Overflow: Pipemania Clone

[BippyM]

Guys,

I started programming a pipemania clone in Amos in 1995. Anyway I recently started looking into getting back into it as this is a project I never finished.

I have started a bit of coding (Currently, nothing much whatsoever) but I am planning to work on this as and when I can.

Attached are links to some of the GFX we did in 1995, The original gfx artist isn't interested in resuming here, as we lost touch and attempts to get him back involved have failed.

If anyone is interested in helping out with gfx, sfx, music and suggestions, idea's etc please let me know.

Originally this was planned to be a basic 1:1 clone, but there is opportunity to improve massively on the original.

[BippyM]

I am going to use this post to track what I have done/am planning to add

Done

• Title Screen code implemented
• Credits implemented
• Main menu loads
• Pieces currently 24x24 pixels
• Game grid of 8x12 (96 squares) or 13x9 (121 squares). Undecided which to go with

To do

• The game

Ideas and suggestions (Please post in the thread and I'll update this)

• Various game modes, timed, 2 player vs, co-op, hardcore
• Levels bigger than the display that scroll
• Split screen 2 player
• Splitter pipes in later levels with 2/3 exits
• Pre-determined levels and maps
• Randomly generated levels for that extra "fun" factor
• Scoring options
• Redo some/all gfx.
• Have pieces that take up more than one square (2x2)
• Remove criterion logo's and create a new one

Gfx, Sfx and Music suggestions

s2325 : music suggestions

• black nigger by Sine: http://amp.dascene.net/downmod.php?index=30562
• vision.opt by Dolphin: http://amp.dascene.net/downmod.php?index=20463

[Predseda]

I would be happy to help, unfortunatelly I will have a lot of work with Remainder

[s2325]

music suggestions:
black nigger by Sine: http://amp.dascene.net/downmod.php?index=30562
vision.opt by Dolphin: http://amp.dascene.net/downmod.php?index=20463

[BippyM]

Predseda,

Thanks for the offer, and I understand how busy you are. If I get this finished I might see if Remainder want to release it. The original "name" I chose back in 1995 was Criterion Software (yes seriously). Oh the irony!

[BippyM]

Okay I have updated some of the gfx and have the intro screens running (no sound/music currently).

Next to implement the main menu, and then start the actual game

[BippyM]

Slightly updated the game screen. This will have 2 coplists. I will make further improvements at a later date.

I now need to get down to programming this

[Predseda]

Imho the main graphics looks really good!

[BippyM]

Thanks,

The pipes look good I think, they just need some tweaking. The background on the other hand leaves a bit to be desired.

[roberthazelby]

I've given you a plug in today's blog post.

http://amigagamer.blogspot.co.uk/201...nia-clone.html

No pressure

[BippyM]

Thinks mate, that's great stuff.

[BippyM]

Increased the number of frames per piece of pipe from 12 to approximately 42.

This is to allow smoother animation. To speed the flow up I'll simply skip animation frames.

(Would this be the best way to accomplish this?)

[BippyM]

Well I have figured out how to save more chipram, and have less sprites. Pretty obvious really

Anyway attached is a shot of some of the new sprites. Naturally I need a LOT less than this!!

There are two attachments. The first one shows the number of sprites I originally went with. The second shows how many I actually need (I still have a few to do and more pieces to design!)

Please give me feedback people!

[Lord Riton]

But if you go with only the 2nd attachment sprites, you won't be able to draw the "liquid" inside the pipes.

You will at least need a full set of full(yellow) pipes. And you don't have enough gray(empty) pipes to draw all corners and connexions either, but that's probably the sprites you said were still missing.

[SyX]

Originally Posted by bippym

Slightly updated the game screen. This will have 2 coplists. I will make further improvements at a later date.

I now need to get down to programming this

I like a lot how clean looks the game screen in this new picture

With respect to ideas or suggestions, i think that you should take a look to Pipemania for iphone or ds for inspiration how they upgraded the basic idea

[BippyM]

Originally Posted by Lord Riton

But if you go with only the 2nd attachment sprites, you won't be able to draw the "liquid" inside the pipes.

You will at least need a full set of full(yellow) pipes. And you don't have enough gray(empty) pipes to draw all corners and connexions either, but that's probably the sprites you said were still missing.

The second one is to show how I would save chipram over the first

[Retro-Nerd]

So, you finally found your lost Amiga mojo. Looks really nice, bippy.

[BippyM]

Yeah got the mojo back lol.

I have now figured out the animation process and seem to have that working separately. Next to get the player(s) cursors moving smoothly, and quickly across the game board and with the "next" piece to plant in it.

I have also optimized the palette and removed unused colours. This gives me around 12 spare colours so I think I can do a bit more with the game board.

Time to start thinking about the actual data collection and formats required to identify puzzle piece underneath the cursor, or next for the flow direction etc.

I also think I can run this at 50fps and just check every other frame.. Hmmm shall see

[BippyM]

Guys,

I'm currently arranging the sprite sheet to convert into the correct format for the game. Attached are all the possible pipe pieces for player 1.

Can anyone think of any other pipe shapes that could be utilized? I am specifically looking for more pieces for later in the game etc.

Cheers

[BippyM]

Some boring info for the sprites:

Currently there are 72 sprites, not including the toilet and end pipes I still need to add.

Each pipe has approximately 44 frames of animation. That's approximately 390+ possible frames of animation (although there wont be more than a few redraws happening per frame!)

The animation frames take up 26kb of space, but this will increase when I add the final frames and any other potential pipe pieces/shapes.