SpritesMind.Net

This week I uploaded a video of my at last (almost) finished port Space Hawks.
It's a CPC game I played a lot when I was a child....and never reached the end !
It's an almost 1to1 port since I re CPC game to get logic, assets and sounds and converted all of this for the Genny.
I started it on November 14, for french Retro Gaming Convention.
I finished it on November 15, for RGC too but was lacking sound...so i didn't demoed it
With GenRes last version, I finally was able to add sounds (including the infamous Star Wars rip off theme)


Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZjXH1oTS58


the ROM isn't available because I need your advice :

Since it's a CPC port, without assets redrawn, it feels more like a 8 bit game than a 16 bit with blast processing!
Several options are available :

• release it like this, it's a homebrew, we don't care about assets !
• keep it private, the game isn't for Sega Megadrive
• redraw the assets with all the colors available, and not only 8 => artist wanted ! expect a release mid 2016
• make a bi-mode version, like Oh Mummy with classic (current version) and 16 bit one => artist wanted too expect a release end 2016
• release some limited copies to pay SpritesMind fees
• insert-your-option-here

What do you think I should do ?


Ps: About the delay, it's because I have 3 others more importants projects which need more love

EDIT: added an other option

Eh, adding more colors is not that hard even if you aren't an artist, assuming it's just reshading (hello there floodfill!). That isn't any harder than sprite editing in a hack.

You'll want an artist if you want to redraw the graphics from scratch though.

EDIT: maybe if you wait until I get my laptop back? I could try taking it a look (can't now). Not like I can come up with whole new epic title screens or something like that, but I guess I can do some sprite editing. Please use PNG files with the same palette as is used in-game though... (that's what mdtiler likes best)

I already tried some gfx .... I'm really NOT good at this

Wow!

Release it like this or make a bi-mode version.

I wait!

My russian news – http://romhacking.ru/news/2016-02-14-3370

Such as Oh mummy, IMO you should make a bi-mode.

OK finally got around being able to watch the video and huh yeah forget my reshading idea (unless you were like to use two shades in place of every color). Doesn't seem to be that much trouble to rework though, even something simple will probably look better than that.

Also oh gosh wide letters x_x

I feel that this is not up to the standard of being a game that you could charge people for but perhaps show them the sourcecode or do some articles to act as a tutorial.

KanedaFr, You use BasiEgaXorz?

ah ah
while this game is "basic", I don't use basic
pure C and some inline asm (yes, even in that)

You can't really sell it without permission, it's still under copyright, and they have an active port on Android at least.

cero wrote:You can't really sell it without permission, it's still under copyright, and they have an active port on Android at least.

He could not sell that any way - who on Earth would buy that for actual $?

You need to sort your collisions out - they are waaay off.

I can't sell it as mass product because I don't own the right, for sure
But what about a small homebrew release (<20 copies) to pay SM fees and future projects ?

if you talk about this Android port:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... awks&hl=fr
i could say it's 100% based on my own works
http://arhackde.spritesmind.net/index.php?page=shawks
I even tweeted about its release on my own channel.


Oh, and collision works the way it works on original game.
It seems off because the shot isn't moving 1 tile at a time, like on CPC.

On a dev point of view, it was fun to
- handle 16px wide font
- play with raster on the hiscore screen (I only use 1 font and 1 pal !)
- code some "sprite group" entity


I personally enjoyed developing this, totally aware of its "ugly-face" but taking the time to fix any issues and to get a 'perfect' port (bugs included).
I'm proud of it and I really would like to make a 'Oh-Mummy 2 in 1' like port but I hadn't the money nor the time for this....

Next time, i'll keep it for me

Any commercial use infringes, being small-scale doesn't change anything.

Sure, even 1 copie is illegal
but in that case, is it really "commercial" ?
I didn't make that port to get money
I made that port for fun and get the idea to sell it (yes, I know, sell is the keyword) to pay fees and others, not to get money on my bank account ...
I suppose I should at least ask for permission...

but if i want to be totally legal, releasing the rom, even freely, is illegal no ?
even worse, I could be charged when China boys will sell the carts, no ?

Yes to both. However, many authors and companies won't bother to sue until the infringement turns commercial.