Topic: Idea for GC-GBA link

[evilnate]

Back in my C64 days, I had a piece of software, by Activision (I think) called the "Video Game Construction Set".  It allowed you to create games, either a side-scroller or a top-scroller.  You could design sprites, enemy patterns, even sound f/x and simple music.  It was a lot of fun and I created two games - a Star Trek based top-shooter (the Enterprise vs. Klingons and Romulans!) and one based on the old "Hunter" television show (hey, it was cool in those days!).

Anyway, what if someone did something similar to that now, where you could use your Gamecube to make a game that you could play on a GBA?  Imagine being able to use scaling, paralax scrolling, maybe even mode 7.  You could save the game onto a memory card to swap with someone else, and then download the game onto the GBA or play it on your Cube.  Perhaps they could even add in a couple of different types of games, say a fighter and RPG (like those Playstation construction sets), but they would be 2D.

I don't know about everyone else, but I remember that old piece of software fondly, and being able to use some of the more "modern" features of the GBA would be very appealing, and a whole lot of fun.  What does everyone else think?

[Hostile Creation]

Interesting, but I doubt it'd sell well.  Besides, such programs already exist on the internet.  RPGMaker2000, for example.  It's a good idea, though.

[Grey Ninja]

Personally I have never understood the appeal of RPG Maker.  If you ask me, nothing beats a good helping of C++ if you want to make a game.  

Might I mention though that Mode 7 graphics are extremely complex to program, and they are right horrible to code on GBA?  If you want to make a Mode 7 game, I suggest you fire up the old compiler and do it yourself.  I highly doubt that doing complicated things like that would be possible to be created easily without extensive programming knowledge.

I suppose though, that you could simplify sprite design, and background stuff enough that you could design a makeshift game without too much programming knowledge.  Hell, I think I could actually code that.    You REALLY interested in making GBA games without any programming knowledge?  

[KDR_11k]

I like the idea. I've always wanted to have some construction thing on my Cube so I can take it with me during the holidays. A 2D-shooter kit sounds nice. No need for complex physics, graphics, etc. Although I'm better with 3d modeling than sprites...

[Nephilim]

Its a good idea, thu nintendo would have to make blank carts for gba to hold the games you make. There for Nintendo sueing companys for making blank flash cards a little bit ironic.
Anyway RPG makering 95 and 200 is and has been hugely popular on PC, and 2003 version comes out at xmas in japan for ps2 (i think i read somewere)

[HolyPaladin]

Quote
Originally posted by: Grey Ninja
Personally I have never understood the appeal of RPG Maker.  If you ask me, nothing beats a good helping of C++ if you want to make a game.  

You REALLY interested in making GBA games without any programming knowledge?  

Few people, even among those that live on their computers, know any programming language of any kind, and most would be unwilling to devote the countless hours it would take patiently learning C++.  I, myself, would like to learn it, as I have wanted to for years, but just do not have the time.  Heck, I got a learn-C++-in-21-days program, but it expects you to spend eight hours a day for twenty-one days, and I just don't have anywhere near that.  I'd be doing good to spend one hour a day working on it.  With that poor level of commitment, it wouldn't be going anywhere.

As for him being interested in making GBA games without programming knowledge, those programs available for PC often make that possible, though the better ones tend to require at least some programming.  Somebody could simply make something like that for GBA or, even cooler, for GCN and require no programming at all, if they made it friendly enough, though they could always leave the door open to those that want to take it a step further and do their own programming with it.

[Grey Ninja]

Well, I think it's not beyond my ability to make something for PC, about the equivalent of Flash, that would make it easy to make games for GBA.  It wouldn't be very optimized, or advanced, but I think I could hide most of the programming details.  It would require you to install the proper compiler, and it would require you to buy your own hardware, but I think I could actually hide the actual programming as much as possible.  I might just do something like that at some point with some simple features.  I might need to check out RPG Maker though, for some ideas on how I can hide the programming details without killing the ability to make your own stuff.  

[Don'tHate742]

Whoa now, I'm into the whole C++ thing, and I'm well on my way to completely learning it and from what I've seen and know, its not that hard. Sure it may take a long time to code every single outcome that the people would want, but i'm sure most of it is redundant. Plus 2-D isn't as hard compared to the 3-D.  

[joshnickerson]

I'm pretty sure it was last year sometime, Nintendo had a build of Donkey Kong for GBA, where you could build custom levels on the Cube, then download them onto the GBA... Something like that would be possible, I guess.

[KDR_11k]

They don't have to use blank flash carts, they could put the binaries and other essentials on there and add the game content into a flash area.