Bio Force Ape Competition Cart. Available now!

[ProgrammingAce]

Buy it here:
http://cinematicbazaar.com/?p=56

Price is $39.85 and includes priority shipping.

When can I get it?:
It will be available on the show floor at the Midwest Gaming Classic. Online orders will start April 1st 2010.


What is it:
It is a cart only special release of Bio Force Ape to be released near the Midwest Gaming Classic.

What does it include?:
This cart will include:
- Two levels from the final Bio Force Ape release.
- One boss fight from one of the later stages in the game that has never before been seen.
- A mine cart survival mode complete with scoring
- A bonus mini-game that previews where the series may be going in the future.
- An ending cut scene unique to the competition cart.
- Your first chance to see the full power of the Bio Force Attack.
- Your first opportunity to meet the fabled butter monster on a real NES cart

Why should I buy this?:
The mine cart survival mode, bonus mini-game and cut scene had to be removed from the final game due to size limitations. This competition cart will be the only place to get them. As mentioned previously, this will be the first public showing of both the Bio Force Attack and the Butter Monster. The Bio Force Attack is so powerful it rips through the NES hardware straight to the raw binary code.

Will you be able to make Dur Butter Eat Communism?:
That depends entirely upon your skill level.

Why is it called a competition cart?:
The Midwest Gaming Classic is where I had the original idea to create a game out of the Bio Force Ape hoax. Every year they hold classic gaming competitions for prizes, and this year I offered to create a custom build of Bio Force Ape on which players can compete for a high score. This gave me an avenue to include some of the features that were cut from the full game. As such, we will be offering this cart for sale sometime around the date of the MGC.

So there's going to be an official competition?:
Yes. People who attend the Midwest Gaming Classic will be able to compete for prizes during an official competition at the show. More details will be posted soon.

If you're selling carts, how will you keep the competition fair?:
The competition mode is locked behind a secret cheat code. That cheat code will be released only after the winner of the official competition is announced. This is to prevent people from practicing and gaining an unfair advantage.

Will ProgscammingAce be handling the sales?:
No. I'm just the programmer, someone else will be handling all of the sales.

Where can I get more information?:
Information will be posted here and on our official page: http://CinematicBazaar.com/

Be sure to follow our RSS feed for the latest information.

Pricing?:
To be determined.

Questions, comments, death threats?

[Robocop2]

Fantastic!
*saves 2k monies*

[Cauterize]

Awesome news! Any chance of international shipping!? :)

[ProgrammingAce]

Awesome news! Any chance of international shipping!? :)

I can't see why we wouldn't, but i can't absolutely guarantee it right now. If that changes, i'll make sure to update everyone. So for right now, i'll say yes.

[Baloo]

If the price is reasonable, I would consider picking one up. Looking forward to seeing how this will turn out.

[ryborg]

Oh hell yes.

[pseudonym]

OH YES! <insert 2k monies joke here>

[PapaStu]

I've already lathered the Dur Butter all over mah body in anticipation.

I can't wait to pop the punched communism in the face achievement!

[udisi]

Sweet, I've been wondering about this lately. Is the final game done yet? I guess a competition cart will tide me over, but I can't want for the full buttery goodNES.

[Blitzwing256]

i'm up for one too, but having the competition mode hidden behind a secret code? you know five minutes after the first copy is sold someone will have it dumped, and will most likely hack thier way to the code :-)


still its an awesome idea and i'm looking forward to the final version .

[MrRoboto19XX]

This could be beautiful, I'm telling all challengers to eat communism!

[ProgrammingAce]

i'm up for one too, but having the competition mode hidden behind a secret code? you know five minutes after the first copy is sold someone will have it dumped, and will most likely hack thier way to the code :-)


still its an awesome idea and i'm looking forward to the final version .

No doubt. I honestly figure the people in the competition will probably see us enter the code anyway. I'm hoping to have the competition early saturday morning, so the code will be available within a few hours of going on sale.

The code isn't really all that difficult to figure out just button mashing... I want people to be able to remember the code 10 years from now.

[Tupin]

Will it be for sale at the Midwest Gaming Classic itself?

[ProgrammingAce]

Will it be for sale at the Midwest Gaming Classic itself?

Yes, it will be for sale at the Video Game Kingdom booth (the guys with all the arcade cabs for sale).

Someone asked me about autographed copies... I'll sign it at the show if you'd like. If you want Bratwurst's signature, you're on your own. Talk to him.

[NayusDante]

I'm curious, what's the copyright situation with this? Don't the original developers of Bio Force Ape still own it? Is it legal for you guys to be selling it?

While we're at it, who owns dur butter monster? I'm working on an RPG for XNA Indie Games and I'd *like* to pay homage to it, just need to make sure it would be in the clear.

[ProgrammingAce]

We looked into it to a point, it seems to be a legal gray area. The game was never released, and there's no proof it ever really existed. We don't know if the famitsu and Nintendo Power screenshots are real or mockups.

Seta's rights are owned by a plachinko company in Japan who haven't worked on video games in almost 20 years and don't seem to have any sort of U.S. branch.

In the mean time, the game is an obvious parody. The only things that were lifted from the "real" game are the Ape's graphic and the Title. In case of trouble, all we would have to do is change the Ape's sprite and rename the game.

All of the other artwork in the game is copyright Bratwurst, including the butter monster. If you want to use any of the artwork, talk to him about it.

[darkslime]

Awesome, I'm buying one.

How many are going to be made?

[ProgrammingAce]

Awesome, I'm buying one.

How many are going to be made?

We're not sure yet.

[Baloo]

Wait, so the butter monster that was in that fake demo won't be in the game?

[ProgrammingAce]

Wait, so the butter monster that was in that fake demo won't be in the game?

That rom was made by someone who stole the image off of the DP thread and turned it into a cart. The graphics have improved since then, and we didn't just copy and paste a crappy screenshot.

Note my avatar

[ProgrammingAce]

Release date announced, pricing yet to be determined.

[ProgrammingAce]

Now that the final build of the Competition cart is complete, we've announced more details as to how the competition scoring actually works. We've also redesigned our website because the old site looked like we were a flower shop, not game developers. Check us out at http://CinematicBazaar.com

The survival mode is simple. You are a Bio Force Ape (the Bio Force Ape? You'll have to wait and see). You are on a mission to track down your kidnapped family members, and make anyone in your path eat communism. In this survival mode, you end up in a runnaway mine cart hurtling through the dark at breakneck speeds. All around you, the tunnel is collapsing, threatening to trap you forever (and no, you can't just backup and go back the way you came in. Because I said so, ok?).

The longer you survive, the higher your score. The higher your score, the faster the tunnel starts collapsing. Each time you get hit by debris, you loose points. The slower the rock is falling, the more points you'll lose. So what that means, you'll be penalized more for hitting the slow rocks that are falling earlier then if you get hit by the ones falling faster as the survival mode goes on.

Each pass through the survival mode will be unique. The rock's locations are set using a similar randomization pattern as to what Tetris uses. So while the game isn't "random" in the purest sense, it serves to thwart memorization and each ride will be different.

[Dangerboy]

Do Want

[Cryomancer]

Online orders will start April 1st 2010.

You don't say?

[ProgrammingAce]

Come on, until you're punching a buttermonster in the face while playing on your own NES, are you going to believe that this game really exists?

[MASTERWEEDO]

You don't say?

I was thinking that too

[MachineGex]

Anyone going to the show willing to pick up a copy for me?
Please!

[kupomogli]

How much is the completed version? I'd rather purchase that than the competition carts. Just don't pull an Atlus and mass produce the game after getting sales for collectors sake.

[scooterb23]

I can't wait to buy this, then immediately flip it on ebay for $5000 to some complete chowder for brains.

[Icarus Moonsight]

That's why you buy more than 1. :p

I've been waiting for this so long... Frothing demand for butter and all. LOL

[ProgrammingAce]

Anyone going to the show willing to pick up a copy for me?
Please!

We're opening up online ordering on April 1st. if you can't get to the show, you won't be left out.

[MachineGex]

Great! Thanks Ace. Nice to have you back and congrats on the game!

[Icarus Moonsight]

We're opening up online ordering on April 1st.

:hail:

[Daveald]

I tried sending you a PM but your PM box is full am interested !

[ProgrammingAce]

Ok, so the MGC is over. I was able to meet a couple of you and talk some NES homebrew. The contest went pretty damn well, with the winner completely blowing away any score I've ever gotten with a top score of 13,801 right before the end of the contest.

We decided to release a special black edition of the cartridge as a limited edition for the show. For those of you keeping track at home, these are carts labeled 20-40.

The breakdown of the numbered carts is as follows:
1-9 - Reserved
10 - Green Cart
11 - Gold cart given at MGC
12 - Silver cart at MGC
13 - Bronze cart at MGC
14 - Gold cart awarded TBA
15 - Silver cart TBA
16 - Bronze cart TBA
17-19 - Reserved
20-40 - MGC limited edition (black)
40+ - Online orders (gray)

We have a very small number of black cartridges still available, we will be releasing information on how you may obtain those at a later date. The set of gold, silver and bronze carts we haven't awarded yet are for a contest that has yet to be announced. And the single green cart? We have plans for that as well...

In the mean time, I've posted more information and pictures of the various carts here: http://cinematicbazaar.com/?p=49

Just an FYI, the cart numbers that are listed as "reserved" haven't been produced yet. They're set aside for people who helped work on the game and a few more in the teens so that the other carts can start on an even number. I'm not sure we have plans to produce all of them.

[PapaStu]

/me calls dibs on the Can't Believe It's Not Butta uber rare yello cart.

[portnoyd]

So which one is mine? :P

[ProgrammingAce]

So which one is mine? :P

I had about 9 different people verify that i have a cart set aside for you. Dave has it, it'll be going out with the online orders.

[slapdash]

We decided to release a special black edition of the cartridge as a limited edition for the show. For those of you keeping track at home, these are carts labeled 20-40.

Wait... Then why is mine numbered 42? Was there a bootlegger at the show??

[ProgrammingAce]

really? either they didn't label the carts in order or they made more then i thought... I'll have to ask. I, uh, outsourced... production.

[NayusDante]

Have we established how many are going to be available online?

[Icarus Moonsight]

I thought this was oddly coincidental to the time of release: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJkWS4t4l0k

Existence! LOL

[ProgrammingAce]

I thought this was oddly coincidental to the time of release: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJkWS4t4l0k

Existence! LOL

That seems really mean. They made the gorilla depressed. From the world's most reliable news source...

[ProgrammingAce]

Alright, the cart is now available for online orders. See the first post for the link

[slapdash]

really? either they didn't label the carts in order or they made more then i thought... I'll have to ask. I, uh, outsourced... production.

Yeah, really, I have 042. I can't remember what else they said was available (43 I believe, but I said "hey, you got 42?"), but maybe they went to 50?

[swlovinist]

I thought I would love to have this cart available to play at our furture shows. I know that I probably will not get a black cart, but ordered anyhow.

[GrandAmChandler]

Just a little correction, carts 17-20 are reserved. Black carts start at 21. I know, because I have the first one sold. ;-)

-GAC-

[portnoyd]

I had about 9 different people verify that i have a cart set aside for you. Dave has it, it'll be going out with the online orders.

These are shipping right?

WHERE THE FUCK IS IT?

[skaar]

WHERE THE FUCK IS IT?

Mine showed :D

http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv325/skaardragoon/IMG_0169.jpg

So pretty.

[PapaStu]

I'm still waiting on my BFA cart as well.

Herrrrro outsourced shippers.

[Capybara554321]

i got mine a week or 2 ago its number 55

[Bratwurst]

I haven't even got mine yet.

[ProgrammingAce]

Has anyone else not received their copy yet?

[TheChristoph]

Sorry for the bump... I haven't received my copy. I ordered on April 29 and haven't received any communication other than the Paypal receipt.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

Any idea when the next batch will be released?

[ProgrammingAce]

Did anyone who purchased a copy not receive it?