View Full Version : My (possibly lame) idea: The Tetris Project
kirin jensen
10-18-2006, 08:36 PM
I've been thinking about this for a long time and here goes:
Tetris is presumably doable for any programmable system after the original Odyssey, right? I mean programming-wise, not licensing.
What if retrogamers everywhere donated a little money to create a fund to encourage homebrew programmers to create a Tetris for every early system? I mean every early system - including the Adventurevision and the Microvision, if possible.
The fund could include separate money to create actual carts of the homebrew as well.
What do you think folks?
Jorpho
10-18-2006, 10:04 PM
Well, for one thing, there are still plenty of old systems for which no one has even attempted homebrew, if I am not mistaken. Homebrew for some of them might be very difficult, if not impossible.
I know there's already a very functinal Tetris clone for the Colecovision, and I wouldn't be surpirsed if someone already devised one for the 2600.
What if retrogamers everywhere donated a little money to create a fund to encourage homebrew programmers to create a Tetris for every early system? I mean every early system - including the Adventurevision and the Microvision, if possible.
Microvision could do it. What about the Vectrex? Is that even possible? You'd have to somehow show shading...
Vectorman0
10-18-2006, 11:19 PM
What if retrogamers everywhere donated a little money to create a fund to encourage homebrew programmers to create a Tetris for every early system? I mean every early system - including the Adventurevision and the Microvision, if possible.
Microvision could do it. What about the Vectrex? Is that even possible? You'd have to somehow show shading...
After seeing an impressive shmup on the vectrex, whose name evades me, I would say nearly anything is possible. It didn't look like any other vectrex game I have ever seen.
As far as the idea goes, it's interesting though I don't think it will happen. I really wouldn't feel like donating money, when I can get my tetris fix on a ton of other systems. On a somewhat relate note, wasn't some guy porting his frog-related game to as many systems as he could?
Kid Ice
10-18-2006, 11:27 PM
What if retrogamers everywhere donated a little money to create a fund to encourage homebrew programmers to create a Tetris for every early system? I mean every early system - including the Adventurevision and the Microvision, if possible.
Microvision could do it. What about the Vectrex? Is that even possible? You'd have to somehow show shading...
There is a Tetris game for the Vec. I think it's on one of the John Dondzilla compilations....Vec Mania? Anyway, it is playable, just not too much fun with the Vectrex joystick.
Kid Ice
10-18-2006, 11:31 PM
Here it is, Vectris
http://www.classicgamecreations.com/images/screen08.gif
Kid Ice
10-18-2006, 11:32 PM
It's not on Vec Mania, it's on All Good Things.
Dear edit feature, we miss you...
7th lutz
10-19-2006, 12:02 AM
By early system, you mean pre-1984? I know the 2600 does have a version of tetris called edtris 2600 and was one of the first 2600 homebrew games ever in 1995. Here is a screenshot : http://www.atariage.com/screenshot_page.html?SoftwareLabelID=866
The colecovision had a homebrew tetris in 1997, but there was only 100 copies, the intellivision had tetris in a homebrew game called 4-tris with 30 copies in 2001. Those are the only videogame console systems pre-84 I am sure of have a tetris game.
The 7800 is a difficult system to learn for making homebrew games for based on what I read. The 7800 didn't get any homebrew games till 2004-2005 in being worked on and not being abonded. The homebrews are just starting figure out the system by hacking games are making a homebrew game like beefdrop. The 7800 is more then capable of doing tetris though. It is much different to program the 2600.
Before doing this, you have consider the amount of people would want tetris and if there is some type of a base of fans for every early game system. The only early systems I have question about would be the Microvision and the adventurevision considering fanbase and anyone having experience to make homebrew games or have the understanding of developing for the game system in terms of what the game system can or can't do.
funds for making the carts is a good idea in theory. Having tetris on every early game system after the original Odysseys not a bad idea. The problem is do we know there are homebrewers for every early system after the original Odyssey? The problem with money for carts, unless you know the amount of people, you will have to much money or too little for the carts.
Homebrewers are not motivated by money. They are true hobbists. Atari 2600, 5200 homegames have sold over 100 to 300 at tops at atariage. I think no homebrew game went close to selling that amount for precrash system. The 2600 has had a couple sold in the 200s, I think at best. The 5200 is worse then that. If a person wants to make money on doing homebrew games, you need to do games for a more recent system like the ps 1. Even with money for homebrewers to be paid, they are still losing money, might barely brake even or just slightly making money. Each precash system could have anywhere from 20 to maybe 250 depending on the amount of people who own a system before the crash.
Raccoon Lad
10-19-2006, 03:09 PM
I forsee a huge demand for Channel F Tetris!
NOT!
Here it is, Vectris
http://www.classicgamecreations.com/images/screen08.gif
That's really impressive. But how would it show a single open space buried among other blocks? Wouldn't that open block look like it was occupied?
rbudrick
10-20-2006, 11:42 AM
AdventureVision and Microvision Tetris would very cool. Plus, they both have very small ibraries, so it would be cool to see anything new for those. Nobody would ever buy them , though, lol. Only 4.7 people even own an AdventureVision, and only about 5 times that have a Microvision, lol.
-Rob
ubersaurus
10-20-2006, 11:46 AM
I thought there was a channel f tetris?
I'm confused, are you saying 7800 Beef Drop was created through a hack, or that the guy used the knowledge from hacking games to learn the machine? Because I know it's all original code.
kirin jensen
10-20-2006, 02:43 PM
Yeah, it's a crazy idea, but I'm not ready to give up on it yet.
If I win the lottery, I'll make happen.
Right after I build and market that color Vectrex...
50TBRD
10-20-2006, 03:08 PM
Here it is, Vectris
http://www.classicgamecreations.com/images/screen08.gif
That's really impressive. But how would it show a single open space buried among other blocks? Wouldn't that open block look like it was occupied?
I'll look like a slightly bigger block.
Imagine that you draw a grid and place a bunch of squares inside the grid, leaving one open in the middle, then take away the grid. The squares only occupy the interior space and not the space that the grid takes up.
I'd like to see more homebrew games for the Vectrex even if it wasn't a new port of tetris. And I wish a couple of them were the games that I've been dreaming up.
I don't know know how other systems are but the Vectrex doesn't require any money to make a game, only time. Now, marketing a game is a different story. All sorts of development programs and tutorials are available on the internet for free for the Vectrex. I believe that they even have programs that are supposed to allow you to rip apart the original games, if you wanted to make a hack. The Vectrex is a very homebrew friendly community as a) its a relativitly small community where everyone pretty much knows everyone else, and b) the current owner of GCE released the original games to public domain.
7th lutz
10-20-2006, 07:29 PM
I thought there was a channel f tetris?
I'm confused, are you saying 7800 Beef Drop was created through a hack, or that the guy used the knowledge from hacking games to learn the machine? Because I know it's all original code.
I didn't say beefdrop was created through a hack. The guy who made beefdrop is the exception to the rule for the 7800 without using hacks first for the 7800 for the most part except for the person is making frogger for the 7800. The person released beefdrop, will be releasing qbert for the 7800. He made beefdrop for the 5200 and the 8 bit computer version before the 7800 version. While the 5200 is not like the 7800 for programing it, it does help the programmer out to a point for the 7800. The only thing the 7800 has in common with the 5200 is both use a 6502 processor, but the 5200 6502 is different then the 5200 in it being 6502b and the 7800s is 6502c. In graphics terms the systems are different due to different type of graphics processors they use. What happened was the author of beefdrop wanted the game to be atari's 8 bit consoles on on atari 8bit computer line.
While both People had been directing people to get to do homebrew games not on the 7800 when they never did homebrew games before and was given that advice on atariage. They recommand the person to start with the 2600 or the 5200 from scratch due to the fact it is easier then the 7800.
There is another guy out there who makes 7800 games. He has been doing it by hacks and says he is doing it in order to understand the 7800 better and wants Jr pac-man and Super pac-man from scratch when he does for the 7800. He is getting close to understand the system enough to make a game from scratch. Those hacks are now part of a game that will be released for the 7800 soon called pac-man collection. There are more examples of people doing hacks then homebrews for experience or do hacks because it is easier to do then do a game by scratch for the 7800.
I hope this helps.
ubersaurus
10-20-2006, 07:36 PM
I knew all that, I was just confused by your wording is all :P
Personally I'm still hoping someone goes back and finishes Spacewar 7800. It was coming along really well until the author realized that the 2600's 4k boards wouldn't work, and put work on hiatus. It was coming along extremely well too, played like the original PDP version(which some would call, the best version).
Beef Drop rocks pretty hard :P
I'll look like a slightly bigger block.
Oh, yeah. I see it.
I don't know know how other systems are but the Vectrex doesn't require any money to make a game, only time.
Well, it's certainly still quite a unique system. :D