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Author Topic: Custom game for playable on mame  (Read 2754 times)

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blmedia

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Custom game for playable on mame
« on: April 06, 2016, 03:39:13 pm »
Hey Guys

This might be a strange question but I've just built an arcade machine running advancemame, advancemenu and moebius linux on a raspberry pi computer. Just wondering if it is possible to for me to write a very simple arcade style game and compile it in the same format that the old arcade games (like pacman and galaxian) are compiled to? so effectively write a playable rom file for my new arcade machine.

I have considered using something like pigame to simply write a game for the raspberry pi in python, but I think that would mean that the game would not appear in in the advancemenu and not run through advancemame.

Basically Ive had quite a bit of experience writing video games for the web using HTML5 and Javascript but I'm just quite interested in how old arcade computer games were written and if it is possible to write one in the same way today?

You can play a few of my games from my portfolio website http://blmedia.co.uk/myWork.php if ya like any of them just let me know :)

Cheers
Ben L

Haze

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Re: Custom game for playable on mame
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2016, 11:49:48 am »
Hey Guys

This might be a strange question but I've just built an arcade machine running advancemame, advancemenu and moebius linux on a raspberry pi computer. Just wondering if it is possible to for me to write a very simple arcade style game and compile it in the same format that the old arcade games (like pacman and galaxian) are compiled to? so effectively write a playable rom file for my new arcade machine.

I have considered using something like pigame to simply write a game for the raspberry pi in python, but I think that would mean that the game would not appear in in the advancemenu and not run through advancemame.

Basically Ive had quite a bit of experience writing video games for the web using HTML5 and Javascript but I'm just quite interested in how old arcade computer games were written and if it is possible to write one in the same way today?

You can play a few of my games from my portfolio website http://blmedia.co.uk/myWork.php if ya like any of them just let me know :)

Cheers
Ben L

Thins like Pacman and Galaxian are Z80 based games, so you'd need a Z80 assembler (compiling things like C code to Z80 isn't really viable)

GFX are tile based.

If your only experience is writing things in modern languages / for modern platforms then it's going to be a massive leap, those systems had a minuscule amount of CPU power, ROM space, and graphic capability, every byte counts, every CPU cycle counts, every trick in the book is needed to get them to display what you want.

Howard_Casto

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Re: Custom game for playable on mame
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2016, 01:49:38 pm »
What he said.  Honestly making something fun that will run on something with uber low specs like the pi is going to be challenge enough.... no need to punish yourself by going even lower.

yotsuya

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Re: Custom game for playable on mame
« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2016, 01:57:19 pm »
Making a custom game that you can play on an arcade cabinet can be a lot of fun...

***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

Token

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Re: Custom game for playable on mame
« Reply #4 on: April 07, 2016, 02:20:35 pm »
Making a custom game that you can play on an arcade cabinet can be a lot of fun...



You are killing me!  :hissy:

yotsuya

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Re: Custom game for playable on mame
« Reply #5 on: April 07, 2016, 02:22:21 pm »
Making a custom game that you can play on an arcade cabinet can be a lot of fun...



You are killing me!  :hissy:
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

Howard_Casto

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Re: Custom game for playable on mame
« Reply #6 on: April 07, 2016, 02:25:15 pm »
I need to get my act together and come to a convention one of these years.  You guys seem to have entirely too much fun.

yotsuya

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Re: Custom game for playable on mame
« Reply #7 on: April 07, 2016, 02:33:22 pm »
I need to get my act together and come to a convention one of these years.  You guys seem to have entirely too much fun.
Start saving for ZapCon '17. You'd be a guest of honor, Howard!
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

Howard_Casto

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Re: Custom game for playable on mame
« Reply #8 on: April 07, 2016, 04:42:23 pm »
Eh I doubt it's going to happen next year due to the family situation, but I'll make it to one eventually.  Hopefully before you are all dead.  ;)  When I go I would like to bring something fun to demo.

wp34

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Re: Custom game for playable on mame
« Reply #9 on: April 07, 2016, 07:06:49 pm »
Now you have me curious.  That looks interesting.

Making a custom game that you can play on an arcade cabinet can be a lot of fun...



yotsuya

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Re: Custom game for playable on mame
« Reply #10 on: April 07, 2016, 07:33:33 pm »


Now you have me curious.  That looks interesting.

Making a custom game that you can play on an arcade cabinet can be a lot of fun...


All in due time,  brother...

***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

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Re: Custom game for playable on mame
« Reply #11 on: April 07, 2016, 07:35:16 pm »
Ya'll don't even know.....

I