New NES game Armed For Battle (real time strategy)

[rizz]

NEW:
Armed For Battle is now available in either a Loose Cartridge or Cartridge In Box!
Details and purchase information is at infiniteneslives.com


The Demo is available at my Development Blog - http://1010howe.blogspot.com/

Tutorials on How To Play (these videos show the new look of the game):

Castle/Kingdom View

Upgrade Screen

World View

Battle View




Hi all, I'm here to post about the game I'm creating for NES, a real time strategy called Armed for Battle.


Trailer 1 - showing Castle View where you build your town
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7V_CSzbwaI
(this view has been modified just a bit for the final product)

Trailer 2 - showing World View
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oilPleLInr4

Trailer 3 - showing Battle View
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEzaI2w_xC0


I hope you like it, and look forward to any comments. If you'd like to know more about this game, please check out this interview at RetroGameNetwork.com, which will talk more in depth about the gameplay, and it also gives a bit of background for this project.

And if you care to read more, there's this page at un8bg.com.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

RTS on the NES! Who'd have thought? I'd like to try this myself. Do you plan on releasing a demo?

I understand you're likely doing your best here, but this game.......looks like a Apple II+ or Commodore 64 title, not the standard of an NES game. It's just your background tiles. They're extremely dull. I was hoping for something that looks like Fire Emblem or Famicom Wars, but these visuals don't get me excited for the project at all. While of course, nobody plays NES games for their graphics, that's the one area that immediately stands out as needing work.

It also looks rather complicated. I'm a big fan of the GBC's RTS Warlocked. Have you seen that? Granted the NES is far too slow to run Warlocked, but perhaps some of its ideas can be lifted and intergated into your homebrew project?

[homerhomer]

What tools did you use to build this game?

Thanks

[rizz]

RTS on the NES! Who'd have thought? I'd like to try this myself. Do you plan on releasing a demo?

I understand you're likely doing your best here, but this game.......looks like a Apple II+ or Commodore 64 title, not the standard of an NES game. It's just your background tiles. They're extremely dull. I was hoping for something that looks like Fire Emblem or Famicom Wars, but these visuals don't get me excited for the project at all. While of course, nobody plays NES games for their graphics, that's the one area that immediately stands out as needing work.

It also looks rather complicated. I'm a big fan of the GBC's RTS Warlocked. Have you seen that? Granted the NES is far too slow to run Warlocked, but perhaps some of its ideas can be lifted and intergated into your homebrew project?

Hi, thanks for your interest. I haven't made demo decisions quite yet, even though the game is kinda getting close. It's a few months out (I'm hoping for a release of 11-12-13).

The background issue - it's kinda tricky. While I would like to have tiles that show more texture, the way I'm doing my 'walkers' that roam around on the screen with the castle, I'd have to add in a lot of code that manages the sprite background priority, and I'm already pushing my limits with how big the code bank is. I also wanted to have a little less clutter when numbers are being shown for troops at the buildings, and weapon totals at buildings, etc.


I'll take a look at Warlocked - it's not a game I'm familiar with.

[rizz]

What tools did you use to build this game?

Thanks

Hi, for coding, I use Context and asm6.
For graphics, I use tile layer pro.

Nothing special for sound - I just add the necessary song data into program, and then let my sound engine play it.

[CoteRangers]

Hey, that sounds interesting. I'm personally not good at Real-Time Strategy, but I do like to see an RTS game on the NES, since I don't think they're very common on the system. Good luck on your project!

[rizz]

It also looks rather complicated. I'm a big fan of the GBC's RTS Warlocked. Have you seen that? Granted the NES is far too slow to run Warlocked, but perhaps some of its ideas can be lifted and intergated into your homebrew project?

I almost forgot to mention... I'm hoping there won't be too many issues with complication - when the cursor is on a building, instructions such as "Train Archer" or "Build" will appear. Once a player gets the basic ideas down, it should be quite straightforward. Another example - on the upgrade screen, you'll see 2 upgrades next to an Archer. They are upgrades related to archers (faster training, and improving archer battle tactics). Again, instructions will appear on the upgrade screen, so that you know exactly what you are upgrading.

I went and checked out some of the Warlocked game. Pretty cool. Which gameplay features were you referring to when you talked about some of the ideas being integrated into my game?

[rizz]

The instruction manual is in progress, and I wanted to share a sample. I have been hesitant to give out any official release date, but I can tell you that the end is in sight. At the very least, there will be a demo by the end of the year - maybe sooner. If you PM me with your email, I will add you to a list that gets contacted at the time of demo release, cartridge release, etc.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

have you taken a look at Warlocked? I'm sure the GBC and NES are quite different in terms of programming limitations, but I still feel Warlocked may be able to give you some ideas you could incorporate into your game.

[rizz]

have you taken a look at Warlocked? I'm sure the GBC and NES are quite different in terms of programming limitations, but I still feel Warlocked may be able to give you some ideas you could incorporate into your game.

Thanks for pointing out Warlocked. There's not much I can alter at this point - the design is pretty much set, and I don't have any more 'new' code to add. I'm working out bugs, and working on the fun factor right now. I did watch some warlock, and was amazed at a few of the similarities though with my game. I appreciate the game suggestion - it's something I might pick up down the road.

I hope to have another youtube video at some point, which will show some changes that have been made since the release of those 3 trailers.

[swlovinist]

Your game looks great. When it is available, please sign me up for a copy.

[skyrunner14]

This looks really awesome! I'll definitely want to buy a copy once it's released. One thing real quick: Your link to the first video in your post instead leads to the third video.

[rizz]

This looks really awesome! I'll definitely want to buy a copy once it's released. One thing real quick: Your link to the first video in your post instead leads to the third video.

Hi there - please PM me your email, and I will be happy to keep you up to date with announcements.
I really appreciate the comments, and thank you for pointing out my error with the link - it's fixed.

[Doommaster1994]

Do you need music in your game? I have been dying to compose at least one game for the NES!

[rizz]

Do you need music in your game? I have been dying to compose at least one game for the NES!

I'm afraid all music is completed (for this one). Maybe a future game could be a possibility. Do you use famitracker or something like that? If so, I'd have to research how to take an output file from famitracker and turn it into something my game's sound engine can use.

[Doommaster1994]

I would appreciate that! I am kind of learning NES programming, but it would be a long time before I would be able to program my own games. I do use Famitracker but I know how to write in Music Macro Language and can possibly write in assembly if I have to. Out of curiosity who did the music, or was it you?

[rizz]

I would appreciate that! I am kind of learning NES programming, but it would be a long time before I would be able to program my own games. I do use Famitracker but I know how to write in Music Macro Language and can possibly write in assembly if I have to. Out of curiosity who did the music, or was it you?

That sounds cool - do you have any samples?
The music in my game was all by me - it had mixed comments (luckily more of the comments were giving praise). I felt like the quality got better as more songs were produced.

[rizz]

I now have a development blog. I'm hoping to add some sort of content weekly - if I have nothing new to talk about, I will add old stuff, which might be scans from when I was designing parts of the game on paper. I used to go nuts over the Nintendo Power articles that had to do with game development, so maybe you'll find this to be cool.

The latest entries in the blog feature a preliminary sketch for the box artwork, and an interview from pixlbit.com.

[Atarileaf]

Very nice indeed. Reminds me a lot of Broderbunds Ancient Art of War, one of my absolute favorite old DOS PC games.

[rizz]

Armed For Battle now has a demo you can download!


The demo is at my blog (the blog is very new too, so please check it out):
http://1010howe.blogspot.com/


My youtube channel has 4 tutorial videos that will show you how various parts of the game are played. You will also see the newer look of the game in the videos:

Castle/Kingdom View

Upgrade Screen

World View

Battle View


If you have any additional questions about how gameplay works, please contact me, or you can add the question to the comments section of the video.

Hope you like it!