[Spraydough]

Download available HERE

So, here is the other little project I'm working on whilst tinkering with Action Biker.

Gatecrasher is a remake of the BBC Micro game of the same name.

The aim is to get your barrels to the traps in the bottom of the screen by dropping them through a series of gates which determin the direction the barrel will roll. Once a gate has been used it will automatically change to point in the opposite direction.

The screen can be moved up and down to change the location of the gates (it wraps around).

Don't expect the greatest graphics in the world with this one, it's a coding excercise, not a work of art.

The aim is to get it done in 24 hours (not concurrent) and I've so far used about 9.

No build as yet, but a screeny to remind those who might have played it what it looks like.

[caffeinekid]

This is a game I considered as a one-switch remake. It should be pretty easy to control with one button.

Good to see you cooking something else up mate along with your Action Biker.

[Spraydough]

Yus, there will, I'm sure, be a one switch option in the end product which will be an absolute breeze to inplement.

Yeah, this has helped a lot with the Action biker dev, it cleared my mind thinking about this even before putting any code down but the first couple of hours were done before any more work on AB which allowed me to rethink a couple of issues I was having with it.

[Spraydough]

Okie, here's a little update. The graphics have been completely overhauled to be much closer to the original (well, the Speccy) version.

The gate logic and barrel movement is in, the game plays but there is only the first level in at the moment, most levels will be randomly generated but I still need to work out HOW random they need to be. There were different difficulties for odd and even levels in the original.

I need to code in the level ending info and also a barrel destroying routine.

Still need to code the 'earthquake', though this will be a very simple task.

Then I can work on the little things, a menu system, scoring, game over screens, redefineable keys, a one switch system.

Oh, and audio.

I'm about 12 hours in in total of 24 non-consecutive hours estimated dev time. Don't know if I'll do it or not, only time will tell.

This is a screen shot from the original...



And here's how the remake is shaping up...


Right, back to work then...

[sparkes]

Okie, here's a little update. The graphics have been completely overhauled to be much closer to the original (well, the Speccy) version.

Looking great, I don't think I've ever played the original so I'll be giving that a go soon as well as it looks really cool.

[caffeinekid]

Do you know those mazes in puzzle magazines where you have to draw a line to escape?

Well this game is a bit like that but more so, and you have to do it more than once and the maze is changing each time you have a go.

[Spraydough]

Well.... Perhaps it's been a little over 24 hours.....

But there should be absolutly no reason why Gatecrasher shouldn't be finished before the end of the week (don't quote me)

I'm currently spending most of my time either in Manchester or between Ripon and Manchester so coding time has been at a premium, but things are settling down and I had a massive breakthrough over the weekend with a major PITA algo that I have been struggling with for about a month now.

It's just the Win / Lose screens and some small tweaks to go, unless I decide (which I might) to put in the numbersorting levels, but that should be a sinch to implement anyway.

I'm very excited, this is the first thing I'll have actually completed since SIM......

[Spraydough]

Okie kokey then, I finished coding the game last night, it's with a couple of people for some testing and I'll hopefully release it this evening / tomorrow.

For now though, some screenies...

A title screen....



And an ingame image....

[Tam Toucan]

Well done! Must be good to get something finished. Here's to the next one, two, three...

[Spraydough]

Yep, it's here....

Gatecrasher, the PC port of a Speccy port of a BBC game that I fist played, oooooh, way back when.......

It's not a straight clone, it ought be said right here and now.

In the original game there were some levels that required you to sort out some numbers into order by dropping barrels in the right funnels. This does NOT appear in this remake. Why? because, in my opinion, it was a pointless part of the game.

You also don't need to get a certain amount of points to play the final level.

Like the original, there are 8 randomly generated mazes to conquer, the mazes are all possible, trust me on this, it took me bloody ages to work that bit out.

There is also a trainer level that really doesn't take a lot of working out, you just need to remember to use the earthquakes effectively.

This game is the kick up the bum I needed when I decided to shelve Action Biker. I've enjoyed doing it so much more than I thought I would and, after a short break, I will get back on the Biker, as I said I would.

The move after that is currently to port Gatecrasher to the DS.

So, there you have it. Gatecrasher. And, as they say, here you have it.....

Edit: Changed the Zip to a Rar file, having major issues with the zip, odd.......

I'll bob a zipped file up when I can get one working!

[Spraydough]

Zip file changed to Rar - Sorry about the dodgy Zip.....

http://retroremakes.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=934.0;attach=1129

[caffeinekid]

Cheers. Have grabbed it to have a try later.

[Scottige]

That's a cool wee game mate .

Simple yet addictive!

It had the "I'm not turning this off 'till I've passed the fecking level" hook in me so for me at least, it's got that factor!

[Spraydough]

Cheers fella.

It's good to get something finished again

[Tam Toucan]

GAH! I had how stupid this game makes me look!

Nice work (not the making me look stupid)

[Spraydough]

Cheers. Have grabbed it to have a try later.

Oh, by the way Caff, I did try putting the brick texture back in again but it looked terrible, the screen res has changed since that initial screen shot and the floors are now 2 tile deep, not 1 (like the original). It really did look gash.

GAH! I had how stupid this game makes me look!

Bwahahahahahahaha... Possibly.

Cheers Tam

[caffeinekid]

Yeah Tam the game makes me look dumb too, you are not alone.

I keep imagining Mario/Jumpman in the game running around flipping the see-saws over and jumping the barrels. LOL