The Game-Maker Archive - User contributions [en]

Monster Maker

2014-07-19T22:16:11Z

67.255.216.210:

{{box
|header='''Monster Maker'''
|file=[[File:monmaker.png|290px|border]]
|text=
'''Release type:''' [[Retail]] ([[Game-Maker]] suite) 
'''Release date:''' 1991 (original release) 
'''Author:''' [[Recreational Software Designs]] 
'''Related tools:''' [[Palette Designer]], [[Block Designer]], [[Character Maker]], [[Map Maker]], [[Integrator]], [[Xferplay]]
}}.Produces and edits .MON format files. Programmed by Oliver Stone.

==Version history==

1994 - Version 3.00

== Tips ==

=== Animation ===

* Each monster can have up to 16 frames of animation.
* Often monsters do not die exactly on cue, so when plotting a timed monster death try extending the duration of the final animation frame a few ticks beyond the monster's calculated lifespan. Otherwise, before death the animation might wrap back around to the first frame for a tick or two.
* Another bug: when a monster is birthed from a newly deceased monster, the first frame of the new monster's animation sequence will tend to only last a single frame, no matter how long of a duration you may specify. Workaround: simply add a second frame, identical to the first, which lasts your intended length, minus one.

=== Movement ===

* When plotting monster movement, every click of the line represents one block of distance. So if your path goes three clicks left then three right, it will move three blocks to the left then return to its starting position.
* There is an as-yet unresolved bug when using a monster who dies after the end of its path. If the monster also changes into another monster upon death, then the new monster seems to be affected by the course of the previous monster's path, almost as if it has a momentum flag. The only known workaround is to avoid combining these features, and instead to set up a chain where at the end of its path the first monster kills a camouflaged static monster, which in turn births the intended child monster.

=== Behavior ===

* Another bug: occasionally at death a certain monster in a given set will birth a certain other monster, without this behavior ever having been specified. For instance, when monster #34 (the character's sword) dies it will always turn into monster #6 (a slime creature). The workaround here is to figure out precisely which monster is birthed, and to leave that slot in your monster set blank -- or to set it to a more desirable monster.
* To make monsters with multiple hitpoits, just chain together several identical (or slightly different) monsters, such that when one dies it turns to the next in the sequence.
* To achieve variable damage with your weapons (i.e. Weapon 2 does more damage to a monster than weapon 1), have the more powerful weapon spout another monster of an equal power level on death. This second weapon monster will also collide with the target monster, effectively doubling the damage that you deal per blow.

== Links ==

* [http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/EJRTairne/20130504/176610/The_Making_and_Unmaking_of_a_GameMaker_Maker.php The Making and Unmaking of a Game-Maker Maker] (Gamasutra)

[[Category: Formats and Tools]]
[[Category: First-party tools]]
[[Category: Recreational Software Designs]]

4 to Save Toon Land

2014-06-15T19:46:58Z

67.255.216.210: /* Listings */

{{featured}}{{box
|header='''''4 to Save Toon Land'''''
|file=[[File:ToonTitle.gif|290px|border]]
|text=
'''Release type:''' [[Incomplete]] 
'''Release date:''' N/A (begun [[1995]][[Category: 1995|Four to Save]]) 
'''Levels:''' 15 
'''Author:''' [[PPP Team]] 
'''Website:''' [http://sylvainhb.blogspot.com/p/rsd-game-maker.html Bilou Homebrew's Blog] 
'''Related games:''' ''[[Badman II]]''}}One of [[PPP Team]]’s half-completed experiments, ''4 to Save Toon Land'' is one of the more ambitious [[Game-Maker]] games. There are at least two elements that stand out: its approach to storytelling, and its multifaceted approach to level design.

On the former count, the game starts off with a cursor that the player can scroll across a lushly illustrated backdrop. As the player scrolls, the images and some accompanying captions gradually paint the scenario. Houses begin to burn, malevolent figures loom, and plight is established.

Eventually the player is supplied a choice of four characters, each with unique abilities and dimensions. Apparently the main reason they abandoned the game was the headache of accounting for four separate perspectives when designing the levels. What they did finish, however, they composed very well. You find passages that tall characters simply can’t fit through, blocks that only some characters can break, and various other tricks to ensure that each character can wind its own path and find its own secrets.

If you can imagine a sequel to ''Clash at Demonhead'' produced for the Sega Genesis, maybe around the same time as ''Kid Chameleon'' and ''Alisia Dragoon'', that’s sort of the game’s tone. If it were finished, ''4 to Save Toon Land'' might have been the best thing ever done with Game-Maker. As it stands, it’s a neat demonstration of how much potential still lays untapped even in such a limited framework.

== Story ==

[[File:Toon.png|thumb|320px|The four heroes of Toon Land]]

Everything was calm in Toon Land ...

But not for long.

For the cruel Machiavelik has begun to sow terror.

4 heroes have been chosen for this mission:

[[File:4heroes.png|center]]

* Tiny -- one of the survivor of Fury of the Furries (a Kalisto game)

* Gan -- a.k.a. [[Futurboy]]

* Skott -- a terminator android under cover

* Mol -- a punk mole seeking for revenge after [[Badman_II|Badman]].

== Instructions ==

[[File:Toon1.png|thumb|320px|Skott explores the depths of Toon Land]]

* F2 Info board
* F3 Toggle sound
* F4 Toggle music
* F5 Save a game
* F6 Load a ame
* F8 Use joystick
* F9 Calibrate joystick

'''Action keys:'''
* Keypad to make move your hero
* /*-+ to use your weapon
* A-G for the sound test !!

== Credits ==

* '''Piet Martin''' : Level design, game concept and storytelling
* '''Pype Martin''' : Character design for Gan/Futureboy and Mol (a cameo from ''[[Badman II]]'') plus some tiles (reused from ''Badman II'')
* Atreide Concepts/Kalisto : Tiny character and additional tiles, ripped from ''Fury of the Furries''
* '''Greg Pogo''' : Skott character design
* Pierrick Hansen : Voice actor.

== Links ==

<videoflash>h9pF8QcyP_E</videoflash>

=== Sites ===

* [http://sylvainhb.blogspot.com/p/rsd-game-maker.html My RSD Game-Maker Years (Bilou Homebrew)]
* [http://cyborgjeff.untergrund.net/site/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?cid=23&lid=208 Cyborg Jeff's site]

=== Interviews / Articles ===

* [http://www.diygamer.com/2010/10/gamemaker-archive-brussels-spout-book-1/ DIYGamer article]

=== Listings ===

* [https://archive.org/details/4toSaveToonLand_1020 archive.org entry]
* [http://demu.org/games/detail/4toSaveToonLand_1020 demu.org entry]

=== Misc. Links ===

* '''[http://www.aderack.com/game-maker/java/toonland.php Play ''4 to Save Toon Land'' online]'''

== Downloads ==

* '''''[http://www.aderack.com/game-maker/downloads/4tstl.zip 4 to Save Toon Land]''''' (468.7 kB)

[[Category: Feature games|Four to Save Toon Land]]
[[Category: Game-Maker games|Four to Save Toon Land]]
[[Category: Incomplete games|Four to Save Toon Land]]
[[Category: PPP Team|Four to Save Toon Land]]
[[Category: Side-scrolling|Four to Save Toon Land]]
[[Category: Multiple characters|Four to Save Toon Land]]
[[Category: Platformers|Four to Save Toon Land]]
[[Category: In-game menus|Four to Save Toon Land]]
[[Category: In-game cinematics|Four to Save Toon Land]]
[[Category: Experimental|Four to Save Toon Land]]
[[Category: New discoveries|Four to Save Toon Land]]

Ninja Tuck

2014-01-07T20:51:39Z

67.255.216.210: /* Links */

{{Featured}}{{box
|header='''''Ninja Tuck'''''
|file=[[File:Ninja TuckTitle.gif|290px|border]]
|text=
'''Release type:''' [[Shareware]] 
'''Release date:''' April 29, [[1995]][[Category: 1995]] 
'''Levels:''' 12 
'''Author:''' [[A-J Games]] 
'''Registration bonus:''' Registered version of ''Ninja Tuck'', ''[[Ninja Tuck II: Booka]]'', ''Ninja Tuck II'' .MOD soundtrack 
'''Registration price:''' $40 
'''Related games:''' ''[[Ninja Tuck II: Booka]]''
}}One of my associates was to spend his senior year in India. We had grown close since fall orientation, and had developed a pile of in-jokes together. I chose to give him a send-off, filled with all those jokes and hints of his own interests and personality — a fondness for martial arts, a blanket irreverence to cultural norms and sensitivities.

It helped that despite my knowledge of Tintin and Uncle Scrooge and an ostensible eleventh-grade education I had trouble separating my oriental stereotypes. Ninjas were from Asia, and so were snake charmers — and there was something in there about cattle worship. It was all part of the same pop culture muddle. Mind you, at this point I was in a prestigious private school. So I’m not sure what happened there.

With the prevalence of Ninja-based action games, I also had my choice of tropes and templates. Probably my favorite of Sega’s first-generation Genesis games was ''Revenge of Shinobi''.

[[File:NTuck.gif|center]]

I made the character was tall and thin, like Joe Musashi. I filled the early backgrounds with bamboo and secret tunnels. I even littered the starting screen with autumn leaves, that blew away after a moment. All was well, except that the tall character meshed awkwardly with Game-Maker’s limited monster sizes. Without getting really clever, the tallest enemies could only be half as tall as the character sprite. This was acceptable in some cases, as with the scattered cows and burning swords, but it got a little weird when I chose to include knee-high enemy ninjas.

[[File:TuckMons.gif|center]]

I had the notion of building the game around short-range melee attacks, as in ''Ninja Gaiden''. A problem that I had noticed in hindsight about ''[[Peach the Lobster]]'' was that the natural attack zone for a 40-pixel tall character tended to fly over the heads of 20-pixel ground-based monsters. Thus I drew from Joe Musashi’s powered-up melee weapon, crossed with Strider Hiryu’s Falchion — which is to say, a blade that is all swoosh and a swoosh that envelops all before the character.

[[File:Ninja Tuck.png|thumb|320px|Facing misadventure in ''Ninja Tuck'']]

Given that in RSD’s engine all attacks are achieved through monster birthing, there is not much leeway for preciousness. Melee attacks are hard enough when they’re a single, static monster block. A whole two-block sword swoosh takes some intense experimentation. Though in retrospect I can think of one or two better solutions, I eventually solved the problem with a single monster block that quickly shifts down as it animates. Good enough!

After the first couple of levels, my inspiration again shifted from Sega to Tecmo. Several of the later themes are inspired by either the first or the second NES ''Ninja Gaiden''.

Finishing touches include a slightly pointless map screen informed by ''Commander Keen''‘s overworld (itself informed by ''Super Mario Bros. 3'') and a wealth of digitized sound effects. Most of these I recorded myself, and manipulated in Cool Edit. Some, such as the sound the apples make, were directly inspired by Adept Software’s little-known yet neato ''Zelda'' knock-off, ''God of Thunder''. A few effects came later, when the object of this game’s tribute was available for recording.

As a final touch, I added morphing menus. As usual I teased the player with promises of a sequel, and even mocked up a few pictures to suggest what was in store for registered users. Maybe it was left-over ambition from my summer commission, but this time I [[Ninja Tuck II: Booka|actually followed through]]...

:'''''- EJR Tairne'''''

== Story ==

[[File:NTuckIce.png|thumb|320px|Frigid business in ''Ninja Tuck'']]

Tucker Harding, a master ninja, was studying in India. One day, only a few hours before he was scheduled to return home to the States, he ran into a group of robed figures, blocking the street.

Tuck didn't want to even bother asking what was going on, so he just turned to the side and started to take another route. As he started down an alleyway, a large cow came from the opposite end and essentially plugged its exit.

Tucker was seriously starting to get frustrated, and climbed over the cow. The figures, however, had been watching.

"He has trodden upon a child of Ghamuta! He must die!"

Tucker was startled when he heard this, but did not wait more than a moment. He dropped his bags and unsheathed his katana. Within the minute, at least a half dozen holy ninjas were on his tail.

"What the heck is going on around here? I just wanted to go home!"

Tuck started for a nearby bamboo forest, where he had practiced his arts during the last few months. Maybe, in that familiar yet twisted territory, he could find a way home, to safety.

== Instructions ==

[[File:NTuckMap.png|thumb|320px|The road to victory in ''Ninja Tuck'']]

'''How To Be A Ninja'''

: G: Slash Left
: H: Slash Right

On Numerical Keypad:
: 7: Jump Left
: 8: Jump Up
: 9: Jump Right
: 4: Walk Left
: 6: Walk Right
: 2: Duck

[[File:TuckMap3-1.png|thumb|320px|Level 3-1 of ''Ninja Tuck'']]

Space Bar: Total Spaz!

=== Levels ===

* 1-1 - Sunset Bamboo
* 1-2 - Bamboo Labyrinth
* 2-1 - Windy Crag
* 2-2 - Sunken Depths
* 3-1 - Cows R Buddha
* 3-2 - Brittle Stones
* 4-1 - Missile Toe
* 4-2 - Moonstruck
* 4-3 - Bonus to Tuck
* 5-0 - Cowering One

== Credits ==

[[File:TuckMap2-1.png|thumb|320px|Level 2-1 of ''Ninja Tuck'']]

Graphics, game design, sound processing, etc:
: [[Eric-Jon Waugh]]
Character based on, voice:
: Tucker Harding
Testing:
: [[OmegAkira]], Hackman, Morphio
Game Engine:
: [[Recreational Software Designs]]

== Archive history ==

''Ninja Tuck'' was retained as part of the archive from the game's inception.

== Links ==

<videoflash>a9oASAtoZz4</videoflash>

* [http://www.aderack.com/journal/2012/05/the-history-of-a-j-games-part-nine-2/ The History of A-J Games, Part Nine]
* [http://aderack.com/legacy/games/ntuck/ Original website (1999)]
* [https://archive.org/details/PCS0196 January 1996 PC Spiel CD-ROM cover disc] (archive.org)
* '''[http://www.aderack.com/game-maker/java/tuck1.php Play ''Ninja Tuck'' online]'''

== Downloads ==

* '''[http://www.aderack.com/game-maker/downloads/tuck1.zip ''Ninja Tuck'']''' (3.4 MB)
* [[Media:TuckMap0-0.png|Overall map]] (13 kB)
** [[Media:TuckMap1-1.png|Level 1-1 (Sunset Bamboo) map]] (49 kB)
*** [[Media:TuckMap1-2.png|Level 1-2 (Bamboo Labyrinth) map]] (75 kB)
** [[Media:TuckMap2-1.png|Level (Windy Crag) 2-1 map]] (74 kB)
*** [[Media:TuckMap2-2.png|Level (Sunken Depths) 2-2 map]] (397 kB)
** [[Media:TuckMap3-1.png|Level (Cows R Buddha) 3-1 map]] (84 kB)
*** [[Media:TuckMap3-2.png|Level (Brittle Stones) 3-2 map]] (94 kB)
** [[Media:TuckMap4-1.png|Level (Missile Toe) 4-1 map]] (149 kB)
*** [[Media:TuckMap4-2.png|Level (Moonstruck) 4-2 map]] (43 kB)
*** [[Media:TuckMap4-3.png|Level (Bonus to Tuck) 4-3 map]] (70 kB)
** [[Media:TuckMap5-0.png|Level (Cowering One) 5-0 map]] (18 kB)

[[Category: Game-Maker games]]
[[Category: Shareware]]
[[Category: A-J Games]]
[[Category: Varied perspective]]
[[Category: Action-adventure]]
[[Category: Insertion games]]
[[Category: Experimental]]
[[Category: Accomplishments]]