Amiga Game Development Contest

[mcgeezer]

Originally Posted by Shatterhand

I am really surprised how 512kb are filled very quickly indeed. I load all assets of Roadtrip in the beginning, the game has just a few graphics, sfx and one song playing, and it doesn't fit on 512 kb. I know Double buffer takes a big hunk of memory, and the way I did scroll there wasn't very easy on memory (but it can reach a very fast speed because of this ), but still you'd think 512kb could handle a little bit more of stuff... but it cant

I think its amazing there were games that even worked with just 256kb.

If a game is system friendly then on a stock A500 OCS with 512kb chip then you only really have around 280Kb to work with. If you're taking over the system though and using a track loader then you have pretty much all memory available but the trade off is you lose the OS.

For this reason I think it's fair that the target platform would be a 1mb machine as the Amiga user base now seems to expect new productions to be OS friendly.

I think any competition we can muster would be great for the Amiga if it produces some games, I get frustrated about people banging on about the 8-bit scene all the time citing it's easier to develop on and it takes less time etc.

I released the source to my game in the hope that it inspires just one person to have a crack at making a game (in assembler as it was done for commercial titles back in the day). I self taught by looking and tinkering with others source code and an Action Replay, the resources we have today makes coding on the Amiga faster and easier than ever before.

This said, I'm not a fan of higher level languages on the Amiga for reasons they just consume obscene amounts of resources to run.

Still - I'd love to see a competition though as it would likely focus me to do something original for a game sooner than later.

Geezer

[phx]

Originally Posted by LongLifeA1200

I wouldn't say "no one". Besides, money isn't the primary motivator.

Exactly. Don't start an Amiga game, if you expect money or acknowledgement! Do it for yourself. Have fun. And maybe a few others have it too.

Originally Posted by mcgeezer

as the Amiga user base now seems to expect new productions to be OS friendly.

Really?

IMHO, when a game targets A500, there is no reason not to take over the system and use all its resources to the last byte. What advantage would an OS-friendly game offer? To launch it under OS4 or MorphOS, or an RTG-Workbench? Why?

I would have hoped that most people either load the ADF into UAE, or have a real classic Amiga standing around, which boots the game nicely from disk (preferred - for most authentic experience).

I released the source to my game in the hope that it inspires just one person to have a crack at making a game

That's the spirit!

[alpine9000]

Originally Posted by phx

Really?

IMHO, when a game targets A500, there is no reason not to take over the system and use all its resources to the last byte. What advantage would an OS-friendly game offer? To launch it under OS4 or MorphOS, or an RTG-Workbench? Why?

I would have hoped that most people either load the ADF into UAE, or have a real classic Amiga standing around, which boots the game nicely from disk (preferred - for most authentic experience).

My upcoming game has both versions. Trackloaded OS takeover and OS “friendly” version for running from workbench.

Unlike my previous games the OS friendly version actually leaves the OS running behind it which is actually quite handy for things like loading and saving to HD. Also makes it more tolerant to things like network stacks being left running.

But yeah, trackloaded ADF is the best way for low spec machines ;-)

[mcgeezer]

Originally Posted by phx

Really?

When I say OS friendly I mean capable of running from and restoring back to the work bench, generally from hard drive.

While the game is running i completely agree the system should be took over.

[Shatterhand]

I agree money isn't the primary motivator, but it does help No one will get rich doing Amiga games, but getting some money to help paying some bills or just keep your amiga working/buy new hardware would be great.

[Thorham]

Originally Posted by phx

What advantage would an OS-friendly game offer?

Try meynaf's Dungeon Master port on a 68030 and you'll understand the advantage.

[Galahad/FLT]

Originally Posted by Thorham

Try meynaf's Dungeon Master port on a 68030 and you'll understand the advantage.

Just not on a base 68000

[Retro1234]

Who was it who disassembled Giana Sisters? This is now Dos friendly isn't it?

[Lorfarius]

Now I've spent so much time with the Amiga library and especially when it comes to prepping Amiga related news each week for AMIGArama... I think the topic title is way off. There's loads of homebrew stuff and very impressive from what I've seen. The likes of Scourge of the Underkind or Doom 2 on the CD32 immediately come to mind.

[NeoHippie2016]

I don't know where to post this. Exists an amiga Version of Elite 3? http://amigaflame.com/amielite.htm yes, i know, the old post is from AM... But who knows? I am also searching for the prototype(?) of Monkey Island CDTV... *dreaming*

[swinkamor12]

Originally Posted by phx

Exactly. Don't start an Amiga game, if you expect money or acknowledgement! Do it for yourself. Have fun. And maybe a few others have it too.

It takes too much time to make an old style amige game.
The Amiga community must find a way to finance something like that.

[Tigerskunk]

Just some games that are in production or will even release soon:

Reshoot R
Barbarian+
Worthy
Scourge of the underkind (stealthy ninja add/edit )
Bomb Jack Beer Edition
Heroes of Gorluth
Green Beret
Bridge Strike
Rygar (Demo)
Powerglove
Inviyya

And PHXs super secret new game that I am sure will blow our socks off...

Not that bad at all...

[robinsonb5]

Originally Posted by Lorfarius

I think the topic title is way off. There's loads of homebrew stuff and very impressive from what I've seen. The likes of Scourge of the Underkind or Doom 2 on the CD32 immediately come to mind.

I have to agree that the scene's looking great right now. But the thread was started three years ago, and I think the thread's title was more accurate back then than it is now!

[brett71]

If there were a competition for writing new Amiga games, I agree that one of the requirements should be OCS/ECS, 512kb chip, 512kb fast to keep things at a lowest-common-denominator position.

However, I would really also like to see what kind of original games some people could come up with if the gloves were taken off, i.e. the scenario of a relatively high-end Amiga. For example, a souped up A4000 with an 040 or 060, 32+ MB of fast memory, AGA or RTG-supported graphics, maybe even network support... Just to see how far the platform, even with a certain level of enhancement, could be pushed and what could be created. Or better still, see if the miracle workers in the current Amiga game development scene could create something that would've rivalled the PC games of the mid- to late 90's or beyond...

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by brett71

For example, a souped up A4000 with an 040 or 060, 32+ MB of fast memory, AGA or RTG-supported graphics, maybe even network support...

As someone interested in making games, what would be the point in making a game that targets the minority of users? If you make a game that runs on modest, well available hardware (say plain A1200), it will also run on newer stuff if done well (or fixed by WHDLoad patchers).

Also, it is often said (read the whole thread) that the main problem with this "scene" is motivation, because the Amiga is a harder to work with machine, because you have more colors, more graphics, more things to do, to get a game off the ground and working. By expanding the "capabilities" of the machine using things like what you mentioned, you just increase the difficulty of developing exponentially, especially for the uninitiated (which are the ones who right now you want to get into the platform to enlarge it). And in the end only the select few who might own that hardware you just described will be able to play it. And that doesn't seem very motivational. When you make a game, you want the biggest number of people playing it, if possible.

Even if it isn't for the "money", there needs to be some kind of retribution after working on a game for a long time, and this usually comes from people playing it. That in turn will motivate you to keep making more, and that's how you grow a homebrew scene.

[Tigerskunk]

Akira is right "on the money" here...

Maxing out an unexpanded AGA 1200 is no easy task for a one to three guys (code/gfx/msx) dev team already. That's why I will stay with OCS for the foreseeable future..

Going into 68040/RTG Territory you can basically already just run SDL-Games, so what's the fun in there?

[Gorf]

Amiga software was always "homebrew". In the past even more than today.

So the title is a bit misleading, because the "homebrew"-scene is usually something you would find on formal closed consoles, where you could not distill software at home in the past.
This was newer an issue on Amiga.

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by Gorf

This was newer an issue on Amiga.

Yet it is today for all the aforementioned reasons, otherwise, we'd be overflowed with releases.

[OmegaMax]

The amiga hardware is difficult to understand at first,that alone can discourage new coders.It's gets much,much easier "a few months of coding on it" but most won't stick around that long.I'm not touching the amiga1200,I'm not a pixel artist and the amiga's 32/64 color display is way more than enough for me.

[Gorf]

Amiga was "King of the Homebrewing-Scene" in times of Fred Fish.
But also most games ever released would now qualify as "homebrew", if you look on the how they were made..