The Excitables (WIP)

5kids2feed

Well-known member
@Logana is doing some major upgrades to my in game sprites/animations to make them look better and smoother. Once those are complete, that’ll take a lot of the graphic/palette items off my game checklist. Then we will continue forward with the programming.

I know said this after Carpet Shark.. but I mean it this time! I’m taking a break once this game is complete. I love making games in NESMaker, but it takes up so much time trying to get it do exactly what you want... and I mean that in the best way possible. Plus I’m still making and sending physical copies out of Carpet Shark.. so it’s everything all at once. When this game is complete, I can just worry about physical releases of the two games for a little while..

The next game.. I think I’ll go a different direction and have it do nothing with any of our short films. Maybe.. possibly.. lol.. only time will tell. But all I know .. is a little time to do other things will be much needed after the release of The Excitables.
 

5kids2feed

Well-known member
Got my updated sprites & palettes from Logan and they’re beautiful. Really like what he did with the background sprites and animations. I want to mix what he did with what I did and with what Lilith did.. and make it all mesh in harmony.

Nows the hard part. I gotta find the time to sit down and implement all of this and make it work. I’m lacking the motivation at the moment.. so many projects I have in my head that I want to do.. gaming and non gaming related. I’m at the point where I’m kinda sick of looking and working on the game. For such a simple little game, it feels like such a huge undertaking all at the same time. I’ll get there. Just got to get in the right mental state and buckle down. I’m ready to be done with this thing but I feel like I’m far from over too. Wish I could press a button and it would be done. Time to suck it up and push forward. Can do this!
 

5kids2feed

Well-known member
Getting all the updated sprite work in place. Taking shape and looking nice! Gotta keep the motivation going!

ex2.png
 
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5kids2feed

Well-known member
Things are back on track. Gave myself a deadline to finish this game before the end of the year, although I believe i'll be done way before then. Just want that to be the very limit.

I was jumping around working on every board too much. Now that all the mechanics are done, I'm focusing on one level at a time. Trucking along the first level. If anyone is down for level testing, just let me know. Logan will be level testing, but it's nice to have more eyes on the project. Once this first level is done, i'll be looking for people.

Gave Logan a list of SFX I need for the game when he gets free time. Don't need any time soon because I'm laying out the levels. It'll be cool to hear and see it all come together when they're in there.

Back to work. Trying to work on one level per week so I can dedicate all my attention to each of them at a time.
 
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5kids2feed

Well-known member
Oh yeah, a couple of screens while i'm at it. Level 1. You play as Yank who has been captured. Your hands are tied behind your back and you have no weapons. Find the keys and escape.

yank1.png


yank2.png
 
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5kids2feed

Well-known member
Oh man. I didn’t even think that it could mess with scrolling. Luckily my current game doesn’t scroll. Good to know for future reference!
 

5kids2feed

Well-known member
I’ve really enjoyed working on the first level this week. It’s allowed me to figure out 90% of its problems. Like Joe says in his tutorials.. this is the point when my code has become “loose spaghetti.” Even if it isn’t completely done, it’s let me focus at one thing at a time. I have one more day to work on level 1. There’s this last bug that’s bothering me.. hope to fix it... and then on Monday, I start working on level 2 for a week. In my mind.. level 2 seems easier.. but we all know it’s the opposite when we start thinking like that.

Feeling rejuvenated with the progress the game has made. Can’t wait to see it keep evolving.
 

5kids2feed

Well-known member
This week was very up and down because work was so busy. I did get a lot done with the second stage but feels like not enough at the sametime. I just have to accept by the end of each week i'm not going to be done with each stage yet. Happy with the progess and i've given myself until the end of the year to finish the game. Next week we start level 3.

Here's level 2 in it's current state:
boofjeep.gif
 

Jonny

Well-known member
Doesn't feel like that long ago you started Excitables game. So are you going to kinda flesh out each stage as much as possible each week then come back to them for final spit and polish? Did you decide to do bank switching or is that palette cycling?

:unsure: This means we could be competing in the 2021 xmas NES ratings.
 

5kids2feed

Well-known member
I released Carpet Shark in January and then I started The Excitables in February because I wanted all the information I learned from my first game to not go away haha.

Exactly! Every week I’m just sticking to one level... fleshing it out.. then going to the next the following week until done! Rinse and repeat. I was jumping around too much every day and it was frustrating to the point where I felt like I wasn’t achieving much.

Just a palette swap for both levels! It was the easiest option for me and my game dev understanding.

There’s xmas ratings? I hope to be done before Xmas though. Crossing my fingers. I’m not in it for the ratings though. Just making games for my friends and I.. and hopefully people get some enjoyment out of them. I can’t compete you anyways! Your stuff looks incredible! 🙌🏻🙌🏻
 

Logana

Well-known member
wow, amazing progress on this, love to see it, hope that work isn't as hectic next week, also I think that getting rid of the extra detail from the edge of the road for that one pixel shift isn't worth it since the movement is already being conveyed by the stripes, and it it takes away a bit from the visuals, guy my opinion since doing this A. Takes away the color in the road and B. It dosen't even really add that much, just a tiny nitpick
 

5kids2feed

Well-known member
@Logana Yeah I was experimenting with that because with all of the other detail of the grass sitting still it was kind of awkward with just the road moving but the sides sitting still.. almost looked like a conveyor belt. now if I could accomplish a two palette swap, that would be incredible.. but still a work in progress. Just where it is at the moment.

Also hoping work this week isn’t crazy too! We’ll get there. Slowly but surely!
 
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