Jump to content

Scrobins

Moderator
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    2,923

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    10

  • Feedback

    100%

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by Scrobins

  1. Scrobins

    Episode 30: Jessie Jaeger in Cleopatra's Curse

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Episode 30: Jessie Jaeger in Cleopatra’s Curse

    Introduction:
    Franchise opportunities in Hollywood may make us cynical, but when they appear in gaming, we fans still get excited. Maybe it’s a reflection of video games as a younger medium that audiences aren’t yet turned off by the notion of a creator tapping into a winning formula with a new character or gaming mechanic that is immediately fun and which teases hope for more. Even when that formula is an old one, sometimes a new concept can reinvent the classic look and feel of yesteryear, giving us what we really want and need, like the debut of Indiana Jones dusting off the serials of decades before.
    For this entry, I’m covering Jessie Jaeger in Cleopatra’s Curse, a Metroidvania adventure developed by Bold Game Studio for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Turbografx-16, and Turbografx Super CD. As of the time of this writing, Jessie Jaeger is reaching initial Kickstarter backers, and physical copies will be available in their store here soon, with a Game Boy port also on the way.

    CIB plus the all-important dungeon map
     
    Development Team:
    @DarkKobold (Kyle Thomson): programming, game design
    Michirin: pixel art
    TenNoKoe_: music
    RetroStage: production
     
    Game Evolution:
    Jessie Jaeger first set out on her adventure when her Kickstarter campaign launched on September 16, 2020, with an accompanying thread on Sega-16 started that same day. Backer tiers included roms of the Sega Genesis or Turbografx iterations of the game, cart-only options, CIBs, special edition CIBs with reversible box art and a game map, the CD soundtrack that is playable on the Sega CD, combination packages, and the opportunity to design an in-game hieroglyph. By the end of the campaign, 345 backers pledged more than $27,000, receiving their rewards as early as July 2022 for special editions, and December 2022 for regular editions.
     
    Gameplay:
    Jessie Jaeger describes itself as a Metroidvania adventure. You play as Jessie, granddaughter and protégé of famed explorer Dr. Jaeger. Sadly you learned that Dr. Jaeger was turned to stone during his latest journey to Egypt, when a resurrected Cleopatra attacked him. You must take the lessons grandpa instilled in you as you make your way through Cleopatra’s crypt and rescue him.

    Screenshot from Jessie Jaeger in Cleopatra’s Curse
    Gameplay consists of screen-to-screen adventuring. Controls are easy to learn: use the D-pad to move left, right, or press down to duck; the A-button uses a selected item; the B-button makes Jessie jump/dismount from a whip swing; the C-button toggles through items in your inventory; and the Start button opens the game menu, where you can view the crypt map, your coordinates on the map, your inventory, stats, game timer, and completion percentage. Items include weapons, tools to better navigate the dungeon, keys, and artifacts.
     
    Review:
    Jessie Jaeger is an addictive adventure, one that will require you to set an alarm or else risk realizing you were playing far longer than you intended. It’s great to have such a fun game, and wonderful to see a well-made, franchise-able game led by a female protagonist, adding some much needed diversity to the library. The dungeons are well-designed to facilitate exploration, and backtracking never feels tedious as you struggle to identify what you need to do to open more of the map. If anything, there is a burst of excitement whenever you obtain a new key or item that allows you to go back to a place you couldn’t enter before. The various screens offer a good balance of fun and challenging, where death is common but never to the point I felt tempted to rage quit. The placement of statues of the gods as doors to locked areas is a clever touch, and I love the idea of having a statue’s corresponding key appear fuzzily above their head to clue you into which key you need to access the next area. Combined with the placement of switches and whip holds, Jessie Jaeger gives you the ability to explore freely but with enough guidance to give you something to seek in order to progress. This game is also deceptively large: I thought I was about to beat the game, having nearly explored the entire map, only to learn it was merely the “Horus” sector, first of several more areas. Fortunately, there are a few shamans ensconced in the dungeon’s depths where you can save your game and purchase items, so you can explore further. Of course, having the safety of a save point increases the temptation to keep playing; I kept telling myself just one more screen over and over, trapped forever in this crypt.

    Turbografx Super CD Edition with Tomb Map
    Jessie Jaeger’s graphics are colorful and elaborate. The entire game has a cutesy Saturday morning cartoon feel that makes it something players of all ages can enjoy. It’s impressive so many otherwise similar looking gods can be somewhat easily distinguished despite the graphical limitations of the 16-bit console. Jessie herself is well-designed such that her sprite jives well with the controls and her hitbox doesn’t require her more perilous jumps to be pixel perfect. Even the enemies are fun (even when they are chasing you), with bats, snakes, mummies, and more obstructing your progress with their playfully creepy Scooby Doo vibe. The screens are carefully crafted that you always know what you need to do, or whether it is an area you aren’t meant to cross yet. Meanwhile Jessie Jaeger’s music might best be described as charming and atmospheric, effervescently pushing you forward with its adventurous thrill. The music perfectly fits the pace of the game, neither plodding nor frantic, this is the rhythm of someone fearlessly probing the unknown. The bits of voicework feel like hard-earned milestones, like Jessie’s exclamations when you find a key or other important item. You feel her victory and pride as though you were in the crypt yourself on the cusp of saving your family.
     
    Interviews:
    Before I journeyed into the depths of Cleopatra’s tomb with Jessie Jaeger, I studied the folklore surrounding her story, learning from the foremost experts on the subject…
     

    Kyle Thomson
    @DarkKobold
    -Before we dive into Jessie Jaeger in Cleopatra’s Curse, I would love to talk about you background. What first inspired you to become a homebrew game developer? What is your origin story?
    I have been a programmer for years, not a particularly excellent one, but enough to get by when my day job requires it, or I want to code something fun. Around 8 years ago, I discovered a C compiler for the TG16, called HuC. I followed the excellent tutorial on ObeyBrew.com. It’s a “down-to-basics” tutorial that is perfect for getting started, with no nonsense. From that I was able to program a really basic prototype of a boss that will be in Catastrophy, another in progress homebrew for the Turbografx-16.
    If you compare these two videos, you can see how the concept was there early, and eventually became a reality.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol9uKeTwSOk&feature=youtu.be
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxUaDkSGRnQ&feature=youtu.be
     
    -What is the story behind the names DarkKobold and Bold Game Studio?
    I had to come up with a name for a D&D campaign, and I wanted to lampshade the typical 90s usernames which added Dark to cool sounding things to sound badass, like DarkDragon, DarkShadow, DarkSword or DarkBlazeIt. So I took the weakest, stupidest creature out of Magic: the Gathering, the Kobold, and added Dark to it. I didn’t enjoy D&D, and never played again, but the name stuck permanently. It’s really nice, because I can often get darkkobold as a username as it’s fairly unique.   Bold Game Studio was just taking the end of Kobold to come up with a catchy name.

    A name worthy of the Hellfire Club
     
    -How would you describe your design aesthetic, and what to you are hallmarks of a game designed by you?
    I find Battletoads for the NES to be the pinnacle of gaming. Rash, Pimple and Zitz are my muses. So, in short, my games are difficult, brutally so. The released version of Jessie is considered fairly difficult, and that was after toning down the difficulty many times. Catastrophy has also had to undergo continual revision to remove my preferred difficulty level from the game.
     
    -What tools do you use to code and create?
    I’m primarily a C coder, my ASM skills are very lacking. Thanks to the hard work of many people, C compilers are readily available for so many retro platforms these days. I specifically used HuC for Turbografx consoles, SGDK for Genesis, and GBDK for Gameboy. I also want to give a shoutout to Cosmigo ProMotion, which has enabled the pixel art for all of my creations. I know a lot of people use Tiled, but I’ll swear by Promotion for its tile/pixel art capabilities.
     
    -What encouraged you to make games for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Turbografx-16, and Turbografx Super CD?
    For all platforms I work on, there’s two key elements that make them feasible and enjoyable – a C compiler with all required features (graphics, controls, and sound), and a no-nonsense tutorial that gets you coding your first game. I’ve tried multiple times to port Jessie to GBA, but there’s just no easy to digest, get started quick tutorial. The “best” tutorial is a multi-page mess, where the author devolves into programming theory and philosophy. It’s impossible to follow, and it doesn’t build on itself at all.
    Shoutouts to the Mega Pong tutorial https://www.ohsat.com/tutorial/megapong/megapong-1/ and Dan Cox’s GBDK tutorial https://videlais.com/2016/07/03/programming-game-boy-games-using-gbdk-part-1-configuring-programming-and-compiling/
     
    -At the heart of Jessie Jaeger is its Metroidvania aesthetic. What about this genre resonates so strongly with you? What inspired you to make this type of game?
    There’s a phrase “cute’em up” for cute shoot’em ups, but nothing for Metroidvania. Cutieroidvania? I have a particular affinity for games like this, such as Monster World IV, Shantae, Ufouria, and Adventure Island 4. The first two were the inspiration for Jessie as a protagonist.
     
    -What elements are crucial for a good Metroidvania?
    A reward for exploration, shortcuts for forced backtracking, and additional things to be found after you obtain new abilities through items. If anything, I wish I hadn’t forced so much of the map to be completed just to complete the main game. There needed to be a few indirect paths that lead to bonuses, rather than being only a screen or two away from the main path.
     
    -How did you connect with the other members of your development team? What was the working dynamic like across your collaboration?
    Cleopatra’s Curse was mostly my baby, so it was more me recruiting individuals to help with each aspect of the project. I don’t know that I ever had a “team meeting.” It was more just reaching out to talented individuals who accel at different aspect of retro games, and getting their help to turn Jessie into a reality.
     
    -Ever since my first episode, M-Tee planted this idea in my mind that a game’s protagonist, who serves as both the player's point of immersion in the game as well as a reflection of its designer. What was the intention behind Jessie Jaeger’s design, and are there elements of yourself that you see in her or any other characters?
    There’s very little similarity between me and Jessie. Her design was more a reflection of Michirin’s tastes. I made her female to pay homage to Monster World IV and Shantae, but the rest of her design was Michirin’s hard work. However, my other homebrew, Catastrophy, which has been in progress for years, is a complete reflection of my cat. Everything in that game is a reflection of her behavior.


    How about a crossover with all 3?
     
    -What aspects of Jessie Jaeger are you most proud of?
    The controls are almost always complimented. Getting the momentum feeling just right, so that you’re not on ice, but you also don’t stop on a dime, or have weird floaty jumps is just so important from the moment you turn on the game. The game is hard, but the player needs to feel it’s their own fault every time, and not the controls. The whip mechanic is divisive, but I do enjoy the learning part, and how by the end of the game, people feel like experts at it.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Jessie Jaeger? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    Things always take way longer than you expect. I thought I was going to have everything done in the first 3 months following my Kickstarter, and I thought that was generous. It’s been a few years now, and I’m slowly still getting pieces finished up. I’m doing my best at getting things out, and I’m 100% committed to filling every goal tier, as long as it takes.
     
    -There has been a lot of support and enthusiasm for Jessie Jaeger on Kickstarter, and on social media. How does it feel to see so many people excited about the game?
    For me, the excitement of making a homebrew is when someone completes your game and enjoyed the entire experience. One player, who goes by turbocr1k3t on Instagram is a huge fan. When you beat the game 100% with all gold coins, it unlocks a NewGame+ mode (sorry for the spoiler!). I intended NewGame+ to just be a speedrun sort of challenge, since it starts you will all the equipment and upgrades. He chose to attempt to 100% that mode, but due to the way it’s coded, 100% in NewGame+ is impossible, since you already have all the upgrades. It’s essentially a bug that I never discovered, but the fact that he played my game to that depth was one of the coolest things to come out of the entire project.
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, Genesis, Turbografx, or otherwise? Any plans for a sequel? Any dream projects?
    I’m still working on the Gameboy/Gameboy Color version of Jessie. Thanks to GBDK, it should be “fairly simple” to port to Game Gear. Nothing is ever that simple, but at least the tile maps and code should be fully reusable. I’d love to make a Jessie sequel, but finishing these ports and Catastrophy are much more pressing goals!
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    I’ve got a stack of homebrew that I’ve purchased but haven’t had the time to dig into. Time is always the limiting factor. I’m a big fan of homebrew like Battle Kid and the Action 53 carts. It’s been too long since a new Action 53 cart was released.

    Soon…
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Watch for Catastrophy, it’s going to be a banger of a Turbografx-16 homebrew!
     
     

    Michirin
    @Michirin
    -Before we dive into Jessie Jaeger in Cleopatra’s Curse, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to become a pixel artist? What is your origin story?
    I've always wanted to be a game developer, art is just what came to me naturally, it's what I've taught myself and have been doing since age 10, but I can do way more stuff than just pixel art, if anything, at this point I'm most known for my chiptune covers, though I'm not really that active anymore on that front cuz I wanted to focus on game development.
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    Too many influences I'd say, just about anything I thought looked good on the 3rd and 4th gen systems, and also handhelds up to GBA... And no one? Like, I'm so out-of-the-loop with regards to anything new coming out...
     
    -Do you feel your artwork has a signature aesthetic that is uniquely you? How would you describe the feel of your work?
    Not sure I'd say the art itself is particularly unique, I just try to make stuff look good and cute. It's very cutesy girly anime, with a pinch of fantasy here and there I think...

    Screenshot of Unwieldy Wand by Michirin
     
    -In your opinion, what makes good pixel art stand out?
    It really depends on what the game in particular is going for, I feel readability is pretty important, though I personally tend to go for cramming as much detail as possible into very small sprites and tiles...
     
    -What tools do you use to create?
    MS Paint. You'd be surprised how good it is for pixel art!
     
    -Tell me about your creative process while working on Jessie Jaeger? How did you transform the concept art from the page to the screen for this game? How do you maintain the important details of that art given the limitations of coding for decades-old gaming consoles like the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Turbografx-16, and Turbografx Super CD?
    There wasn't really much in the way of concept art, literally just one character design, which was of my own making, everything else was made in pixel art first, and when I started working on the game I had no idea there were gonna be other versions besides the TG-16/CD one, I'm not sure they were even planned, I only started working on the Mega Drive version after the PCE CD version was near completed, and given how many extra palettes I'd been using to cram in loads of ultra-subtle detail into the PCE tilesets, I had to make a few compromises for the MD version, given it's got way less palettes... But I did my best and I'd say I managed to make it still look pretty close!
     
    -Do you have a preference creating for a particular platform? Does your process differ when working within a different set of limitations?
    I think the PC engine is pretty easy to make graphics, sound and music for, but right now I'm actually most interested in working with the GBC, it's pretty similar to the PCE, but more limited, and I like to try and push hardware limits with my work. My process is roughly the same on every platform.
     
    -What was the working dynamic like with the rest of the development team?
    I pretty much just waited for DarkKobold to ask for more graphics, and then drew the graphics, that's kinda it... But I also did playtesting on the game whenever he sent me a ROM.
     
    -What aspects of Jessie Jaeger are you most proud of?
    The tilesets, particularly the PCE HuCard version. Not sure if that one is out yet...
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Jessie Jaeger? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    In general it wasn't very challenging, the most difficult part was whenever I had to work with ProMotion NG to make sure all the palettes were right... I'd just say, to anyone making pixel art for homebrew games for pre-3D systems, just make sure your palettes don't exceed the colour count, and also be aware of how many palettes you have to work with...
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, Sega, Turbografx, or otherwise? Any dream projects?
    I already worked on another one for the PCE, Strife Sisters (I think that's what it's called), Not sure if it's out yet... But right now I'm hoping to work on my own projects, PC games though (Windows) it's what I'm able to do on my own...

    Title screen from Akumanor Escape DX by Michirin
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    Not really, like I said, I'm really out-of-the-loop on anything new coming out...
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Not ready to announce anything right now, but keep an eye on my itch.io: https://michirin.itch.io/ And on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsCaF6H613kkLK4h6pFpJwA That's how you'll know when I actually release a game of my own, Hopefully this year.
     
     

    TenNoKoe_
    -Before we talk about Jessie Jaeger in Cleopatra’s Curse, I want to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to be a musician? What led you to compose music for games? What is your origin story, and what is the significance of the TenNoKoe_ name?
    I've been into art & music as long as I can remember. My parents were always very supportive of my interest in music, and that eventually led me to start Piano lessons at 7, Viola at 8 in school, Electric Bass when I was 13, and drums & guitar at 14. Once I knew I wanted to pursue music school in university, I started taking my music studies a lot more seriously. In high school I'd learn to play my favorite records by ear and play the occasional gig with friends. By the time I was a sophomore, I had developed a really good ear and began approaching video game music from a listening perspective.
    I grew up with consoles and a Gameboy Pocket in the house, and like many other teenage millennials you end up finding sites like Zophars domain and VGM rips etc. to listen to VGM and discover new stuff. Excited would be an understatement!! At the time I wasn't aware of trackers, but I would often come across covers on the web and was fascinated by this "mysterious" process *laughs*. In early 2016 I had renewed interest in trackers and stumbled upon Deflemask. By the end of the year I had messed around with the Genesis a bit but wasn't getting very far. It wasn't until 2017 that I really started to become obsessed with FM sound and digging deeper into sound design.
    There's no special origin story here *laughs*. In 2016 I had acquired a PC Engine Duo with a modest collection of CD-ROM2 & HuCard games. Among those games was a memory card called the "Tennokoe Bank". I just went with it because I though it sounded cool.
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    There's too many to list. I'm a big jazz/fusion and soul music fan so that tends to find its way into the VGM. Herbie Hancock is a hero of mine. On the VGM side I really enjoy the music of Toshiya Yamanaka, Keishi Yonao, Tamoyo Kawamoto, Hitoshi Sakimoto, and Shinji Hosoe. As far as new stuff, I love to find individuals looking to push FM sound/chiptune capabilities further; people like Savaged Regime, JGVex, Abstract 64 and many others.

    Herbie Hancock
     
    -In addition to your musical work on video games, you are an avid composer. Does your experience performing provide inspiration for your game music, or vice versa?
    I'm into all kinds of musical genres, and I feel that being an avid listener and well-rounded musician goes quite a long way in many different work scenarios. It's definitely more of a symbiotic type of inspiration when I go to write music these days. I'm really fortunate to be musically active outside of chiptune, so my other projects also a big source of inspiration for me!
     
    -Do you feel that your music has any qualities that are quintessentially you? How would you describe your aesthetic?
    I feel like because of my listening background and musical training, my aesthetic involves a lot of Western Classical harmony mixed with more contemporary Non-functional harmony, not to mention Jazz harmony and lots of syncopated rhythm! I consider my approach to FM sound to be a eclectic variety of new sounds, ranging from more nuanced timbres to gritty distorted sounds. Some instruments are intentionally made to approximate the real thing while others are meant to be more of a "hybrid" FM sound.
     
    -What tools do you use to compose, generally as well as for games?
    Right now I use Reaper as my main DAW for digital recording/mixing with a set of AKG headphones and Event TR8 studio monitors. For chiptunes I use Deflemask, hugeTracker & Furnace Tracker.
     
    -What qualities do you look for in order to feel like a game you’re playing has good, engaging music?
    In my opinion, video game music itself elevates the art and vice versa. I feel as though having a visual reference early on has a crucial impact on the final product. Pacing and mood is so important to the feel of games. Most importantly, the music itself needs to have a direction and momentum. Exploring different rhythmic meter, changing keys, and developing ideas on a theme are all things I look for and strive to achieve in my own work.
     
    -Tell me about the development of Jessie Jaeger’s music, what was your composition process? Is the creative process different compared to when you compose your own chiptune?
    The creative process for this game was quite different compared to most game projects. The soundtrack is usually developed for the cartridge first and then later to other platforms. But with Jessie Jaeger, I was tasked with arranging themes written by the Fietchers, including writing my own original tune for the game. My process began with listening and transcribing each theme, by ear. After the transcription, I'd usually start working on the instruments for each part in Deflemask from scratch. From there it's a matter of putting in the right notes and rhythms in the tracker software. After that I have more freedom to add effects and various techniques to get a bigger sound. Once I'm happy with the arrangement I start to mix it and make tweaks wherever necessary. The mixing process can take a while at times. When I'm composing original music, I have instrument patches (presets) that I can drop in and experiment with. That makes the creative workflow a lot easier.

    Derek & Brandon Fietcher, whose music was licensed for Jessie Jaeger
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in your work on Jessie Jaeger? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    As with any new retro game, there's lots of limitations to consider when developing music for these old consoles. I didn't grow up with a Sega Genesis, so I wasn't familiar with a lot of the technical nomenclature when it came to the YM2612 & SN76489. Much of that needed to be learned through research as well as testing on hardware. Another big limitation for me still is the file format in which my chiptunes are typically exported. Each note and effect I add to the music routine takes up a certain amount of data, and with the .vgm format file sizes can get quite big if you use a lot of samples. In Jessie Jaeger I used no samples for the music whatsoever which cut down on file sizes considerably. If anyone's looking to pursue sound programming, be prepared to test often and always double check your mixes, get second opinions. I would say my biggest piece of advice is to stay confident/focused and to not be concerned about comparing yourself to others.
     
    -How did you first connect with DarkKobold and what was the working dynamic like as you worked on the game?
    DarkKobold initially reached out on a Discord server I was in. Once I saw his message, I immediately sent him a replay saying I was interested. Later that week we linked up and discussed the details of the game in its stage at that point. The working dynamic was rather easy going, I would usually take a few tunes and send frequent updates after a week or so. DarkKobold would respond with feedback and we'd go from there onto the next stage themes of the game. He helped me a lot with more system-specific issues and taught me various things throughout development. I'm not really the programmer type so it was very much appreciated!!
     
    -Is there another project after Jessie Jaeger on the horizon? Another dream project that you hope to bring into existence, video game or otherwise?
    Yes, I have a few other retro projects on the horizon. One of them is a Genesis/Mega Drive First-Person Shooter engine called PortalView by Erik Haliewicz and the other is Pigsy's Castlevania Symphony of the Night demake. Another chiptune project is a music release for my duo called Intelligent Terminal which will be released on music platforms later this year. The last project and certainly not least is Astebros, a roguelike spinoff for the Genesis/Mega Drive/Switch/Steam. So be on the lookout for that!

    Screenshot from Astebros by Neofid Technology
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    Sure! I'm really looking forward to playing Final Fight MD, Darkstalkers MD, Demons of Asteborg and ZPF from my friends JGVex & Gryzor! There's others I'm forgetting but this is one of the best times to be playing homebrew.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Thanks so much for having me! Keep on gaming and support indie games and your favorite artists 🙂
     
     

    RetroStage
    @RetroStage_PCB
    -Before we dive into Jessie Jaeger in Cleopatra’s Curse, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to design circuit boards and manufacture cartridge shells. What drew you into the homebrew community? What is the origin story of RetroStage?
    "RetroStage" started as a project between my brother and I, where we were making stages for a fighting game called MUGEN, that I'm sure many people are familiar with. We started a website that users could download our stages from, and since our stages were all from the retro era, we coined "RetroStage". It just stuck, and transferred over into my love of retro game consoles. I got drawn into the homebrew and dev community through the NESDEV and NintendoAge (RIP) forums, where many users helped me throughout the early days as I was learning how these classic consoles worked.
    My first inspiration into circuit design was about 15+ years ago when I stumbled across a "Secret of Mana 2" reproduction cartridge at a second-hand game store. I was perplexed, as I'd never actually seen a reproduction game at that point, and had no idea how they'd managed to get a translated game into a SNES cartridge. That kick-started my interest in designing my own SNES boards, which then lead to my dabbling in just about everything from NES to N64. Eventually that led me into creating easy-to-program cartridges - the Blaster series of products - so that people can make their own games playable on real hardware even if they don't have any electronics knowledge.
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    My influences are probably RetroUSB, Kevtris, and infiniteNESlives, all of whom were deep into developing for retro consoles before I was. I view them all as giants in the field, and something to aspire to. I still keep my eye on all of them, but infiniteNESlives is probably the one I keep track of the most. He's an all-around awesome guy, easy to talk to, and I can bounce questions off of him from time to time. Plus, he's always dabbling in something new, mainly for NES, and I always like seeing what he comes up with.

    The man, the infinite legend
     
    -What tools do you use to create?
    I use Eagle and KiCAD for my PCB design work, and a mix of Altera/Intel, GOWIN, and Xilinx (and their corresponding IDEs) for the FPGA/CPLDs that go into some of my products. I don't code actual games myself, but I use VS Code for when I need to cobble a test app together.
     
    -Your range of products spans consoles, including the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, Game Boy, N64, and Turbografx-16. Do you have a favorite console to design for? How does your work compare across consoles?
    My favourite console to design for is SNES - it's always been my favourite console. The actual PCB design process doesn't vary that much between, and I try to use similar parts across my product lines so that I can keep my inventory levels in check easier. The real differences lie in what parts are required for each, voltage levels, mappers (like for NES), different configurations in memory layout, etc. That varies for every console, with some being nice and simple (NES NROM boards), and some being super complicated (N64 boards).
     
    -You are one of few platforms for the production of others’ homebrew games, helping to grow the community and with all new parts. How did you develop those relationships, both in term of building a customer base for your products, as well as establishing the supply chains to make your store possible?
    Relationships with other members of the homebrew and dev community have taken years to form, and even then I feel like I'm not really a household name yet. A lot of my connections started out as a simple email, and grew into partnerships and friends. One of my closest partners is Mega Cat Studios, who I've worked with for a number of years now, providing them with hardware and know-how for a lot of their own projects. It's been a lot of fun!
     
    -Have you ever taken on any additional roles in game development beyond hardware? Would you ever want to create your own game?
    I'd love to create my own game, eventually, and even have some ideas on what I want to make! The problem is that I just don't have the time to devote to it, at least right now. Perhaps in the future I'll be able to sit down and actually put together some of my ideas. Until then, I'm happy to just be the man behind the hardware.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing new HuCard molds for the Turbografx-16 edition of Jessie Jaeger, as well as the cartridge shells for the other iterations of the game? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    Developing the HuCard mold, and the mini PCB that holds the game data, was a real challenge. I'd never done 3D modeling before, so jumping in with both feet was a bit daunting. However, as with all my projects, I just continually threw myself at it until things finally started to take form. A dozen revisions later, and then another dozen once the plastic injection mold company was brought in, and a brand new HuCard was made! The PCB itself was another story, because the requirements for sizing didn't leave any room for error. The PCB is less than 0.3mm thick, and has very limited room for parts to go, so designing and routing everything was VERY time consuming. In the end, I'm extremely happy with the final product, and can't wait to see Jessie Jaeger get a HuCard release. I don't manufacture the cartridge shells myself, I have a supplier for that, but the PCBs in the Sega Genesis/MD version of Jessie Jaeger were designed and manufactured by me, though I did outsource some of the assembly to another local company.
     
    RetroStage’s Turbo Blaster: the first reprogrammable HuCard
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon? Any dream projects or experiments in hardware you’re willing to share?
    Future "dream projects" I'd love to make would be inexpensive USB development carts for all of the consoles I support. I know that lots of people in development use Everdrives, but the cost of those can be a bit much for someone just starting out. I've also experimented with integrating new tech into retro games - but I can't say more on that yet!
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    I'm very excited to see "Former Dawn" for the NES by Something Nerdy Studios. The game looks incredible, and from what I've seen it's going to push the NES to the limit!
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Thanks for inviting me to this chat. For all the great people that have bought RetroStage products, and to all the folks that have helped me out over the years, I express my deepest gratitude and appreciation. I wouldn't be where I am today without their support, and I look forward to creating more new and fun things in the future!
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of the series that explores new games for old consoles that are the latest adventures you seek. What are your thoughts on Jessie Jaeger in Cleopatra’s Curse and its development team? Are you eager for a sequel? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?
     

  2. Scrobins

    Episode 31: GunTneR

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Episode 31: GunTneR

    Introduction:
    Homebrew is brimming with tales of nostalgia and love letters to cherished games of developers’ childhoods. Though money changes hands, homebrew development isn’t particularly lucrative, and most brewers will tell you their work is done out of passion for the hobby. But some developers exude such an unfiltered, unadulterated joy in their wizardry, that watching them at work, figuring out how to manifest what they want to make, feels like a look back into what early homebrew development and early game development generally must have looked like. It’s a silliness that reminds us there can be as much play involved in development as there is for the gamer when they pop in the cartridge.
    For this entry, I’m covering GunTneR, a shmup for the NES by Langel Bookbinder aka LoBlast Games. As of the time of this writing, initial Kickstarter backers are receiving their orders, and you can still score a copy of your own through Mega Cat Studios here.

    All the various GunTneR gooDieS
     
    Development Team:
    Langel Bookbinder: programming, pixel art, music
    David Spencer (instantSonic) box art
     
    Game Evolution:
    GunTneR first set course for the 13th dimension when its Kickstarter campaign launched on January 14, 2022. Backer tiers included sticker sheets; a limited (128 copies) hand-soldered cart; an unlimited mass-produced cart; and the option to design an enemy, boss, or powerup. The campaign blew past its funding goal in just over a day, leading Langel to create a stretch goal that would upgrade all cart tiers to CIBs. Needless to say, followers quickly surpassed that stretch goal. By the end of its mission, 235 supporters pledged more than $11,000. Langel worked quickly, with copies ready to ship as early as April 2023, and a few ready to put directly in backers’ hands at Midwest Gaming Classic!

    Pictured: Langel giving a copy of the game to a handsome anonymous Kickstarter backer
     
    Gameplay:
    GunTneR is a shmup. You play as the pilot of the Rudy, a customized Class-C GunTneR. You are such a soft touch that you agreed to transport a distraught alien’s sick pet through the 13th dimension out of the goodness of your heart. You must navigate your path at ludicrous speeds while avoiding obstacles and enemies that would prevent you from reaching the vet.
    Gameplay consists of chaotic shooting and avoiding what’s being shot at you. The D-pad moves you in 8 directions, while the A-button fires your quark cannon and can be held for auto-fire, the B-button fires your chaos cannon which also drains your shields, the Select button varies your speed, and the Start button pauses. Keep a sharp eye out because among the enemies and their projectiles are a plethora of powerups, including batteries for your shields, screen-killing bombs, mushrooms of invincibility, rapid-fire R-bags, external skull shields, and extra lives.

    Screenshot of GunTneR
     
    Review:
    GunTneR is a delightfully madcap adventure that isn’t afraid to be weird. At its core are all the essential bones of a proper shmup, but layered onto that skeleton is a clever irreverence which throws out the rulebook. Like classically trained artists who leverage their mastery of technique to invert convention with challenging evolutions to art, Langel demonstrates his skill and creativity by overturning our expectations. Gameplay moves right to left, and aside from boss battles, levels blur together. Not quite a bullet hell, GunTneR fills the screen with humorously animated enemies that can be a visual overload without being so overwhelming as to make the game impossible or unfair to play. As an example of the good difficulty balance, powerups don’t disappear forever the moment they drift offscreen, instead cycling across the screen several times so players have a real opportunity to grab it. Generally, shmups are too difficult to be fun for me, but GunTneR is always enjoyable.
    GunTneR’s graphics are likewise a silly fun. For every sprite it is apparent what it is supposed to be, but for fans of lore the manual offers a ridiculously overdone explanation of each. Despite the colorful panoply of allies, enemies, and powerups, the screen is full without ever feeling discombobulating. Though maybe seeing the persistent smile and support of Star Glasses just puts me at ease. The procedurally generated sound should be hard to review since everyone’s experience will be different, but the universal vibe is a classic arcade feel: weird, spacey, and never dull, it is a candy for the ears that will summon the 8-year-old in you with its pew pew pews.
     
    Interviews:
    I opened a channel to GunTneR’s 13th dimension wizard creator to learn what magic spells went into his cauldron of development…
     

    Langel Bookbinder
    @b_knox
    -Before we dive into GunTneR, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to become a game developer and musician? What is your origin story, and what is the significance of the names puke7, beefstarch, b-knox, and LoBlast?
    First off, thanks for asking me to be here; it's a real pleasure. An origin story covering my many monickers, eh?
    My parents brought home a Commodore VIC 20 when I was 4 years old. Part of learning to read included copying programs from books into that machine. Between my dad's employment perks, school machines, and many garage sales I was very fortunate to experience many machines growing up. By the time we had an NES I was incredibly aware what a leap in home gaming it was over the Atari, the TI 99/4A, the VIC 20, the C64, an Apple ][, and even a CGA IBM PC. It continued to probably be my primary form of entertainment for many years until high school when I started playing music with friends. I also loved cartoons, movies and sitcom reruns; spent time on the family PC hacking, playing games and calling BBSes.
    My high school had a great computer teacher who earned many grants and built up a very decent computer lab. My sophomore year he let me loose on the technology. I had a lot of fun messing around with HyperCard (now in color!), photoshop, premiere, and PageMaker. He wound up making a lot of lesson plans around my projects. This was also my introduction to the world wide web back in 1993. That spurred a new interest in programming; finding VGA demo tutorials in assembly and trying them out at home on the 286. I still had all that stuff until a few months ago when I had a couple drives fail.
    The name puke7 came about circa 1997 during a frustrating moment when I needed a personal email address and hotmail was adding numbers on the end of everything I wanted. I thought my names were all taken, but it was some dumb convention they had. When I saw puke7 I laughed hard and adopted it as a new hacker alias. Which meant my old hacker alias, aneurySm, didn't have a home any longer, so I started using it for my computer music until about 5-6 years later when I got sick of how many other musical artists were using it. Maybe it was 2004 when I switched to Baron Knoxburry. I don't know where Knoxburry really came from, but I was really excited about it. A friend said it would only work if I put a title on it, so I became the Baron. After a long time of it constantly being misspelled on fliers, I started using the shortened b-knox. I like the connation of "b-movies" and "b-sides" that it may suggest. Beefstarch was from a comic character I made a while ago because b_knox and langel were already taken on Instagram.
    In 2000, after working at McDonald's for 5 years, I got a job at a book factory where I'd be working for the next 7. I moved to Ann Arbor, did a lot of music stuff, and taught myself some basic php so my blog, Firteen, would have some dynamic content handling. There weren't any kind of blogging engines back then. I think I read about Movable Type in '03 and WordPress soon after. If you wanted your content to look orderly, you had to do everything manually or come up with some kind of code-enhanced system.
    As puke7, I've been running Battle of the Bits for 18 years. ...
    LoBlast, originally, was a dive bar hallway event a coworker and I ran about 4 times. We were trying to get local solo electronic musicians together for performance and community, but it was a lot of work dragging our makeshift sound system in and the artists weren't really mingling. I had setup loblast.com with info about our event and sound system. I wound up leaving that site live for over a decade. I'm not sure how I came up with LoBlast originally, but it’s nicely concise and makes me think of underdog fun. Kind of funny I didn't think of using it for a business name until a couple years ago. About 8 years ago I was daydreaming a lot about starting a eurorack synth module company called Brown Wizard. Though, between The Hobbit movies (even if Sylvester McCoy is one of my favorite Doctors) and friends coopting it as Beige Wizard for our synth jam band, I lost a lot of interest in that name. LoBlast, as it is today, is a potential catalyst and vehicle for all my professional dreams and desires.
     
    -In terms of both music and gaming, who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    I guess a list of most influential influences in chronological order would go like: Shuki Levy, Weird Al, Metallica, Mr. Bungle, Primus, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher. For video games, haha I don't know, I mostly play old NES games. Most of my modern music diet is mixes of synthwave, vaporwave, russian doomer or a bunch of old tv/film/game soundtracks on shuffle.

    Shuki Levy
     
    -How would you describe your design aesthetic, and what to you are hallmarks of a game or music created by you?
    I would say my target aesthetic is somewhere between practical and zany. I think I like to present silly content built on top of a strong foundational context. In some ways the actual process is like throwing a kitchen sink at a problem; fill a canvas with non sequiturs and it has no meaning, but with ordered conflicting alignments there's weight. It definitely needs a tinge of syncopation, asymmetry, and attitude.
     
    -What tools do you use to code and compose? Tell me about your composition process.
    Most of the time, when writing code, I use command line tools like git, vim, tmux, gcc, dasm, xxd, etc. But for GunTneR I actually used 8bitWorkshop. I typically loathe IDEs, but this thing's performance is like none other. I really can't praise this tool enough. GunTneR never would have happened without it. There's this delicious immediacy with every edit where it’s either giving you an error or rebooting the emulator. There is a huge contrast with the NES dev pipeline I experienced back in 2010 that I found very tedious. The debug features in modern emulators like mesen are invaluable too.
    For musical composition I pretty much use FamiTracker and Renoise. My first tracker experience was circa 1998 with Impulse Tracker. It was quite a step up from trying to sequence music with basic on the Commodore machines or Music Construction Set on the Apple ][. I don't find time to compose music like I used to. I feel like I have a few processes: kind of throwing whatever at the pattern editor for an hour, spending many hours creating a winding path of adventure, or actually having an idea before I start and developing that idea. The best part about playing a show or doing a release is leaving all the crappy stuff out of it.
     
    -Your trailer on Kickstarter indicated that you often learn by doing, such as designing your own PCB and making your own musical equipment. What has been your favorite skill you’ve taught yourself? What else is on your to-do list?
    Getting fluent at 6502 assembly code has been a real treat. I've been studying it and occasionally making tiny programs with it for 20 years. Working with it for 6 months and trying to be as optimized as possible led to discovering a lot of tricks and shortcuts. Using the 3 registers really is a juggling act and once you start introducing temporary registers passed around subroutines it starts to feel like five-dimensional checkers.
    The PCB design skill is intrinsic to all the hardware audio gear I want to make. I don't know how much prototyping I will fit in this year, but figuring out that process was a hard requirement for my plans. The present goal is to have a few demonstrable synth modules ready in time for Knob Con in September.
     
    -You’ve also worked as an actor and director, such as with Asshole Drunkard. How did your work on that project inform your work on GunTneR?
    It's hard to say. They both definitely have a focus on being finite, finishable projects. Going into filming Asshole Drunkard, I had never really considered the final run time until it was done and 43 minutes long. I was just happy we had a finished script with some kind of story based around my local regular spots including a lot of ridiculous dialog. With GunTneR the concept was more around the known limitation of 24kb. It was really important to me to maximize the space in terms of both experience and functionality. "Do a lot with a little" is definitely a theme for both. Being entertaining is probably the most important.

    Movie poster for Asshole Drunkard
     
    -What is the significance of the title GunTneR, and why are the “t” and the “r” capitalized?
    When I first started fiddling with 8bit Workshop I titled the new project "gunner". After a few days I did some googling. I could not find a game with that title, but I also realized it would be a horrible string to search for as simple as it was. Adding the "t" in the middle was a quick and dirty trick to create a made-up word while maintaining symmetry. Stylizing it as GunTneR further enhances the symmetry of the letter forms. I did fail, however, at creating a new word as there is a Güntner international heating and cooling business.
     
    -What elements are crucial for a good shmup? What elements are crucial for a good game? Do you have a favorite shmup that served as inspiration?
    I think I'm still looking for some of these answers. Players appreciate tight controls. When they take damage or die they want to see it’s their own fault and not badly implemented mechanics. They want to be challenged but not over-challenged, which is a threshold that varies wildly from player to player. I tried to gradually increase the intensity with a breather period after the bosses. Making all enemy types distinct in both appearance and behavior seems to be a best practice too.
    Galaga is my favorite arcade game of all time. During the Kickstarter, someone described GunTneR as a "weird sideways Galaga". This really took me aback. I was dumbfounded that I hadn't noticed the similarities. I instantly realized I needed both enemy fire and an enemy type that had choreographed flight paths.
    I do like me some shmups, though I do play platformers more. Despite mastering Contra, I still play Life Force with the Konami code. I've never been past level four of R-Type. On occasion I like to play through the Armed Police Batrider experience, but I probably blow through about twenty virtual credits to do so.  Raiden II also comes to mind. Gun Nac is in my regular NES playthrough rotation and my favorite shmup for the system. Blazing Lazers (also by Compile) for the Turbografx is similarly great but I haven't beaten it yet. There are so many titles and I'm not very good at most of them.
     
    -Unlike most shmups, GunTneR is a right-to-left horizontal shooter. You also have some unique touches like powerups don’t disappear offscreen if you miss them, but cycle through a few times so you have more opportunities to pick them up. What informed those decisions?
    The right-to-left thing really was the happenstance of me trying it first and simply thinking the result was mostly unique. There are other games that do this like Sky Kid.
    I spent a lot of time on the powerup behavior including Rudy hit box adjustments. Initially the powerups would wrap the screen indefinitely which felt cheap. Then I made them despawn on the first wrap which made them much harder to catch. Then I gave them a couple hit points and made them lose one on every wrap which gave the player an extra chance to catch before despawn. Then I realized the player could do powerup management if the powerup received an additional hit point for each shot from the player. Then I developed the ricochet behavior of the powerup being hit and wrapping the screen in the opposite direction which turned out to be a great way for the player to pick it up from behind. I know it appears derivative of the bells in Fantasy Zone, but I think it's a very different mechanic overall. Shooting the bell changings its bonus value while the GunTneR powerups can be maintained until needed. I usually wind up accidentally picking them up before I want to, but it's really cool when you save a bomb or mushroom across a few phases for a boss fight!
     
    -Ever since my first episode, M-Tee planted this idea in my mind that a game’s protagonist, who serves as both the player's point of immersion in the game as well as a reflection of its designer. But GunTneR’s protagonist is unnamed, are they meant to be a blank slate that anyone can see themselves as, like the Master Chief in Halo? Do you feel a personal connection to the Rudy?
    I think a key ingredient to early video games is the player gets to fill things in with their imagination. It's silly to think about the ecology and interspecies relationships of Hyrule, but as Link we are on his adventure and not one of our own. I really don't think this stuff matters all that much. Though, if the player takes joy in imagining things about the avatar and/or the environment in any case, then they are more invested in the experience. Not identifying the protagonist in the game was also another way to save space. There's a passage in the manual that states you are hypnotized into saving the dingle if we need any extra motivation.
    The Rudy itself is designed to be a type of underdog. The backstory doesn't mean much given the context of the game's content other than to explain it was once a simple fighter that's been augmented to be really bad ass. The name itself stems from a couple of places. Whenever I see Sean Astin acting, even in Goonies, I refer to his character as Samwise, but if I'm watching Lord of the Rings then I call him Rudy. The real clincher on the name Rudy, however, is a sketch from Mr. Show entitled The Burgundy Loaf.

    Screenshot from The Burgundy Loaf from Mr. Show
     
    -You noted in the trailer that GunTneR’s music is procedurally generated, have any games done this before? What impact do you hope this has on players listening to it as they traverse the 13th Dimension?
    Ballblazer by LucasFilm (pre–Lucas Arts) for the Atari 400/800 series computers come to mind as a video game procedural music legend. In one of the versions of Marble Madness there's a level with algorithmic based music that loops every twenty-some minutes. There's also Otocky for the Famicom Disk System which uses the player's attack to trigger melodic tones.
    Originally, the procedural music for GunTneR had a sort of a constant feel but harmonically was completely aimless. It shared deterministic noise values (pseudo random numbers) with things on screen. At some point I realized that familiar thirty-something second loops might add more value to the overall experience. Regardless, by producing the game's soundtrack with algorithms instead of data I managed to save a lot of space. The only bit of music sequence data is for the boss battle theme bassline which is in 19/16 for whatever reason haha. The entire audio engine, including sound effects and music, is about 1250 bytes in size.
    From a player's perspective, I hope the impact of gameplay on the audio adds to the experience. Many sound effects are tuned around whatever note the bassline is currently playing. As the player's shield capacitor is depleted the bassline notes go from staccato to legato until they are bleeding into each other which hopefully adds some tension. All the sound bending down and up again during mushroom invincibility is obviously inspired by Yoshi's Island's puffballs. And after all this attention to create harmony, I spice it up a bit by using an eight-tone scale for most of the themes.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing GunTneR?
    I think the aforementioned story of complete lack in understanding the similarities with Galaga was a powerful indication that I know close to nothing about game design. This was a troubling observation. So I decided to do my best at a self-assembled video games 101 crash course. I watched a lot of GDC videos, read articles about pacing and state management, and asked questions on the NESDev discord.
    The NES is deceptively simple and full of quirks.
    Space management was a constant concern throughout the project. There was over 2k of code and data that was gutted towards the end to make room for higher priority features. For example I gutted the score system so I could fit the final boss. The biggest surprise was probably realizing that putting mirrored sprites in the character rom instead of programming certain cases to hardware mirror them saved program rom. I tried to create as much opportunity for code reuse as possible. During the last month or so, there was a constant battle and negotiation between the scope of content and functionality.
     
    -What aspects of GunTneR are you most proud of?
    Every time I hear someone ask something like "How did you get so many things on screen without flickering or lag?" it makes me really happy. This is my first fully fledged video game and it’s for an archaic system. I really wanted to play to the hardware's strengths and see if that could inform some design decisions which it did. Later parts of GunTneR have up to 34 objects on screen at a time: 1 Rudy, 5 Rudy bullets, and 28 enemies. It can't handle 28 complicated enemies without lag, but that informed some phase design around enemy combinations. More than 8 sprites per scanline does happen on occasion which can cause sprite tearing, but, for the most part, it seems to be a negligible amount.
     
    -There has been a lot of support and enthusiasm for GunTneR, having blown through its initial funding goal on Kickstarter. How does it feel to see so many people excited for your game?
    Kind of a mixed bag originally to be honest hahaha. It was very flattering and wound up causing me to hard pivot on my product road map. Making an NES game is now a checked-off bucket list item. The future seemed more unsure then than it does now so I'm grateful I sort of stumbled into this opportunity. I could have spent another month on it and shipped the lose cart as originally planned. But it made more sense to go all in on it because I had no idea how I would ever afford another chance to do so. Thanks to a lot of hard work and determination and the interest and support of family, friends, strangers and Mega Cat Studios, my business now has a flagship product that showcases a dedication and understanding of retro entertainment tech.
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, NES or otherwise? Any dream projects? Collaborations?
    I recently got the gig porting Orange Island to the NES which I am very excited about. I haven't done a platforming engine yet, but I'll figure it out. I think game design is just as difficult and Ted has already done the vast majority of it. The graphics are gorgeous, and the scope is large. I'm sure there are all sorts of challenges ahead of me.
    I'm also going to be working as an assistant mercenary on a top-secret future Mega Cat release.
    I'm hoping to work with a couple of very old friends on a beat-em-up demo for NESDEV Compo this year.
    2024 will hopefully be the year of Gun][neR (or GunTneR 2). I have so many ideas I want to see realized. If I can control my own destiny then 2026 would be the year for Worlds of GunTneR which would be very metroidvania with shmup traveling sections. I really want the NES GunTneR trilogy to be a thing.
    Other than that I have a handful of other ideas. I do daydream about a heavily inspired Zelda II randomizer roguelight for modern platforms. And a two-player dual stick shooter for the NES. Porting GunTner to the PC Engine and the Commander X16.
    But I also think it's important for me to focus on my original product roadmap and try to bring some audio gear to market this year. I feel like there's too much on my plate right now, but it's really important to establish LoBlast as fast as possible if I want to succeed.

    Can’t wait to see how this team-up goes!
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    I'm at a spot right now where I find the development a lot more exciting than the play. I really enjoy seeing others' projects progress. Most of the time when I play it's old favorites because I want to shut my brain down after problem solving all week. I probably need to relax haha.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Be excellent to each other and share the future universe!
     

    David Spencer
    @instantSonic
    -Before we dive into GunTneR, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to be an artist generally, and more specifically how did you break into homebrew game art?
    First off, it's nice to meet you Sean. Thank you for taking the time to sit down and talk with me! I was inspired to draw by my father. When I was small, he was a musician for the Walt Disney Company, and would perform at Pleasure Island. Every day before school, he would always draw Mickey Mouse the best he could on my brown paper bag lunch. It really made me wonder how he did it, so I started trying to duplicate the art, and eventually I fell into finding books on the subject. The drawing bug just grew from there! As for homebrew game art, I initially started out by editing sprites in the WAD files of Doom. Eventually, that turned into making sprites for the game Sonic Robo Blast 2, and beyond.

    Screenshot from Sonic Robo Blast 2
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    My influences come from a variety of works and artists. I would have to say my biggest influence has been the sprite artists and illustrators out of SNK and Capcom. Absolute genius levels of art.
     
    -What in your opinion makes art compelling? What grabs your attention? And what kind of video game box art would make you choose one game over another?
    Well for me, I would have to say that art is a language. It speaks to people through feeling and senses, without words or boundary. It is an experience to create, but also an experience to appreciate, and for every person, that will be something different. It's very nuanced. My own attention is taken by excited, bold styles that shout confidence in knowing their style is all about graphical presentation. I guess that would also answer the question of what takes my attention on box art- presentation matters through visual communication.
     
    -Do you feel that your art has any qualities that are uniquely you? How would you describe your aesthetic?
    So, every artist has something about their art that is unique to them, depending on the aesthetic they're trying to reach. Every piece is a project, a construction, of style, like building a house. You start with a foundation and work your way up. As for my aesthetic, I have an affinity for flowing linework that shows thoughtfulness in form, or spritework that uses a minimal color palette and a small resolution, yet communicates form effectively.
     
    -What tools do you use to create your art?
    I am mainly a digital artist. I use a Wacom tablet, model 27QHD. I also use a Surface Laptop Studio for on-the-go production, though I prefer using a larger tablet.
     
    -Tell me about the development of the art you created for the box for GunTneR, what is your composition process? Is the creative process different compared to when you create character designs and illustrations for other projects?
    I had asked Langel what it was he would like to see for the box art- generally speaking. There were key things he wanted to see around the GunTneR ship. My only reference was the mostly 8x8 sprites he made, along with a short description of what they were. From there, I thought of the placements for each object he wanted, and made a sketch for him to approve, and once approved, I made the painting! I would say that the creative process was no different from the constructive imagination required to make any other piece.
     
    -How did you first connect with Langel, and what was the working dynamic like?
    I connected with Langel through his Discord server for Battle of the Bits. I am an avid listener of music from the demoscene, and chiptunes in general. I showed of some of my pixel art in one of the creative channels there, and from there, I was lucky enough that he took notice and asked me if I would like to make box art for GunTneR. Working with him has been wonderful, as we built a friendship through our mutual appreciation of music, art, and old hardware, haha!
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in your work on GunTneR? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    The real challenge was to pay my rent on time! Hahaha, honestly though, all I can really say is that, allot your time, but also take your time with crafting something you want to attract people to, visually. Creating something like a painting isn't an overnight process, it does take time, trial and error- a lesson in patience.
     
    -Is there another project after GunTneR on the horizon? Another dream project that you hope to bring into existence, video game or otherwise?
    There is always "the next big project." Currently I have some in the pipeline I can't speak about, but recently you might have seen the trailer for Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons. I also supplied some sprite work for that project as well, so check it out when you can!

    Screenshot from Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons
     
    -Are you a fan of homebrew games? Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    I'm absolutely a fan of homebrew games. I grew up in the Sonic fan gaming scene and hosted the Sonic Amateur Games Expo twice. I love the indie gaming scene in general, with Rain World being one of my top favorites. I'm really looking forward to seeing the Sonic fan game "Newtrogic Panic" in its final release.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Relax into your creations. You have the time to make what you want to see, to practice your craft. You just need to make the time to do it, for yourself. You will ultimately be the only person who can be satisfied with yourself, and what you've made, or the potential of what you can make.
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of the series that shares the mythology of the newest homebrews to grace your shelves. What are your thoughts on GunTneR and its development team? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?
     

  3. Scrobins

    Episode 32: Crabbie Attack!

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Episode 32: Crabbie Attack!

    Introduction:
    Playing a new game (hopefully) means we are seeing fun through the developers’ eyes. Hints of their own passions echo throughout the code, reflecting on other aspects of their personality that shapes the overall game. Across the Mario franchise turtles are generally enemies, but for other creators turtles might be the hero. Sometimes playing with those personal preferences can be enough to reinvigorate a genre we’ve seen before because we are sharing in the expansion of a growing universe centered around that brewer and their unique passions.
    For this entry, I’m covering Crabbie Attack!, an arcade challenge by Turtle Time Media aka Gossip Turtle aka Joe Sherman for the NES. As of the time of this writing, CIBs of the game are available for purchase here.

    CIB in both its standard and sand-blasted editions
     
    Development Team:
    @TurtleRescueNES (Joe Sherman): programming, pixel art, music
     
    Game Evolution:
    The tide began rising on the beach for Crabbie Attack! with an October 10, 2022 tweet, which noted the game’s resurfacing at RetroGameCon since last being seen at Midwest Gaming Classic in 2021. Momentum rapidly increased with the February 19, 2023 announcement that the game was complete, and a March 1, 2023 release of a game demo. Alongside that last tweet, Joe told followers that the first run of Crabbie Attack! Cartridges would be available for purchase at Midwest Gaming Classic at the end of the month. Not only that, but Joe announced a high-score competition: players at MGC could compete in a special timed championship edition of Crabbie Attack!, with the winner taking home a rare sand-blasted edition of the game (which also included the championship mode not included in regular copies of the game). Meanwhile, hidden among the regular inventory was another sand-blasted edition, which eluded customers throughout the expo.

    The Crabbie Attack! setup at MGC 2023
     
    Gameplay:
    Crabbie Attack! describes itself as an arcade shoot ‘em up. You play as Toby (and Walton if you’ve got a second player handy), a turtle in need of a good night’s sleep. Unfortunately you went on a pizza binge, and crabbies are invading your dreams. You need to wipe them out if you’re ever going to have sweet dreams.
    Gameplay consists of throwing seashells at crabs to make them disappear temporarily. You clear each stage by making all crabs disappear. However, crabs hit with seashells will reappear after a period of time. Catching and throwing stars at the spots left by disappeared crabbies ensures they don’t come back. Move the D-pad left & right to move Toby/Walton accordingly, push the A-button to throw your limitless supply of shells (being mindful of your limited pace of throwing), and push the B-button to throw stars if you have any.

    Screenshot of Crabbie Attack!
     
    Review:
    Crabbie Attack! is an addictive arcade experience that will bring out your competitive spirit whether you’re playing against others or merely trying to beat your previous high score. The basics of the game are simple enough for anyone to walk up and immediately enjoy. However there are enough nuanced details surrounding the special items and crabbies that will generate numerous strategies. At MGC, Ferris Bueller, Neodolphino, and I compared notes about our shell shooting tactics. Even as we competed against each other (or rather they did, and I also enjoyed playing), our enjoyment of the game pulled us together to talk about it.
    The art and music are bright and playful, conveying a sweet vibe that could be shared with every member of the family. Completing a stage, with its fun celebration music and cute fireworks is an endorphin rush luring you to play just one more level…again…and again.
     
    Interviews:
    I picked up the red phone to open a line of communication with Joe Sherman before his crabbies could attack me. Read on to learn how the story unfolded…
     

    Joe Sherman
    @TurtleRescueNES
    -Before we dive into Crabbie Attack!, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrew developer? What is your origin story and the story behind Turtle Time Media?  
    It is your typical story.  I was in a high school science lab when I was bitten by a radioactive turtle.  Hmmm… That doesn’t sound quite right.  Please allow me to try that again…  
    I am a long-time Nintendo fan, and a few years ago, I decided to rebuild my NES collection. Along the way, I learned of the homebrew scene where new games for the NES were still being created.  I never thought I’d be capable of that, but then I discovered the crowd funding campaign for NESmaker.  I bought into it and have been a user of the program since its launch.   
    For a while, I wasn’t sure if anything I’d create would be worthy to take to the next level, but then the first Byte-Off competition arrived. I submitted my first demo, “Turtle Rescue” into the mix of sixty other entrants, and waited to hear how it was received.  To my genuine surprise, Nintendo legend Howard Phillips announced my game as his pick for Best Game!  That type of endorsement and vindication for my efforts really motivated me to keep going, and to make sure that eventually, my final “Turtle Rescue” game lives up to its potential. 
     
    -How would you describe your design aesthetic, what to you are the hallmarks of a game made by you?  
    First and foremost, I want my games to be open to kids of all ages.  I want younger gamers to see that games created for older consoles can be just as fun as those on modern systems.  I always loved the Mario and Zelda properties, so I have tried to build a series of turtle-themed games that mirrors the charm of those classic franchises. 
     
    -Crabbie Attack! will be your 3rd release. Has your approach to game development or your preferences changed since you first began programming?  
    My skills have definitely grown since I started.  I’m becoming more confident in branching away from the default scripts delivered with NESmaker and doing my own thing.  I’ve tried to make sure all of my projects are different from one another so that I do not get stuck in a comfort zone and broaden my horizons. That’s been very beneficial because I’ve been able to take lessons learned from one game and apply them to others to make them even better.  
     
    -At the heart of your games is an ongoing feud between crabs and turtles. Is this based in reality, or do you just really hate crabs?  
    Not really.  When I decided to base my games around turtles and a beach environment, I needed to think of what type of natural foes a turtle would encounter. Crabs, raccoons and seagulls became the first of the rogue’s gallery.  I do plan on having a “good” crabbie character appear in a future game. 
     

    Raccoons, eh? Hmm, do I smell a crossover?
     
    -What tools do you use to code, compose, and create?  
    As stated, I use NESmaker for all of my projects. Without it, I doubt I would have been able to create a NES game.  It is a wonderful entry point into the world of NES development for someone like me who does have a technical and artistic background, but would fail at understanding all of the complexities of creating a functional program for the NES.  For art, I am very basic and use NESmakers’ pixel editor, and maybe MS Paint. 
     
    -Crabbie Attack! has a strong Space Invaders influence. Is that a game you particularly enjoy? Which other arcade classics do you like? What to you are the critical elements of a good arcade game?  
    “Space Invaders” and “Pac-Man” for the Atari 2600 were some of my first video games, so they do hold significant meaning to me.  Classic arcade-style games have the luxury of getting away with being simple, but they do still have to keep the player engaged. Keep the gameplay fair and slowly increase the difficulty to keep the player from getting bored. The player should be driven by a goal, even if it is as simple as obtaining a new high score. 
     
    -I always ask my interviewees whether there is a reflection of themselves in the game’s protagonist. Do you identify with the turtle protagonist? Is there a particular turtle among your collection that you see as the hero in these games?  
    Before I was developing games, I rescued a plushie turtle from a garage sale and named him Toby. I gave him a quiet personality and said that he enjoyed retro games, so he is absolutely a reflection of me.  When I tested out NESmaker for the first time, Toby was the easy choice to place at the center of attention of my pilot game. His experience gained from playing games has given him the ability to rise to any challenge.  Walton is a fun “player two” because he loves the spotlight and believes that he is the star of anything that involves him. Walton doesn’t see himself as the secondary hero, he sees himself as the best! 
     
    -What aspects of Crabbie Attack! are you most proud of?  
    From a technical perspective, I’m proud of getting two-player co-op mode to behave as well as it does. That took a lot of time to balance out all of the possible objects that could appear at any given time and cause the NES to slow down.  It still can happen, but it is very rare and I consider that an achievement. 
    I was also very satisfied to see how accessible this game is. I had designed it to be, and hoped it would be, but to actually see players of all types quickly learn and adapt to the game’s mechanics was very gratifying. 
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Crabbie Attack!? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?  
    The default physics bundled with NESmaker were providing some challenges, because I was making a type of game that was not foreseen by its author. During the game, items are meant to fall from the sky, but I’d find that the falling items would get stuck in walls, or pass through the floor, or other unforeseen situations. I spent a lot of time refining the speed and creating a “bounce-back” reaction should items hit a solid from the side. All things that the end user would never know was there, unless they played the earlier version of the game and saw how glitchy it was! 
    It was worth it in the end. I think that game developers should never brush off game quality just to rush a game to completion. Sometimes that may add weeks, months, or even years to the delivery date, but NES games don’t have online patching.  A little extra polish does go a long way. 
     
    -How did you like watching people play and compete with each other over Crabbie Attack! at MGC and other conventions? 
    It is extremely satisfying watching players latch on to my games.  I will always remember the young girl who had to stop playing “Crabbie Attack” in Syracuse to shout back to her friend “you should play this game, it’s really good!”  That type of appraisal goes a long way.  It was also stunning to see skilled players outperform my expectations, and in one case, even destroy my own personal best score!  
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, NES or otherwise? Any dream projects? Collaborations?  
    There is no shortage of future projects brewing here. I still aspire to release the full-fledged “Turtle Rescue” adventure game to replace the demo I created in 2019.  I’ve made significant progress with it and released a teaser video last year, but there is still more work needed.  “Turtle Party” was a game I started in 2020 that is nearly complete, but I’ve been holding back on releasing because I feel there’s still room for more in that game.  “Ninja Teenz” was a fun nod to Power Rangers, and I remain undecided if I want to take that game beyond the demo.  

    Screenshot from Ninja Teenz
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?  
    I’ve really enjoyed watching the evolution of “Super Sunny World.” That’s definitely the type of game I enjoy playing. 
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans? 
    I’m very happy that I’ve been able to contribute new games to the ongoing NES library. While I still see myself as new to this world, I am proud of what I’ve accomplished thus far, and strive to make each of my publications seen as worthy to players.
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of the series that shares the adventures behind the latest newest homebrews making their way to you. What are your thoughts on Crabbie Attack! and developer? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?
     

     
     

  4. Scrobins

    Episode 33: Sam's Journey

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Episode 33: Sam’s Journey

    Introduction:
    So much of homebrew derives from people making and playing the games they loved as kids, but some of the creators from those nostalgic days are returning to embrace the love fans have for the older stuff. Whether it’s the Oliver Twins dusting off unreleased games decades later or Yuzo Koshiro working on something new, the rising popularity of new games for old consoles is bringing about a return of veterans. Call it resurrection, call it a great time to be a fan, just make sure you call me when it’s available to order.
    For this entry, I’m covering Sam’s Journey, a platformer originally developed by the Knights of Bytes for the C64 and coming now to the NES. As of the time of this writing, the game is available for pre-order through poly.play here.

    Behold the box costume
     
    Development Team:
    Chester Kollschen (@Knights of Bytes) : programming
    Alex Ney: music
    Stefan Gutsch: game design, pixel art
     
    Game Evolution:
    Sam first set out on his journey when the Knights of Bytes were revived by Chester Kollschen in 2015. Sam’s first appearance came about in a prank gif, teasing the game on April 1, 2015. Sam’s Journey then reached the end of his first chapter when the game was released for the C64 on December 24, 2017, selling more than 3,000 copies. The Knights announced Sam would be setting off on a new journey to the NES with a VGS thread created on February 5, 2020, sharing some early screenshots and gameplay videos. The game’s webpage advertises more than 2,000 screens within 27 levels across 3 overworld maps, accompanied by 19 distinct musical tracks.
    Pre-orders for Sam’s Journey have staging pages on Poly.Play’s website but are not yet live. Nonetheless the game’s physical edition will include two main options: a standard edition and an ultimate edition, though posters and the soundtrack on CD, cassette, and vinyl is also available. The standard edition comes as either an NES or Famicom cartridge, complete in box, with a world map, sachet of diamonds from the game, and 7 costume cards (the Famicom edition includes a hologram sticker pasted to the box). Meanwhile the ultimate edition, limited to 100 copies, includes everything from the standard edition, plus a poster, a CD soundtrack, fabric world map, SD card with cartridge image, MP3 soundtrack and other extras, a mini figure of Sam, special magnetic case, and numbered & signed certificate.

    Screenshot from Sam’s Journey for the C64
     
    Gameplay:
    Sam’s Journey describes itself as a scrolling platformer. You play as Sam, a young hero who finds himself in a strange new world, set on an unexpected journey. Sam navigates and thrives in this new world with the help of his many costumes, which not only change his appearance, but afford him additional skills and abilities. Explore many terrains, collect hidden gems, and poke around for secret passages as you work your way through the various environments.
    Gameplay consists of delightfully complex mechanics. Sam’s core movement includes running: in which you move left and right by pressing the D-pad accordingly, and running faster by holding down the directional button; jumping: in which you jump by pressing the A-button, and can jump a little higher by holding down A; carrying objects by pressing the B-button to pick something up, press B again to throw it, or press B and left or right to throw the object farther, or B and down to drop the object in place; and swimming: using the D-pad to swim left or right, B to move closer to the water’s surface, and A to jump out of the water once Sam reaches the surface. Sam also has the ability to peek farther up or down to see beyond the normal screen by holding up or down on the D-pad.
    Beyond Sam’s standard skillset, he can collect costumes that will grant him special powers, not to mention a fetching new look, and most importantly an extra hit point. Ninja Sam uses the A-button to cling to a wall, and again to jump off, or he can also push down on the D-pad to slowly slide down a wall, or use the B-button to drop off. Pirate Sam is armed with a cutlass that he swings with the B-button, useful for cutting down enemies or popping open treasure chests. Pitcher Sam can walk steadily on ice thanks to his cleats. If he is holding a rock or chest, Sam can push and hold up on the D-pad to prepare a pitch, which activates a crosshair to aim his throw. Once ready, push the B-button while aiming to throw the power pitch, which will also pick up any collectibles it hits along the way. Disco Sam’s shades can spot secret passages while peeking. Also, while in the air, Sam can twist, causing him to stay in the air longer, and inflict double damage by pushing and holding the B-button. Space Sam has a jetpack that fires a blast which essentially grants him a double jump by pushing and holding the B-button. Vampire Sam can turn into a bat and briefly fly by holding up on the D-pad and pushing the B-button. He can fly higher by pushing the B-button to flap his wings or push down on the D-pad or land on the ground to return to human form.

    Screenshot from Sam’s Journey for the NES
     
    Review:
    At the time of this writing, I’m unable to play Sam’s Journey, so a review would be incomplete and disingenuous. However, based on the snippets shared on the developer’s YouTube channel, I can at least reflect on what I’ve experienced from the shared updates. The art provides color and life to large levels, lending the game a Kid Chameleon feel, which is ironic since both games are stories that suck the protagonist into a strange new world, and if there is any game where you want art & level design to feel immersive, this is the premise for it. Music is light and playful, conveying a kind of adventure encountering new challenges but excitement for what lies ahead, including the Mega Man-esque feel of the title music. The themes feel well-suited to their respective levels, with an airy quality to the track “Twist in the Sky”, a curious, futuristic vibe to “Space Sam Oddity”, and a gritty melody reminiscent of Mario’s Egyptian levels in “Sam’s Desert Dream”. Based on these pages of the travel brochure, I’m eager to sign up for all of Sam’s Journey.
     
    Interviews:
    I hitched a ride with the Knights of Bytes on their quest to complete this game, and chronicled the stories of development. Read on to hear their tales…
     

    Knights of Bytes
    @knightsofbytes
    -Before we dive into Sam’s Journey, I would love to talk about you and your backgrounds. What first inspired you to become homebrew developers, pixel artists, and musicians? What is your origin story and the story behind Knights of Bytes?
    Chester: I knew I wanted to create video games from the moment I first saw one. That was at the age of six when this brand-new play-on-your-TV thing was presented in a local toy store. The game on display was Nintendo’s Donkey Kong, and I think it ran on a ColecoVision. However, it had been a long way from this epiphany to Sam’s Journey. In the mid-90s, I decided to turn my passion into a profession and founded the Knights of Bytes as a game development label. Although the 16-bit era had already been in full swing, we targeted the older Commodore 64 home computer which my team at that time and I grew up with. Our first game Ice Guys was released in 1995 and caught the attention of the aspiring retro publisher Protovision. In co-operation with them, we also created and released Bomb Mania and later Metal Dust. So, in a way, we have been retro/indie/homebrew developers right from the start.

    Screenshot from Metal Dust for the C64
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    Chester: Instead of watching the work of specific people, we’re rather watching gaming itself. From the 8-bit home computer era to the 16-bit console era to the 32/64-bit PC era, we’ve not only seen the hardware evolve, but first and foremost the gameplay and the mechanics. Every time we decide on the genre for our next project, you could say that each classic and modern game of that genre kind of inspirates and influences us.
     
    -How would you describe your design aesthetic, what to you are the hallmarks of a game made by you?
    Chester: One of our trademarks is to pretend that the classic computers and vintage consoles we develop games for are still in their heydays. And thus, we aim at creating comprehensive, top-notch full-price titles and distributing them physically on real media with printed manuals in boxes.
     
    -Has your approach to game development or your preferences changed since Knights of Bytes was first founded in the 90s? How does Sam’s Journey for the NES compare to your work on older projects such as Ice Guys, Bomb Mania, and Metal Dust?
    Chester: There’s one huge change that clearly stands out: after releasing several titles for home computers, Sam’s Journey for the NES is our first game for a video game console! Developing for home computers was a lot easier as they are open platforms which encourage anyone to create software for it. Consoles, on the other hand, are closed platforms, and they really try to prevent “unauthorized” development.
     
    -Your bio noted that Knights of Bytes took a 10-year break from development, returning after you saw increasing public interest in retro gaming. Was there a particular game that was the catalyst for your return?
    Chester: Metal Dust on the C64, released in 2005, was our last title for a classic system before we moved on to modern platforms. Under a different label, we have been developing mobile games, but after some years in the business, we were looking for a new challenge. Of course, we had been watching the retro segment during our absence, and there was one particular thing we noticed. The world’s largest gaming exhibition called GamesCom is held annually in Cologne, Germany. It’s a huge event where the big studios from the mainstream industry meet and present their new products to an interested audience. However, in 2009, a “retro section” was introduced which was intended to work like a museum for the history of video gaming. It started with a few square meters in a dark, isolated corner of one of the exhibition halls and featured some display cabinets full of old hardware. Well, only 6 years later, that retro section kind of exploded! It had its own exhibition hall, a bright and shiny location, hundreds of private and commercial exhibitors present, and a huge amount of classic computers and vintage consoles actually running with a crowd of people playing old and new games. That was kind of the turning point for us to move forward to classic.

    Photo from gamescom website
     
    -What tools do you use to code, compose, and create?
    Chester: It depends on the project. The game graphics and the level design for Sam’s Journey were done by Stefan Gutsch, our own Knights of Bytes editor. Alex Ney used NinjaTracker to compose the C64 soundtrack and the good old FamiTracker for the NES soundtrack. The programming was done by me in assembly with the ca65 assembler and the ld65 linker.
     
    -What is the working dynamic like across the whole team at Knights of Bytes? How did you first connect with everyone?
    Chester: I got to know Stefan in 1997 during my time with Protovision where we first worked together. It turned out to be a very fruitful collaboration as we had very similar project ideas, and I have always been looking for a pixel artist and he has always looking for a coder. Alex boarded in 2015 when we were planning a huge platform game for the C64 and needed a new audio magician after our long-time composer dropped out. Like many other distributed development teams, we coordinate our work using chats, video calls, and version control systems.
     
    -Where did the initial idea for Sam’s Journey come from?
    Chester: My team and I have always been big fans of platform games like Super Mario Bros 3 (NES), Kirby’s Adventure (NES) or the Donkey Kong Country series (SNES). And we have always been a bit disappointed by the fact that decent platform games like those have never been made for the C64 home computer. If you ask C64 fans for their favorite platform game, most of them call The Great Giana Sisters (released in 1987) or Mayhem in Monsterland (released in 1993). We decided to take the challenge, close that gap, and create a modern console-style platform game for the C64.
     
    -I always ask my interviewees whether there is a reflection of themselves in the game’s protagonist. Do you identify with Sam?
    Chester: That must be the first time we have been asked that question! 🙂 In the course of the game, our Sam can find different costumes which completely change his nature and appearance. So he could be called a multi-faceted person, which is very convenient, as you can pick a side of him that matches your current mood. Being a programmer for low-profile systems with hardware restrictions, I often feel like Ninja Sam, looking for a way to solve a problem, then getting furious as Pirate Sam when running against a memory limit, and finally flying high like Space Sam when having found a solution.
     
    -Sam’s Journey’s journey began as a C64 game. What led you to decide to bring it to the NES? What were the challenges of porting this game to the NES? How does it compare to when you first developed the game for the C64?
    Chester: As mentioned earlier, we created Sam’s Journey to bring console-style gaming to the C64. Sam’s Journey was designed to be a game we would have liked to play on the NES, so in a way, porting it from the C64 to the NES was a bit like closing the circle. Although it’s a port, it felt like making an all-new game. The C64 and the NES only share the same CPU type, but everything else is completely different! So the graphics had to be repainted and the music recomposed. And even most parts of the code had to be rewritten as well because the C64 is a RAM machine whereas the NES is a ROM machine. There are also some subtle details that have great impact: the NES displays fewer graphic tiles in a row. That may sound negligible, but it means that Sam’s viewport is smaller. To compensate for that, we tweaked the camera handling and also adjusted the level design in several places.
     
    -You’ve posted a number of fun updates and teasers as your work on Sam’s Journey for the NES has progressed. You also shared a preview of the game at the 2016 GamesCom exhibition in Cologne, Germany. What has been the response you received from fans so far?
    Chester: The 2016 GamesCom in Cologne, Germany was the very first time ever we presented the almost complete C64 version of Sam’s Journey to the public. People were able to give it a spin and the reactions were overwhelmingly positive! You need to know that we unintentionally announced our new C64 platformer on an April 1st so that many fans thought it was an April Fool! Our showcase at the exhibition kind of made the project real.

    Fans playing retro games at gamescom
     
    -What aspects of Sam’s Journey are you most proud of?
    Chester: We received a lot of feedback after the game’s release in 2017, and what made us really proud were the reports about grown men and women looking forward to a new C64 game like little kids, and then playing it all the way through with juvenile joy.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Sam’s Journey? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    Chester: Game development is real work! 🙂 A very versatile and fun work, granted, but like with every other job, challenges pop up all the time. Some of them are harder to solve than others, however, none of them should ever make you doubt your entire project. For example, it seemed like an impossible mission to implement all of Sam’s controls on the C64 with JUST ONE action button! It took weeks of designing, testing, failing and re-designing, but in the end, we finally succeeded.
     
    -Your website mentions plans for a space shmup and an action-adventure RPG on the horizon. What can you tell use about those projects? Any interest in porting Sam’s Journey to other consoles? Or plans to bring any of your other games to the NES? Any dream projects?
    Chester: After creating Sam’s Journey for the C64 and the NES, we think we need a break from platforming! 🙂 That’s why we are evaluating other genres. At the moment, we are actually playing with multiple ideas, doing mockups, and even creating prototypes in order to find our next project. For a long time, we didn’t have a clou of what to do next, but this might be changing very soon. We’re definitely going to update our website when there’s more to tell.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Chester: Thanks for having me in your interview, Sean. My team and I would like to thank all retro gamers out there, not only for supporting us, but also for keeping the entire retro gaming idea alive. We still love to make new games because you still love to play them!
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of the series that shares the adventures behind the latest newest homebrews making their way to you. Have you been following along on Sam’s Journey and its developers? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?
     

  5. Scrobins

    Episode 34: HaraForce

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Episode 34: HaraForce

    Introduction:
    It should come as no surprise that the homebrew community spans the globe. I’ve had the privilege of interviewing brewers across four continents. But for all the interconnectedness that makes homebrew a small world, there are islands. Japan, the birthplace of Nintendo and Sega, is also the center of a thriving homebrew, or “doujin” Famicom scene. However, many players in the West are unaware of or unable to order these games, which stand shoulder to shoulder with its peers anywhere in the world. Fortunately, there are a handful of savvy individuals who have fostered relationships with these overseas devs, and built a pipeline of sorts that allows for the wider promotion and distribution of these games. I for one salute these ambassadors of homebrew international relations.
    For this entry, I’m covering HaraForce, a shmup developed by Impact Soft for the Famicom and brought to the NES and the world by Neodolphino Productions. As of the time of this writing, Neodolphino’s NES copies of the game are sold out, but a few NES and Famicom copies are still available from Impact Soft’s own storefront here.

    The Famicom CIB
     
    Development Team:
    Impact Soft: programming
    Justin Orenich (@neodolphino😞NES port
     
    Game Evolution:
    HaraForce follows its two predecessors: Haradius Zero and HaraTyler. Haradius Zero was first available for purchase through Impact Soft’s Booth store as early as November 6, 2018. Neodolphino’s NES iteration of the game went up for sale on September 6, 2020. Meanwhile HaraTyler was first available through Booth and sold at expos on November 27, 2020. Though HaraTyler was already a worthy sequel, Impact Soft played with the possible, releasing HaraTyler MP, a version of the game with a custom audio board that enveloped the game with an enhanced soundtrack.
    HaraForce was in stock through Booth on December 7, 2022. Neodolphino had NES copies of HaraForce (as well as HaraTyler and HaraTyler MP) ready to purchase in his store on January 13, 2023.

    Impact Soft’s other booth shop
     
    Gameplay:
    HaraForce is a shmup in the classic arcade mold. Use the D-pad to navigate your ship in 4 directions, use the A- button to fire bullets manually, and use the B-button to use the auto fire mechanism. You also have guided bullets which have a lock-on capability, enabling them to home in on enemy fleets that cannot be destroyed normally. Your ship and support pods lock on automatically, as indicated by the upside-down pink targets on enemy ships.

    Screenshot of HaraForce
     
    Review:
    HaraForce is a testament to how much a few good ideas and great execution can achieve. It’s easy to be cynical about shmups being a straightforward formula (especially when you’re as bad at them as I am), but in the hands of a passionate developer, one who knows how to play with what works, and poke at ways to make it fresh, the result can be something special. Gameplay is fun, between the vertically-oriented take on the additional bullets from your support pods to the lock-on mechanism. Beyond what’s different, HaraForce is simply a crisp, well-made shmup that is addictive and fluid.
    Graphically, the coloring is bright and playful, offering detailed, iconic sprites that warrant a comic book spinoff or cartoon show. Meanwhile the music pushes epic themes that easily hummable long after you turn off the game, with a pulsing thrum that pulls in your concentration as you blast away each enemy.
     
    Interviews:
    To assess to full impact of this game’s story, I interviewed its developer, as well as the man who helped bring it to the NES. These are their stories…
     

    IMPACT SOFT
    @HD64180
    -Before we dive into HaraForce, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to become a game developer? What is your origin story and the story behind the Impact Soft name?
    I was originally interested in electronic music and playing with synthesizers to make them play automatically. I bought a computer and became interested in programming as well and started making games. My first motivation was that I wanted to add background music of my own compositions to the games I created. I made HARADIUS for MSX as a "doujinshi game" when I was a college student.
    https://youtube.com/watch?v=9AA122jpiZU
    When I released this game, I asked myself if there was a name for a circle that would have an impact. So we ended up changing our name to "impact soft". After that, I worked for a game company, changed jobs at several development companies, and now I am an independent freelance developer. The NES games I'm working on now are more of a side job.

    Screenshot of HaraForce for the MSX
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    I just make what I want to make, so I don't have any influences. I check out other people's work, but I just try my best not to mimic them.
     
    -How would you describe your design aesthetic, what to you are the hallmarks of a game made by you?
    I make what I want to make, the way I want to make it. Since Haratyler, I have been releasing games with my own mapper on boards I have made. The characteristic of "impact soft" is that we are exploring new possibilities not only for software but also for hardware.
     
    -What tools do you use to code, compose, and create?
    Assembler: NESASM; Sound driver: NSDLIB; and Graphics tools: YY-CHR.
     
    -You refer to your games as “doujin”, which carries a meaning of self-produced, much like the word “homebrew” is used elsewhere. What does “doujin” mean to you? What can you tell me about the doujin community that you engage with in Japan?
    I use it to mean the same thing as "indie games". I think the general interpretation is a bit broader than that. I'm not really involved in the Japanese community, so I'm not sure.
     
    -HaraForce is the latest in a long line of games you’ve created. Has your approach to game development or your preferences changed since you first began programming?
    There is no change in the fundamentals. My skills are improving, and I am able to do more, but compared to when I was a student, I have limited time to spend on production.
     
    -In preparing to interview you, I learned that “hara” in Japanese can mean several things, such as someone’s belly, or courage in the way some equate “guts” with bravery, but it also means a unification of a person’s physical, psychological, and spiritual dimensions. Which meaning were you drawing on when you created the Hara series?
    My current family name is "ICHIKAWA". Before I got married, it was "HARADA". In Japan, it is common for a woman to change her family name to that of a man after marriage, but I was adopted into my wife's family, so my family name has changed. The reason I put HARA in the title of the game is that it is a game made by "HARADA" and has no deep meaning.
     
    -Is there a story behind the meaning of the second half of your games’ names? What is the significance of Haradius Zero, HaraTyler, and HaraForce?
    HARADIUS" comes from "Gradius," which was created by HARADA, and "HARADIUS ZERO" comes from "Gradius," which was created by HARADA. HARADIUS ZERO was added to the name to start over from zero when we restarted our doujinshi activities on the NES. Haratyler is a half-joke name I came up with because there is a Japanese manga artist named "Haratyler". HaraForce is a name I just came up with.
     
    -The Hara series are all shooters. What elements are crucial for a good shooter game? Do you have a favorite shooter that you look to for inspiration?
    I think it's important to have a sense of speed to keep the user interested. Gradius 2 for MSX was a big influence.

    Screenshot of Gradius 2 for MSX
     
    -HaraForce is a vertical shooter, whereas Haradius Zero and HaraTyler were horizontal shooters. What led you to make this change in gameplay?
    I wanted to challenge myself not only with horizontal shooters, but also with vertical ones.
     
    -What aspects of HaraForce are you most proud of?
    The smooth movement of many huge enemies, which is impossible on the NES. The exhilaration of defeating them with lock-on missiles.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing HaraForce? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    In the case of vertical shooters, there are often no restrictions on movement due to terrain. It was difficult to create stages that would not bore the players. The reason we added mines and energy field gimmicks is that without movement restrictions, the gameplay can easily become monotonous. I added mines and energy field gimmicks because I considered the problem that gameplay can easily become monotonous if there are no movement restrictions.
     
    -How did you connect with Justin Orenich/Neodolphino? Were you looking to sell copies of your games around the world or on NES cartridges before you were in contact with him?
    Justin suggested to me that we should release HARADIUS ZERO on the NES. I had a proposal to do so. I was interested in selling it overseas, so I asked him to do so. Before this proposal, I was interested in selling overseas, but had no concrete plan.
     
    -How does it feel to see so many people eager to buy your games from around the world?
    I want people all over the world to play my games because I developed them with a lot of effort. I am trying to make a game that is language-independent and can be played by people from all over the world.
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, Famicom or otherwise? Any dream projects? Collaborations? What is next for the Hara series?
    Right now I am developing an adapter to add Wi-Fi communication and MP3 playback capabilities to the NES.
    Haratyler MP has already released a cassette with MP3 playback functionality, but this is a form of MP3 playback unit for each cassette, so the manufacturing cost will be high. To cover the disadvantage of high manufacturing cost, we are developing an adapter that can be used as an independent adapter by attaching a micro SD and I2CDAC component to an ESP32 microcontroller. To cover this disadvantage, an ESP32 microcontroller is attached to a micro SD and I2CDAC component so that it can be used as an independent adapter.
    https://impactsoft.booth.pm/items/3315518
    With this adapter, it will be possible to supply extended functions such as MP3 playback and WIFI communication for multiple game titles on an inexpensive cassette. I would like to create communication games in the future.
    Right now I am spending most of my time researching new systems, so game development is something I am making along with my research. So if I can create something in the process of my research, I will release it.
     
    I would like to make an action RPG next in the Hara series, but I am still working on the details.
     
    -Are there any doujin games in development that you are excited to play?
    Recently, I've been working on games that I want to play, including those on the market, but I've been holding back and making time to research and develop them.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    I am almost a one-man operation from programming, graphics, sound, board manufacturing to sales, so I know I am inexperienced in some areas, but I am confident that I can do it because I am a one-man operation.
     
     

    Justin Orenich
    @JustinOrenich
    -Before we dive into HaraForce, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrew developer and producer? What is your origin story and the story behind Neodolphino?
    I first really became aware of the NES homebrew scene back in 2013 – thanks mostly to Nintendo Age (and Study Hall by Kevin Hanley/KHAN Games).  Once I realized there was an active community devoted to creating brand new games for the first system I ever owned/played on as a kid, I was hooked.  I was in medical school at the time, but I did what I could to support the scene.  Eventually I wanted to contribute more while learning about how releases were put together.  I had next to no previous programming experience and limited time to learn, so I worked out an arrangement with a newer programmer on the scene to buy one of his very basic games – 1007 Bolts (and 1007 Hammers, as a result).  We made a few changes/improvements to the visuals/gameplay - I made a couple of really basic music tracks with FamiTracker and had them added in with the help of Memblers.   I obtained multiple donor cartridges and taught myself (with many helpful tutorials, plus trial and error) how to process the shells and boards into a whole new game.  The game is extremely simple and has next to no replay value, but I wanted to be sure that even for such a humble release, it had a thought out (even if basic) story and a quality presentation as that was what I could actually control.  I asked Eric of Troy to help design the packaging with just basic guidance on the themes, and the usage of classic Capcom packaging, and he completely blew it out of the water.  This was the basic origin of Neodolphino Productions.

    May lightning continue striking in Neodolphino’s case
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    Regarding my earlier releases and trying to make my Limited Edition releases intricate and unique, I'd say Kevin Hanley/KHAN games in that regard.  The Limited Editions of his early works were really cool and took what was being done at the time to the next level.  It also helps that he makes great games!  It would be hard to also ignore heavy influences on myself and the overall scene from all of the old guard that have been there since the early days.  As for who I'm watching, nowadays I try to keep a close eye on the Japanese brewers.  I work closely with Impact Soft as they release games and have watched Little Sound Soft and good_tune as they have produced more and more impressive games.  From a more western perspective, I often follow what Retrotainment (Full Quiet) and Mega Cat are up to and am always interested when KHAN Games puts anything out there (Courier, most recently).  I'm also very ready for Mystic Searches to finally be done!
     
    -How would you describe your design aesthetic, what to you are the hallmarks of a game made by you?
    As I am not a programmer, much of what is in a game is mostly out of my control – if the game is not yet completed, or I am commissioning it, I always try to push even simple games to have little extras that I think the player will enjoy (hidden mini games, quality music, etc.).  Regarding the physical release, I want to be sure I am using quality products, and that the designs match the aesthetics of the release itself.  I like using interesting colors/themes for the cartridges and try to make the normal somehow a bit different, especially in the releases I have more control over.  When I was making Limited Editions, I wanted the extras to be meaningful and unique, no matter how simple the game was.  Something you'd want to display, and be able to see and feel the effort that was put in.  It was never enough for me to just release a game to bare minimum standards.  Almost anyone can do that.
     
    -What tools do you use to code and create?
    I don't code, so none in regard to that!  As for creating, I use FamiTracker for the occasional sounds or music here or there but haven't put any of the products in a game since 1007 Bolts/Hammers.  For designs and layout, I may rough sketch some stuff in a variety of programs, but it's usually just a basic guide – typically Eric does the rest.  Most of my work comes from connecting with programmers, offering to bring their games to physical release, then conceptualizing how to bring a quality product to the NES from that, then sourcing quality materials and putting it all together.  If it's a project I'm starting, it's forming a team and providing direction and resources to make their work as easy as possible (which maybe I'm not as good at).  Things producers do – I think?
     
    -How did you first become aware of the Japanese doujin scene?
    I believe I first noted there was a Famicom doujin scene back in early 2019 when I saw Game Impact/Habit Soft offering a Famicom portrait cartridge service on Twitter.  The concept was that you would send in a picture of yourself, and Mitsuhiro Yoshida (one of the major creative forces behind the Kunio-kun series of games) would make an 8 bit rendition of your face in that classic River City Ransom/Kunio style.  This was then integrated into a basic Famicom program that was put on cartridge for you to enjoy.  From this project, I then found other Japanese programmers and their amazing projects.  I loved that there was a whole area of the homebrew scene that was largely unnoticed by Western audiences to discover, but I found it frustrating to actually get a hold of the games for many reasons.  I wanted to change that.
     
    -How did you connect with Impact Soft?
    It basically started with me struggling to import copies of their games (as an avid collector of homebrew), and with me reaching out to see how I might do that.  Then I offered to show off a physical demo of Haradius Zero for them at MAGFest.  I think shortly after I floated the idea of me doing a small hobby level release for them (as I knew other collectors were struggling to get these games as well – if they even knew about them), with me footing the cost and dealing with all of the logistics.  It was my hope that they would trust me with their game and with the big risk/unknown if they didn't have to worry about any part of the process, other than the game itself.  Luckily, they were willing to take a chance with me, and here we are, multiple releases and programmers later!
     
    -You’ve brought all 3 games of the Hara series to the NES, which are all shooters. Does this genre have special resonance for you? What elements are crucial for a good shooter game?
    Not that I don't love them, but honestly, it's because Impact Soft keeps making great space shooters, and trusting me with them to be released.  It's been a great and fulfilling partnership, at least from my perspective.  Crucial elements for me are things like smooth/responsive movement (especially with more projectiles), a certain feeling of power and flow while playing, and a great soundtrack.  Something I think it captured very well in the Hara series.
     
    -What does bringing a Japanese Famicom game to the NES and Western audiences entail for you, in terms of the game itself as well as additional parts such as the box and manual? Do you work with anyone else to help you in these efforts? Is there a typical timeframe from agreeing to import to putting the games up in your store?
    I consider what I do mostly just a Western localization of the game.  I may ask the creator to add a little note on the title screen denoting that, but otherwise, the games are pretty much the same.  Text in the games is usually minimal or already in English, so that's not a problem.  I work with Eric of Troy, as already mentioned, on creating the layouts for the printed materials – often using the programmers already made assets in some way, and usually Mega Cat Studios does the printing.  I've leaned heavily on Paul from INL to help with the technical board aspects to be sure we can support some of the more unique projects on his boards.  I make sure to stress to the creators that I do this as a hobby, and I am often at the mercy of others on when I can get components (especially at the height of the COVID pandemic).  Timeframes have honestly been all over the place, but are definitely better now.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in bringing HaraForce to the NES? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    Honestly HaraForce was pretty straightforward, as the creator did all of the boards and packaging and sent it to me.  All I had to do was help with translation, choose a shell color, order styrofoam, dust sleeves, and vinyl box protectors, assemble everything, and distribute.  They made it very simple.  One lesson to be learned from this project specifically was to check the boards/details closely, as these were not what I normally used (typically I get boards from Infinite NES Lives).  There was some shipment damage on a few of the boards which luckily I caught most of.  Otherwise, I think we mostly had the process figured out by that point.
     
    -Which other overseas developers are you in touch with? Who do hope to connect with in the future?
    Other than those I have done releases for (Impact Soft, good_tune, and Little Sound Soft), I also occasionally talk with Game Impact and mook-tv.  I have also reached out to some non-Japanese brewers such as Jeremias Babini (PioPow).  I think most of the people I know of that I'd like to connect with in some way, I have – though I guess it would be interesting to get to know RIKI.

    Definitely one to keep an eye on…
     
    -How does it feel to see so many people eager to buy the games you bring to them from around the world?
    It feels great, but mostly because they are getting to play these great foreign releases much more easily, and affordably.  I've always been a collector and advocate first, so helping these brewers access an enthusiastic fanbase/part of the scene they previously weren't a part of also makes this all very worthwhile to me.
     
    -Do you have any reflections on serving as a sort of international diplomat connecting disparate homebrew communities?
    First, it wouldn't have been possible without their trust in me, and their patience working across culture and language barriers (not to mention severe supply line issues, and delays due to my schedule, as I do this as a hobby).  The Japanese brewers have been nothing but understanding and a joy to work with and I am very grateful.  It's also been rewarding to bring new games to the Western community (though I do get orders from all over the world) through networking that are of great quality, and great fun – especially since I'm not a programmer.  Sometimes all you have to do is ask, be willing to (respectfully) ask again, and be comfortable being told no.  It's also important to still be willing to help them get their game released any way you can, even if not with you – I've done this one a few occasions, and it's still extremely rewarding for me.  It's about the people and the games – to me anyway.
     
    -Which game has been your favorite game to import?
    Haradius Zero comes to mind overall as it was the first, and quite exciting in that regard.  Plus I feel like what we did with the packaging and presentation was great, and very in line with a more Western flair (plus it's where I worked out my overall format for subsequent releases – the Famicom KOEI-esque look).  But I have to say that Gold Guardian Gun Girl was also a very fun release, and I think we really nailed that one as well.  The two-tone shell looks amazing, whichever variant you had, and the art really popped.

    Truly
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, importing Famicom, developing for the NES or otherwise? Any dream projects? Collaborations?
    From a Famicom standpoint, I'm hoping to do a release of OverObj (a very impressive bullet hell space shooter) by Little Sound Soft sometime in the nearish future.  I'd also love to release one or two of mook-tv's games, though that effort has not been fruitful so far.  From internal projects, we have a few projects on the backburner: a City Pop music cart/album, a physical release of the Grunio trilogy on one cartridge (same for the Cowlitz games), and a picross game.  We also have some projects/ideas on the backburner’s back-burner: the NEoS (media loader/OS), a choose your own adventure creator, and a virtual pet project.
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    Former Dawn, Orange Island, Project Borscht, Mystic Searches, Super Tilt Bro (with built in Wi-Fi), Courier (or Unicorn, or Beyond the Pins 2, or Sneak 'n Peek 2 – Electric Boogaloo)
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    You the real MVPs!
     
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of the series that shares the adventures behind the latest, newest homebrews making their way to you. What are your thoughts on HaraForce? Do you have the Famicom or NES iteration? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?
     

  6. Scrobins

    Episode 35: Sly Dog Studios & The Candelabra Epic

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by Scrobins
    Episode 35: Sly Dog Studios & The Candelabra Epic

     
    Introduction:
    Once a developer decides to make a sequel to follow up on a previous game, there is the inevitable question of whether the next entry should offer more of the winning formula or strike out for new territory? On the one hand, by sticking with what's tried and true, you run the risk of becoming stale, and on the other, by wanting to innovate and stay fresh, you risk alienating fans who liked what you did before. If you’re Sly Dog Studios, you don’t have this problem because your fans love your games because each entry is a different game using a different genre to introduce creative gameplay mechanics that challenge your assumptions about how to play a game of the genre, as well as what can be done with a game of that type on the NES.
    For this entry, I decided to spend the dog days of summer catching up with Rob Bryant aka Sly Dog Studios to see what he’s been up to and share his stories about the famed Candelabra series. Rob’s games are longstanding favorites since the early days of NES homebrew, and I got the scoop of kibble on what’s brewing in the doghouse.

    Not too far off from reality
     
    Development Team:
    @Rob Bryant (Sly Dog Studios): programming
     
    Sly Dog & Evolution of the Series:
    Rob’s games run the gamut, beholden to no genre. Like many early homebrewers, Rob’s first works show off his developing skill as it dovetails with his creativity. One such example, Tic-Tac XO, awards power-ups depending on the outcome of previous games, which makes future matches very interesting. A known presence on NESdev, Rob took Clik!, a mini game developed for the first NESdev compo and expanded it into a complete game. Also a huge personality on NintendoAge, Rob was instrumental in building a permanent reservoir of knowledge for aspiring brewers to access the Nerdy Nights tutorials, in addition to sharing updates on his own work, and answering the questions of others. You might even remember The DogCast, in which Rob posted bite-sized updates on whatever he was working on at the time, alongside snippets of his everyday life. His ever-growing skill and support led him to release what may well be his masterpiece: Black Box Challenge, an RPG in which you collect all the original black box NES games, playing 1k mini games of each to unlock abilities that open more of the surrounding world so you can continue your quest and defeat the Evil Overlord.

    Screenshot from Black Box Challenge
    But Rob is most famous for the Candelabra Epic, an ongoing saga that has cemented Rob as the homebrewer’s homebrewer. The first entry in the series, The Mad Wizard, is a puzzle-based platformer, whose rom was released in 2014, and sold on cart in 2015. Immediately distinguishing itself, its gameplay lacks a jumping mechanic, instead relying on your character’s (Hekl) mystical hover. Your ability to navigate the world, fight enemies, and acquire new abilities opens the wider world in your battle against Amondus, and it all begins with the basic assumption-breaking fact that you can’t jump. The next game, The Rise of Amondus, sees you playing as the previous game’s villain as you collect minions to build your army. Also released in 2015, this worthy follow up is a sort of horizontal shooter with the ability to have a second player join in for some couch co-op. Not content to be a straightforward shmup, this game includes a separate mechanic in which you abduct goblins on the ground while clearing the path ahead of enemies, a true multitasker’s game.
    For the next entry, Estoscerro, Rob teased a twin-stick 3D dungeon crawler in a demo released as early as 2013! Updates trickled out on NintendoAge and NESdev, but Rob keeps many plates spinning continuously as progress on several games edged closer to the finish line. Given the tidbits shared, I hope one day Rob writes a book about all the stories behind this saga; he takes his time on what are clearly labors of love, and when a new game is ready, it lands with a huge bang.
    Whereas the first two entries of the Candelabra Epic were physically released on cart by RetroUSB, with boxes by Uncle Tusk, the third entry reached audiences by a different route. Estoscerro launched on Kickstarter through fellow homebrewer K3VBOT on March 22, 2019. Within 48 hours, the project had met its initial funding goal. By campaign’s end, 301 supporters pledged more than $27,000 toward the game. Backer tiers included the game rom, cart only, CIB, or combination packages with T-shirts, stickers, posters, and a cloth map of the first level. Depending on your selection, you could receive a traditional gray cart or a translucent yellow one. Even more exciting, there was a tier that offered everything plus re-releases of The Mad Wizard and The Rise of Amondus (with new box/cart/manual artwork) since both games were discontinued through RetroUSB a year or two prior. Backers received their games by spring 2020, and Rob released the Estoscerro rom to the public for free on February 4, 2021.

    Estoscerro Kickstarter banner
     
    Interview:
    Like many fans would, I took the chance to hound Rob about his development work, and when he thinks the next games in the series might be let off the leash. I was fur-tunate to hear his tails, er tales…


    Sly Dog Studios
    -Before we dive into the Candelabra series, I wanted to check in. Last year I polled members of the community, and one question asked who they missed hearing from. You were a frequent answer. So for the many who miss hearing from you, how have you been?
    I really had no idea I would be mentioned as someone that others had missed hearing from, so that’s kinda nice to learn. As for how I’ve been, I’ve been alright. A lot of family stuff has had its ups and downs in the past couple of years haha My kids are getting bigger, and they’re amazingly crazy. They are definitely hard to keep up with. I wouldn’t trade what I have for anything, even with rough times. So, life is good overall. None of us are starving, thank God.
     
    -I would also love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrewer? What is your origin story?
    Good Lord. I’m not really sure what inspired me to create games in the first place, but I always knew I wanted to make games on the NES, if I could. I always loved playing games, but I always really loved the library on the NES, and thought it would be awesome to make games on the same platform that harbored some of my favorite games of all time. One of those things where you’re like, “Yeah, I was able to create a game alongside the likes of Ninja Gaiden, Friday the 13th, etc.” Not that I’m saying they’re as good as those games, but that they are in the same library. You could counter that that very same library has some snoozers. It doesn’t matter though. Take the nostalgia of loving the system, and creating something that would necessarily make it on a list of games that were on the system? Haha Sounds kinda stupid, but I think it’s awesome.
     
    -What is the significance of the Sly Dog Studios name as well as your Roth username on NintendoAge and NESDev?
    This is definitely a double-pronged answer, because neither has to do with the other. Sly Dog Studios is really interesting, because it has something that deals with a game that I envisioned a long time ago, coupled with the guy I used to create games with. So, my friend Shawn and I had “created our own systems,” by which I mean, we came up with specs, didn’t understand them, but ran with them. Then, we each came up with our own games for those systems. In my case, the system I “created,” was the Machina (pronounced mak-in-uh). There was one game in particular that I came up with called Sly Dogs. It was supposed to be something like Mission: Impossible on the NES, but you could switch from each character to the other, and they all banded together to perform certain tasks. This was when we were little kids.
    Fast forward, many, many years later. I was playing in bands a lot, and Shawn was a keyboard player. We never actually played together in any live bands, but he would sometimes record live shows or even practices of bands I was in. At one point, I was in this band called Badge. He recorded some of our stuff, then actually had a CD maker of some sort. He pressed a copy and gave it to me. On the outer rim of the CD it said “Sly Dog Studios.” It was one of the coolest things ever. And then whenever I decided to actually slap a name on programming ventures, I thought it was more than appropriate to use that moniker. Even later than that, Shawn was the one that came up with the logo of Sly Dog Studios.
    The name Roth was something I came up with when I was playing AD&D when I was younger. I just thought it sounded cool. And so, whenever I joined forums in the early days of NES discussions, I used that. The answer about Sly Dog Studios is totally more interesting than the name of Roth haha
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    The more I think about things like influences, the more I believe it’s everything I’ve ever taken in. I could tell you that *such-and-such* is a major influence, but I really don’t think I can do that these days. I honestly believe that everyone influences everyone in some sort of way; that it is difficult to ascertain who is a more readily spoken of in influence than the next. Even random encounters of people you’ll meet only one time seem to sometimes have big impacts in ways I think of things, and perceive things.
    If you want me to talk about who/what I admire? I would say any game that has a story, and whomever the people behind that game are. I couldn’t tell you who worked on The Adventures of Bayou Billy, but holy cow. They took a regular damsel-in-distress story, and built a game with multiple styles of play, with multiple kinds of villains, and mashed it together and made something cool. Same with Golgo-13: Top Secret Episode. Really cool games, and those that worked on them, I tip my hat.

    Screenshot from The Adventures of Bayou Billy
    About people’s work that I’m watching closely… I am not going to lie. I am severely detached from the whole homebrew scene right now. I have no idea about anyone that exists outside of Kevin, Beau, Tim and Joe Parsell, my Yoda. And even there, I have no idea what they may or may not be working on right now. I remember that Damian was working on Full Quiet. That’s about the extent of what I know.
     
    -How would you describe your design aesthetic, what to you are the hallmarks of a game made by you?
    I used to jam in this death metal band. I remember having a conversation with the drummer about a certain way I approached making riffs much of the time. It was basically something like, “I like to play the same thing twice, then change it up on the third time, and then play the first thing one more time.” So it’s like an A-A-B-A riff, if that makes sense? And I think that is kind of what my design for gaming is like, but not necessarily like that. I haven’t quite figured out what it is that I like to do when making a game, but when I make a certain thing, I know that that is the thing that I want? Basically, I feel like there is a formula that I like to use, but I haven’t quite put my finger on what that is yet.
    If I were to put a “hallmark” on what these games do, it is that the player starts off with diddly-squat, and by the end is over-powered, but the powers are increased in such a way that you don’t realize how great your character is until close to the end of the game. Something like that maybe?
     
    -What tools do you use to code & compose?
    For coding I use a text editor, and build with CA65 and LD65. I also use NESST for seeing how things could look. I use GIMP for all of the graphics work I need to do before transferring it to something NESST could use. I use a modified DragNSF 1.0 for compositions. I also use my bass and sometimes my own voicing on recordings so that I don’t forget something that’s musically in my head.
     
    -You started developing games for the NES around 2008, and playing in assembly for a few years before that. Has your approach to homebrewing changed over time?
    I’m going to say no, but I wish I could say yes haha I’ve noticed that I tend to have an idea, start on the game, and then keep adding ideas. I don’t think I’ve ever had a game where I pre-planned and stuck it out to the end, never changing anything. I always seem to keep building on what I originally saw, and only stopping when I think that it’s “good enough,” which I don’t usually think it is.
     
    -What have you observed about the evolution of the homebrew scene as a whole over the years you’ve been a part of it?
    I once wrote an article called “Why Most People Don't Finish NES Homebrew Games.” It is no longer a relevant writing.
     
    -You are also an avid musician, who composes the music in your games. Tell me about the development of Candelabra’s music, what is your composition process? Is the creative process for developing music different compared to your game programming?
    It’s not different in terms of a “means-to-an-end.” Just like how I program, I kind of write music by the seat of my pants, and don’t have a particular end-point until I feel like I’ve reached it.
    But, I will say it’s different in that, I’m more musically attuned to what I would like to do than I am with a game as a whole. I think music is really great, but it’s a far more simple beast than encompassing a vision of an entire world. The music is only a portion of that world, and I feel like the little bits of music I write are only one part of the tale of a world.
     
    -How would you describe the vibe of your music?
    Rock/Metal Meets *insert game genre*
     
    -How did you first conceive the Candelabra series?
    I originally wanted to make a 3D maze style game that was something that could be beaten in around 20-30 minutes. That was the original vision of Candelabra: Estoscerro. When the game was around 75% or more finished, I really actually got cold feet. At the time, there were people releasing platformers and getting tons of notoriety. I talked to my buddy Shawn, and told him I wanted to make some sort of platformer, but I couldn’t actually make sprites jump at that time, only move them. So he and I talked a bit, and decided to make a game of a wizard that could levitate. The sprite could be moved, but no jumping involved. This would end up becoming The Mad Wizard. As we got more into development of the game, we talked about this wizard maybe being the third character in Estoscerro, and tying it together. And that’s what eventually happened.
     
    -Tell me about the evolution of Candelabra, what led you to decide each entry would essentially be a different genre?
    I used to play all of my RPG video games with a certain character set. So, for instance, I would play Final Fantasy with Roth, Han, Hubs and Hekl. Roth as a fighter, Han a red mage, Hubs white, and Hekl black. I did this with other games too, like Ultima: Exodus. Except Roth would be a barbarian (like my AD&D character), Han a fighter, Hubs a white mage, Hekl a black mage… or whatever it was they were called on that game. So, because Roth was my forum name, I was discouraged from using that due to feeling like I would look like I was being non-humble(?) and putting myself in the games. So I went with Han, Hubs and Hekl as being the main protagonists. Sometimes on these games, I would have a character named Sven, who would be a thief. He worked his way into being the main guy in The Tenth Knight, but not as a thief, and spelled as sVen haha
    There’s even more to it than all this. There was a PS One game called RPG Maker. I never came CLOSE to finishing the game, but I had started trying to make a game with that. But many ideas I thought of have carried over, at least in principle, and I was calling it Candelabra.
    As for why I wanted to make each game different from the last in terms of genre? Just so it wasn’t the same. Each character is different from the other, and I think if you’re going to represent a character in a game, it’s proper to represent them in a state of play that is more conducive to how you would like them to be portrayed.

    Like playing God, but with pixels
     
    -In addition to each game being in a different genre, each has unique control mechanics that expand players’ conception of how NES games can be played, such as Estoscerro’s dual controller format/Virtual Boy controller compatibility. What is your inspiration for such out-of-the-box game design?
    Modern video games. I always appreciated things like Smash TV on the NES, where they went out of their way to make a totally different experience with the controls. It’s not always necessary, but if I can find a modern video game that has elements that haven’t been explored on the NES, I want to try and use those to create something new and interesting for the system. I think people find it refreshing. Maybe sometimes cumbersome, but if they actually put in the work like when they were kids to try and learn the controls for something, ultimately rewarding.
     
    -The series includes a wide array of characters. Do you personally identify with any of them?
    Haha! Not so much identify with them, as much as empathize with them. They all have these traits that I both love and hate, but I can look at them all with a certain regarded mix of admiration or adulation. I hope I can get the series to that point where people can see what I mean by that.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing the various Candelabra games? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    Don’t go with the flow of what other devs are doing. Don’t feel like “I need to make *xyz genre* because other people are making *xyz genre*.” Just make your games.
     
    -Which is your favorite Candelabra game?
    Completed? It has to be Estoscerro. I think The Tenth Knight will be my favorite once it’s completed, though.
     
    -Do you have a favorite game of yours from outside the series?
    Definitely Black Box Challenge.
     
    -Currently, The Mad Wizard, The Rise of Amondus, and Estoscerro are out, with mentions at one time or another of The Scarlet Matron, The Warlord Slayer, and The Tenth Knight. Are there any other games planned in the series?
    Yes, there are a multitude of games in the series that are planned. It’s just a matter of actually being able to make them. I would like to, at the very least, have 12 games in the series. There are ideas for each, but we’ll see if they pan out.
     
    -Do you have any updates to share on the remaining games in the series? Are you thinking of launching a crowdfunding campaign? Do you have plans to sell those games? Are you open to someone else handling production & distribution?
    I’m still working on The Tenth Knight. It is a labor of love, because I really want this to be better than Black Box Challenge, which I consider to be my magnum opus up to this point. I will not be crowdfunding, and I will not be selling any games. I will release them as ROMs. If there is anyone that will release my games on cart with no changes to the ROM at all, I may consider that as an okay thing to do. I’m not looking to even try to make money off of my games anymore. Well, unless some big ol’ company offers me hundreds of thousands of dollars hahaha I would change my tune then! We all know that won’t happen though, so it is what it is.
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, NES or otherwise? Any dream projects?
    Not really. I still want to finish Elusion of the Dead and NES Virus Cleaner+. Besides those, nothing that I feel the need to get out there. Well, I would also like to finish that Golgo-13 port to the NES from the SG-1000.
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    I really don’t know of any right now. That’s how far gone I am from the development scene. I will still say that Full Quiet looks really interesting. And Neotoxin, but that’ll never happen.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Dear readers: Be a fan.
    Dear fans: Be readers.
    I’ll try to do what I can to finish my work, but no promises. I just hate to disappoint, but I’m trying not to. Life is hectic though.
     
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of the series that shares the latest homebrew essentials and the brewers behind them. What are your thoughts on Sly Dog Studios and the Candelabra Epic? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?

     
     
  7. Scrobins

    Episode 36: Red Moon Lost Days

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Episode 36: Red Moon Lost Days

    Introduction:
    While each generation of video games and the consoles that defined them touch on nearly every major genre, there are some specific associations that endured. For instance, the Sega CD conjures memories of the brief trend of full motion video (FMV) games, and the 16-bit era, between the SNES and the Sega Genesis, was perhaps the pinnacle of console beat-‘em-ups. The early disc consoles brought new prominence to an underrated genre: the visual novel. Lighter on interactivity but heavier on characterization, this genre, with masterpieces like Snatcher ushered in great storytelling to video games while also challenging the conversation of what constituted a video game or even art. As homebrew evolves and the skills of its developers reach the consoles that defined these genres, it's no surprise then that we are beginning to see new games for these old consoles which bring the homebrew flavor to the visual novel.
    For this entry, I’m covering Red Moon Lost Days, a visual novel developed by Neuromage Studio for the Sega Saturn. As of the time of this writing, the game can be downloaded on itch.io here, and purchased from publisher Retro Room Roo here.

    The Physical Edition CIB
     
    Development Team:
    Gabriel Sansigolo: programming, writing, user interface
    Adriano Kitani: game art
    Guilherme Crispim & Freedy Sanchez: music
    Caique Augusto: editing
     
    Game Evolution:
    The story of Red Moon Lost Days waxes on the Sega Xtreme forum most prominently. The game’s earliest presence there can be found in a November 22, 2021 post, introducing the game and sharing a demo in celebration of the Sega Saturn’s 27th anniversary. Another demo was shared to the site less than a year later in an October 24, 2022 post. But it was a January 31, 2023 post that heralded the game’s completion and release for download. Though most Saturn homebrew development stories end there, this lunar cycle wasn’t over. In a May 17, 2023 tweet, Retro Room Roo announced they would be selling a physical release of Red Moon Lost Days.

    Makers of Quest Arrest, fun merch, and publishers of others’ games
     
    Gameplay:
    Red Moon Lost Days describes itself as an RPG visual novel hybrid. You play as Kyou Tan Wa, a pilot and general for a reorganized China, investigating the disappearance of your friend, a fellow general. Serving Chukou base, you are the sword of your region, having come a long way from the old Middle East, between United Europe and Great China. As a visual novel, controls are as straightforward as they come in gaming, as you merely need to navigate the text menu through the story, hitting A to continue the text, occasionally moving the D-pad to make a choice, and twice using the D-pad to move your character around the environment.
     
    Review:
    Red Moon Lost Days is an atmospheric visual novel, deserving of a novelization or encyclopedia to expand its fascinating lore. Jumping between two time periods, the game offers plenty of characterization in bite-sized pieces that keep players not only engaged, but left wanting more story, whether with the same characters, or to explore the world with others. Spanning subjects such as friendship, loyalty, personal growth, and spirituality, this game presents a creative, accessible story, one which stands out for how different it is from the characters we’ve seen before. And for that reason, it leaves a hunger for more content. Fortunately there are two other games set in this universe: Red Moon of April and Alette If. As a visual novel, there isn’t much generally to say about gameplay, though compared to other games of the genre, I would have liked to see more opportunities for how the story progressed, such as with branching paths and multiple endings. Similarly, there were a couple of places where the style switches to a top-down RPG visual, and this could have been a wonderful opportunity for the player to take a more active role, perhaps in having some Final Fantasy-style battles with enemy Metal Knights, much like the shooting gallery asides found in Snatcher. Instead, these respites from the text are a chance to walk around and move from point A to point B.
    The graphics and music together are beautiful, communicating moods from tense and unnerving to ethereal. Though most of what we see are still images, many of the scenes, with vibrant colors and shading could be the meticulously crafted sets of a theatrical production. Meanwhile the scenes pull you into the text, almost hypnotically, unleashing your imagination with the seeds of its own story.
     
    Interviews:
    I wrote to the authors of this novel, and we became pen pals while discussing the story behind the story of Red Moon Lost Days, keep reading for more…
     

    Gabriel Sansigolo
    @G_Sansigolo
    -Before we dive into Red Moon Lost Days, I would love to talk about your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrew game developer? What is your origin story? What is the story behind the name Neuromage Studio?
    Besides the RPGs I made during childhood using RPG Maker, I started to develop games in early 2018 using python, at that time I knew few programming languages, I was a programming student, that knowledge supported me to develop whatever I wanted. And what I wanted was to create storytelling experiences through games. Time passed and in 2019 I started what was my biggest project, the game Red Moon of April, months after the beginning of the development I decided I wanted to make a Game Boy Advanced version of the game, it was then that my interest in retro game development began. I began making Red Moon of April for GBA, it was a start menu and an introduction only but studying the SDK (software development kits) and how the old console game programming works made me understand what I was facing. Neuromage studio was born from an idea of mine to direct the studio, a game development studio focused on AI software and games. Because of the focus on narrative games in the first five years of the studio I was not able to get this desire off the drawing board, but who knows in the next project.
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    By far the person who most influenced me to develop games for old consoles was Tulio Adriano, one of the developers of Pier Solar, the RPG for the Mega Drive. He is also Brazilian and in an interview for the Brazilian retro gaming podcast, RGB Inside, he talked about how was the whole process of developing the game and gave little tips for those who had the desire to start, it was at that time I decided I wanted to make a game for the Sega Saturn. At the time I had just graduated from college and was in master's Applied Computing, I knew enough of programming I asked myself 'why don't I try, I know how to program'. Other influences of mine are Danilo Dias and Thais Weiller, the Brazilian developers behind JoyMasher, they are behind some great retro aesthetic games of the last few years like Blazing Chrome and Moonrider. Following their work for years has been very inspiring, they are a duo of developers worth following.

    Screenshot from Moonrider by JoyMasher
     
    -How would you describe your design aesthetic, and what to you are the hallmarks of a game designed by you?
    This is a tough question, I don't see myself following a single design aesthetic, for example the Red Moon games, Red Moon of April (PC/Vita) and Red Moon: Lost Days (Saturn) share the same art direction, a cartoonish anime-like direction. I tried to come up with an aesthetic design that matches what I was aiming at, science fiction mecha anime. On the other hand, the game in the Case of Renne Brás series, The Lighthouse of São Bento do Oeste (Saturn) follows a pixel-art plus real photos direction. I have tried to come up with an aesthetic design that combines mystery novels, such as Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle.
     
    -What tools do you use to code and create?
    For Red Moon: Lost Days I mainly used the C programming language. The game is programmed entirely in C, to compile the Sega Saturn games I used the JoEngine library and to build gameplay for my games I used the Neptune Engine.  Neptune Engine is what I call all the code that I started writing in The Lighthouse of São Bento do Oeste, my first Saturn game, and that I have used in all my console projects since then. It contains code to facilitate the development, on my end, of narrative visual novel/RPG like games.
     
    -What encouraged you to make games for the Saturn?
    As a huge gaming content enthusiast, I've always heard that the Sega Saturn was a difficult console to program. At the time I had watched a documentary about the Sakura Wars series, the YouTube channel Chronicles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjNeJv1o86A by far one of the best documentaries related to a Sega Saturn game. After that I fell in love with the Sega Saturn, everything around it was extremely intriguing, I joined my interest in the Sega Saturn to my curiosity to make games for the old console.
     
    -At the heart of Red Moon Lost Days is its RPG/visual novel style. What about this genre resonates so strongly with you? What inspired you to make this type of game?
    Some of my favorite games are Sakura Wars 2, Persona 2 Eternal Punishment, VA-11 Hall-A & Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. I love RPGs and Visual Novels, and I really like games that mix genres. I love writing stories through games. I would say that what most inspired me to make Red Moon: Lost Days was the game series Sakura Wars, the anime Evangelion and the manga series Hunter x Hunter and Kingdom.

    Screenshot from Sakura Wars 2: Thou Shalt Not Die
     
    -What elements are crucial for a good visual novel?
    I literally don't know, although almost all my games are visual novels, I don't see myself as someone who understands the genre a lot, I like visual novels more and I like visual novels as a hybrid genre. Forcing myself to answer, I would say that probably characters, for me they are a crucial element of visual novels, it's no wonder that great universes that are born from visual novels become popular because of their characters.
     
    -How did you connect with Retro Room Roo? What was the working dynamic like across your collaboration?
    It’s not such an interesting story, after the digital release of the game, January 31 the game gained a lot of attention, Roo contacted me with the proposal to make a physical version of Red Moon: Lost Days, after two and a half years of development I wanted the game to reach more users and I knew that physical version would help. It was a very good dynamic, Roo seemed to like the game a lot and put a lot of faith in the release.
     
    -Ever since my first episode, M-Tee planted this idea in my mind that a game’s protagonist, who serves as both the player's point of immersion in the game as well as a reflection of its designer. What was the intention behind Kyou Tan Wa’s design, and are there elements of yourself that you see in her?
    I would say the effort, I don't see myself as a good programmer or a good game writer, but I managed to start and finish an RPG for Sega Saturn, a game from start to finish, I don't think it was due to skill but effort. Kyou as a character got where she got by effort, her childhood story, presented in Red Moon of April, shows how despite difficulties she brought positivity to Kohime and energy to move forward, I think I put that in her.
     
    -What aspects of Red Moon Lost Days are you most proud of?
    The story, from the very beginning the goal of making games was to create storytelling experiences, I think I achieved that with Red Moon: Lost Days. I managed to tell Kyou's story in a game.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Red Moon Lost Days? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    The memory of the Sega Saturn, making a game for a console with 1Mb of memory is quite difficult, every time I put something in the memory without removing something that was already there, I hit the blue screen - memory limit. Having space on a 700Mb CD is very deceiving, you think that everything flows from CD to memory, from memory to screen easily and no, memory management is everything.
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, Saturn, or otherwise? Any plans to publish a physical release of Red Moon of April? Any dream projects?
    Yes there are, in February of this year I started studying 3D game development, Unreal Engine 5 specifically, I've been studying since then. My horizon boils down to: continue studying Unreal Engine 5, as soon as I finish I plan to do 3 to 4 small game projects with a friend of mine, to practice 3D game development, after that I will go back to studying, this time FPS development in Unreal Engine 5, and after that start my personal bigger project, the sequel to the story of Red Moon: Lost Days, a 3D platform shooter inspired by DOOM (2016) and Metroid Prime. Related to Saturn there's a project on the horizon, but it's something only Portuguese speakers will be able to enjoy. As for new Sega Saturn projects I don't have any plans on the horizon at the moment, it's been four and a half years developing games for the Sega Saturn, I want to take my time until I come up with something that I feel compelled to do. About Red Moon of April there are talks but nothing solid to announce. And about dream projects, one of them maybe I'll do for smaller game projects I’ll study 3D game development, I would like to make a mystery/survival horror game inspired by Resident Evil, a series of games that I'm a big fan of.

    Cover art for Red Moon of April
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    There are some, one of them is the Mega Drive game by IuriNery (https://twitter.com/IuriNery), another is Affinity Sorrow, the Mega Drive RPG by Second Dimension (https://twitter.com/alteredimension), another is the Dreamcast and Game Gear version of Paprium (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/573261866/paprium-the-16-bit-beat-them-all-coming-to-the-next-gen), 2dreamcorp Samurai game for System 16 and Mega Drive and from Sega Saturn HELLSLAVE from XL2.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    I would like to thank you for the opportunity and leave my social networks for those who want to follow me:
    https://twitter.com/G_Sansigolo
    https://twitter.com/neuromstudio
    https://www.instagram.com/g_sansigolo/
    https://www.tiktok.com/@g_sansigolo
    https://neuromage.itch.io/
     
     

    Adriano Kitani
    @amkitani
    -Before we dive into Red Moon Lost Days, I would love to talk about your background. What first inspired you to become an artist? What is your origin story?
    I started my artistic career making comic strips and cartoons for a local newspaper. It was a side gig while I was working as a graphic designer. In 2015 the place I was working at closed and I decided to try going 100% freelancing, taking more illustration jobs. After some time freelancing, I was hired to illustrate YouTube thumbnails for a Magic: The Gathering channel called MTGGoldfish.
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    Mostly comic book artists, some of my favorites are Brian Lee O'Malley (from Scott Pilgrim), Angeli (a famous Brazilian comic artist), Mike del Mundo (makes covers for Marvel).

    Arnaldo Angeli Filho , aka Angeli
     
    -How would you describe your design aesthetic, and what to you are the hallmarks of your art?
    I think it's a mix of newspaper comics with some manga/anime influence. It's kind of hard to describe my own art but I always see people pointing out the way I use colors.
     
    -What tools do you use to create?
    Mostly Photoshop and Procreate.
     
    -In your opinion, what makes good game art stand out and attract the attention of a prospective player?
    I think it's art that has a unique flavor or voice. It can be a unique way to work with colors or a very authorial style.
     
    -How did you connect with Neuromage Studio? What was the working dynamic like across your collaboration?
    Gabriel from Neuromancer Studio reached me via email to commission me for the game. We started with an initial set for the main characters and from there I started to work with other elements.
     
    -What aspects of Red Moon Lost Days’ art are you most proud of?
    For me it was the robot designs. It was the first time for me working with mecha and I was really pleased with the results.

    Go go mecha rangers!
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in working on Red Moon Lost Days? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    The most difficult part for me was designing the mechas, it was something I had no experience and took me some time to get it done. During this process I spent a lot of time looking for references and looking at how other artists work with this. The best thing to do when drawing something you're not used to is to research a lot in the beginning.
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, Saturn, or otherwise?
    Right now, I don't have anything new, but I would love to work on other projects like that in the future.
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    To be honest I don't play much homebrew games lately.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Working with Red Moon was super fun and a great experience. I hope people enjoy and appreciate the game. Thank you!
     
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of the series that tells the tales of your favorite new homebrews. What are your thoughts on Red Moon Lost Days and its development team? Do you want to see more games in this genre? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?
     

     
  8. Scrobins

    Episode 37: Full Quiet

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Episode 37: Full Quiet

    Introduction:
    I’ve frequently praised new homebrew for both giving us new gems in beloved genres, and for pushing the limits of homebrew closer to the heights of the console’s licensed era. But for all the achievements developers have collectively reached, one peak remained to be summited: scale. While myriad games have proven so addictive, fans will pour hours into them, we have not yet received the games that require hours, days, and more just to unfold the story. Until now. The nature of homebrew and indie games is such that larger projects will take more time, especially without the corporate budgets to propel them, though impatient fans make for a good substitute for screaming corporate executives. But now that the day has come, it was well worth the wait.
    For this entry, I’m covering Full Quiet, a game that defies genre with its elements of mystery, adventure, and puzzle solving for the NES by Retrotainment Games. As of the time of this writing, Kickstarter backers have received their orders, and the game can be played digitally on Steam here, purchased for the Nintendo Switch here, for the Xbox here, and physical copies are available for purchase here.

    Regular Edition CIB
     
    Development Team:
    Greg Caldwell: director, story/lore
    @IBtiM(Tim Hartman): producer, concept design
    Damian Yerrick: lead programmer
    Zachary Curl: lead background artist
    @humanthomas(Thomas Cippollone): lead audio, level design, concept design
    Andrew Burger: lead animator, concept design
    Doug Fraker: additional programming
    Oskar Alvarado: regular edition box & manual art
    Jim Rugg: limited edition box art
     
    Game Evolution:
    Full Quiet’s signal came in loud and clear, launching its Kickstarter on September 1, 2017, and starting a thread promoting the game on NintendoAge that same day. Backer tiers included a Steam key for the game; Steam keys for Retrotainment’s Haunted Halloween games; a swag bag that included a t-shirt, sticker, and pins; a cart-only option; regular edition CIB; limited edition CIB plus test cartridge to help the dev team with debugging; and the ability to have your likeness in the game. By the time the campaign’s broadcast was over and out, 509 backers had pledged more than $32,000. Test carts were sent out in May of 2021, and the completed game began shipping out in December 2022.

    Full Quiet Test Cart
     
    Gameplay:
    Full Quiet describes itself as…well actually it doesn’t pigeonhole itself into any particular genre. Simply put, it’s a new experience, mixing together a little bit of a lot. Like if the Coen brothers made a video game. You play as a resilient man of the woods, whose son has gone missing. You venture into the woods in search of him, all the while solving puzzles, repairing the radio grid, battling monsters, and rediscovering long forgotten secrets & lore, putting your survival skills to the test. A variety of equipment will help you map the area, track your location, communicate, monitor distant movement, and keep enemies away.
    Gameplay consists of exploring the woods and caves, overcoming the enemies and obstacles that would try to slow you. Controls are delightfully complex: the D-pad enables you to move and shift your view of the screen to see higher and lower, aim in 8 directions, and turn dials; the A-button allows you to jump, insert fuses to repair equipment, and adjust radio amplitude; the B-button fires weapons and places lures; the Start button causes you to dive; and the Select button opens/closes your PDA and changes radio wave forms. A creative reinvention of D-pad functionality has you aim downward when you press down, crouch when you double tap down, and place rope. Pressing up can also pick up rope, and when pressed while jumping allows you to grab ledges to climb up or swing to other platforms.

    Screenshot from Full Quiet
     
    Review:
    Full Quiet is a masterpiece from a team that has been impressing the community since they first appeared on the scene. This game reflects what is possible when time, love, and attention are poured into game development. Full Quiet may have won the facetious “race” to release against Mystic Searches, Former Dawn, Halcyon, and Space Soviets, but rushed this was not. The careful detail and complex gameplay make for an immersive challenge that will keep players hooked. We are thrown into the water of its story and learning how to play but are rewarded for learning how to swim. Exploration feels like being in the middle of a sci-fi psychological thriller, wandering from screen to screen, retracing our steps, and realizing that a detail in the background had more meaning than we assumed at first glance. The puzzles are exhilarating challenges that feel enmeshed in the story, with you feeling the stakes imposed on your character. Similarly, the use of a day/night cycle that marks the passage of time further draws players in, conveying the urgency of your mission and the peril of wasting time. At first you stick with the game because you don’t want to put it down until you feel like you know what to do. But then you can’t put it down because you know what to do, and you feel compelled to see how far the latest unlocked secret will take you.
    One would think a game set in the woods couldn’t have much variety in its graphics and color palette, but with Full Quiet you wouldn’t just be wrong, you’d be dead. Careful attention to detail and subtle movement will help you spot what hides among the trees. Offering a lot to see in its scenery, Full Quiet plays with its environment, creating a space where you can get lost but have the means to find your way and survive. The dark colors, save for the ever-changing sky, create a sense of claustrophobia that does not relent until you find safety or a more open space that feels like a breath of relief. The sprites complement this paranoia with its you-against-nature (or unnature?) as you stick out with your outdoorsman garb while many enemies blend in. Many games are content to create enemies that thematically match their environment, but in Full Quiet they are truly incorporated. Meanwhile the game’s music is beautiful but eerie, an atmospheric soundtrack with a classic Nintendo feel. At the beginning of the game there is no music, but a subsequent screen begins to play a tune very low, with a gradual crescendo, conveying your approach to something…safety? Danger? Your entry into this quest? Indeed, the choices of music and sound intertwine to bolster the psychological horror you must endure with each step deeper into the dark.
     

    Can’t stop to admire the view, there’s death in them thar hills
     
    Interviews:
    I opened lines of communication with Full Quiet’s development team to learn more about what may go bump in the night deep in those dark woods…
     

    Retrotainment Games
    @RetrotainmentHQ
    -Before we dive into Full Quiet, I would love to talk about you and your backgrounds. What first inspired you to become homebrew developers, directors, and producers? What is your origin story and the story behind Retrotainment Games?
    Tim and I got into this retro world through chiptunes. We come from a music background, playing in bands together, recording music, etc… Tim found some chiptune artists online who were using LSDJ and we thought it was super cool. We went to our first MAGfest just to check out a few musicians and learned more about the retro world at large. From there we started seeking out more info on how this music was being created, then we learned how NES hacks were done, and finally how homebrew games were made. It captivated us and so we set out to make an NES game about Halloween (our favorite holiday), thinking it would likely just be a one-off, fun project… something cool to hang our hats on. We dug into the Nerdy Nights tutorial to start making the game ourselves and along the way teamed up with super talented people who we formed a team with. We cannot say enough about the importance of the NES homebrew community, without which we would not be here. But now we’re four games in and we’re still working on projects together as a team that we’re really passionate about.
     
    -In addition to being game developers, you previously owned and operated Cash-In Culture Games, a video game store in Pennsylvania, where you are based. Do you feel that your experiences running the store informed the work you do at Retrotainment Games?
    I don’t think there was much crossover other than seeing how passionate others were about retro gaming. We did think we might be able to sell some copies of ‘85 through the store but the reality is that most retro gamers just want the classics. Totally understandable, but we do think we opened some eyes to the world of NES homebrew through the store, at least a little.

    The old Cash-In Culture storefront in Greensburg, PA
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    Personally, I don’t really know enough about the gaming industry to have influences. I don’t follow any game dev outside of my friends in the NES community who ask me to playtest or who have games at conventions that I get to attend. I know the rest of the crew is more in tune with what’s going on in the gaming world. I just mostly hear about things once they’re released. It’s pretty sad when I think about it… I wish I had more time to get excited about things.
     
    -How would you describe your design aesthetic, what to you are the hallmarks of a game made by you?
    The games have to have something unique about them, I guess. We’re always looking for ways to mash up different ideas or create stuff that the NES has not seen before. We love pushing the envelope, testing the limits and challenging ourselves to make new things.
     
    -Though Full Quiet is a very different game from the Haunted Halloween series, they all have a fun, spooky horror vibe to them. What about this genre resonates so much for you?
    Our love of Halloween definitely oozes out into our projects. Also, the NES restrictions sorta keep us in the fun, spooky realm instead of the bloody, horror side of things. We just like weird, interesting things in general and the genre allows for that.
     
    -What tools do you use to code and create?
    We have been using Pyxel Edit for the art but we’re transitioning (although I’m struggling) to Aseprite. Outside of that we just use Notepad++, nothing fancy or interesting. We do create our own custom tools for working directly with our game engines to help make the process more efficient.
     
    -Where did the initial idea for Full Quiet come from?
    Two different game idea conversations that happened close to each other in time lead to Full Quiet - one with Zack about exploring a contiguous space set in the forest and one with Tim about hunting bigfoots. Things obviously changed and grew a lot from there, but those two were the initial ideas that came together. Then we brought in our love for other things in the game like the strange creatures, maps, ham radios, Morse code, etc…
     
    -What is the working dynamic like across the whole team at Retrotainment Games generally? How did you first connect with everyone else on the team?
    There’s nothing formulaic about what we’ve done over the years, each game’s dev cycle has been different. The key things are that we try to work through ideas as a team and that everyone understands that things evolve over time. Rarely does anything ever come out of the gates feeling right, everything takes iteration and revision to make it work, especially on the NES where efficiency is paramount.
    The team grew over time as we worked through the development process of ‘85. We started out just Tim and I making audio and graphical assets to learn the ropes, thinking we were gonna make the game entirely ourselves. Then Zack came on board and basically took our shitty art and made it nice. Then Thomas came on and started composing stuff that was so good that we stopped trying to make any more audio ourselves, although a few of Tim’s SFX did make the final cut 🙂 I started programming and got a few backgrounds and sprites implemented into a build and then Damian came on board with his wizardry and that was the immediate end to my programming career. We just rolled from there from one project to another. Along the way we brought in Doug Fraker to do some additional programming and Andrew Burger to do sprite work and that’s pretty much where we’re at right now.

    Screenshot from Haunted Halloween ‘85
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Full Quiet as opposed to previous projects? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    Life. Especially when working with a team, hitting deadlines is super important. Once you start pushing past deadlines life starts to really creep in and wreck your plans. We all set aside a year to make the game and after that year passed, life came crashing in and derailed our momentum. After that we just kept chipping away at the project, never giving up on it, just slowly and methodically chipping away at it. Letting the timelines slip was my biggest failure, one that we really struggled to overcome. I take full responsibility for it and have learned a lot from it. In the end we finished what we started, the way we set out to do it, it just took considerably longer than we had initially hoped, but we’re proud of the results.
     
    -I always ask my interviewees whether there is a reflection of themselves in the game’s protagonist. Do you identify with the hunter?
    Not personally in any real way, but I do identify with the lore and Ham radio aspects. My dad was a communications specialist in the army and I had an affinity for walkie talkies and CB radios growing up, so my dad taught my sisters and I how to communicate like radio operators from a young age. My handle was Hurricane because I was an out of control whirlwind that wrecked things as a kid and my dad was Hawk because he had a wild, sorta-pet, hawk when he was young. So that part of the game is near and dear to me.
     
    -There has been a lot of support and enthusiasm for Full Quiet, from the Kickstarter campaign, to the demos you shared at expos, and the updates you’ve shared online. How does it feel to see so many people excited about this game?
    Really good overall but it definitely put a lot of pressure on us to deliver. Not that we needed the motivation, but we definitely felt like some folks were waiting (patiently) for us to fulfill our promises and make what we laid out in the Kickstarter campaign. We can’t thank backers and fans of the game enough for trusting us with their hard earned money, their patience, and the messages they’ve sent to us, both public and private. It definitely feels great when someone personally thanks you for making a game. Although it feels a little backwards, cause we’re all like, no, thank you for supporting us; but it does feel good when people appreciate all the effort and time and detail that are packed into the game.
     
    -Speaking of the demos showcased at various expos, I was fortunate to play a couple of them and chat with you in person. How did you decide what portions of the game you wanted to feature in these demos? What was the response you received from players?
    This changed over time. Initially we just wanted feedback on the player mechanics and controls to make sure they felt right. But as development lingered on, we started utilizing expos as a way to effectively playtest different things like puzzles, equipment, enemies, etc… The response was always great, overwhelmingly positive. There’s something to be said for showcasing a game live and getting direct feedback from players. Some of the most important things are unsaid… There are things you pick up just watching how a player approaches something or reacts to something, physically emoting in various ways, usually without them even knowing it. There’s so much to be learned from that kind of experience, it’s really priceless.
     
    -What aspects of Full Quiet are you most proud of?
    I think the fact that we finished what we set out to do. Additionally, the fact that we stuck together as a team throughout all the difficulties. We made the game we wanted to make and we’re ok with whatever comes of it.
     
    -Over the past few years, you’ve also launched a number of prominent collaborations, such as the 6502 Collective with Sole Goose Productions, and 8-Bit Legit with Mega Cat Studios. What are your roles in those collaborations? How does it feel to be such a sought after partner? What advice do you have for others hoping to foster collaborations of their own?
    We just want to help get NES games out there. We’ve been blessed with meeting and working with so many great people from the community and we really appreciate all the opportunities that have been afforded to us. We work with others to try to make products the best they can be, from physical materials with the 6502 Collective to digital ports with 8-Bit Legit. We’re dealing with very niche markets, obviously, but we want to push things to be as polished and professional as possible.
    As for advice, I’d say that teamwork is a great thing. Learning to work with others who are willing to put as much effort into things as you are is vital, especially if you don’t have a lot of resources at your disposal to go it alone. Additionally, and maybe more importantly, finish. Just put it out there, whatever it is that you wanna get started on. Feel out the process from start to finish. Everything is flawed. As a creator, you get to learn so much more if you make the decisions and mistakes yourself than if you’re just analyzing things from the outside.
     
    -You’re also working on Garbage Pail Kids: Mad Mike and the Quest for Stale Gum. How is that game progressing? Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon? Any dream projects?
    GPK has been a great project through and through. It was a dream project to get to negotiate the licensing deal for an NES game with Topps for something that we loved as kids. We got to add some cool features like trading cards with GPK NPCs and porta-potty fishing that helped take that game beyond just a traditional platformer and make it feel true to the IP. We really loved digging into the limited GPK lore and filling the game with Easter eggs for those who geek out about the GPK universe.
    Now that we’re freed up, we plan to get back to the Haunted series to finish up that trilogy on the NES. We’ve also got a few internal games in the works that we have to decide on as well as continuing to collaborate with others on interesting ideas. We’re just honored that we get to represent part of the NES homebrew community and continue to work on cool projects as a team and with others.
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    Halcyon for sure. Courier is gonna be killer once it’s released; I’ve been holding off on badgering Kevin for the ROM so I can play it on cartridge first. Kudzu for GB also looks like it’s gonna be a cool adventure.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    The patience and support we’ve received over the years is remarkable and we’re extremely grateful. We appreciate everyone who is a part of this NES nerd culture - developers, players, streamers, interviewers, hackers, pixel artists, chiptune artists, speedrunners… it’s all important and all part of what makes the community so dynamic and fun. Thank you to everyone involved!
     
     

    Damian Yerrick
    @PinoBatch
    -Before we dive into Full Quiet, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrewer?
    I had my first assembly language experience on an Apple II in eighth grade. Years later, someone showed me an early NES emulator. I started with simple graphics and text hacks that I never released, such as putting a character in a wizard costume. Later I wanted to cute-up Contra, but after looking at that game's coding, I figured that making something from scratch would be just as easy.
     
    -What is the significance of Tepples and PinoBatch as your usernames?
    "tepples" was generated in 2002 with a random word generator set to the phonotactics of cartoon character names. It replaced a username that my college had assigned to me, which many people had been misreading. "PinoBatch" came from a short story by Frank Thomas Smith.
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    Influences that come to mind include EGAint author Eric Ng, whose use of the GPL inspired me to read Stallman, Torvalds, Raymond, and other founders of the free software movement. Also Swift, Collodi, and whoever invented the roly-poly toy that doesn't fall down, which Russians call a "nevalyashka."
    There are other fantasy authors and publishers whose work I've come to treat as "look but don't touch". I plead the fifth on mentioning them because I've seen how some of these companies scour fans' work for incriminating similarity to shake down amateurs and startups without a bottomless legal budget.
     
    -What tools do you use to code and create?
    I use Xubuntu operating system because I've found it faster than Windows at booting, startup, and file access. Many are available on both Linux and Windows: Mousepad for editing code; GIMP for editing background tiles, sprite sheets, and other graphics; Python to write asset conversion tools; and cc65 and RGBDS as assemblers.
     
    -You could fairly be described as one of the OG’s of homebrew. How has your approach to homebrewing changed over the years? What trends have you observed about the community?
    Prior to fourth quarter 2007, testing software on an NES required soldering EPROMs onto a circuit board salvaged from an existing game. This hassle kept many developers from having a chance to test their work on hardware, leading to widespread software that is compatible with the emulators of the time but does not run correctly on an NES. This became less of an issue in fourth quarter 2007 when the PowerPak came out.
    There was a fairly significant change in 2012. Until then, US courts had proven lenient toward authors of functional workalikes of programs, following Lotus v. Borland. This allowed the GNU project to produce replacements for popular programs that respect the freedom of its users while not requiring these users to spend a lot of time and effort retraining themselves on new software. In second quarter 2012, it became clear from the verdict in a lawsuit about a falling block game that the courts would not afford quite the same leniency to video game developers. It's as if only one company were allowed to make official-size tennis courts, rackets, and balls. This limited what sorts of projects a budding homebrew programmer could build for practice and show to others, and it led me to pull several past projects off my website and pick future projects with a less cavalier attitude.
    Apart from homebrew, the ruling led me to question the viability of esports based on proprietary video games. My conclusion was later borne out by the actions of Nintendo against Super Smash Bros. tournament organizers.
     
    -The breadth of your work includes test suites, templates, tech demos, as well as full games for multiple platforms. Across your development work would you say they have any qualities that seem quintessentially you that you have maintained across platforms? How would you describe your aesthetic?
    One thing often seen in my work is characters with no legs who scoot on their hands and bottom. This began when I designed a fantasy race inspired by the nevalyashka. After this, I went on to design a set of other races to use in games, many of them based on what would happen if a particular genetic difference became fixed in a human population, so as not to derive too closely from any existing product identity.
    At times, I have struggled to balance representing the aesthetic of the game world with accessibility to players in this world. There's a convention in some mediums to use different styles of type or lettering to represent different accents in speech. Some users report disgust at some of the typefaces I use, despite their being perfectly readable to me. One font choice back in 2001 even caused Cowering, maintainer of a ROM cataloging tool called GoodNES, to misspell my name.
    Occasionally I write short compositions to demonstrate various chiptune techniques. The choice of instruments and rhythms in these also reflects musical styles in the game world. There's a banjo-like instrument, sometimes some wind instruments, and an instrument sounding somewhere between timpani and washtub bass, and compound (or swung) time. This can be heard clearly in the music of "Sticks" and "Stairs" videos, which I had originally produced as references for character animation.
    https://pics.pineight.com/tweets/stairs.webm
    https://pics.pineight.com/tweets/sticks.webm
     
    -Do you take a different approach to each type of project, such as a test suite versus a game or tech demo? Which is more fun for you to work on?
    I put test suites and tech demos in the same category. They have a constrained scope, and apart from minor choices in visual design, a test is right or wrong: either it shows or it doesn't show the expected effect. Original games don't have an acceptance measure that is quite as clear. They have their advantages and disadvantages, including a tendency to induce writer's block.
     
    -Your work is also a prominent part of the Annual NESDev Coding Competition, including the 240p Test Suite, Thwaite, Concentration Room, and Zap Ruder, among others. Where do you derive your inspiration?
    Puns. Lots of bad puns. Thwaite is half of the name of the manor in Burnett's The Secret Garden, with an aesthetic inspired by a life simulation game popular at the time. RHDE likewise was a mashup of an early arcade RTS with a life simulator. Zap Ruder compares the light that a Zapper captures from a screen to the light that a man's camera captured as evidence of an assassination. I admit that with my interpersonal disability, sometimes I go too far. Concentration Room was originally a pun in such poor taste that I had to ask online friends to suggest something to replace it. I ended up expanding a 2-sentence pitch by Shiru in the NESdev IRC channel into the present lab accident scenario.

    Zapruder, I get it, evidence of the Kennedy assassination conspiracy…
    Wait…

     
    This looks an awful lot like Dealey Plaza…

     
    IS TEPPLES THE SHOOTER BEHIND THE GRASSY KNOWL?!?
    Another inspiration for the compo in the first place was an old policy in the Fedora operating system's repository against including emulators. Tom "spot" Calloway explained on the fedora-legal mailing list that if Nintendo were to sue, Red Hat didn't have an open-and-shut case for the legality of emulators. The rise of a vibrant NES homebrew scene may have since caused Fedora project leaders to reconsider this stance. I'm not entirely sure how the policy is construed nowadays.
     
    -In fact, as the developer of the Action 53 multicart engine, many rising homebrewers can attribute some of the exposure their games have received to you. Additionally, as one of the admins of NESDev, you serve as a major steward of the homebrew community. What are your thoughts on this role you play in fostering the community?
    I remember watching a documentary about the development of Action 52 by Active Enterprises. It explained that the goal of Action 52 was to replicate the experience of playing a pirate multicart, just without the piracy. It got a bad reputation because the games' development was unduly rushed. I had the same goal in mind with Action 53, with the volunteer effort of the homebrew community instead of a mad crunch. The layout of the menu itself was inspired by later volumes of PlayStation Interactive Sampler, the demo disc included with original PlayStation consoles, as opposed to earlier volumes whose notes Nintendo may have copied for Wii Menu.
    My participation in the compo sort of tapered off in 2015 when Retrotainment hired me to work on the Haunted games and Full Quiet.
     
    -Much of your work is open-source, so others can do what they want with it. Do you have any secret, specific hopes what some will use your projects to create? How would you describe your philosophy about the public availability of creative tools such as your templates?
    Once I drafted something called the Theme License. It'd act as a dual license of the GNU GPL and a more permissive license with some random restriction on the field of use. The GPL is a copyleft license that free OS distributions like and some for-profit companies haven't figured out how to use effectively. The GPL in particular is incompatible with the terms of the app stores of iOS and modern consoles. The other half of the Theme License allows use in proprietary products, subject to one constraint from each contributor. This could be the theme of a game jam, or "do not make erotica of my characters," or "you may use this in any work incorporating a nevalyaska person as a main character." If a lawyer wants to help me finish the Theme License, let me know.
     
    -You’ve worked with Retrotainment Games for several of their releases. How did you first connect with them and what is the working dynamic like as you work together on these games?
    I started on Haunted: Halloween '85 in March 2015 through a job posting on the NESdev forum by a recruiter who was also the developer of the game's Steam port. Every change needed to go through me, big or small, whether it was background art, sprite art, physics, level layout, or enemy placement and behavior. This made iteration tedious. For Haunted: Halloween '86 and later games, we started working more closely as a team, and I was able to train my coworkers on editing things like level color palettes, collision maps, enemy placement, and constants related to physics.
    I'm remote, living two states away from Retrotainment's office. Sometimes I get a lot of work that's steady and straightforward, and sometimes the work comes in spurts and I get a lot of hours in one day and few in another.
     
    -Tell me about the evolution of Full Quiet from a programming perspective.
    HH85 and HH86 had one-way scrolling like Super Mario Bros. This let me cheat a bit with video memory, as if something appeared only at the start of a level, I could unload it once the camera passed by it and load something else as the camera approached it. To achieve a sense of exploration and verticality in FQ, I devised an 8-way scrolling engine with a map format inspired by the architecture of the NES game Blaster Master. This required all the art to be loaded up front, and it was challenging for the background designer to adapt to the video memory constraint. One thing we ended up doing was splitting the background into two images: a playfield and a parallax loop for things in front of or behind the playfield. Because only one of those two images appeared on any line of the screen, I could give them separate sets of 256 8×8-pixel tiles.
    Compared to HH86, FQ has a much larger and more open world, with a bigger set of things interacting with one another. Level designs and lock-and-key placements had to be revised several times to address soft locks and hard-to-understand things discovered during testing. At last count, there were like 16 total game modes, minigames, and menus.

    Screenshot from Haunted Halloween ‘86
     
    -Did you have a different attitude toward developing Full Quiet compared to your own projects? Is the experience of developing them different?
    In some ways, FQ was easier than my own projects, as I didn't have to make all the art, write all the story, and the like. Greg sent me rough GIFs of an enemy interacting with a player, and I translated those into drafts of the action instructions (AI) that the enemy would follow, first in pseudocode and then in assembly language. It was just much, much bigger in scope than anything I'd done in my free time. There was also the issue of using a sound driver whose internals I wasn't familiar with, and I needed occasional help from its maintainer Doug Fraker to add hooks to trigger actions when a song loops. (Doug also did one of the minigames in FQ.)
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Full Quiet? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    I hid a message in HH86 about process lessons that I learned during development. I got the idea for this after seeing programmer rants from Pachi Com and The New Tetris on TCRF. During FQ, we improved on some of those points. At times, I felt we bit off more than we could chew with this project. It also became more difficult to put concepts in front of play testers when trade shows closed during the pandemic.
     
    -What aspects of Full Quiet are you most proud of?
    Mostly that I managed to come up with an engine that gave us headroom for expansion. Over the course of a week, I could take the engine, yank out all the levels, enemies, and event flags, drop new levels in, and have the basis for starting work on Garbage Pail Kids with its new set of player and enemy characters. I'd compare it to Rockstar's reuse of the Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis engine for Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption.
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, NES or otherwise?
    Garbage Pail Kids and Full Quiet have just come out on NES. GPK also recently came out on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. I'd also like to make a physical release of 240p Test Suite including some of my past games, with a frame story that the TV field tech brings the games to help test the TV with a client.
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    It might sound surprising from a dev, but I haven't really been following new game releases.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Don't base your life around a product identity from the entertainment industry. And don't take a job with an employer who insists on a broad non-compete or an anti-moonlighting provision.
     
     

    Zachary Curl
    -Before we dive into Full Quiet, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrewer and artist? What is your origin story?
    I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember being alive. I always wanted to be an artist growing up, but I don’t think I knew what that meant. My uncle was an artist, but I never had too much of a chance to get to know him, as he died when I was only 2 years old, so I think the biggest thing that appealed to me was the idea that I could make the world be whatever I wanted it to. I was a pretty imaginative kid, which I wouldn’t say is quite the flex that it sounds like, so I pretty much only wanted to draw my ideas. I have been dealing with depression since I was very young and hated school, though I loved reading and learning, so I always wanted to see how things worked so I could draw them.
    I eventually was able to stick it through a tech school and get an associates degree in visual communications focusing more on print design, hoping that one day I would be great at making comics, but I never thought I was as good as I wanted to be, and while I had been doing freelance design work for a while, Greg asked me if I was interested in maybe working on a game and let me know what he wanted. I had known Greg for a few years because he played hockey with my brother, but he actually didn’t know that I drew or anything. I basically said “hell yeah,” and was interested enough to not really give up when I was learning, and it felt like a good fit for me.
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    I think my first influences growing up was my family. My mom will disagree, but she was a terrific artist, and I would see her drawings that she kept around and really wanted to emulate them. My dad always wanted to be an architect, but like most dads back then, he became an accountant/money related guy. I got to see him work on floor plans sometimes on the weekends, just for fun on graph paper, so that was an impact on me in terms of design.
    I always read comics and watched animation growing up, but as I entered adolescence and my mid-teens, I discovered Akira and the work of Katsuhiro Otomo, who has remained a tremendous aspirational influence to me even today.
    When it came time to make 2D sidescrollers, the two biggest sources of inspiration I looked towards were Noel Sickles and Jacques Tardi.
    Noel Sickles kind of reinvented the way comic strips flow, and it provided me with a way to approach horizontal eye-line on a flat, left-to-right visual plane.
    For me, Jacques Tardi is a perfect cartoonist. He perfectly blends architectural correctness with a loose caricature that never doesn’t impress me, so when I was trying to understand background design for a game who’s hardware leaves very limited room in terms of line variation, it only made sense to look at how he was able to achieve such correct-looking backgrounds with so few lines.
    I’m constantly looking for new art, new films, new music, and I’m a bit of a collector. To put a final point on a very long answer, I think that it’s super important to keep searching for new things because you can learn something valuable from everything.

    “Nestor Burma Paris – 4th Arrondissement” by Jacques Tardi
     
    -Do you feel that your art has any qualities that are uniquely you? How would you describe your aesthetic?
    Hmmm, that’s actually hard for me to say for myself. When I look at my drawings, I see a composite of basically everything I love, so even when I don’t succeed in a drawing, I feel like I’m just using everything I’ve learned along the way to complete my idea of how something should look. For my own personal tastes, I love finished art in black and white. I love screen tone, and I love doing as much by hand as I can.
    For game art, as I mentioned, the biggest thing I focus on is to create as much as I can with as little as possible. It’s the product of working and reworking levels with the rest of the team; sometimes as a requirement of saving space, and sometimes just making something insinuate more than an exact reproduction could achieve.
    I think I use far fewer colors than most artists working on the NES right now. Because of the limitations in colors and palette restrictions, I tend to reuse the same colors in multiple palettes to create an effect that essentially hides the grid that one normally associates with art on the NES.
     
    -What tools do you use to create your art?
    For game art I have been using a program called Pyxel Edit. It’s a pretty easy to use program that allows for easy tile creation and management. Our programmer, Damian, created us a custom checker tool that lets us manage our tile usage and palettes, and it’s become indispensable in our creative loop. I don’t think Pyxel Edit is supported anymore, so I’m sure that will change in the not too distant future.
    For my own personal work, I love pencils, pens, inks, screen tone, and watercolors. Since I was a kid growing up with comics, I’ve always thought of inking as the final step to a drawing, so much of my consternation in my own work comes from that step and not feeling good enough.
     
    -In your opinion, what makes in-game as well as concept art stand out?
    Ooh, that’s a good question. I think for concept art, there really isn’t any real rule I adhere to or any one thing that appeals to me. I love Syd Mead and how he would find a sense of space for all of his concepts. It lives and breathes and just sets my imagination on fire, so despite whatever style or detail in concept art, I just love anything that makes me tell myself stories in my own head.
    In-game art is a little tougher to define. I can like anything that doesn’t feel illegible. Great design never goes out of style.

    “Downtown Cityscape/Blade Runner” by Syd Mead
     
    -Tell me about the development of the art you created for the game, what is your composition process?
    The initial seeds of Full Quiet came actually really early, even going so far back as before the first Haunted Halloween game was finished. I was basically the only creative member of Retrotainment at the time --I say creative in terms of what you would see visually, because Greg and Tim already knew what they wanted, they just didn't quite know how to achieve that yet. As I understand it, Greg was speaking to a couple different programmers at the time who were trying to get the game to work how he and Tim had envisioned it playing, and I was still pretty early in learning how visuals on the NES worked, so after I had built the first level of HH'85 (which of course would later be redone), we wanted to keep me busy getting used to the workflow we would need. Greg had a kernel of an idea that I then riffed on and we expanded together; all that time I was coming up with a visual prototype for our shared idea. We knew it was a long way off, and actually might not happen, but I was learning what would become my visual language over the course of our games, so by the time we were up and moving on Haunted, I was more or less ready to go.
    After we had completed our first two games, we had been hired to prototype a game for someone else that was put on hold, come up with other small ideas that never fully suited our skill sets we had been developing over those past two games, and were kind of just looking for the next step for our team. We felt like our core unit was pretty strong, if not still pretty green, but we all knew we wanted to keep making games. Greg and I casually mentioned the old idea we had to Thomas, and I had it all in front of me on my computer, so we watched the prototype animations, looked at some visuals, and told the story that we thought our game was going to be about. Our story was picked apart and essentially rewritten as we threw out so many ideas that we originally thought this game was going to be about, and Full Quiet became something almost unrecognizable from our initial ideas. It should hopefully go without saying that we all learned so much after the development of our first two games, so we felt like this was the right time for us to tackle something much bigger.
     
    -How did you first connect with Retrotainment Games?
    I was basically the first member added to the team. I'm sure Greg and Tim have told you their origin story, and in a way, Retrotainment had been there between them in their imaginations the whole time, but after I had met with Greg to talk about what they wanted to do, he showed me his prototype art and I was able to reinterpret it into something that made sense to me. I don't think it's conceited of me to think that that was kind of the reality of what Retrotainment Games was coming into full view; the next steps were finding a composer in Thomas and a programmer in Damian, each of which made Tim and Greg's vision of Retrotainment come true.
     
    -What was the working dynamic like in your development of Full Quiet?
    The way we worked back then was much looser than how we work now, but early on we really all were involved in the development of ideas that would go into our games. The Haunted series was really Greg and Tim's baby; it was a childhood dream and still feels very close to them today. Full Quiet was the first time I think that Thomas and I felt like we were right there in the process from the beginning, and we were really creating this thing together.
    For a long time I felt like I was working alone; I had taken a lot on my shoulders that in hindsight I probably shouldn't have, so the rest of the team had to wait because we had designed a workflow initially that required me to complete a pretty large chunk of the visual world before they were able to move on in a lot of other processes. What was initially supposed to have been a very short development time grew exponentially because of the difficulty I was having managing my work in addition to the rest of my life. I assumed that it would be an easier process than it was, and I couldn't have predicted the mental fatigue and exhaustion that would come from me pushing myself creatively while at the same time dealing with some undiagnosed mental health issues. I think I was really hard to work with at the time, but everyone was really wonderful and encouraging throughout the process. That isn't to say that arguments didn't arise, and certainly everyone was fighting to have their ideas and opinions heard, but in the end, I'm really proud of how we all came out of it, and I really miss those days of meeting every week at Greg's house to share what we had done throughout the week, and drawing on a the massive piece of design vellum that would become the overworld map of Full Quiet.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in working on Full Quiet, compared to, say, the Haunted Halloween games? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    Jeez, I feel like everything was a surprise. We were starting with an engine that Damian had built over the course of the Haunted games, but as I understood it, we kind of had to work in a way that we hadn't before to attempt this new, open-world structure we were envisioning for Full Quiet. We had seen NES games that had attempted what we wanted to do, and we knew what didn't work with them, so really it was about trying our hardest to make things make sense not just to us, but to an audience of first time players.
    In terms of my work, I was doing everything I could to make sure our directional system made sense. I studied animation backgrounds, trying my best to make sure each turn the player took made sense visually; whether or not it was completely successful is up to the player, but I know that we kicked and screamed our way through the process on our end.
    To make something as large as we were shooting for, we really had to scale down the detail I was used to putting in the backgrounds. We had to change our visual style to make up for that. Something that was tough at the time was looking at the work of other people and trying to compare myself to them. Frankengraphics is an artist that I really admire. She does unbelievable work on the NES, and is just a terrific artist all around. She is so much more knowledgeable about what she does than I am, and seeing her constantly create in the way that she does made me really feel sad about my own work for a long time. Ultimately, that isn't anyone's fault but my own, but learning to be happy or content with the work that I was creating was also a part of the process of Full Quiet that I didn't ever see coming. It was difficult for me to separate myself from my own expectations of my work when what I should have been doing was listening to the team more. I think that's the biggest advice I could give to anyone aspiring to make games; there are people who can do it all, for sure, but when you enter into a collaborative process, please be sure to listen to and value the opinions of the people around you. It can only make you all better at what you want to accomplish, and honestly taking into account other people's feelings will make you better and more empathetic for your future.
     
    -What aspects of Full Quiet are you most proud of?
    I'm so proud of the entire team. I'm proud to have been even the tiniest part of the lives of the people who came together on this project. It's an achievement that can only make us better people and stronger creatives. Whether we hit every pitch out of the park or not, we swung with everything we had, and I'm proud to say that we tried with all our hearts.
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon? Any dream projects?
    I've had an idea in my head for a long time now, and I've been prototyping and building visuals for it for while, but we'll see where that goes. I'm on board for our team, so we'll see what the future brings. Other than that, I'm always drawing, and I'm trying to focus on getting a couple fanzines made this year with some other friends of mine.
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    I've been really bad at keeping up with any new game releases these days, homebrew or otherwise. I've been using my free time lately to play older games that I love; I'm very seasonal in that respect. I've mostly been reading a lot and trying to catch up with all the movies I've been putting aside and meaning to watch.
    I would recommend that anyone interested in Homebrew games just do a quick search on twitter; there are so many wonderful people that share their games and the games of others. The whole indie games scene is really terrific.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    This was really fun to do. Sorry for my unbelievably long answers to such perfectly written questions. Anytime anyone thinks of me makes me feel so nice, so being asked to participate in this was a real joy.
     
     

    Thomas Cippollone
    @thehumanthomas
    -It’s great to interview you yet again! Last time we chatted about Chumlee’s Adventure, and I’m excited to catch up with your dev work. This might be our third interview! How have you been since then?
    I've been doing well! I'm working on a lot of music both for games and just for my own entertainment.  Cannot complain.
     
    -How did your relationship with the people at Retrotainment Games come about? Where did this game begin for you?
    I have been with Retrotainment since Haunted '85. As far as Full Quiet goes, I was there from the start to finish, working on a lot more outside of just the Music and Sound.
     
    -Full Quiet, in addition to the Haunted Halloween games center around horror, either silly spooky or just plain eerie. Are you a horror fan? Where did you draw inspiration from in your compositions for Full Quiet?
    I wouldn't claim to be a big time horror fan but I am into the genre. I just don't like to be jump-scared. For the Full Quiet soundtrack, I wanted to create a lot of atmosphere which is particularly challenging on the NES. The Shadowgate soundtrack is a pretty big influence on this one, which I feel has a really great vibe to it. I learned the pseudo-delay type effect from that game.

    The influence of this game is more than…skin deep
     
    -What was the working dynamic like in your collaboration with Retrotainment Games, how did it compare to your other collaborations?
    Greg and I work really closely on all the Retrotainment projects, I am doing level design, boss design, and all types of stuff as well as music and sound effects. With most projects outside of Retrotainment, I'm almost exclusively writing music and nothing more.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Full Quiet’s music?
    The ongoing challenge for me with writing music for the NES is making it as dynamic as possible while using the smallest footprint possible. I re-wrote the soundtrack 2 times to free up more space for the overall game.
     
    -What aspects of Full Quiet’s sound are you most proud of?
    I am really proud of how I managed to capture the atmosphere. We really wanted to make sure that players didn't feel rushed while exploring and wouldn't get tired of the area themes. It came together pretty nicely, I think!
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, NES or otherwise? Any dream projects?
    Currently, we are just in the pre-planning stages for the next project. I can't really go into details yet because I don't even know what it is yet, haha.
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play since we last spoke?
    Honestly, I am totally out of the loop right now, but please feel free to throw me some recommendations.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Sure thing! I have nothing else really going on so if anyone needs a soundtrack or even just a few tunes feel free to hit me up. Thank you!
     
     

    Jim Rugg
    @jimruggart
    -Before we dive into Full Quiet, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to be an artist generally, and more specifically how did you break into homebrew game art?
    I’ve always loved drawing. When I was 10, I bought a comic book and decided that I wanted to be a comic book artist.
    A friend of mine was working on the game, and I guess he showed my work to the team. They asked me to do some art, their terms sounded good so that is how I got involved.
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    Most of my influences are comic book artists like Frank Miller, Todd McFarlane, Jack Kirby, and Dan Clowes. I studied graphic design in school so designers like David Carson, Saul Bass, Paul Rand…I also liked wrestling and movies growing up and I think those influenced me as well.

    Frank Miller, a familiar name in art to be sure
     
    -What in your opinion makes art compelling? What grabs your attention? And what kind of video game box art would make you choose one game over another?
    Bright colors, contrast, and being different are the things that grab my attention.
    I’m not a gamer. The last game I remember buying was NHL 94 for the Sega Genesis.
     
    -You've also worked on mammoth projects like Hulk: Grand Design, Street Angel, and more with Cartoonist Kayfabe. Do you feel that your art has any qualities that are uniquely you? How would you describe your aesthetic?
    One unique part of my comics is that I usually handle the lettering, design, and color myself. Traditionally, those roles were done by a team. By doing it all myself, I think I’m able to create comics where those various elements complement each other and service the story in ways that can’t always be achieved through collaboration.
    My aesthetic…pop art, graphic, direct, colorful.
     
    -What tools do you use to create your art?
    Pencils, markers, ink, sable brush, crowquil pen nibs, rapidographs, iPad, ProCreate, rulers, french curves, templates.
     
    -Tell me about the development of the art you created for the limited edition box for Full Quiet, what is your composition process? Is the creative process different compared to when you create character designs and illustrations for other projects?
    I did a series of sketches and shared those with the team. Then applied their feedback and revised the sketches into final art. It’s been a while since I did the Full Quiet art…I may have used Photoshop and a Wacom pad. I think it was before I started using an iPad.
    The creative process is different for every project. If it’s collaborative, it may depend on client. The things that stay the same are usually that I create a lot of sketches and ideas – rough, fast, and loose. Then I’ll revise my favorites and share them with the client. That’s true of illustrations, covers, character designs. I try to be as creative as possible in the beginning and then when I’ve spent some time just playing around and thinking about the project from different angles, I switch to assessing the sketches and determining what suits the job. Most of my work is about communication so I’ll look at my sketches and review the original goal. Sometimes a great idea doesn’t fit the project so that is something I try to consider at this stage. Then when I’m happy with a couple of ideas, I send those to the client.
     
    -How did you first connect with Tim & Greg from Retrotainment Games, and what was the working dynamic like?
    A friend of mine was working on the game, Zach Curl. He showed them my work. We were all in Pittsburgh so we met in person. They showed me the game in-progress. Told me what they planned to do. I think they had some of the music so they shared that. I asked them a bunch of questions. They had some ideas for the cover art so I went home and started sketching. Emailed them sketches. Then we talked about the sketches and applied their feedback. Pretty standard.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in your work on Full Quiet? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    Drawing as if we’re looking in or out of a window was fun and different for me.
    The lesson is always that communication is key in collaboration. Ask questions. Make expectations clear for you and your collaborators. Clear communication is a valuable tool.
     
    -Is there another project after Full Quiet on the horizon? Another dream project that you hope to bring into existence, video game or otherwise?
    I just published a comic book called True Crime Funnies. It features 2 wrestling stories, Andy Warhol, and a true crime story about a rookie narcotics cop and his violent first day on the job.
    I also just made a zine called 1986. It’s all about comic books in the year 1986. Dark Knight Returns, Maus, and Watchmen came out. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles inspired hundreds of people to create their own comic books. Marvel created the New Universe (haha). Comic books changed forever that year. So I made a zine that collects articles, art, ads, covers and more chronicling 1986.
    These new works go on sale October 26th jimrugg.com.

    True Crime Funnies by Jim Rugg, on sale now!
     
    -Are you a fan of homebrew games? Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    I am not a gamer. Games scare me because I find them addictive! So I try to avoid games unless I’m being paid to play them!
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Make stuff. Create. You don’t have to be a professional to make things. The most inspiring part of working with Tim, Greg, and Zach was seeing their creative process. Because game design isn’t something I do, it gave me a new perspective on storytelling, character design, setting, color…I think there’s great value in spending time making something – alone or with other people. So don’t just play games, make a game or a story or a comic book! If I can do it, you can do it.
    Go subscribe to Cartoonist Kayfabe. It’s a daily YouTube channel about comic books where Ed Piskor and I talk about comic books, artists, how we make comics. We also have guests like Todd McFarlane, Gerard Way, Scott McCloud, Eastman + Laird, Robert Kirkman, Mark Millar, Rob Liefeld…
     
    But wait, there’s more!!!
    Since Full Quiet’s release, something really interesting happened: a Discord channel about the game turned into a sort of help line in which players could reach out to each other and collectively work through the various moments in which they got stuck. This Discord belongs to a fellow set of homebrew fans, the guys of the Homebrew Game Club! As a special addition to this post, I interviewed this club’s members to learn more about their podcast as well as this beloved homebrew hotline.
     
     

    Homebrew Game Club
    @hbgameclub
    -Before we talk about the podcast and its recent significance related to Full Quiet, I would love to talk about you and your backgrounds. What first attracted you to homebrew? What is the origin story of the Homebrew Game Club?
    Nick: I started collecting retro games several years ago as a hobby, but stayed clear of homebrew for a while because I found it difficult to know where to start. Eventually I stumbled across the Assembly Line podcast and got excited about playing the games talked about there, and I built up a reasonably large NES homebrew collection in a short time.
    A watershed moment came when I got my copy of Micro Mages in the mail after backing the Kickstarter for it. I had the game, a NES, a huge old CRT, and a Four Score with enough controllers for it, but I needed friends to play it with. So I invited Conor, Bart, and another friend over for a game night. I doubt they believed we were actually going to be playing a brand-new NES game until we were all sitting in front of the TV. Everybody had a great time, and after that, we started meeting up once a month to play different homebrew games from my collection. Eventually I got the idea to turn our meetups into a podcast, and here we are.
     
    Conor: I was vaguely aware that homebrew console games existed through Twitter and other social media channels. This was mostly as it overlapped with my interest in tech more generally. Looking back I would say I mistakenly believed all homebrews were cracks/hacks of existing games, or very proof-of-concept tech demos.
    Playing Micro Mages at Nick’s was a seminal moment. I had so many questions going through my head from how the cart was manufactured to how Nick even knew about the four-controller attachment 😄 The podcast really felt like a natural extension of our playing together.

    Wow the number of times I’ve heard someone note Micro Mages was a seminal moment for them
     
    -Do you listen to any podcasts, gaming-related or otherwise?
    Nick: I drive a lot for work, so my podcast library is huge. I subscribe to around a hundred podcasts, although I obviously don’t listen to anywhere near that many. Believe it or not, relatively few of those are gaming podcasts! The Assembly Line is always a classic, but I’m also a fan of Hardcore Gaming 101, The Collector’s Quest, Homebrews In Focus, and anything featuring Jeremy Parish. Besides gaming, my favorite podcast topics are media, technology, and politics.
     
    Conor: I used to listen to a lot more podcasts when I had a car, pros and cons of public transport life 🙃 My favourite gaming-related podcasts are those that have a slightly tangential view on gaming. VGMpire is no longer active but was one of the first content creators I encountered taking game soundtrack analysis more seriously. I loved their style of emphasizing their personal connections to the music, with the more technical analysis (whether musically in terms of chord progressions or the hardware instrumentation choices) serving to provide context rather than the core discussion. Tech, politics, business and music are the main categories of podcasts I listen to.
     
    -What makes for a good podcast episode?
    Nick: I think the most important thing is keeping the conversation reasonably organized and moving forward at a good flow, which is the host’s main job. Our first numbered episode (Lizard) had no outline, because we thought it would sound too scripted – we just went in excited to talk about the game and assumed our enthusiasm would make great content. So we got almost four hours of audio, and it was rambling, repetitive, inconsistent, and in the end practically unlistenable. It was an editing nightmare. I managed to get a decent episode out of it by chopping out over two thirds of the audio and heavily rearranging the rest, but I told the guys afterwards that if we wanted to put out more than a handful of episodes a year we would need to go in with a better plan, because otherwise this amount of editing would eventually drive me crazy. So now we have a relatively structured podcast, which I think you can easily hear if you’re paying attention. Now that everyone’s used to it I think we’d all agree this is a better way to record.
    Besides that, I’d say the most important thing is to remember to have fun. It’s a lot of work to make a quality podcast, but if you’re not enjoying yourself, that’s going to come across in your performance. No matter how much work we put in before or after a recording, once the mic is on I try to remind myself that this is a space for hanging out with my friends and talking about games, so it’s time to relax and enjoy it.
     
    -How have your tastes in games changed over the years?
    Nick: My enthusiasm for video games has waxed and waned over the years. I was a console gamer until high school, when I discovered PCs. Throughout the 2000s I only played a few big-name AAA games a year, but the growing indie scene got me interested in the hobby again. Then I started building Retropies for myself and friends around 2016, which (ironically?) got me into collecting retro games, and eventually homebrews.
     
    Conor: I would say that I’ve also had my level of interest in games vary over time. I’ve always enjoyed puzzles, story-heavy or offbeat games, with strategy & first-person shooters taking over my brain a lot in high school. I didn’t play much in college but then I moved to the US and started working in the casual/mobile game industry. It became a new challenge to not just play and win the games, but learning how they get developed and what separates a good game from a great game.
     
    -What tools and equipment do you use to record and post?
    Nick: We record on Shure MV7 USB microphones via Zencastr, which is like a tricked-out Zoom for podcasters. I do all of our editing in Adobe Premiere. I realize that’s probably not typical for audio podcasts, but I already have an Adobe subscription through my job, and it’s an interface I’m extremely familiar with from my days as a media producer. I don’t know if I’d recommend this for other podcasters – Premiere is a professional video suite, so using it for audio podcasting is like the editing equivalent of driving a semi truck to work every day when you’re only a 10 minute bike ride from the office – but it gets the job done. For some last-step audio leveling, I run the final cut through Auphonic before I post the file to our feed on Anchor.fm.
    I probably still do too much editing for a podcast, but as a former professional media guy I can’t help myself. It takes a lot of polish for me to feel satisfied with the final product.
     
    -What lessons have you learned that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    Nick: Don’t be afraid to stick to a narrow focus. The potential audience for a game club podcast about homebrew was always going to be tiny. But regardless, we’ve tapped it, and we’ve gathered a small but dedicated group of fans in a very short time. I don’t know if we could have pulled that off if we’d tried going with a more general focus, like a podcast about modern games that just occasionally covers homebrew. There are hundreds of podcasts like that out there, but our specificity made us unique – as far as I know, there’s only one other podcast taking a remotely similar approach to what we’re doing now. That helps us stand out.
    It also helps to have a modest vision of “success”: I told the guys from day one that I’d rather have a dozen fans who listen to every episode when it drops than a thousand casual listeners who only ever listen to an episode or two. And that’s the kind of community we’ve started, so I guess we’re doing something right.
     
    Conor: There is a balance between quality/quantity that is hard to strike when you’re creating content. I like where we have settled on with the “mainline” episodes focused on specific titles that our community can play along with. Then there are “spinoff” episodes where we discuss other topics that people can easily opt-out of. The episodes with other topics are probably a little rougher, but they help us learn how to be better hosts.
     
    -(At the time I’ve interviewed you) [Y]ou have produced 10 main episodes and 13 extras, interviews, and recaps in a little over a year, not counting episodes that are in-development. Have your interests and goals for the podcast changed over time? Has making the podcast had an impact on your interests and goals?
    Nick: Well, I’ve definitely been playing a lot more homebrew, so I guess that goal has been met! I always had modest goals for the podcast in terms of audience engagement, so I’m glad to see them come to fruition. As for future goals, I’d like to make more content – but unfortunately I’m at capacity for what I’m able to produce (I handle almost 100% of episode production myself), so we’re probably going to maintain our current output for the foreseeable future.
     
    -What is something your co-hosts uniquely bring to the table?
    Nick: Neither Bart or Conor were fans of the homebrew scene (or even retro gaming) before we launched the podcast, so it’s been fun to watch them get introduced to new developers on platforms they may not have been familiar with. Conor in particular has an interesting background to me, since he grew up in a different region of the world and is several years younger than Bart and myself. I also appreciate how their professional backgrounds influence their tastes in games – Bart as a 20 year film industry veteran, and Conor as a programmer and casual game developer.
     
    Conor: Nick and Bart are both hilarious to chat with, which straight away makes me so energized for each recording. Bart’s film and media experiences are a great counterpoint to my music interests, so I always like to hear his perspectives on game direction. Nick is a font of knowledge and continuously finds new and interesting areas of the homebrew scene to explore. His appreciation for the hardware in particular, which I saw firsthand when we played in person more regularly, really helped me understand the appreciation in the community for the tangible/tactile parts of the hobby beyond emulation.
     
    -On average, how much time passes between the initial planning for an episode and posting it for listeners?
    Nick: We don’t plan out episodes much – we often don’t know what game we’re picking for the next episode until we actually announce it on the podcast. Once we have our game selection, we budget some time to play it (usually 2-3 weeks), then get a Google doc going to outline the episode and hit some notes that we want to talk about. Scheduling the recording can be a challenge, since Bart and I are in Missouri, Conor is in the UK, and we all have kids, jobs, and all the rest to work around. After the recording comes editing, which is all on me. That can take anywhere from 1-2 days to much longer, depending on my schedule (and how off-topic we got when recording the episode).
     
    -What is your favorite segment to talk about in an episode?
    Nick: I love when the discussion about our Game Club selection ends up going in directions I didn’t expect. I usually assume I can guess what my co-hosts’ reactions are going to be to a particular game, and it’s a lot of fun when I realize I’m wrong, especially when it leads me to look at my own experience with the game in a new and different way. That kind of thing is what the Homebrew Game Club is really all about.
     
    Conor: Whichever section gets Nick the most riled up.
     
    -I’m curious about your thoughts regarding the various people you’ve interviewed and the games they’ve developed, so I’ve got a bit of a rapid-fire gauntlet of questions:
    ·        Favorite interviewee?
    Nick: Well, we’ve only done a couple of interviews so far, so we don’t have much of a sample size to draw from. I will say that I enjoy a sit-down, relaxed interview setting more than the live, on-location, standup interviews like we tried doing at last year’s Midwest Gaming Classic.
     
    ·        Favorite homebrew?
    Nick: For me it’s a tie between Lizard and Twin Dragons, both for NES. I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for Micro Mages though, especially since it helped spawn our podcast.
     
    Conor: Böbl is probably where my head would go, since the technical achievement in it is often so good you don’t even notice it’s there. Alfonzo’s Arctic Adventure might be where my heart would go. It’s got a unique graphical style, fun to play, and sentimental value as it was another one of the first homebrews that Nick showed me.
     
    ·        Favorite homebrewer?
    Nick: I’m going to turn the question on its head a bit and say my favorite homebrewers at the moment are the folks working with GB Studio for the Game Boy. That tool has lowered the barrier to entry for Game Boy development to such an extent that you’ve got this crazy explosion of creativity happening on that platform right now, and it’s been so much fun to dive into those titles.
     
    Conor: Do fantasy consoles count? Devine Lu Linvega is doing some amazing stuff with uxn right now that always leaves me fascinated at how vibrant a 2-bit graphics display can be.
     
    ·        Best graphics?
    Nick: There’s so much out there worth mentioning. Frankengraphics is doing incredible work on NES. Amaweks has put out some brilliantly surreal visuals for Mega Drive. And I’ve been so impressed with what devs are able to do with the Game Boy’s limited palette that I wouldn’t even know where to start with praising that scene.
     
    ·        Best chiptune
    Nick: Tui! I don’t know how many times I’ve walked around humming a chiptune melody for days that I just couldn’t place, until I realized it was from some soundtrack by Tui. His tracks for Tapeworm Disco Puzzle and Witch n’ Wiz are especially good. (He also did the excellent opening theme music for our podcast.)
     
    ·        Most difficult?
    Nick: We did an episode about Xeno Crisis (for the Mega Drive) that set a new bar for what the three of us consider a “hard” homebrew game. I put around 20 hours into that one before I couldn’t play it anymore – I felt completely demoralized, just ground into the dirt. Before that, Nebs n’ Debs for NES really kicked my butt. A very tough platformer.
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    Nick: In fact… I’m currently a beta tester on The Storied Sword for NES by Nathan Tolbert and Jordan Davis, and it’s going to be amazing. The entire game is built around tight, fluid platforming mechanics, and I am absolutely a sucker for that kind of game. It’s been a real honor to playtest it.

    Screenshot from The Storied Sword
     
    -On to Full Quiet, how are you guys enjoying the game?
    Nick: Honestly, I’ve barely started it! When I first got the game, I immediately plugged it into my NES to check it out. But after the first couple of hours in, I realized it would be the kind of thing I’d want to clear out my schedule and really devote some time to, and I haven’t been able to do that yet. Eventually I hope to find a decent gap in my calendar to finally park my butt in front of the CRT and take it on.
     
    -On January 10, 2023, you created a new channel in your Discord that began as a discussion thread for Full Quiet, but quickly turned into a sort of crowdsourced helpline. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first helpline for homebrew (aside from some brief conversations on Morphcat’s Discord). What prompted you to create the discussion thread?
    Nick: After my first couple of hours with the game, I knew it was going to be uniquely challenging. Right off the bat it comes off as a very deep, complex experience, and from what I’ve seen of the gameplay I can already tell it’s one of the most ambitious homebrew titles ever created for the NES. I could also tell it was the type of game I would never beat without some help. Nearly every difficult retro game has some way to find tips on the internet, from an old FAQ to a YouTube playthrough, but homebrew fans don’t always have that luxury because the games are so recent and the audiences for them are so small. So I got the idea to start a channel devoted to sharing secrets and advice, in order to help people playing through the game right now. We already start new community channels for every game we play on the podcast, but I knew this one would take longer than the 4-6 weeks we usually allow to play through our Game Club selections, so with that in mind I went ahead and launched it with the expectation that we’ll probably do a podcast on it a few months from now.
     
    -Did you anticipate the channel would serve this purpose of allowing people to work together through its more challenging aspects?
    Nick: That was my hope! I’m sure this game will eventually have other online resources to help folks get off the ground with it, but until then I’d like to think there’s quite a lot in the channel to help already.
     
    -Have you found the advice helpful to your own gameplay?
    Nick: Since I haven’t really started the game myself, I’ve mostly been staying out of the channel and letting it do its own thing. It’s amazing how vibrant the discussion is there without any prompting from myself or the other guys who host the Discord – it’s all grown up organically. I have seen comments from several people who say it has helped them beat the game, which is great!
     
    -If you could award MVP status to anyone in the thread, who would you want to recognize and why?
    Nick: Again, I haven’t been in there enough to award that honor to any one particular user, but I want to give a shout out to Metal Beast for being a huge inspiration to get the channel launched in the first place. I followed his tweets about his initial playthrough of the game, and his comment that it took over 26 hours to complete it was one of the things that encouraged me to start the Full Quiet channel. He even joined our Discord to help other folks get through the game!

    The Metal Beast is one of the coolest homebrew fans I’ve met, props to him!
     
    -Do you think you might create similar channels for other homebrew games? Are there any you can think of that might warrant one?
    Nick: We already have channels for every monthly Game Club selection that serve a similar purpose. Full Quiet was different in that I knew it would take a long time to beat, and that there were already a lot of people trying to take it on now who wouldn’t want to wait until we pick the game up for our podcast. If another game comes along that we know we want to cover, but that would take a similarly long time to complete, we might launch the channel for that game a few months early so our fans have plenty of time to play through it. I can’t think of any game like that off the top of my head, though – maybe a particularly long RPG? We’d love to get recommendations if anyone has one!
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Nick: Yes – subscribe to our podcast so you can hear our Full Quiet episode when it eventually comes out! We’re on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, all the big ones. You can find all of our podcast info and social media links at http://homebrewgameclub.com, where you can also sign up for our Discord and check out the Full Quiet channel for yourself. Finally, we’re always looking for new games to cover, so if you have one in particular that you’d like to hear us talk about, you post it on the #nominate-a-game channel on our Discord, reach out to us through our forum post on Video Game Sage, or shoot an email to homebrewgameclub@gmail.com. Thanks!
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of the series that adds to the lore of your favorite new homebrews. What are your thoughts on Full Quiet and its development team? Would you play a sequel called Fuller Quieter, or do you want Haunted Halloween ’87? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?
     

  9. Scrobins

    Episode 38: Kudzu

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Episode 38: Kudzu

    Introduction:
    A good adventure is anywhere you can find it, if you know where to look. And a good story can be written about anything, if you’re creative and bold enough to write it. Where some saw obsolete video game hardware and software, dismissing them as relics of the past that gave way to more advanced technology, others saw stories left untold. When some look at kudzu, a species of invasive, coiling vine, they may merely see a field or hillside. But to others, it is a green iteration of the dark shadow that pours menacingly across the kingdom menacingly at the beginning of many adventure stories and video games. For the right storyteller, kudzu, and the world of the master gardener, are opportunities.
    For this entry, I’m covering Kudzu, a non-linear adventure game for the Gameboy, developed by Pie for Breakfast Studios and published by Mega Cat Studios. As of the time of the writing, the Kickstarter campaign has concluded, and backers will receive their pledges soon. The game is available for download here, and once backers have their games in hand, more physical copies of the game will be available here.

    The Physical Edition CIB
     
    Development Team:
    Christopher Totten: lead developer
    Brandon Ellis: sound designer
     
    Game Evolution:
    Kudzu’s Kickstarter campaign first sprouted on May 25, 2023, growing past its initial funding goal within its first 12 hours. By season’s end, Kudzu attracted 866 backers who pollinated more than $46,000. Backer tiers were organized and named with cute gardening themes, which included the game’s rom, a cart-only option, CIB, or a limited-edition wooden cart (a Mega Cart specialty), as well as the soundtrack in a digital file or on vinyl, a poster, stickers, pins, postcards, a keychain, artbook, tie-in comic book, diorama, goat plushie, your name in the credits, an in-game goat named after you, and a custom machete. The campaign also blew through several stretch goals, unlocking a fishing minigame, a second ending, an extra dungeon, and a port to the Nintendo Switch.

    An early title screen for the game, circa 2020
     
    Gameplay:
    Kudzu describes itself as a non-linear adventure game. You play as Max, an apprentice gardener trekking through an expanse of fields, gardens, forests, and mountains overgrown with the globally invasive kudzu in search of your mentor Zoen, who has disappeared into the seemingly sentient labyrinth of vines. Armed with an array of gardening tools, you hack your way into the overgrowth in the hope of bringing the master gardener back into the sunlight.
    Controls are straightforward: use the D-pad to move, the A button to interact with your environment, the B button to use tools and attack (once you’re armed with the machete), the Start button to open the status menu screen, and the Select button to access the map screen. The status menu screen toggles between two screens: one features your health, the healing jelly at your disposal, and collectibles; and the other displays your tools as you acquire them. Throughout the map are allies and objects to assist you, as well as enemies and puzzles that thwart you; though these lines can be blurred as you may need to enlist the aid of some kudzu to solve a puzzle or two! At least there will be moments of respite where you can buy goods, talk to people, and save your progress at campsites.
     

    Screenshot from Kudzu
    Review:
    Kudzu is an engrossing dungeon puzzler that I might have forgotten to put down and give myself a break if I didn’t encounter the save tents once in a while (phew). The game is a cute, enveloping experience, reminiscent of A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening, challenging players to choose their path as they are slowly given the tools to navigate further into an ever-growing mazeworld. The game seems simple at first glance but even at its beginning Kudzu foreshadows the rich gameplay to come as Max takes on the main quest, but is offered/asked/told about tasks and side quests that will come to pass, such as finding goats, pen pals, and assisting other characters, which promise to reap rewards in the future. I especially love the overall sense of humor among the many characters, such as when you talk to a sign outside a closed shop and can respond: “No thanks, sign.” or how characters joke about their behaviors as NPCs, such as when one tells you he can’t leave until you defeat the nearby enemies (and thus open a door), but decides to stay put after you dispatch all the baddies. It’s a tongue in cheek vibe that makes you want to pay attention to each little seedling of silliness. For all its humor though, Kudzu is also surprisingly informative; through its characters and the camp’s library, I learned a lot about actual kudzu, which led me to look up more about the invasive vine when I wasn’t playing and battling the fictional iteration of the plant.
    The game’s graphics offer a lot of personality compacted in such little space. The characters have distinct and silly appearances, which express and match their personalities, while the environments have elaborate textures that make it easy to differentiate. This sounds like an obvious aspect of any game, but for a Gameboy game, with a limited color palette, set among plants, clearly distinguishing barriers, ground, breakable materials, and enemies from each other when all 4 categories are types of plants is a tall order! So for the developers to accomplish this successfully is a real testament to their sprite designs. Meanwhile the game’s soundtrack provides a varied array of music to fit the game’s many moods, ranging from bouncy and friendly when among friends, to tense as you stand amid an ever-encroaching invasive species. There is a tempo behind each track, one which transcends any mood the game conveys, that uses its persistent beat to push Max forward, one more chamber of the kudzu field, one more puzzle, keep going, keep going, you can do it. It is the score of an adventure: no matter how uncertain you feel about what lies ahead, you don’t actually want to stop.
     
    Interviews:
    I decided to hedge my bets and reached out to the developers in the hopes they would let me into their garden of ideas. Don’t worry though, no soilers ahead, keep reading for more…
     

    Chris Totten
    @Totter87
    -Before we dive into Kudzu, I would love to talk about your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrew game developer? What is your origin story? What is the story behind the name Pie for Breakfast?
    I got into the game industry soon after finishing my master’s degree in architecture. I had made some small indie projects in college with a friend of mine and started incorporating game design theory into my architecture work. I finished grad school in the recession, when nothing was being built, but my skills both with game design and 3D art landed me a job teaching game making courses at a small college. That gave me the time to build up my resume, portfolio, and network through the local gamedev meetup. Long story short, I’ve been making games now professionally for about 13 years (including in the mobile, indie, and “serious/educational games” spaces) and am a tenured associate professor at Kent State University. Along the way I wrote some books about level design too that people seem to really enjoy!
    I kind of got into homebrew by accident through the GB Studio engine. I saw that there was this engine floating around online that lets you ship to Game Boy cartridges and that seemed really cool - I would say that Game Boy was one of my most played and loved consoles growing up and I really wanted to do a project with it. I just approached it as a regular indie project and had known that homebrew existed, but making something led me to the awesome community of folks who talk about this stuff such as the GB Studio community and the folks at Homebrew Game Club.
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    I try to pull from things that aren’t games as much as I can: architecture, art, literature. I make a lot of games based on works in the public domain like books or artworks. Kudzu itself was inspired by plants and gardening. In terms of games though, I grew up in the NES/SNES era, so a lot of the games I enjoyed growing up were directed by Takashi Tezuka, things like Super Mario Bros. 3, Zelda: Link’s Awakening, etc. I also really loved Capcom’s action games for the NES like Mega Man and the licensed stuff like Little Nemo and the Disney games. I like how those games take a mechanic or a small set of mechanics and squeeze everything they can out of them. I think that Tezuka is particularly good with that in Link’s Awakening, which got a ton of content into a Game Boy cartridge. This is why later games like Portal and a lot of the early 10’s indie games like Super Meat Boy stuck out to me so much. That late aughts/early 10’s period is around the time that my career in games began so that era was super formative for me.
    I’m also a very big fan in general of games with a lot of exploration. When I was in my early teens, I got into the more exploratory stuff like Super Metroid and the Koji Igarashi Castlevania’s and they’ve really stuck with me. They feed my curiosity a lot through their level design and it’s easy for me to just get lost in that experience. I’m very interested in how game spaces communicate with players to aid in this exploration. Some of my favorites include the worlds of Metroid Prime, Half-Life 2, Dishonored, Marvel’s Spider-Man, William Chyr’s Manifold Garden, Dark Souls/Elden Ring, and the many many indie Metroidvania’s out there.
     
    -How would you describe your design aesthetic, and what to you are hallmarks of a game designed by you?
    This is kind of a funny story: on another project I’m working on, Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends, my development partners and I were starting to plan out the game’s shop, and looked through our overall design documentation to figure out what players could buy. We all came to the realization that each of our individual design aesthetics all included being very resource-light: our games don’t have a ton of items that you have to manage so we had a hard time getting started! We DID work it out so that the shop will have lots of cool things to buy (as do the shops in Kudzu), but I think it speaks to some of the holdovers of a designer who grew up in that NES/Game Boy era. I try to find a good core gameplay loop and then build lots of content from that - the design is very efficient and there’s not a lot of extraneous elements. An example might be with an enemy: you introduce them in one kind of space, but what happens when they’re in a smaller space? What happens if there are two of them? What happens when you pair them with other types of enemies?
    I also like how Metroid games make the inventory a part of Samus rather than involving a lot of item management - this was actually helpful in Kudzu, since I had to be so careful with animation frames in GB Studio. Since I’m a big fan of exploration, I also like doing things like teasing a player with an item and obscuring the path to it, or having a door with several locks, but you can explore to find them in any order (both types of things are in Kudzu.)

    Early sketchbook dungeon designs from a Medium post Chris posted
     
    -You’ve written books on game design and animation. To what extent is your development work informed by your previous writing? Do you find yourself updating your thinking with new projects?
    Part of the whole reason I write is to turn my thinking about design into a vocabulary that myself and others who find the ideas interesting can repeat. That way it becomes a tool that lots of people can use rather than just being something fuzzy that I just kind of intuited and that is only useful to me. This is also a big part of being a teacher: it’s better for me to be able to give my students an idea of how to improve their work through clear and concise language.
    Both Kudzu and Little Nemo have been great laboratories for playing with exploratory design patterns. In Kudzu, working on Game Boy means that I had to think a lot about single-screen design and making puzzles and paths through levels really expressive in the minimum viable space possible. I think this is something that every game developer should try, even if you work on big 3D titles. In both titles, we’re looking for patterns in both our designs and games that inspire us to help us with reducing annoying backtracking, giving players clear goals but also explorable space, etc. Both playing others’ games and prototyping our own have been hugely useful for developing our design language.
     
    -What tools do you use to code and create?
    For Kudzu, I used the GB Studio 2.5 Beta engine (the version number is important because I had to work around some of the limitations of the earlier version compared to the more advanced 3.x editions). I made the art in a pixel art program called Aseprite and I made the level backgrounds in an editor called Tiled. For other projects, I’ve been developing in Unity and working in both 2D and 3D in Blender since about 2010.
     
    -One of your prominent previous projects was Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends. Did your work on Little Nemo provide any insight and inspiration for your work on Kudzu?
    Since both projects are ongoing at the same time, and Kudzu was started during the development of Nemo as a sort of weekend side project (Kudzu was done faster because the scope for a Game Boy title like this is way smaller than a modern hand-drawn indie game), they definitely fed one another. There have been a lot of Nemo design meetings where I would report that I started designing something one way in Kudzu or came up with a system for something that might be useful in Nemo. Part of the reason that I keep mentioning them both in this interview is that they’re twins in a way: both were developed in concert with one another (which, I will never try to do again - it’s exhausting to make 2 games at one time!) There were even periods where I was working on similarly themed levels in both projects - both games have mushroomy forests!

    Promotional art for Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends
     
    -What encouraged you to make games for the Gameboy, and how did you discover GB Studio?
    I just kind of saw GB Studio being shared around game development Twitter one day and thought, “wow, that’s really cool - I’d love to do a Game Boy game!” This is covered somewhat in the campaign, but Kudzu is a game idea that my wife and I had about 9 or 10 years ago but that was just tucked away in a folder of “really ambitious game ideas I’d need a big team for and will probably never happen.” When I found GB Studio, I realized that Kudzu was a project that could probably work really well on Game Boy, and which would probably benefit from being forced into a more limited scope of a Game Boy game. It still took several years - because that’s just how long games take - but that I could make something like it was both incredibly freeing and a wonderful surprise, since it’s something that my wife and I have lots of fond memories of planning out together.
     
    -At the heart of Kudzu is its nonlinear, maze-oriented exploration. What about this genre resonates so strongly with you? What inspired you to make this type of game?
    Like I said in the influences section, I love Metroid, I love the exploratory Castlevania games. I love all sorts of indie games like Hollow Knight, Iconoclasts, Cave Story (which isn’t a full Metroidvania but which has such a rich lovely world with great characters), the Ori games, Owlboy, and others that do these things. I also love Zelda and other action-adventures like the early Ys games. These games have such a strong sense of place and reward you for looking under every rock and in every tree. I take painfully long to play other games for this reason because they’ve influenced my play style so much. For both Kudzu and Nemo, I’ve tried to capture that in both the level design and how we think about populating the world with interesting characters.
     
    -What elements are crucial for a good adventure game?
    Oh boy, you could ask 50 designers that and get 50 different answers! My preferences are games that give you a tour of the world but which at some point let you go off and explore on your own more freely. It’s kind of like when you learned how to ride a bike and your teacher (parent, grandparent, guardian, etc.) let go of the handlebars and let you ride on your own. When you can feel cozy just moving around the world and say to yourself “what should I do today?” is when these games get really good. Also I like really interesting characters. They don’t need a ton of dialog or huge backstories, but a line like “I like shorts. They’re comfy and easy to wear!” paints such an interesting picture of that little pixel person and that’s really cool to me.
     
    -How did you connect with Brandon? What was the working dynamic like across your collaboration?
    Brandon and I were connected by the folks at Mega Cat. I had, of course, heard his work in games like 30XX, which I’ve played and have seen at a bunch of indie game events through the years. He’s been wonderful to work with: I made up a big spreadsheet of tracks we needed, how long they had to be, and what kind of feel each should have. He really dove in and got a lot out of the Game Boy sound hardware!
     
    -How did you connect with Mega Cat Studios, and how has working with them been?
    One of my other big projects is the Smithsonian American Art Museum Arcade (SAAM Arcade) in Washington DC, which is an event that is now in its 9th year. I was one of the co-founders along with SAAM staff members. Long story short - when I lived in DC and was part of the indie game scene out there, we wanted a local place to show our games, and SAAM wanted more game events after the success of the Art of Video Games exhibition in 2012. At one point throughout SAAM Arcade’s run, Mega Cat had shown a number of their games at the event, and I would always visit their booth at other events like MAGFest. We basically ran in a lot of the same development circles. Years later, I showed Kudzu to them at the GDEX game expo in Columbus, OH and it seemed like a really good fit, so we decided to work together on it.
     
    -Ever since my first episode, M-Tee planted this idea in my mind that a game’s protagonist, who serves as both the player's point of immersion in the game as well as a reflection of its designer. What was the intention behind Max’s design, and are there elements of yourself that you see in him?
    So Max is actually literally my brother-in-law turned into a video game character. The only difference is that Kudzu Max is 16 pixels tall and real-life Max is very very tall. This is part of how my wife and I got to talking about the game idea. I told her about a time in architecture school where my whole studio group designed buildings in a field of invasive kudzu, not knowing what it was (this was nearly disastrous in the end-of-semester review). She talked about her brother fighting back out-of-control vines in their backyard (which was thankfully akebia and not kudzu) in a gardening outfit very much like what Max wears in the game. There are also other characters in the game based on people we know. Our cats are even in the game!
     
    -What aspects of Kudzu are you most proud of?
    I’m proud to have finally made it, and to have been able to do something with this idea that my wife and I had when we were first together (we’ve been married 10 years now.) More broadly, I’m just happy to have made something that people have responded so positively to. My kids get really into it. It’s something to watch someone get pulled in by something you’ve made and think back to the games that did that to you when you were young (or…games that do that to you now!) Making something for a console I really loved has been extra nice. At the same time, I’m proud that I added modern game design elements to it and thought of it as distinctly its own product: I didn’t want to just make something super Zelda-like in setting and have people treat it like a knock-off. I want Kudzu to feel like a brand-new thing that happens to be coming for Game Boy.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Kudzu? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    This is super under-the-hood, but you learn a lot about how both engines and consoles handle memory when you make a game in/on them. These things affect how big your game files are, how the engine behaves when a game gets to a certain size, etc.  I honestly think that GB Studio is the new Twine, which is to say a super-approachable engine that lots of new developers (and many experienced folks) have picked up to make small, expressive projects in addition to some of these big epics. For that reason, I even e-mailed the folks at Mega Cat and said “look, I think you’re going to start seeing a lot of pitches for games made in this, I’d be happy to compile a list of technical surprises that may help on what are sure to be other projects that will come up.” For a publisher, that might affect what cartridges you have to buy, etc.
    Pleasant surprises include how easy the engine in particular made story-based games: it began as an engine for making adventures, so it really shined in a lot of ways. Cutscenes and story content can be a pain in other engines (looking at you, Unity), but GB Studio made it a breeze. It helped make a game of Kudzu’s scale possible for someone who started this as a weekend project (it eventually became a weekday project too, of course). I don’t have any immediate plans, but I’d love to keep making GB Studio games because working with it was just so pleasant.
     
    -There has been a lot of support and enthusiasm for Kudzu on Kickstarter, and on social media. How does it feel to see so many people excited about the game?
    It’s amazing! It’s really cool, especially since this came from a very personal place of sharing stories with my wife and coming up with this together. I don’t think I’d be at the place I am in my career without my wife Clara and her encouraging me to pursue things like my book or some of these game projects, so it means a lot to make this finally a reality.
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, Gameboy, or otherwise? Any dream projects?
    Oof. Both Nemo and Kudzu are such big projects that I’m having trouble looking past them. I would like to make more Game Boy games, though I don’t know in what scale. If there is ever a Kudzu 2 (I have some ideas…), I think I’d try to make it with a bigger team. Having this world on modern hardware could be interesting. As for dream games, I mean…I’m literally making a game based on Little Nemo in Slumberland! I love that world and those characters. Nemo is definitely another game I’ve wanted to make forever (I have a design document for it dating back to about 2013), and Kudzu is, in a lot of ways, a way for me to make the Zelda or Metroid games that I’m sure Nintendo would never let me work on. These are projects I really care about and am happy to finally bring to fruition.
    If we’re talking about ABSOLUTELY ABSURD dream games and Nintendo, after Nemo, they should let me hand-animate a remake of Mario 3 in the visual style of Yoichi Kotabe (the illustrator who did a lot of the early Mario promotional art.)
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    Super Sunny World is looking really cool. I picked up Fire and Rescue by Skyboy Games at MAGFest this past year and my kids and I have had a lot of fun with it. I also really want to check out Full Quiet - it looks stunning. The GB Studio community’s output has been fantastic, and I have a lot to catch up on that has been released in the time that I’ve been working on Kudzu. I don’t want to name drop anyone in particular mostly because the community is so big I don’t want to miss anyone, but if readers of this interview go to itch.io and look up GB Studio games, you’ll find stuff by a lot of amazing developers. So many in that community have been supportive of this project and I’m deeply grateful to all of them for their encouragement, development tips, and support. The community’s news site, GB Studio Central, has also been wonderfully supportive and is a fantastic resource for not only information on Game Boy development, but also game design in general. And of course, some of the other awesome games from my publisher, Mega Cat Studios (no, they didn’t pay me to say that, I’ve been following their games for years.)

    Screenshot of Super Sunny World, in development by Matt Hughson
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Play Kudzu! Play Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends (we have a demo going up on Steam during June’s Steam Next Fest!) Try out GB Studio! It’s a great tool for both reliving your childhood days of Game Boy games and dipping your toe into game development if you’ve never done it before (and, if you have done it before, it’s a great way to make ambitious projects come to life.)
     
     

    Brandon Ellis
    @cityfires
    -Before we talk about Kudzu, I want to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to be a musician? What led you to compose music for games? What is your origin story?
    My dad was a musician, mostly writing pop and country music! He had a Yamaha keyboard that would let you program a little song, so he taught me how to use it. I was completely obsessed with making terrible little songs on it.
    So eventually I borrowed his audio editing software when we got a PC, slowly learned how to add stuff to my music, and spent all of middle school and high school forcing my friends to listen to my music. I always thought it MUST be possible to get a job writing music for games, and I was extremely fortunate that several opportunities worked out and gave me a chance to do it!
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    I was firmly in the era of incredible Sega Genesis and Gameboy soundtracks. So there are an uncountable number of those that are incredible (shout-outs to the Vectorman OST. I never managed to beat that game….)
    But beyond that, I’ve always loved any pop/electronic music that uses a lot of chiptune/8bit sounds. Bands like Anamanaguchi and The Postal Service were huge for me.
    Now I mostly follow all the incredible indie game composers everyone else follows, but off the top of my head it’s: Chipzel, Danny B, Ben Prunty, Lifeformed, nervous_testpilot, Jake Kaufman, and tons more. I’ve also been really into synthwave bands: The Midnight, Gunship, etc.

    It’s time for you to start listening to The Midnight
     
    -In addition to your musical work on video games, you describe yourself as a sound designer and general audio person. Does your breadth of experience provide lessons that carry over to other areas of your work or do you find them distinct from one another?
    I think all those disciplines feed into each other really well. You learn a lot of new techniques for composition by working on sound design. Sound design is less forgiving if you’re messy with your project management, for instance. So it helps you learn ways to manage your works-in-progress.
    And doing things like running sound at a concert venue, or managing a concert hall, they all give you better perspectives: you get to see incredible musicians doing their own unique things, and it helps inspire ideas on how you might change up your own workflow.
     
    -Do you feel that your music has any qualities that are quintessentially you? How would you describe your aesthetic?
    I usually work in genres that allow you to be as big/loud/melodic as you can possibly be, which is a ton of fun. So I usually try to work on having really memorable and catchy melodies. The other thing that comes to mind is that I’ve always been really in love with the combination of classic chiptune sounds alongside piano and orchestral sounds. Something about that juxtaposition is really lovely to me. (“Exciting World” from the Pushmo World is the perfect example)
     
    -What tools do you use to compose, generally as well as for games?
    I typically use Logic Pro X as my DAW. I use a plugin called Plogue’s Chipsounds for most of my 8bit sounds when I’m not using a tracker. Otherwise I use a ton of the Native Instruments Komplete collection (Super 8, Massive, Battery, Kontakt, Reaktor, etc.)
    For trackers I’m not hyper experienced with the differences between them. But FamiTracker was probably the easiest for me to jump into and I would recommend that one for beginners!
     
    -What qualities do you look for in order to feel like a game you’re playing has good, engaging music?
    I think I always want to notice the music. That’s probably not always appropriate in every game, but usually if it’s hitting the exact right vibe or emotion it’s going to jump out at you.
     
    -Tell me about the development of Kudzu’s music, what was your composition process?
    The inspirations and references for this style of music made it pretty easy to get a good rough idea! Everyone who has played an RPG from the 90s knows how the music is “supposed to sound” when you’re inside a shop. So you just find your own unique spin on that type of emotion.
    So all of it was taking that core inspiration for a “mountain level” or a “boss fight”, working against the technical and time limitations for the music, and imprinting your own personal take on it.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in your work on Kudzu? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    It was really fun! The toughest thing was having to fit into really specific constraints from the technical side: you can’t actually use most of the modern tracker features with your music. The original Gameboy files require a really limited toolset. But to anyone working on a project like this or learning how to write music for the first time, I would ALWAYS recommend forcing strict limitations on yourself. Limitations force you to get creative. If you can’t just slap a reverb on a sound to make it sound “bigger”, you have to get creative with your solutions.
    On top of that, I find that I always struggle to be “done” with a song. So I also recommend setting a timer and saying, “When this clock hits zero, I’m done. Bounce it and move forward.” That’s gotten me out of a lot of jams when I feel stuck on something.
     
    -How did you first connect with Chris and what was the working dynamic like as you worked on the game?
    I was introduced to the team through Mega Cat Studios after working with them on a few projects! Chris and the rest of the team seemed really amazing, and the version of the project I was handed was immediately very fun and very polished! They gave me a ton of freedom to explore the music however I wanted, and considering how tough the technical limitations were for the music, that was really appreciated!
     
    -Is there another project after Kudzu on the horizon? Another dream project that you hope to bring into existence, video game or otherwise?
    If I’m allowed to shout out other soundtracks I’m working on, I’ve been fortunate to work on a few others this year! 30XX is a Mega Man-style co-op, roguelike platform shooter that’s coming out summer! That soundtrack was amazing to work on because it’s supposed to be as melodic and catchy as I can possibly make it!
    I’m also doing the music and sound design for Techtonica, an underground factory-building game that’s going into Early Access soon! That game has a completely different vibe to Kudzu and 30XX, but I personally love writing in a variety of styles.
    Aside from projects I’m currently working on, I think I’d love to work on a big, bold fantasy RPG. Something fully orchestral would be a really fun challenge! But aside from wanting to try new genres, I’d love to keep digging into using trackers for more composition. I like the difference in how your brain has to process working on a tracker!

    Album cover for 30XX
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Thanks so much for your questions! To anyone reading this, thanks so much for your kind words and support! You have no idea how impactful it is to see someone tweet or comment on a video saying something as simple as “This music is nice.” It’s easy to get inside your own head as an artist, and that unprompted, external validation can carry us much farther than you might think. So please be generous in complementing the art, music, level design, sound design, or anything you think is cool at all. I promise that the person who made that thing will REALLY appreciate it!
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of the series that gets deep into the weeds of your favorite new homebrews. What are your thoughts on Kudzu and its development team? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?
     

     
  10. Scrobins

    Episode 39: Lion Mancala

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Episode 39: Lion Mancala

    Introduction:
    The greatest gift to our community is the emergence of a new developer with fresh ideas, bringing games to our consoles that make us exclaim “I can’t believe we’re only just now getting a game about X!” I keep an eye out across the internet in order to stay on top of homebrew news, trying to stay apprised of progress to games I'm aware of, and learn about new games as well as people who may mention the arrival of friends onto the scene. And I cast a pretty wide net, though I’m hardly the be-all and end-all of what’s out there. But there’s always the opportunity for a surprise, one where I learn about a developer fully-formed, game ready for purchase, and in-demand. I’m just learning they exist and already I have to worry about missing out; good for them! So for this December holiday post, I want to share this talented dev and her game with you, because she is a holiday treat.
    For this entry, I’m covering Lion Mancala, a board game adaption for the NES by Shallow Enigma. As of the time of the writing, the game is available to download, and physical copies of the game can be purchased from their itch.io page here.

    The Physical Edition CIB
     
    Development Team:
    @tabytha.stryker: developer
     
    Game Evolution:
    Lion Mancala emerged from its den with a gameplay demo shared on YouTube on August 26, 2023. Tabytha then posted on a number of sites, including NESdev, AtariAge, and Reddit on August 31, 2023 regarding the game’s initial release on itch.io. The teaser post also noted the existence of the first CIB physical copy, hinting at the production of more copies, should demand present itself. Well, demand certainly manifested, thanks to Tabytha’s promotional efforts and subsequent word of mouth, as she produced several batches of the game to keep up with continuing demand.

    Screenshot from Lion Mancala
     
    Gameplay:
    Lion Mancala is a video game adaptation of a two-player turn-based strategy board game, While this cartridge brings us kalah, regarded as the most popular modern variant, which gained prominence in the U.S. in the 1940s and which is derived from the congkak variant of the game popular in Southeast Asia. Derived from the Arabic root word “naqala,” which translates to “to move,” mancala is among the oldest known games still widely played today. Evidence of the game has been found as far afield as Eastern Europe, East Africa, and Southeast Asia, and as far back in time as Ancient Egypt and Neolithic dwellings in Jordan circa 5,870 B.C.
    Controls are simple, the challenge lies in your strategy! Use the D-pad to move the hand cursor, and the A-button to select. The goal is to place as many seeds (small dots) as you can into your store (the large pit on the right edge of the game board (Player 2’s store is the large pit on the left edge of the board)). Each move consists of “sowing,” choosing one of the houses (one of the six smaller pits on your side of the board: Player 1’s houses are along the bottom, while Player 2’s houses are along the top of the board), taking all the seeds of the selected house, the “sowing” by placing one seed into each pit (house or store) counterclockwise to the originally selected house until you have sown all of the seeds (while sowing includes placing seeds into your opponent’s houses, you do not sow seeds into their store). You receive an extra turn if the last seed sown lands in your store. Additionally, you can capture your opponent’s seeds if the last seed sown lands into one of your empty houses and is directly across from an opponent house which contains seeds. If there are any seeds in that opponent house, they are captured and placed into your store, along with your last sowed seed. The game ends when one player can no longer move because all of their houses are empty. Whoever has the most seeds in their store wins.
     

    Villagers playing mancala in Nigeria
    Review:
    Lion Mancala is an easy-to-learn strategy game that was a new experience for me. Board games are not a common genre in video games, but are a good way to satisfy fans looking to have a multiplayer experience but cannot field additional flesh and blood opponents. Given its ancient roots, playing mancala also felt like connecting with history; I can only hope this heralds more ports of old historically significant games such as faro. Playing Lion Mancala is straightforward, and I felt the manual effectively explained the rules so even a novice like me could jump in and survive. The various strategies, difficulty levels, and the option to select which player makes the first move ensure an endlessly replayable game.
    The game’s graphics feel like you’re playing in a casino with an understated elegance: the game board is functional and easy to distinguish all of its component parts, but there are enough flourishes (especially at the edges) that communicate a beauty to your environment. The title screen has a fun theme that invites you to play, like a carnival barker luring you into the tent. But once in the midst of the game, you are met with silence so you can focus on your strategy (or perhaps some trash talking).
     
    Interviews:
    I decided to venture out into the jungle and interview the developer of Lion Mancala, and learn how one of the world’s oldest games made its way to our favorite gaming console…
     

    Tabytha Stryker
    https://shallowenigma.com/wp/
    -Before we dive into Lion Mancala, I would love to talk about your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrew game developer? What is your origin story? What is the story behind the name Shallow Enigma?
    I have been programming since I was 12, when my dad helped me to buy my first computer, a Commodore VIC-20. He agreed to pay for half if I could come up with the other half. Well, I finally had enough to get the machine and a tape unit, and off we went. I had literally nothing more saved to get games or anything else.  I was working part time playing the organ, and soon had enough money to buy some games, but my dad always claimed he was too busy to take me. Eventually, with nothing else to do, I learned enough Basic to program a game (a clone of Dragonfire for the Atari 2600). Once he saw I had programmed something, he suddenly had plenty of time to take me back to the store lol. I've been programming ever since. I love how my dad handled that situation.

    I was a professional programmer for decades, mainly working in the financial industry towards the end.  One thing I worked on that some people may remember was LimeWire. I mostly worked for another part of Lime though, Lime Brokerage, in Manhattan. We shared the same building. Thru the years, I programmed professionally in FORTRAN, C, C++, Smalltalk, Java and C#.

    Most programmers have a list of things they'd like to program one day. One of those items for me was an asteroids clone, which I did when smartphones were first getting started. Another was to program the AI for a board game, and now I can check that off my list as well! The closest I had come was writing small c++ programs to solve the chess puzzles in 'The Seventh Guest' back in the day.

    I'm retired now, but needed to work a bit to help with medical costs. Shallow Enigma provides me with the opportunity to work 1-2 days a week on something I truly enjoy without any of it becoming too
    demanding.

    I chose the name Shallow Enigma because I find it slightly humorous, and I like being able to abbreviate my company name as ShE!

    Screenshot from Dragonfire for the Atari 2600
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    Technically, I am highly influenced by the designers of the Unix operating system and design philosophy, including the C language, specifically Dennis Ritchie, Ken Thompson and Brian Kernighan.  Also the object-oriented pioneers behind the Smalltalk language, especially Alan Kay and Dan Ingalls. Kent Beck has been very influential as well, along with Charles Petzold and his ability to explain complex things
    simply and well.

    Musically, by J.S. Bach, Jimmy Smith, Jimmy Page and Rush.

    I like big chunky pixels I can SEE, lol. I will always love 8-bit computing.
     
    -How would you describe your design aesthetic, and what to you are hallmarks of a game designed by you?
    I try to keep things relatively simple and elegant, with a consistent design, aesthetic and user interface. I tend to like to make games authentic to the time period a console was first designed and released.
     
    -What tools do you use to code and create?
    For LION Mancala, I used the C programming language, cc65, emacs, bash, neslib, Mesen, yychar, FamiTracker, NES Assets Workshop, paint.net, Swift Publisher 5, Windows 10/11, Ubuntu Linux, Mac OS 13, Coke Zero and MOD Pizza!
     
    -What encouraged you to make games for the NES?
    My love for the 8-bit era, the availability of tools and parts to make new cartridges, and the relatively large amount of learning material available on the net. I also enjoy playing games on my NES!
     
    -As a woman in the gaming and development scenes, what are your observations on diversity in these communities?
    Well, those scenes do seem to be overwhelmingly male, don't they? lol. That said, the needed tools are free or cheap and everything necessary can be learned online. homebrew game development is accessible to most everyone who might enjoy doing it.
     
    -As you note on your itch.io page, Mancala is the world’s oldest continually played board game, with origins tracing to 3rd Century Ancient Egypt. What about this game resonates so strongly with you? What inspired you to port this game to the NES, and what is the significance of adding the lion?
    First of all, that MIGHT be true, lol. Others point towards Go for that honor. All of the marketing is intentionally a bit over the top and tongue in cheek, to be consistent with what I perceive as being
    typical for the 1980's. I selected mancala because I like it, and there wasn't already an implementation out there for the NES, unlike say chess, which has at least 2 I'm aware of.

    Mancala is heavily associated with the continent of Africa, and so that seemed like an appropriate esthetic theme for the entire package. The lion fits with that, and I just really liked the sound of 'LION
    Mancala'.
     
    -Any tips for players struggling to win at Mancala?
    Take the first move, as it conveys a huge advantage.  Try to end turns putting a seed into your store, as that immediately gives you another free turn. Play against the computer at the easiest AI setting
    (novice) and turn up the AI as you win games. Soon, if you are careful you should be able to beat the computer every time if you have the first move.

    If you want to see if you are really better than the computer at a given AI level, play 2 games taking turns going first. Then, and add up the score from both games to determine the overall winner.
     
    -What elements are crucial for a fun board game? What other board games do you enjoy?
    For me, I tend to like classic style board games that you could write all the rules for on an index card. Easy to learn, hard to master. I also enjoy backgammon, Othello, checkers, Hive and Quoridor.

    A Quoridor game board
     
    -What aspects of Lion Mancala are you most proud of?
    How well the AI plays on the NES, the animation of the moves, the intro screen music, and how I successfully avoided adding too many options to the game!
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Lion Mancala? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    I was surprised at how much support is out there for making NES homebrew! From the documentation, to the cc65 compiler, neslib, nesdoug tutorials, FamiTracker for music, etc. and the easy availability of parts for making physical cartridges, it was amazing to see how much has already been done to make this as easy as possible.

    This is the first time I've written specifically 8-bit chip tune music, and it was fun!

    Most programmers already know this, but I suggest building something complex by making something very simple that works, that touches on all the main areas of risk, and iterating and evolving that simple
    thing until you are done.

    And knowing when to stop is important. In a sense, a game is like other kinds of art, in that it always feels like you could add more, but ultimately it has to be "abandoned" lol.

    And I think it's good to keep in mind there are 2 ways to improve anything - to add to it, or take away from it. More is not always better 🙂

    If you'd like to learn to program in C, I recommend reading and working your way thru the exercises in 'The C Programming Language', by Kernighan and Ritchie.
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, NES, or otherwise? Any plans to publish more board games? Any dream projects?
    I plan on releasing a version of checkers for the NES, and then a game based on the gameplay of Quoridor. After that I want to port everything over to the Atari 7800, which may be a challenge as many of the tools we have available for NES homebrew are not available for the 7800, or if they are, I'm not yet aware of them.  Beyond that, I may work on an original 80's arcade style action game at some point.
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    I admire the achievements of games like Micro Mages, and From Below, but I tend to spend most of my time programming, or playing games released in the 80's.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    I would like to offer thanks to all who made my game possible, especially Shiru for the neslib game library, and nesdoug for the excellent tutorial blog posts. On the hardware side, Mouse Bite Labs
    and Muramasa Entertainment for their excellent PCBs, and akirzz for the software used to replace the CIC lockout chip with a modern equivalent.

    My partner Donna has been very supportive, and she along with my friend Lorelai have supplied useful comments during development. Thank you!

    And to everyone who has bought a copy, THANK YOU SO MUCH!
     
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of the series that gets deep into the weeds of your favorite new homebrews. What are your thoughts on Lion Mancala and its developer? What homebrews are you hoping to find under your Christmas tree? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?
     

  11. Scrobins

    Episode 4: Trophy

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Episode 4: Trophy

    Introduction:
    The timeline for developing a homebrew is rarely brief. From a game’s first imaginings to its final publication and availability to fans, months, even years may pass. But some games can trace their history across decades to the developer’s childhood and the games that brought them joy. Though time and tide may occupy their mind for a spell, pulling their attention in myriad different directions, the memory of that dream game persists and it will not be ignored until life has been breathed into it at last.
    For this entry, I’m covering Trophy, an action platformer game for the NES and love-letter to the Mega Man series developed by Gradual Games and released by the 6502 Collective. As of the time of this writing, the cartridge release is currently being assembled for its Kickstarter backers, and the game’s rom will follow. If you missed the crowdfunding campaign, you can pre-order Trophy on the 6502 Collective’s website.
     
    Development Team:
    Gradual Games (Derek Andrews): programming, music
    Laurie Andrews: in-game art
    @Peek-A-Brews! (Jon Piornack): limited edition art
    The 6502 Collective (@SoleGoose (Sole Goose Productions) & @IBtiM (Retrotainment Games)): publication and release
     

    Original concept art by Derek Andrews
     
    Game Evolution:
    Trophy’s story begins with a doe-eyed 12-year old named Derek, who sketches robots in his notebook as he pines over his enduring love of Mega Man. But the game began in earnest in early 2016, according to a September 2017 teaser posted on Gradual Games’ website. All the mysterious announcement teased was: 1) that work had begun on a third game (following Nomolos: Storming the Catsle and The Legends of Owlia); 2) the game would be a platformer with an amazing soundtrack; and 3) a Kickstarter campaign would launch in the coming months.
    In August 2018, Derek officially announced in posts to NintendoAge and NESDev that the game would be titled Trophy. The posts also shared the game would feature 9 levels and bosses, horizontal and vertical scrolling, hidden upgrades, a password system, and a soundtrack that would make the Blue Bomber proud. Enthusiasm was immediate and widespread as fans waited for more news and prepared their bank accounts for the looming Kickstarter campaign.

    Screenshot from an early tease of the forest level
    News continued to trickle in slowly until Gradual Games posted an update in April 2019 to note delays in the game’s development due to matters both internal and personal, but that Trophy would continue in other hands. By June 2019, the homebrew community learned that Sole Goose Productions had acquired the rights to Trophy and the rest of Gradual Games’ catalog, and would finish production and publication of Trophy as a release under the 6502 Collective’s banner; joining such gems as Rollie and Candelabra: Estoscerro.

    Collective, assemble!
    Trophy launched on Kickstarter on February 27, 2020, with a tongue-in-cheek funding goal of $6,502. The campaign was funded within 24 hours, and ultimately received more than 6 times its funding goal. Backers flooded in with support at all tiers digital and physical, including the limited edition, which featured a variant CIB (with foam block!), blueprint poster, signed letter from Derek, and 6502 Collective swag.

    Kickstarter Regular & Limited Edition CIBs
     
    Gameplay Overview:
    Trophy presents itself as an action platformer in the spirit of the Mega Man games, but with its own unique flavor. You can pick up little trophies from vanquished enemies that restore health, and obtain health and weapon upgrades for an added advantage. However unlike Mega Man, upgrades are not gained following boss battles; instead these boosts are hidden, encouraging players to explore the furthest reaches of each level in search of secrets rather than rush to the bosses. At the end of each level, Trophy encounters more than themed mirror images of himself, but massive bosses that cannot be easily boiled down to predictable patterns of behavior.

    Not pictured: the return of my Brave Little Toaster nightmares
    Trophy’s story opens with two scientists, Jared Sword and Xella Quine discovering Gearus 9, a planet of peaceful robots. While Sword brings the robot Beeper back to Earth to showcase their discovery, Quine remains behind, where madness consumes him. Succumbing to his insanity, Quine takes over the planet and declares himself ruler, crowning himself Lord Q. Upon returning to Gearus 9, Sword and Beeper see for themselves what Lord Q’s evil has wrought and decide to fight back. However between Sword’s frailty and Beeper’s pacifism, neither is a match for Lord Q and his forces. The two would-be heroes resolve to use Gearus 9’s technology to fuse themselves together into a human-machine hybrid capable of saving the day: Trophy. En route to Lord Q’s lair, Trophy will fight his way through 9 levels (with ample checkpoints) as he slowly liberates Gearus 9…gear by gear.
     
    Writer’s Review:
    Before I begin my review of Trophy, I want to be as transparent as possible and state that I have not yet had the opportunity to play the final game, though I was fortunate to play an earlier build of the game at MAGFest in 2019. For impressions of the finished game, I am supplementing my older hands-on experience with the extended gameplay of @ecmyers, who posted a great livestream of Trophy that was helpful for my purposes here as well as enjoyable in its own right. Though the gameplay underlying my thoughts is second-hand, my opinions remain my own and are not drawn from others. I suppose with this blog series I might qualify as “press”, but I imagine advance press copies of games make more sense for people who can provide video footage of their gameplay to the wider public (besides, I’m not sure I would be comfortable asking for free advance copies of a game I pre-ordered anyway…not that I’d decline if offered).

    Flash! Gamers go gaga for whole new homebrew!
    Derek designed Trophy as an homage to Mega Man and it shows in the best possible ways. Levels are bursting with color, and the backgrounds are beautiful and dynamic. The environments feel alive as waterfalls flow throughout the forest level and you can almost feel the wind in your face as trees rush by on the train level. The physics of the levels vary with their themes, where gravity’s hold on you is looser on the asteroid stage and you struggle to keep from sliding on the tundra’s ice. It’s a good thing there are checkpoints throughout each level, because you might get killed for stopping to admire the view. This is Mega Man appreciation at its finest: Derek wasn’t content to build levels that offered merely the appearance of their respective themes, but the challenges within each stage varies accordingly. You must be mindful of how your jump is different on the asteroid with less gravity. Jumping off a waterfall includes blind falls which require you to use quick judgment in managing your trajectory. But you are up to the challenge because the controls are tight and intuitive, and they obey the physics of every level.

    Screenshot from finished build of game…in spaaaaaace
    I mentioned earlier that upgrades are hidden within the levels rather than awarded after a boss fight, which is a welcome departure from Mega Man. Although players can technically tackle the levels of each Mega Man game in any order, there is a path of least resistance in which bosses are particularly vulnerable to an ability acquired from a previously vanquished boss. I didn’t like the notion that adhering to a particular level order made the game substantially easier as it implied that the apparent freedom to choose whichever level I wanted to play first was an illusion, and that I was a less sophisticated gamer for not playing in the "right" sequence. I’m bad enough at games as it is, you know this. Trophy restores a true choice of level selection, and bosses are difficult because they are difficult, not because I chose its level too soon.

    As the great Shao Kahn once said: “Choose your destiny!”
    Speaking of bosses…damn! These bosses are not just evil mirror images of the protagonist with silly names and abilities. Trophy’s bosses are titanic; their sheer size in combination with their movement and attacks warrants careful strategy (and a whole lot of dying). Defeating any of the bosses is a proud achievement worthy of celebration, and beating the game merits an extra prize, maybe some kind of shiny, engraved commemorative token like a chalice…

    That’ll work
    Trophy is both an excellent throwback to a beloved series that represents the height of NES games and a marker of how high the homebrew community has risen to stand shoulder to shoulder with the giants of the licensed era. It reminds us of everything we liked about Mega Man and adds incredible new flourishes in NES programming. There is a reason Trophy met its Kickstarter goal so quickly; before the campaign ever launched, Trophy’s status in the pantheon of homebrew was already cemented. It is a game I know I will revisit time and again, that I will share with friends, and I don’t even have it yet.
     
    Interviews:
    Trophy has been a hotly anticipated homebrew for the past few years, and as the game comes closer to reaching an eager public, the stories behind it become more relevant. I spoke with Derek of Gradual Games and Beau of Sole Goose Productions/The 6502 Collective to learn more…
     

    Gradual Games
    -Before we dive into Trophy, I'd love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrewer? What is the origin story of Gradual Games?
    I got started with game programming at age 13. My mother found a tutor in my hometown who introduced kids to programming by teaching them how to make a game in QBasic. I was instantly hooked. After that, I delved into the online world of QBasic which went so far as building things like RPG engines with the aid of some x86 assembly language for fast graphics on old Pentium machines, so I got a taste of assembly language and programming for old computers via DOS way back in the 90's.

    It's all about the Pentiums, baby
    Then I went to college. Near the end, my peers kept telling me I should make games for the XBOX 360 using C# and XNA. I wasn't interested though---I remembered how much I enjoyed the simplicity of DOS. I found FreeBASIC, which is a modern variant of QBasic, and I found Andre Lamothe's retro DIY video game system the xGameStation, and the UzeBox. The only one of those I played around with was FreeBASIC. Eventually, my co-worker Bill Roberts told me about NESDev. Eventually I decided to give it a try since I had a background in assembly language from DOS. I found I was able to pick up 6502 pretty easily, and the rest is history. I called my game company Gradual Games because I was inspired by a quote from Pavlov, which goes: "From the very beginning of your work, school yourselves to severe gradualness in the accumulation of knowledge."
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    My influences for my NES work were primarily games like Mega Man, Castlevania, Ninja Gaiden, StarTropics and Zelda. These days, I'm kind of avidly following the PICO-8 community as well as continuing to follow and support the NES homebrew community.
     
    -Your work on Trophy spans the game's programming and music. In developing the game would you say it has any qualities that seem quintessentially you? How would you describe your aesthetic?
    I almost viewed Trophy as a vehicle for my music. I've adored Mega Man music since I was a little kid, and always wanted to write my own. Making Trophy gave me a chance to do that. I could have written the music on its own, but there are so many people around who can write good chiptunes, but not as many people can both compose and build a game. So I felt a better way to get people to listen to my music was to make a game that would hold them captive while they listen to it MUAHAHAHAHAH.

    Portrait of the artist as a young, maniacal man
     
    -What tools do you use to code and compose?
    To code I just use Notepad++. For composing, I use FamiTracker.
     
    -Trophy’s Kickstarter page says the game traces back to when you were 12 years old. Tell me about what your imagination conjured years ago.
    I liked to draw robots around that age. Trophy was one of the main ones I drew---I drew at least two versions of him. I still have the originals.

    Original concept art by Derek Andrews
     
    -Tell me about the evolution of Trophy, what was your process for taking an idea and manifesting it?
    Pretty random---basically just use Mega Man as a reference for general level biomes and then create levels that felt good to play. I tend not to plan things---almost everything in my life is an improvisation of some kind.
     
    -I’ve argued the protagonist represents the player's point of immersion in the game, and how we perceive the protagonist contextualizes how we perceive the game's world. I also believe that the protagonist’s design serves as a reflection of its designer, which would be especially intriguing considering Trophy is a fusion of two characters: Sword and Beeper. What was the intention behind the design of Trophy’s character, and how did he evolve from your initial demos to the final game with The 6502 Collective’s tweaks?
    I honestly don't put that much thought into things. Haha! I just took the first sketch and ran with it...honest! My only goal with this game was to shamelessly rip off Mega Man without violating copyright. I probably invested more of "myself" or "my soul" or what have you into the music.
     
    -What was it like working with The 6502 Collective? How did you connect with them for this project?
    I've known Ernest Holland (Beau) for quite a few years now in the NES homebrew scene. He eventually joined 6502 Collective. I can't remember exactly how I became aware that he/they would publish others' games, but once I knew I decided to sell my I.P. to them. I did this because of my divorce. My artist was actually my wife. So, to make the divorce simple we sold all of Gradual Games I.P. to Sole Goose Productions. I'm very happy about that move and it is in good hands. I really needed to restart my life and not worry about taking responsibility for further sales, releases, or Kickstarters.
     
    -You said on NESDev that Trophy is a love-letter to the Mega Man games. Was about that series do you enjoy so much that you built your own game as an homage to it?
    MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He wasn't called Rock Man by accident. I used to turn on Mega Man 5 and go into Napalm Man or Crystal Man and just stare at Mega Man not even moving, just listening to the song for a few minutes before actually playing. I actually didn't fall in love with games and game design till well into my NES homebrewing career if you can believe it. I did always like games, but I REALLY like them now and know a lot more about the craft.

    Ability acquired from defeating Music Man, infamous for selling trombones to untalented Iowan kids
     
    -You also mentioned on NESDev that the game originally used vertical mirroring, but that you spent 3 months rewriting the engine to use horizontal mirroring because you wanted the same attribute glitches as Mega Man 5 and because you wanted bosses that could descend from the top of the screen. Are there any other coding tricks you applied to the game for similar reasons?
    That's the main one. I wanted it to look and feel like Mega Man 5 right down to the flaws like the attribute glitches.
     
    -In a teaser on your website, you said that in addition to coding and making games, you are a musician, and you are really excited for Trophy’s soundtrack. Tell me more about your musical background, and what has you especially excited for this game’s soundtrack.
    I got into music near the end of the few years I was dabbling in game programming as a teenager. Got into guitar and keyboard simultaneously. I eventually met a man who had an enormous impact on my life musically who is my friend to this day, and this led to me recording hundreds and hundreds of recordings of piano improvisation. These improvisations got complex enough that I eventually attained a good understanding of how to compose music, even though I don't tend to write them down. I applied this experience to writing music for Trophy as well as The Legends of Owlia. Nomolos by contrast was all public domain classical music. I'm excited about Trophy's soundtrack because I made a big effort to make the most Mega Man-like tunes I could come up with. They're not quite as complex and interesting as my favorite Mega Man tunes, I don't personally think, but I'm happy with them nonetheless.

    Screenshot from Nomolos: Storming the Catsle
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Trophy as opposed to Nomolos and Owlia? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    MMC3 splits are tough to get right. MMC3 in general is a little complex to work with because its got so many more features than say UNROM (mapper 2). In fact, any raster effects are hard to work with. Owlia had a hard-coded raster effect to hide scrolling updates at the top of the screen. That was a huge, huge, HUGE timesink. Somewhere in my NES homebrewing career I really fell in love with the craft of making an interesting game rather than doing something impressive programming-wise. So I'd say to aspiring homebrewers---if you're feeling tempted to impress people with programming---don't. It's dumb. It's way more satisfying to craft an interesting gameplay experience. You can do this with many game genres and gameplay styles without taxing yourself in the programming department. For instance, it is much simpler to program a screen-by-screen game with no scrolling. In retrospect, I wish I had built Owlia this way, as I would have been able to cram in much more interesting gameplay as a result instead of sinking so much time into tweaking a stupid raster effect.

    Screenshot from The Legends of Owlia
     
    -Social media has been buzzing with excitement for Trophy! How does it feel receive such enthusiasm?
    It feels pretty good. That doesn't replace the joy that I experienced during the actual act of creation however. That's what keeps me going---the act of making anything, the feeling of mental flow, is why I do it. Praise is fleeting.
     
    -Is there another project after Trophy on the horizon? Another dream project that you hope to bring into existence, NES or otherwise?
    I have no more dream projects. Game development is now just a hobby or a craft I enjoy pursuing in the small. I have a very long list of quirky little ideas I might build in PICO-8, and I'm kind of working my way through those slowly. Though, I actually am working on a big port project right now. There's an old indie game called Lynn's Legacy released almost 15 years ago. You can actually still download and play the win32 binary. But it's so old, it can't play fullscreen without being blurry anymore because of outdated apis and compatibility problems. The game is public domain and open source so I'm taking it upon myself to fully port the game to a modern game framework called Love2D. The project is well underway and I'm hopeful to have it complete in approximately 2 years.

    Screenshot from Lynn’s Legacy, made with FreeBASIC by Cha0s and Josiah Tobin
     
    -Your more recent posts on Twitter and the VGS Discord center around your PICO-8 programming. Tell me more about PICO-8 and what you’ve been doing in that realm.
    PICO-8 is a fantasy console. It's basically an emulator for an 8-bit computer that never existed. It is intended to feel like working with an old computer when you write software for it. The way in which it produces this feeling is that when you program, the api is very simple and modeled after the memory map of an old computer like a Commodore 64 or NES, and has many functions named after old BASIC functions (for example, PEEK and POKE are the same idea as LDA and STA from straight 6502 assembly coding). So, it creates instant nostalgia for folks who got their start in BASIC, like I did. But, it's not just nostalgic---it makes for an environment that is truly excellent for beginning programmers and game developers as well.
    The PICO-8 community is enormous and attracts a ton of insanely talented people who make absolutely charming gems for the system---all for free (though a few notable games eventually were made into larger games such as Celeste---the PICO-8 version of Celeste is an easter egg within Celeste itself!)
    When you distribute your game, all your code, graphics and sound get crammed into a single .PNG image file that looks like a game cartridge. So it produces a psychological feeling that you "own a cartridge." It's not a zip file. It's not an installer. It's not a folder with a big mess of files. It's a single PNG image---that's your game!
    I can't stop talking about PICO-8 itself because I'm such a fanboy. As for what I've done with it---I've made a handful of small games in it so far, and I have a list of over 100 ideas of what I'd like to build in it. I feel as though it is my final destination as a game developer. I never actually wanted to sell anything I made---the fact that I have done so with NES is very cool but really a means to an end. If I could have distributed cartridges without spending a penny, I would have. Haha. I really just create games for the innate satisfaction and joy I get from the craft.

    Hobobot, a PICO-8 game developed by Gradual Games
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you’re excited to play?
    I'm pretty excited about Full Quiet, Halcyon, and that new adventure game Chris Cacciatore is creating. The sad thing is though there are so many games these days, and I'm distracted by Zelda: Breath of the Wild right now. I still haven't even played all the NES games I own which were made back in the day. Some day, I hope.

    Chris Cacciatore’s in-development project, Janus
     
     
    The 6502 Collective (E.B.D. Holland aka Sole Goose Productions)
    -Before we talk about Trophy, I'd love to talk about you and your background. You already program and publish homebrews in your capacity as Sole Goose Productions. What first inspired you to found The 6502 Collective with Retrotainment Games? What is the origin story of The Collective?
    Well, the Retrotainment fellows were building the Mega Man 2 and Mega Man X re-releases for IAm8Bit and they asked if I’d come lend a hand. I lived in Tim’s basement for a couple of months and although we spent the better part of each day physically building games, there was plenty of time before and after work to work on projects. Between those times and then spending eight to ten hours working together and dreaming up ideas, we decided to undertake a collaborative project. At the previous year’s PRGE Tim had noticed the CTWC selling an empty cart with a label on it in commemoration of that year’s event, and he had reached out to them about giving it some actual content moving forward. It was kind of a simple project, not really a game, but it was a great place to start. We talked over the general design together, but Tim did most of the layout and graphics. I did the programming, and humanthomas did the music. It was the first time that Thomas and I had worked together, which has proved to be another lasting relationship.

    And from a collaboration, a collective was born
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    That’s going way back! I’ve been doing this for over seven years now, so who was around back then… Hanley of course, and also MRN; they were the two biggest influences on me getting started, beyond the Nerdy Nights anyways. Kevin was very approachable, but even from afar he was working on interesting things like Study Hall and what looked like it might be the first NES homebrew RPG: Unicorn. Just seeing that one screen of Unicorn was enough to give me the motivation to say, “I can learn to do this too.” MRN was doing some neat stuff as well at the time with Nightman vs Justice Incarnate, and he was also rather active on the forums. He also had those tutorials that went further than the Nerdy Nights, and started to build the type of game that I got into homebrewing to build, an overhead action adventure. Both of them were very helpful privately, in addition to their public support.
    These days I’m watching Ted’s work on Orange Island pretty closely. Even though the PC version is first, the NES port looks to be amazing. Plus, he has adhered so closely to the system specs that the two versions should be pretty close; very similar to how Brad Smith built Lizard. A lot of the work of my close friends I keep tabs on daily or weekly, and it has been nice seeing Halcyon, Unicorn (finally!), The Scarlet Matron, Full Quiet, and others come together.
     
    -What services does the Collective advertise to potential clients? Who does the Collective wish to attract with its services?
    The Collective takes on various responsibilities depending on the situation. Publishing is one of our main tasks, with the goal being to help devs when they need it most. After working on something for years, who wants to take another six to twelve months to figure out manufacturing and distribution? Eh, some do, I’m one of them after all, but it’s not for everyone. We also try to help games get to the next level in terms of polish and refinement, taking into account the dev’s own goals for a project. That may mean further beta testing, level refinements, graphical changes, or simply professional grade packaging. We try to make all of that as easy on the developer as possible.
    From time to time we also undertake commission work, such as the CTWC project mentioned above, or last year’s Convention Quest. These generally target an event, are programmed in-house, and develop in conversation with a client. That causes them to grow in unique ways, and the results have been interesting. Tight deadlines probably help in that regard as well!
    The last thing, so far, that we have dabbled in, is music albums. Thanks to Memblers’ MP3 GTROM boards we are now able to have CD quality audio playing out of the NES. To date we have released Zao: Reformat/Reboot and Goofy Foot. Both were great experiences, with Tim doing design, layout, and graphics, and myself covering programming.

    Promotional image of Zao’s Reformat/Reboot
    I guess we have a little something for everybody, whether devs, those wanting commission work to accompany an event, or even bands. Who knows what’s next!
     
    -Do the members of the Collective have particular roles or specialties? What does the division of labor look like on a given project?
    It definitely changes by the project, but we each have our areas of expertise. For the CTWC Tim handled coordination, design, layout, and even graphics. I did the programming, Thomas did the music, and then Greg took a look at the end result and made sure that we weren’t completely off the mark. Zao and Goofy Foot followed a similar pattern, though obviously we did not need NES music for those projects.
    For The Convention Quest I came up with the idea, drew most of the graphics, and programmed it. Tim helped with design and graphics, coordinated with the client, and he also did the sfx. Thomas did the music. Greg made sure we weren’t crazy and completely off the mark.
    Trophy was entirely different since we each got to lean into our strengths on that one. Since we were working with another programmer it made some sense for me to handle those interactions (plus Derek is a good friend and we have talked for years). Greg and I looked over the game as a whole, decided on some improvements based on playing the game and observing public feedback, and then I implemented those using Derek’s working method. Greg also handled any art changes, and worked with an artist to get them into the game. Tim got to go full blast with marketing, which really showed in the campaign’s success, up to and including building The 6502 Collective website in time for the launch. It was a project that really forced us to get all of our ducks in a row, which makes the future a much smoother prospect.
    Each project tends to be different based on who has an existing relationship with whoever we are working with, and also who has the vision for something. For the CTWC, Zao, and Goofy Foot I had nothing in my head about what they would look like, not even a vague idea. Tim on the other hand had all sorts of crazy ideas, I just had to rein him some to save my own sanity. So too with the Trophy art revisions; that fell to Greg and he did an amazing job. Tim also tends to do most of the physical assembly of games, although I tend to handle the board flashing for the time being.

    Promotional image of Goofy Foot: Power Chiptunes from Steve DeLuca
     
    -Is the Collective hiring? Are you looking to bring on more partners, generally or with particular skills, to expand your capabilities?
    I wouldn’t say “hiring” per se, but we are always looking to work with new folks. We are more of a collective in that sense, not a corporation, which is why we settled on that name. The range of projects we end up involved with demands that we have a variety of talented folks that we can turn to for art, music, programming, packaging, or whatnot. We do tend to seek out those who are easy to work with and who share our community values, but the door is always open to meet new contributors. As far as publishing, we always have our eyes open for new projects that may need a bit of help to get into the hands of gamers, or to make the jump from good to great.
    One of our big goals when working with devs is to connect them to resources. They show us a solid game, but the music or art is lacking and it really shows. Based on our personal experiences at Retrotainment or SGP, we can then connect them to artists or musicians, and at times cover the costs on this side of a game’s release. It is not always a lack of time or connections that hinder a game, as production and asset costs can quickly accumulate. Like I said, our goal is to make things easy on the dev, and that includes all aspects of a release.
    Long story short, we are always looking for new people to work with, whether developers, programmers, artists, musicians, or whomever. The people in the community are what make programming for the NES an amazing experience, and who knows who we will meet next.
     
    -The Collective has also been involved in some exciting hardware developments, such as the playable audio on Zao’s Reformat/Reboot NES cartridge release. What was the inspiration behind that project, and do you have other novel technical treats up your sleeve for the future?
    This was another project that grew out of my time in Pittsburgh and working with Tim all day. When I told him that Memblers had mentioned that something along the lines of playable MP3s on the NES was possible, his eyes lit up, to say the least! We talked out a lot of ideas, and before long (and before he was supposed to!), he had started talking with a member of Zao about a possible project for them. The board only existed on paper, so the first major hurdle was convincing Memblers that it’d be worth the time and effort to finish the design. Since the boards would be modified versions of GTROM, Tim and I got started on the album content long before then. He did all of the design, layout, and graphics, and I did the programming. Once the boards arrived, then I had to figure out how to program for the MP3 portion. It was not too bad, but it was interesting to be working on something that did not yet exist!
    As far as other technical treats, we have been toying with some internet-capable designs for what looks to be the biggest change in the future of NES development.
     
    -What was the Collective’s role in Trophy?
    Where do we begin with that!
    For Trophy, the members of The Collective have served many roles; anything from tester, to publisher, to editor, and more.
    For example, I was one of the initial testers for the project, playing it over at Derek’s house in front of him while he frantically took notes. I broke a lot of stuff in that build, which I think he appreciated.
    I talked with him for about a year in regard to helping him publish it before that actually came to pass. From that point on we were 100% in charge of everything. We were handed a finished game, but felt that it could benefit from some small improvements, all of which fell to us to make if we wanted to see them happen. Derek was a real sport about that too, trusting that his dream would still be recognizable and intact after the changes. At the start he had asked for an unaltered version of the game come release time, but he messaged me at some point and said that he would rather have the version with the changes we had made. That was an important day for me personally, knowing that he more-than-approved of the things we had done to his baby.
    This process put the success or failure of the project squarely on our shoulders. Luckily, this is where The Collective’s collaboration really shines, as we were each able to handle the aspects of the project that best suited us. Knowing that we were working with one of the true gems of the homebrew community meant that we didn’t have to focus on actual development beyond the few edits that we made, which was a nice change.
     
    -What was it like working with Derek?
    Working with Derek has been amazing! He was one of the first people that I reached out to in the community way back in 2013, and we have been friends ever since, so it was a true honor to help bring Trophy to release. He gave us total freedom to make it the best game that it could be, and that caused the game to become something different than it otherwise would have been.
     
    -How has Trophy evolved since the Collective started its work on the game? I know there were tweaks to Trophy’s sprite, were there any other revisions you feel helped to further polish the game?
    Having been familiar with the project for over a year, and part of the testing discussions, I had some ideas about potential changes. A new design for the character was sorely needed, and we got some proposals from a few artists about possible new directions. The old design was not terrible, but when you’re making giant six-foot standees for display at PAX you want to have a character that people can get behind! That also helped us to better align the in-game sprite with the packaging art; which was not something that we could have done with the old sprite.

    Evolution of Trophy’s Sprite
    In addition to that we reworked some of the levels based on player feedback. Beyond the beta testers, we had the reactions of hundreds or thousands of PAX East attendees, and also the impressions of a host of reviewers. People were jumping into pits that could be better marked, finding their way into potential soft locks, or generally breaking the game in ways that we had not envisioned. This led to some mild, but meaningful, level redesigns. We also asked Nathan Tolbert to add in a feature to the game, making the hardest boss slightly more forgiving. This continued testing also brought to light two significant bugs that Derek quickly fixed.
     
    -Trophy represents Derek’s love-letter to the Mega Man games. What are your thoughts about the Mega Man series and how did that impact your work on finalizing Trophy?
    Mega Man was probably the first video game character that I was really into growing up. Even without cartoons, action figures, bed sheets, lunch boxes, or what have you, his appeal and presence to a kid was strong. When we got our NES, Mega Man III was probably the game that we rented the most that first year or so. He was one of the first characters that I would draw and dream up stories about, in part spurred on by the article in Nintendo Power about Mega Man V boss submissions (issue 44 I believe). Working with a similar character/property was a great experience, and hopefully my own love of Mega Man helped in either the presentation or the game edits. Even if not, having a strongly character-based game made it easy to rally behind the project and get others excited.

    Pictured: a spectacular issue of Nintendo Power
     
    -The Collective has worked on a number of prominent homebrews from Convention Quest to Rollie. How has the Collective grown over the course of its projects?
    Each project is different, and presents a new set of challenges. What started off as giving the CTWC something more than an empty cart to mark their event, has turned into publishing, pushing new tech, and ever more sophisticated commission work. Each project has also had different levels of input and involvement from Collective members, and we are dynamic in that sense. There are no set roles for us, or standardized ways of doing things with a client. Each project and game has to be figured out based on a variety of factors that are brought to the table.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Trophy? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who follow in your footsteps?
    With Trophy we knew that we had one of the highlights of the homebrew community on our hands, and the challenge came in the form of pushing the game as far as it could go. With zero work on our part the game would have been a success by homebrew standards, but could we go the extra mile? Deciding to show it at PAX East was a major decision with a lot riding on it if it was not received well by the modern gaming community. Over eighty thousand people had the chance to see it that weekend, and the response from those that stopped to play it was amazing! The Retrotainment guys are old hat at these industry shows, but for me it was a fresh challenge to promote something that I was personally involved with at this level.
    I suppose that the biggest lesson from this is to try and gauge how much effort to put into something. I’ve published three other projects, and I cannot imagine putting this level of time, effort, and money into them. It is not because they are bad in any way, but I try to be realistic with myself in terms of appeal. I try to find that point where the returns diminish, or at least be aware of it, and then push toward that. Then again, don’t sell yourself short when it comes to who may be interested in something. The amount of love that I continue to see for Swords and Runes and Spook-o’-tron continues to surprise me, long after I thought that they had run their course. You just never know when or how someone might discover something.

    Screenshot from Spook-o’-tron by Sole Goose Productions
     
    -Social media has been buzzing with excitement for Trophy! How does it feel to bask in such support?
    The support for Trophy has been amazing to see! It’s one thing to know your friend has made an awesome game, it’s another to have actually shown and communicated that to other people. That was our whole job, after all, and it has been wonderful to see Gradual Games get the recognition that they deserve for such a great game.
     
    -Is there another project after Trophy on the horizon? Another dream project that you hope to add to the Collective’s catalog?
    There are always more projects, whether in house or ones to potentially publish. We are in talks with a number of people, and are on the brink of launching an exciting new series. I can’t say more just yet, but I think that people will be pretty stoked for it!
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you’re excited to play?
    Full Quiet makes the top of my list. I had to help demo it at PAX East in early 2019, but since then I have refused to let Greg and Tim show me anymore of the game; I want it to be a surprise! Dullahan Software’s Project Janus is another that I’ve been watching closely on social media. Unicorn, of course, has been great to see finally come together; we’ve only been waiting a decade for it! Tolbert’s Halcyon is one that I cannot wait to see completed. Orange Island is a strong contender for someday replacing Lizard as my favorite homebrew of all time, but we’ll see. It’s also great to see Rob back to work on some of his projects, and there are a number there that I cannot wait to see completed. I’m big on games that allow for exploration, if that isn’t apparent.

    Screenshot of Orange Island
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Just a big thank you to everyone, whether supporters or fans. I’d like to think that we’d be doing what we do in terms of development with or without encouragement, and simply for the love of the NES, but having support makes a lot of what we do possible. Thanks for keeping physical media alive, and here’s to another decade of trying to live those 8-bit dreams!
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to another episode of my blog series, which takes a deep dive into new and in-development homebrew, destined perhaps to be the next essential gem. What are your thoughts on Trophy and the catalog of homebrew from Gradual Games and The 6502 Collective? What other homebrews are you eagerly awaiting and what would you like to learn about your favorite developers? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?

  12. Scrobins

    Episode 40: The Meating

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Episode 40: The Meating

    Introduction:
    I keep a list of games and developers that I’m eager to write about and interview for this blog in the hope that we might connect, and I can eventually devote a post to them. The friendships I’ve developed in this community have gone a long way toward making some of these hopes manifest at the most opportune moments. People can be busy and may be slow to respond to a message, especially if they don’t know me well, but with good relationships built on a good reputation, others can connect you with people you couldn’t previously access. Or in some cases, they may bring you an opportunity before you’ve had the chance to put the word out; such is my happy friendship with Mega Cat Studios. I have wanted to cover this game for a long time and worried my chance had passed until I received an email from Mina Cat asking if I would be interested in interviewing the game’s developer…so here we go!
    For this entry, I’m covering The Meating, a puzzle platformer for the NES, developed by Alexander Tokmakov. As of the time of this writing, the Kickstarter campaign brought by Mega Cat Studios has concluded, and backers will receive their pledged rewards around February 2024. In the meantime, new pre-orders for physical copies of the game will soon be available for purchase here.

    Standard CIB art & glow in the dark standard edition cart
     
    Development Team:
    Alexander Tokmakov: developer
     
    Game Evolution:
    The Meating first went up on the chopping block with its Kickstarter campaign on October 27, 2023. However fans of Mega Cat may recognize this title as a prime-aged cut of beef, which has been fine-tuned over the years. I’ve played several demos of The Meating at conventions; this game’s development has also been the evolution of my friendship with James and Mega Cat. So seeing this steak come to my plate is a real treat, but I digress.
    By season(ing)’s end, The Meating had 501 orders with more than $33,000 pledged. Backer tiers were organized in juicy meat themes, which included the game’s rom, cart-only, CIB, a limited edition meat cart, a Switch code for the Nintendo Switch port, a Gameboy Advance CIB, a digital soundtrack, poster, and game pin. The limited edition CIB sold so well and had supporters pounding the table so hard, that Mega Cat created a second limited edition CIB to sate their appetites, this one a glow in the dark ghost design.

    The meat slab special edition, which sold out so quickly, a second special edition was created
     
    Gameplay:
    The Meating describes itself as a puzzle platformer. You play as Konstantinos (Kon), a minotaur who won his freedom in the bullfighting world following his victory over the famed matador, El Culo Rojo. Kon spends his newfound freedom in the dating scene, but is ultimately catfished (bullfished?) by a butcher who promptly slaughters gullible ol’ Kon. Fortunately Gyros, the benevolent Greek god of meat, grants Kon a chance to find his scattered cuts of beef and get some reassembled revenge.
    Controls are fairly straightforward, with some grade-A configurations mixed in for a meatloaf mixture of added flavor. Use the D-pad to move left and right, press the A-button to jump, press the B-button to charge attack, hold the B-button while midair to float, press Select to toggle through acquired abilities such as teleportation or telekinesis, and press Up and B to use the selected power.

    Screenshot of The Meating
     
    Review:
    The Meating is the kind of puzzle-oriented platformer that you can really sink your teeth into. I remember being impressed with the game when I played the demo a few years ago, though I struggled with the special abilities. I can handle standard controls, but when a game does something different, I’m both fascinated and frustrated because my intuition is challenged, but I appreciate how more complex gaming mechanics can be incorporated. Truly the controls are where retro gaming can see some real creativity. I’m just a bad gamer. I know this. Once you’ve internalized charging, floating, and using special powers, the puzzle aspect of the game begins to eclipse its platforming. Levels are cleverly designed, utilizing enemies, blocks that can be overcome by your powers, the environment, the environment-changing blue buttons, and the finite amount of spirit energy at your disposal. Sometimes you can visualize your path right away, sometimes you have to feel your way through the level until the end reveals itself, but the taste of this game is never bland, always savory.
    The graphics are colorful, dripping with meaty browns, bloody reds, and other vibrant colors as you progress. The animation is very dynamic from the beginning, as backgrounds flow and skeletons explode. Even items and enemies that are for all intents and purposes “idle” bounce and twist with life in a manner that leaves you questioning every aspect of this universe’s reality, but also nicely juxtaposes what you would expect from a game about being dead meat. The music has an upbeat, adventurous tone, with the title screen that channels the TMNT arcade games’ “let’s go” attitude. Meanwhile the individual levels convey a ponderous bop that combines thinking over the puzzles with fun for existing in this bright, silly place.
     
    Interviews:
    I think I’ve hammed it up enough, so let’s get to the interview. I spoke with the developer of The Meating to learn about his stories behind the game, whether there are any deep cuts, or if there’s any beef after his experience. Alex was a real lamb…
     

    Alexander Tokmakov
    -Before we dive into The Meating, I would love to talk about your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrew game developer? What is your origin story?
    Oddly enough, my main inspiration was... games. I was 15 years old when I got my first home computer, it was a Soviet BK-0010, and another one later - the ZX Spectrum. My peers also owned other devices, such as Atari 2600, Atari 800, NES. And all these computers and consoles have enabled us to play games.
    One day I became interested in how these games work from the inside. This is where my home computer came in handy, which allowed me to write programs in BASIC. Also, in my time, computer science was a compulsory subject in our schools, so we could use the school computers to improve our skills and also play games.

    In Soviet Russia, BK-0010 compute you!
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    I am a relic and besides the 1st-4th generation consoles, I am a big fan of arcade machines, and I believe that these were the best games, since many of them were created by professional artists and musicians, unlike home computers games. Many games on the BK-0010 I mentioned above were clones of arcade games. Some of these arcade games have been ported to well-known consoles.
    Modern games for modern hardware are not interesting to me at all, it looks like a race for realistic graphics, except for indie games. The romantic period of video games ended in the late 90s due to the increasing of technical specifications. No longer a revelation, they became just another part of everyday life.
    But retro games make your imagination work and if you hear the sound of the surf and feel the warmth of the sun when you play Dizzy-2, then this is your game, and it is really good. The list of arcade games is huge, so I continue to explore arcade romset in the MAME emulator.
     
    -How would you describe your design aesthetic, and what to you are the hallmarks of a game designed by you?
     At first glance, The Meating is a dark fantasy platformer. But this platformer has some non-typical mechanics. The player must not just shoot the boss but use special abilities.
     
    -What tools do you use to code and create?
    I use cc65 for the codeб if we talk about NES/Famicom. This is a great tool for those starting to learn 6502 based platforms. Assembly language can be difficult for beginners, so cc65 is a pretty good C compiler.
    As for graphics, there is an excellent utility called NESST (NES screen tool) allows you to import graphics from any modern graphics editor and work with tiles and sprites. Now a fork of this tool got a new life thanks to one of the retro enthusiasts and is called NEXXT.
    We used FamiTracker to create music and effects.
    Tiled for editing game level maps.
    And a bunch of self-made utilities and scripts for parsing, sorting, converting and packaging data, created with Delphi, Visual Studio, Python etc.
     
    -How did you connect with Mega Cat Studios, and how has working with them been?
     I came across their ad on Upwork. There are usually no vacancies for retro game developers on this site, and I found this strange. Anyway, I couldn't create the code, music and graphics by oneself, because I would burn out quickly. So I contacted them and offered to be a part of any of their projects, and that project became The Meating.
     
    -What was the inspiration for The Meating?
    This game was originally a testing ground. Of course, I know several programming languages, but at the time when we started, I did not know the console architecture well enough. So, to improve my skills, we decided to make a non-release mini game.
     
    -Tell me more about your role in the game’s development.
    I had the idea of creating a game for the NES for a very long time. However, it was very clear to me I can't do this alone, since I would need to create not only the code, but also the pixel graphics and music. Even a small project would take up a lot of my time, and most likely I would burn out before I finished with the last pixel, the last line of code and the last note in the soundtrack. Too many people have tried this way, but only a few have reached the end.
    So, I decided to work on the code, while the musician would work on the music, and the artist would work on the pixels.
     
    -And what has the development process been like?
    At first, we made some very simple puzzle games, coming up with it on the fly. The game no longer fit within the selected mapper (CNROM) fairly quickly and we moved the project to another one (UNROM) and upgraded it to the current one (UOROM).
     
    -How does The Meating distinguish itself from other games of its genre?
    The high storyline. Also, additional mechanics make this game something more varied than the classic shoot-and-jump pattern found in platformers. I think it needs more than one attempt before you defeat some of the bosses of the game, but things will fall into place if you remember what powerups are intended for.
     
    -Ever since my first episode, M-Tee planted this idea in my mind that a game’s protagonist, who serves as both the player's point of immersion in the game as well as a reflection of its designer. What was the intention behind Kon’s design, do you identify with him at all?
    To be honest, we came up with it on the fly. This was a simple test project to improve my 6502 skills, and not intended for release. But appetite comes with eating, and at one point we didn’t have enough space on the CNROM cart and moved the project to UNROM mapper, then came up with a storyline, added more mechanics, and upgraded the mapper to UOROM.
    Anyway, we created this character and provided two endings. So every time I playtest a game, I try to complete it until the happy end, because:
    "I and this entire world are nothing but a thought someone is thinking", the bear said in a quiet voice. — Victor Pelevin

    Victor Pelevin, Russian fiction writer & my new spirit animal
     
    -There has been a lot of support and enthusiasm for The Meating’s Kickstarter campaign. How does it feel to see so many people excited about the game?
    There's nothing better than lots of positive feedback. This is motivation for the next projects, working on mistakes that many people certainly make, especially in early work.
     
    -Do you have previous experiences with Kickstarter campaigns, if so, how has this campaign been different?
    This is the first Kickstarter project I took part in, so it's unique to me anyway. I like the idea of a cart shaped like the ossobuco I had for dinner last night.
     
    -Where does The Meating draw its inspiration?
    A bunch of them. From Nuts & Milk to Mega Man. We tried to implement many things that a retro player is familiar with. This includes a password system and a starting script that introduces the player to the plot, attract mode. We learned all this from classic games.
     
    -Do you have any fun stories or wild moments to share from development?
    It was an international team. It's always fun for me to learn how people live on other planet's corners. I learned a couple of recipes for meat dishes and destroyed several myths and stereotypes.
     
    -What lessons have you learned that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    There is nothing wrong with making a game with the help of like-minded people. Maybe not all teammates' ideas will be compatible, but finished project are worth more than vainglory.
    Sometimes it's necessary to hold a game before release, like a steak resting under foil. This allows you to look at your work from a different angle or find bugs that were not found before. I think I would fix a lot of things in this game now. But what's done is done, let the wasted enthusiasm build up again.
     
    -Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?
    I don't think so. If someone these days could create a high class beat ‘em up like Battletoads, it would be cool, despite the old mechanics. Personally, I can play this game until the Second Coming.
     
    -How have your previous experiences in the industry helped in your work on this game?
    I haven't developed retro games before, but like other 80s kids, I'm interested in the demoscene a bit, and have been involved in the development of demoscene stuff a few times. Demoscene geeks are fans of optimization, and if they had their way, they would pack the whole world into one bit. The NES only has 2k of RAM, so I also optimized a few things in this game, like saving the states of the ice blocks in the meat freezer world.
     
    -What’s your favorite cut of steak, and how do you like it cooked?
    Medium well marbled strip steak. It's very simple. I heat the oil in a cast iron skillet and fry the garlic in the oil until it turns golden. Then I remove the garlic, add a sprig of rosemary and fry the meat for five minutes on each side, gradually reducing the heat on the stove from high to medium. Salt and pepper to taste.
     
    -What new challenges do you hope to tackle?
    Besides eating meat and gaming, I enjoy disassembling old games and making them run on different hardware than the original one. I'm currently porting an Arkanoid-like game from the ZX Spectrum home computer to the NES. However, this port will only work for the MMC5 mapper, so real carts are out of the question. But I believe homebrew software for this mapper will encourage people to learn it and make carts based on it. Otherwise, this mapper will be lost on the margins of eight-bit history.
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, NES, or otherwise? Any dream projects?
     It would be great to create a fantasy quest tale like Dizzy, or a really good and dynamic shoot 'em up. There are a lot of very good scroll shooters on the NES, like Recca or Zanac, but no one has reached that level in homebrew games at the moment.
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    I recently came across a demo of The Trial of Kharzoid for the NES. This is an Arkanoid-like game with extended gameplay. I'll definitely be looking forward to the release of this game.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    I would like to wish everyone to have a piece of meat on a pan, a roof and a peaceful sky over their heads, and many good games for their favorite console of childhood.

    Screenshot from The Trial of Kharzoid, in development for the NES by Pascal Belisle
     
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of the series that shares the adventures behind the latest, newest homebrews making their way to you. Is The Meating on your plate? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?
     

  13. Scrobins

    Episode 41: Oratorio

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Episode 41: Oratorio

    Introduction:
    Many of the games I’ve written about draw inspiration from classic games of yesteryear, sometimes while reaching into modern generation technology and gaming sensibilities to bring something new to the cartridges we pop into our very old consoles. Rarer though is the developer who ports an entire modern genre to a modern console, highlighting how the limits of the NES lie much further than we thought them to be. The imagination is the strongest breaker of barriers. It excites homebrew fans thrilled to experience something different, but it also introduces fans of the genre, otherwise used to playing such games on modern hardware to explore the wizardry in their midst on circuits of old.
    For this entry, I’m covering Oratorio, a rhythm action rail shooter for the NES by John Vanderhoef, and published by Premium Edition Games. As of the time of this writing, the game can be downloaded on John’s itch.io page here, and the physical game can be ordered from Premium Edition Games here.

    Standard CIB edition, plus challenge card & dog tag
     
    Development Team:
    @johnvanderhoef (John Vanderhoef): programming, design, story
    @Raftronaut (Jordan Davis): sound/music design
    Kacper Wozniak: art
    Anokolisa: art
    RaccoonTruck: art
    Quintino Pixels: art
     
    Game Evolution:
    Oratorio was originally developed for the NESmaker Byte-Off III competition in 2022, where it won the Wombat Award, given to the most surprising, unique, or unexpected game submitted. Following the competition, John set up an itch.io page for Oratorio as early as September 1, 2022 (which is what the site states as the game’s publication date). However, John began to truly tease the game soon after on October 19, 2022. Our feeds were soon shot up with more tidbits of gameplay and evolving box art until the game’s pre-order opening through Premium Edition Games on September 11, 2023. Up for grabs were two options: a regular edition CIB and a limited-edition CIB. While both offerings included the CIB, and Premium Edition Games’ typical challenge card and dog tag goodies, the limited edition came with a silver cart and a foil box. As of the time of this writing, fans eagerly await the game, but pre-orders will be fulfilled soon.

    Stage Select screenshot from Oratorio
     
    Gameplay:
    Oratorio describes itself as a rhythm action rail shooter. You play as Oratorio, a hacker working with Save Organic Life (SOL) on a mission to steal back the copy-protected DNA hoarded by the powerful mega corporation Nu-Li. Nu-Li has made life itself a luxury good in a world falling apart due to climate change. Only in fighting back can you recover what’s been locked away by the few so the many can have it back.
    Through this game, your actions create the music, with the recommendation that you press the B-button to the beat. Use the D-pad to move the cursor, hit the B-button to shoot, and hit the A-button to use a bomb.

    Screenshot from Oratorio
     
    Review:
    Oratorio is a playful challenge of colorful coordination. The game plays like Guitar Hero or Rock Band (or D-Pad Hero for you homebrew deep cut fans) if the notes fought back. A game like this could be especially tricky on an older console, with a limited framerate, color palette, and controls, but John is a practiced hand who has adopted the rhythm action rail shooter to the NES quite well. The game, though difficult, never feels unfair with enemies that are clearly distinct from their environments and ample time to line up your targets. Stages don’t feel tedious either, as the areas draw you closer to their respective bosses with an ever-quickening, tension-building pace.
    The game’s art design is trippy, presenting a mesmerizing bouquet of color that feels like being inside the world of Tron. These graphics aren’t just in service to portraying a shooter, it is clear that the story revolves around nature and being inside a computer world, as though this game was adapting a modern day remake of Hackers, but retaining the deliciously cheesy 90s CGI.

    I mean, everyone else is doing reboots
     
    Meanwhile the game’s music, if you are skilled enough to make it come forth, offers playful romps that propel you forward. As a proper entry in the genre, you quite literally get out of the soundtrack what you put in, but as long as you try to bop along to the beat, there is something to enjoy while you hack the planet.
     
    Interviews:
    I hacked John’s brain to get the real scoop on Oratorio, and connected with Jeff Wittenhagen of Premium Edition Games to steal all the juicy stories for you. Read on for more…
     

    John Vanderhoef
    @johnvanderhoef
    -Before we dive into Oratorio, I would love to talk about your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrew game developer? What is your origin story?
    That’s a long story. The first video game I remember playing was probably Super Mario Bros. on the NES. The NES was, subsequently, my first ever game console as well. My ur-console, if you will. So, I’ve always had a certain affinity for the machine, despite moving very quickly, after about three years or so, into the SNES era like most people in the early 90s.
    I’m still not sure how, but I ended up misplacing my childhood NES sometime in the mid-90s, and I wouldn’t own an NES again until 2012. I was in a PhD program at the time at UC-Santa Barbara, and I was taking a media history course. I decided to write about NES homebrew developers for my seminar paper, since I had a passing knowledge of some of the work and was curious to find out more.
    As part of my research, or perhaps as just an excuse, I bought a refurbished NES off of a user on what was at the time NintendoAge. I also picked up Battle Kid: Fortress of Peril. In any case, I wrote my seminar paper and, as part of my dissertation, returned to the subject in 2014 where I expanded on it and turned the paper into a chapter on NES homebrew as part of a larger project on the creative economy of indie game development.
    It’s at this time that I met and interviewed people like Paul Molloy (Infinite NES Lives) and Derek Andrews (Legends of Owlia). It was also around this time that I started to experiment with game-making as a hobby. By the time I finished my dissertation in 2016, I had already fiddled with software like Inform 7, Twine, RPG Maker and Unity. But even then, I never thought I would actually be able to make an NES game. At the end of the day, I’m a creative writer at heart, not a programmer.
    To try to make a terribly long story shorter, everything changed with the announcement of the NESmaker Kickstarter in, I think, 2018 or so, by Joe Granato. I ended up backing the Kickstarter since I was eager to try making games using a variety of software, but even after the initial program became available, I was too busy with work and Unity projects to give it a try. Plus, I just didn’t have an idea for an NES game yet.
    That inspiration would come in December 2018. Some friends and I were having what used to be an annual NES MULE tournament – MULE being the classic sci-fi economic simulator game. For those unfamiliar, it’s kind of like a digital board game. It was really innovative for its time and was one of the few truly great four-player experiences on the NES port.

    Not to be an ass, but MULE is where it began??
    Prior to these tournaments, I never had any particular relationship with MULE myself, but it gave us all an excuse to hangout and drink once per year. Anyway, at one point during that extended play session in December 2018, I joked about making an NES game from the perspective of the Wampus, a creature players can hunt in that game after finishing any necessary work during their turn. I always saw the Wampus as an abused and bullied creature in the game and imagined a scenario where the Wampus could enact revenge on the alien settlers or colonists that players control. My throwaway joke took hold of my mind and wouldn’t let go.
    So, in January 2019, I began development on what would become my first NES game, Wampus, by finally installing NESmaker, following the video tutorials, and befriending the development community in that space. It took several months, but eventually I was hooked. As a result, except for a few side projects, all my development work between 2019 and 2023 has been for the NES. It’s been…an almost surreal journey.
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    This is a difficult question to answer. I look to different influences depending on the game project I’m working on. For instance, for Wampus, I was drawing from games like The Legend of Zelda, but also thinking about how to streamline that quest to be something players can fly through in less than an hour. For Wart Worm Wingding, I was inspired by Bubble Bobble and Dig Dug. For Bat Lizard Bonanza, I looked at games like Gradius, Parodius, and other NES shmups. For Leggite Luta Livre, I looked at Double Dragon, and Nemulesis is nothing if not a love letter to Contra and the entire run-and-run genre.
    So, my influences are a case-by-case basis. I am a student of video game history, and I’ve been playing games continuously since around 1989. I take broad inspiration from every generation of games. Some big influences for me, overall, are the Oddworld games from Oddworld Inhabitants and Lorne Lanning, Shigeru Miyamoto’s work, obviously, Fumito Ueda, the designer of Ico, Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian, the narrative work in BioShock or The Last of Us – the list goes on. I like games that can inspire or evoke myth and folklore, games that invite us into alien or captivating narrative worlds, and games that invite players in with simple mechanics and then build off those mechanics in novel and exciting ways.
    Most recently, for Oratorio, my biggest influences were the games of Tetsuya Mizuguchi, specifically Rez and Child of Eden.
    I try to keep abreast of what’s happening in video games across generations, across genres, across platforms, etc. I might have a Meta Quest controller in my hand one minute and an NES controller in my hand the next. I’ll jump between my Analogue Pocket, my AVS, my PC, my VR headset, and my Switch quite often. There’s so much cultural production in the games space right now – from amazing hobbyist craft to jaw-dropping commercial indie work to the bombastic AAA space which can still manage to wow me now and again – it’s very easy to just keep your nose within even just the NES dev scene and have more than enough to look forward to. But I try to take a peak at everything happening, even if that’s literally impossible today.
     
    -How would you describe your design aesthetic, and what to you are hallmarks of a game designed by you?
    First, while my design changes project to project, I approach most projects from a narrative-first sensibility. I know that sounds silly when you look at some of my NES games. But like I said before, I’m a writer first and foremost. If I can’t crack the nut of what the story is, if I can't imagine the world and characters and stakes, I can’t get excited about building the game, even if the mechanics have very little to do with the narrative shell or framing of the game. That’s just how I work.
    So, in a broad sense, a hallmark of a John Vanderhoef game is the DNA of storytelling. And to add to that, I would say either a world–building sensibility or a poetic sense of intimacy – and sometimes both in rare cases.
    Second, my games have a minimalist approach to mechanics. Part of this is to streamline player onboarding and to create very straightforward, but engaging, interactive experiences. The other part of this, however, is probably because I’m not a very good programmer, despite my years of experience at this point. And since I don’t have the luxury of working with one closely, I try to keep my designs simple enough to be executable.
    Third, as I already hinted at above, I try to create bite-sized experiences that go out of their way not to waste a player’s time. I like letting players jump into the game as quickly as possible. If I include cinematic screens, I make them skippable with a button press. Like many adults, I find myself always busy, so when I get time to play games, I want games that respect my time. Don’t make me sit through your dialogue. If it’s captivating, I’ll read it. Otherwise, let me skip it. Don’t overburden me with tutorials. If I want to know how to play the game, give me the option for the tutorial or I’ll seek it out in the manual or online. Just give me the meat of the thing as quickly as possible. Take the leash off and let me go. These are things I want as an adult player, so this philosophy is woven into all of my games. For instance, you can go from starting up Oratorio to rocking out in any of the levels in less than 10 seconds. I assume. I haven’t timed it or anything.
    Fourth, and finally, despite not being a trained artist, I try to imbue my games with aesthetically pleasing visuals. That doesn’t mean they have the best pixel art. Far from it. But they are pleasing on the eyes – or on my eyes, at least – and have distinct looks. I’ve improved a lot as a pixel artist over the last four years, but I’ve also gotten really good at mixing the pixel art from different artists to create a cohesive whole. Now, not everybody might agree with this point. I’ve even been told one or two of my games are ugly. I guess beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.
    Fifth, and finally, most of my games have something bigger to say about society or culture or life. They are about things. Even something silly like Wampus. Games like Oratorio, if players look at the story, are very much concerned with some of the most pressing issues of our time.

    Screenshot from Wampus
     
    -What tools do you use to code and create?
    My primary developer environment for NESdev is NESmaker. I use Notepad++ to write the asm. I often use the NESmaker pixel editor to draw or edit art, but I also use aesprite. In addition, I use software like Gimp and NESst, among others. I try to find a workflow or pipeline that works for me. That’s incredibly important for me. If I don’t have a clear workflow I can slip into when I’m super tired or even distracted, progress slows to a halt.

    Wish I had more revelations to share beyond that. But once I find something that works, I tend to stick to it.
     
    -You’re also known for your Muleniverse series of games. How has this project compared to working on that series?
    After I moved on from the Muleniverse, which will always have a special place in my heart, I made a game called Orebody: Binder’s Tale, a kind of spiritual successor to Nemulesis but one that takes place in a completely original sci-fi world. I’m still very proud of that game, despite it maybe not connecting with many people. Orebody is also a universe I plan to make many more games within, perhaps just not for the NES.
    But after Binder’s Tale, I was in between projects and talking with Jordan Davis (developer of Space Raft and Storied Sword), who has been the composer on all of my NES games since Leggite Luta Livre. I asked if he would be interested in collaborating on a Byte-Off 2022 entry – a kind of NESdev compo for the NESmaker community. I was thinking about an NES game where everything the player did contributed to the soundscape. Of course, after consulting with Jordan, it was clear that building something like that would be incredibly difficult given how the NES sound channels work.
    Luckily, a NESmaker user – Kasumi, I think – had previously shared a method to mute and unmute individual sound channels. CutterCross might have helped me with this, too. I honestly can’t quite remember. I used this concept to develop a system where players would unmute different sound channels through specific actions: firing the projectile, hitting an enemy, etc. However, the REALLY BIG challenge was how to compose a song that would work with players randomly unmuting, very briefly, different sound channels within it. That’s where Jordan worked his magic.
    I’m going off the rails here, though. I guess I just wanted to share the origins of Oratorio to get at how working on it was so different for me. Every other game I had made previously was based on some preexisting template, some game genre already established on the NES. With Oratorio, I was committed to imagining what Mizuguchi’s Rez might have been like on the 8-bit NES. So, I had to kind of invent the thing myself, while collaborating with Jordan to make the music and rhythm aspect of it work.
    In many ways, it was exciting to be charting new ground, but it also was a big challenge for me, despite having several titles under my belt at this time.
     
    -At the heart of Oratorio is its rhythm-oriented play. Did you find it challenging to program a game with precise gameplay elements for the NES, given Oratorio draws inspiration from games on more modern platforms?
    I find programming any game challenging. Some experienced NESdevs might either laugh at that or nod in agreement.
    But the smoke and mirrors of Oratorio – the trick, if you will – is that it doesn’t rely on precise timing. It’s much more dynamic.
    Part of the design ethos was to create a system that didn’t necessarily punish players for playing the game how they wanted. As a result, there’s no correct rhythm to the game, no exact moment when players should be firing or hitting enemies. They can just experiment and find a shooting rhythm that sounds best to them. The idea is for players to get lost in the interplay between the shooting objectives in the game and the resulting music that explodes from the screen as a result.
    Once again, I have to hand it to Jordan. He composed the only kinds of songs that work in this scenario. While a basic drum beat is always playing, you can unmute the other two sound channels at any time and it’s always complementary rather than jarring or discordant. Something to do with the use of scales, maybe? If I’m not a particularly talented coder, I’m somehow an even worse musician, if you can believe it.
    Now, unfortunately, this “freedom” has alienated some players. They ask, “Am I playing right?” or “How am I supposed to be playing?” My answer is always, find a firing rhythm that works for you. And then just allow yourself to be lost in the syNESthesia of it all. Mizuguchi designed Rez and Child of Eden – and even Tetris Effect – to create a sense of synesthesia, a multi-sensory experience where the interplay between gameplay, music, rumble, and even the player’s own mind/body all blend together, creating a kind of zen zone. I’m not claiming Oratorio achieves that milestone entirely, but part of the pleasure in the game, for me, is being able to just slip into the musical experience and zone out. In many ways, as a result, the game feels a bit like an interactive album.

    Screenshot from Child of Eden for the PS3
     
    -What elements are crucial for a good rhythm action rail-shooter?
    Well, there’s two approaches one might take. The first approach requires precision timing that forces or encourages the player to fire their projectile at specific times or gives them a small window to hit enemies. We might think of traditional rhythm games like Dance Dance Revolution or Guitar Hero, or even the NES homebrew variations like Hyperbeatz or D-Pad Hero. It’s designing the world/playspace and interactive possibilities around the music, in other words.
    But as I said previously, Oratorio isn’t a precision rhythm game. Instead, it adopts a free-style approach to player actions. The soundtrack is designed so that certain channels can be unmuted at any time and it will just work in terms of sounding appropriate. What I didn’t want to do was create a game where players felt punished if they weren’t playing “correctly” or where they had an inferior sonic experience for making “mistakes.” In Oratorio, there are no mistakes. Hell, there’s an entire “No Fail” mode for people who just want to play the game like an interactive album without being worried about dying. Players can shoot when they want and just enjoy the dynamic soundtrack as they attack enemies or hit bosses or destroy power-ups to collect them. Every player might fire at a slightly different rhythm. I always recommend that players find a rhythm that sounds best for their ears.
    To get back to the heart of the question, however – what’s crucial, to me, is to reward players instead of punishing them. To link player actions to sonic and aural rewards, and to create a sense of unity between the mechanics of the game and the dynamic soundtrack. Rez and Child of Eden have a much more sophisticated approach to this design problem, but I was working both within the limitations of the NES and my own limitations as a programmer.
    Outside of that, I tried to create varied environments that expressed a sense of pseudo-3D but also a unique aesthetic and beauty all their own. Area 1 is based on a minimalist, pared back aesthetic where a digital hallway slowly forms around the player as they progress, at times even resembling sound waves. Area 2 has a spider and insect aesthetic where the area’s boss slowly descends as the background gets covered in webs and the track goes from sparse to filled out as players progress. Area 3 is an underwater aesthetic that goes from being made of binary code to an undersea current tunnel full of fish and coral. Area 4 is inspired by Japanese zen gardens and passes through four seasons before reaching a crescendo with cherry blossom petals streaming across the player’s view. Area 5 leans into an alien geometric aesthetic – I was going for very much non-human – and transforms and grows in its own unique way.
    Things should feel good, sound good and look good in a rhythm action rail-shooter, following the mold set by Rez. I was also always striving to achieve a sense of synesthesia. At times, I feel the game accomplishes that, despite not having force feedback support as a third level of sensation.
     
    -How did you connect with Jordan Davis, Kacper Wozniak, Anokolisa, RaccoonTruck, and Quintino Pixels? What was the working dynamic like across your collaboration?
    I first encountered Jordan Davis on the NESmaker forums. But I didn’t actually become good friends with him until Frank Westphal reminded me that Jordan lived in Milwaukee. For various reasons, I moved from Long Beach, CA back to Milwaukee, WI during the COVID-19 pandemic. I reached out to Jordan and we sparked up a friendship. After he agreed to be the composer on my third NES game, we’ve worked together ever since.
    And again, I can’t imagine anybody else pulling off the songs necessary to make Oratorio work. Jordan creates music faster than anybody I know. And he has an incredible ear. He also has a knack for taking my rambling descriptions of what I envision and composing original tracks that somehow nail the assignment. He’s a bit of a chiptunes (and musical) genius. So yeah, great guy, and a great guy to work with.
    I reached out to Kacper Wozniak, a Polish pixel artist (at least I think he’s in Poland), after encountering some of his work on the Itch.io asset marketplace. I purchase a lot of my pixel art on that marketplace and then adapt it to work in specific projects. For all non-artists who might be reading this, the Itch.io marketplace is a great place to look for visual assets. I can sometimes externalize what’s in my head in pixel art form, and I’m always getting better at doing this, but often I need some help in creating the full visual landscape for an entire game. In any case, I reached out to Wozniak and hired him to create more bespoke enemy pixel art for Oratorio based on an asset package he had already created.
    The others you mentioned are other pixel artists with assets I purchased on the Itch.io asset store. They each have very small bits in the game that helped bring various areas together visually, even if it’s a small detail. I dig all of their work and recommend them to anybody looking for visual assets.
    Unlike the majority of my other games, however, the majority of the background art in Oratorio is of my own creation. I just burrowed small elements from existing paid assets for additional art that was needed. Like all of my projects, Oratorio is a chimera, but one I think blends together quite nicely.
     
    -How did you connect with Premium Edition Games, and how has working with them been?
    I think I first met Jeffrey Wittenhagen of Premium Edition Games at Midwest Gaming Classic in November 2021. Maybe? I was showing a very early demo of Orebody: Binder’s Tale there at the time. It was the first MGC since COVID. In any case, Jeff reached out early in 2022 and asked whether I was looking for a publisher for Binder’s Tale. It just so happens that I was. So, we very quickly became partners.
    Premium Edition Games puts a lot of heart into the physical editions they release, although they work mostly on Switch. Binder’s Tale was their first NES release. But I was impressed with how the packaging turned out. One of my best friends, Milwaukee-based artist Matthew Warren Lee, created an original oil painting that became the cover art for Binder’s Tale. Premium was able to incorporate that art into the release and put together an overall package that feels authentic and beautiful.
    They also helped me reach a larger audience than I ever would have alone. As many learn once they start gamedev, the hardest part of the process is often not making the game at all. It’s getting people to know about and care about it. It helps to have a concentrated community like NES homebrew fans, but as you can see by the wildly different coverage and sales of some homebrews over others, it’s still all about a media and promotional strategy. People can’t fall in love with what they don’t know exists.
    In any case, as a result of working with Premium and some other partners, like Nami Tentou, Orebody: Binder’s Tale became my most “successful” game to date.
    The folks at Premium are also just generally peppy and have a genuine love for retro and indie games. They are at most retro game conventions around the country, so many people reading this can probably attest to their friendly attitudes if they’ve ever chatted them up at their tables.

    If the name Nami Tentou sounds familiar, it’s because they’re behind this exciting project
     
    -Ever since my first episode, M-Tee planted this idea in my mind that a game’s protagonist, who serves as both the player's point of immersion in the game as well as a reflection of its designer. What was the intention behind Oratorio’s design, do you identify with Oratorio and SOLs’s cause?
    I purposefully left the design of the physical character of Oratorio mostly absent from the game. Players only control a little pulsating computer cursor during gameplay, after all. Now, there is a hint at Oratorio perhaps being female or female-identifying in the game’s story section, but I didn’t put that image in there as necessarily representative of Oratorio. Instead, it’s more of a hint or tease, if anything. Just a general cyberpunk hacker type. Oratorio could be anybody.
    That said, I would say that the politics and existential concerns of the game are very much in line with my own. It’s a game that is very engaged with some of the most pressing problems in our world today, problems that affect everybody. Global warming and climate change. The mass extinction of species. Surveillance. Artificial intelligence. The growing power and influence of multinational tech conglomerates. These are issues everybody should be concerned about.
    As mentioned previously, many of my games are engaged in social issues and a critique of specific ideological persuasions. Of course, they can all be enjoyed regardless of one’s personal beliefs; however, if people look into any of them, they all have something to say.
     
    -What aspects of Oratorio are you most proud of?
    I’m proud of the look of the game, given that it's the visual product of many different artists. I’m proud of the dynamic soundtrack thanks to the base code from Kasumi and the unique compositional work of Jordan. And I’m proud of the unique experience it offers NES players. I sometimes feel like I make games for me, and I’m often befuddled when others do not have the same experience of playing them. I’ve already seen that with some players of Oratorio, even as I’ve seen others disappear into it the same way that I do. One of my favorite moments was at Midwest Gaming Classic 2023 when a kid who was about 12 years old sat down at a demo station for Oratorio and proceeded to play through the entire game, in its current form, over a 60-minute or so period. That kid just connected with the game the way I hope most people do when they sit down with it.
    There’s almost nothing else like Oratorio on the system. The one game that comes close, which is a game Fei at Broke Studios pointed out to me, is Otocky for the Famicom Disk System. I had never heard of the game before he mentioned it to me, and sure enough, it’s doing some really interesting things as far as music shooters go, especially for 1987. So, ultimately, I’m proud for having created a really unique addition to the NES library, especially since it will be the last NES game I develop for quite some time.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Oratorio? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    I’ve shared most of the challenges in answers to other questions. Mostly, the game I had in mind just presented a number of design challenges, not necessarily for the NES itself, but for me as somebody with limited programming skills.
    I had to solve the dynamic music activation problem. I had to try to squeeze pseudo-3D graphics out of the system with limited programming and art skills. I had to make compromises with pseudo-scaling of enemies because of bespoke drawing code I was using to keep the game from slowing to a crawl based on the bloated NESmaker base code. In other words, I would have ideally wanted more versions of my games enemies to create a better sense of scaling and depth. But I had to compromise on that to achieve more varied enemy movements along with the other concerns I just mentioned. I had to figure out a way to spawn waves of enemies, keep track of which wave the player is on, and basically crack the nut that is the core game loop of – destroy several enemy waves and then warp to the next section of the level. As most experienced NESdevs will tell you, it’s all about variables and timers. And my solutions are far from elegant. But they work. They get the job done.
    Every one of my games forced me to learn new things, but I had to do the most “original” problem-solving and work on Oratorio, just because there wasn’t a template to adopt and work from.
    The lessons, if there are any, is to understand exactly what output you want to achieve, make sure that output is possible given the constraints of the NES, and then just start solving each problem, one after the other, making compromises where you must, until the design is more or less implemented in one form or another. Then polish the hell out of it, if possible.
    It’s funny, of course, because we all have those problems we spend weeks on that another developer might have figured out in less than an hour or even 10 minutes. So, the other lesson is, if it’s not already glaringly obvious, don’t be afraid to reach out to the NESdev or NESmaker community for help if you need it. While there are some prickly people – that’s any community – the vast majority are warm and generous.
     
    -There has been a lot of support and enthusiasm for Oratorio since its pre-order launched on Premium Edition Games. How does it feel to see so many people excited about the game?
    Has there been?
    I mean that honestly. I really don’t know.
    I know some of my usual supporters and NES homebrew enthusiasts pre-ordered a copy. But I don’t know the numbers specifically. But I love them to death for it. This game means a lot to me, and their support means just as much.
    But I often don’t hear directly from players or purchasers. In fact, I’ve gotten very little feedback on any of my games. Maybe the occasional troll. It can feel very isolating. I only go on developing because I’m driven by the creative satisfaction it brings me personally. Sometimes it feels like a sickness. I don’t know. Maybe other creatives feel the same way. I always hope people like what I make, that some even come to love the games the way I do. But it’s just hard for me to ever tell.
    I know a lot of creators go through bouts of depression when they finish projects. I’m not immune to that. But it isn’t the project being over that does it for me. It’s the void of not knowing if anybody else even cares a lick about it. Because that’s the goal when making the thing, besides pleasing myself. The titillation I designed into the thing, that gets me when I play – I want others to feel that same tingle, to get that same tickle in their pleasure center. Sometimes I feel like I’m the best in the world at making games for John Vanderhoef, but maybe not so great at making games for everybody else.
    So, if you’re right, that there is genuine support and enthusiasm for Oratorio, it feels good. And I would offer all of those people my sincere gratitude. And I hope they enjoy the game. Grab a physical copy or go grab the ROM on my Itch page.
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, NES, or otherwise? Any dream projects?
    I’ve now made seven NES games – eight if you count a small box-pushing game I did as an Orebody side story game. I tend to work fast and overzealously when in the middle of a project. I’m not a perfectionist, and I have literally dozens of game ideas for all kinds of platforms. I’m ready to move on from NES dev for the time being.
    The next project out of my studio, Orebody Inc., will be another Orebody project. And it’s going to be a Gameboy game. The game is tentatively called Hammermill: An Orebody Story. It’ll take place on the oceans of the planet Orebody – the same planet where Binder’s Tale takes place – and players will take control of a scrap metal scavenger named Xosha, a kind of deep sea diver who befriends a baby alien squid creature and must help it track down its parents. It’ll be a bite-sized, quirky, yet epic adventure for the handheld system that introduces players to new locales on Orebody not seen in Binder’s Tale. The gameplay will include ship exploration and battles, undersea exploration and scavenging, a gradual upgrade system for your salvage ship and your diving suit, and narrative-focused sections to reveal more of the world of Orebody.
    Everything I just mentioned is subject to change, but that’s the basic design doc, in a nutshell. I thought hard about what kinds of experiences I enjoy on the Gameboy, and this is the design I came up with. Hopefully I don’t end up just creating another game for myself. Haha.
    Beyond that? If there is anybody genuinely interested in the world of Orebody, I encourage you to play the demo for Sporebody: An Orebody Story. I released that demo in 2022 for the PC. Let me know if you’d want a full game. That’s an atmospheric environmental puzzle-game inspired by games like Limbo and Inside. The reception to the demo was so abysmal, I shelved it after the proof-of-concept.
    I don’t like to have “dream” projects – I like to stay practical, so things actually get done – but if I did have a dream project, it would involve a dedicated team of engineers, artists, animators, a few more designers, and a symphonic composer, among many other support positions. Having the collaboration of a full studio would feel amazing after so many games laboring, more or less, alone.
    As a creative, I love to dream, and if I was ever lucky enough to have the resources, I could certainly dream bigger.
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    Oh, man.
    I’m just going to list some, and I apologize if I forget some from my friends and compatriots.
    The Storied Sword. Courier. Project SKIFF. The Adventures of Panzer III. Mystic Searches. Super Tilt Bros. Get it Together. CrossPaint. Light from Within. Super Sunny World.
    People should also check out some more recently released titles like Skate Cat, Bobby Six Seven, and Gunhawk.
    There are so many more.
    Honestly, I just love seeing what the community comes up with. Whether its NESdev Compo, Byte-Off, and all the games from these and other jams that get developed into full games, the NESdev community has never been stronger. I’ve made some really good friends in this space and, by and large, it has mostly been a very positive community.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    If you like something somebody has created – be it a book, movie, TV show, game, podcast, video, art, etc. – reach out and tell them so. You might not think that it matters or that they might not care, but it would likely make that person’s day.
    We’re all just floating through the void together. Might as well spread a little love.
     
     


    Jeffrey Wittenhagen/Premium Edition Games
    @HagensAlley/@PremiumEdition1
    -Before we dive into Oratorio, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first drew you into the homebrew community? What is the origin story of Hagen’s Alley, the VGBS Podcast, and Premium Edition Games?
    Wow, this is a loaded question as it’s about three major things that I do! 
    Hagen’s Alley Books
    Hagen’s Alley Books started over 10 years ago when I had a website that went under (vgmastersclub.com) due to not being able to afford the server fees with getting over a million hits a day. All my articles disappeared, and I wanted to preserve the articles in book format. No traditional publishers could handle a book like what I do with tons of images and reviews, so I decided to do it myself! 
    My goal with Hagen’s Alley has always been to offer up affordable avenues for passionate creators to get their books and ideas out there. It’s actually never been about only publishing books on video games either, that’s just what I’m most passionate about! Over the years I have referred to myself as a “reverse publisher” as going around to various big industry publishers, they often offer authors insultingly low payouts with the promise of distribution and sales that frequently do not come to fruition. 
    VGBS Podcast
    VGBS Gaming Podcast started with my cousin Kyle Gilbert and I recording our 2-3 hour conversations BS’ing about video games. 100 episodes later, with the series finale interviewing the AVGN himself James Rolfe, the podcast took a long hiatus. Many years later, with the passing of Kyle, fellow author and creative mind Tristan Ibarra joined me on the podcast as a tribute to continue the VGBS formula. We talk about anything and everything video games, focusing on collecting and playing a game for homework to slowly tackle our backlog!

    Which even published a synopsis of each episode of Season 1 on an NES cart
    Premium Edition Games
    Premium Edition came about because publishing licensed games for Nintendo has always been a dream of mine. During 2020, Nintendo approved us as a publisher and the rest is history! The key here is that at Premium Edition we will always go above and beyond and at the beat of our own drum. We will always look to do things a bit differently than your traditional publisher.
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    For influences, I always like to say I am the “hipster artist” of the publishing community. I am typically trying new things all the time, so I’m not really looking for what others are doing, but what we can do to raise the bar on what physical games can do. Like with our challenge patches, the cards we include in our physical releases have a developer created challenge where the player can earn a physical patch that is mailed to them for free! This hasn’t been done since Activision on the original Atari and it's really fun to get collectors to actually open and play their games to “complete their collection”. 
    As for game developers, I’m always following tons of indie developers and creators, especially in genres that I love such as Metroidvanias and Action RPGs. While I don’t have anyone I’m specific to shoutout here, I am always looking in all directions.
     
    -Premium Edition Games releases homebrew & indie games across multiple consoles. As someone who plays new games on old consoles as well as retro-inspired games on modern platforms, how do they compare to you?
    Growing up in the 80s and coming into my own as a gamer in the 90s, the “retro-inspired” aesthetic is my jam! While I absolutely love my classic retro games, being able to play new games on classic consoles is a dream and add in the retro-revival on modern consoles with indie games featuring retro aesthetics, we truly are living in a gaming paradise nowadays!
     
    -How would you describe Premium Edition Games’ aesthetic, and what to you are hallmarks of a game published by you?
    High quality physical releases with tons of quality upgrades, such as embossing and of course foil! We handpick games that we sign, and the developers have to be as passionate as we are!
     
    -How would you describe the range of services that Premium Edition Games provides to potential clients? Who do you wish to attract with your offerings?
    We offer the best quality physical releases on the planet! So any developer who wants their game preserved physically in the best way possible, that’s who we want to attract.
     
    -Do the permanent members of Premium Edition Games have particular roles or specialties? What does the division of labor look like on a given project?
    We all have our own roles and responsibilities. Some do design, some production, some shipping, some sales and distribution outreach, others marketing. Every part of the business has team members involved with it! A couple of us kind of are a jack of all trades as well, helping keep things running smoothly.
     
    -Is Premium Edition Games hiring? Are you looking to bring on more partners, generally or with particular skills, to expand your capabilities?
    Premium Edition Games is always looking to expand. We are looking for people to bring on with specific skills, especially marketing and sales skills as we can never get our name out there enough! We are also looking for people to join us when we attend conventions to help at our tables. The main thing we consider is you need to be passionate and care about what we do!
     
    -What was the working dynamic like in publishing Oratorio? How did you first connect with John?
    Publishing Oratorio has been surprisingly easy, I’ve known John for a couple years now and he’s always great to work with. We published Orebody: Binder’s Tale, which was the first game of John’s to get a physical with Premium Edition Games.

    CIB offering of Orebody: Binder’s Tale
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in publishing Oratorio?
    John has used a specific way of programming Oratorio and there is a specific board that must be used when programming the cartridge. That’s a new one for us, but nothing too challenging! Publishing NES games is a great time!
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon? Any dream projects?
    Oh, we have tons of games signed and on the horizon at Premium Edition Games that we are excited about, including some amazing dream projects with major IPs. However, we typically unveil these at our Premium Directs on YouTube so I can’t really go into details, or my team would hang me!
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    Since NintendoAge disappeared many years ago, I’ve actually been out of the loop when it comes to knowing about new “traditionally programmed” NES Homebrew games, outside of NESmaker games. However, with the influx of Game Boy games recently, I am excited to see what’s in store for that community! Of course, I’m also aware of the thousands upon thousands of indie games programmed for modern consoles and it’s exciting to see what is continually created by passionate developers.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    I’ve recently been stepping up my production on books at Hagen’s Alley, so be sure to prepare for The Complete Genesis book coming out, which has been over 6 years coming, along with my newest Bookazine series focusing on my favorite genre the Metroidvania! Of course don’t forget that I’m still creating books, going year by year covering physical releases for the Nintendo Switch!

    Kickstarter concluded, but pre-orders still open!
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of the series that shares the adventures behind the latest homebrews making their way to you. Are you gunning to add Oratorio to your collection? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?
     

  14. Scrobins

    Episode 42: NESdev Competition/Action 53 Multicart

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    Episode 42: NESdev Competition/Action 53 Multicart


    Introduction:
    Our enjoyment can be found in things of various sizes and levels of “completeness.” For all of the feature-length films and long-running shows we love, some of our favorite movies and tv shows are shorts, miniseries, and anthologies. So too is our love of video games, with favorites found among those experiments in which the developers showed off their skills in a proof of concept, or demos that could whet our appetites with the promise of a larger game in the future. See Exhibit A: Super Bat Puncher. These projects allow homebrewers more flexibility to play with their creativity, free of the pressures to deliver a complete game to paying fans, as they need only provide us a small sample. In the context of a development competition, it’s like coming together for a film festival in the mold of Cannes or Sundance; it becomes an event in which followers watch curiously for the latest from the usual entrants, the fascination for the newcomers, and the art offered by them all.
    For this entry, I’m covering the NESdev Competition, also known as the NESdev Compo, originally known as the NESdev Annual Coding Competition, which offers a wide array of games, demos, and tools for the NES. In the past, cart releases polished from entries were known as the Action 53 series. As of the time of this writing, the programming putting together Action 53, Volume 4 is nearly complete, though ordering information is not yet known, and subsequent compo carts (which will not continue the Action 53 name, but begin as NESdev Compo ’19, and continue as a cart collection for each subsequent compo) are also in the works.

    In the beginning there was Jeroen, and he was good.
     
    Compo Evolution:
    The compo began in the NESdev forum with a July 15, 2010 thread created by Jeroen, who sought to gauge community interest in a coding competition for the NES. The response was immediate, and over the next few months its structure began to take shape with a set of rules and a website. By the time the dust settled on the first compo in 2011, there were 5 submissions for the NROM contest and 4 submissions for the free-for-all contest, in which Twaite and Super Bat Puncher were the winners respectively.
    Following the compo, a cartridge was released which featured entrants as well as other games, and most notably Streemerz, a playful reimagining of Bionic Commando. As a means of funding the competition and preparing for future cartridge compilations, Action 53, Volume 1 was released in two production runs by Infinite NES Lives: first a 50-cart run of clear carts, followed by a second run of 100 standard gray carts.
    With its emphasis on being a community-run effort, the compo continues to thrive thanks to its organizers over the years: Joey Parsell/Memblers, Damian Yerrick/Tepples, M-Tee, Jonathan Roatch/JRoatch, Paul Molloy/Infinite NES Lives, Bradley Bateman/NES Homebrew, and most recently Matt Hughson and Antoine Gohin/Broke Studio. Thanks to their many hours of volunteering for homebrew, a platform exists for fresh talent and cool new ideas. Some of the best games and most exciting new developers made their splash here. Keep an eye out for who dives in next.

    Action 53, Volume 1: rarer and a helluva lot more playable than its namesake forebear.
     
    Interviews:
    There are so many people to talk to about this compo over the years it has been around and bolstered the homebrew community. How do I even approach an interview section? I interviewed Damian recently, and I’m hoping to talk to Joe and Paul for a separate piece, so I decided for this one, I would reach out to those most currently and heavily involved in running the competition. Otherwise I either tried reaching out to other people involved or decided I needed to draw a line somewhere to ensure I could finish this episode when I wanted to. I hope you enjoy these interviews.
     

    Matt Hughson
    @matthughson
    -It’s great to interview you again! Last time, we talked about From Below, I’m excited to talk to you this time about your role in the NESdev Coding Competition. When did you first become involved in the compo, and what is your role? How has that role evolved over time?
    Originally, I became involved in the competition as a participant, when I entered an early version of my game Witch n’ Wiz into the 2020 competition.
    The following year I volunteered to help run the competition when the original organizer didn’t have time to run it anymore. That was in 2022, so 2023 was my second time helping to run the competition.

    Screenshot from Witch n’ Wiz
     
    -In your opinion, how has the competition itself evolved over the years? How has it grown? Where would you like to see it go in the next few years?
    I think the most obvious change was in 2022 when the competition was moved to itch.io where it now lives. This exposes it to a lot more people and has a more professional suite of tools for presenting, submitting and judging games.
     
    -I’ve tried to pay closer attention to the compo’s discord lately, and among other subjects, I’ve noticed some meaningful philosophical discussions, such as whether the name “NESdev Coding Competition” is still fitting, how to structure eligibility rules, and to structure voting. What are your thoughts on these questions, and are there other meaningful questions you’ve noticed that this competition has raised?
    The crux of these discussions seems to center around the ease at which someone can create an NES game now. It is no longer a guarantee that all entries are serious efforts. You can now create a complete Sokoban game in a few minutes, and it isn’t always obvious when that is the case.
    It used to be a right of passage to be able to create anything for the competition, but that’s not really the case anymore, and it causes a bit of friction with what the competition has traditionally meant. I see it as a microcosm of the homebrew scene at large, to be honest.
    My feeling is that we should embrace the inevitable and run the competition more like a traditional game jam. There are more entries than most people would be interested in playing, and there may be lots of “low effort” entries. The final score and the judging will sort it all out in the end though, and the average player will only check out the top entries.
     
    -This competition has a meaningful influence beyond itself. What impact have you observed this competition to have on other compos, on the NES homebrew scene, and the overall homebrew scene?
    I see the competition as a yearly celebration and something for the community to rally behind. I don’t think many people see winning or losing as a big part of it, but rather just see it as a great excuse to create something in a low-pressure scenario (where the expectations aren’t too high).
     
    -Do you feel the competition has been influenced in any meaningful way by other compos, and the wider homebrew scenes?
    Not really, but I certainly look at the NESMaker ByteOff awards as the high bar to strive for, and the GBDev competition comes across as extremely polished and professional. I kind of like that NESdev competition has a bit of a home-grown vibe though.

    This year’s competition is already underway!
     
    -What about the impact of the competition on your own work as a homebrewer?
    I’ve found it super motivating to work on games for the competition. First, the potential to have my game on a physical cart was something that really excited me. And then being able to use the competition as a sounding board for different ideas is valuable.
     
    -Do you have a favorite all-time competition entry? What about a favorite entry that’s gone on to a full game release?
    I think my favorite would be Spacegulls. Maybe that’s a bit of a cope on my part, since it is the game that beat my entry (Witch n’ Wiz) in the 2020 competition, but I pick it because it is such a solid, fun experience start to finish. It doesn’t feel like a game jam, or a demo. It feels like a full project.
    My favorite game that went on to a full release is probably Nebs n Debs, which I consider my favorite homebrew of all time.

    Screenshot from Spacegulls
     
    -What trends have you noticed among competition entries past and present?
    Morphcat are very good at making NES games 😊
     
    -Do you think there are any patterns or common qualities shared by competition entries that tend to score higher?
    I haven’t thought about it too much, but I think the games that feel like complete experiences do very well. Games that require multiplayer tend to struggle.
     
    -Do you have any advice for people considering entering in next year’s competition?
    Just do it! I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who regretted entering, but I’ve met many who regret missing it. You’ll also notice that there are lots of people who come back year after year, so it must be fun!
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences again. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Nope! See you next year!
     
     

    M-Tee
    @mteegfx
    -It’s great to interview you again! Last time, you were one of my first interviews, and we talked about Project Blue, I’m excited to talk to you this time about your role in the NESdev Coding Competition. When did you first become involved in the compo, and what is your role? How has it that role evolved over time?
    My pleasure as always! So, long story short…
    …in 2016, I was hired to illustrate a book on NES homebrew, which led to a few months of research and brainstorming (i.e., digging through forum posts and downloading ROMs). The job eventually fell through, but all that diggin’ led to two things:
         1) me falling in love with a whole bunch of earlier homebrew titles; and
         2) a real hankerin’ to draw them.

    Fan art of Memblers’ Munchie Attack and NovaSquirrel’s Forehead Block Guy
    So, the next year, I illustrated a couple of older compo titles and pitched myself for the next multicart’s cover art. Folks seemed to dig them, welcomed me aboard, and then I got to make the arcade-themed packaging for Action 53 Volume 3.

    Action 53 Vol. 3 print assets (image courtesy of Infinite NES Lives)
    Since then, I’ve handled the graphic design and most visual assets for the competition, its multicarts, and eventually, the Action 53 itch page.
     
    -In your opinion, how has the competition itself evolved over the years? How has it grown? Where would you like to see it go in the next few years?
    The original goal of the competition, I hear, was to encourage folks to bite the bullet and release whatever projects they were working on—which it still does successfully. As long as we keep getting a healthy mix of newcomers and veteran developers participating, compo day will continue to be my Christmas morning.

    Nothing else encapsulates the nostalgia of waking up to a new NES game or two than compo morning.
     
    -I’ve tried to pay closer attention to the compo’s discord lately, and among other subjects, I’ve noticed some meaningful philosophical discussions, such as whether the name “NESdev Coding Competition” is still fitting, how to structure eligibility rules, and to structure voting. What are your thoughts on these questions, and are there other meaningful questions you’ve noticed that this competition has raised?
    To be honest, there has never been any consistent branding to the competition’s title and formatting. Even on official pages, it’s wildly inconsistent, and as such, a nightmare when trying to decide what to put on the cart packaging or promo images.

    rampant title and formatting inconsistencies
    ·        Is NESDEV part of the competition title or not; and if so, is it Nesdev, NesDev, NESdev, or NESDev?
    (5 options)
    ·        Does the year come before or after NESDev?
    (2 options)
    ·        Coding is in the name, but no one ever mentions it colloquially, so Coding or no Coding?
    (2 options)
    So, there have been at least twenty (5×2×2) title format variations I could choose from, all with justifiable precedence. 
    What did I do when I needed to choose one? I combined them all for the mouthful that was The NesDev 2019 NES Coding Competition Multicart, and stylized it in all-caps stylization to gracefully avoid that decision.

    Compocart 2019’s web manual header
    But that only lasted for two competitions. I don’t remember who suggested dropping Coding, but I’m glad it and the redundant NES are gone. Now the title is now much more inline with its colloquial one anyway.

    Assets through 2028 have been produced with this format, so hopefully it won’t change soon!
     
    -Do you feel the competition has been influenced in any meaningful way by other compos, and the wider homebrew scenes?
    In fact, the above naming inconsistency is one of many indicators that the compo isn’t a commercial endeavor. It’s not really branded, polished, or shiny. Its title is literally just a description of what it is, and it’s run with virtually no hierarchy by a fluctuating wave of volunteers. Ultimately, whoever is handling whatever task has the final say on their contribution, often resulting in mild chaos, delays, decision paralysis, and more…
    …but that’s also its charm!
    No one seems to have any motivation (or opportunity) to profit, and as a result, there are no airs put on. Another key element to its appeal is how downplayed the competitive aspect is: no theme and no time constraints (aside from a deadline). But if someone wanted to work on a title for years and submit it, they could!
    So, I guess I’m saying that flashier competitions or bigger jams can be great, but I’m glad that this compo has its niche and is filling it.
     
    -This competition has a meaningful influence beyond itself. What impact have you observed this competition to have on other compos, on the NES homebrew scene, and the overall homebrew scene?
    Confession time! When I entered the homebrew scene, there was a dichotomy of release philosophies: either free ROMs or a costly physical-only cart. I’ve never been quiet about my opposition to physical exclusivity, so it should be no surprise that there was a cheeky little devil on my shoulder, cheering every time an unusually polished compo entry was released for free.

    The devil on my shoulder
    (AKA Lord A’zul from La Patifferie, a title Wendel Scardua, Raftronaut, and myself
    started for a past compo, but sidelined for scope creep)
    These days, affordable digital releases are the norm, so that’s not really a factor anymore. However, I still use the 2016 compo (Nebs n Debs, Twin Dragons, Filthy Kitchen, etc.) as a major milestone when separating eras of NES homebrew history.

    2016: The year in which five potent platformers swept the top of the competition
     
    -What about the impact of the competition on your own work as a homebrewer?
    The social aspect of collaborating on an entry is genuinely one of the high points of my year. Knowing that my teammates would be bummed out if we didn’t get something submitted is quite a motivator (even if it means ditching a larger project, and starting a smaller one, often days before the deadline, which we’ve been guilty of thrice so far 😅). 

    The entries I’ve collaborated on so far:
     Łukasz Kur’s Gruniożerca 2 and Gruniożerca 3 (the latter also with Chip Jockey)
    Wendel Scardua’s Bare Metal 2.0, HBC Phutball, and Miroh Jr. (the latter two with Raftronaut)
     
    -Do you have a favorite all-time competition entry?
    My top five favorite NES games are (currently): Miroh Jr., Megaman 2, Blazing Rangers, Bubble Bobble, and We Are Hejickle. Two of those are compo entries (and one of them I co-designed with literally me as its target demographic, so is that cheating?)

    A totally unbiased look at the five objectively best NES games of all time
     
    -What about a favorite entry that’s gone on to a full game release?
    I typically prefer smaller standalone entries (Böbl or Espitene for instance) to those which tease a larger game. That said, there have been quite a few games that really deserved, but never got, a more fleshed out version. And of those, none has left me hungrier than Nalleland. 

    Nalleland: A superb platformer with DK ‘94-style depth of movement, but only one level… ㅠㅠ
     
    -What trends have you noticed among competition entries past and present?
    Every year, we seem to get:
    Humble projects from first-timers; Exploratory side projects from veteran developers; and… Multiplayer-only (or at least multiplayer-heavy) titles. Those last ones often get less love, but are the ones I look the most forward to because there are so few multiplayer NES releases outside of the competition. Having friends over? You could make a heck of a party cart by throwing the multiplayer compo titles from each year into a folder.

    Just some of the awesome multiplayer titles across compo years (pictured):
    RHDE, Spacey McRacey, No Good Can Come of This, LightShields, Super Homebrew War
    NNNNNN, Spacegulls, HBC Phutball, CatMercs, and Tiny Golf
     
    -Do you think there are any patterns or common qualities shared by competition entries that tend to score higher?
    Because judges are the developers themselves, and that roster changes every year, I think the scores are generally more reflective of that year’s judges than of the games. That said, the feedback is still invaluable. The competition forces a couple of dozen other devs to not only sit down and play your project, but to tell you where they think it could be improved. It’s an extraordinarily rare opportunity, and an aspect that’s often overlooked.
     
    -Do you have any advice for people considering entering in next year’s competition?
    Do it!
     
    -Any news on when fans can expect cartridges for Action 53, Volume 4 or subsequent competition carts?
    There have been a lot of delays (many, but not all of them my fault, I promise! 😅). But now with Broke Studio at the helm, I suspect we’ll get Action 53 Volume 4 soon. After that, we’re currently… four years behind the compo . Each has a planned standalone release, and I hope that they’ll make a very nice set of shelf candy one day. Hopefully we can get them out in waves that’ll eventually get us caught up to the competition year too. Fingers crossed, eh?

    The most recent revision of the Action 53 Vol. 4 cover art.
    It’s a wraparound, so the other 29 titles are shown on the box and spine.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences again. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Next time you almost click an OMG! Hidden NES Gems?! youtube video, save yourself the heartache and dig into past compos. Some of the console’s best and most interesting games are hiding out in there, and a lot of great titles get overshadowed by the compo big guns.

    Mike J. Moffitt’s Karate Kick for instance…
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of the series that shares the adventures behind the latest newest homebrews making their way to you. What are your views of the NESdev Competition as a pillar of the homebrew community? Which of this year’s entries do you hope will get a full release? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?
     


  15. Scrobins

    Episode 43: Flap Happy

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Episode 43: Flap Happy

    Introduction:
    I’ve covered a number of homebrew games made by veteran programmers with significant experience developing for modern platforms who are now channeling their nostalgia to bring something new to the consoles of their childhoods. These passion projects represent a bridge between the adult skills and modern gaming sensibilities of the developer now, and their inner child craving the chance to make their own game their way for their favorite console. And often as not, the idiosyncrasies of the developer seep into the mix, whether that means other interests or a particular sense of humor…or all the puns you can handle. But whether it’s chickens or wordplay, this game surely is nothing to bawk at.
    For this entry, I’m covering Flap Happy, a Roguelike platformer for the NES and Gameboy, developed by Ryan Carson aka Refresh Games. As of the time of this writing, the Kickstarter campaign has wrapped up and fulfillment will begin soon. The game’s demo can be downloaded here and future physical editions will be available through Mega Cat at a future date.
     

    It’s just the standard edition CIB art, the sky isn’t falling
     
    Development Team:
    Ryan Carson: programming
    James Gamble (Jayenkai): music
     
    Game Evolution:
    Flap Happy first settled into its roost on NESdev on December 22, 2017, then titled Flap Happy and Fancy Free, based on Flapadiddle by Jayenkai.
    Its Kickstarter campaign first hatched on January 26, 2024, with the help of perennial partner Mega Cat Studios. By the time the campaign was ready to leave the nest, 248 backers pledged nearly $19,000. Mixed into the feed were some tasty kernals for fans, like the game’s rom, cart, CIB, and limited-edition CIB for the NES, as well as a CIB for the Gameboy/Gameboy Color. Among the extras were the digital OST, poster, stickers, postcard, pins, keychain, diorama, decorative wooden cart, golden egg, and your name in the credits.
    In line with its theme, Flap Happy is collaborating with Rent the Chicken, an organization that offers people the opportunity to try raising chickens in their backyards for a trial period, providing them with the necessary equipment to do so, even allowing them to adopt, or hatch chickens so they can gain experience at all levels.

    The cluster fock limited-edition CIB
     
    Gameplay:
    Flap Happy describes itself as a Roguelike platformer. You play as Little Flappy, a carefree bird who inexplicably blacks out and wakes up in a dungeon rife with fireballs and spiked traps. You must work your way through 900+ levels of mazes, landing on all 5 platforms of each level in order to activate the exit platform that will allow you to proceed. Along the way are bonuses, such as fruit that scores you points (3 of which nets you an extra life), and each platform earns a bonus, while completing a level offers a speed bonus in itself.
    But don’t get your feathers in a bunch, the controls are very simple! Use the D-pad to turn and move, press the A-button to flap your wings, and press Start to pause if you ever need to catch your breath.

    Little Flappy in Spaaaaaace
     
    Review:
    Flap happy is a challenging bit of arcade fun, reminiscent of infinitely looping games from NES’ black box era. Despite its simple appearance, this game is aggressively tricky with many ways to die from stupid mistakes that will keep you glued to your screen out of spite. Offering myriad possible paths to each platform and countless strategies for success, the speed-running and high score possibilities of Flap Happy offer all manner of tournament challenges. Each level moves quickly, between the straightforward objective and the concentration needed to achieve it. There is also enough variation across levels, worlds, and the enemies that populate them to keep you engaged in light of the sheer number of levels contained within the game.
    The game’s graphics are simple, but retro charming. A host of colors provides a prettier arcade experience than any comparable NES game. The distinctiveness between Little Flappy’s sprite, enemies, powerups, and environments are sufficiently stark that for all the game’s color, it creates a degree of fairness that ensures the challenge never feels cheap. Meanwhile the game’s music offers cute bops, with different themes for each world that align with their respective vibes, ranging from computer to space. The beats are a gentle rhythm propelling you along, harkening back to arcade games like Joust and Balloon Fight, with a straightforward goal and the drive to get as far as possible.
     
    Interviews:
    Being interviewed can be intimidating, but Ryan was no chicken, even with hard questions he found the sunny side up in his responses. But is he a bird of a feather with other developers? Read on…
     

    Ryan Carson
    @RefreshGamesDev
    -Before we dive into Flap Happy, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrew game developer? What is your origin story? What is the story behind Refresh Games?
    Refresh Games came about shortly after I had closed my Web design business in 2016 and I needed a name that would continue on from it, I’ve been interested and thoroughly loved making games since being a child, learning BASIC on a Commodore +4 and later other languages, the best part was playing the games I’d made with friends, in particular making many versions of the light bikes bit in TRON, that passed many a lunchtime break in secondary school!
    It just sorta spiraled out from there to Direct X with Visual Basic, a few mobile games in Unity then back to Gameboy development in C and now, finally the NES!
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    For Flap Happy? Mainly Jayenkai, his support through this project has been great.

    James “Jayenkai” Gamble
    I’m following a few people’s work on Twitter/X quite closely at the moment, but I’m most intrigued by the efforts of https://twitter.com/freeman_HAL that have gone into making an awesome caravan shooter called Habit! It looks like a really good, fun game.
     
    -How would you describe your design aesthetic, and what to you are the hallmarks of a game designed by you?
    In 3 words I’d say “challenging, simple, fun” I love the retro aesthetic and that’s come across in most of the games I’ve made, particularly in game jams.
     
    -What tools do you use to code and create?
    ·        Programmers Notepad to code
    ·        YY-CHR & Photoshop CS3 for creating tiles and sprites and quick prototyping
    ·        NESASM3 for compiling the code into a NES ROM
    ·        Nintendulator and FCEUX for playing and testing on the PC
    ·        Nintendulator seems to be more accurate frame timing and FCEUX has great debugging inside it so, it makes sense to use both.
     
    -At the heart of Flap Happy is its nature as a roguelike platformer, complete with 900 levels. How did you create so many, squeeze them all onto the cart, and ensure they didn’t feel repetitive?
    With procedural generation from a starting seed, so, in order to reference a level in the game I just need to ask it to generate a screen with way less code overall. There are some dupe levels inside the game all but by using different modes I could happily pick and choose which ones would fit into which game mode, keeping some control over it whilst keeping valuable code space usage low, turns out 32kb isn’t that much!
     
    -What inspired you to make this type of game?
    My love for the NES as a kid, it’s always been the one that I always wanted to make a game for. I also had gotten into Gameboy development before the NES so, the idea of making something that works as a game using the Black Box NES game space limits (32kb for code, 8kb for graphics).
     
    -What about chickens is so resonant that you wanted to make Flappy the protagonist of the game?
    (clucks loudly in your general direction) I have no idea (clucks again)

    ???
     
    -What aspects of Flap Happy are you most proud of?
    That, after a few years it still holds up to the test of me still enjoying playing through it, which is a good sign. Also, when I showed demos to my friends earlier in development, they all seemed to enjoy it also, although some said it was a bit too tough which I’m okay with.
    Of course, it achieves one of my game dev life ambitions which is a pretty major thing, so, that’s really cool too!
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Flap Happy? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    Assembly language is like no other language I’ve learnt before, it was quite the struggle initially to figure out some things that’d I’d taken for granted in C, etc. I can remember at the very start of the project often failing to see the correct way to accomplish something so simple in C, but, for me, the struggle is worth it, and I look forward to releasing more games for the NES in the future 🙂
     
    -There has been a lot of support and enthusiasm for Flap Happy on Kickstarter. How does it feel to see so many people excited about the game?
    Amazing, I honestly went into this unsure if Kickstarter was the right thing to do but it really has been! In the run up I was equally nervous and excited, so it’s just been great to see the support for Flap Happy! Mega Cat have been fantastic throughout and helped get the word out there as well as assist greatly with my questions and asset creation to make the Kickstarter campaign look as great as it does.
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, NES or otherwise? Any dream projects? Your site mentions another game in the planning stages.
    Yeah, I want to get some more NES games over the line this year. Bee Happy would be good to get finished and should allow for some interesting co-op and versus modes.
    Again, it’s a fairly simple game, you gather pollen throughout each stage, avoiding obstacles along the way, finishing each stage off by returning to your hive, I’m more excited for the 2P versus mode though where one player controls Beesley and the second player has control over the enemies.


    If I can squeeze in a Gameboy port that would be cool also 🙂
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    I really want to play Habit! I love shmups and have been playing a lot of 1942 of late so, I need to get a copy! I need to dig around for more arcade style games that are being released also.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Please check out Flap Happy on Kickstarter:

    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/refreshgames/flap-happy-a-rogue-like-platformer-for-the-nes

    and, if you like, follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/RefreshGamesDev Where I’ll be doing my best to post regular updates on upcoming Nes and Gameboy games I’m working on 🙂
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of the series that shares the stories behind the latest homebrews making their way to you. Are you flocking to your computer to buy Flap Happy? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?
     

  16. Scrobins

    Episode 5: Rollie

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Episode 5: Rollie

    Introduction:
    Homebrewing is a level of NES-fandom defined by both discipline and creativity. If we lived in an RPG, learning to code and develop would mark the class change/level up from being a fan who merely talks about what a fun game would look like to becoming the fan capable of actualizing it. While learning to code, brewers also discover how to implement gameplay features, and thus learn how to make their own games stand out. The vast catalog of hacks is testament to the education of countless developers playing with the code of their favorite games to understand how the original game works and ultimately create something new. In time, some of these rom hackers will step into new territory, drawing on their experience to build a game from the ground up: a homebrew.
    For this entry, I’m covering Rollie, a side-scrolling platformer with tag-team co-op for the NES developed by Chris Lincoln aka Optomon, with artwork by Daniel Adams aka HobotiX. As of the time of this writing, initial Kickstarter backers have received their orders, and the rom for this game is available on Optomon’s Itch.io page while the physical release is now available through The 6502 Collective.
     
    Development Team:
    @Optomon (Chris Lincoln): developer, programming and music
    HobotiX (Daniel Adams): illustrator
     

     
    Game Evolution:
    Rollie’s story begins in 2016 when Chris decided to develop a game completely from scratch. Up to that point Chris worked on a number of prominent NES hacks including The Guardian Legend: Secret Edition, Castlevania: Chorus of Mysteries, Castlevania: The Holy Relics, and Pyronaut, an extensive hack of Castlevania II still in-development. Chris shared his progress with fans across the country at various gaming expos and conventions, as well as online on such forums as NintendoAge, methodically building enthusiasm for the game.

    Chris showcasing Rollie at various expos to fans such as Chris Cacciatore (center)
    When the game was finished and ready to be shared with the world, Chris launched a Kickstarter campaign for Rollie on August 31, 2019. Within 24 hours Rollie had exceeded its initial funding goal of $5,000, ultimately netting more than $21,000. The campaign offered 4 tiers: a rom of the game, a cartridge-only option, a CIB option, and a limited edition CIB featuring a numbered translucent cartridge and special yellow box.
     
    Gameplay Overview:
    Rollie describes itself as a tag-team co-op side-scrolling platformer that draws on the gameplay of Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog, crammed into 40 kilobytes.
    You play as Rollie and Lorrie, two raccoons living in Paradise Gorge at a time when serpents have been moving into the forest en masse. The ensuing overcrowding transforms the once peaceful environment to one fostering greed and fear. Rollie and Lorrie hope to show everyone how to trust and play well with others again, which starts with taking down the more mean-spirited leaders of the community.

    If it’s a snake problem, I know someone you can call
    At first glance, Rollie’s controls seem like a typical platformer, but the rolling feature opens the world to more elaborate gameplay. It all starts by pushing down, which makes Rollie curl into a ball, while pushing up unfurls him. While rolled up, Rollie can fit into tight spaces, move more quickly, and bounce (especially if he falls from a great height). You can jump on enemies while Rollie is rolled up or in his default state, but if you roll long enough, you will build up a static charge that can be used to zap enemies with the B button. Rollie can otherwise throw marbles with the B button, or blow bubble platforms with up and B. If Rollie needs a break, he can tag out with Lorrie by hitting Select. Meanwhile throughout the levels are helpful items and snacks: 100 sweet clovers nets you an extra life, hot dogs grant invincibility, ice cream makes you faster, while an assortment of sodas will make you either jump higher, float, or shake the earth. If you find a cake, you can make new friends by offering them a piece instead of jumping on them!

    What would happen if Rollie entered Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest?
     
    Writer’s Review:
    Rollie offers a fun 8-bit experience that will charm gamers of all ages. Though I’m reluctant to argue that other homebrew games are not family-friendly, Rollie seems especially oriented toward an experience that adult gamers can share with their kids and introduce them to some old-school fun.
    Gameplay is easy to learn as you navigate the forest and jump on enemies, much like the original Super Mario Bros. game which served as inspiration. But as I mentioned earlier, where the basic mechanics are familiar, Rollie’s rolling feature is a key to a wider world of play, with an endless combination of play styles that will encourage gamers to tackle the game anew again and again with different approaches to challenge themselves. Learning the various controls can take some time before you grow accustomed to them, but once mastered are second-nature. I remember when I played Rollie for the first time at Chris’ booth at PRGE in 2018, I struggled to go in and out of rolling mode, starting and stopping like a teenager first learning to drive. But now that I’ve put meaningful time into the game, my movement is smooth and I’ll catch myself bouncing in levels just for the fun of it. Turning Rollie into a ball to squeeze through tight spots is necessary in some parts of the game, but this feature is too fun to wait for when it’s necessary.
    Rollie’s graphics provide cute, colorful sprites against a woodsy background that evokes the Pacific Northwest region Chris calls home as well as parts of New England where I grew up. Something about the forest’s particular shades of green and brown and the title screen’s sign aesthetic remind me of visiting a state park and exploring the outdoors.

    Fun fact: all of these signs were made in 1974
    Meanwhile Rollie’s soundtrack is addictively fun. Hours after turning off the game, I catch myself humming its playful chiptune and I cannot get it out of my head until I play again.
    Rollie is a game that fans have eagerly awaited for years, and the finished product delivers all that it promises. Chris believes that creative gameplay features can elevate a game above more generic entries in its genre, and Rollie is proof-positive that imagination is the key to making a game fun and replayable.
     
    Interviews:
    Rollie is a fun platformer that was years in the making. To learn more about the passion and creativity put into this game, I chatted with the development team.
     

    Optomon
    -Before we dive into Rollie, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrewer? What is the origin story of Optovania?
    Even though I dreamed of making my own games as a kid, I started as a rom hacker, because I was much more into creating new challenges for games I grew up playing. I worked on progressively more complex projects over the years, and collaborated with some people online to make versions of existing games that began to feature modified code. Eventually many of the modified games I worked on felt like completely different games. When I had enough coding experience and knowledge of the NES's architecture, I started to lean more toward homebrewing. I was inspired largely by the growth of the community and this idea that making NES games as something of a profession could be a reality.
     
    -Given the Optovania portmanteau of Optomon and Castlevania, and your previous work on Guardian Legend and Castlevania hacks, I guess it is safe to say you are a fan of both games. What about them resonates with you?
    Optomon is a handle I've used since the days of AOL. Guardian Legend was my favorite game growing up, and while it isn't a general favorite for most, it is one of the more prominent cult games on the NES. The Castlevania series on the other hand, is very popular, and I more generally liked those games. I'm drawn by the huge variety of environments, weapons, and enemies. The bright colors of the graphics and the memorable soundtracks are also a draw. I'm mainly a fan for subjective reasons though, as these were games I had the pleasure of watching my older brothers play through first before playing through them myself once the NES eventually trickled into my room.

    Screenshot from The Guardian Legend featuring Green Optomon
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    My primary influences are the many people who worked on NES games when they were new in the 1980's and 1990's. The articles and interviews on these people are priceless, and they feel like heroes to me. They had to figure out how to engineer NES games with little precedent under some tight deadlines and archaic tools. In the modern homebrew scene, I tend to watch those who work on multiple titles. Gradual Games, Morphcat, and Dullahan are three studios that immediately come to mind.
     
    -Your games are known for creative features that bring something new to the genre and elevate gameplay. How would you describe your design aesthetic, and what to you are the hallmarks of an Optovania game?
    While my projects have matured over the years, I've always been very much into building something familiar around original ideas, and crafting new challenges for a game's intended audience. Over the years I've come to embrace three core principles in artistic design: 1) features need to be novel, 2) logic needs to be valid, and 3) matter needs to be vivid. In short, things need to be fresh, sensible, and alluring. A perfect game commands the focus of a player in a deep and meaningful way, like a book that can't be put down. Enchantment, not addiction.

    Screenshot from Optomon’s hack Castlevania: The Holy Relics
     
    -What tools do you use to code and compose?
    For homebrewing, I code 6502 in Eclipse, using the WUDSN plugin, intuitive to navigate and easy on the eyes. For graphics, I use YY-CHR, I can't think of anything more necessarily comprehensive. Outside of that, I use some archaic equipment that causes me to do way more grunt work than I should. My emulator of choice is the old FCEU, which I like for its simple debugger and memory viewer. On hacking projects, I exclusively use hex editors for coding, and usually some kind of game-specific editor for the levels. It's good for getting fast results if you take notes and know what you are doing, and if there is a good amount of free rom space available. For NES music, I compose first in Noteworthy Composer, then transcribe the notes into hex values.
     
    -On your website, you mention how you essentially taught yourself to code and developed your first games by getting your hands dirty, developing “through data corruption and examination of hex values in the code.” What lessons can you share to others who also learn by doing?
    Do things in ways that best work for you, even if they seem impractical and unrelatable. It's probably to your advantage if you think rationally and enjoy reading up on new tricks, but I am definitely not one of those people. However, as I've matured more, I've come to understand that you absolutely need to do your homework if you want to make it. I generally read up on how to do things now before I get to a point to where it is an absolute necessity, such as learning an assembler for homebrewing, or getting hung up on some specific NES architecture quirks that I've never come across. I have never been able to successfully convince someone to do things in the tedious manners in which I traditionally do them. Learning by doing things in difficult ways makes sense to me only because I enjoy doing it that way. I feel like my methods are conducive to mastering a narrow set of skills very well as opposed to becoming a jack of trades. As a result, most stuff that should be fairly straightforward feels utterly taxing for no good reason.

    Remember here that Chris has mastered a narrow, or rather a particular set of skills
     
    -Before Rollie, you were primarily known for your elaborate NES game hacks, such as The Guardian Legend: Secret Edition, Castlevania: Chorus of Mysteries, and Castlevania: The Holy Relics. Was the experience of developing a game like Rollie from the ground-up different?
    Engineering is different than reverse engineering in a way that building a house is different than giving it a makeover. So the experience was very different. Every part you unscrew is something that you have screwed in so you tend to know what you are dealing with all the time but it's more labor intensive. In hacking, you risk unscrewing something that could make the whole house collapse for a good while and you have no clue why. So while you have a nice shortcut in not having to do a lot of the groundwork you tend to be coding on eggshells.
     
    -Did you have a different attitude toward developing Rollie compared to your previous games? Does playing within the existing worlds of established characters impose limits on what you can do with them or do you feel it offers a larger sandbox to play in?
    I had to act more like a gamer making a game for gamers rather than a fan making a game for fans. With hacking, the sandbox is immediately larger and more established, but the more you break down and understand a game's code, and the more you manage it properly, the less imposing its limits. While you could make the sky your limit in homebrew, I chose to operate within a 40-kilobyte constraint, so in that sense, it felt as restricting as many NES game hacks. Toward the end of its development, the constraint felt suffocating, so I had to be wise with my data use.
     
    -You also developed the game’s music, is your creative process for composing the soundtrack similar to when you are working on the game’s code?
    It's completely different. I tend to compose in my head, at a piano, or at the computer, depending on my mood. Rollie's soundtrack was mostly composed in my head before I wrote out the notes. With game design, things are much more technical and less emotional, so being in the trenches with your ideas is a must. New ideas consisted of doodles and bullet points on graph paper. Most major implementations were fleshed out in a makeshift design document written in notepad before it was coded. Level design was drafted on graph paper, then configured as hex values in several tables. I would say sound effects had a much more similar creative process to the code than music, as each sound effect was composed as a snippet of code manipulating sound registers. With composing music, I didn't have to watch people listen to the music the way I had to watch people play through the levels hundreds of times to get them just right.
     
    -At the heart of Rollie’s gameplay is the rolling, bouncing feature, which seems reminiscent of Sonic the Hedgehog, but more versatile in how it is integrated into the game. What inspired this feature of the game?
    Chiefly, Rollie's definitive mechanic was influenced by the morph ball from the Metroid games. More specifically, it was the incorporation of spring ball into an NES fan game I worked on at the time as the composer, Metroid: Rogue Dawn. While I would test sound implementations throughout the game, I often cruised around jumping and bouncing all over the place as a ball. The developer programmed it very fluidly and it was a fun way to navigate the terrains. I was just starting out Rollie at the time, and I thought, “this has GOT to be the mechanic I am building my game around”, and so I did.

    Screenshot from Metroid: Rogue Dawn
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Rollie? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    Make sure everything is stable as you build incrementally. I ran into some nasty defects involving sprite collisions with the background graphics throughout the game's development because I improperly programmed the scrolling engine early on. Also, test on real hardware, some weird stuff can happen on the console that doesn't in the emulators, such as if you try too many tile writes during vblank. Lastly, ditch the 40-kilobyte constraint unless you absolutely know what you are doing, or are creating a very small-scale game. Rollie is absurdly compressed beyond necessity, right down to modularizing several four-byte instructions that are frequently used into three-byte sub-routines. I can safely guarantee that there is no unused content in the game file. There was no special reason to have done it this way, except to impose a deadline for myself to get the game done and challenge my creativity.
     
    -Ever since my first episode, M-Tee planted this idea in my mind that a game’s protagonist serves as both the player's point of immersion in the game as well as a reflection of its designer. What was the intention behind Rollie and Lorrie’s design, and are there elements of yourself that you see in them?
    I always like to think we have inside us a world as complex and beautiful as the one we are presented with, and we inherently divulge our worlds into the one we share together. It sounds like Rollie and Lorrie are the medium which I have chosen to bridge my world to that of others. As raccoon heroes, they reflect four things: 1) a very short-lived homebrew project I was originally commissioned to work on which involved a red raccoon shooting snakes (which evolved into Rollie after it was canceled), 2) a creature that is apparently capable of rolling, 3) an homage to Mario 3, in which the player physics are particularly an influence, and 4) a personal motif from my adolescence, when I played NES games most passionately. The game's target audience are primarily small children and parents with small children who are familiar with NES games. So the cartoonish woodland setting in which Rollie exists is something that is immediately recognizable and appealing to children, yet has something of a mature story.

    Gameplay gif from Rollie
     
    -What was the working dynamic like in your collaboration with Daniel Adams?
    Daniel and I have known each other for 30 years and we are best friends who grew up together, so working with him was super fun and easygoing. We met and chatted frequently online about the game and the physical product. I would give him a detailed list of what I expected for each illustration. I generally gave him creative freedom so long as what he drew clearly represented what was in the game. He did a good job giving personality and detail to my crude artistic style.
     
    -There has been a lot of support and enthusiasm for Rollie on social media. How does it feel to see so many people enjoying your game?
    I'm quite impressed with it. It's particularly fulfilling when there is someone who really loves the game, it makes me feel like that all that energy into realizing all those dreams was worth it. I try not to get too caught up in praise, in a same way that I try not to get caught up with criticisms. What really makes me happy is the bigger picture though, that people still really love NES games, and that they are holding up to be a timeless product.
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, NES or otherwise? Any dream projects?
    While I am a blank slate for the time being, I still want to make more games. I have some ideas, but they'll have to bake in my mental oven. For a next project, I want to collaborate with more people, especially graphical artists. I'd also want to effectively master plan the game, rather than “master improvise” it like I did with Rollie.
     
    -You were/are also working on Pyronaut, which is built from the game engine of Castlevania II, and Bomberman Classic, which creates a world more in tune with Bomberman’s original cover art. Do you have any updates on either game that you would like to share?
    I wish I could actually say something about Pyronaut other than it being on an indefinite hiatus for the last five years. I put it on ice after I had kids. The rom needs some serious re-organization. As for the Bomberman fan project, it's actually been finished for the last 6 years, but we never gave it a proper release for some reason.

    Screenshots from Pyronaut (left) and Bomberman Classic (right)
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    Sam's Journey looks to have some gameplay depth to it that is treading somewhere along the lines of Kirby. Orange Island also looks to reach that level of complexity. I look forward to seeing both finished. For games with a more serious tone, Halcyon and Project Janus appear to have a high level of technical sophistication and mood that is intriguing. I'm following those when I can.

    Screenshot from Sam’s Journey
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Not much at this time, just thank you for reading and supporting.
     
     
    HobotiX
    -Before we talk about Rollie, I want to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to be an artist generally, and more specifically how did you break into homebrew game art?
    Without getting too much into it, I always enjoyed drawing and doodling throughout elementary and high school. After that, I went to take a wide range of art classes from my local community college and art school, building up my portfolio. I found myself gravitating more toward digital illustration, 3D modeling, and animation more than anything else. Once I felt my portfolio was at a good spot, I started applying to internships and found work at a startup called Tapulous as a Visual Designer making mobile games, which was a very new market at the time. 
    Once I found a relatively stable career, I started meeting up with my co-workers after hours and working on little side projects, spitballing game ideas, and seeing what we can hack together. One year, we decided to enter a Ludum Dare, which is a 48-hour game jam held online. We created a neat prototype of a game called Unforbidden Planetoid, which was meant to be a small Metroidvania, but we ran out of time. I worked with one of my co-workers who did all of the programming, and I managed to produce a lot of art for the project though, and animated the main character. The demo still exists on the Ludum Dare website if you wish to check it out.

    Screenshot from Unforbidden Planetoid
    Needless to say, I love designing and making games, writing up design documents for various games and spitballing ideas with people. I have since left the “professional” game development scene, if you can call mobile games that, and have gone back to school for Computer Science, which I am finishing soon. Making your own games is fun, but the professional scene for game development is really jading. You can find articles on that topic if you look for them, but I digress. I plan to do solo game development from this point forward.

    Bruno Mars Revenge, art by Daniel Adams
    Personal Portfolio (needs updating, but relevant): https://daportfolio.me/
    Unforbidden Planetoid: https://daportfolio.me/Unforbidden-Planetoid
    -What is the significance of your HobotiX handle?
    Nothing too significant really. My old online handle was “Starscream,” but needed a new handle that wouldn’t be used as frequently. Especially as more and more services came online. I settled on “HobotiX” because I thought it sounded funny. It’s a mix of “Hobo” and “Robotics.”
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    It is hard to say if I have any one influence, because different art influences me in different ways. Back in high school, I was definitely influenced by anime and game art, specifically Gundam and Mega Man, but later found myself drawn more toward the simplicity and design of Eyvind Earle and William S. Rice, and the raw brush strokes of Spanish comic book artists, like Sanjulián. While different, these things definitely influenced me while I was still in college and during my career. 

    Summer Twilight by Eyvind Earle

    Night – Yosemite by William S. Rice

    Vampirella #13 "The Silver Thief and the Pharaoh's Daughter" by Sanjulián
    These days, I have been following the work of Temmie Chang, M-Tee, and Shafer Brown to name a few. I usually end up making some art boards on Pinterest, and end up noticing that I have added multiple pieces from the same artist. While my focus is now more on the programming side, I still do a lot of drawing and illustrations for fun.

    Screenshot from Temmie Chang’s Escaped Chasm

    Slobberoth Fight by Shafer Brown

    I believe you’re familiar with M-Tee’s work
    Eyvind Earle: https://eyvindearle.com/
    William S. Rice: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_S._Rice
    Sanjulián: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/120326342/sanjulian-master-of-fantasy-art
    Temmie Chang: https://tuyoki.itch.io/
    M-Tee: https://mteegfx.itch.io/
    Shafer Brown: http://www.shaferbrown.com/
     
    -Do you feel that your art has any qualities that are uniquely you? How would you describe your aesthetic?
    Hard to say. I don’t think there is anything particularly unique about what I do vs another artist. I like dynamic angles and lighting if I am painting a full scene, but can do some very static pieces as well. I like trying to capture the feel of a scene with these elements.
     
    -What tools do you use to create your art?
    For the most part, I will draw and ink my artwork in my sketchbook, and scan it into my computer and do all the painting in Adobe Photoshop using a Wacom Tablet. When I was working in the studio setting, I had a Wacom Cintiq, where the computer monitor doubles as the tablet surface, and I would draw directly on that. These days, I have been getting into using Procreate on the iPad with the Apple Pen. I have been renting one from my college to get by, but it has been a great experience. 
     
    -Tell me about the development of the art you created for Rollie, what is your composition process? Is the creative process different compared to when you create for other projects?
    Chris had a pretty good idea of what he wanted for the project, and I simply had to go down the list and bring the sprite work that he did to life. The hardest part was really settling on the style that I wanted to draw the characters in, which meant that I had to get the look of Rollie and Lorrie down first. To do this, I looked at a lot of cutesy character art, and some classic Super Mario artwork, and kind of settled at a happy medium. Once I got that down, and the ok from Chris, the rest was just following that style, while trying to match the sprites as closely as possible.
    All of the characters and items were illustrated over the course of a couple of months, where I sketched, inked, and then finished them in Photoshop. The next piece that I got started on was the front cover, which took a lot of work. I first did multiple sketches of different cover art ideas, from something very simple, to something very complex. I always liked those NES covers that have amazing illustrated covers that convey the gist of the game, like Gradius or Castlevania. To that end, I went with something showing the action of the game, jumping, surrounded by the enemy, the woodland creatures, and set it in the forest. I set the perspective looking up because I wanted it to look amazing and fun. All of these are factors that play into how the game is played, and where it is set. Once the sketch was complete, I pulled it into Photoshop where I did a more in-depth painting of the characters and scene, spending a bit of time on the lighting and texture of the world. I like how the cover came out.

    Rollie box art
     
    -The manual is full of fun, cartoony illustrations; my personal favorites are the “making friends” and cola illustrations. Was there anything in particular that you drew on for inspiration in your illustrations?
    I have made a lot of icon art during my time as a visual designer, so I have a lot of experience boiling down a complex action to a simple two-tone representation. Creating full illustrations representing these things was much more straightforward. But, put simply, Chris wanted something like the Super Mario Brothers manual, where there were illustrations that represented the different actions, and I followed that request.

    Image from Rollie’s manual
     
    -What do you think makes a game’s manual stand out?
    A game manual needs to be fun to flip through and it needs to flesh out the world it is a part of. When you get an item in the game, you might not be entirely sure what it is, or how it fits into the world. But when you find that item in the manual, you can see what it is, and keep that image in your mind as you play the game. A good manual also expresses character traits in its illustrations, anthropomorphizing them and the sprites that represent them.

    The duck is the only one with any chill
     
    -How did you first connect with Chris and what was it like working with him?
    I met Chris back in Kindergarten, and we have been friends since. We have very similar tastes as far as games go, and are pretty familiar working together. We never really step on each other's toes or anything. We give each other feedback on our work, and end up agreeing because our preferences are so aligned.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in your work on Rollie? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    If anything, I wish I could have been more hands on with the printed materials. I did all of the layout work and design for them, but I would have liked to have been able to pick out the finish for the boxes and actually seen how they looked printed before running with them. Not to say that I am displeased with any of the print work, just would have liked that amount of control.
     
    -You told me that you also playtested Rollie during its development, and have tested some of Chris’ other games. What goes through your mind as you playtest, for this or any game? Are there any favorite games that you measure them against?
    Yeah, I have playtested many of Chris’s games over the years, and usually stream it when I do, even if no one follows me. Chris usually approaches me when his game is maybe 90% of the way there, and he is polishing some features and finishing up level design. I usually try to weed out any confusing game or interface design decisions, and for a fair difficulty curve. I feel that a game should be able to teach you how to play it by the design of its level, such as world 1-1 of Super Mario Brothers. 

    It's a classic for a reason
    Difficulty should ramp up by introducing you to a concept, iterating on that concept, and finally testing mastery of said concept. Rollie was a unique challenge though because of its sandbox approach to platforming. You have so many abilities and ways to traverse the level, and the challenge is designing a level in a way that forces you to pick one, or the other. I feel that this was successful, and by the time the difficulty ramps up, the player is prepared for the challenge.
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DAportfolio/
    Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/hobotix
     
    -Is there another project after Rollie on the horizon? Another dream project that you hope to bring into existence, video game or otherwise?
    I am not entirely sure what Chris plans to do after Rollie, but I am happy to help him in any way that I can. As for me, I am kind of wanting to dig into the Unreal engine and do some rapid prototyping when I finally have some time. Free time is hard to find though when one is studying Computer Science though. I would love to develop at least one of my game concepts.
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    I was really excited about Micro Mages when that came out. The sprite work is amazing, and it is a fun party game concept for the NES. I have also been playing a bit of Project Blue over the last few months, and have been digging that. I am also looking forward to playing Trophy once that officially releases. So, quite an active homebrew scene.

    Trophy? Hmm, rings a bell
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    If you are interested in making your own game, there is no better time to start than now. There are so many tools and resources out there that make it really easy to get into. You can go old school like Chris and write everything in a very primitive programming language, or you can use a modern tool like NESmaker, with a built-in spriting tool. If retro is not your jam, you can look into Unity or Unreal engine game development. There are so many free tutorial videos out there that it is easy to find an answer to any of the questions you might have. All you need is the motivation to do it. I highly recommend learning to do everything on your own (code, art, system design) if you can, because it’s hard to find people to work with. And besides, it’s nice to understand every aspect of your game. It is also nice to be able to wear multiple hats in a game jam.
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of a series that digs deeper into the latest homebrew games worth adding to your library. What are your thoughts on Rollie and its developers? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?
     

  17. Scrobins

    Episode 6: Jay & Silent Bob: Mall Brawl

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Episode 6: Jay & Silent Bob: Mall Brawl

    Introduction:
    Ask any homebrewer what inspired them to create a particular game or why they became a brewer in the first place, and many will point to a cultural icon of yesteryear that still resonates with them. Some games serve as an homage to a beloved game from a console’s licensed era. Other games are a thinly veiled adaptation of a beloved world that never received the video game treatment on a given console. How incredible is it then, when a homebrewer is entrusted with developing a game in service of a well-known universe that spans movies, tv, and comics? The result may well be a game those characters would sell their mother to play.
    For this entry, I’m covering Jay & Silent Bob: Mall Brawl, a beat-‘em-up game with 2-player co-op developed by Tomas Guinan aka Spoony Bard Productions in collaboration with Interabang Entertainment, Toni Leys, Hanzo Steinbach, and Wallride Games, providing an NES entry into the View Askewniverse, and prequel to the in-development modern brawler Jay & Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch for PC (and may be pre-ordered here), with plans to potentially release for the PS4 and Xbox One. As of the time of this writing, the digital release of Mall Brawl is now available on Steam and Nintendo Switch, and a physical release of the game on NES from Limited Run Games has sold out.
     
    Development Team:
    @tomaSpoony Bard Productions (Tomas Guinan): programming
    Toni Leys: music
    Hans “Hanzo” Steinbach: box art
    Wallride Games (Ty Burks & Nathan Shorts): game art, including background designs and enemy sprites
    Interabang Entertainment: design, direction, promotion
     

     
    Game Evolution:
    Mall Brawl’s origins begin with a different game altogether: the modern beat-‘em-up Jay & Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch by Interabang Entertainment. Chronic Blunt Punch features a fun, cartoony aesthetic that has the titular duo investigating the disappearance of their customers and the menace of the new Galleria. But this game is a battle of wits as well as fists; the story branches based on the player’s choice of words in Convo Combo Combat, where you can sweet-talk or mentally destroy a boss. Chronic Blunt Punch launched a crowdfunding campaign on Fig in February 2016, raising over $445,000. The game’s development continues, with a prospective release of August 2021 on Steam.

    Snootch to the nootch!
    Reminiscent of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and its 8-bit brother Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, Mall Brawl was conceived as an 8-bit accompaniment to Chronic Blunt Punch, but one that could be played on an actual NES. Though Tomas Guinan hinted something incredible was in the works during his appearance on The Assembly Line in February 2019, the first true teaser appeared in a YouTube video posted on July 14, 2019, in which a happy-go-lucky Easter Bunny is having a nice Super Mario Bros. experience before getting pummeled by Jay & Silent Bob.

    Animals were totally harmed in the making of this game
    The following month Tomas posted a YouTube video featuring gameplay footage and a link to the game’s dedicated website with more information.
    Pre-orders for Mall Brawl opened September 6, 2019 on the dedicated website as well as on Limited Run Games’ site. Limited Run Games offered a CIB of the game in classic gray, Jay yellow, and Silent Bob green; a Triple Threat collection of all three CIB color options; and a Premium Edition which included a foil-stamped gatefold box, game cart, manual, set of collectible art cards, game soundtrack CD, and a full-size poster.
    A new YouTube video appeared on April 29, 2020, featuring the rap stylings of Interabang Entertainment’s Justin Woodward announcing the upcoming launch of Mall Brawl on Steam and the Nintendo Switch on May 7. And in early August, Interabang Entertainment and Limited Run Games fulfilled pre-orders of the NES game to excited backers.

    We been playin’ once or twice, fightin’ in Kevin Smith’s paradise!
     
    Gameplay Overview:
    Mall Brawl describes itself as a retro beat-‘em-up, featuring 2-player co-op action in the spirit of River City Ransom, Battletoads, and Double Dragon II. Fans of Mallrats and the View Askewniverse in general will recognize the setting and characters. You play as Jay and/or Silent Bob high off their success from sabotaging a live taping of Truth or Date and are trying to make their getaway and escape mall security. Unfortunately it’s not just LaFours and his army of rent-a-cops that have it out for you; sk8erbois, hockey punks, and ice cream clerks, among others are headed your way. And don’t forget the Easter Bunny is looking to settle a score, with his burger mascot buddy backing him up.

    And he’s looking to knock you in the cadbury’s
    Experienced players of 8-bit brawlers will feel at home with the controls, where the A button punches, the B button kicks, and the two buttons together make you jump, while double-tapping left or right allows you to dash. Pushing either button while mid-air performs a jump kick and pushing either button mid-dash will ram an enemy. More complicated moves draw inspiration from the pillars of NES beat-‘em-ups. For instance the uppercut that results from a 4-punch combo and the high kick that follows a 4-kick combo scream Battletoads. Meanwhile grabbing a stunned enemy by hitting A, then either kneeing them in the face by hitting A again or throwing them over your shoulder by hitting B are straight out of Renegade.

    The black sheep of the Kunio-kun series
    In addition, Jay & Silent Bob each have a special attack: Jay can execute a somersault kick, hitting an enemy 3 times in the air following a 4-kick combo, while Silent Bob performs a spinning lariat, hitting an enemy up to 5 more times after a successful 4-punch combo. However both special attacks can only be performed if your character picks up a star dropped by a beaten enemy. In 1-player mode, you can swap between Jay and Silent Bob by hitting select during gameplay. This is especially valuable because if either Jay or Silent Bob get a little too roughed up, swapping characters allows whichever one is not in play to rest and slowly restore health.
     
    Writer’s Review:
    Fans of the View Askewniverse will find plenty of small, familiar touches throughout Mall Brawl’s bright, colorful mallscape from the Truth or Date stage to Moody’s. Fans of 8-bit brawlers will find their own nostalgia stings pulled with gameplay mechanics and enemies, not least of which is the just barely escaping copyright infringement Adoughbo, the pretzel-headed mutant cousin of a certain beloved Double Dragon foe, and a shopping cart gauntlet that will trigger gamers’ memories/nightmares of a certain Battletoads level. But if the box art and enemies channel Double Dragon II, then the hit/stun animations pay homage to Battletoads, as characters express hilarious shock at being hit. Perhaps they’re simply in awe at the sound effects for some weapons, like the “kong” of a glass bottle or the “jangle” of a sock full of quarters.

    Gives new meaning to stunning sound effects
    Then again attention to detail and the thought given to seemingly mundane aspects are what set Mall Brawl inventively apart. Most beat-‘em-ups that I have played offer a wide open field of play encircled by whatever graphical flourishes the artists can conjure to create ambiance, plus some items you can smash for pick-ups. Mall Brawl provides an actual environment you must navigate around. The level design is not just a fence around an open area; in addition to smashable objects like plastic trash cans, there are objects that obstruct movement like planters and benches that you must fight around, and stairs that you can move up and down in a real three-dimensional space, all of which requires players to think more critically about their gameplay. Wrapping up the atmosphere of this game in a big, gorgeous bow is its music. The soundtrack is peppy and fun, stirring up the kind of enthusiasm I once had for my favorite Saturday morning cartoon shows. While this music may not be the melodies of Morris Day and The Time, Jay & Silent Bob would absolutely jam out to these tunes in front of the Quick Stop.

    They want to know ya, know ya
    Regarding gameplay itself, Mall Brawl manages to fit in a variety of attacks despite the limits inherent to an NES controller. Such complexity, along with the fun animations accompanying them, elevates Mall Brawl’s fun and replayability. The basic moves are present and easy to learn, making Mall Brawl accessible to gamers of all skill levels. Yet more complicated actions are available for advanced players to experiment with escaping swarms of mall ninjas and hockey hooligans. Which brings me to the game’s difficulty. Mall Brawl’s enemies are legion, each with distinct looks and personalities, as well as attack patterns that are not easily overcome by mere button mashing. This game is difficult without feeling entirely unfair. There were several moments where I initially got stuck, but figuring out how to use the right combination of attacks with the level’s environment forced me to experiment and ultimately have a more fun experience. But honestly, thank goodness for the save feature. Mall Brawl may well be the “thinking person’s brawler”, but I was more enthusiastic about revisiting the game later knowing I could walk away and pick up where I left off without starting over.
    In a genre saturated with games good and bad for every console generation, and whatever level of purgatory Paprium currently sits, Mall Brawl reminds us why we loved the old beat-‘em-ups and poured quarter after quarter into arcade machines. This game brings back everything we loved without being derivative while also being faithful to the universe of its characters. I recently started a tradition with one of my best friends where we play our favorite old games and some homebrews I bring when we’re both back in our hometown for the holidays. Assuming we’re able to get together this year, I am excited to show him Mall Brawl and give him my spare copy for Christmas so we can play it together.
     
    Interviews:
    Mall Brawl is a game that combines the passion of a multitude of talented people in order to deliver players a game that surpasses its hype. I interviewed the development team to learn how it all came together, including my first interview over Zoom!
     

    toma
    @SpoonyBardToma
    -Before we dive into Mall Brawl, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrewer? What is the origin story of Spoony Bard Productions?
    Spoony Bard Productions started out in 1997. From then to around 2001 it was mostly about NES romhacks and translations. The most notable translation I did at that point was probably Glory of Heracles 2, which pretty much introduced that series to the English world. My interests shifted toward Flash animation for a while after that, which is when Eskimo Bob started. I was still a NES fan, but not really involved in romhacking or homebrew or anything like that until I ordered an AVS and Battle Kid in 2016. Seeing that console and game inspired me to look into homebrew. I found Doug Fraker's tutorials and the Eskimo Bob NES game kind of grew out of me following along those.
     
    -Based on the Spoony Bard name, is it safe to say you are a Final Fantasy fan, or are you a fan of Woolseyisms?
    Yeah, I basically just thought that "You spoony bard!" was a hilarious quote. I was 15 when I first created the website and the original "logo" I had on my page was a screenshot of that moment in FF2. A lot of the early translation community was centred around Final Fantasy and translating those "lost" three games, so it was very appropriate for the time.

    Yes, I am aware that Woolsey himself did not write this one
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    Honestly, that's a super tough question and hard to pinpoint. I feel like I have a lot of hybrid influences. Obviously a lot of the classic NES games like Mario, Mega Man, Final Fantasy, etc. A lot of my animated work tends to have pretty heavy Transformers influences in it as well. Basically just old games and cartoons.
    I'm not sure I have anyone in particular who I follow closely, but there is a lot of stuff that catches my eye. Anything Frankengraphics draws tends to be really interesting, and Dimension Shift by Mugi looks amazing as well. Morphcat does some pretty consistently amazing work as well. Micro Mages gets the most attention, but I really enjoyed Bobl a lot.

    Bobl gameplay gif
     
    -You burst onto the homebrew scene with NES games based on your characters from the world of Eskimo Bob. Between the original show and the games you have developed, how would you describe your aesthetic?
    I think my 3 main games so far have a pretty similar aesthetic. They all feature thick black lines, cartoony proportions, and characters with a prominent eyebrow. It's a style that you saw a lot in mid-to later NES games, where you had lots of characters with black outlines. I stole the eyebrow thing from early Final Fantasy, even back in the original Eskimo Bob cartoon.
     
    -What tools do you use to code and compose?
    For writing code I use Notepad++. Everything I've done so far uses cc65 with a bit of assembly spattered here and there when it makes sense. For graphics I use YYCHR and NESst to make sprites and tilesets. Level design is done using Tiled, and for games that I compose my own music for I use Famitracker/Famitone.
     
    -Before Mall Brawl, you had already developed Galf for Limited Run games. How did your relationship with Limited Run Games come about?
    I've known Josh from Limited Run for nearly 20 years now. We met while I was doing the Eskimo Bob cartoon and he backed both of my Kickstarters. He'd actually been encouraging me to do some sort of Eskimo Bob reboot for a while because he knew that there were some people who had some nostalgia for it. Later on, when Limited Run was getting ready for their Golf Story physical release, Josh contacted me about doing a NES port of Galf, and things kind of grew from there.

    Galf cart and box from Limited Run Games
     
    -In preparing for this interview I realized that of Limited Run Games’ entire catalog, you have developed all of their original NES game releases. Furthermore, despite the limited nature of Limited Run Games’ releases, their production runs are generally larger than many other homebrew releases. Therefore I think it is fair say that you are many people’s introduction to homebrew games and its community. Do you have any thoughts on being an ambassador of homebrew?
    I think it's really cool, and I never really thought about it that way before. There are a lot of really good games in the homebrew scene that could stand toe-to-toe with popular indie titles. I think it'd be great for some of these games to get some wider exposure.
     
    -An article in Bleeding Cool stated Mall Brawl was originally conceived as a free digital bonus for backers of Interabang Entertainment’s Jay & Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch. Were you already involved with the game at this stage, or did you join at another point? How did you connect with Interabang Entertainment? At what point did Mall Brawl become an NES game?
    From the point that I came in, Mall Brawl was always intended to be a NES game. I don't think it was ever conceived to be anything else. Interabang had been working on Chronic Blunt Punch for a while and already had a relationship with Limited Run. After Galf sold out much quicker than expected, Limited Run were looking at doing another NES title, so I think that's how things started. From my perspective, Josh emailed me one day and asked if I was interested in developing a Jay and Silent Bob NES game, and I obviously said yes, hahaha.
     
    -What was the working dynamic like in your collaboration with Interabang? What was the division of labor on Mall Brawl, and how was the development process between members of your team?
    I really enjoyed working with Justin from Interabang. It was the type of collaboration where we clicked pretty quickly and stayed on the same page almost all the time, so it made the whole development process fun. We basically had weekly meetings where we'd discuss progress and brainstorm ideas. Things went smoothly and quickly. It's a relationship that is definitely going to continue long-term. I'm currently working on Chronic Blunt Punch with that team and we're looking at exploring some future projects as well.
     
    -You posted on Twitter that you were also refining combat physics on Jay & Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch. What was the extent of your involvement in Mall Brawl’s modern companion, and how was that experience different compared to your work for an 8-bit brawler?
    I'm officially part of the Chronic Blunt Punch team at this point as a developer. In my professional life I have a Computer Science degree where I specialized in graphics, gaming, and media, so I've worked on modern projects in a professional capacity before. Honestly, there is a lot of knowledge that carries over between the two work environments, even if tools being used and programming languages are different.
     
    -Were you a fan of the View Askewniverse prior to Mall Brawl?
    I've been a fan for over two decades. I still have a frisbee that I got during a test screening of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

    Noice swag
     
    -What is it like developing a game containing such cultural icons as Jay & Silent Bob?
    It was really cool and surreal from the start, and in a lot of ways still doesn't feel real. I think that's kind of amplified by the fact that the game came out during lockdown, so I haven't been able to go to any promotional events or anything. Nothing feels real anymore hahaha.
     
    -Did you have a different attitude toward developing Mall Brawl compared to developing games for your own intellectual property? Is the experience of developing them different? Does playing within the existing world of established characters impose limits on what you can do with them?
    I think it would depend on the property. Being a fan of Jay and Silent Bob made it pretty easy for me to develop a game that was full of referential humour to that franchise. We had a lot of freedom to do what we want with this project, so it didn't feel that much different than making something based on something I had created myself. The Eskimo Bob games were full of references as well, it was just references to something I had made myself instead, but the mindset was similar.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Mall Brawl as opposed to Eskimo Bob or Alfonzo’s Arctic Adventure from a programming perspective? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    I think the biggest difference is obviously the game genre. EB and Alfonzo are both puzzle platformers and Mall Brawl is a beat-‘em-up, so there was a much bigger focus on things like enemy AI as opposed to level design. It was also different because it was the first NES game where I collaborated with someone else on an original design. There would be a lot of times where Justin and I would be talking and he'd suggest something that I wasn't sure could be done or not. When programming for the NES, you always kind of have that thought in mind, where there's a ceiling to what the system can handle. That's the biggest difference between developing for an older platform and modern development. The trick is to try to work around those limits instead of letting them hold you back. Sometimes an idea might seem impossible at first, but you just need to think of it from a different perspective.
     
    -There has been a lot of buzz around Mall Brawl across fans of homebrew, the View Askewniverse, and beyond. How does it feel to bask in such enthusiasm and support?
    The reception for Mall Brawl has been really good and it feels awesome. The game has a 73 on Metacritic, with most reviewers actually giving it an 80 (darn you Nintendolife!). Honestly, for a game developed for a 35-year old console being judged to modern standards, that's not half bad, and I'll take it.
     
    -On top of the general buzz, Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes themselves played Mall Brawl and posted their gameplay. What was it like watching the Jay & Silent Bob play your game?
    Watching Kevin and Jay play the game was definitely a surreal experience. Seeing it featured in Kevin's show Son-in-Lockdown was amazing as well. I think my favorite moment of their stream was when they beat the Patrick Swayze boss and Kevin said something like "This feels better than putting my handprints down at the Chinese theatre!" These are guys that I grew up watching so it's really cool to see them get enjoyment out of something I made.

    Swayze defeated, achievement unlocked!
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, NES or otherwise? Any dream projects?
    Aside from working on Chronic Blunt Punch right now, there are some possible projects in the future but nothing I can confirm yet. My dream is to do a sequel to an existing NES franchise as a NES game. That dream suddenly doesn't feel out of reach.
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    I think I'd mentioned it before, but Dimension Shift looks really cool. I tried out the demo, but I can't wait to see the full game when it's done.

    Screenshot from Dimension Shift
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Don't give up, always keep trying, and have fun. That's the best way to do anything, really.
     

    Toni Leys
    @tonileys
    -Before we talk about Mall Brawl, I want to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to be a musician? What led you to compose music for games? What is your origin story?
    Thanks for having me Sean! I like to say my story with music began even before I realized. I come from a family of musicians, so I was raised with music all around me, it was a natural thing for me to make music. My grandfather used to play the piano and the organ at a church and when I, as a little kid, saw a keyboard for the first time I fell in love. I studied keyboard playing at a Yamaha music school as a kid and at a conservatory when I was around 19. After that I just kept learning different genres and techniques by myself.
    Video games were also a big part of my life, but thinking about working as a musician for games wasn’t in my mind. However, I was fascinated by games music, I even had a music tape I recorded hooking up my Genesis to a recorder!
    One day I was invited to play the keys with a video game music cover band called Insert Coin, that day my mind made the click, I realized I could somehow merge my two biggest loves in life. I ended up touring with that band for 5 years.

    Insert Coin live in concert
    Around that time I also started making my own tracks and uploading to Soundcloud, I remember finding out about the “chiptune” genre and trying to mix that with other stuff, so I ended up making my first electronic+chiptune tracks.
    It was a matter of time and making more and more music to stumble upon people, now friends of mine, that worked making games and loved my music and wanted it in their games.
    So that’s how I ended up making music for games and I’ve been doing that (as well as sound design and implementation) as my primary job since 2015.
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    Oh that’s all over the place, I listen to a lot of different styles of music, from Daft Punk to Vulpeck and ORESAMA. Most of my inspiration for my albums and singles come from the new wave of electronic producers and chiptune artists, like Porter Robinson, Hyper Potions, Moe Shop or Snile’s House. But when composing for games I kind of shift the mindset and end up opening my inspiration box full of the 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit era composers like Masato Nakamura (Sonic 1 and 2), Koji Kondo (Zelda, Mario), Michiru Yamane (Rocket Knight Adventures, Castlevania), and also current game composers like my friends Tee Lopes (Sonic Mania) and Francisco Cerda (Jamestown).

    Masato Nakamura
     
    -In addition to your musical work on video games, you perform live. Does your experience performing provide inspiration for your game music, or vice versa?
    Well, my live performances are really influenced by my love for games. I usually play remixes of music from games and make cool visuals with lots of pixel art and game references (and memes). My live shows are really a gaming and internet culture mess!
     
    -Do you feel that your music has any qualities that are quintessentially you? How would you describe your aesthetic?
    In that regard I believe that it is impossible to decouple yourself from the things you make, and that’s not only for music. I think every artist learns from the stuff that they like and incorporate to its creation. However, what you borrow from other artists are resources and tools, so when you use them to make your stuff it’s never gonna sound like them, it’s gonna sound like you, with some influence. But I can’t say exactly what about my music is “me”, I just do it. Then some people come saying “oh this track is so Toni Leys!”, and I really don’t know what exactly is that thing, but yeah, it’s there.
     
    -What tools do you use to compose, generally as well as for games?
    I use FL Studio to compose and REAPER for mixing and mastering, sort of. But in the case of Mall Brawl, which is specifically coded as an NES rom, I used Famitracker. It’s a tracker, a special music software where you can write music compatible with the NES system. In the same way I’m using Deflemask (also a tracker) to make music for Phantom Gear, that is being made for the Sega Genesis system.
     
    -Tell me about the development of Mall Brawl’s music, what is your composition process? Is the creative process different compared to when you compose more traditional music?
    The approach I use when making music for a game is more or less always the same, I learn as much as I can from the game, I get references of the music style wanted and start drafting some tracks to bounce off the dev team and receive some feedback. From there I just go on making and polishing the tracks and testing them in game to see if I need to change something. In the case of Mall Brawl, it was the same, but the special thing here was the limitations I had in terms of technical specs. For example, I had 4 channels to work with, that’s 4 sounds maximum playing at the same time. I couldn’t use samples so I “synthesized” the drums with the note channels. I couldn’t use some specific commands like vibrato or pitch bend, so I had to bake those into the instruments. Stuff like that. But I think the soundtrack came out pretty cool and reminiscent of the most classic NES beat-‘em-ups!
     
    -Your work on homebrew games spans a wide assortment of gems including the upcoming Phantom Gear and you have created fun remixes to music from Zelda and Undertale. How has your approach to composition evolved over the years?
    I think the most notorious change in my approach to composing music was thanks to working for games. I talked a little bit about this already, when you compose music as its own product you face it with that in mind, it’s the most common way of approaching music making. But when composing for a game, and I learnt this when I started having this job, you make music as a gear of a bigger machine. Your music serves a purpose, actually, many purposes! Giving a narrative to the game, communicating stuff to the player, providing a time and space for the scene. The game is a big monster full of work made by different people (artists, designers, programmers) and all of that needs to fit and work well together. So that’s the most drastic change in my approach to making music in the last years of my career.

    Screenshot from Phantom Gear
     
    -Speaking of Phantom Gear, tell me more about that project. How do you like working with Bits Rule Games and Mega Cat Studios? How does the experience of composing for a Sega Genesis homebrew game compare to composing for the NES?
    Bits Rule Games is a fantastic group of people, and I really can’t believe how beautiful Phantom Gear is looking and how well it works, even with the development still in progress. The process is not that different for both games, but the Genesis sound chip has a lot more to offer, and that’s great but makes it more complicated too. I have much more freedom when making instruments, I can use cool samples and I have a lot of channels to work with. But you can imagine, in a weird environment like making homebrews, double the tech specs and you have double the problems to solve!
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in your work on Mall Brawl? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    Working with the guys in this game was actually pretty straight forward, apart from the technical limitations we faced, and that we stated clearly at the beginning of the production process, the rest was a smooth ride! But I am aware that I had the advantage of having worked a lot with trackers and those types of limitations before. So to the folks that want to get their hands in making music for a retro homebrew, be sure to know your tools very well!
    A lot of times you’ll be faced with issues that you have to workaround in an unorthodox way, but it’s also a lot of fun, so go download a few trackers and make some cool beats!
     
    -How did you first connect with Tomas Guinan and the folks at Interabang and what is the working dynamic like as you work on your respective aspects of the game?
    I met Justin Woodward, head of Interabang, when he came to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I live. He traveled to give a talk at EVA (Exposición de Videojuegos Argentina), the gaming industry expo we have here. Then we kept in contact and I started working on Chronic Blunt Punch, the other Jay and Silent Bob game. After that he told me about Mall Brawl and I was super stoked, that’s where I met Tomas and we started working on that. I work from my home here in Buenos Aires and I believe Tomas works from his home too, so we worked together communicating over discord and having some calls with Justin too.
     
    -Were you a fan of Kevin Smith and his View Askewniverse prior to Mall Brawl?
    Some will kill me for this but I actually was really disconnected from that fandom. I did see some of the movies a long time ago but I barely remembered them, so I re-watched some of the movies when I started talking about this with Justin, and oh boy, what a ride!
     
    -What is it like developing a game containing such cultural icons as Jay & Silent Bob?
    It’s actually a huge responsibility, having a huge fandom behind, I don’t want to disappoint them. But at the same time there’s something about these kinds of games, that they are kind of their own bubbles of culture, so I try to stick to the references and the style of the game over everything else, then we talk about referencing the movies in some sense or bring some of the stylistic aspects that surround Jay and Silent Bob into the formula.
     
    -Is there another project after Mall Brawl on the horizon? Another dream project that you hope to bring into existence, video game or otherwise?
    Apart from Chronic Blunt Punch and Phantom Gear, I work for LemonChili Games, a mobile games company based here in Buenos Aires, so we’re always making stuff on that end. But for now I’m focused on finishing those projects as well as looking to the industry and what everyone is cooking. I have a few game studios in mind to work with in the future but nothing solid right now.

    Screenshot of Floyd’s Sticker Squad from LemonChili Games
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    I’m actually a bit of a laser-focused person, so with all my projects going on I may be missing some gems that are under development right now. I was following Micro Mages and Arkagis Revolution, fantastic games that are already released. So I’m waiting to be hit by some fantastic homebrew!

    Screenshot from Arkagis Revolution
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Thank you very much for having me! If you like the music I composed for Mall Brawl please stay tuned, a digital release of the soundtrack is on its way. Also, you can stop by my Instagram or Twitter if you have any questions or just want to say hi!
     

    Hans “Hanzo” Steinbach
    @HeavyMetalHanzo
    -Before we talk about Mall Brawl, I want to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to be an artist generally, and more specifically how did you break into homebrew game art?
    As a kid in the 80's Anime and Videogames were my world. They led me to a very interesting and varied career path. I grew up in Europe and here Anime was more prevalent than American cartoons.
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    Go Nagai (Mazinger Z, Devil Man) would have to be one of my earliest influences. I don't really follow any particular artists these days to be honest, there are so many amazing artists out there it'd be hard for me to pick and choose which ones to follow.

    Go Nagai standing with a poster of his art
     
    -You've also created art for another beloved homebrew: Battle Kid 2. Do you feel that your art has any qualities that are uniquely you? How would you describe your aesthetic?
    I've been told that my drawings usually feel very energetic, I’m not too fond of static drawings, I usually want there to be some motion and energy.
    My aesthetic leans mostly towards "Anime" but with hints of other styles, for a while I’ve been studying Moebius and Gustave Doré too.

    Box art for Battle Kid 2
     
    -Tell me about the development of the art you created for Mall Brawl, what is your composition process? Is the creative process different compared to when you create character designs and illustrations for other projects?
    It's basically like any other illustrations I work on, I usually wait till my initial sketches are approved and move on to lineart and coloring. I do have a tendency of separating every character into their own layers, in case anything has to be moved around at a later time. Or in the case of the Jay and Silent Bob games, they can animate the illustrations for trailers etc.
     
    -The box/label art is a fun homage to Double Dragon 2. Are you a fan of NES beat-‘em-ups? What drove you to use that game's art as inspiration?
    Oh yeah I grew up with those games, they were basically the type of games I played when I couldn’t figure out what to play, haha. It's so nice to see the resurgence of high-quality beat-‘em-ups.
    Justin (Interabang Entertainment) always comes up with those ideas, it makes the process go smoothly since I won’t have to spend time thinking of a layout or what to draw.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in your work on Mall Brawl? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    I didn't have any particular challenges with this one luckily, but for aspiring "digital" artists, make sure you have a backup save for the particular drawing you're working on. Boy, did I learn that the hard way...
     
    -How did you first connect with Tomas Guinan and the folks at Interabang and what was it like working with them?
    I never directly interacted with Tomas, unfortunately, but Justin Woodward was the one that got in touch with me and we've been in touch through Discord ever since.
    Working with them was just a fun and comfortable process, I'm always looking forward to working with them again.
     
    -Were you a fan of Kevin Smith and his View Askewniverse prior to Mall Brawl?
    I ruined my Mallrats VHS tape, I had this movie on a loop it was so damn good. But yeah I’ve been a fan since the old Clerks days.

    The alt text Word suggests for this picture is: a picture containing phone
     
    -What is it like creating art of such cultural icons as Jay & Silent Bob?
    Frankly it's surreal, back in the day I would be drawing while Mallrats was playing in the background. Never thought I would one day end up doing some art for them. I’m very thankful for that.
     
    -Is there another project after Mall Brawl on the horizon? Another dream project that you hope to bring into existence, video game or otherwise?
    I am actually in the middle of 2 different projects, unfortunately due to NDA I am not at liberty to talk about them until the games are announced. But I can promise you, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    Yeah, my friend Carlos has been working on his game called "Lords of Exile". I've been helping him out with some character designs and illustrations. Fans of 8-bit Castlevania should definitely check it out.

    Screenshot of Lords of Exile from Squidbit Works
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Anytime Sean, it was a pleasure answering these questions. It's nice to see so many people supporting devs who left their jobs to follow their passion and work on their own games, usually meant for a particular audience or a particular style. It’s just nice to see so much creativity these days and I hope everyone will achieve their goals.
     

    Nathan Shorts & Ty Burks (Wallride Games)
    @WallrideGames
    -Before we dive into Mall Brawl, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to get into design and development? What is the origin story of Wallride Games, and what is the significance of the name?
    Nathan - My background is a bit all over the place haha. Before entering the game dev space, I studied advertising and then traditional illustration... Jumped around different art fields - I was a graphic designer, then freelance illustrator, then I had a focused stint in indie comics and publishing, before jumping into games. Worked on all sorts of randomness there too, but doing art direction and biz for ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove was probably one of my biggest marks on the industry so far!

    Screenshot from ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove
    Ty - I’ve been in different creative positions in the games industry for about 12 years or so, working on games for all different platforms - I think I’ve been some part of about 30 games now, yikes. I was Creative Director for a mobile studio for years, working on games like Skee-Ball, Strata, and multiple Disney games. I went on to lead teams on Job Simulator and Rick & Morty: VR. Also spent some time working in the advertising industry running a VR department - but eventually returned to video games and started WALLRIDE with Nathan!

    ScreenshoBUUUUUURPt from Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality
    As for WALLRIDE - Ty and Nathan - having never met before in person - decided over Twitter to start a game studio together. 1 year, 3 commercial releases, and a handful of secret projects later… well things are going preeeettty goooood, pretty good. 
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    Nathan - All of my industry friends are constantly making incredible games, so that’s a great tap of inspiration. I'm also super inspired by our team at Wallride, an endlessly creative group!

    I try to pull influence from non-game sources usually - Movies, cartoons, & music are big ones for me. Been going back through the Angry Samoans catalog. LOVE the new Osees record, Protean Threat. Lil Boat 3 is a banger! Son of Godzilla is on loop in our house right now for some reason? My son really likes how the case looks. I main-vein Cartoon Cartoons.

    And Tony Hawk Pro Skater, of course!
    Ty - SO many awesome games these days, it’s overwhelming. I love retro-inspired games with modern design - Shovel Knight, The Messenger, Cave Story, etc - I’m a sucker for a great 2d platformer. Personally I’m still largely inspired by the weirdness of 90’s Nickelodeon, being a kid, skateboarding, Sega Genesis-era video game commercials, and buddy comedy movies. We try to collaborate with as many amazing artists and developers as we can, always keeping an eye out.
     
    -What tools do you use to design and program?
    Nathan - Really anything that gets the job done! Wallride now works in both Unity and Unreal. For art direction, I hop around all the Adobe Creative Suite programs, though I’ve taken a real liking to Procreate over the past 8 months. Blender 3D and Oculus Medium are my ride or dies. Google Suite, Trello, Discord - we use a lot. 
    Ty - Yeah, my life is Google Docs, Photoshop, and Unity. I’m on the iPad a lot, typically in Procreate for concept art, or some sort of traditional animation tool to mock direction up for the team. Whatever gets the point communicated. Sometimes that’s just a quick whiteboard scribble.
     
    -Looking across the breadth of your work, how would you describe your design aesthetic? What does your creative process look like generally?
    Nathan - Uuh.. I still consider a lot of my visual output to be pretty “low brow”. Not ever really insulting or offensive, but still pretty unapologetic - occasionally crude. Loud, stylized, suuuper saturated. 
    Ty - I tend to focus on gameplay and mechanics before anything else, unless I think of a hilarious premise first! Fluid gameplay, satisfying feedback and intuitive design are king to me. Stylized and vibrant visuals. Juicy animations. Too many particle effects.

    Screenshot from EleMetals: Death Metal Death Match! by Wallride Games
     
    -My understanding is that you came in later in the game’s development, working on some of the art in the first few levels and essentially all of the background art for stages 6-9 as well as a lot of the later-game enemy sprites, including the ninjas, female enemies, and Cock-Knocker. Tell us about your experience working on the design and development of Mall Brawl. How do you approach touching up someone else’s work, versus designing something from the ground up?
    Ty - Sure, essentially that was some of the content we focused on. Coming into a project at that point, there are systems and rules set in place that have been tested and are fun - so that makes our life a bit easier. We get to come in with fresh eyes and try to punch up visuals and design wherever we can, offering feedback as well. Breaking down previous characters and levels that are working, and understanding what is making them work in the game is a key step here. We were allowed some creative freedom, but it all needs to look like a cohesive experience. Stoked on how it all turned out.
     
    -What are the necessary ingredients to a well-designed level?
    Nathan - A bucket of slime and a dash of salt 
    Ty - Dynamically rationing that bucket of slime across a level, while increasingly pacing the salt dashes so the player doesn’t get burned out or sick of salt. Right when you think you’re going to get more salt, we hit you with black pepper - only to realize all that slime wasn’t even slime at all… it was Gak. 

    He wasn’t lying about the 90s Nickelodeon vibes
     
    -What goes through your mind when designing such detailed sprites constructed of pixels and the color limitations imposed by the NES?
    Ty - “I ONLY GET HOW MANY PIXELS?!?”
     
    -What was the working dynamic like in your collaboration with Interabang? What was the division of labor on Mall Brawl, and how was the development process between members of the team?
    Ty - Interabang was Jay. Spoony Bard was Silent Bob. Wallride was the chocolate pretzel.

    Nathan - I wouldn’t shake hands with us if I were you...

    …I have some follow-up questions regarding this analogy.
     
    -Were you a fan of the View Askewniverse prior to Mall Brawl?
    Ty - Way too big of a fan to appropriately handle being offered to work on this game. I’ve had a Mallrats movie poster in my living room for well over a decade.

    Nathan - OH yeah. Got a big ol’ VHS collection to prove it!
     
    -What is it like developing a game containing such cultural icons as Jay & Silent Bob?
    Ty - It was a tiny bit daunting at times, but being such longtime fans it all came pretty naturally when we’d hop on calls and just make design jokes about potential gags and content. We worked pretty hard to make sure we made something quality for the fans.

    Ty, stop trying to make Adoughbo happen!

    Nathan - It’s always tricky trying to find that balance of what you want in a game, what isn’t totally out of scope, and what the fans would expect from possibly their favorite characters in the world. I feel like we all did a pretty good job though! 
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Mall Brawl as opposed to your other projects? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    Ty - It was incredibly challenging but incredibly satisfying to figure out how to make these tiny sprite sheets turn into entire environments. Coming at a retro game with modern design philosophy really helped craft this game into something that I can barely believe runs on the NES. With this size pixel art, you can really get away with just implying shapes and attributes of characters. Every pixel counts. Just start making stuff. Like, right now. Just do it.
     
    -There has been a lot of buzz around Mall Brawl across fans of homebrew and the View Askewniverse, as well as Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes themselves having a blast streaming their gameplay of Mall Brawl. How does it feel to bask in such enthusiasm and support?
    Ty - Was pretty dope to see Jay stream the game, really glad they all enjoyed the game.

    Nathan - Getting to fire up a game we helped to make on an ACTUAL NES in freakin’ 2020 is probably one of the more satisfying gamedev moments I’ve had in my life.  
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon? Any dream projects?
    Ty - Yes, and oh yes.

    Nathan - *wink wink wink wink wink wink*
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    Nathan - I like potato wine brewed in a bathtub, personally. That grape toilet wine ain't my JAM.
    Ty - Beer pong, but that’s already released. 

     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Ty - Snoochie Boochies. twitter.com/wallridegames
    Nathan - *stands there, nodding silently*
     

    Justin Woodward (Interabang Entertainment)
    @icjman  @InterabangEnt
    (this interview was conducted over Zoom and the resulting transcript has been edited)
    -Thanks again for agreeing to do this interview! To get started, let's talk about you. I would love to hear more about your background. What moved you to develop games? What is the beginning of Interrobang Entertainment and the significance of that particular punctuation to you?
    So basically, I loved games since I was little. I love games, action figures, comics, games, just anything that was out of this world. I’m a very creative person, I was drawing since I was five. And so video games captivated me, starting from friends and relatives who had an Atari. We didn't have an Atari, I was too young. But then I remember I got my first system, which was the Nintendo. I'm 39 right now, so I'm not a spring chicken. But my first system was a Nintendo, and the first game I had was Contra, which blew my mind. It took stuff from Aliens, it was really imaginative, and I love character design and character art. So that's one of the things I focused on besides business. But what Capcom did with Mega Man and then Street Fighter? I was always in the arcade anytime; if we were near an arcade at the amusement park, or at the laundromat, or 7-Eleven, I would just beg my mom for quarters to play whatever Data East or Capcom game was there.

    Pweeeeese mom, they’ve got the new Street Fighter!
    That led to a fascination of video games in general. I continued my art and went to an art high school, but I always drew character design and stuff like that. And then I bought every system that came out. I found a way to hustle money to get every system. When the Sega Genesis came out I had to get that, and then Super Nintendo, had to get that TurboGrafx-16, and all that besides the add-on stuff, and then PlayStation everything. Then it escalated into the Dreamcast era. And that's when I actually got a job in the game department at Toys “R” Us, that's kind of when I learned sales skills, because I knew how to talk to the parents and sell different stuff, which was great. Then, to just fast forward a little bit, then I went to the Art Institute for game design, game development, and art, and it was an interesting experience. I met some great people just who loved games. And I wasn't in that pocket, I played games a lot, but not all of my friends played games. A lot of my friends liked chasing girls and everything else, which I was a part of that too, but at the same time, I was so involved with art and games that when I was able to go to AI, that's when I was like, oh my God, this is my tribe right here. You know? They were artists.
    After I got out of college, it was very difficult because the college wasn't that great in exposing you to the things that you needed for the field or the expectations needed. So I had to learn a lot in the last six months to a year to get ready to get into the industry. And so I just grinded on, in that particular moment, I was really focused on environment, 3D environment, art. So I had to just do all this, figure out modeling and texturing and doing it to the level that was expected for the Xbox 360 era, because that's where I was coming out in 2006. They have different techniques in every system like this new one has HDR and ray tracing and all of these other things, so that the folks who are now graduating and learning to get to the point where they need to go, they need to learn those techniques.
    Besides having the fundamentals of art and design to get out into the world, I befriended a bunch of people and then got into THQ, they've now risen again like the Phoenix. They were defunct for a number of years, but they had a few studios in San Diego. There's rock star Sony that does the MLB games. There were two THQ studios and there was High Moon Studios, which was doing really cool artistic games, and then they got bought by Activision. But at the time we had to hustle. It was like 2006-2007, and this whole indie phenomenon was not around, so I got to get this job.
    I ended up getting a job and I really hated it. To me it was terrible because I'm a creative person, I'm also very entrepreneurial. So when I went in there and worked with those folks, it was just, as far as what I could do creatively, I understand what it takes, you got to put your work in and pay your dues, but at the same time, I saw the people at the top and they weren't happy on these projects. They were licensed projects. I got laid off shortly after I even started, maybe three or four months after I started. And I was just disillusioned by the whole process, to be honest, although I love working on games.
    And I was like, I'm going to do this on my own, I'm going to figure this out on my own. So I started a graphic design agency, it was called Wormwood Studios, we did it for a year. And what we did was, we would just do these freelancers called E-Lance, so we did all these freelance jobs. I was like, this is cool, but I really need to do something artistic and I want to make games. I'm obsessed with games, and that's what I have my degree in and that's what I want to do. So we took on a project called Shinobi Ninja Attacks, and that was our first game. It was little or no money, but at the same time, it was some money because everyone else had day jobs and I was hustling these graphic designs on the side. We ended up picking up this project, we formulated the team, and during that process, it was a lot of growing pains because I didn't understand how to manage. I knew how to be a leader, but at the same time I made a ton of mistakes, like letting people go, saying “I'm the boss” type of shit like that.

    Screenshot from Shinobi Ninja Attacks
    And then it was a great process, and I learned project management through all these different techniques and methodologies. I was getting mentors along the way who ended up pulling me up and so on. Anyway, during that time, we were like, what should we call the company? It wasn't that we were ditching Wormwood Studios and making a transition just to games. And Chris, who was on our team (he’s the co-founder), he was like, how about the name Interrobang because we were really silly and are ridiculous with a sense of humor. It's definitely not politically correct. So we were like, what if it was Interrobang? Because interrobang is the question mark and the exclamation point. That identifies like, “what the hell did I just see,” that kind of thought process. And so that's kind of where that came from, we wanted to make games that were like “what”? I haven't seen something like that before. That was that name. That was a long ass explanation.
     
    -I love it though! So as far as your creative process, who do you look to as your influences and who whose work do you like watching now?
    There's so much stuff, wow I can’t even think! I cut out a bunch of history and I don't want to have to give you just a chunk of it, but what has happened in the past ten years is we made a game called Super Comboman. We moved to San Francisco. We worked at IGN for two years, and became partners with IGN. We started a business called The MIX: The Media Indie Exchange, which is an event organization for indies, which has been blowing up over the past eight years. And then we were at Double Fine for three years and became friends with all the folks at Double Fine working out of their office.

    Banner from The MIX event page
    Most of the people that I really look up to or are inspired by are peers at this point. I work with the Guerilla Collective, we did that event and we worked with twenty-five publishers, next week we're going to have around sixty games in the showcase. So I'm talking to a lot of the indie darling folks in there. And I consider them my peers now. I just take a lot from each of them, like Alex Austin, he did Sub Rosa, he's working with Devolver on that. I helped him a little bit, being a producer on that. He's just freaking genius. Hollow Knight is just is such a gorgeous game; Team Cherry is, and I don't really know them personally, but what they're doing is phenomenal. And as far as The Arcade Crew and Dotemu, who did the Wonder Boy game and Streets of Rage, they're killing it. Wayfort is killing it. And Yacht Club. I like that representation in this space just because those are the games I grew up with, and what they're doing, they're doing them a solid with their interpretation and up-resing them and actually showing the love for those genres. But as far as the super heavyweights, Platinum is the shit, I love Platinum.
    But there's a lot of influences. It's just, it's cool to see. I did an interview with tinyBuild, which is going to air next week and, just hearing Alex Nichiporchik, who's the head of tinyBuild, just to hear their process of how they came up with Hello Neighbor, and how they are creating franchises based on those properties with independent teams is just phenomenal. Working out of Double Fine for those three years and seeing their creative process and how they work as a team, you couldn't pay for that. And that is very, very inspiring. They have such a fluid system, they would be working on multiple projects and then they would shift the teams and change desks and have a hub of teams work together. And then they would flip and then have game play days. And then they did the Amnesia Fortnights where they're doing prototypes and stuff that eventually may turn into a game like that. Stuff is great, it's a great time to be in the industry. I feel very blessed to be in a space that I've basically created, but also people let me into their lives as comrades in a tribe of independent game development, and it’s so awesome.
     
    -And so I feel that I can't really even talk about Mall Brawl yet until we get to where the story really begins, which is the modern style brawler Jay & Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch. So let's talk about that game first. What was the inspiration for Chronic Blunt Punch?
    Well it was interesting. Like I was saying, I was at Double Fine, we were partners with IGN and we were doing The MIX. The Mix was initially at IGN. So when we were working at IGN and had this thing called IPL, it was the IGN pro-league in which they had League of Legends, they had StarCraft too, with these crazy tournaments and it was blowing up. But anyway, we were working on Super Comboman for so long in the office. I was working 12-hour days and the only people that were there at ten o'clock at night were the IPL staff. So I became cool with the video producers and one of them is actually our main producer for our streams. This dude, Buddy, he was cool with me. We were at E3 one year, I was roaming around the E3 show floor, and the joy of E3 to me isn't necessarily the games per se, it's the folks making the games who are now my friends. I would go to each booth and be like, “Hey, woah what’s up? I haven't seen in you a long time!”, that kind of thing. And Buddy was at the booth and he's like, “Yo, I have a friend, I think was at DC.” They were making an Infinite Crisis MOBA or something like that. And he was the lead stream producer. And he's like, “I have a friend. He is in your area, he's in Berkeley and he needs help with any development advice, can you give some help?” I said yeah, shoot me an email.

    The floor at E3, photo by Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times
    So he shot me an email introducing me to Trevor Fehrman, and Trevor was in Clerks 2, and I was like, that's pretty cool, I wonder what he's going to be talking about. He says, “I've talked to Kevin Smith and I was like, look, we want to make a game.” He said on the set of Clerks 2 that he's down for him doing it and putting a team together, he also was an editor and a really, really good writer. So he's been working in games. He loves games. So he was like, “You guys do our Indy team. Kevin said we have the rights. Let's think about putting a game together.” And I was asking him what his thoughts were, seeing if we vibe and stuff, because I've been just in the earlier part of my career, like in 2005 through 2010, I had just been through so much shit with, shady people or working so hard and stuff is not coming through, and BS deals. And so I was seeing how he moved, and we really saw eye to eye. And I was like, ok I'm cool with this, but I need an email from Kevin saying that this is legitimate, you know what I mean? And hes says, “Yeah, I don't want to bother him.” I understand why he didn't want to bother him, because I have to communicate with them on a regular basis. But Kevin emailed me, said, “Yeah, you guys are good.” And I thought, wow, ok, this is legit. So then we started meeting more regularly.

    One game to rule them all!
    The biggest thing was we were finishing up Super Comboman. I've had two publishers. We worked with Adult Swim Games on it and then we worked with Flashman Games. It wasn't the greatest experience because releasing your first game and not really understanding how to communicate with publishers, that's an education in its own. I don't blame them, but it was just a difficult process. We were finishing that up. But the point being, I had to figure out how to raise the funds. No one's going to give us money to make the game, right? That was kind of the deal with View Askew, Kevin Smith's team was like, “We’re cool with it. We're down to help you promote and stuff, but you're going to do the business involved.” Obviously we're going to have to figure out how to fund the project.
    So that was the next situation that I needed to figure out. What was interesting was at that time, I was actually helping to organize it along with the folks at Double Fine. And the COO of Double Fine, Justin Bailey, he started a company called Fig out of Double Fine. He had this whole indie space set up. It was pretty awesome at first; we were in the tech room at Double Fine. Then he rented out a huge section of the office for indies to come and work. He would bring his Fig team there to talk about deals and stuff. They had Feargus Urquhart from Obsidian, and Brian Fargo, and crazy folks lined up to be in this as advisers on Fig. And so Justin was like, “Hey, would you want to do biz-dev for me?” Because he saw the hustle that I do with The MIX, in that I was able to get all of these deals for Super Comboman, and move things around, and help other people get deals and stuff. And I was like, “Nah, but I do have the license to Jay & Silent Bob, what about if we run a campaign on Fig?” So that's kind of where it came about.

    Screenshot of Jay & Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch’s Fig page
    I am a huge fan of Kevin Smith's stuff and I grew up with it. I remember when I was sleeping in my apartment on the floor, trying to hustle our Shinobi Ninja Attacks. I was going through my master's program for game management and business. And I was just struggling. Every time I would have this anxiety or struggle with what I was doing, because it wasn't easy doing this independently, I would turn on Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. I watched that movie so many times. And then when Dogma came, I would always watch it. I had all the DVDs. So it was kind of a dream come true to have that. And we thought, what if we made a tag-team beat-‘em-up? Fighting games are my jam, those are my favorite games. We do Evo every year. I love fighting games and love beat-‘em-ups, and those are the first two games that we made and we thought, let's level it up, make hand-drawn animation, make it very fluid, but make a tag-team brawler. So that was the impetus behind that. And then Justin from Fig was like, “Hell, yeah, we'll do it. We'll even guarantee some money up front. We'll help you pay for all of the cost behind doing the pitch video.” Which was cool because we actually did it in Obsidian’s studio and Fergus Urquhart was actually in the video, it’s hilarious. And then Kevin and Jason, they were super, super supportive. Things just lined up at the right time. We started concepting in 2015 and didn't really get started until after we got the first chunk of our funding, which was early 2017 and then there was a delay because we didn't get all the funding that we needed and then that's a whole different story. But that was how Chronic Blunt Punch came to be.
     
    -In seeing some of the updates and visiting the Fig page for Chronic Blunt Punch, it has a fun, cartoony design and has really engaging features. I was so engrossed reading about Convo Combo Combat. How would you describe your creative process and your aesthetic in developing something like this?
    So we're all artists at heart, right? The core team initially behind Super Comboman and Chronic Blunt Punch were all artists and we wanted to make something very visually striking. We didn't see a lot of really great hand-drawn based games with fluid animation. One of our favorite games in the genre at that time was Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. That game was just amazing. Castle Crashers was really great. They both had really great aesthetics. There were a lot more indie games coming out with this hand-drawn style. So our basis was we wanted to make an animation, looks like a cartoon. We wanted to be very vibrant, very colorful. And that's what we wanted for all of our Interrobang games. If you look at Super Comboman or you look at the game before that, it's just very vibrant, very colorful, playful, Capcom/Konami-esque arcade games. That's what we're trying to hit. We're trying to hit the era of Konami when they were killing it with Bucky O'Hare, X-Men, Ninja Turtles. That whole era, everything Treasure, like Guardian Heroes, Gunstar Heroes, all the stuff that Treasure was doing that was very vibrant, colorful and creating their own identity.

    Screenshot from Super Comboman
    That's basically what we were trying to hit as far as combat and stuff. Again, we're really big fighting game fans, especially Evan and myself. He's the guy who helps run the animation team in Washington. And we wanted to create a really dynamic fighting system where you can juggle guys, combo them in the air, and you could tag-team like in Donkey Kong Country, not like they pop in from out of nowhere, but they're actually there with you the whole time. You could tag and then someone could jump in and just play as Jay or play as Bob. And Convo Combo Combat, what I was initially trying to do with Interrobang early on, this kind of stems from the Super Comboman era, I wanted to get into more of this. I think a lot of this stuff when you’re an indie team is scope, you can iterate and you can prototype, but if you have a larger team, and you don't have the funding initially, you have to spend less time prototyping all of these new, cool things.
    The core behind Super Comboman was you're beating up dudes, you're smashing dudes through objects, and there's shit falling all over the place and you feel really powerful. Then we had this other thing where, because in that game this character struggles, and you're in this construction environment, which is really messing up the island, and the initial idea is that every time you interacted with one of the workers, you could either smash them, which would have a chain reaction throughout the whole construction team, or you can actually just break the walls that you were hired to break like a human demolition squad, and then you would be rewarded in that way. So there’s supposed to be a cause and effect. And all of the enemies had this emotion system, which when they got pissed, they would come at you, so what I wanted to do was add more of a cause and effect vibe to the games and add this emotional tension that you have interacting with characters that carried on to Jay & Silent Bob. The biggest part of Jay & Silent Bob is their personalities, even though Bob is non-verbal, his interaction with Jay through his body language and emotional expression through his facial expressions and stuff. And then Jay is just quick to say whatever the hell is on his mind. I was like, what if we did something that affected the gameplay in different sequences through pacing the combat and then having these conversation sequences that you're changing the trajectory of how the player interacts with these bosses? So that was the initial idea behind that. Back in the day, we used to play the dozens and make fun of people, you know what I mean? So we actually created early on, a system where you build phrases, and it was timed, it'll actually collapse, like in real life, if you start fumbling with your words, it doesn't have the same impact, and the options will diminish in value, you start to have dumb things pop up. So we created this phrase tree that branches out and then it'll go in different directions based on what you select. Then on the enemy side, we had different feelings and emotions when you hit them in a specific place, like they have some kind of psychological issue with being fat, that kind of thing, or their nose or something physical, or their mom or whatever. We have that implemented in the back end of that character. And you have to attack that area of the boss in order to get an outcome which would more than likely they would be pissed off and angry, so they would be stronger and they just rush you, or they would be sad so they'd be slower. That was the initial idea. But the grand scheme of things, what we wanted to do was add these slowly over time, add these emotional factors in our games. So you feel like you're a little bit, in more of a metaphorical way, you're interacting with other people whether they're NPCs or not, in a way that affects them outside of just punching them in the face.

    Oh snap! Er, I should wait and see how this insult goes first.
     
    -Any new updates on Chronic Blunt Punch that you can share?
    Tomas is joining the team after working on Mall Brawl. It just feels so good, the combat feels really good, the physics got redone. We just teamed up with Angry Metal, the team who did all of the cutscenes for their animation team in Spain, they did all the cutscenes and animation for Streets of Rage 4. We're working with them on in-game animation. This is really fun because we have a similar sense of humor. I don't know if you’ve seen, the characters are ridiculous, we have a hipster with a beard and he fights with his beard and he has gauge earrings, and then you have this old hero who has a defibrillator on his chest, and if he dies, he shocks himself back up. It's just ridiculous. That is the biggest aspect is that we're rapidly moving forward and things are coming together quite well. It's just difficult to show all of those aspects in updated videos, but I'm really loving it. It just looks like something you've never really seen before in a beat-‘em-up, and with that caliber of aesthetics, it feels good too.
     
    -Something that a lot of the folks in the homebrew community on Video Game Sage love to poke into, especially if they are aspiring game makers themselves, they love to know what tools folks use to create. So what tools do you use to create your games?
    So for Chronic Blunt Punch we used Unity. With any of these tools, you have to customize it, we don't have a total customized backend that allows us to do what we want as designers and animators, we are not an engineer-driven team. The engineers are a minority on the team, so we needed tools that would allow us to implement animations and make design choices without burdening the engineer because he's working on the stuff (Zanies is our main engineer now). Tomas jumped on board and we have another one coming on board too. It was very important that we used plug-ins within Unity. We built our own tools, but it's been really nice working in Unity. It's been amazing. Unity themselves have been amazing, we've communicated with them quite often on projects and they've helped us out with licenses and that kind of thing. And as far as Mall Brawl, that was all done in Assembly. Hats off to Tomas, Tomas is a bad ass. He did that all in Assembly. He has his own techniques and then we put together a platform in Unity to wrap it in order for us to get it on PlayStation, Xbox and Switch.
     
    -At what point did the idea of an 8-bit companion to Chronic Blunt Punch come about?
    Basically we've been in this long, arduous process of development for Chronic Blunt Punch. We were early on in Fig’s cycle of releasing these crowdfunding campaigns. And so that being said, the legal process for having investors jump on wasn't finalized. While we're in that process, we weren't able to collect on a lot of the money that you would see reflected on the Fig page. If you look at the Fig Page there's $445,000. We saw half of that, and we needed the rest of it. Nothing against Fig, what Fig did was cool. I ended up working there and working with developers on the publishing end getting them on as a process and they didn't have that issue anymore. And they were basically paying out the money that they couldn't up front. But then at a point they were trying to figure stuff out on their own and they had to stop. During that time, it just stretched everything thin. And a lot of the team had to go and get side hustles; I had to let certain external contractors know we can't do anything anymore because we don't have the funding. That's pretty much what stretched out the development cycle of the game, which I really wanted to be around two and a half years.
    So during that time, I was looking for different investors and different ways to find the money to finish Chronic Blunt Punch. And I was talking with Limited Run for quite a while. They have been great supporters of The MIX, they've been sponsors of The MIX. We did a Super Comboman with Limited Run on PS4. So I'm really cool with Doug and Joss. They're amazing. They initially wanted to invest in Chronic Blunt Punch because they had a really interesting story surrounding Kevin Smith's films, how they met and got back together to work on Limited Run and their games. And that kind of fell through, you know, things happen, and they were just spit-balling what we can work together on? And they were like, what if you made another game as marketing for Chronic Blunt Punch? I was like, that's a great idea! What if it was an 8-bit brawler? It has a different storyline, but it still ties into what we're doing in the universe that we're creating as a whole. And they were like, oh hell yeah. And we just started passing ideas back and forth. And they're like, well we just worked with Tomas on this game called Galf, how about we do an intro and then we will do some upfront funding of the project and then we'll take it to market on the NES. And I was like, that sounds really cool. So they introduced me to Tomas, and Tomas and I hit it off immediately: the same love for retro games, the same understanding of the history of games so we can reference stuff immediately. I have a really good understanding of combat design and design in general, he's coding, he has ideas, our artistic direction, this is how we should do this. He would shoot a level over and I would play the level and say we should do it this way, then he would throw enemies in there. I would tell him the combat for these enemies. We would brainstorm. It was just a great process. But that was the main focus for the game: how do we give something to the fans who supported us all these years, and then also create a funding source to finish Chronic Blunt Punch without getting a publisher? That was the idea and it just really worked.

    Now that’s what I call a golf story!
    Luckily the stars aligned with Tomas and myself. And then we hit up Nathan and Ty, Nathan's my dog, he worked on the ToeJam & Earl game and he used to live down the street. I knew Greg Johnson, who's the creator of ToeJam & Earl, because they started a new company, Wallride, at the time and they were working on their games. And I was like, hey, you want to jump on? We need pixel animators, we need some background art so Tomas could focus on the design and building the engine in the game and they’re like, hell yeah. So they jumped on board. Then there was Michael Heald from Fully Illustrated, we need a really cool website. I worked with him previously. And we need a design for the cartridge and the box art. Hanzo, he's the illustrator, he worked for Udon. He's a German illustrator and he's freaking amazing. He does all the Street Fighter comics and stuff like that. I was like, yo, we need box art. We want it to look like the old school Double Dragon tattoo, but I want Jay in Bob's arms to kind of cut off that vibe. And it just all came together. It's a dream project because you never knew that in twenty-five years you would be working on a physical cart. And every time someone sees it, you got to get this physical thing. It's just like, oh Lord, we made this thing, and it was just a dream come true. That's what we're in it for, to fulfill that dream of creating stuff and making something cool, and the fact that the game is good. I put my heart into making sure that combat was legit, working with Tomas on all the bosses and making sure that the pacing is right. And it came together.
     
    -You covered that so well that you actually answered the next two questions that I was going to ask about Limited Run and the working dynamic with the other folks on the team. So going to the promotion for the game, you had some fun rapping for the launch trailer for Mall Brawl. How long have you had and used that skill? Is there anywhere else where people can listen to you drop some sick beats?
    I've been rapping since I was like 12 or so. I freestyle all the time. So Tomas, this sounds really weird but our relationship is really interesting in that we have a love for the same things. He's really good at video production too, he used to do animations on Newgrounds with his characters, so he's good at editing and putting stuff together.

    Maybe you’ve seen them around, I’ve heard that guy in the middle is…cool!
    We're coming up with the second trailer (he did the first one with his kid on the couch, he did all of that production), I was like, let's do something different. We had an idea of doing the old Zelda rap song, but since he's in Canada, it was just too much. Before COVID we had a bunch of stuff going on with The MIX, so I was like, Tomas come out, we're going to fly you out here,  we're going to promote the game on The MIX, and I just want to show you the town, I want you to meet the team and we'll do everything as far as the commercial.
    And it just didn't turn out, obviously, because of COVID. What ended up happening was we got to do the Zelda situation. My really close friend, Alex Wilmer, he has a studio, Wilmer Sound, he's been in the game industry for a long time. He worked at Crystal Dynamics and Facebook Games. He has a studio over here in Berkeley, a Foley studio. He's actually working on Netflix movies because he's doing the series Go! Go! Cory Carson at a studio. Anyway, I was like, yo I'm going to do this. I was writing the lyrics based on everything in the game. And I was rapping it. I got a beat from my friend Tamar, who's a professional producer, went over to Alex's place, I was like yo here's the beat, this is what I'm going to say. Let's pull it up. And then I just rapped it. After that we were like, how are we going to do the shoots? So we went to my girlfriend's house and we took our camera and we basically filmed every sequence in there. And then we worked with Tomas. Tomas helped edit it. We did B roll jiggling the controllers and our faces looking real ridiculous, and it all came together.

    Two guys going all out on the latest video game? They got that B roll!
    I've been rapping for a long time and it was great to get that creative expression out because when you're making a game as an indie team you all wear many hats. And one of the hats that I've been wearing a lot lately is the business hat. That being said, I don't feel I have as much time to explore my creative passions as I want to. So any time I can infuse that with what I'm doing, because my passion is game development, I don't have to necessarily go outside to express that artistic thing. Any time there's a possibility or an opportunity to bring my artistic passion into our projects, then we'll do it.
     
    -You said you’ve always been a big fan of the View Askewniverse and that you watched Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back a lot. Is that your favorite or do you have a different one in the canon that is your all-time favorite?
    I think it's different over the years. I think when I was a little bit older, I appreciated Clerks a lot more just for what Kevin had to do to make that film, and me resonating with that hustle. He made it when he was young, but just the psychology behind it, the theme behind it dealing with girlfriends, relationships, that kind of thing, that was really powerful, I think, on a production standpoint. Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, the comedy was just on point. All of the actors, Will Ferrell, all of the cameos, the way that came together I think it's a masterpiece in that buddy kind of comedy film. It was just really good. But I would say production-wise that one and Dogma really stand out. That's mainstream cinema but amazing. Chasing Amy was really good too. That's a personal, if I want to feel something, that one was really good because it had me think about things from another perspective, because I've had that issue with a girlfriend, me not understanding her and condemning her in a specific way. That was, at the end, really sad. I can identify with that, and I think that's what he does really well, is the communication he has in his films. It has you show you’re empathetic towards the characters because it's a piece of you. Mallrats, I watched that so many times because I was obsessed with going to the mall all the time in San Diego, and the comic books, the references like Stan Lee, and it just being outlandish and ridiculous, that was a huge one for me.
     
    -In making Jay & Silent Bob games, does playing within an existing world of established characters impose limits on what you can do with them, or do you find that playing within a defined sandbox of cultural icons helps nurture creativity?
    I would say limitation helps you to define your vision and come up with timelines a little bit easier. I think that what you know within the realm of a Nintendo game, since we took so long to produce Chronic Blunt Punch, it was good to have the limitations of 8-bit expression because we knew what we could do. We knew what was outside of our scope and we had to stick to that. But I think Tomas and myself knowing that whole universe, that helped us jump off with some really hilarious ideas and be very referential. I'm just trying to think within the process and how cool our team is in relation to coming up with ideas, having a similar mindset, with a sense of humor, we could come up with tons of game ideas, off the top. Playing within a sandbox allows us to reference things that we could pick apart and then come up with a theme in order to play around with that world. And what's cool about that is being fans of that world, we get to play on that fantasy, what if this happened or what if that happened? And we're actually creating a canon of our own within that universe.

    Tell ‘em Steve-Dave!
     
    -Did any new challenges, surprises, or lessons learned come up as you were developing Chronic Blunt Punch and Mall Brawl?
    I mean a ton, right? Let me think about it. Number one, funding has been a lot easier because I have an understanding of how that works. But working with Kevin's team in Hollywood, that's definitely a challenge because you have to be very respectful of their time. You also have to understand that you have to work on timelines that aren't your own, so if he has to push something out and we need to communicate with them or we need to promote, sometimes he can't do it. He has his own defined timeline, we have ours, it's definitely a challenge.
    Also communication is a challenge. There was a misunderstanding initially with Mall Brawl, even though I communicated what we were doing later on when we started sharing it. We shared it with Greg Miller, he's cool, I consider him a friend. I announced it on his funny stream, he has a million followers and I have a ton of followers. Kevin Smith got wind of it, and he's like, where is this coming from? So there's this weird miscommunication between his team and our team telling him exactly what we're doing, and that this isn't trying to milk our relationship or anything, we had some struggles early on and we're trying to right those issues by putting out a game for the fans and then trying to fund the game that we initially came to you with. So that was a challenge, but it was a good learning experience as we move forward.
    The challenge with Mall Brawl, was the limitations of any cartridge. What we did was Tomas was able to squeeze every last bit of tech that we could out of that system, which was great, and what was also really cool was we were able to use contemporary design styles that are more pertinent today, and then infused them back into an old game where they didn't reach the level of maturity in their design tactics, or they didn't want it to be over-convoluted for the players so they didn't implement different features. Not that we had anything crazy, but the-tag team feature, the strategic element of you building your health out and then swapping back, little things like that. Working with a really small palette for the characters, figuring out how to implement what we wanted to convey within the pixels was very challenging. Tomas had to convey a lot of the technical limitations as far as the art was concerned with Wallride, because that's not what they're used to doing, they're used to using engines and pushing polygons and pixels that way. And the limitations are completely different, that's why I say it's a kind of a gift and a curse when you have those limitations, you don't expand your scope too wide that you have issues finishing things.
    As far as Chronic Blunt Punch, the challenges were definitely thinking that you were going to have everything you needed funding-wise to complete it and trying to work with the team to encapsulate that goal and figuring out what you're going to do in the prototyping phases without going too far in that you can't go back. That's always an issue with game development. I am all for iterative game development, but when you have such a limited budget, you have to come to a conclusion early. Our game is extremely art-driven. What I think that we could have possibly done early on was to define a little bit of a lower fidelity art style that could have been just as cool, but it would allowed us to finish things quicker and do roughs quicker and that kind of thing. We went for this outlandish render style, so that was a little bit of a challenge. But over the time period, we've created pipelines and a workflow that works really well.
     
    -And now that Mall Brawl is out, it's basking in all this support, including Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes themselves live-streaming their gameplay. What is it like to see that happening, to have that kind of enthusiasm?
    I think it's really awesome. Every time I go to L.A., I try to meet up with Jay (he's easier to connect with,  he's not running all over the place as much), and every time I meet up with Kevin, I'll just tell him we're enthusiastic for your support. We really appreciate your support over the years. I think what's the greatest aspect of that is we're doing right by their legacy and we're going to deliver. When you work on a project so long and you have these speed bumps, and you're working with someone who has faith in you. When you say, “oh we're having this issue,” or “we're doing this,” or “it's going to be longer,” are they going to lose faith in us in the project? This is the same for the fans, too, by the way. But when we were able to deliver this really full package, great game, and a promise that we're finishing the other game, and he's playing and he loves it (and him not being a video game player, I mean, Jay is for sure), it instills an amazing confidence in him, in us, and then also it shows that we did something good, you know what I mean? It's validating in the fact that, to even the creator of all of these characters, he really digs it. And that means a lot to us because we like his properties and he's authentic about it, he authentically is “this shit is good, this is fun, I dig this, I play this.”

    He likes it! Hey, Kevin!
    It's also validating because when we do licenses, which we will be doing more, we want to do good shit, we want to do great games regardless if it's a license or it's our own IP. I think that initially when you see folks talking about their licenses or trying to pimp it out or working with celebrities or whatever, you immediately think that, “oh this is shovelware”, you know, “this is just a cash grab or some garbage is going to come out”, and “no one really pays attention to the source material” or “they didn't really put their heart into designing and developing this.” I would just say it's gratifying to see them play it and also them showing us love like that and getting things right. Like I was talking to you earlier on, some things could get broken down and misrepresented, or the message could get messed up and then that will mess the flow of it with the team too, like, “oh, I didn't get the recognition, what the hell you didn't mention, Wallride Games.” Everyone needs credit, people die for that credit. So, they've just been amazing.
     
    -After Chronic Blunt Punch, do you have any other dream projects on the horizon?
    Yeah, we have some ideas and things in the works, I can't really talk about them, but expect possibly some more licensed stuff and some more high-fidelity stuff as well as retro. That's all I can say.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share all your stories and your experiences. Is there anything else that you would like to tell readers and fans when this gets posted?
    I would just say, we appreciate everybody's support on this. If you can pick up the game, let us know what you think. Like, follow us, drop us a line, we will hit you up. We will definitely respond. And also, it may sound corny, but keep fighting for your dreams, because if you keep pushing, you'll make things happen.
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to another episode of a series that peeks behind the curtain of new homebrew games destined to be the next great gem. What are your thoughts on Jay & Silent Bob: Mall Brawl and its talented development team? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?

  18. Scrobins

    Episode 7: Quest Arrest

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Episode 7: Quest Arrest

    Introduction:
    Behind every great homebrew game is a developer or team with a good story about why there was an irresistible urge to create a new game. As we can all relate, inside them resides that memory from our youth in which we passed days on end, perfectly content with one or another game that gripped our imagination. If we were lucky, we found other games that gave us that same good feeling, but inevitably we reached a point when we surveyed the gaming landscape around us and wondered why no one was making games like the ones we loved. For the avid brewer, the answer to that question is: because they haven’t made it themselves yet. That was the case for Roo, a devoted fan of the Police Quest games who decided to make his own entry into the genre he loved and incorporate the tropes of a few other gems he encountered along the way.
    For this entry, I’m breaking this blog's console barrier to cover Quest Arrest, a police procedural role playing adventure for the Gameboy by John Roo. As of the time of this writing, a limited edition CIB of Quest Arrest sold out, but due to popular demand, Roo produced a second print CIB that can be purchased here, and the game’s rom can be downloaded on Roo’s itch.io page here.
     
    Development Team:
    John Roo: programming & music
    krümel & Multiface: music refinement
    Budget Nostalgia: cart & manual art
    Suleman Abid: box art
     

    Quest Arrest CIB
     
    Game Evolution:
    Quest Arrest was first announced on July 29, 2019, when Roo posted about the game on his Twitter page and created a separate account dedicated to the game for future updates. As an added fun fact that Roo noted, the announcement came one day before the 30th anniversary of the Gameboy’s launch. Over the following months, Roo posted many updates highlighting the game’s inspiration, graphics, battle system, and sometimes just to express gratitude for the following the game had already cultivated.
    On May 23, 2020, Roo announced the PC version of Quest Arrest was available for purchase through VoxPop Games, a peer-to-peer independent games distribution and development platform. On August 17, 2020 pre-orders opened for the Quest Arrest limited edition Gameboy CIB. Within 2 ½ hours of the post, the first batch of 55 copies sold out (a second batch of 35 more copies was made available for pre-order and sold out the following day). The overwhelming demand and support encouraged Roo to launch a poll to gauge interest for a second print run, which has since been produced and is in stock.

    Roo deputizing the masses
     
    Gameplay Overview:
    Quest Arrest describes itself as a police procedural adventure in the spirit of the Police Quest series mixed with a dash of Pokémon. You play as Detective Alison Bennett, a rookie investigator and recent transplant to the city of Strange Meadows. Unfortunately Bennett doesn’t have the luxury of easing into her new job because a crime wave has washed over the city and the Chief has tasked you with making the streets safe from a gang of miscreants led by the mysterious Athena.

    Because out there is a city full of streets...of rage!
    The game unfolds as you explore Strange Meadows: walking the beat, talking to people, and fighting crime as you happen upon it. The city is an open world featuring nonlinear game progression. More importantly, how the community perceives and interacts with you is an open question, based on your credibility points (a quantitative measure of your reputation with the public), with the possibility of gaining or losing points depending on your approach to crime. As you encounter criminals throughout the city, you fight them in Pokémon-style battles.

    Gotta arrest ‘em all
    You have a range of options for subduing a suspect from pepper spray and a taser to bringing out the big guns with your...well, your gun. Once a suspect’s HP is low enough you can try to arrest them or ultimately kill them. If you are able to successfully effect an arrest, you move to a straightforward “push the buttons as they appear on the screen” sequence in order to conclude the battle. However whereas a successful arrest will net you credibility points, the death of a suspect will cost you credibility points and potentially the community’s trust. The story branches based on whether you are regarded as a good cop or a bad cop, and you may have a more difficult time doing your job and gathering clues if the people don’t like you anymore.

    I'm starting to wonder if this is an adaptation of the 1992 film Bad Lieutenant...
    An in-game menu displays your stats (health and credibility), items (clues and items to help you progress), and a map of the city (which is so rough, even the game mocks you for consulting it). Scattered around the city are save points that mark your progress and restore your health (both essential if you know another fight is literally around the corner).
     
    Writer’s Review:
    Quest Arrest provides fun gameplay that will satisfy a wide range of gamers, from casual players who will be charmed by the fun crime-solving adventure to intensive players who will play obsessively just to experience each possible story arc.
    The multiple potential narratives based on your credibility points means replayability is a feature baked into the game’s code. Much like Undertale, how other characters treat you and help you along the way depends on how bloodthirsty you are, and what information you get from NPCs can make for a very different experience. Meanwhile Quest Arrest’s nonlinear gameplay mixes things up further. Detective Bennett is generally free to walk the streets and protect & serve as she sees fit. As a result there are myriad possibilities for community engagement across the various parts of the city you can visit and what your credibility score happens to be when you get there.

    Possibly the most metal thing to come from a rock
    Regardless of your credibility score, the townspeople you meet on the streets of Strange Meadows (including the robbers and even an inanimate object or two) are colorful and silly, but not afraid to throw some 4-letter words into conversation. It’s a touch that gives the game an air of adult relatability while also signaling that as a homebrew, Quest Arrest is not constrained by Nintendo’s infamous family friendly limits of old. The overall story is also fun and simple, offering several mini-quests for you to solve without getting bogged down in the nitty gritty procedure the Police Quest games would have required, such as Mirandizing arrestees...

    …or remembering the basic rules of walking around a friggin city.
    Although Quest Arrest can be beaten in one sitting, the save feature is still essential because it also offers a means to restore your health. Furthermore though Strange Meadows isn’t a particularly big place, peppering save/health points around the city allows players to focus on playing rather than a tedious search for checkpoints.
    The battle system when confronting baddies creates a fun pivot in gameplay. While shooting a suspect is not immediately fatal it is a more powerful weapon than the taser or pepper spray, which are largely similar in their effect during a fight. My only gripe is that the probability of an arrest being successful, and moving on to the button-matching sequence, is somewhat random. No matter how weak a suspect is or how many times you try to arrest, even if arrest is the only option you select throughout the entire fight, sometimes it doesn’t work and the suspect takes damage from each attempt. If you are trying to maximize credibility points this can lead to unfair point reductions because of suspects killed unintentionally. Luckily the ranges of credibility points that access different story arcs appear to be wide enough that the occasional death of an enemy shouldn’t impact gameplay.

    The state of your immortal soul is another story
    Interviews:
    To solve any mysteries left unanswered about Quest Arrest’s development, I interrogated Roo to get to the bottom of this game…
     

    Roo
    @TheRetroRoomRoo & @QuestArrest
    -Before we dive into Quest Arrest, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrewer? What is the origin story of Roo and The Retro Room?
    The origin story of The Retro Room is unfortunately not very interesting haha. I started a Twitter page because I was sort of desperate to find like-minded people who were interested in the same sort of retro stuff in the same way I was. It has grown into sort of a brand and I tied it with my name John Roo. Retro Roo. 😜 
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    Right now I'm being influenced by a few developers that I am working closely with. They advise me. They have some really cool projects in their pasts that I’d love to brag about and I'm certain you know, but I don't want to throw them under the bus haha. We might come out as a collective in the future, but for now it’s in the dark. As far as other developers that I don't personally know that I admire? I could say anyone who makes games. It’s a tough mountain to climb and to those who do it, I salute you.
     
    -What tools do you use to code and compose?
    Right now I'm making games in GameMaker Studio 2, but I have past experience with a few other things. I started coding by playing around with microcontroller chips with my dad. It’s since grown into game design.
     
    -In your interview with Budget Nostalgia, you mentioned how much the Police Quest games influenced Quest Arrest. What about the Police Quest series resonated most strongly with you?
    I somehow ended up with the Kings Quest and Police Quest games as a kid. I enjoyed both of the series, but one seemed like it was more for kids. Police Quest was gritty and violent. I think that’s what made it more appealing to me as a kid. Now as an adult, I wanted to see that same feeling done but in a way that was more acceptable for modern generations. Police Quest is a point and click adventure, and those types of games don't resonate with as many gamers anymore...including myself. So I had to bring back the concept with a fresh flavor.

    Screenshot from Police Quest II: The Vengeance
     
    -At the heart of Quest Arrest’s gameplay is the ability to make choices about being a good cop or a bad cop. What inspired this feature of the game? Was there a conscious decision to connect with the prominence of police conduct in recent years?
    I never wanted this game to have any ties to real life police behavior or any of the controversy that follows. In fact I wanted quite the opposite. I wanted to parody real life.  What turned out to be the fair solution was to leave the choice of being good or bad to the player. I always liked games that I could go back and play over and have an entirely new experience. That was really the goal in mind when doing all of that.
     
    -Developing a game requires careful choices in designing the game’s world and how its look and feel impacts the player’s experience. How would you describe your design aesthetic? What features do you see in Quest Arrest that you consider a Roo signature?
    Well, to call anything that I've done to be directly unique would be a stretch. The game plays a lot like Pokémon or other RPG games. I think what makes this game unique is a combination of things including the adult themes, mixed with police simulation, mixed with choice, mixed with these small cute little sprites that have bad mouths all make up the grand picture. I would like to expand on those things.
     
    -You also developed the game’s music, is your creative process for composing the soundtrack similar to when you are working on the game’s code?
    The soundtrack was refined by krümel and Multiface. Two talented artists, but a lot of the composition was also done by me. I've been in the music industry producing music for a long time. I have to say that producing Gameboy music was one of the hardest things I've ever done. It’s just very limited and the tools are not very user friendly haha. I feel lucky to have come out with it being halfway decent. Haha.
     
    -What challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Quest Arrest? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    I think the entire process of game development is a challenge in itself. So the ultimate challenge is to actually finish. Possibilities are literally endless and you could develop forever tweaking and refining things. To finish something is an art.
     
    -Ever since my first blog episode, M-Tee planted this idea in my mind that a game’s protagonist serves as both the player's point of immersion in the game as well as a reflection of its designer. What was the intention behind the design of Quest Arrest’s protagonist, and do you feel the character reflects you in any way?
    That's an interesting concept to think about. My character is a strong woman who defeats crime. It’s hard to say how that reflects me, but I do like a good hero story.  Or villain. It's the players choice. 😜
     
    -There has been a lot of support and enthusiasm for Quest Arrest on social media. How does it feel to see so many people enjoying your game?
    To see people enjoying the game is very weird to me. I've always explained it as this vulnerable feeling. It feels like 1000 people looking at you naked while you try and cover yourself, but at the same time they like what they see. Haha. So it’s a really bizarre feeling honestly. I enjoy making the games more than the attention from them, although the attention is great. It’s a positive thing for me in the end. My job feels complete when someone enjoys the game.
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, Gameboy or otherwise? Any dream projects?
    I have 3 other projects that I’m currently working on and all of them are a team effort. I will be making some announcements very soon. I am excited.
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    I see indie games all of the time and I absolutely love playing them. I feel like there is somewhere along the timeline of gaming where we lost touch with what games should be. They are so massive and realistic now that we forgot they don’t have to be. Indie games show us that the best of games don't have to be huge or high budgeted.

    Two more new Gameboy homebrews (Dragonborne is also available on cart)
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    I really just want to thank you for giving me an opportunity to talk about my game. As well as having interests in my game at all. It’s very cool. Thanks for having me Sean. Anyone who wants updates on the Quest Arrest project can follow
    @QuestArrest
     or follow me
    @TheRetroRoomRoo
     If you made it this far in the interview, you're the best ever.
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of a series that highlights the latest gems of homebrew and has officially moved into other consoles. What are your thoughts on Quest Arrest and its passionate development team? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?
     

  19. Scrobins

    Episode 8: The Assembly Line

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Episode 8: The Assembly Line

    Introduction:
    It was around September 2017 that I first learned about homebrew games. Months earlier I shipped my collection of old video games and consoles from my parents’ home and hoped to expand my library. Searching for the “essential” gems no self-respecting vintage gamer should be without, I stumbled upon a pair of articles from The Verge and Wired about new games for old consoles. Curious, I researched homebrew games to learn more about these new cartridges and the people who made them. My search revealed a variety of fun games and even some live Kickstarter campaigns, but the results consistently led me to two places in particular: the NintendoAge forums and a podcast called The Assembly Line.
    Kevin and Beau’s podcast about homebrews was the first podcast I listened to faithfully. Although NintendoAge was a great resource to learn about the major personalities within the homebrew community, The Assembly Line provided greater depth to prominent games, the insights of their developers, and news of games to come, in addition to Kevin and Beau’s own projects and travels. They are excellent guides to exploring homebrew, and are great cheerleaders bringing attention to worthwhile projects, celebrating the talent and passion brewers pour into their games.
    For this episode, I’m covering The Assembly Line because I’m thankful for this podcast and its two hosts, who have been integral to my introduction to and exploration of the homebrew scene. At the time of this writing, there are 23 episodes available. You can listen to every episode on Soundcloud, iTunes, and YouTube.

    Gobble gobble bleep boop
     
    On-Air Personalities:
    @SoleGoose (E.B.D. Holland)
    @KHAN Games (Kevin Hanley)
     
    Gurus and Friends:
    I made Beau’s acquaintance first, when I messaged him on Kickstarter in July 2018 to ask if there would be any copies of Spook-o’-tron available to purchase after backers received their games. Beau responded soon after to let me know I wasn’t too late, and was thankful for my interest in his game, thus beginning our ongoing friendly correspondence. A few months later, I checked in with Beau to ask if he planned to attend the 2018 Portland Retro Gaming Expo. I had just made plans to visit Portland for my first real vacation in almost 8 years, and I was looking forward to meeting some of the homebrewers behind my favorite games.
    The idea for the trip had come together all of a sudden. I tracked down Chelsea Beck at Life Works, who handled sales of Cowlitz Gamers 2nd Adventure, but she was reserving remaining copies for PRGE (though she also initially mistook me for my name doppelgänger, who was one of the people behind the Coleco Chameleon scandal, and was thus leery of selling to me). While I couldn’t justify a cross-country trip just to pick up a single game, I told myself that if I could find something else to warrant the expense, I would go. Something nagged at the back of my mind; I’d had this conversation with myself about Portland before, there was something else I wanted to do there but needed another reason to justify going. It hit me: in addition to Portland’s incredible food scene, a short drive outside the city in Amboy, Washington was one of the few places in the continental U.S. offering scenic bungee jumping: out in the woods, off a bridge, over a river! I had enough good reasons, now I could go. What a trip this would be!

    Hangin’ round the NA booth at PRGE
    As it turned out, not only would Beau be there, he said he would have a few carts of Spook-o’-tron for sale to offset the costs of the trip! When I walked into the expo on the second day, when the vendors were officially open for business, I recognized Beau immediately from his Assembly Line avatar, he was even wearing his trademark hat. I bought a copy of Spook-o’-tron and we chatted about homebrew for a long while. I’m sure I embarrassed him with my fandom and request for a picture, but I didn’t care because I was having an absolute blast talking to him, other brewers & YouTube personalities, and exploring the surrounding city.
    I met Kevin a few months later at MAGFest, where he was watching people play his newest game: NEScape! Since the event was being held in National Harbor, just outside D.C. (where I live), it was a significantly easier trek. After wandering for a bit around the convention hall, I found Kevin and Beau in the homebrew section. We chatted for a bit about the podcast and homebrew collecting. Kevin invited me to play NEScape!, but fortunately he stepped away when I picked up the controller because I was terrible. I struggled to unlock the title screen! K3VBOT, who was also nearby, took pity on me and helped me get to the actual game where I fared slightly better.

    I don’t want to talk about it
    In the time since, I’ve stayed in touch with both Beau and Kevin. With their help, I’ve found several homebrews on my wishlist and significantly expanded my knowledge of homebrewers and the myriad games they have developed. I’m privileged to have received a few shout-outs on The Assembly Line for my fanboi creepings as well as for taking pictures in and around the Irving Convention Center to help with a possible Convention Quest sequel. We’ve swapped gaming news and related gossip, and talked about their relationships with other brewers, pixel artists, and chiptune composers. And of course I've trolled both of them on social media as well as during Kevin's annual NES Spectrum Marathon.


    Kevin knows what both of these mean, and I'm not remotely sorry why
    In a few short years I’ve grown from a complete newcomer to the homebrew scene to a joining the VGS staff, maintaining thorough lists of available and in-development homebrew physical releases. I have a folder of bookmarked webpages (currently 150) and a host of social media pages that I regularly check for news and new postings so I can stay up-to-date on the community. Yet I get most excited when I receive a notification that a new episode of The Assembly Line was posted, because it isn’t just about the game news or developer interviews; there is just something fun about Kevin and Beau chatting that makes them essential listening. And I’m thankful for both of them, and the podcast they’ve made for us.
     
    Podcast Overview & Blogger’s Review:
    The Assembly Line allows itself plenty of flexibility in its format so the conversation can flow freely, but there are still some hallmarks that listeners can count on hearing in each episode.
    Beau and Kevin often share insights learned in game development since their last conversation. It’s a great way to learn any new programming or technological breakthroughs such as new coding tricks or the practical uses of a new type of board. It’s a kind of news segment that exemplifies not only the talent of individual brewers, but also how the homebrew community at large has grown by orders of magnitude. Homebrewing began as something in the realm of hobbyist tinkering, something a handful of nostalgic, tech-savvy people experimented with to learn how it was done “then.” But unburdened by deadlines or the budgetary demands of a corporate overlord, homebrewers are not grinding out games by executive fiat, and are instead taking time to craft something new and interesting. Which begs the question: has homebrew eclipsed the licensed era, and if so when did homebrewers overtake their forebears?

    This first level looks great, now finish the game in 10 weeks so we can have it on shelves for Christmas
    Next the podcast will introduce the episode’s featured game. Beau and Kevin discuss the gameplay and features, highlighting any interesting technical facts alongside the game’s development history and some fun tidbits about the developer(s). It’s a helpful introduction to the game to prime listeners unaware of it and reminds familiar gamers why this particular game is special, setting the mood before the arrival of the developer on the show.
    Then comes the interview. Beau and Kevin have been in the community so long, they know practically everyone, so most interviews have an easy, familiar feel, as though someone turned a microphone on during a casual conversation among friends. Having interviewed a number of people for this blog, I can attest to how frequently some of my subjects worry about sharing too many stories and getting lost in their own answers, though I’m sure my readers will agree with me that those are the best parts of these posts. Beau and Kevin’s existing relationships with most developers removes that anxiety from their show, and interviews are filled with great stories behind the developer’s background and initial interest in homebrewing, as well as the specific inspiration that served as the catalyst for the game. If we’re lucky, Beau and Kevin might tease out some discussion of the developer’s other upcoming projects. It’s easy to get so lost in collecting and playing these games that we forget the people creating them. The stories shared during the interview offer glimpses of their passion, sometimes trying to make their homage to a beloved old classic or tackle a gaming feature they always wanted to see in an NES game.

    Where homebrewers begin…
    Transitioning back to the two hosts with a chiptune interlude using a track from the featured game, Beau and Kevin return to their own discussion of the game and deliver their review, incorporating any insights gleaned from the interview. Their critique is honest and fair, with a healthy dose of appreciation for what an accomplishment it is to publish a game. This segment might be where Beau and Kevin shine most: they’ve already discussed the game for a few minutes before the interview, but revisit the conversation, allowing listeners to glean how the interview itself impacts their previous impressions. It’s listening to an evolution of their own understanding and appreciation of the game in real-time.
    Having finished their discussion around the featured game, conversation shifts to Beau and Kevin’s own projects, whether that includes their own games or work assisting on the projects of others. They’ll also discuss developments in the wider community, including any new games announced, updates shared, or official releases. If you aren’t someone watching developers’ various social media pages, this update can be a great way to stay informed. Or you could also follow my pinned homebrew threads.

    Just sayin’
    And with everything else in the bag, Beau and Kevin wind down the episode and close out with one last chiptune track, from a project or an artist of interest.
     
    Interviews:
    To help reflect on The Assembly Line and the work that goes into making each episode, I talked with its esteemed hosts…
     

    Kevin Hanley
    @atonofglaciers
    -Before we talk about the podcast, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrewer? What is the origin story of KHAN?
    When I joined NintendoAge back in 2007, a website that no longer exists sadly, but was once the hub of the NES collecting scene, homebrew was still in its infancy. A few early NES developers, James Todd (who went by Zzap, of Chunkout fame), and Al Bailey (Sudoku 2007 developer), were starting to release physical projects to sort of set an early taste of what the homebrew community could be. I was pretty fascinated by the prospect! I had joined the site because I was a collector, with the common goal of acquiring all the games in the NES library. But here were people making new games! It was incredible. Having no programming experience, but having a background in music, I figured composing songs for some of the stuff these guys did would be my gateway into homebrew. And I did pretty well (mostly because there weren't many people doing it at the time. When good composers came along I kindly took a step back and let them do their thing. Thankfully for me, this came right at the time Brian Parker (of retroUSB fame) started releasing his Nerdy Nights NES programming tutorials. I never really considered the fact that I could handle learning programming, as I definitely had no background in it, but I was an avid user of early computers, so I knew my way around a DOS prompt pretty well and had written some batch files. I never really pieced together that it was sort of the same thing. It was an uphill battle to learn assembly language, but thanks to Brian (and James') infinite patience, I made it over the hump.
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    It's hard to say who my influences are, because I sort of just do my own thing. I would say I am most influenced by what I play. When I play a new indie game that blows my mind I always want to bring that experience to the NES in some way. The same can be said about retro computer games. I grew up on them as much as I grew up on the NES, so I always want to bring the experiences in those games to the NES. One, because the NES is my favorite system and I love seeing more and more games on it, but two, because I want other people who didn't experience the games I loved as a kid to be able to experience them. It seems like people who grew up on NES didn't experience early PC games, and vice versa (with a few exceptions of course). It's nice being able to bring something fresh to the table (which is ironic to say since I mostly just port things with few original ideas).
    As far as who I follow closely, I feel like I've taken a step back and kind of look at the scene as a whole now. I just love that it's getting to be so big. I'm watching everyone! But especially Sly Dog Studios. 😉

    Screenshot from Sly Dog Studios’ website
     
    -You have been a part of the homebrew community from its early days, and you have developed a multitude of games over the course of that time. In developing your games would you say they have any qualities that seem quintessentially you across that time? How would you describe your aesthetic?
    Brian would say the only thing that makes my games mine is the fact that I hard code my sprites. 🙂 But to the end user, I doubt there's much that defines my games as mine. Other than "Oh look, another port."
     
    -How has your approach to homebrewing changed over the years?
    The main thing that's changed is the fact that I have developed so many connections now and can use experts in different fields (i.e., graphics and music) to bring me much better assets than I could ever do myself. Sharing and creating a project with others is a lot more rewarding than just doing it all alone.
     
    -What tools do you use to code?
    I code almost everything on my 2012 Macbook Air, using Sublime Text 2 for the coding, and the normal developer tools for creating assets. NES Screen Tool for backgrounds, Tile Layer Pro for sprites, Famitracker for music, Hex Fiend for hex editing, etc.
     
    -You are also known for your entry in the Annual NESDev Coding Competition, Nothing Good Can Come of This, and your work on others’ games, from the 8-Bit Xmas series and Scare Carts to Zi’s cart-based chiptune albums. Do you have different attitudes toward your work between your compo entry projects, your “feature-length” games, and your work with others? Is the experience of developing them different?
    They are definitely different beasts in my head. I'd say my "feature-length" games are just that... feature length, so I take a lot more pride in making sure they're polished and presented in precisely the manner I want them to be. When I help others with stuff I typically just use parts of previous game engines I've done to expedite the process so it doesn't take nearly as much time.
     
    -Ever since my first episode, M-Tee planted this idea in my mind that a game’s protagonist serves as the player's point of immersion in the game and also serves as a reflection of its designer. Are there aspects of yourself imbued in your games’ characters?
    Well, I think I've joked about the similarities between Larry (of Leisure Suit fame) and myself, but going down that road can be depressing, so I'll keep it light. I don't think there are too many similarities. A lot of the other developers will wax philosophical for hours about their nonsense. I don't ever think too deeply about this kind of thing. I just make what I want to make and that's that.

    The resemblance is uncanny
     
    -What lessons have you learned that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    You will never please everyone with your creations, so focus on exactly what you want to make and do it. Don't succumb to trying to put features in games that other people want if you aren't crazy about it. There's only one you, so make things only you can make and don't be afraid to ask for help. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for everyone being so selfless with their time and information.
     
    -You were/are also working on a number of games such as Courier, Unicorn, Isolation, Larry 2, Risk, Thomas is Alone, and your mystery TV show game. Do you have any updates on any of these games (or others) that you would like to share?
    Courier is going to be a masterpiece, from the mind of Peek-a-brews. I will be getting back to that game as soon as I'm finished programming Unicorn, which is what I'm currently working on. We're having to move a lot of the game engine to the web server (for reasons I won't bore you with) so that's taking a bit longer than expected, but it will be a really fun online NES game that I hope everyone gets into. It will be a unique experience for people who didn't grow up on early computer bulletin board systems. As far as the other games mentioned, I wouldn't count on them ever happening, other than the mystery TV show game, which is definitely finished and will be out by the end of the year, correlating with whenever the TV episode airs.
     
    -Let’s talk about The Assembly Line. You and Beau have produced 23 episodes over 3 years up to now, not counting episodes that are in-development. Have your interests and goals for the podcast changed over time? Has making the podcast had an impact on your interests and goals?
    I'll be honest. Since the episodes are happening so infrequently now, I've lost a lot of interest in even doing them. That will probably change when Beau gets better internet and we can do them more often, but it's so rarely in my head now that we aren't doing more than one or two episodes a year. I wouldn't say that the podcast changed my interests or goals, but it has made me realize that we actually have the ear of the community and with that comes a bit of responsibility, both with making sure the things we say are as accurate as they can be, and also that we treat the topics we cover with as much respect as we can because this stuff is truly special. It's been nice to see that we aren't the only ones that care about it, and quite the opposite, the audience out there delving into this stuff is far greater than we imagined. The number of people listening to the podcast (even as infrequently as they're coming out now) is really really surprising. And inspiring.
     
    -Do you listen to any podcasts, gaming-related or otherwise?
    I do listen to a number of podcasts, but only one of them is gaming related, and it hasn't released a new episode in a long, long time sadly. It is called the Upper Memory Block Podcast, and it's (surprise!) about early PC games. The other podcasts I listen to are Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, Zack to the Future, The Jump, 99% Invisible, Post-Pinkerton, Off-Camera, and the Twilight Zone Podcast.

    Banner from Upper Memory Block’s website
     
    -What makes for a good podcast episode?
    Alcohol. And a game I truly care about talking about.
     
    -On average, how much time passes between the initial planning for an episode and posting it for listeners?
    We typically come up with the game we want to cover well in advance so that we take the time to both play through it fresh. Then we typically write up the outline of the episode, including the intro discussion topic and all the things that have happened lately in the community the day of recording. Then we record at night, sometimes doing the interview a different day. Then editing takes a really long time. Typically 20-40 hours, so that can span over weeks. I'd say the episode finally drops a month or so after recording.
     
    -What is your favorite segment to talk about in an episode?
    My favorite part is typically the interviews since they are special and we get to talk to people that we aren't always super familiar with. Although even when we bring good friends of ours on that is super fun too.
     
    -I’m curious about your thoughts regarding the various people you’ve interviewed and the games they’ve developed, so I’ve got a bit of a rapid-fire gauntlet of questions:
    -Favorite interviewee?
    humanthomas
     
    -Favorite chiptune featured on an episode?
    I can't really think of one that stands out, honestly. They're all really great, but chiptune music in general doesn't do much for me, surprisingly haha.
     
    -Favorite homebrew?
    Will never be able to choose between The Mad Wizard and Candelabra Estoscerro! I love both for different reasons, but truly do love both. So much.
     
    -Favorite homebrewer?
    Robert L. Bryant from the Sly Dog Studios!
     
    -Most charming graphics?
    I'm sure I've used this word to describe graphics before, but nothing immediately comes to mind. Maybe Convention Quest?
     
    -Most obtuse gameplay feature?
    Trying to use spoken word DCPM samples as clues in a video game. Such a dumb idea!
     
    -What is something your co-host uniquely brings to the table?
    Research and philosophy.
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    Orange Island is probably the main one. Other than Unicorn. I WANT THIS GAME TO BE OUT, DAMMIT!
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Don't do drugs.
     

    E.B.D. Holland
    @SoleGoose
    -It’s great to interview you again! Last time, we talked about Trophy and The 6502 Collective, so I’m excited to talk more about you and Sole Goose Productions (I deliberately refrained from asking you some questions when we talked about Trophy so I could ask them here). What first inspired you to become a homebrewer? What is the origin story of Sole Goose Productions, and what is the significance of that name?
    I guess it would have been the spring of 2012. I had had the desire to make a game for about a decade, ever since high school. Over that time I would think about a project, write notes and sketch things out, try to find ways to accomplish that dream, and then eventually give up. My interest has mostly been in 2D games, particularly RPGs over the years, and I generally messed around with RPG Maker 2003 during this time. That spring of 2012, after planning out sections of a space-themed shooter/RPG, I decided that I needed to either learn how to actually achieve this dream of making a game, or give it up for good. I started looking into things more that fall, discovered that people were still making games for old consoles, and decided that that was the direction to go. The amazing community around NES development sealed the deal on which system to learn, after months of exploring options based on the type of game I wanted to make.
    SGP naturally flowed from that decision. Everyone putting out games in the community had a name: Khan Games, RetroUSB, Membler Industries, Sly Dog Studios, etc., so I knew that I wanted one if I was going to release things on cart. My first choice was Blue Apple Games, no real reason why other than I could see a logo in my head, but that one was taken by some edutainment company (if I recall). I have a list somewhere of all of the nouns and adjectives that my wife and I came up with, but no combination really worked. In the end, we were driving by a pond in a business park and she saw a goose by itself. You usually see geese in pairs or groups, and she exclaimed, “Look, sole goose!” It kind of fit with the theme of solo homebrew development, so that was that (she did not approve!).

    It's a great name! What’s your problem?
     
    -You have been a part of the homebrew community for a number of years, and you have developed and released several games over the course of that time. In developing your games would you say they have any qualities that seem quintessentially you that you have maintained across that time? How would you describe your aesthetic?
    Well, I haven’t released much that I have programmed myself, but looking over all of the unfinished projects and rough ideas I’d say that my games try to learn from the past. A lot of people approach the NES with nostalgia, but for me it is a living thing. Most of my ideas come from directly playing games, good or bad. I take what I like and try to combine it with other elements that are not often found together. I also try to look at things that seem like a good idea, but suffer in execution. The NES is great for this! Developers were throwing things at the wall to see what would stick, and genres had not been as heavily defined. We lost a lot of that spirit as things settled down, and going back to those games can breathe some new life into what we do today. Just because we make games on the NES doesn’t mean that we have to be stuck in the past. In many ways, it is our chance to approach things as they did back then, as a wild frontier of possibilities, though with decades of hindsight and medium evolution.
     
    -How has your approach to homebrewing changed over the years?
    Whew, that’s a tough one. It has probably changed in a lot of ways, but a major way that I have noticed recently is in regards to patience. It hit me the other day as I was working on the car (yes, the one that caught on fire). I had this seemingly simple task that I had never done before, draining the coolant, and it ended up taking the entire afternoon. Old parts were stuck, tools were missing, there was constant internet searching for missing information, and I had to improvise some. At the end of the day, though, I was not frustrated that it had taken so long. I just kind of acknowledged that the job takes as long as it is going to take, bumps and all along the way, which is how programming seems to work on a daily basis. I think, “oh, I should add this feature, it’ll be easy!” and then two days go by, I’ve ventured down numerous rabbit trails touching other aspects of the project, cleaned up old things, squashed some bugs, and who knows what else before it is finished (a state which is never certain in any event). These days I still have my end goal in mind with a project, but the quest to get there is no longer something that feels quite as immediate. It makes programming much more enjoyable, and probably leads to better results, even if it is a slow process to get there.
     
    -I asked Kevin about how his experience developing a game for the NESDev Annual Coding Competition compares to developing a game outside that compressed timeframe. You’ve broached the subject on the podcast a few times, do you think you’ll develop a game for the compo one day?
    Hahaha, funny you should ask. This is the time of year where I usually consider doing something. Maybe this will be the year?
     
    -What tools do you use to code?
    I use fairly basic tools. Tools influence creativity, and I want them to have as little say as possible on that process. If I didn’t, I’d still be using RPG Maker or whatever people are using these days. Making games simply to have them on the NES is a novelty at best, but ASM allows one to deeply engage a platform. I want to make the ideas in my head, not someone else’s vision of what I should be doing. Why make a game if someone else is calling the shots? Since tools are not really made for the NES, or only for a part of it, it’s up to the programmer to find them and bend them to his or her needs.
    I write code in Notepad++ and use NESASM to compile it. I used a plain text editor for the first six to nine months, but the features of NP++ are too good to pass up. Even something as simple as having line numbers is a huge gain; I recall the dark days of counting the lines in ordinary Notepad when doing the Nerdy Nights tutorials, hunting down an error the compiler spit back. I do all of my programming on an old, offline XP machine. It is light and quick, and does not interfere with thinking or work. Minimal distractions, and all of the tools I need.
    For graphics I use a combination of programs. I draw in Paint (Windows XP version), and do whatever edits I need to things in there. It is light, quick, and easy, and allows me to directly see the results (notice a theme?). When I do need to do more complex artwork I use Aseprite. I primarily use it for two functions that Paint does not have: layers, when doing sprites, and the find/replace color command. That last one is important for getting things into a graphics editor. I use YY-CHR, and it only recognizes certain colors, which means flipping everything to them prior to importing. The process might sound kind of complicated, but I can draw for days or weeks in Paint before needing another program, and then when it is time to convert things, that generally takes a few minutes for everything. I usually work with filler graphics that have been altered to be close to what I eventually want to have, so swapping out final assets for them is a (mostly) painless task.
    As far as a map editor, useful for larger projects, I am now using the most excellent program Tiled. For Spook-o-tron I made my own inter-NES editor, and I did the same for Convention Quest. I’ll have more on that someday, but I built an editor based on what I wanted to be doing with that project, working from goal/code backwards to a tool that would accomplish that. Tiled is great in that it does not dictate how the user uses it, and I was able to set it up to mimic what my CQ editor was doing, without having to build things on the NES itself anymore.
    When it comes to music I have someone else to compose things for my games. They tend to use Famitracker, and target Shiru’s Famitone2 sound engine, which is quick, light, and easy to drop into a program.
    A lot of fellow programmers give me a hard time about the programs that I use, but I like them since they do not get in the way of my work. I don’t want to have to think about the tools, or wait on them to update, refresh, verify whatever over the internet, or whatnot. The worst I experience is that annoying bubble in XP that says “Your computer is not connected to the internet” when I open up the lid, or the once a week “There are unused icons on your desktop.” I’ve gotten used to them over the last fifteen years, having used the same computer the whole time (now an identical rebuild as of a few months ago). Working offline has its bonuses too, since I can cut down the number of distractions and aimless internet searching that often accompanies online work.
     
    -You are also known for your work through The 6502 Collective, which has released great games such as Trophy and Rollie, and musical albums such as Zao’s Reformat/Reboot and Steve DeLuca’s Goofy Foot. Do you have different attitudes toward your own work versus in your capacity in the Collective? Is the experience of developing them different?
    No, they’re not really different. I’ve been publishing other peoples’ work with SGP since 2015, so it is not particularly new. If anything I make more progress and get more done with Collective work since Greg and Tim do a large part of the work. The commission projects have been nice too since they tend to be smaller and have definite due dates.

    For a refresher on The Collective’s work…
     
    -Ever since my first episode, M-Tee planted this idea in my mind that a game’s protagonist serves as the player's point of immersion in the game and also serves as a reflection of its designer. Are there aspects of yourself imbued in your games’ characters?
    Just flip up the visor on the Spook-o’-tron Spaceman’s helmet and who do you think you’ll find? Hahaha, just kidding of course. Come to think of it, I’ve never really thought of him as a character.
    I have been working on more narrative-based games for the last four years or so, though none of that has really reached the public eye. I’m sure that there are aspects of myself in some of them, but I guess we will have to wait and see. One in particular shares a certain receding hairline.
     
    -You were/are also working on a number of games such as Swords & Runes 2 and 3, Cityzen, and Family Vacation, as well as a book detailing the history of homebrew. Do you have any updates on any of these projects (or others) that you would like to share?
    Swords and Runes III is out! That’s how long it took me to get to your questions ;).
    I started a dev blog a few months ago in order to try and keep people in the loop about what I am up to, which can be found here. Besides reflections on the past, announcements and news about new projects will also appear there. Indeed, for the careful reader they may have already.

    Available now!
     
    -Let’s talk about The Assembly Line. You and Kevin have produced 23 episodes over 3 years (not counting episodes you and Kevin are working on). Have your interests and goals for the podcast changed over time? Has making the podcast had an impact on your interests and goals?
    I don’t know if we really had much of a “goal” in mind when we started it. I’ve been a fan of other peoples’ work since I joined the community, amassing a respectable collection, talking privately with fellow devs, and collecting notes about the history of things. When I started work on the homebrew history book things intensified, so the podcast became a way for me to start talking about some of that publicly. It has also served as sort of a light first pass for book interviews, since it is hard to ask questions if one doesn’t know what all a person has done.
    In the end, though, it’s a great way to keep the hobby a living thing. Being forced to play games and not just let them collect dust on the shelf, getting to hang out with Kevin, and getting to talk with friends old and new is refreshing.
    I can’t say if it’s had an inverse impact. My goals are still to make games, see what other people are doing, and keep playing interesting things.
     
    -Does the motel you use for Internet when recording episodes recognize you on sight now?
    Hahaha, we’ve only had to do that once. Usually I try to visit family every few months for a week or so, and we plan recording sessions around those. It has not been the best solution, but we do what we can with the time that we have.
     
    -Do you listen to any podcasts, gaming-related or otherwise?
    Not a one. I listened to one episode of Tell ‘em Steve Dave with Kevin while driving once, and my wife made me listen to a single TED Talk, which I was not allowed to interrupt for discussion. I can’t think and listen like that. College lectures were no problem, I loved those, but there is no pause in radio things. I live a fairly noise-free life, playing games on low volume, only turning on the TV a couple of times a week at most, and driving with the radio off 99% of the time, so my passive media intake is minimal.
     
    -What makes for a good podcast episode?
    You tell me! I guess on our end easy editing is always nice. If the files don’t cut out, drift, or get completely lost that’s a great help. Spending a lot of time with a game beforehand always makes for a better episode, as does doing a bit of research. I have over-researched some episodes, however, and saw how that can easily get things off track. I mainly make small notes, and do not prep Kevin or guests on a lot of stuff so that conversation flows more naturally. We also try to talk about less than we’d like, since we always end up going over our ninety-minute goal.
     
    -What is your favorite segment to talk about in an episode?
    Either the interviews or the community happenings. I want to hear what other people are working on, I can listen to myself talk anytime. NES development has always been about more than the games for me, more than the finished product. I want to know the process. I have more games on the shelf than I could ever play, and the personal aspect is often what causes me to choose one game over another. You have to want to homebrew; it’s not easy and not exactly rewarding, financially or otherwise. That drives people to do some creative and interesting things.
     
    -I’m curious about your thoughts regarding the various people you’ve interviewed and the games they’ve developed, so I’ve got a bit of a rapid-fire gauntlet of questions:
    -Favorite interviewee?
    Mattias, the fellow who did Quest Forge, since everything he said was brand new information to me.
     
    -Favorite chiptune featured on an episode?
    Brad Smith, Lizard, Root Zone.
     
    -Favorite homebrew?
    Lizard
     
    -Favorite homebrewer?
    Too hard, next!
     
    -Most charming graphics?
    Charming, eh? Julius’ work in Super Bat Puncher, or Nicholas’ work in Banana Nana.
     
    -Most obtuse gameplay feature?
    Light switches in pitch black rooms.
     
    -What is something your co-host uniquely brings to the table?
    Lots of interests outside of gaming that I do not share. We also seem to have grown up, and prefer, rather different games and genres. I’m always learning about something new when we talk.
     
    -Given what The Collective has achieved with playable MP3 on the NES, have you considered releasing collections of Assembly Line episodes on NES cartridges?
    I pitched it to Kevin a while back, and there was a concern that people either wouldn’t be interested in it (the episodes are free online after all), or that it would be seen as a cash grab. If that is something that people want to see convince Kevin to go along with my wild schemes!
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences again. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Just that it’s been a wild ride with making games, and a blast to do the Assembly Line. Thanks for all of the support over the years, from the smallest kind word all of the way up to strapping in for yearlong testing sessions!
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to yet another episode of a series that takes a closer look at the latest homebrew games coming across the finish line, or in this case, covering two colleagues and friends who also celebrate and explore the gems you need to add to your collection. What are your thoughts on The Assembly Line? Do you have a favorite episode? Is there a game you’re dying for KHAN and Sole Goose to cover next? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon as well when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?

  20. Scrobins

    Episode 9: 8-Bit Xmas 2020

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Episode 9: 8-Bit Xmas 2020 (Dr. Covio)

    Introduction:
    Video games are a lot like movies, an excellent effort can give rise to a sequel, potentially even a series, one which perfects a formula and offers something new and fun while retaining everything that made past installments worthwhile. It is a difficult tightrope to walk: providing more of what works without merely delivering a carbon copy, while also experimenting with new features without undermining the essential, winning formula. There may be missteps, but fans know the highs of a good series eclipse the lows, such is my devotion to the James Bond films, the Dragon Warrior/Quest series among licensed-era games, and the 8-Bit Xmas series among homebrew games, but I digress. For some, the holidays begin with Thanksgiving and the Macy’s parade, but for others the season begins when Brian Parker lists a new 8-Bit Xmas cart on RetroUSB, featuring a new game, some holiday chiptune, and blinky lights.
    For this entry, I’m covering 8-Bit Xmas 2020: Dr. Covio, an arcade action puzzler for the NES, inspired by Dr. Mario, and developed by Brian Parka aka bunnyboy aka RetroUSB fka RetroZone. As of the time of this writing, the physical release of the game is available here on RetroUSB.
     
    Development Team:
    @retroUSB (Brian Parker): programming
    @Peek-A-Brews! (Jon Piornack): graphical art
    @zi (Thomas Ragonnet): music
     

    Behold the power of blinky lights
     
    Game Evolution:
    This particular holiday tradition traces its history back more than 12 years, when the first 8-Bit Xmas cart was released in 2008 during homebrew’s earliest days. The original 8-Bit Xmas 2008 served as a digital Christmas card, featuring snow falling on the letters “NA” in tribute to the NintendoAge forum, and holiday chiptune to accompany it. The cart was a fun homebrew alternative to the burning yule log that you might play in the background of holiday festivities.
    In the ensuing years, more entries to the series were added, including two 16-Bit Xmas carts, each now featuring a playable game and more holiday chiptune. The series was immensely popular, and the rarity of older games made them highly sought collector’s items, with 8-Bit Xmas 2008 becoming one of the Big 3 homebrew grails.

    8-Bit Xmas 2008: cart, pinup insert, and both box variants
    Brian shared early news of 8-Bit Xmas 2020 on VGS’ Brewery Discord on July 25, 2020 when he solicited the community for Dr. Mario-related game ideas. More news came to the Discord on August 19, 2020 when Brian shared a beta rom for bug testing. As the game’s development continued, Brian announced the rest of the development team on September 22, 2020, with Jon providing art and Tom providing another dose of Christmas chiptune cheer.
    On November 2, 2020, RetroUSB opened sales of 8-Bit Xmas 2020, and began shipping carts later in the month. Also, as per tradition, NES-City, led by our own Francis Spedafino aka @fsped09 designed and sold a box for the game so CIB collector’s could get their fix.
     
    Gameplay Overview:
    Given its inspiration from Dr. Mario, 8-Bit Xmas 2020 would best be described as an action puzzler in the falling block tradition. If the Dr. Mario theme during COVID-19 seems apropos, the timing of the release right as vaccines are receiving emergency use authorization is especially uncanny.
    You control the movement of capsules (two tiles wide) as they fall down a large beaker, with the goal of matching colors across capsules and viruses in rows or columns of at least 4 in order to remove tiles and get rid of the pesky viruses scattered throughout the level. Clear the viruses, clear the level (and notch a big score and an even bigger password). Controls are straightforward: the A and B buttons rotate the capsule you control, left and right on the d-pad move the capsule accordingly, and pushing down on the d-pad speeds up the falling process.
    Before starting the game proper, you can customize the game through an elaborate menu. Options include setting the number of players (up to 4), the width of the beaker/game’s field of play, capsule fall speed, relative number of viruses, number of upcoming capsules you can see in advance, and color scheme, featuring Christmas (red, green, and white) and classic (orange, blue, and magenta) options.

    Pick your poison
    Meanwhile in the background are 4 new holiday chiptune tracks compliments of zi. This year features The 12 Days of Christmas; Baby, It’s Cold Outside; Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer; and Happy Holidays.
     
    Writer’s Review:
    8-Bit Xmas 2020 offers a fun, Christmassy homage to Dr. Mario on steroids.

    Dexamethasone to be specific
    Depending on your selections in the extensive pre-game menu, the game can take the same size as Dr. Mario’s beaker or much, much bigger, offering the temptation of even higher high scores for arcade junkies. While the original Dr. Mario included a similar menu to set the game’s difficulty, Dr. Covio’s selections create a more bespoke experience, and thus a more replayable game that will bring players back again and again to experiment with different setting combinations to see how it impacts their high scores. The key word for this 8-Bit Xmas entry is MORE. More options, more customizable, more players. More fun. While gameplay in both Dr. Mario and Dr. Covio is simple and addictive, the 8-Bit Xmas treatment elevates this cart to party game status.

    You can cooperate to fight a virus in a way our state and federal government didn’t!
    Adding to the visual charm of 8-Bit Xmas 2020 with its deathly cute virus sprites is a detailed background from Peek-A-Brews! that frames the beaker, presenting a laboratory setting that one-ups Dr. Mario’s simple checkered pattern background. Meanwhile, the game is also wrapped melodically by the chiptune stylings of zi, who continues to pull our nostalgic heartstrings with his 8-bit covers of holiday classics. After playing the game for awhile, I enjoyed putting the controller down just to sit back and enjoy the music.
     
    Interviews:
    I convinced Santa’s elves in the game development department to take a break from their work to talk to me about the holiday homebrew on everyone’s list.
     

    bunnyboy
    @retroUSB
    -Before we dive into 8-Bit Xmas 2020, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrewer? What is the origin story of RetroUSB?
    My parents never let us have a NES, but my best friend had one and we played at his house all the time.  Lent was the best time for me because he had to give up the NES and it came to my place!  After college he requested a USB NES gamepad to play emulators, and I didn't have a job because I went to college for supercomputer architecture and all those companies disappeared.  RIP Cray/SGI/IBM/HP/etc.  I figured selling gamepads to them would pay for a new bike frame until I got a real job.  17 years later the bike is still my primary one, but I never got that job...

    And the dream lives on…
     
    -What is the significance of the bunnyboy and RetroUSB names? What brought about the name change of your website from RetroZone to RetroUSB?
    bunnyboy goes back to 4th grade (~1990), when I was a boy with pet bunnies.  No relation to furries or Playboy.  It came up again in college when I needed a username with 8 letters and everything with Brian was already taken.  
    The RetroZone to RetroUSB switch was because when I started the company I wasn't expecting to go so long and I never did a check if retrozone.com was available.  Turns out a random HVAC company was already using it and had no interest in selling.  Always check the URL before naming something!  I still have some labels that say RetroZone because I ordered too many, and I am too lazy to change it.
     
    -Looking across the entire 8-Bit Xmas series, you have developed homebrew games that feature a wide variety of genres and gameplay mechanics. Beau and Kevin mentioned on The Assembly Line that you like to set yourself a technical challenge and then program a game around it. Is there any truth to that? What is your inspiration in deciding what a given game will feature?
    Yeah now it frequently starts as a tech concept and a game builds around that.  Sometimes that means the game isn't very good...  For 2014 the goal was more than 4 players, which took 2 PowerPads and made the game confusing.  Sometimes the programming challenge isn't obvious.  The isometric background of 2018 was very tricky to get right, but the effect on the ski speeds didn't really work.  This year was going back to the original Xmas idea of 4 player games while making something that didn't feel like a mini game.  Next year, who knows?
     
    -Despite that diversity of game features, do you feel your games have a unifying aesthetic that define them as yours?
    None at all!  Other than not wanting to program a platformer, I just go with whatever seems interesting at the time.  Each game had different artists so that isn't a connection either.
     
    -What does the development process for an 8-Bit Xmas game look like?
    November - "I am going to get started now and have something huge!"
    I am now in this stage for 2021, but I bet the normal process will continue.
    April - "I should get to work and have a special Xmas in July"
    July - "Hey wouldn't it be cool if..."
    Inspiration randomly strikes.  This is the part where the project is interesting for me, so it’s 1-3 weeks of mass programming to go from nothing to a playable game.  For 2020 my family was gone for a week so almost all coding was done July 28 to August 1, that made my hands hurt.  It has been a few years since I have had a block of time that big dedicated to one thing.  Then it's weeks/months of much slower testing, debugging, and adding features. 
    September - "Oh no, this needs to be finished asap"
    Music, graphics, label artwork, any other content is added here.  This year I was late getting the labels ordered, then they were delayed, so ship date is a few weeks behind the normal target.  PRGE has typically been a deadline to add pressure in previous years.
     
    -How does coordination work with the development team you assemble for each game?
    The development team is mostly friends in Discord having early ROMs forced upon them often.  Any missed bugs are their fault, or they are features.  Usually by the time the other artists are involved the project is mostly done.  This year the artwork was so amazing that we kept adding more art, which needed some reprogramming to get it to fit.
     
    -What tools do you use to code and compose?
    NESASM forever!  I am still mostly on the same tools I used 15 years ago.  Xcode for writing, NESASM for assembling, and FCEUX for testing.  There are better choices for each one of those, but transitioning to them would be time that could be spent developing.  Same with all my hardware dev tools.  Get off my lawn!
     
    -Which is your favorite 8-Bit Xmas game? Favorite 8-Bit Xmas chiptune?
    2015 (Twelve Seconds) is the one I played most, but 2020 (Dr. Covio) might beat that soon.  If there are friends over then 2011 (Quadralords) is still the top pick.

    Screenshot from 8-Bit Xmas 2015 aka Twelve Seconds
     
    -You released two 16-Bit Xmas games in 2011 and 2012, what led you to start and then stop a parallel SNES series?
    Before that era I wanted to do EVERYTHING and making SNES boards was easy.  I figured eventually I would have Xmas carts for Gameboy, N64, and other sucky Sega systems too.  Afterwards I shifted to only working on things I was actually interested in, instead of whatever would make money.  SNES sux, so 16-Bit Xmas and SNES PowerPak were dropped.  Repros are boring so those went away too.  I still have the same mentality of only doing projects I will use myself which is why there has been nothing like wireless SNES gamepads.
     
    -Your creativity isn’t limited to gaming either, with fun blinky lights across the series, the LCD screen “label” on 8-Bit Xmas 2017, the RetroVision, the PowerPak, and the NES knitting machine you brought to PRGE 2018 where I first met you in person (you even gave me a piece made with the machine featuring a Goldman from Dragon Warrior). What drives your experimentation in hardware in addition to coding?
    The hardware is the part I want to do, there just aren't that many possible NES hardware projects!  Any piece of hardware also needs a large amount of software.  New parts for ROB should be next...

    Now you’re knitting with power!
     
    -I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention the AVS, with its audio and video output over HDMI, USB power supply, wireless gamepads, and a line of games to accompany it. What drove you to develop the AVS console?
    As kids we designed new games and even new consoles in 4th grade so once I got started on the path of NES hardware those seemed obvious.  It just took years of learning through projects like the PowerPak to have enough skills to do it well.  That same friend who wanted the gamepad now does industrial design, so he did the physical design of the AVS and many other concept renderings.

    The future of retro
     
    -You participated in the 2011 Annual NESDev Coding Competition with Panesian Power, which was Zapper compatible. Do you have a different attitude toward working on a compo entry as opposed to something on your own timetable?
    The competition deadlines are always a problem and seem to come up when there's no inspiration.  Has to be the correct mix of a good idea and enough time to actually do it.  If the theme or focus of the type of the game was narrower it would probably help me, but not the competition.
     
    -You are one of the first publishing platforms for the homebrew games of others, helping to grow the community and with all new parts. How did you develop those relationships? Did you take on any additional roles in those games beyond publishing?
    I went after the first one (Sudoku 2007) but after that it was always people coming to me.  NintendoAGE (RIP) being welcoming to people at all levels was the more important community part.  I helped some people with programming but that was unrelated to the publishing part.
     
    -The COVID connection for this year’s game needs no explanation, but were you already thinking of a Dr. Mario-inspired game before the pandemic?
    Nope!  I first started thinking of the game in June or July.  Before that I had no real ideas and no time.  The desire to do an RPG comes up every year but there is just too much content for it to happen.  1942 style scrolling shooter is still on my list too.
     
    -What about Dr. Mario resonates with you? Are you a fan of the other NES Mario puzzle games such Yoshi, Yoshi’s Cookie, Wario’s Woods, etc.?
    We never really played puzzle games as kids, so I have only done a few minutes of the Yoshi ones.  I like Tetris but I am not fast enough to be good.  Somehow Dr. Mario doesn't need the same mental speed.  The puzzle game I have done most is Tetris 2 with my wife and she still wins.

    Screenshot from Dr. Mario
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing 8-Bit Xmas 2020 as opposed to previous years? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    The lesson is always Nike, JUST DO IT.  Writing software only costs your time, and lots of hardware design is very cheap too.  The internet makes learning anything "easy" if you are willing to actually do it instead of giving up quickly.  For these games I don't do much planning, I just start coding it.  Finishing fast is more important than having beautiful code that nobody will ever see.  The challenge was having enough CPU time to have the music during the game so zi didn't kill me.
     
    -As far as NES homebrew goes, you pretty much own Christmas, while Retrotainment and K3VBOT share Halloween, and GreetingCarts/Retroscribe covered Valentine’s Day and birthdays. Do you think there are any other holidays deserving the homebrew treatment?
    Christmas in July is a yearly goal which never happens, and would also cover my birthday.  Maybe bday card for the NES would be cool.  I always wanted to do valentines with pink LEDs but that just comes too soon after the Christmas rush to find the time to do it.  Halloween is always a stressful time getting Xmas finished so they can keep it!
     
    -Your 8-Bit Xmas games are so beloved that earlier entries carry 4-figure values on the secondary market and the release of a new game makes players giddy for the holidays. How does it feel to bask in such enthusiasm and support?
    Just makes me wish I made more in 2008 and forgot them in a closet here.  Enthusiasm for the new games is cool (and this one is a really good game) but the values of old ones don't really affect me much.  I am not selling mine and I don't think they push new cart sales.  When shipping carts it is always great to see names of people I have lost contact with like mattbep.  I do miss the list of people who have the full set and wonder how few it is down to now.
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, NES or otherwise? Any dream projects?
    There are three projects at the top of the list, but there isn't any active work on them right now.  The portable AVS became too expensive, especially when the tariffs hit.  Still needs work on the analog audio which I don't understand.  My Dragon Warrior style RPG is forever waiting for people to do the content.  I can program, but not art.  Last one is a giant ROB model, which was my display idea for the cancelled PRGE 2020.  That mostly needs someone else to remove it from the expo because I don't have space for it afterwards.
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    Sneak and Peek 2021 is going to be amazing!  I think the one I am excited about isn't public yet, which probably means there are a few more years of development.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Buy everything I sell!  I need to get more space in my office for whatever is next...
     

    Peek-A-Brews!
    @peekabrews
    -Before we dive into 8-Bit Xmas 2020, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrew artist? What is the origin story of Peek-A-Brews?
    I think it was about 6 months after officially starting Peek-A-Brews that I read a post on Twitter by Kevin Hanley of KHAN Games. He was reaching out to any new or aspiring artists that might want to work on his next project. Having always been into art in some capacity and recently becoming obsessed with NES homebrews, I jumped for the chance at fulfilling one of my dreams. I am very glad that I sent him a message because it couldn’t have been a better experience.
    Around the same time that I discovered homebrews, my friend Bryan and I were having these NES game nights after work. The idea was to beat as many 2-player games as possible and check them off the list starting with our favorites. This led to conversations about maybe doing YouTube or Twitch. We decided on YouTube because it was more feasible for us to make pre-recorded episodes on our own time. When it came to choosing content, we naturally landed on homebrews to keep it current and less predictable. There were enough channels out there focused on nostalgia.
     
    -Do you have a favorite game that you’ve covered so far on your YouTube channel?
    Oh, that’s a tough one. I don’t know if I could ever pick a definitive favorite. I will say that The Incident will always be in my top 5 because it scratches most of my itches. It’s a puzzle based, sci-fi mystery with great music. I can see myself replaying that game for years to come. However, the most fun I had recording an episode would probably be Super Russian Roulette. I could not stop laughing at Bryan switching between voices and accents.

    It truly was a rootin’ tootin’ good time
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    When it comes to homebrews, it’s FrankenGFX. Ellen Larsson makes me want to quit! I mean that in a positive way, obviously. I really enjoy Zachary Curl’s work on all the Retrotainment games as well.
     
    -You leapt onto the homebrew scene as a developer with your art in NEScape, do you feel your artwork has a signature aesthetic that is uniquely you?
    I don’t know if I could even have a signature aesthetic yet. The few games that I’ve worked on have all been so different from each other which is perfect for me to home in on my own style. That would really be something though if, down the road, someone could actually recognize my work by the art alone.

    Portrait of the artist as a pixelated man
     
    -In your opinion, what makes game art stand out?
    You really know when someone has a handle on the use of color, especially with the limited amount of colors on the NES. I still have to push myself to experiment and not take the safe route all the time. Another thing that I really appreciate is when someone takes the time to blend things when they could easily chalk it up as it being a tile-based system. A clever use of shading or reserving a palette to house mutual colors is simple enough and goes a long way.
     
    -Tell me about your creative process while working on 8-Bit Xmas 2020?
    Playing a bunch of Dr. Mario of course! In all seriousness, I went straight to analyzing Dr. Mario’s viruses, the bigger versions on the side of the playing field to be specific. I was excited about creating my own cartoony viruses without totally ripping off the originals. The next step was thinking of a clever way to use them in the title screen while relating it to Christmas somehow. I’m really happy with the way all that turned out. When it came time for the actual gameplay, Brian already suggested the greyscale lab for a background so I didn’t need to waste time brainstorming what I would do. I just did a quick image search online for things like “science lab” or “chemistry set” to get me started. Everything just sort of fell into place from there.
     
    -What was the working dynamic like in your collaboration with Brian? How did you two connect for this game?
    Well, we did work together before on 8-Bit Xmas 2019. I made the title screen and updated a few sprites from the first Study Hall. For this one, I received an email from Brian deeming me his new artist and that he needed the graphics “yesterday.” I got a kick out of that. Brian is easy to work with in a way that he sends me a demo and some ideas, and then he just lets me do my thing. There’s a nice freedom to it.

    How long until we get 8-Bit Xmas cookies with our cart?
     
    -What tools do you use to create?
    I use Shiru’s NES Screen Tool. I tried a couple different programs when I first started but I felt most at home with that one. It’s been brought up a few times as a joke that I use MS Paint but I have never used it for a job. However, I may have used it to throw my hat in the ring for NEScape!
     
    -Do you collect the 8-Bit Xmas series? If so, which years do you have, and do you have a favorite?
    I have not gone back to hunt down the originals but I do have 8-Bit Xmas 2017 with the LCD screen. That thing is cool. I also have a copy of 2019 from working on it. Oh, and I left 2018 at an ex’s so I’ll probably never see that again.
    If I were to choose a favorite right now, it would be 2011’s Fireplace Bash. I grew up with Warlords on the 2600 so it holds a special place in my heart. I also think it’s a clever adaptation into a Christmas theme.

    Screenshot from 8-Bit Xmas 2011 aka Quadralords
     
    -Do you have any reflections on being part of a series that essentially kicks off the holidays for homebrew fans and is eagerly awaited each year?
    Well don’t go making me nervous by putting it that way! It’s a series that started a decade before I even knew about NES homebrews so it’s an honor really.
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing 8-Bit Xmas 2020? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    I’d say the biggest challenge I had with this game was the deadline. Other projects usually have wiggle room in the event that you want to improve something or try an interesting idea you had late in development. You can’t move a holiday so when it needs to be done, it’s done. Which sort of ties in with the next question.  Sometimes you just have to know when to call it. You can “improve” something forever but then it will never get out there into anyone’s hands. That’s a lesson I learn over and over again with every project.
     
    -Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon, NES or otherwise? Any dream projects?
    There is one project that Kevin and I are really excited for that we are not able to talk about just yet. It may, or may not, involve a TV show. Who knows, maybe it will have already been announced by the time this comes out so stay tuned! Other than that, I did start working on my own NES game that is a dream project of mine. It’s called Courier and it’s an homage to the SNES version of Shadowrun. Kevin Hanley will be programming it and Sergio Elisondo is composing the music and sound effects. I’m a little nervous because this one is my brainchild and the last thing I want to do is let those two down. Either way, I’m excited for everyone to see more of it.

    A homebrew draws near!
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    Full Quiet. That Kickstarter campaign dropped right when I was falling down the homebrew rabbit hole so I have this sort of nostalgic memory attached to it already. I also played a bit of it one year at MAGFest. I can’t wait to get my hands on that one. Orange Island is another one that I’m looking forward to playing.
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Just that it’s been a blast so far and I’m excited to see where the community goes from here.
     

    zi
    @BleepBopRecords
    -Before we talk about 8-Bit Xmas, I want to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to be a musician? What led you to compose music for games? What is your origin story?
    I first played on my great-grandfather's piano which sat in the enclosed patio in Queens at the age of 3, whilst the family chain smoked in the living room in the early 80s. They were very supportive or just wanted to stop the constant bitching about Koch, but at the end of every piece I played they said “very good.” So, I kept making up songs as I began lessons in first grade - stopping formal instruction only a few years ago after a stint on a cruise ship and quickly realizing I needed to get a real job. As a kid I LOVED the vast NES library and the soundtracks (taped - yep, cassette tapes- whatever I could from any games I could get my hands on) and have always wanted to create for the system. It wasn't until 2008 when I realized people are using programs to create music on NES ROMs did I fully realize my dream.

    Zi’s family, like many New Yorkers, simply would not bear with Ed Koch despite his entreaties
     
    -What is the significance of your Zi username as well as the Bleep Bop Records label?
    It's pronounced z-aye. The last piece of being a game composer is being computer obsessed: you can check that box. I was deep into the text-based world of MUDs in college where, looking for a short name (they wouldn't let me enter Z) I took Zi. Bleep Bop Records came from the sounds a human makes when making fun of a computer, which isn't cool. They have feelings too. Also, it's kinda jazzy and I like the jazz music.
     
    -Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?
    This isn't a joke: Bad Religion, Yanni, Dvorak. Blend em up and you have short, in-your face, classical/modern sensibility, but then bit shift it down to some recognizable waves. I'm all over the map now as far as artists- I just spent a month to figure out what Rush was all about. Most of the time it's other chiptune artists where I'm either listening to the songs or taking a scalpel to them and trying to understand the progression, the movement, the effects, the tone, etc. I was just on a chiptune compilation album (Chip for Change 2020) and now have 24 new artists to enjoy!

    A whole month? No rush
     
    -Do you feel that your music has any qualities that are quintessentially you? How would you describe your aesthetic?
    In the early days, yep, I just qualified 2010 as early, I found chiptune to be sorta disjointed… technically impressive but not catchy, not a song. I try to get my music to be approachable (hopefully memorable) with a distinct feel- like if MegaMan had intro, verse, pre-chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, chorus, outro. With the progressing chiptune scene these days everyone's got that feel, but it wasn't always like that, and I want/hope my music has a smart yet poppy sensibility. Deep yet digestible? Open, yet conquerable. Removed, yet connected? Nope, spiraling and moving on.
     
    -What tools do you use to compose, generally as well as for games?
    For games, Famitracker is my workhorse. Not that fancy modded ODD one, but the OG FT. With the progression of Famitone and it's (sorta) easy integration into game engines, the workflow is much easier. For my regular stuff I love LogicPro. I'm currently going through a horn thing where everything has horns, so thank you everyone for dealing with this (started 2018-2022?).
     
    -Tell me about the development of 8-Bit Xmas’ music, what is your composition process? Is the creative process different compared to when you compose more traditional music?
    So. Damn. Hard. At least with game composition you can play the game, look at the stills/gifs, talk to the programmer, get a vibe, work on some stuff, figure out the number of levels, intro, credits, etc. That to me is easy. It's tough to do covers because, well, everyone knows the song. So do the song, but do it in your own way, but don't stray too far from the original, yet make it recognizable. BTW, it's July 4th and this is due Aug 1. The creative process is far more focused on style than creating a new and catchy song, because we’ve all been listening to that holiday song for 60 years now.
     
    I have a list: song's I've done and want to do. I've settled into a sorta pattern of an upbeat Xmas song from the 60s, a traditional song, a quirky song, and a kid friendly/everyone knows song. I think I get weird with the traditional because we all know em- check out this year’s fun/mind-numbing rendition of “The 12 Days of Christmas”!
     
    -Which are your favorite holidays songs?
    That’s a null set for me. Everyone holiday song has the high probability of getting stuck in your head because the catalogue is so limited, which leads to a very high rate of ear-worm recidivism. I'll wake up in the middle of the night and be humming “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer”, and it's July 21st. Not cool, festive music world, not cool at all.

    Adapted into a WB animated film in 2000
     
    I’ll tell you my least favorite songs: 1. “Wonderful Christmastime” [by Paul McCartney]- you can’t just throw sleigh bells into a song and repeat a noncommittal statement about a holiday moment. Well, you can, but there should be more blowback, even if you were in the world’s most popular band over a half century ago. 2. “Little Drummer Boy” - there’s a few horrific versions, one where the electric/synth bass moves either too early or way to late and the Bieber one. No, don’t look it up. 3. I’m stopping here- this is why people get depressed during the holidays.
     
    -Are there unique challenges to adapting a recognizable song to chiptune?
    The real challenge, for holiday tunes as well as pretty much any NES chipset chiptune, is finding space to build the sound you want. You're only given 3 channels that produce melodic tones, and that could come off sounding stark or empty. It's not all about building that wall of sound, but I believe there's an expectation of sophistication when it comes to music and throwing up a baroque-esque tune isn't going to cut it.
     
    -Your work on homebrew games spans the 8-Bit Xmas series as well as a wide assortment of gems, including UXO, which Chris aka Deadeye interviewed you for. How has your approach to composition evolved over the years?
    I used to wait for some specifics from the programmer(s) or producers, but now I’m not afraid to get elbow-deep in the project as it progresses. Musically, I try to envision what that music would complement the overall game and the immediate space (level/menu).

    An essential read for homebrew lovers, and other people sick of me
     
    -What new challenges or surprises surfaced in your work on 8-Bit Xmas 2020? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
    If you want a music job, especially in the game work, definitely have that portfolio ready to go (Soundcloud at the very least). Know a few different DAWs, and be fluent in the genre you’re targeting. Be organized, hit your deadlines, take notes/criticisms but not personally, and know all of your music nerd stuff (it’ll get you out of a jam about a billion times).
     
    -How did you connect with Brian for the first 8-Bit Xmas game you collaborated on, and what is the working dynamic like as you work on your respective aspects of the game?
    Kevin Hanley was stepping back from the Xmas series to focus on his programming and I must have been bugging Brian for years before he wrote back and said, sure, you can do this year's music. That was 2013, making this year the 7th year of the music tradition.
     
    -Do you collect the 8-Bit Xmas series? If so, which years do you have, and do you have a favorite?
    I do have a full set, purchased all at time of sale or given to me for my musical efforts! I think my favorite is 2017 (the multi-cart) even though I was sad I didn't have a chance to compose that year.

    Menu screen for 8-Bit Xmas 2017 multicart
     
    -Do you have any reflections on being a consistent part of a series that essentially kicks off the holidays for homebrew fans and is eagerly awaited each year?
    A few thoughts: 1. you won’t make money reselling these so buy em because they’re cool (that goes for all vidya games). 2. make sure you play em with your family, especially if you have kids or nieces/nephews during Christmas or whatever holiday get-together you might hold. They might be simple games, but playing them together really makes them more enjoyable and secretly unites families during the holidays, thus fulfilling your need for non-stop consumerism as well as memorable family time.
     
    -You are also working on transferring Fie to FamiTracker for its cart release in addition to your work on the Quiet album and Retro Artists of the Future, Vol 1. Do you have any updates that you would like to share on these or any others on the horizon? Another dream project that you hope to bring into existence, video game or otherwise?
    The Quiet Album (due out October - check twitter @bleepboprecords for updates or the site: bleepbop.com) is my main focus right now. It’s a whole thing to make a cart release, but it’s almost done! No dream projects yet, but I’m talking with a few (more than one, less than four) producers/programmers on their 2021 slate!
     
    -Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?
    There’s a wave of NESMaker games I’d like to try. It feels like the earlier days of NES homebrew, where there’s a lot of ideas out there at varying skill levels. I’m mapper 30 compliant and ready to dive into some wonderfully new and inventive worlds!
     
    -I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?
    Thank you for the opportunity and PLEASE follow @bleepboprecords on Twitter, find BleepBopRecords on Facebook/Insta/SoundCloud, and always check the main site for posts, bonus content, and general musings: http://bleepbop.com
     
    Conclusion:
    Thanks for tuning in to another installment of the series that goes beyond the board to learn the about the latest and greatest in homebrew. What are your thoughts on 8-Bit Xmas 2020 and the elves who development this holiday treat? Which game in the series is your favorite? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it under your tree on Christmas Day when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?
     

    Merry Holidays everyone!
     
  21. Scrobins

    Special Episode: The State of Homebrew 2022

    By Scrobins,


    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A Homebrew Draws Near!
    A blog series by @Scrobins
    Special Episode: The State of Homebrew 2022

    The evolution of homebrew has collected an enthusiastic mix of developers and gamers, all of whom draw on the love of something meaningful from their pasts to dream of what might be possible in the years to come. Though we may bring to bear the skills we have cultivated as adults, in this realm it is done to feed our inner child. Homebrew has come a long way across several decades, with the past few years witnessing an exponential increase in the number & scale of games made, the technology that supports them, and the size & reach of the community that enjoys them. There have been growing pains, a perhaps inevitable rise of difficult questions and personalities. What is homebrew? Is it a monolith, or a loose assembly that falls across a broad and malleable definition? Who represents homebrew? What lessons have been learned, and what cautionary tales should be remembered?
    There is no definitive answer to any of these questions; there probably shouldn’t be. Instead they present an opportunity for us to lift our heads and consider where we are at this moment in time. To look back, to look forward. To ask where we are, and where we want to be. To measure how much has changed since the last moment marked and assess the state of things. But by any measure, one thing on which we might agree: the state of homebrew is strong!
    Homebrew’s origins, both in terminology and community, trace back to 1975 when Gordon French and Fred Moore founded the Homebrew Computer Club, initially meeting in French’s garage in Menlo Park. Attracting such future luminaries as Jerry Lawson, John Draper, Steve Jobs, and Steve Wozniak, the club would trade parts, circuits, and knowledge in DIY personal computer construction over its 11-year run. Over the ensuing years, homebrew came to encompass a number of subcultures including video games, where curious hobbyists traded knowledge of coding and circuitry to program new games for their favorite old consoles, and even transform their work into tangible, playable cartridges.

    Gordon French, Co-Founder of the Homebrew Computer CLub
    Since joining the staff at VGS on its homebrew team, I wanted to organize a symposium on homebrew. I wanted to ask questions about the community and spark conversation between several prominent members, hoping a lively, ongoing discussion might ensue from their varied perspectives. Perhaps if this piece is well-received and becomes a regular tradition, some future iteration might include a live online panel discussion. In the meantime, I am excited to sift through the thoughts of more than 20 people throughout the homebrew dev community who took the time to share their insights.
    When deciding which questions I wanted to ask, two categories came to mind: questions that take a snapshot of homebrew, how far it’s come, and where it seems to be going; and questions that I personally wanted to ask based on moments I’ve observed, or debates (even arguments) I wanted to unpack without reigniting any antagonism. Rather than directly ask questions that might imply an effort to provoke, I sought to ask the question behind the question and contextualize the responses with why I wanted to ask it. Whether you agree or disagree with the responses, the questions, or my overall approach, I hope to see how these conversations continue.
    Nonetheless, not every question was answered by every respondent, and on a few occasions I was chided for missing the point. I welcome better, more probing questions to build on this for future years. My hope is to foster conversation that members of this community feel has value, and may help them articulate their own thoughts. It’s also worth noting that this article and the survey responses that inform it are heavily oriented toward NES homebrew. Though I shared this survey across the forums and Discords I am involved in, my own engagement in communities for other consoles such as those surrounding the Atari and Sega is limited and thus the responses to my outreach were likewise limited. I aspire to be more informed of the wider scene but want to recognize my limits and biases for the sake of being forthright.
    There are some very compelling thoughts shared in the responses. More than once I have rewritten several sections of this blog post because something I read among the surveys had such a strong impact on what I thought I wanted to say. The arena of public discourse is a powerful thing, not because it is some combative venue for intellectual gladiators, but because taking the time to hear others can further color our opinions with the nuance afforded by other perspectives and thus collectively evolve.
    So to begin the discussion on the state of homebrew, a good starting point is its underlying definition. What is a homebrew game, and has that definition evolved over time? Have new developments challenged our understanding of what a homebrew is, and have these developments necessitated the use of updated or additional terms to define what exists? DefaultGen made an excellent video breaking down what, to him, constitutes a homebrew as a subcategory of aftermarket games, similar to but distinct from bootlegs, reproductions, and hacks.

    DefaultGen’s Diagram of Aftermarket Games
    When I first watched the video, I disagreed with Tyler over a point that focuses on who is a homebrewer rather than what is a homebrew game: namely that I would include larger publishers such as Mega Cat Studios more solidly within homebrew, since I think the nature of the game as a homebrew is not negated because it was developed or published by a company with staff and resources. But the fact that the boundaries of homebrew are so fluid and subjective is exactly why this conversation is interesting and worth having. Homebrew began with a mystique of curious programmers and engineers tinkering in their garages. Does the arrival of professional developers with backgrounds working on AAA games and the promise of big(ish) bucks through Kickstarter broaden what it means to be homebrew, exist in contradiction to it, or simply create a new category?
    Damian “Tepples/PinoBatch” Yerrick pointed me to some interesting early discussions of this question. In a thread on Slashdot, one user noted homebrew “generally refers to software for systems that do not provide any kind of native programming capability, i.e. games consoles.” Meanwhile a conversation on BootlegGames Wiki distinguished homebrew from bootlegs, arguing: “homebrew games aren’t published by other companies like bootleg games can be. They usually don’t infringe on copyrights in an attempt to make a profit off of them either. They’re usually games that are made just for fun with programming on the console.” The amateur aspect was regarded as especially important by some brewers. When NovaSquirrel observed that “keeping things unprofessional is really important to me”, Sumez and Antoine “FG Software/Vectrex28” Fantys agreed wholeheartedly that the homebrew spirit comes from “fun one-man projects where I have complete creative freedom over it.”
    Respondents were generally in agreement in their definitions of a homebrew, emphasizing that it be: 1) an unlicensed game; 2) developed for a closed system; 3) by an individual or small team; 4) in a hobbyist/amateur setting. Some people were quite adamant about the setting, insisting a homebrew had to be made at home. Most weren’t nearly as strict but touched on the sentiment that a homebrew should be developed on a small scale, without corporate backing, and wouldn’t be the dev team’s primary source of income. In this way some facets of a working definition are focused on the game, while others center on the developer. This can create some interesting gray areas, such as Tomas “Spoony Bard Productions” Guinan’s self-observation that “Eskimo Bob would be properly defined as homebrew, while Mall Brawl is better described as an indie game.”
    When asked how their definition had been challenged in recent years, several points were raised. One respondent noted the release of retro homebrews on modern platforms, such as Haunted Halloween ’86 on the Nintendo Switch. Originally a homebrew release for the NES, does the game’s appearance on the Switch mean it is also a Switch homebrew? At the very least it provides a bridge across console generations, allowing the work of retro devs to reach a wider audience, and showing off what is possible with actual 8-bit games that work within the limits of the original hardware rather than merely be 8-bit-inspired.
    Another interesting point someone raised reflects the closed system criteria several brewers noted. The rise of the PICO-8, an open hardware console has sparked an explosion of creative games, including several ports of NES homebrews such as The Mad Wizard and Alter Ego.

    A homebrew port of a homebrew!
    The creative opportunities that surround developing within the limitations of a fantasy video game console aligns with the hobbyist spirit of homebrew. When the PICO-8 appeared it was like the announcement of a new game jam, but instead of a prompt based on a genre or narrative theme, the challenge was a new set of graphical and sound specifications.
    The two most common challenges that were discussed however were the rise of professionally developed & profit-oriented homebrew games, and the development & release of tools, especially NESmaker and GBStudio, which lowered the barriers to entry of retro game development. These advances highlight the expansion of the homebrew community from both ends of the skills continuum as industry veterans and newcomers joined the scene.
    In its earlier days, developing homebrew games was notoriously difficult: brewers noted how the work on their own games moved in tandem with their education in learning how to program for the NES. In time, Brian “RetroUSB/bunnyboy” Parker’s Nerdy Nights Tutorials, Shiru’s neslib, and Stef’s SGDK, among other tools, would provide the means to make developing games more accessible. With each new tool created and shared, homebrew’s momentum increased from a walk to a sprint. As the barriers to entry lowered, more people with the ambition and creativity to make their own games were able to bring their ideas to life because the inability to code was less and less insurmountable.
    And NESmaker pulled down those walls exponentially faster. As they worked on their own game, Mystic Searches, Joe Granato, Austin McKinley, and Josh Fallon collaborated to develop a tool that would facilitate testing without diving back into the code to make every single revision. Recognizing the commercial potential of this tool for other aspiring brewers, this tool, dubbed NESmaker launched on Kickstarter and received more than $250,000 from more than 2,500 backers (with even more support after the initial campaign concluded).

    Mystic Searches Title Screen
    Whether it serves as the primary tool of game development or a sandbox to play in and eventually explore beyond, NESmaker has had the biggest impact on NES homebrew development since the Nerdy Nights Tutorials. These programs have become important flintstones to spark the imagination and allow more people to put pixel to palette and share the stories they’ve held onto since they were kids dreaming of making their own game. The tool has brought great talents into the community, including Jordan “Raftronaut” Davis, Dale Coop & his son Seiji, and incredible games like Dungeons & DoomKnights, Doodle World, and someday soon the game NESmaker was originally created to help develop, Mystic Searches.
    And it’s important to note that NESmaker in many ways mirrors the Nerdy Nights in its value as an educational resource that runs in tandem with its role as a development tool. The conversations found in its dedicated Discord revealed that as often as not, NESmaker devs find the software useful as an onramp to learning how to code, bumping up against the tool’s limitations, and using its framework as a structure on which new code can be customized and added, like working on a hot rod piecemeal in your garage.

    This feels like a return to homebrew’s roots as a tinkerer’s pursuit, in a very rock ‘n roll way. A lot of new people are entering the scene, and we are watching them grow through their efforts to express themselves. But support can take many forms, and we can be welcoming and inclusive, and still be discriminating in our tastes, discerning what is worth our money without rejecting a segment of games wholesale. I will confess that in buying every physical release I can in order to be a good patron of homebrew, I’ve grown disappointed that I’ve paid the same amount for unpolished first efforts as I have for more carefully crafted releases from established devs.
    But anything that might serve as a “game changer” will come with its share of controversy, and that’s especially true in the gaming community. NESmaker sparked fears of a wave of shovelware that would saturate the homebrew market, either crowding out games developed by more familiar names or leading less-informed players to paint all homebrew with the same brush and cause all homebrew to rise or fall with the reputation of NESmaker, regardless of whether a game was developed with the tool or not. Several rebuttals in the homebrew community argued that NESmaker was merely the newest among a multitude of tools and shouldn’t be the reason a game is judged one way or another. Instead each game should be considered on its own merits, and to dismiss an entire generation of homebrew because of its association with a particular tool constituted unfair gatekeeping.
    Did these fears come to pass? It depends. Have we seen shovelware games made with NESmaker? Sure, but there was shovelware homebrew beforehand, and a surge of inferior games made with NESmaker hasn’t saturated the market. Have some gamers had a knee-jerk reaction to a new homebrew game, dismissively asking whether the game was made with NESmaker? I’ve read some anecdotal evidence of this happening when NESmaker was new, but it doesn’t seem to be a widespread problem as much anymore. Instead, like homebrew more generally, NESmaker games have stratified as some games ride a virtuous cycle of support that encourages devs to create more, while other games have given the impression of low-effort cash grabs by opportunists who took their money and seemingly vanished, or who found the weight of criticism discouraging and quit developing. But its potential continues to attract new people and ideas, such as ManiacBoyStudio which is considering developing its NES iteration of Skeler Boy with NESmaker. NESmaker has also generated its own devoted communities, with outlets for engagement through a dedicated forum, Discord, and Facebook group where devs and fans can share their work, collaborate, and help each other. Amidst these outlets Joe and Austin continue to evangelize NESmaker games through their annual Byte-Off Competition.

    Mockup Image of Skeler Boy for the NES
    Now that NESmaker has been around for a few years, are there still concerns? The success of a number of homebrews on Kickstarter has led to a surge of homebrews seeking funding through crowdfunding campaigns. This in turn has created a saturation problem specific to Kickstarter in an area with higher mainstream exposure, risking backer burnout with “new games for old consoles” that are not all necessarily going the extra mile to ensure the satisfaction of its backers. Instead, Ellen “Frankengraphics” Larsson noted: “following the wave of NESmaker users, right now we’re seeing a bit much of ‘my first game’ games posing as market-ready releases.” Case in point, when backers received their copies of Ooze Redux, many knew before even opening their packages that they had received a crushed product inside their bubble mailer. Upon opening the package, supporters found a flimsy, uncreased box that was too long to fit into standard box protectors. Manuals were printed on generic printer paper and folded unevenly. Cartridge labels were also cut unevenly and then affixed crookedly. While the homebrew vibe rests on amateur production, even the earliest homebrewers made sure that physical aspects of their releases had a level of polish that justified the cost.
    Meanwhile, sometimes devs revisit their work to add polish, incorporate new ideas, or even show off how much their skills have improved in the interim. It’s sort of the Star Wars Special Edition treatment of homebrew. Remasters are nothing new, KHAN Games released the Engagement Edition of Larry and the Long Look for a Luscious Lover about 6-7 years after the original edition’s initial run. The newer edition changed the graphics in a few places, input new music in others, and added new animations and cutscenes. Fans who missed the game the first time around and variant collectors gobbled up copies.

    Working Title: Larry and the Even Longer Look for a Luscious Lover
    Demand reflected a degree of support and trust in Kevin Hanley, based on his overall body of work as well as the popularity of the first edition of the game from several years earlier. In 2020, Spacebot Interactive developed Dragonbourne for the Gameboy. The following year, Incube8 Games announced Dragonbourne DX for the Gameboy Color, taking advantage of the console shift to update the game with enhanced graphics, improved gameplay, and remastered the soundtrack. Aside from the compatibility with the Gameboy Color, how did all these advancements come to pass in barely a year that the developers couldn’t put this content in the original game? More recently CrazyGroupTrio announced their intention to rerelease Shera & the 40 Thieves, which Kickstarter backers received last fall. When asked why they would make a remaster of the game instead of a sequel, CGT replied: “because I always hated the original and it deserves better.” My question then is, if you hated your original work so much that you’re taking another crack at it less than a year after delivering the original, why did you release that first version at all? Plenty of homebrewers choose delay and would suffer the inevitable criticism in order to release something they were proud of, as we are seeing with highly anticipated games like Full Quiet, Orange Island, and Mystic Searches. As an investor in Shera & the 40 Thieves who pledged $80 for a copy, how am I supposed to feel that I paid a premium for a game which the developer “hated” and will soon release a “better” version? At the end of the day, it’s the dev’s game and they should be able to do what they want with it. My objection stems from what to me feels like too short a period of time between original and remaster. There is no bright line that marks the ideal amount of time before a remaster is appropriate, however I think support indignation is understandable where a “definitive version” comes out so soon that it makes me question backing any future game from the dev, since a better remaster may be just around the corner. But if all fans adopt such a wait-and-see approach then that first version will not garner enough support to be released and potentially discourage the developer from finishing the game at all.
    How then does the homebrew community overcome these concerns in order to be welcoming and inclusive, but also put its best foot forward at every step? Jordan “Raftronaut” Davis” recognized the balance to be struck: “I understand the fears of established developers who are worried about the market flooding with shovelware, but also understand the importance of 1st time developers opening the doors to new audience[s] for homebrew. I can tell you firsthand that my dumb game resulted in quite a few record nerds getting introduced to homebrew and starting their own collections. Which means more interest in the overall community.” Nonetheless Jordan notes his biggest concern in homebrew today is a lack of beta testing and quality control. He offered a recommendation that would perhaps be a rising tide for homebrew: “It would be nice if there was a normalized routine for community games to go through. It’s obvious that this gets leveled at NESmaker games most often, but these are usually people making their first games, who don’t have a regiment for debugging and testing, or even making proper changes based on beta feedback. It would be nice if there was an unofficial seal of approval awarded to games that have been rigorously vetted, maybe also give insight to first timers in order to encourage improvements.” Such a space could provide any interested devs with a ready-to-play team of testers to improve the game, as well as mentorship from more experienced brewers who could guide newcomers through their tried-and-true processes and connect them with other valuable resources which would take the guesswork out of consistent, high quality physical production. However a seal of approval may be a trickier prospect, as we’ll discuss later.
    As homebrew has grown and gained wider attention, it has attracted the interest of veteran developers and large companies eager to create, produce, and distribute new games. In the past, referring to someone as a veteran in the homebrew community meant someone who had been a longstanding and engaged member; including well-known developers and collectors like Kevin “KHAN Games” Hanley or Christian “Ferris Bueller” Deitering. Similarly, early companies that developed some of their own games yet were largely known as publishers for others may have pushed the boundaries of what made a game a “homebrew”, nonetheless stood with both feet firmly in the homebrew scene, such as RetroUSB and InfiniteNESLives. However respondents noted that being a “veteran” in the community is growing a second definition: professional game developers trying their hand at creating games for older consoles. Recent examples include the SNES game Unholy Night: The Darkness Hunter, developed in 2017 by a team of former SNK members, or Orange Island, an upcoming game (that will include an NES port) by Ted Sterchi, who is a former designer for Sega. Likewise, retro gaming behemoth Limited Run Games has leveraged its publishing muscle and massive following to bankroll and release a handful of homebrew games alongside its modern and retro-rerelease offerings, including Alwa’s Awakening, Jay & Silent Bob: Mall Brawl, and Witch n Wiz.

    Screenshot from Unholy Night: The Darkness Hunter for SNES
    There seems to be some consensus among respondents that these arrivals challenge the hobbyist aspect of homebrewing, introducing a level of existing skill to a place where people were previously using their projects to develop themselves and learn over time. This prompted the sense that passion and personality were being joined by a new quality: profit. While no one spoke negatively about the arrival of industry vets and corporate backing, other than to say that these projects may not technically be homebrews, there is a tension to this trend: will these developers and companies, with their larger mainstream followings, bring more attention to homebrew as gamers get curious to see what else they can play, or do these names become monoliths eclipsing hobbyists and leaving gamers to wonder if a game is worth it if it isn’t associated with these larger brands? These questions are hardly new to the community, the same conversation referenced earlier on BootlegGames Wiki noted how “the lines can blur a little bit when homebrew game makers start selling their games on cartridge,” feeling that selling a handful of carts at a convention was still a hobbyist having fun, but wondering how many copies sold marked the line between the hobbyist’s homebrew and a professional’s unlicensed game.
    Or perhaps this niche of retro gaming has simply grown so much that different terms are necessary to conceptualize it all accurately. So far, I’ve been using the word “homebrew” and its fluid definition, but other words might be more illuminating. “Aftermarket games” has proven to be a useful umbrella term that includes homebrews, hacks, bootlegs, repros, etc. The word “indie” has appeared with increasing frequency to promote new games for old consoles. Can/should “indie” and “homebrew” be used interchangeably, or should the former refer to more professionally developed games, while the latter is reserved for hobbyists?
    I wanted to ask this question based on a conversation in VGS’ Brewery Discord in March 2021, in which Jared “jekuthiel” Hoag stated that he "take[s] the term 'homebrew' as an insult, given what [he] is trying to do" in reference to his project (the upcoming Former Dawn), noting the size of his team and the intention to release the game on modern platforms as well as the NES. My initial reaction was defensive: how can you enter a community, engage with its creators and fans, share your work with the goal of marketing your game to this demographic, and be insulted that your game would be associated with the terminology the community uses to define itself? To me, it implied a sense of superiority over those who were comfortable applying the homebrew term to their own work.

    Image from Former Dawn by Something Nerdy Studios
    This is another point where reading survey responses added some nuance to my feelings and helped me broaden my understanding. I can appreciate how other terminology might be more fitting. But I personally think it’s insulting to other devs and the community at large that one might react so strongly that their game would be called a homebrew while simultaneously promoting their game throughout the homebrew community. This is the terminology that the wider community has evolved for itself, can someone be a part of that community while rejecting the term as beneath them? Perhaps that is a reflection of the gray areas at the edges of the definition of homebrew. Sumez made an interesting point how a game came be a “product of the homebrew community, even if it maybe can't really be defined as a homebrew product.”
    The sentiment returned in a post to the NESmakers Facebook group in which the publisher of Cool Sh#t Magazine stated his dislike for the term “homebrew”, writing how he felt it cheapened the work of those he considers “indie developers.” At the end of the day, our feelings about proper terminology in contexts such as this may say more about what we individually bring into the conversation than reflect any real argument, but I do think it odd (and off-putting) for someone to enter a longstanding community and reject the terms it has used to define itself for years, making normative judgments about the implied quality associated with particular terms compared to others.
    The vast majority of respondents felt creators should be able to categorize their work however they want; that “homebrew” or “indie” or some as yet uncoined term is a matter of self-identification. Several excellent quotes emerged in response to this question. Nathan “Bite the Chili/gauauu” Tolbert felt there was “no need to draw lines as a community…but we should respect everyone’s individual interests,” expressing less interest in a game with substantial funding behind it. Nicolas Bétoux of Morphcat fame believes homebrew is perhaps “a word that we maybe lost the initial sense [of]” as it has become blended with the larger concept of a “neo retro game,” of which “homebrew” is a part of it as much as “indie.” Ellen “Frankengraphics” Larsson believes “homebrew encompasses all levels of skill and previous merit. It’s more about the authenticity of the thing which often gets lost in too big teams.” Donny “Toggleswitch” Philips doesn’t believe someone who considers themselves an industry veteran or is well-funded should be called a homebrewer, but “if somebody takes issue with being called a homebrewer, then in my opinion it’s up to them to push the quality of their project in a way that stands head and shoulders above the rest.”
    Turning now to a thought exercise that emerged on the VGS forum several months ago, a member asked how NES homebrew today compares against its licensed forbears. As subjective as that question is, I asked the community where they thought the homebrew scene right now matched the licensed era. Many respondents rejected this question as superficial, silly, and uninformative. Nonetheless 5 people felt homebrew is currently on par with the 1987-1989 segment of gaming, while 5 others believed homebrew reached equivalence with games from 1990-1991.

    Two prominent games from those respective time spans
    Other interesting ideas argued that homebrew has passed the original NROM era, as well as the first wave of Capcom and Konami games. But the truth is, with the benefit of being influenced by all that has come before, brewers are able to make games that capture the essence of a particular moment in time. While their skills match one era of licensed gaming, their passion delivers games reminiscent of another, which will color our perception and blur technical ability with intentional aesthetic. Adam “Artix” Bohn proposed a better question: where are the top homebrew games compared to the 1985-1995 range? Brad “NES Homebrew” Bateman also offered a more meaningful metric: that we should compare each dev’s releases over the years against each other, to truly observe a dev’s progression.
    A question asking if there is a benchmark at which homebrew has “made it” and whether that point has been reached was similarly panned. Most respondents felt that the spirit of homebrew cares little about mainstream appeal, so “making it” is an irrelevant consideration. However, some noted a few developments which have marked meaningful growth in the community. Lower barriers to entry have been facilitated quite well by NESmaker and GBStudio. The expansion of homebrew’s reach onto PC and Switch releases, and the growing assortment of Evercade compilation carts has carried homebrew onto modern platforms. The scale of the Micro Mages Kickstarter’s success represented an explosive epiphany regarding the demand for homebrew games. For all this success, one respondent continues to look over the horizon, feeling the benchmark for him will be the arrival of a game on par with Super Mario Bros. 3 or Kirby’s Adventure. A day hopefully not too far off.
    Perhaps rather than focus on amorphous notions of where homebrew stands as a whole, we can marvel at the new places homebrew is going, and where it might venture next. I asked what is on the cutting edge of homebrew right now, and what is capturing the community’s imagination. Answers spanned a host of specific games as well as more general developments. Among the games that have caught the community’s eye, Astro Ninja Man, Alwa’s Awakening, and Micro Mages stood out as impressive recent releases (with Micro Mages getting plaudits for its incorporation of modern gameplay attributes). When considering games in-development that has fans salivating, Former Dawn, Orange Island, Halcyon, Full Quiet, Space Soviets, and Rally Rally Rally Rally were front of mind. Respondents expressed enthusiasm for upcoming new hardware such as the Rainbow Wi-Fi cart, and the MXM cart, while continuing to sing the praises of music carts, flash save memory, and expansion audio. One respondent shared their anticipation for homebrew’s expansion to the N64, raising the prospect of more 3D homebrew. But above all, what is fascinating devs and fans is seeing more people pouring their love and creativity into games.

    Broke Studio’s Rainbow Wi-Fi Cart
    With the myriad new games and developments to hardware that have come or are visible on the horizon, I also asked where respondents want to see homebrew go in the next few years. Glimpsing what soon will be, what long-term aspirations do we hope will emerge in the distance? One grand ambition shared by multiple respondents was recognition from Nintendo itself, alongside more mainstream attention. This might seem to conflict with the previously mentioned feeling among devs that mainstream popularity is an irrelevant consideration to homebrew. But part of this hope may emanate from the longstanding existential fear that Nintendo or Sega might quash homebrew with cease & desist orders. So while larger appeal isn’t top of mind for devs in how they measure the success of their games, there is a certain security that devs want that would make them feel able to continue to create. But with the arrival of homebrew games like Haunted Halloween ’86 and Battle Kid to the Nintendo Switch, devs can breathe a little easier.
    Another common sentiment was that we might simply see more of what we have: more games and more devs, especially in areas ripe for growth such as the SNES. Observing a sort of generational gap, M-Tee issued a challenge to veteran brewers, wanting to see them rise to the quality we’re seeing from newer devs entering the scene. Hoping to foster more cohesion and echoing Jordan Davis’ attitudes, Adam Bohn would like to see more support between veteran and new devs, enabling a passing and preservation of knowledge will be the catalyst for a virtuous cycle.
    But speaking of inclusivity, an anonymous respondent expressed hope that the homebrew community will become more accepting of marginalized communities. It’s no secret that the homebrew community isn’t particularly diverse, overwhelmingly populated by cis white men. That’s not to say the community is devoid of women, people of color, or people from the LGBTQIA+ community, but, as in so many other areas of life more could be done. In an un-diverse space, sexism, racism, homophobia, and transphobia can easily take root. In un-diverse spaces, the majority can lack empathy for the marginalized in favor of their own comfort. I’ve noticed strong defenses of “free speech” on forums and Discords in response to criticisms of slurs and offensive jokes, and a disrespectful refusal to gender people in accordance with their identity. The lawyer side of my brain bristles at such widespread misunderstanding of the First Amendment. These are not public spaces and moderators are not government actors; the freedom of speech is not unlimited here, and in order to foster a wider, more inclusive community, one in which everyone feels seen and safe, we must realign our priorities and prove it every day by protecting the security of the few over the entitlement of the many.

    Because respecting people is a matter of human rights
    Which leads me to my next big question, asking what concerns respondents had about the homebrew community. Some concerns grew out of recent phenomena. The pandemic’s effect on supply chains generally, and chip shortages more specifically have hampered physical releases. Its inconsistent impact has allowed some games to move forward, while releases such as Action 53, Volume 4 remain delayed. Hopefully the restoration of global commerce to its pre-pandemic state will slowly unclog these backlogs, though the marketplace’s fragility will always find a new problem. Meanwhile the large-scale adoption of Discord revealed new concerns over the accessibility and attention of the homebrew community. As developers seek to cultivate devoted followings and promote their work, they’ve noticed that the multitude of Discord servers has fractured the community and exhausted fans as each additional server becomes a burden leaving fans hesitant to join. The knee jerk solution was to suggest consolidating Discords or designating one as a hub to others, but to point to any one server and say “this is the Discord” would be obnoxious and presumptuous. What do we do then?
    Much of what has been voiced previously continued into this portion of survey responses: the insularity of the community itself, fears that Nintendo or Sega will use litigation to collapse homebrew, concerns that shovelware on Kickstarter will diminish homebrew in the eyes of the larger gaming community that is less familiar with the homebrew subculture, and whether tools making game development easier are diminishing the sense of accomplishment that comes with releasing a game. With regard to the latter, my observations suggest that is a concern we need not worry about. The sense of accomplishment derived from making your own game is a personal feeling and shouldn’t be threatened by what might allow another to obtain that feeling for themselves. And if a dev worried their own choice of tools would ruin that sense of accomplishment, they can simply follow their own heart and preferences and use whatever tools will preserve that feeling they seek. More importantly, I feel that so much focus has been placed on tools like NESmaker and GBStudio as a means to develop games, and not enough on their value as educational steppingstones to learning how to develop games “from the ground up” if that is something the user aspires to. The Nerdy Nights Tutorials and existing literature, fantastic resources that they are, can be indecipherable if you don’t already have a passing familiarity with coding in C or 6502 Assembly. Exploring the NESmaker Discord revealed illuminating discussions that many users found the tool helpful in learning to code in a defined sandbox, but quickly found themselves bumping against its limitations. The evolution of several rising brewers can be found in their popping the hood of NESmaker and learning to develop beyond what the tool itself provides. Much like Chris “Optomon” Lincoln’s description of learning to code through his hacks of existing games, a number of brewers learned and grew through figuring out how to make something specific happen in their game that the initial set of tools could not provide. Perhaps then a better conceptualization is not whether a game is lesser for what helped make it, but an outward-looking sensibility: who is rising to prominence thanks to their start with these tools? As Yoda observed: “we are what they grow beyond.” May we appreciate this tool through the lens of the talented people it has forged.
    Jordan Davis and others noted their concern that the homebrew community lacks access to efficient beta testing and quality control resources. On the other hand, created a centralized hub of willing beta testers and devs interested in providing close mentorship would foster community among its members while increasing the quality of any game that participated. Some advocated for a substantive seal of approval to denote a sense of objective quality. Two lively debates emerged on the subject at NESdev and on the NESmaker Facebook group, weighing the general value of a special mark, the considerations behind any standards that might be created for its use, or even whether a mark that would be freely available had value. Ultimately the homebrew community, which generally lacks the funds to establish, nevermind defend a registered trademark, would be ill-served by a logo that at best would be widely stolen without repercussion, and thus rendered meaningless, and at worst serve as a gatekeeping stamp that would amplify polarization among brewers.

    Matt Hughson’s (left) and Yan Ian Hook’s (right) homebrew seal designs
    In thinking of ways to expand the community, I asked if there were any roles or services beyond traditional game development that respondents felt could be an asset to the community. Admittedly there was a degree of self-interest in this question. As a practicing attorney who will probably never learn to code, I was curious to know if the community thought it could use the skills of someone like me, but also anyone else whose day job and skills could be leveraged in service of homebrew. The question first popped into my head a few years ago during the debate over who held ownership rights over Black Box Challenge. I would rather not relitigate this matter, but interested people can find one segment of the argument here on the VGS forum, and other relevant information on Jeffrey “Hagen’s Alley” Wittenhagen’s podcast here (around the 20-minute mark). At this time Rob “Sly Dog Studios” Bryant has deleted his Twitter account and therefore his posts on the subject are not available. In response to the ensuing argument I wondered if homebrew had outgrown handshake agreements, even between friends. Was there demand for someone to draft contracts and agreements so every member of a project was on the same page regarding expectations, and could point to the same document to resolve disputes or ambiguities? Although I’ve gotten some work drafting various agreements for homebrew, the jury is still out whether the larger community has any interest in my skills, though I’m loathe to be too aggressive in advertising myself.
    But enough about me! Respondents offered a plethora of suggestions for roles that would make homebrew development more robust and facilitate their own efforts. One role that has been requested already here is game testing. Devs are eager to have an army of beta testers who might identify bugs and offer feedback that will elevate the game when the time comes for its release. A reliable source of available and genuinely interested testers would offer fresh eyes for anything devs overlooked or wouldn’t think to poke at. I say “genuinely” because I’ve noticed in some Discord channels people eagerly sign up to beta test a game or proofread text, only to note afterwards that they never had the time to contribute anything (if they say anything at all), or people who try to join after the fact, but whose words imply their interest is more in getting a free rom. The latter reeks of piracy while the former reminds me of those people who spam YouTube/Twitch streamers to be moderators despite not knowing the person and demonstrating limited engagement with the channel because they like to feel important and collect titles. A ready-to-play reservoir of reliable beta testers would be a boon to homebrew’s efforts at quality control. The question then is what standards to set to ensure only reliable people are recruited.
    The most common stated need from respondents was for marketing and promotional assistance. Just about every dev who has sought crowdfunding for their game also lamented how exhausting the promotional work can be in order to build, and maintain hype for their game. In the same way many devs were happy to delegate publishing their games to companies like RetroUSB, InfiniteNESLives, Broke Studio, and Mega Cat Studios, brewers are expressing an interest in finding people who are willing to take responsibility for marketing their games, creating promotional content, and engaging with fans to maintain excitement until the game’s release.
    Among the other roles respondents said would be valuable, several highlighted the difficulty of finding people to collaborate with, as well as resources for obtaining physical materials. Respondents noted the need for help publishing their games, including identifying box and manual printers. Although options exist, such as Frank Westphal who is well-known for his box production work, he isn’t active in major homebrew spaces and therefore can be hard to find if you’re new to the community. So what is the best means for getting in touch with him, or anyone else who providers these services? Is there a menu of products and costs people can consult ahead of time? Similarly, respondents mentioned how hard it can be to find pixel artists, illustrators, chiptune musicians, and other programmers who are available, or they know a few places where collaborators can be found, but the culture seems hostile and cliquey toward newcomers. It makes me wonder how many great games may be languishing because the team to bring it to life is having trouble getting assembled. This sounds like a great opportunity for VGS to help. In response to concerns that conversations and opportunities to showcase their work were getting fractured, we created additional channels in our Discord, adding #brewery-graphics and #brewery-music to the mix, while the existing channel was renamed #brewery-general. In a similar effort to help brewers highlight their portfolio and collaborate, we are creating a new subforum on the website: Brewer Portfolio/Help Wanted. Members can create their own threads as a sort of profile to highlight their work and advertise their availability to work on new projects. Members can also make job postings, soliciting others to reach out if interested in collaborating.

    Apply within!
    Beyond some of these deeper conversations on the future of homebrew and working through questions that might be provocative, I also wanted to ask if the community itself wanted to recognize any of its members and celebrate them. Not everyone responded to this section, leaving me to assume there was reluctance to single anyone out and stoke tension and competition. It is not my intention to make anyone feel less than, but to celebrate the wide array of talents and styles this community is blessed to include. To that end I asked who is the best programmer, pixel artist, and chiptune musician? Who is underrated? Who is new to the homebrew scene that everyone should be paying attention to? Who has been dormant that you would like to see active again? Is there a shelved project you want to see return to active development? I tried to include real names and well-known handles where possible, but was unable to learn both for everyone.
    Starting with the community’s overall favorites, those for whom we are always drooling over their latest update, Julius Riecke (Morphcat) was voted best programmer, Frankengraphics as best pixel artist, and Tuï as best chiptune musician. They are each known for a host of games, both released and still in progress, but worth highlighting is Morphcat’s work on Micro Mages, Frankengraphics’ upcoming “Project Borscht”, and Tuï’s work on From Below. Other programmers recognized by respondents include Damian Yerrick (Thwaite), Zeta0134 (RusticNES), Brad Smith (Lizard), Bitmap Bureau (Xeno Crisis), Dustmop (Star Versus), Łukasz (Gruniożerca), Valdir Salgueiro (Roniu’s Tale), Dale Coop (Zdey: The Game), and Fernando Fernandez (Chaos Between Realms). Other pixel artists who were recognized include Surt, Nicolas Bétoux (Morphcat), Fernando Fernandez, and Clarion (Dungeons & DoomKnights). I made the mistake of getting ahead of myself and posted on Twitter that Ellen was the only pixel artist named in the survey responses, when it would be more correct to say that she was named by every survey I had read so far. I apologize for my incorrect statement. Other chiptune musicians recognized include Richard “Kulor” Armijo (Alter Ego), Julius Riecke, Thomas “thehumanthomas” Cipollone (Unicorn), Chip Jockey (Gruniożerca 3), and Thomas “Zi” Ragonnet (8-Bit Xmas series).

    Kudos to Miau, Frankengraphics, and Tuï!
    When asked to name an underrated member of the homebrew community, Joseph “Yoey” Provencio and Pubby stood out, known for Project Chocoblip and We are Hejickle respectively. Others recognized for their talents include Kasumi (Indivisible), Jordan Davis (Space Raft), Chris “Dullahan Software” Cacciatore (Nebs ‘n Debs), Valdir Salgueiro, RetroSouls (Misplaced), Antoine “Broke Studio” Gohin (Twin Dragons), M-Tee (The Cowlitz Gamers 2nd Adventure), and Adam “Second Dimension” Welch (Eyra-The Crow Maiden). As the underrated talents of the community, you should look into each of their portfolios now and get excited for what they have brewing.

    Cheers to Yoey & Pubby!
    As the community grows, new talent continues to be attracted to the scene, and their fresh ideas fire our imaginations. Asked to identify their favorite newcomers to watch, Matt Hughson was the consensus pick. Matt has been exciting fans with his work on Witch n Wiz as well as Blades of the Lotus for this year’s NESdev Compo. Other recent additions to the community who have gotten people talking include Wendel Scardua (Fire of Rebellion), Alastair Low (Tapeworm Disco Puzzle), Fernando Fernandez, and Skyboy (Fire and Rescue).

    Great to have you Matt!
    But for all the people who are sharing their work and whose games have excited us lately, we also want to recognize those people from the past who inspired us, and who for one reason or another have gone quiet. Some have taken a step back to focus on their families and primary careers, others are coping with hardships, and some have moved on to new challenges. We don’t mean to pressure them to return but want to offer tribute to those from yesteryear whom we miss dearly. Respondents shared how they are pining for news from Joe “Memblers” Parsell, Tim “Orab Games” Hartman, Derek “Gradual Games” Andrews, Shiru, Rob “Sly Dog Studios” Bryant, Frank Westphal, Neil Baldwin, Alp, and Sivak. We miss you and hope you’re doing well.
    Not only do we wish to express our love for dormant brews, but also several specific games we hope will rise out of limbo. If Kickstarters were announced today for Dimension Shift or a completed Super Bat Puncher, respondents might empty their bank accounts on the spot. In a wonderful bit of self-deprecating humor, a number of devs voted for their own games when asked what shelved projects they wanted to see resume development. But also included among their answers were Celestar, The Gift of Discernment, Eskimo Bob 3, Isolation, ROM City Rampage, and SNESmaker.
    Since joining VGS’ Homebrew Team I have enjoyed playing around with the kinds of projects that were important to me. I already had my Homebrew Almanac and Homebrew on the Horizon threads, I developed my blog about new games, I helped organize a homebrew leaderboard competition with Chris/Deadeye, and I try to connect fans with games on their wish list. I’ve even launched a collaboration with Mega Cat Studios to release homebrews on cartridge, starting with Diamond Thieves (and launched a blog to cover those new games as well). But this survey felt like a meaningful opportunity to ask the community what VGS could do to serve as a worthwhile platform and resource. We don’t want to replace or disparage existing outlets, but we do want to fill gaps and be of value. The consensus among respondents was that we should try and build something unique that doesn’t try to replicate NESdev, but then again most felt we couldn’t if we wanted to anyway, since VGS is more a platform to connect with fans. However we received praise for our Discord becoming one of the go-to places for homebrew discussion. We are happy to have this space which has fostered community. Recommendations included developing a space where devs could share progress on their games and engage with/market to players. Sumez requested dedicated spaces where devs could show off their work, such as a revamped profile page that could be a mix between existing profile pages and something informational like LinkedIn. We have also been asked to work to be more inclusive and protective of marginalized communities, respond to bad behavior, and remove bad actors. The staff has tried to be more active in curtailing prejudice and casual slurring, but as always, we need your help in spotting it so we can be as responsive as possible.
    The last question on the original survey asked the tongue in cheek question whether the homebrew bubble had yet burst. Most respondents either answered “not yet” or made a much-appreciated Böbl joke.

    I tried to pick a screenshot that would really pop
    But as with the rest of his responses, Jordan Davis offered a wonderfully insightful answer I want to share. Reflecting on the longevity of the homebrew scene, and the particular appeal of coding for the NES over other consoles that came before or since, Jordan observed: “Video games themselves are a young medium, going backwards for inspiration into a young medium is a rare phenomenon. Imagine if film directors of the 30s and 40s decided to go back and start making silent films, just because they saw Dr. Caligari in junior high or something. There is an appreciation of history of the medium that goes along with the homebrew and retro game scene, it’s often very academic.” For all the advancements in technology and storytelling we have seen as video games evolved from the 80s to today, there is something persistently fascinating about the nostalgia that drives us to reach back to collect these older games, but which also inspires some to create new games reminiscent of that time.
    In the time since I sent out my initial survey, new questions came to mind. As homebrew sporadically gains mainstream attention, how does the community feel about engagement with the media? Should journalists observe from a distance, like a documentarian covering wildlife, or should they engage the wider community so when their article comes out, community members aren’t wondering where this person or their impressions came from? What can devs do to promote engagement? In response to this question, the consensus was that while there is an expectation that journalists writing a piece on the community are talking to its members, no such responsibility exists when the written piece is merely the author’s observations or is simply a review of the scene’s offerings. Nevertheless, M-Tee noted that as members of this community, we have a responsibility to each other to be ambassadors who do not present this community as a hostile environment to anyone. If anything, engagement should be encouraged and where possible aided by searchable and digestible information, ideally generated by the non-developers of the community (to, in his view, minimize pulling brewers from their dev work).
    As homebrew draws larger audiences, should homebrew be guided by the passion and preferences of creators, or should the interests and convenience of customers prevail? And given players’ desire for convenience and ease of access, what are the ethics surrounding pirated roms and repros? Should players respect the publication choices of creators if a game they want to play is not available through their preferred mode of play or is too expensive, or in the absence of a legitimate option, may they turn to illegitimate ones to play the games they want to play? The consensus on these questions reflected a sense that players can express their preferences regarding homebrew games that appeal most to them, whether that’s a matter of favored genres or the availability of released games on physical cartridges, digitally available as roms, or made compatible with mobile devices. However at the end of the day, because homebrew is at its core a hobbyist passion, it will always ultimately be creator driven.
    Despite this dynamic, the ethical questions surrounding player access to rarer homebrew games persists. A handful of VGS members have made clear their beliefs that if they want to play a particular game and cannot obtain it legitimately, illegitimate means are acceptable, and it is the creator’s fault for not doing enough to make it so that player could have the game. Rejecting the creator’s preferences and pointing to the admittedly opportunistic greed of some resellers with no connection to the original developers, these players justify using pirating roms and repros because they feel they shouldn’t have to pay a premium or go without if they don’t want to. M-Tee noted that social acceptance of pirating creates an uphill battle for establishing and respecting creator rights. Spacepup echoes the importance of respecting the devs’ wishes, and those players are not entitled to content just because they want it. Just because a game’s sale no longer connects to and benefits the creator, doesn’t mark its entry into an acceptable pirating free for all. Considering the nuances of this issue, Nathan Tolbert feels that while honoring a developer’s wishes regarding distribution is ethically correct, it is up to the individual regarding the download and use of pirated content, but that selling and redistributing it is unethical.
    In an October 2021 conversation in VGS’s brewery Discord, several people shared their opinions on the dumping, reproduction, and sale of pirating homebrew games. Specifically, community members wondered what (if any) amount of time was enough for it to be acceptable for someone to share a rom they have? What if, at some point in the future, someone wants to play a play that is unavailable and they are unable to reach the creator to get permission to reproduce a copy despite a good faith effort? From her perspective, Ellen Larsson felt that “not as a homebrewer, but as an author. It doesn't matter if I write a novel or make a game. Hands off unless it's the intention to distribute it freely or if the author decides to change the license.” However she adds that she would make an exception for the preservation of otherwise endangered files or if something made was freely distributable. Sumez believed it is “super disrespectful towards the author to just throw their stuff out as piracy no matter how many years have passed, 1, 2, or 60, but if they are genuinely impossible to get in contact with or in any way warrant any kind of new release of authorization of free distribution, then I guess fair. But no matter how much someone can go ‘gee, it's an old game, it should be free, because people deserve to play it’, it's up to the author. If it should be free, let the author give it out free.” Nathan Tolbert emphasized the point about being unable to reach the creator: “Personally, if I've disappeared from the scene for a few years (3?), and nobody knows how to get ahold of me, I'd be fine with folks releasing dumps of my games. But that's definitely not what I think everyone has to agree to.” Brian Parker agreed, noting that if “a few (3-5?) years after honest contact efforts get zero reply, do whatever.  If its legit preservation (VGHF) take everything at anytime.” Meanwhile NovaSquirrel had a more open stance, believing “if someone doesn't want to give me the ability to buy a game anymore then it's on them.” Josué “Trirosmos” Oliveira disagreed, believing “that the free sharing of files and information are and should be central pillars of the internet. I'm not necessarily gonna make it easier than it has to be to get access to things I've made that I'm trying to sell... but if you go through the trouble and literally spend your own time and money so that other people can freely access it, I'm not gonna stop you.” Josué expanded on his position, noting that without piracy of PlayStation games, the Brazilian gaming and dev scene might not exist. That said, he does believe there are behaviors which are relatively more/less acceptable, feeling the “selling of bootlegs of homebrew games feels a lot worse to me than just having the ROM on some website.” The variety of opinions on this subject are as numerous as the number of people in the community, given the different backgrounds, cultures, experiences, and motivations it encompasses. Perhaps a deeper conversation will be a good place to ground another survey next year.

    I’ll just leave this xtreme PSA as a placeholder
    Homebrew has come a long way. It’s come so far and evolved to such heights that the word itself has begun to give way to other terms that describe related spaces of this ever-growing community. It is not without its growing pains though, as the community encompasses more people and raises new questions, some of which are likely unanswerable. The point is not that every question be put to rest, but that asking it yields a worthwhile, respectful discussion. This discussion aspires to bring as many perspectives as possible into an open space where the community can witness the diversity around them and understand the variety of experiences which give rise to the games they enjoy. Such is the marketplace of ideas. I hoped the surveys supporting this piece could generate a sort of symposium on the state of homebrew, sourced from a variety of creators whose talents have built this scene. This community is in many ways the literal stuff dreams are made of, and the imagination on display with each new game inspires the next person, and so with each passing moment the possibilities are somehow even more endless. This place isn’t perfect, but by understanding and appreciating what brings us here, and creating the infrastructure that safely enables us to create or support these games is what makes this space great. The state of homebrew remains strong! So I hope you continue to love these games, and tune in to this blog because when you see each post, you know that…
     

×
×
  • Create New...