Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] Scrolling Platform Games (was: Loki)

[Michael <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

> Also, definitely check out stuff like Donkey Kong Country for the
> Super Nintendo (www.snes9x.com for an emulator, google for roms).  
> That game had the best side-scrolling graphics that I've ever seen
> (around 10 layers of graphics, looks very 3D-ish).  If you made
> something like that with SVGA graphics, it would probably beat the
> crap out of 3D junk like Quake or Unreal.

I've only played that a couple times but I'd imagine SNES's r cheap these
days so maybe I'll pick one up and play with it. I wasn't going to
hardcode any limit to the number of layers of graphics. Just something
like layer 0 is the background and then your level map decides what layer
the action is on and puts sprites wherever needed. I even thought it might
be interesting if different things might be able to move your character to
different layers so that flipping a switch or whatever would switch your
layer and then you could access something that may have been behind a wall
or something before that.

> For some reason, today's game companies completely stopped innovating.  
> 90% of the games released in the past two years were standard FPSs
> which really haven't changed at all since Doom. A couple have some
> semi-interesting "storyline", although it is mostly very shallow.  
> I'd say that games were much better prior to the introduction of 3D,
> probably because the technical side was easier and people focused on
> making the game good instead of making the engine not crash and run
> faster than 14 fps.

You see some innovation still but not much in the 3D shooters. I guess you
can only do so much with shooting anything that moves. The problem is
mostly that video games have become such a big market that it's all based
on what they think will sale well. Games like Black & White that are
somewhat unique get panned as bad games by many gamers and even critics
just because they dare to break the mode. Of course other games become
cult hits such as The Sims (or Barbie's Dreamhouse as I call it) despite
the fact that they do something different.

Really the simularity of 99% of games is what should be able to let Linux
clobber Windows in the games market though. Create some good engines and
tools and release them as opensource and make sure all the mod makers find
the stuff and realize what they can do with them. Mod people almost never
can sell their work and they do it mostly for reputation so they are a
perfect match for opensource. They make some of the best games out there
and they also put out huge numbers of games and game mods. Cater to those
people and Linux will become a major platform for games. Maybe not
commercial games but something more like the shareware golden days of id,
Apogee, Epic, etc where there was something new and cool being released
every couple months for free. IMO those games were much more interesting
than most of the commercial crap we see these days.

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