them."   - Bruce Lee

[Rafael]

This is not my initial project. Chris and Rene have helped me with a simple game called ASSES. It is a game about two donkeys.
I don't know if this will be released. It needs more work.

Wizard of Wor is a game that I have always enjoyed. I liked the coin-op arcade machine years and years ago.
I bought the Atari 2600 version in the 1980's and played it for hours. Upgraded to the Atari 8-bit version.

I have always thought WIZARD OF WOR would be a good fitted game for the Odyssey² / Videopac.

So I know it will be difficult. I will have to think beyond... to overcome the obstacles. Must think that there are no limits...
And find ways to work around them and defeat and conquer them!

Great! Tell us about ASSES. that´s really good news!

Reminds me of the powerful Bruce Lee quote about limits:

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them."   - Bruce Lee

[timdu]

Here are my notes on the design for an idea I came up with for a game called ASSES ( an American name for donkeys )

2 donkeys roam the maze  ( player 1 and player 2)

scattered in random parts of the maze are 10 various items to eat /
drink: hay bushel (beige lines),
apple (red),  grass (green lines), and a water bowl (blue circle)

The goal of the game is to walk your donkey around the maze and eat / drink
as many items before the other donkey does. 1 point awarded for each
item consumed.

So if there are 10 items on the screen, which ever donkey eats the most
items wins that screen. Then, it goes on to the next screen. There could be a
timer countdown in the game ( maybe 4 minutes). Players try to clear as
many screens as possible in the 4 minute time frame.
Winner of the game is the donkey (or "ass") with the most points.

I am not sure how this could be worked in but a "bad guy" donkey could walk
in at random times and if you make contact with him, you are out of the game.
The bad guy donkey could be called "The Cranky Old Ass"

-----
Here is a screen shot of the progress. And the binary ROM too... in this version, you can move your donkey around and collect a bushel of hay.

Still a lot of work to do.

That is all for now.

[Rafael]

Thanks Tim. I was thinking about other asses
Seems very fun for 2 players and I´m glad you also coding.
I wish you can continue coding and givin great games to comunity, time to check it! :

[timdu]

Chris made a game called BOOBS with had nothing to do with what you are probably thinking about...
It was a game about an alien named BOOBS. That inspired me to make a game about donkeys...
The games and their titles are sort of a "play on words"

As for the programming of ASSES, I have to give a big, big, big credit to Chris and Rene. Both of these guys
did most of it. They are great, and willing to help!  Now I have to continue with it, study the code,
expand on it, and see what happens. I am also studying other examples of code to gain understanding.

The goal is to learn from ASSES and the other examples, and then use that knowledge in creating a game
such as WIZARD of WOR.

[Rafael]

Chris made a game called BOOBS with had nothing to do with what you are probably thinking about...
It was a game about an alien named BOOBS. That inspired me to make a game about donkeys...
The games and their titles are sort of a "play on words"

As for the programming of ASSES, I have to give a big, big, big credit to Chris and Rene. Both of these guys
did most of it. They are great, and willing to help!  Now I have to continue with it, study the code,
expand on it, and see what happens. I am also studying other examples of code to gain understanding.

The goal is to learn from ASSES and the other examples, and then use that knowledge in creating a game
such as WIZARD of WOR.

I wish you good luck, Tim!
and BTW Chris and Rene are always working for Ody I´m not surprised you receveid some help from them!