WIP: Jumping Cube

[MADrigal]

As for the sprites, there are different size balls in the arcade version... the purple ball where the snake hatches from is the biggest one, the red balls are medium, and the green ball is the smallest one.

This is interesting

By the way, in my opinion you should decide by now if you want a full Q*Bert graphics, or a "rip off" with changed graphics in the CreatiVision style.

In case two, I think I could design a spaceman as main character (I would use 2 colours for the suit), and several monochrome "aliens" as enemies. No need to use "balls" or "snake eggs", I think I would simply add alien faces, coils, small cubes or pyramids, etc.

Carlsson: do you want animated sprites (2-3 frames), or do you want 1-frame enemies?

[pongman]

why not call it "Nose Jumper".

[MADrigal]

why not call it "Nose Jumper".

Because the main character won't have any big nose

Jumping Cube is inspired by senseless titles like "Police Jump" and "Sonic Invader".

[carlsson]

Not sure how advanced sprite animations I want. The idea of a spaceman probably would work. Another idea is to make it a harvest game:

Mr Farmer has grown his crop as cubes in a pyramid. Each cube has a green layer, which turns dark yellow or grey when it is harvested.
The enemies could be a white killer rabbit and some frogs (snake would work too, but Coily already is a Q figure).
On later levels, the crop could be more tough to harvest, multiple levels of green.

Of course it would open up for yet another name change, something like Frantic Farmer or so.

NB: I haven't yet written a single line of code.

[MADrigal]

> Not sure how advanced sprite animations I want.

- main character: 4 frames (NE, SE, SW, NW) + 1 frame (still on cube) * 2 colours each
- enemies: 1 frame when jumping + 1 frame when still
- some enemies: 1 single frame

> The idea of a spaceman probably would work.

I thought it was a good idea because of the teleport: the "pads" can't move because they would require to be sprites instead of graphics chars. So they could simply disappear, as well as the main character.

Since it's a space game, it's a true "teleport": the spaceman disappears (fading or evaporating) and re-appears on top of pyramid.


> Another idea is to make it a harvest game:
> Mr Farmer has grown his crop as cubes in a pyramid. Each cube has a green layer
> which turns dark yellow or grey when it is harvested.
> The enemies could be a white killer rabbit and some frogs (snake would work too,
> but Coily already is a Q figure).
> On later levels, the crop could be more tough to harvest, multiple levels of green.

I like the idea

> Of course it would open up for yet another name change, something like Frantic
> Farmer or so.




> NB: I haven't yet written a single line of code.

And hey you forgot you have to complete the Othello game first ARGH!!

[MADrigal]

Some additional graphics in the mood of the "farmer" game

Hope you like the rabbit

[carlsson]

I've thought a bit more, and to make it even less Q*Bert like, I'm considering replacing the farmer with a self-moving lawn mower. The enemies could be things like rocks, trees or fence in the way. The game idea could be taken one level further so the lawn mower can take some damage and start to leak oil on the cubes passed, which takes a while to dry up. In principle the game would still be a cube jumping game, but with extra twists that takes it away from the original and hopefully would make it an original Creativision game.

[MADrigal]

I love all your ideas!

[carlsson]

During the coding party in August, I got to do some coding on this game which currently has an in-work title of Lawn Jumper, as I plan to have a lawnmower as the main character. However I don't know if or when I will get back to work on this, so feel free to get along to do your own twists on the Q*Bert theme.

lawnjumper0.gif

[MADrigal]

That screen looks promising!