Cyberpunk Experiment 2037

Please do not spread this ROM over the net as it is only a photo of the development, and it can change pretty often (no need to fllod ROM site with many versions of the same thing...). It is better to refer to this itch.io page.

An Atari Lynx game for the Lynx Programming Competition 2020 held by Atari Gamer and Atari Age

This year's theme is "Future", but that's future with a twist. Think about how the future would have been imagined back in the 1990s when this console was new. Think of the retro movie posters and the games at the time and imagine them 50 years forward. Flying cars, space exploration, living on the moon, visiting other planets, intelligent robots, blasters and mind control, plus many other wonderful things that were yet to come. We're talking about what the 2040s would look like if you were living in the 90s.

This is my itch.io page for the game I intend to submit to the contest.

Right now, it is only some routines and placeholder written since the start of the competition. I hope to keep this page as a dev log during the project. Not sure I will it up to date, but I will try to do my best.

Video footage provided by Clint Thompson

Basically, I start from a white page, and don't want to engrave everything on marble before starting to code, so this can really start in every direction, or this can end to a game very different from my first ideas or even finish in a trashbin...

As assets, I started with some great free assets from itch.io creators, I will keep the list up to date here, and thanks every author that will finally be included in the game.

Of course, as Lynx resolution is very tiny (160x102, 16 colors), I have to rework graphs, so I apologize for any degradation made to the original material (I'm not an artist or even a graphist as you will be able to see)

Music and ambiance SFX are another problems, Lynx memory is very scarce, so I hope to be able to include some SFX, and maybe music, but this is not the main point right now.

The scenario is not written yet but here are the basis :

The game held in 2037 (I have been told that CyberPunk 2077 is alredy trademarked), in a Cyberpunk like environment. I guess I will have to reread Swap Swap from Richard Canal, but the main idea probably come from this book (and my memory from my reading 30 years ago). You wake up as an amnesic, your brain has been swapped by someone else so you have to discover who and why. You can get for cheap a techbrain module that gives you a kind of Humphrey Bogart personnality (at least a detective appearance), and you go outside to explore New Casablanca (even if it is in Morocco as far as I know).

My intention is to add some light RPG flavor, scenario (with text, probably lot of text, maybe in English - I don't why people outside of France tend to use a language learned in school), action phases, mini games (hacking an electronic device, break a computer and collect data - kind like a reinterpretation of the Neuromancer Matrix sequence but in 2D with lot of alcool).

This being said, it is quite obvious it won't be possible to deliver the game in 4 months for the deadline, or even before 2037 (remember, the Lynx RAM is only 64kb, and my plan is to stay under the 256kb ROM limit)...

Assets use in alpha version :

• Warped Zone 202 by Ansimuz (DataTracking background and floor)
• Sideview Sci Fi Patreon's Collection by Ansimuz (detective sprite, Insect, background)
• Warped City by Ansimuz (sky background, building templates)

Alpha demo status log :

2020/06/01 : 

Protoype #04 :   

• ROM size is 512kb now, instead of 256kb (but real size is around 185kb, so there is some space left for assets. I think there is 5 or 6kb left for code (which is not so much, but should be sufficient)
• ABC Music library included, with a (very) minimal tune on 2 voices.
• Press Option 1 in order to activate a zone or tool rather than B Button
  
• Fujinet :
  • Fujinet is now open, at least, it is possible to log as guest, 
  • You can navigate through some menus, and display some items (text only, no pictures yet)
  • But content is far from being filled :D
• Inventory : 
  • Press Pause in order to access your inventory, 
  • Right now, it is just possible to check it, but not to interfere with it.
  • Picking an item add it to the Inventory (see with ID Card in corridor)
• Hostel level :
  • You can leave it on the entry zone (press option 1) if you do not have ID card yet
  • Speacial zone need to be shown in future version
• Corridor level :
  • Bullets are back (but I guess no previous prototypes releases used them. Turrets can shot, go down in order to avoid shots.
  • Turret can be desactivated by data tracking
  • the ID card to pick has its own sprite (and is associated to pepople)
• DataTracking 
  • There is now ice in level, you start with 100% health nad lose some while going over ice. When you reach 0%, you lose

2020/04/21 : 

Protoype #03 : 

•  Nothing really fancy - but I mostly worked on tools, now the levels are defined by files (and an Excel sheet to create them)
• Add condition to end a mission : usually press B button on comuter at the end of level (need to be more clear via text missions description)
• Add a first basic version of inventory (you need to find an ID card in order to activate final lift in hotel)
• add new sprites for gun (but player cannot shoot yet)
• Optimisation : all of this use something like 3000 bytes less of object code than previous version :D

2020/04/14 :

Protoype #02 : 

• Includes routine to display text and switch between pages (right / left). 
• Games start directly on new mission prototype : exploration of a building. Move left & right and activate lifts (press B button in front of cart readers - no inventory yet). Use lift with up and down direction.

A card reader

2020/04/13 :

Protoype #01 :

• Displays first version of City - move left and right to explore.
• Press B button in from of "Atari Fujinet" computer in order to launch Datatracking prototype
• Press B button in from of the purple door of the moster building just right of the "Atari Fujinet" computer in order to launch BugHunt mission prototype
• Datatracking : this is the phase where you have to hack a computer in the Matrix and collect data, you have to guide you drone to the end of the track without falling. Turrets defense, ice protection and RPG anhancements to the drone are not yet implemented
• BugHunt mission : Objective : restore energy in the Building. Go to the right of the level, fighting flying insects (A button to punch). You have to restore energy to the main computer : in front of control panel where energy stop, press B button and resolve the grid puzzle (A or B button to rotate piece). There should be more than 25 puzzle in the game