Haplo

On 2/12/2023 at 1:48 PM, Dr. Morbis said:

I think that your idea is really cool, I'm just wondering if you went with the "minimalist" approach for artistic reasons or due to time constraints or maybe due to lack of programming experience on the NES?  The reason I ask is because I think your game would sell really well and be highly regarded if you fleshed it out up to the standards of NES game quality.  For example, forboding background dungeon music, full colour graphics with flickering torches and torchlight and nice sound effects would make your game a must-own on the NES.  You could even add a cool story and/or cut scenes and whatnot.

TLDR - I guess what I'm trying to say is: excellent idea, and I hope you (or someone else?) will grab the torch and run with it...  And yeah, pun fully intended...

Good question! The concept I had in the making of Tenebra was to make a game in an opressive, dark dungeon where you can only see the faintest flicker of a torch, and the rest is darkness.

It is an intentional design decision in a way, as it's otherwise hard to visually build that kind of atmosphere in an 8-bit platform. 

The grayscale palette was the obvious choice to represent light and darkness - the NES light flicker is probably one of the most polished ones because I could take advantage of both the colours and the intensity (compared to other systems where only the colour can be set, or systems like the ZX Spectrum where the greyscale palette is comprised of black, white and one shade of grey).

Then again, that kind of aesthetic is very unlike any other NES game I've seen - they are a lot brigheter and more colourful than Tenebra.  

As for the sound, it's not a surprise that I'm not a musician - my chiptune abilities are restricted to sound effects. It's intriguing to think what it could sound like. 

2 hours ago, Sumez said:

When it comes to the NES, there's nothing to having more colorful graphics that demands more programming experience, it's more a question of putting the work into the assets. But keep in mind this was made for the C64, not the NES.

Personally I think the look of the game is fantastic, and the restraint gives it a unique look that's unlike any other NES game. I'd imagine the style is probably either to ensure the game being easily ported among its four different platforms (including speccy!), or to facilitate quicker gameplay results requiring less of a time sink working on graphics, or a good mix of them both, which I can only respect!

Thanks! I really appreciate the feedback, and glad you enjoyed the look and gameplay.

It is true that the game across platforms share most assets, and a lot of work went into the puzzle and level design, which means I need to stick to the same number of tiles (or characters) without having to re-work every level. 

When I first started this project I didn't really think of releasing it across multiple platforms... that's something that happened organically. The Z80 version was a complete rewrite of the 6502 version, and the NES version, being the latest one, benefited from a few interface improvements over the c64 version.

On 2/12/2023 at 10:15 AM, nrslam said:

Nice!  I've got experience with most of those that saw a US release, but not with several of the others.  You must have a second storage spot for power supplies, cables, disk/tape drives and joysticks/mice/etc. I find trying to keep all that stuff handy more difficult than the computers themselves.

It's hard to keep things organised, so power supplies and peripherals are stored in boxes and tubs. Quite a few of these systems can be powered with standard, modern, power supplies (which are safer and more reliable anyway) so I don't have as many power supplies as systems. Similarly with joysticks, a great majority of systems works with DB9 Atari-compatible ones. 

Video and data cables are a different story, though. Now that we recently built a GBSControl, we're still catching up on the different pinouts and cables that are required to make use of the better video quality from RGB (rather than composite or RF).

19 hours ago, nrslam said:

Could you give a rundown on what computers are in your retro cupboard?  I recognize most of them but a few stump me.

This might deserve its own thread but let me try to list them all.

Top (first) shelf, left to right:

• Panasonic MSX2 FS-A1
• Sega SC-3000
• Commodore Plus/4
• Amstrad NC100
• Panasonic JR-200U
• Atari 2600 Jr
• Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128k Toastrack
• DickSmith Wizard
• Tandy 64k Color Computer 2 (CoCo2)
• VTech IQ Unlimited Advantech

Second shelf:

• Commodore 64C Drean
• Texas Instruments TI/99-4A
• Phillips MSX VG 8010
• Commodore 64C (this particular unit was my first computer)
• Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k
• NEC PC-6001
• Atari 2600 Jr (needs repairs)
• Aquarius 5931R (Mattel)

Third shelf:

• Sinclair ZX Spectrum+
• Commodore Amiga 500
• VTech IQ TV 512
• Oric 1
• Sinclair ZX 81

Fourth shelf:

• Commodore VIC 20
• Sakr MSX AX170
• Atari XEGS
• Commodore Amiga CD32

Fifth (bottom) shelf:

• Commodore 128 (this particular unit was my partner's first computer)
• Commodore 64C
• Commodore Amiga 600
• Timex Sinclair 2068
• Commodore 16

Plus the ones currently set up to use:

• Commodore Amiga 1200
• Atari 512STE
• Amstrad CPC 6128
• Acorn Electron
• Commodore 64 (Breadbin)

Lastly, an Atari 65XE not on display (has a red screen of death and all chips are socketed)

Thanks checking it out and for the and encouragement! 

22 hours ago, Sumez said:

That's a really fun idea!

Hope to give it more of a real go later on. Great job.

16 hours ago, neodolphino said:

Thanks for posting!!

I'd like to hear what you think once you have a chance to look into it further.

16 hours ago, Scrobins said:

What a great idea! Are you interested in a physical release? We might be able to help!

A physical release sounds exciting. I would be interested as long as the community is interested in the game. Is there a place for a game like Tenebra in the NES physical homebrew lineup?

I'm very pleased to share Tenebra, my first NES game. I originally developed it for the Commodore 64 home computer and later ported it to other systems, including the NES. The ZX Spectrum version won the best puzzle game category in the 2022 Planet Sinclair's game of the year awards.

Play Tenebra

Grab a copy of the ROM from https://h4plo.itch.io/tenebra. It's free to download (name your own price).

About

Tenebra is an atmospheric minimalist puzzle game, with greyscale rogue-like aesthetics. 

Story

Guide the hapless protagonist to the exit. Poor guy is afraid of darkness and refuses to walk in the dark areas.

Move flickering torches around the map, push lights on rails, find keys to doors, light up cold braziers, pass through archways that collapse behind you, find oil puddles to make your torches brighter, squeeze through cracks in broken walls, fix broken rails with a hammer, illuminate the sensors to open the exits... do whatever it takes to get out of there!

Features

• 31 unique levels
• Game mechanics are introduced as you progress through the game
• Minimalist design and sound FX
• Password system to return to the level you last played
• Light flicker toggle
• PAL and NTSC support

Development

Coded in 6502 assembly, assembled with 64tass, aided by MESSEN emulator and debugging tools.

Screenshots

Video (Spoiler warning!)

Watch this video, containing the first eight levels, for a preview of the game (or if you need a hint).

Thanks! I was hesitant to talk a lot about the "other side" of retro gaming but I'm glad I did.

12 hours ago, DoctorEncore said:

Welcome! Sounds like you have some awesome experience with more obscure stuff which is always welcome.

On the other hand, I'm pretty new to the systems that participants of this board are most familiar with so I'm keen to both learn and share (if anyone is interested). 

7 hours ago, Gloves said:

Hey I'm a fan of old computers, you just never asked!

It looks like I'll be in good company, then. 

More than a collector, I'm a user of old hardware. And while for development, I take advantage of modern tools like emulators and IDEs, it's also very rewarding to take the real hardware out for a spin, hook it up to a TV and run things in the real thing. 

Hi and thanks for welcoming me.

My partner is originally from Argentina and she's the one who encouraged me to get into homebrew for NES, after having released a few games for other 6502-based platforms (namely Commodore 64 and Plus/4).

Despite being familiar with 6502 assembly, coding for the NES was quite an experience because its architecture is very different to everything else I've worked with in the past.

I've asked her to share more info.

Quote

Hello, I'm marukpa, Haplo's partner and the bad influence steering him towards the NES homebrew world - even though I lived a double life myself, alternating between a famiclone and a Commodore 128 back home in Argentina. 

I still have my childhood famiclone there, it was sold by Edu Games back in the early 1990s. I just need to find space in my suitcase next time I'm visiting. If you're familiar with those clones (affectionately known as the 'Family'), it's the red and white one in the round case with the controllers wired directly and only RF video output. It's still in the box although it's not in a great shape, having accompanied me on holidays and sleepovers. 

I also have a 60 to 72 pin cart adapter and I reckon 30-40 cartridges (60-pin) of very dubious legality, some of them hacked (such as Super Mario 3 with infinite P wings, and infinite lives in The Addams Family - I was very disappointed to find out later in life that the originals didn't have such 'features'). I did manage to bring over to Australia about 20 handheld games also from my handheld treasure trove (among them Luigi's hammer toss Game & Watch and Bombsweeper G&W dual screen). 

We live in an apartment so we have limited physical space for display. This is our retro cupboard in our living room. It's a bit cramped because the collection grew but the space didn't. 

Not many consoles here but we do have two Atari 2600 Jrs, a Commodore Amiga CD 32 and an Atari XEGS. We have some games for them but they are stored away.

This is the retro desk, a relatively new addition in some need of cable management, currently set up with a few computers (Amiga 1200 with accelerator, Atari 520STE (upgraded to 4160), Amstrad CPC 4128, Commodore 64 (Breadbin), Acorn Electron, and a rather messy GBSControl for upscaling.

Hello!

Haplo here, from Sydney, Australia.

I'm a retro gaming enthusiast and I have also developed games for other 8-bit systems (homebrew). Having said that, I'm quite new to the world of Nintendo in general and the NES (and Famicom) in particular. If you are interested, you can take a look at the games I've released.

Most of my experience with NES gaming comes through emulation, although we're waiting for a chance to bring my partner's famiclone (and carts) from her childhood home overseas, and grow our collection from there. 

We have almost 40 8-bit and 16-bit systems at home (mostly home computers) with some of them permanently set-up in a dedicated retro desk.

Great to meet you all!