Another look under the hood...
over 8 years ago – Wed, Nov 29, 2017 at 07:41:53 PM

About once a month, I get the question "when will the game be finished?"  Sometimes it's a gentle nudge.  Sometimes it's menacing vitriol.  Tonight, I'm experience a perfect example of why an end date is so impossible to predict, and seeing as my brain is mush from code, I thought I'd write it in an update.  

For those of you who don't care about the behind the scenes stuff and will only be satisfied with a definitive ship date, I'd encourage you to read this so that you can get a better understanding.  I'll keep the ASM jargon to a minimum.

Tonight, I am working on a mini-boss.  Some of the engine mechanics that are unique to mini-bosses will be similar to those used by bosses.  One of the main differences between boss behaviors and regular monster behaviors in our game is basically a *container* that holds the boss's status (hit points, etc), so that the boss can really be a number of objects, or an object that changes to other objects.  This mini-boss is our burnout (that cool looking skeleton).  This particular iteration of him has a head that flies off and chases you around the room, before he materializes again.

To do this, I want to use two separate objects.  I need to turn off object 1, spawn object 2 in its place, but have it receive hit point data from the *container* object (or otherwise pass it down to the head object, and then back to the skeleton when he reappears).  Otherwise, every time the monster re-spawns, he'll be back to full health as if he was spawning for the first time.

I knew that I'd be changing boss states, but I never anticipated doing it this way due to the NES's limited data capability.  Now that I'm attempting to implement this, I hit a major stumbling block.  The *monster load* occurs in a stray data bank that isn't loaded at the same time as monster updates.  Without getting into details, right now, our engine *can not* create a new object from the monster update routine, and it has to do with where each routine is banked.  It's impossible to load both banks simultaneously.

So now, knowing that I may want multiple bosses and probably a few menial monsters to use this, I have to pause and re-evaluate how I load the monsters to see if there is a more optimum way.  This is a setback that may take a bit of trial and error, and may even take a complete rewrite of certain routines.  Until I begin pulling it apart, I won't know.

The alternative is NOT to have the boss monster do this (read: make the boss monsters less interesting).  Every time I've come to one of these points in Mystic Searches development, I've had to ask myself "ok, do it quick or do it right", and I've opted for the latter.  Each time, we push the game further than we intended when we started out, which, as stated dozens of times, is the reason for the project's extended life cycle. 

While I'm giving my brain a slight break from staring at code, I just figured I'd offer that anecdote with you.  How many more times will a situation like this come up, where I have to optimize, curtail, or rewrite certain bits of the code to make it all fit together?  That answer is unknown.  That is why an end date is impossible to predict, even by gauging *how much is left to do*, and it is why the mentality of *just finish it and ship it* is rather rhetorical.  It's just not that simple. 

And for those of you who are experts at programming and ASM ready to offer suggestions, there's likely nothing you could offer that we haven't thought of...it's just a matter of finding what solution will work best with the architecture that is in place!

Alright...brain break over.  Back to programming!

Zelda fans in the crowd?
over 8 years ago – Mon, Nov 27, 2017 at 01:51:21 PM

So as we finalize the bonus footage for the blu ray, we've also unearthed the stray footage from the abandoned and killed-before-it-even-started It's Dangerous To Go Alone...The Movie documentary about the ubiquity and influence of the Legend of Zelda franchise.  While that film will never be what I intended for it to be, and while some of the same themes ended up carrying over into The New 8-bit Heroes film, there was a good bit of footage, and even a small narrative adventure, filmed for the project that would make a fun featurette...not just about the influence of Zelda itself, but about the inexplicable creative drive to continue, even when all odds are stacked against you.

It'll be rough.  It'll be ugly.  It'll be just a fraction of the story we wanted to tell.  But in addition to The New 8-bit Heroes bonus footage...as an extra bonus, those of you getting the blu ray of the film will get an extra mini documentary.

Quick Black Friday updates!
over 8 years ago – Fri, Nov 24, 2017 at 10:47:57 AM

Alright, three quick things:

1. The PREQUEL

By popular demand, here is the *first NES game* that was created as a part of this whole project...Mystic Origins (not to be confused with its coming big brother, Mystic Searches) is now available.  It started as just a beta, and now has become a nice component to the full game, coming soon.  Consider it the "The Hobbit" to our "Lord of the Rings".  

Mystic Origins isn't just a prototype slice of Mystic Searches, it is its own unique game that serves as a short, standalone prequel quest. It allows us to give you a fully playable story and demo of the game without giving away any of the actual game or its narrative. Grey cart edition comes with box and manual.  You can get it RIGHT NOW, and it is available to get HERE - ORDER HERE!  

2. The Film

Last finishing touches, clearing all music and replacing the one or two problems, a few extra bits of b-roll footage, and fixing some dead pixels, and then the film will be available via Amazon in the first part of 2018 (and potentially other platforms as well).

3. The Tools

We've posted a second video about the NESmaker tools.  Here is a link to subscribe to our YouTube, which will prompt us to keep making more cool videos!  SUBSCRIBE BY CLICKING HERE!

 That's it for now...more soon!

Videos Videos Videos...
over 8 years ago – Wed, Nov 15, 2017 at 06:48:11 AM

Some of you may have seen that we've begun to really drive our YouTube channel.  We have a few YouTube shows going, are starting to show some basic tutorial type videos of the forthcoming NESmaker software, and showing little bits of Mystic Searches.

Please, if you haven't yet, subscribe to the YouTube channel to get access to this content!  

SUBSCRIBE HERE: www.YouTube.com/TheNew8bitHeroes

If you like what we're doing, please share it on social media and encourage others to do the same.  With creating this content, finishing the game, and the craziness of working with distributors, there is only so much energy we can devote to spreading the word, so we're counting on the project supporters to let other like minded, 8-bit loving freaks know that this is a thing.  Love you all!

Here are a few things we're working on.  Please enjoy this video content we are creating for people like you!  :-)

NESMakers: 

Learn how to program for the Nintendo Entertainment System from an aging nerd (who is unafraid to embarrass himself) and his child (whom he is not afraid to exploit)! Join The New 8-bit Heroes and JGV in a new series of hopefully ridiculous videos as we look at what we've learned about creating games for the NES.

Brews And Homebrews: 

Coming soon - a new YouTube show featuring reviews of brand new games for the original Nintendo Entertainment System while sampling appropriately themed custom beers (the first episode films tonight at JDubs in Sarasota - if you are in the area, you are invited).

How to make NES games with NESmaker:

A series that will show an in depth look at NESmaker in its current form and how to create cartridge based, hardware playable games with the software without having to write a line of code.

Mystic Searches sneak peeks:

As we get closer to unveiling Mystic Searches, we will be showing occasional peeks at the game, like this video.

Two fun things!
over 8 years ago – Tue, Nov 07, 2017 at 01:55:28 PM

1) Here is a quick look at the official first screen of Mystic Searches.  Obviously, most of you have seen the entire overworld map, but I know some wanted to see a closer look at things.  This screen (and entire area) is blocked in, narratively set, and ready to explore!  Behind the game running in emulator FCEUX, you can see it being constructed in our NESmaker tool.

 And speaking of NESmaker...

2) Parallel with developing the game, we need to blow of the occasional steam with something ridiculous.  This is that thing.  Please, like, subscribe, and *SHARE* this via social media to anyone who may be interested in retro games.  We'd love to keep this series going, but only will if the interest is there!  Incidentally, there will also be a much easier-to-produce series showing off NESmaker feature by feature beginning this week, and soon after some fun looks at the lore of Mystic Searches.  So please subscribe to the YouTube channel if you like that sort of thing!  :-)

 You guys rock.

Joe