Snackventure - Development Thread

smilehero65

smilehero65

Active member
I think this is a good time to reveal my Byte-Off entry (now that at least is presentable)


🍪 SNACKVENTURE 🧁
(maybe there is a better name out there but well...)
little demo.gif

In this adventure-oriented platform game you take the role of Hectico (Little Hector) and Tío Albertruco (Uncle Albertrick) in their quest to find groceries to eat at home in family.​


This is a remake of a game I have been trying to make since 2018 when I was in Middle School. It went under many names and many engines (at one point it even was a Super Mario Bros rom hack) But once I knew about NESMaker, I knew I wanted it to be a homebrew game for my favorite 8 bit machine.

I am using my entire ASM knowledge and potential on this, so I am proud to finally show it to all of you.
I am halfway through to make it ready for Byte-Off.

Unfortunately, I am still tweaking some stuff up and I need to change the IP placeholders, so I can't drop the ROM yet.

The entire soundtrack and sound effects may arrive this night.
Kudos to @ChineseViking who did an awesome job!

P.D: I need your help! I have programmed all enemy types I need, but I just don't know what they will actually be :unsure:
  • Spiky Enemy (No Jump Kills)
  • Enemy that climbs trees (think of the Ladybug in Super Mario Bros 2)
  • Enemy that follows a circular path
These enemies should be themed after any type of food (e.g. a walking Garlick)
Help will be appreciated (and even credited in the final game)
 
ProjectAsinus

ProjectAsinus

Member
smilehero65 said:
I think this is a good time to reveal my Byte-Off entry (now that at least is presentable)


🍪 SNACKVENTURE 🧁
(maybe there is a better name out there but well...)
View attachment 7969

In this adventure-oriented platform game you take the role of Hectico (Little Hector) and Tío Albertruco (Uncle Albertrick) in their quest to find groceries to eat at home in family.​


This is a remake of a game I have been trying to make since 2018 when I was in Middle School. It went under many names and many engines (at one point it even was a Super Mario Bros rom hack) But once I knew about NESMaker, I knew I wanted it to be a homebrew game for my favorite 8 bit machine.

I am using my entire ASM knowledge and potential on this, so I am proud to finally show it to all of you.
I am halfway through to make it ready for Byte-Off.

Unfortunately, I am still tweaking some stuff up and I need to change the IP placeholders, so I can't drop the ROM yet.

The entire soundtrack and sound effects may arrive this night.
Kudos to @ChineseViking who did an awesome job!

P.D: I need your help! I have programmed all enemy types I need, but I just don't know what they will actually be :unsure:
  • Spiky Enemy (No Jump Kills)
  • Enemy that climbs trees (think of the Ladybug in Super Mario Bros 2)
  • Enemy that follows a circular path
These enemies should be themed after any type of food (e.g. a walking Garlick)
Help will be appreciated (and even credited in the final game)
Click to expand...
On the topic of enemies, at first I was thinking a pineapple for the spiked enemy, but I realize the spikes on those are very subtle, so it wouldn’t be easy to get the *point* across that they’re spiky.

IMG_2113.jpeg

Thinking about it more, I believe a durian might suit your needs. The spikes are much more noticeable, so it should be easier to make their sprites look spiky while still making it clear that they are durians.
IMG_2112.png
Unfortunately I’m not that great with art just yet, or I’d make some mockup designs to show my point better.
 
smilehero65

smilehero65

Active member
ProjectAsinus said:
On the topic of enemies, at first I was thinking a pineapple for the spiked enemy, but I realize the spikes on those are very subtle, so it wouldn’t be easy to get the *point* across that they’re spiky.

View attachment 7972

Thinking about it more, I believe a durian might suit your needs. The spikes are much more noticeable, so it should be easier to make their sprites look spiky while still making it clear that they are durians.
View attachment 7975
Unfortunately I’m not that great with art just yet, or I’d make some mockup designs to show my point better.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! I will take it into account!
Don't worry about art skills, any idea is welcomed.
 
smilehero65

smilehero65

Active member
Well... FINALLY!
SNACKVENTURE is out!

COVER ART.png
​
It was a great learning experience. I felt stress for the constant bugs and other quirks that made my life a hell. I didn't put all the things I wanted into this demo... but it is amazing to finally see something playable and ready to be enjoyed. You can play it in the RETROVERSE, or through your preferred emulator with the links I will be providing for download.

I thank a lot to this community for making this possible, I'm just tired of writing that.
But words are scarce to express how happy I feel at playing this and getting feedback from others.

Thanks again🥲
 
smilehero65

smilehero65

Active member
Update! (of course, not available for Byte-Off)

I never really liked the serpent sprite. It was really hard to see, also I felt it clashed with the overall artsyle.

1711133466398.png
This is one of the few instances that noted how rushed was the development of Snackventure🤣
Now it has been modified the art resembled on the instruction manual - additionally adding a munching sprite.

1711133613027.png
Also, after watching Harry Dwarf's playthrough last night, it was kind of unfair that this enemy was immune to peanuts.
Now, it still is, but after being shot, it stops for a few seconds and reverse direction.

I am also working on fixing minor bugs for the demo game, that will be available in itch.io.
But that's just for the demo, as I am planning to make a fresh install to NESMaker and re do a great part of the code.
A lot of experimentation during Byte-Off lead to optimization issues in code, as well as bugs.

I also would like to get rid of a few features I won't be using.
 
August Renders

August Renders

New member
Okay. Here's my critique of your game so far:

Good Qualities:
-The idea of a candy-themed NES game is cute, sweet and fun.
-The sprites are well-animated.
-I'm assuming that you want the character selections to, in some way, offer their own challenges. That's good, but the characters should be labeled by their difficulty or abilities.

Issues:
-While playing as Albertrick, I happen to get stuck on the side of certain platforms when I jump into the side of them.
-The idea of enemies that release toxic gas upon being squashed is an interesting idea, but prior to their showing up in the first level, you should have an enemy that doesn't release gas when defeated, as the first level is all about introduction to the main mechanics.
-In the chocolate caves, the spikes should be a lighter or brighter color to stand out from the rest of the background. Otherwise, they won't be noticed easily.
-When the player finds the secret lollipop, they should be given some kind of reward.
-I'd appreciate the ability to throw projectiles left or right while climbing, depending on which direction I press.


Additional Notes:
-Also, if you want, you could implement a special mechanic to make SnackVenture stand out from other games. Examples in modern games:
Poppy Playtime has the GrabPack.
Mario Odyssey has the Capture Ability.
Pikmin has throwing mechanics.

Note that in many of the most acclaimed games of our culture, their special mechanics are used as a weapon and a tool. (For example: In Metroid, Samus' arm cannon is a weapon for zapping hostile creatures, but also a tool for opening doors and activating other mechanisms.) But If you can't come up with a new, original idea, it's okay to expand upon pre-existing concepts with new uses. (I mean, the candy-throwing ability is both a weapon and a tool. I do compliment that, but try and see if you can do more with it.)

I hope you find my advice helpful!
-August
 
smilehero65

smilehero65

Active member
August Renders said:
Okay. Here's my critique of your game so far:

Good Qualities:
-The idea of a candy-themed NES game is cute, sweet and fun.
-The sprites are well-animated.
-I'm assuming that you want the character selections to, in some way, offer their own challenges. That's good, but the characters should be labeled by their difficulty or abilities.

Issues:
-While playing as Albertrick, I happen to get stuck on the side of certain platforms when I jump into the side of them.
-The idea of enemies that release toxic gas upon being squashed is an interesting idea, but prior to their showing up in the first level, you should have an enemy that doesn't release gas when defeated, as the first level is all about introduction to the main mechanics.
-In the chocolate caves, the spikes should be a lighter or brighter color to stand out from the rest of the background. Otherwise, they won't be noticed easily.
-When the player finds the secret lollipop, they should be given some kind of reward.
-I'd appreciate the ability to throw projectiles left or right while climbing, depending on which direction I press.


Additional Notes:
-Also, if you want, you could implement a special mechanic to make SnackVenture stand out from other games. Examples in modern games:
Poppy Playtime has the GrabPack.
Mario Odyssey has the Capture Ability.
Pikmin has throwing mechanics.

Note that in many of the most acclaimed games of our culture, their special mechanics are used as a weapon and a tool. (For example: In Metroid, Samus' arm cannon is a weapon for zapping hostile creatures, but also a tool for opening doors and activating other mechanisms.) But If you can't come up with a new, original idea, it's okay to expand upon pre-existing concepts with new uses. (I mean, the candy-throwing ability is both a weapon and a tool. I do compliment that, but try and see if you can do more with it.)

I hope you find my advice helpful!
-August
Click to expand...
Thank you so much August!
In a few days I will be having my time to rethink concepts and other aspects of the game to start from scratch.

Definitely your feedback will be taken into account! A million thanks! ♥️
 
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