What Programs are required to make an NES game? For Example, Coding, Map Layout, etc.
Also What products do you need to burn these (or extract) to an NES circuit board?
I've seen tutorials on these, but I am still very confused.
The only certain thing is that you'll need an assembler or a C compiler for code. For graphics, sound, map etc there are many ways and approaches to the things, it is all up to you. You may use some existing tools, or create your own. You can convert graphics from a picture, or use a tile editor, or type it as a series of HEX values. You can use FamiTracker or MuseTracker with existing players for music, however, many prefer to make everything in this area from scratch, and type music data as HEX values. There are universal map editors, but you'll need a converter tool to use these. There are other ways to create maps as well.
Once you have something working in an emulator, the easiest way to try your program on an NES is with a PowerPak. Replication of a finished product on cartridges can come later.
Thanks guys, what I'm still a bit confused about is the map making. How do you make one from Scratch? Sorry for the questions, but this is a newbie help center, right?
You can draw it as a huge image and make a tool that will split it into the tileset, map, etc.
You can use a general purpose map editor such as Mappy and make a tool that will convert its output.
You can manually type in the map data as a number of hex values.
You can draw map in NES Screen Tool or other nametable editor screen by screen, then connect them in code, or make a tool that will assemble the screens into a map.
The thing is that there is no standart map format. Every game has its own format, it is up to programmer to decide how the data will be stored, so there is no ready made solution.
Quote:
You can manually type in the map data as a number of hex values.
That's the way to go if you ask me. You can use defintes to make this process much more friendly, and if you use metatiles, your maps shouldn't be that huge anyway.
Forgot to mention another popular option for map making: write a map editor by yourself. When it is for a certain game and does not have to be very advanced, it isn't too difficult - much easier than to write a game.
Thanks You all!
(Nice Grammar me)
Amini wrote:
Thanks guys, what I'm still a bit confused about is the map making. How do you make one from Scratch?
Most people just come up with their simple map formats and type hex values directly into the code.
There's no consolidated map format because each game's needs are different, so even if a tool will help you with part of the process there will still be a lot to adjust until the maps can be used by your game engine. Most people are not up to coding a lot of tools and scripts to handle these conversions, so they just come up with their own formats that can be easily typed by hand.
A full uncompressed screen on the NES is 1KB large, so you obviously can't store maps that way if you plan on having more than a handful of screens. What you do is you start reusing tiles. The first thing most games do is use metatiles instead of tiles: they define a set of blocks that are made from 4 tiles and the maps point to those blocks instead of tiles. This makes screens occupy only 25% of the space an uncompressed screen does! From there, other kinds of compression can be used to further decrease the space each screen takes. You can use RLE or LZ compression on the raw map data, or you can creating screens by placing objects on them (SMB1 does this) rather than defining one block for each space in the grid. Like I said, each game has different requirements.
If you post a mock screenshot of what you want a typical level to look like, we might be able to help you design a map format.
tepples wrote:
If you post a mock screenshot of what you want a typical level to look like, we might be able to help you design a map format.
Alright, I might Be able to do that.
EDIT: I made some tiles which are 8x8 and fit into the NES palette (i think), I also added a new character, which I really should be putting in my Pixel Art Thread, But it's too late now...
I made a typical map.
What do you think?
Obviously, it would be much longer, but this is just a demo.
How much time you've spent to make it?
Shiru wrote:
How much time you've spent to make it?
To make what? The Map demo, or something else?
I did not spend much time on it. I would spend a lot more time on a real level. I just made the demo so I could get some help on map programs.
OK, so what exactly it demonstrates and what kind of help you need to get?
Shiru wrote:
OK, so what exactly it demonstrates and what kind of help you need to get?
I pretty much need to find a program that can put all the tiles together smoothly.
It demonstrates that pretty much the game is an action side-scroller with basic caves and overall underground features for a level.
Oh yeah, also, I should probably make tiles for this. but I have the final few levels planned out to be in a factory, sort of like mega man. So maybe that could give someone a better idea.
Shiru wrote:
You can draw it as a huge image and make a tool that will split it into the tileset, map, etc.
You can use a general purpose map editor such as Mappy and make a tool that will convert its output.
You can manually type in the map data as a number of hex values.
You can draw map in NES Screen Tool or other nametable editor screen by screen, then connect them in code, or make a tool that will assemble the screens into a map.
The thing is that there is no standart map format. Every game has its own format, it is up to programmer to decide how the data will be stored, so there is no ready made solution.
Just saw this, and tried out NES screen tool. It's awesome. I'm using it right now.
For putting games on cart I have the tool ReadNES3 posted on racketboy with source. Just download it, .exe and source are included. It should compile to linux with a few changes to the source, I've used it on Ubuntu with no probs after those few changes were made.
3gengames wrote:
For putting games on cart I have the tool ReadNES3 posted on racketboy with source. Just download it, .exe and source are included. It should compile to linux with a few changes to the source, I've used it on Ubuntu with no probs after those few changes were made.
Cool, but Im a bit confused on how that all works.
Made first 2 screens (with no enemies or living life) and title screen (MEANT TO LOOK JAGGED ON R AND Z)
<- if you look at the letters i used for tower of clockwork, it spells TOWERFOCK. lol.
Will this Rez include the
trance vibrator?
tepples wrote:
Will this Rez include the
trance vibrator?
uh... no....
If you want exactly that look, with 1-tile level borders resolution, and large areas filled with the same tile, you'll need a special level format, I guess it won't be a usual metatile kind, because you could gain more with RLE in this case.
Speaking of continuous level edition with NES Screen Tool, this is not very convinient, I know, but I had thoughts how to do that easier without major changes in the tool: switching between a number of files with a key. Like, name them part8080 where 8080 is XY coords in a large map, you press something+Left, and the program will save current nametable and load part7f80 file. Didn't implement it yet, but if someone need this, I can add such a feature.
Shiru wrote:
If you want exactly that look, with 1-tile level borders resolution, and large areas filled with the same tile, you'll need a special level format, I guess it won't be a usual metatile kind, because you could gain more with RLE in this case.
Speaking of continuous level edition with NES Screen Tool, this is not very convinient, I know, but I had thoughts how to do that easier without major changes in the tool: switching between a number of files with a key. Like, name them part8080 where 8080 is XY coords in a large map, you press something+Left, and the program will save current nametable and load part7f80 file. Didn't implement it yet, but if someone need this, I can add such a feature.
I am probably going to change this. 1 single tile is too boring. I am working on making new tiles now.
tepples wrote:
Will this Rez include the
trance vibrator?
Oh, just noticed what you did there. I didn't know that there is another game called Rez. Better change the title.
Hey guys, I need a new title. I have already made it so that there will be multiple games, so the first one is called "Tower of Clockwork". Also it has to have something to do with time and/ or steampunk (as in gears and factories and all that). also, this is serious names, so no "Time to work at the factory!! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!" No. Just, no.
Thanks.
-Amini
EDIT: How about the Name Force of Time? or, Force of the Generations?