Hello!
I'd like to announce a new NES homebrew project. It's a puzzle game called Lucky Penguin.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y191/macbee/PN01_zps3ikw7q0b.png)(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y191/macbee/PN04_zpsjddabbwm.png)
Lukasz Kur (from recent Oliver Twins NES releases) is the programmer and I'm doing the graphics.
My favorite thing about the visuals is that I'm using flickering on backgrounds (to create illusion of more shades/colors on screen). But you can turn off this effect in case you want a traditional NES look.
Flicker ON vs. Flicker OFF:
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y191/macbee/PN02_zpsrg3fkkyh.png)(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y191/macbee/PN03_zpso1jm8zsk.png)
I think that all graphics and sounds are already finished. But there's still things to be tested/adjusted related to programming. All screenshots are still WIP - but I think they're already very close to their final version. Feel free to ask any questions about this project. Hope you like it!
I am intrigued.
What does the fortunate penguin need to do? I see four four-leaf clovers (?) in the screenshot, as well as a green cube, so I'm guessing those are somehow important.
Is this going to be a physical release or just a rom file?
Quote from: Ghegs on July 28, 2017, 08:57:45 am
I am intrigued.
What does the fortunate penguin need to do? I see four four-leaf clovers (?) in the screenshot, as well as a green cube, so I'm guessing those are somehow important.
Is this going to be a physical release or just a rom file?
Penguin needs to get all clovers, as fast as he can. First levels are easy - but it will become a harder task in later stages.
The green cube is just decorative.
We're trying to release the final game as a cartridge. Let's see what happens!
Physical NES cartridge, I assume?
When can we see a gameplay video? And when are you planning to release the game?
Quote from: macbee on July 28, 2017, 09:14:47 am
Quote from: Ghegs on July 28, 2017, 08:57:45 am
I am intrigued.
What does the fortunate penguin need to do? I see four four-leaf clovers (?) in the screenshot, as well as a green cube, so I'm guessing those are somehow important.
Is this going to be a physical release or just a rom file?
Penguin needs to get all clovers, as fast as he can. First levels are easy - but it will become a harder task in later stages.
The green cube is just decorative.
We're trying to release the final game as a cartridge. Let's see what happens!
60 pins or 72 pins version?
Quote from: Ghegs on July 29, 2017, 08:45:17 am
Physical NES cartridge, I assume?
When can we see a gameplay video? And when are you planning to release the game?
All publishers I know only sells games in 72-pin carts (but I'd love to see a 60-pin version as well - if anyone knows how, I'm interested).
We still have to finish stuff for final game, so I don't know yet when it will be released, sorry!
Demo was released right now: http://volvosoftware.com/heavy/Lucky%20Penguin%20Demo.zip
Have fun!
Oh, a demo's even better than a video, great! Played through it just now.
Nice surprise with the voice samples. The graphics are good too, very suitable for this sort of thing. The flickering looked a bit weird on Nestopia, so I opted to turn it off.
The first screenshot left me a bit confused where the challenge comes from, I thought you'd have to push things around or evade enemies to get at the clovers, but instead it comes from the sliding factor - once the penguin takes a step, he'll keep going into that direction until he hits something. Simple, but can be good. But is it enough to carry through the whole game, or will other mechanics be introduced?
Not sure how I feel about the lives and time limit. The game already has passwords for each level (a very good thing, plus points for that), so the player is in no danger of losing any progress. Lives and the timer will just occasionally force the player to start the current stage over. To me personally, the perfect puzzle game (of this type) is one where I can just look at the stage, figure it out in my head (go there, push that, flip that--no wait, then I'll get stuck--flip it the other way, go around, push that over there...etc) and then execute my master plan. On Famicom Solomon's Key 2 is a great example of this, and the Lolo titles as well to a lesser degree.
The score counter also seemed superfluous. You get points for collecting clovers, a bit more when you collect several in rapid succession, a time bonus for finishing a stage and that seemed to be it. Do you get anything for reaching a certain score threshold? Extra lives are unnecessary, thanks to the things mentioned above. I absolutely understand playing games for score, but these types of puzzle games aren't really suited for it. Or the score mechanics would need to be more complex to make it more meaningful.
I'm a big fan of these types of puzzle games (Sokoban is basically a perfect puzzle game in my opinion), so I'm looking forward to see how this develops. I'm hoping to see a Famicom cart release, but I understand the market in the west heavily favors NES releases, so I'll be content with that.
I just played it through too, a very nice and good looking game. Flickering looks good on Mesen (NTSC-filter enabled), I haven't tried it on a real Famicom though. It's good that you can turn it off though, in case it looks bad on certain TV-sets.
I also love these kind of puzzle games, and am actually making one myself for Famicom (although I got stuck and haven't touched the project for a long time now).
I agree with Ghegs about lives and score (the time limit is OK in my book though). It feels like lives and score in the first Eggerland (MSX). A score that is more based on how many moves you do would feel better rather than based on time.
Quote from: Ghegs on July 29, 2017, 11:40:36 am
Oh, a demo's even better than a video, great! Played through it just now.
Nice surprise with the voice samples. The graphics are good too, very suitable for this sort of thing. The flickering looked a bit weird on Nestopia, so I opted to turn it off.
Thanks for your feedback!
I'm glad you liked graphics and my silly Penguin voice =D
Flickering should work fine on Nestopia. It's the emulator I've used to record gameplay of demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i6bDMH4PaM
Quote from: Ghegs on July 29, 2017, 11:40:36 amThe first screenshot left me a bit confused where the challenge comes from, I thought you'd have to push things around or evade enemies to get at the clovers, but instead it comes from the sliding factor - once the penguin takes a step, he'll keep going into that direction until he hits something. Simple, but can be good. But is it enough to carry through the whole game, or will other mechanics be introduced?
Not sure how I feel about the lives and time limit. The game already has passwords for each level (a very good thing, plus points for that), so the player is in no danger of losing any progress. Lives and the timer will just occasionally force the player to start the current stage over. To me personally, the perfect puzzle game (of this type) is one where I can just look at the stage, figure it out in my head (go there, push that, flip that--no wait, then I'll get stuck--flip it the other way, go around, push that over there...etc) and then execute my master plan. On Famicom Solomon's Key 2 is a great example of this, and the Lolo titles as well to a lesser degree.
The score counter also seemed superfluous. You get points for collecting clovers, a bit more when you collect several in rapid succession, a time bonus for finishing a stage and that seemed to be it. Do you get anything for reaching a certain score threshold? Extra lives are unnecessary, thanks to the things mentioned above. I absolutely understand playing games for score, but these types of puzzle games aren't really suited for it. Or the score mechanics would need to be more complex to make it more meaningful.
I'm a big fan of these types of puzzle games (Sokoban is basically a perfect puzzle game in my opinion), so I'm looking forward to see how this develops. I'm hoping to see a Famicom cart release, but I understand the market in the west heavily favors NES releases, so I'll be content with that.
The goal here isn't finish the game - but finish it with as many points you can make.
You have many lives and passwords to train over and over, but (at least to me) the fun here is when you're already familiar with levels and play the game from start to finish as fast as possible,
Thanks again for your opinions!
Quote from: P on July 29, 2017, 12:07:00 pm
I just played it through too, a very nice and good looking game. Flickering looks good on Mesen (NTSC-filter enabled), I haven't tried it on a real Famicom though. It's good that you can turn it off though, in case it looks bad on certain TV-sets.
I also love these kind of puzzle games, and am actually making one myself for Famicom (although I got stuck and haven't touched the project for a long time now).
I agree with Ghegs about lives and score (the time limit is OK in my book though). It feels like lives and score in the first Eggerland (MSX). A score that is more based on how many moves you do would feel better rather than based on time.
Thanks P!
I think my explanation above can fit for you comments as well!
What mapper are you going to be using?
Regarding a 60-pin release. Have you contacted Infiniteneslives? He states that he got Famicom cart shells on his homepage but I can't see that he is selling any 60-pin boards yet.
Quote from: P on July 29, 2017, 02:39:49 pm
Regarding a 60-pin release. Have you contacted Infiniteneslives? He states that he got Famicom cart shells on his homepage but I can't see that he is selling any 60-pin boards yet.
Not yet - but I'll try to contact them.
A blue famicom cart for Lucky Penguin would be very nice! =D
I would definitely pre-order for a Famicom version :) Game looks really great but not interested in a NES cart myself.
Yeah a lot of people here would probably be mostly interested in a 60-pin version. Since you almost have a complete game, I think it would be enough to convince Paul at Infiniteneslives to complete the 60-pin versions of his INL UNROM boards.
Quote from: L___E___T on July 30, 2017, 12:57:16 am
I would definitely pre-order for a Famicom version :) Game looks really great but not interested in a NES cart myself.
This is how I feel too.
I'd even donate donar cart for a custom 60 pin version if that is what it would take, but this situation (most homebrew being 72 pins only) is why I really haven't checked most homebrew games out.
Can't really understand the mindset of people saying they're interested in the game, but ONLY if the cart has 12 less pins. Sounds to me you don't care about the game itself at all, you just want a Famicom cart to stick on a shelf. Adapters/NT Mini/AVS are a thing, and there's a good amount of NES exclusives, translated games and a handful of good homebrew so that being able to play ALL of the system's library, from both NES and FC side, should be in every gamer's interest.
FC cart would be my preferred choice, NES cart is fine.
Quote from: Ghegs on July 30, 2017, 07:12:32 am
Can't really understand the mindset of people saying they're interested in the game, but ONLY if the cart has 12 less pins. Sounds to me you don't care about the game itself at all, you just want a Famicom cart to stick on a shelf. Adapters/NT Mini/AVS are a thing, and there's a good amount of NES exclusives, translated games and a handful of good homebrew so that being able to play ALL of the system's library, from both NES and FC side, should be in every gamer's interest.
FC cart would be my preferred choice, NES cart is fine.
I don't want to start a debate here, or to derail this thread, so this will be my one post about it and my thoughts, and then I will go back to cleaning the apartment.
If you've ever spent any amount of time on Nintendo Age forums, you will see people paying $50 for a flavor of the day 72 pins repro (pirate) cart, modern made. This time it's Binary Land - I don't understand the mindset why someone would pay $50 for a fake cartridge, made in the modern times, fanon basically, when they could buy a CIB 60 pins real product for a third of the price. Yet it happens, week upon week upon week. I think it's to be expected, gamers on the other side of the coin might feel the same way, in reverse?
For me personally:
There are so many wonderful games in the world, on both known and obscure platforms. There needs to be a line drawn at some point about what you want to purchase, and what you want to pass on. Some people focus on the games themselves, some focus on a series (like Mario games, or Castlevanias or something), some focus on a genre, some on a specific platform, some on specific companies. There really is no wrong answer to how one decides what they want and don't want.
For me, in terms of that 8-bit machine from Nintendo, I only buy Famicom games, with very few exceptions. I need to draw the line somewhere, and that is where I draw it for that particular machine. Everything about the NES side of things, from modern culture of collectors and what not, to visual appearance, I don't like. And as this is a Famicom forum, I am sure a lot of the folks here would want a 60 pin version, just like if I were to release a homebrew exclusive on Famicom and then started posting about it on Nintendo Age, most there would want a 72 pin version.
I've suggested for ages that homebrewers just repurpose old late 80s / early 90s bootleg Famicom carts for their homebrew games, hi-quality, cheap, and plentiful, in similar vain to how NES repros / homebrews were originally distributed, but this idea never was met with much success.
On another ironic note, the programmer for this most likely grew up playing Pegasus (Famicom) rather than NES.
Quote from: Ghegs
Sounds to me you don't care about the game itself at all, you just want a Famicom cart to stick on a shelf. FC cart would be my preferred choice, NES cart is fine.
I haven't read FCgamer's reply yet - but you're kind've onto something. The game looks fun, but I only want to collect Famicom games these days.
Reading your approach, one could say why bother with a cart then? if you just want to play the game - you could play it on Steam or PS4, the same.
The difference for me is that I collect and play Famicom, and I like the various specifics that the Famicom has. It's not about a specific number of pins.
I have one or two NES repros (like Recca) and a couple of Mario Party carts, among some others, but I don't play them so I decided not to get any more.
Reminds me of Quell, but with a cute penguin. Good presentation of a relatively simple puzzle game concept.
Maybe these posts could be split into their own thread?
Quote from: fcgamer on July 30, 2017, 08:58:26 amIf you've ever spent any amount of time on Nintendo Age forums, you will see people paying $50 for a flavor of the day 72 pins repro (pirate) cart, modern made. This time it's Binary Land - I don't understand the mindset why someone would pay $50 for a fake cartridge, made in the modern times, fanon basically, when they could buy a CIB 60 pins real product for a third of the price. Yet it happens, week upon week upon week. I think it's to be expected, gamers on the other side of the coin might feel the same way, in reverse?
I don't spend any time on the NintendoAge forums. Well, that's not entirely accurate, I have maybe three posts there from several years ago, all in the trading section. I do check the site's front page every month or so to see if any new homebrews are getting released.
Anyway, I don't understand that mindset either. I get the appeal of reproing an expensive, rare cart, but Binary Land? If I had a NES as opposed to FC, I'd just get an adapter and play Famicom games that way. Repro/pirate carts, be they modern or made in the 80s, have no appeal to me. Original or nothing.
The rest of your post relates to the collecting vs. gaming discussion we've had a few times. Cool idea about repurposing pirate cartridges for homebrew use, tho. It'd lessen the costs certainly, but I wonder how many people would really be buying an FC cart of a western-developed homebrew game? Might still not be enough to make it worth it. Now if you could somehow tap into the Japanese FC homebrew market...
Quote from: L___E___T on July 30, 2017, 11:12:09 amReading your approach, one could say why bother with a cart then? if you just want to play the game - you could play it on Steam or PS4, the same. The difference for me is that I collect and play Famicom, and I like the various specifics that the Famicom has.
Well, yes, if it's an option, which doesn't appear to be the case here. If this came out only on Steam, I'd probably buy it due to my love for the genre. The game is the most important for me, what system it's on is secondary. That said, I'm not immune to the allure of having a new game on my favorite console.
And that's the thing, I count NES and Famicom as one. They are the same system after all (some technical differences, yes) so I don't want to limit myself to just sticking with either. I go where the games I want to play are, I don't wait and hope they come my way. When I originally got into this, I did my research on whether it'd be better to have a NES or a Famicom when aiming to being able to play every game from every region (pretty much all my consoles are region modded), and FC won hands down for several reasons. So it's just very hard for me to grasp why somebody would only buy the game they've professed to being interested in if it comes out on a very specific format, when they themselves can still play it with very little difficulty regardless.
Don't want to be rude, but this game could be the Go! Dizzy! Go! clone or something... well, at least the inspiration/idea for the game here is clear for me, however I salute for cool music and kickass graphics.
If you aim for "columbus circle" price range then you got me off.
Lucky Penguin carts are being produced.
I still have hope for a 60-pin release someday! =D
(https://i.imgur.com/3jw4bF0.jpg)
How would you feel if I took the chips to make a 60-pin version? Is it possible?
Quote from: macbee on March 07, 2018, 05:34:49 am
Lucky Penguin carts are being produced.
I still have hope for a 60-pin release someday! =D
(https://i.imgur.com/3jw4bF0.jpg)
Fantastic! :o
Quote from: L___E___T on March 07, 2018, 06:56:24 am
How would you feel if I took the chips to make a 60-pin version? Is it possible?
I've always felt (with little support from the homebrewers, sadly, why not just make some arrangements, where someone that wanted a 60 pins version could send a donor for one?
Quote from: L___E___T on March 07, 2018, 06:56:24 am
How would you feel if I took the chips to make a 60-pin version? Is it possible?
Depending on sales of 72-pin version we'll consider releasing a 60-pin variant.
Looks quite cute actually... and it's nice to see that NES homebrews are still a thing. I still remember D-Pad Hero from years back ;) And seeing as you decided to make a physical release of it, how is it going to be distributed? I mean, be careful that the pirates don't get their hands on it ???
Quote from: macbee on March 08, 2018, 06:48:54 am
Quote from: L___E___T on March 07, 2018, 06:56:24 am
How would you feel if I took the chips to make a 60-pin version? Is it possible?
Depending on sales of 72-pin version we'll consider releasing a 60-pin variant.
Do you mean that as in, (A) if sales are good you'll consider releasing a 60 pin version?
or
(B) If sales are poor, you'll consider releasing a 60 pin market in hopes of tapping into another market and boosting overall sales?
Either way, there seems to be a lot of folks here who would be interested in a Famicom release, but not necessarily the NES release of the game. It doesn't seem like a great way to market this, personally.
I'm also keen to understand (especially if you decided not to release a 60-pin version) if you'd mind if I bought the 72-pin version and made a 60-pin from that for example hypothetically.
Let's please avoid make statements on the creator's wishes on how best to market their game, generally there's more demand for 72-pin physical NES releases than there are 60-pin.
But that's a separate topic and 60-pin version or not there is a lot to celebrate about this work - all of the graphics and design are incredible, so congratulations on all of that again!
Pretty sure you can can reach a wide audience for a 60pin release if you've got someone to distribute it in Japan.
I'd like to think so also, but my point is we shouldn't let the thread become a point of pressure for the team, it's for them to decide ;)
Quote from: Bry89 on March 09, 2018, 01:02:42 am
And seeing as you decided to make a physical release of it, how is it going to be distributed? I mean, be careful that the pirates don't get their hands on it ???
Emunes is taking care of production of cartridges.
I think they will be also sold by Emunes or Lukasz Kur (programmer and designer of the game) but I don't have full details yet (I'm not *directly* involved right now on this). Hope to have more news very soon.
Quote from: togemet2 on March 09, 2018, 01:56:59 am
Ahahaha. Love it. Especially the color of the shell.
I think I'll wait if a 60pin version ever comes around. ;D
Thank you! I think this same blue color would fit well on a Famicom cart.
Quote from: fcgamer on March 09, 2018, 05:20:25 am
Do you mean that as in, (A) if sales are good you'll consider releasing a 60 pin version?
or
(B) If sales are poor, you'll consider releasing a 60 pin market in hopes of tapping into another market and boosting overall sales?
If sales are good.
No matter how I'd love to see a 60-pin cart (I really want to convert label, manual and box art to Famicom layouts) I can't lie: sales of this version will be fundamental to decide any future moves. I want to see variants of this game, ports, sequels and completely new homebrew games from our team - but one step at a time. We're not a company, it would be irresponsible of me to make promises that may never become reality.
Quote from: fcgamer on March 09, 2018, 05:20:25 amEither way, there seems to be a lot of folks here who would be interested in a Famicom release, but not necessarily the NES release of the game. It doesn't seem like a great way to market this, personally.
I can only announce what exists. And what exists right now is a 72-pin cart for the NES.
60-pin version would be very cool but right now it's only a dream. It may become reality or it may be a dream forever (I give many suggestions but don't have final word on anything since I'm not the publisher and it's not my money being invested to make the cartridges).
I don't even know right now if the publisher can make 60-pin carts or if someone else would have to make them for us.
But - once again - we'll consider other variants if there's enough interest on this software (if they'll happen is a completely different story)
Quote from: L___E___T on March 09, 2018, 06:15:12 am
I'm also keen to understand (especially if you decided not to release a 60-pin version) if you'd mind if I bought the 72-pin version and made a 60-pin from that for example hypothetically.
If you buy a cartridge I think you're free to do what you want with your copy. :)
Quote from: L___E___T on March 09, 2018, 06:15:12 amLet's please avoid make statements on the creator's wishes on how best to market their game, generally there's more demand for 72-pin physical NES releases than there are 60-pin.
Once again I give all sorts of suggestions but final word will always come from who's paying to make this into reality (and it's not me!).
Creator of the game is Lukasz Kur, publisher is Emunes and I'm the artist.
This is my first NES homebrew and I'm definitely not a salesman, so I'm sure that my marketing skills sucks indeed. :D
Quote from: L___E___T on March 09, 2018, 06:15:12 amBut that's a separate topic and 60-pin version or not there is a lot to celebrate about this work - all of the graphics and design are incredible, so congratulations on all of that again!
Thank you very much!
Quote from: MasterDisk on March 09, 2018, 06:36:55 am
Pretty sure you can can reach a wide audience for a 60pin release if you've got someone to distribute it in Japan.
Me and Lukasz want to see a Famicom release since we're very used to 60-pin carts where we live (Poland and Brazil).
Hope it becomes reality.
Quote from: L___E___T on March 09, 2018, 06:43:54 am
I'd like to think so also, but my point is we shouldn't let the thread become a point of pressure for M-Tee, it's for him and team to decide ;)
By the way, thanks to M-Tee for helping us providing precious materials to Lucky Penguin's manual!
I edited a bit of my last post to better reflect who made what for the game :)
I will buy a copy of the NES game I think, I'm very eager to see the game and the graphics magic.
It's easier for NES as there are already small companies offering the service - but I think it's just as possible to create Famicom games in the same way - as long as you're willing to create a PCB and shell. What would be great is if somewhere like Infinite NES Lives could also offer a Famicom service. I wonder if they've been asked again recently or given it serious re-evaluation. The retro demand is always growing.
What usually is the biggest obstacle are the economies of scale, small runs can quickly be very expensive.
Thinking about it, it's probably not massively removed from how an Everdrive gets made, they have to design and print their own (albeit very different) PCB and source the chips.
Post Merge: March 11, 2018, 04:08:56 am
Please excuse the double post - but I really want to buy the game and can't find a link to buy in this thread, or on NA, or even Google :(
Can you please update with a BUY link so that I can grab a copy? I think I will get a Famicom version later too if one appears, but for now, I'll definitely support it in NES form.
Quote from: togemet2 on March 11, 2018, 03:00:33 am
Actually, I've been wondering how exactly you can put your own games on Famicom carts. Is it even possible. I cant seem to find anything on it online. :crazy:
This is very simple, no need to believe what people might say to the contrary.
#1. See what mapper the game you want uses, and find a cartridge that uses the same mapper.
#2. Buy said cartridge.
#3. Solder ROMs containing the game you want onto the pcb, after removing the ROMs of the old game.
#4. Voila, you have the game, on Famicom format
**OR**
#1. Buy 72 pin version of the game. Remove the PCB from the shell.
#2. Buy a 72 pin to 60 pin adapter.
#3. Put the NES PCB into the adapter, put the works into one of those "oversized" Famicom cartridges, so many choices to choose from, especially among cheap, junk, worthless bootlegs.
#4. Voila, you have the game on Famicom format.
I made a video demonstrating both points, but with my better judgement decided against posting it as I think it would be a hotbed for criticism and arguments, due to some very "odd" ways of thinking over at Nintendo Age and the like.
A few more thoughts:
[Step "A"]
Back in 1998 or so, Chris Covell had made (imo) the first real NES homebrew game, Solar Wars, Later he had posted how to make a cartridge containing his game, by using a donor board and what not, and for years afterwards, everyone was using donar boards and shells to make homebrew / repro NES cartridges.
[Step "B"]
In more recent times, NES homebrew / repro makers have been moving towards using new shells / PCBs / etc, and from what I have seen, there were many reasons for that, such as larger demand (i.e. larger print runs of homebrews), saves time / easier, doesn't destroy quality NES titles (some which were rarer), etc. But up until recently, maybe the past five years or so, it was all just donor and reuse.
I am honestly quite disappointed with the unwillingness of so many people to put out a Famicom version of homebrew games, for those who want them. I always hear things about new PCBs and shells and what not, but being someone who has watched the homebrew scene grow, from mostly tech demos that would only run properly in emulators, to Solar Wars, to Bomb Sweeper, to complex games, I sort of view it as wanting to go from nothing to "Step B", skipping the "Step A" stage totally.
There are so many cheap, high-quality Famicom bootlegs from the late 80s around, likewise there are so many cheap crappy licensed Famicom games, I'm sure there would be many homebrew games that could use such PCBs, breathing new life into games that are considered undesirable / garbage to many. I believe with NES homebrew scene, Step B would have never been reached without Step A, since Step A helped to gauge what people really wanted, helped to gauge demand and helped people to see the market.
If the same ten people want Famicom versions of the game and are willing to pay a slight premium for the extra labor involved, then homebrew / indie studios could do it as fan service to those that want it, and leave it at that. But if the option were available, and it started to grow in demand, then that would be when it would be appropriate to move to the Step B stage, actually print PCBs and manufacture new shells of a high quality, etc. But to try to go to this stage from nothing, it just doesn't make sense to me.
Finally to add, as I've said before to many folks involved with making homebrews, I'd gladly help source PCBs / shells for small runs of homebrew games, (maybe 20 - 30 pieces), at cost, for exchange of one of the finished products. Just would really like to see someone make it a reality.
@Mods, feel free to move this discussion wherever you see apropriate, or keep it here, I was just following up to the other member's question which is why I replied here to begin with.
Quote from: L___E___T on March 11, 2018, 03:53:04 am
Please excuse the double post - but I really want to buy the game and can't find a link to buy in this thread, or on NA, or even Google :(
Can you please update with a BUY link so that I can grab a copy? I think I will get a Famicom version later too if one appears, but for now, I'll definitely support it in NES form.
Hi! The game isn't on sale yet.
I don't know exactly when it's gonna happen - but as soon as I get news from publisher I'll let you know, OK?
Thanks for your interest! =)
Really? I hadn't seen any purchase links but I found a whole longplay on YouTube so figured I must have missed it!!
Quote from: L___E___T on March 12, 2018, 12:22:54 pm
Really? I hadn't seen any purchase links but I found a whole longplay on YouTube so figured I must have missed it!!
The longplay is for demo! =D
I thought perhaps - but still, counting down the days to (Famicom) release! ;)
(https://i.imgur.com/srnHQfP.jpg)
Emunes started an auction for Lucky Penguin on NintendoAge:
http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=34&threadid=181403
Thanks!
Gotta be honest I'm not feeling the auction approach. I'd much rather just see a price and pay that. I'll keep an eye on the thread but skipping for now.
What do you expect, greedy scums from Brazil will try to take as much as they can
Quote from: MaarioS on April 16, 2018, 03:35:57 pm
What do you expect, greedy scums from Brazil will try to take as much as they can
come on man, your comments recently have been so negative and mean-spirited. The Catholic comment you made to me earlier, and now this one about Brazilians, sorry, but it's too much and imo doesn't belong on the forums.
to everyone else, this Is standard procedure in the nes homebrew scene, selling some limited carts first, at auction. I don't necessarily like this business model, but it's standard with this territory, so let's please refrain from passing too much judgement when this guy is following the norm.
Post Merge: April 16, 2018, 10:34:39 pm
Edit:
First of all, it appears as I was wrong in my initial post and the auction is for
all copies of the game, though the top fifteen are for limited / special versions.
In the past on NA the standard was to auction off the limited versions, and then sell the regular versions afterwards. So the sale does differ a bit from the "standard" practice previously.
With that said, I don't think anyone is getting rich off of this game, and who knows, maybe another print run will be available later.
Quote from: L___E___T on April 16, 2018, 02:51:46 pm
Gotta be honest I'm not feeling the auction approach. I'd much rather just see a price and pay that. I'll keep an eye on the thread but skipping for now.
Thanks for your opinion. This is a common practice for limited editions.
Quote from: MaarioS on April 16, 2018, 03:35:57 pm
What do you expect, greedy scums from Brazil will try to take as much as they can
This user deserved more than only 3 days for his xenophobia.
The irony is that other than the Brazilian guy (me!) all other people involved on this game (programmer and publisher) are from the same country of this user.
Quote from: fcgamer on April 16, 2018, 05:05:34 pm
With that said, I don't think anyone is getting rich off of this game,
Definitely not! :)
As I told Vice (https://www.vice.com/pt_br/article/43by3j/wpt-games-novos-mega-drive-nes-cartuchos-homebrew) last month, I did this game to make a childhood dream (to make a NES game) come true. Money is on PC/mobile development, not in homebrewing.
Quote from: fcgamer on April 16, 2018, 05:05:34 pmand who knows, maybe another print run will be available later.
Lukasz, Emunes and me discussed this recently and there are no plans for future runs (including the 60-pin cart some people wanted here on this forums).
Quote from: L___E___T on April 16, 2018, 02:51:46 pm
Gotta be honest I'm not feeling the auction approach. I'd much rather just see a price and pay that. I'll keep an eye on the thread but skipping for now.
I also prefer a flat price, but since 50 copies are auctioning together, the chance of it climbing high are slim. There's no harm in laying down a single bid at the price you think would be fair for the game and then, either get it or not based on final demand. That's what I'm doing.
Also, at $16, int'l shipping is way better than it would be if the brewers were in the US. (I've decided against backing KS runs based solely on the fact that shipping listed would be something like $30.)
You both make very valid points - I may go ahead and place a bid after all, but I'm very busy and don't have time to monitor it, which just put me off a bit.
Just being honest with my impression, not expecting anything to change or even suggesting it should be different - I figure all feedback helps.
2 days left and 20 bids placed, I suppose there's enough to go round, I'll probably place a high bid before Sunday.
Can I ask what mapper you used in the end? Is a Famicom version technically even possible?
Quote from: L___E___T on April 20, 2018, 07:05:55 am
Just being honest with my impression, not expecting anything to change or even suggesting it should be different - I figure all feedback helps.
Of course. Your comments are much appreciated.
I have no problems with criticism at all - especially when they're polite like you do.
Quote from: L___E___T on April 20, 2018, 07:05:55 am2 days left and 20 bids placed, I suppose there's enough to go round, I'll probably place a high bid before Sunday.
Yes, I think that all bids for the 15 first carts were already placed.
I personally believe (but I can't assure, of course) that if you place a 50 USD bid you'll get one of the remaining carts for sure.
Quote from: L___E___T on April 20, 2018, 07:05:55 amCan I ask what mapper you used in the end? Is a Famicom version technically even possible?
Mapper was changed during development (last time I had to send graphics GTROM was being used). If it wasn't for extra screens (like title screen, ending and so on) I think this could be a NROM game. But I'm definitely not the tech guy - these technical questions can be better replied by Lukasz or Emunes.
Quote from: macbee on April 20, 2018, 09:34:23 am
Quote from: L___E___T on April 20, 2018, 07:05:55 am
Just being honest with my impression, not expecting anything to change or even suggesting it should be different - I figure all feedback helps.
Of course. Your comments are much appreciated.
I have no problems with criticism at all - especially when they're polite like you do.
Quote from: L___E___T on April 20, 2018, 07:05:55 am2 days left and 20 bids placed, I suppose there's enough to go round, I'll probably place a high bid before Sunday.
Yes, I think that all bids for the 15 first carts were already placed.
I personally believe (but I can't assure, of course) that if you place a 50 USD bid you'll get one of the remaining carts for sure.
Quote from: L___E___T on April 20, 2018, 07:05:55 amCan I ask what mapper you used in the end? Is a Famicom version technically even possible?
Mapper was changed during development (last time I had to send graphics GTROM was being used). If it wasn't for extra screens (like title screen, ending and so on) I think this could be a NROM game. But I'm definitely not the tech guy - these technical questions can be better replied by Lukasz or Emunes.
I am sad to see Famicom versions are out of the picture, especially since so many of the folks working on the game grew up where Famicom (well Famiclones) were king.
My question to you is, if I provided a donor cartridge, would it be possible (or would you guys consider) making me a Famicom version of the game?
For those of us who don't necessarily want NES versions of games, it is tricky. I would gladly pay for this service for a special custom Famicom version, otherwise I won't be able to play your game since I have principle and will not bootleg a homebrew game .
GTROM is a modern board type made by Memblers for homebrew use. I don't think you could just use a donor.
The only technical problem is that there are no Famicom version of it (cart case problems and whatnot).
We really need a Famicom version of all these development boards...
Quote from: P on April 20, 2018, 03:37:56 pm
We really need a Famicom version of all these development boards...
+ 50 bucks for almost a straight
rip-off spin-off game of
Go! Dizzy! Go! is also a downside for me, even as much as I love homebrew scene though.
Quote from: fcgamer on April 20, 2018, 10:08:18 am
I am sad to see Famicom versions are out of the picture, especially since so many of the folks working on the game grew up where Famicom (well Famiclones) were king.
Me too!
In fact more than NES and Famicom carts, I wanted to see Lucky Penguin released in Gradiente cartridges (Brazilian exclusive carts - similar to NES, but black with rounded corners). But it won't happen too, unfortunately.
Quote from: fcgamer on April 20, 2018, 10:08:18 am
My question to you is, if I provided a donor cartridge, would it be possible (or would you guys consider) making me a Famicom version of the game?
For those of us who don't necessarily want NES versions of games, it is tricky. I would gladly pay for this service for a special custom Famicom version, otherwise I won't be able to play your game since I have principle and will not bootleg a homebrew game .
I'll send your question to Emunes.
Quote from: MWK on April 21, 2018, 06:26:14 am
+ 50 bucks for almost a straight rip-off spin-off game of Go! Dizzy! Go! is also a downside for me, even as much as I love homebrew scene though.
Lucky Penguin resembles the
bonus stages of Go! Dizzy! Go! (there are no similarities with main DGD game).
And even compared to the bonus stages of Dizzy I consider Lucky Penguin a different experience due to the different rules: You have just a few seconds on Dizzy to make a perfect play - while you have much more time to try, fail and finish a stage on Lucky Penguin.
Hey Macbee, I had to work yesterday evening so also missed the end of the auction, I couldn't add my name to the list.
If possible, I would also like to provide a donor cart to Emunes and pay for the service - if you're happy to ask for me too?
Just let me know what to supply & I can send it directly from here. I'd need to design a box and label, which I'd gladly share!