Need some help/ advice

1magus · Post by **1magus** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 2:33 am

I really want to program a game for an old system, weather it be Genesis, Saturn or Dreamcast will depend on how easy each one is but keep in mind I cannot draw for crap and I have a loose understanding of 3D modeling so Genesis and Saturn might be out, because Genesis cannot handle 3D (unless you use Software mode on the 32x? ) and Saturn because its so freaken complicated but the Dreamcast is not only easier to emulate but more documented ( Also I have a DC COders cable all though have yet to get it to work )
I was wondering if anybody had any advice on programming for one of these ( I would rather do Dreamcast since I'm currently taking a C. class and it will probably be able to understand that )

Shiru · Post by **Shiru** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 7:47 am

Well, if you already chose Dreamcast, this sub-forum clearly named 'Megadrive/Genesis' and thus not very suitable for your question. I'm sure that dedicated Dreamcast sites and forums exists.

Of course, more powerful system (if that's not a multi-processor monster) makes developing easier, because you don't need to care about optimization and system limitations too much.

Chilly Willy · Post by **Chilly Willy** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 4:14 pm

If your skill at artwork is poor and you can't get someone with more ability to do artwork for you, you need to use as old a system as you can. The newer/more powerful a system is, the more that quality (of artwork and sound) matters. On a 2600, a pair of dots is sufficient to represent your adventurer, while on a DC you'd need a fully 3D character with excellent textures for the same game.

Shiru · Post by **Shiru** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 4:32 pm

Actually, nobody forces you to make as-quality-as-possible graphics on powerful systems. You can make Dreamcast game which will look like 2600 game (but take advance from system at same time).

TmEE co.(TM) · Post by **TmEE co.(TM)** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 5:53 pm

People -expect- fancy stuff from a powrful system, and will bash you to ground if they don't get it.

Shiru · Post by **Shiru** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 6:34 pm

TmEE co.(TM) wrote:People -expect- fancy stuff from a powrful system, and will bash you to ground if they don't get it.

Are you promised something to those 'people' or have debt to them? That can be actual only for commercial projects, because you probably lose your money with bad presentation.

If you can't make 'good' (detailed, colorful, etc) graphics, there is always way to use oversimplified graphics as base for design. Some good games, include commercial ones, uses that successfully - recent Space Invaders Extreme (commercial) or good old Warning Forever (freeware), for example.

If you choose less powerful system just because it requires simpler graphics, you can get problems with code and even 'doability' of project instead (try to make anything for 2600).

Chilly Willy · Post by **Chilly Willy** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 9:52 pm

Shiru wrote:
TmEE co.(TM) wrote:People -expect- fancy stuff from a powrful system, and will bash you to ground if they don't get it.
Are you promised something to those 'people' or have debt to them? That can be actual only for commercial projects, because you probably lose your money with bad presentation.

If you can't make 'good' (detailed, colorful, etc) graphics, there is always way to use oversimplified graphics as base for design. Some good games, include commercial ones, uses that successfully - recent Space Invaders Extreme (commercial) or good old Warning Forever (freeware), for example.

If you choose less powerful system just because it requires simpler graphics, you can get problems with code and even 'doability' of project instead (try to make anything for 2600).

You're right that people SHOULDN'T expect anything from someone doing freeware/homebrew... but they do. If you're the type of person who isn't bothered by flames and trolls, feel free to do Atari 2600 Adventure on the DC. If you are the type who's bothered by negative posts, then you should probably concern yourself over which platform you release on. If all you can do is a 2600 level game, doing it on anything other than a 2600 WILL get you flamed. Just making sure that people are aware of that. There's nothing sadder than someone releasing a 2600 level game on a PSP and then crying over all the flames he gets. Only the FIRST release of Pong on a platform is praised - all other Pong releases are flamed from here to Mars.

Shiru · Post by **Shiru** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 10:21 pm

This goes away from main thread, so all I can say is that if somebody will do everything with care about 'what other people will say', he will not have his own live. In this case it's better to not do anything at all, or not publish anything at least.

1magus · Post by **1magus** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 12:43 am

Wow this has gone off topic super fast, I can make a game as crappy as I want and if people bash me thats there dumb problem for not switching to Next Gen, I was asking for helpon programming and I said I was ok in 3D not CRAPPY!

Edge-` · Post by **Edge-`** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 12:23 pm

A simple answer for your question is that there is a C compiler for both Genesis (check out Stef's Dev Kit for a quick start) and Saturn. The saturn definately does 3D, but isn't as easy as the Dreamcast. You can certainly apply some simple 3D concepts to the genesis and 32X, but will have a lot more limits.

As mentioned, these forums are here assistance and support of the Genesis/32X/Sega CD homebrew scene. We would be happy to assist you and encourage you if you decide to go down that path!

Christuserloeser · Post by **Christuserloeser** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:22 pm

TmEE co.(TM) wrote:People -expect- fancy stuff from a powrful system, and will bash you to ground if they don't get it.

No, you can make a Genesis game for Dreamcast, and although a few people might bash you; many if not most will love you and the game.

If you decide to go down that route, you should start here:
http://dcemulation.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=96802