*Idea* Link Cable Multiplayer Mortal Kombat/Smash Bros Style Fighting Game?

[boot2490]

Could it be possible? If you can send variables, you can make the engine simple enough to only need a few in order to send and receive. Could AXE do this? Could it be fast enough to be greyscale? Could it run on an nSpire with an 84 keyboard? (All of the school calcs are nSpires, I want to see how far it could spread around the school )

[Scipi]

It should be fast enough, as was demonstrated with some gCn programs, I believe. I think though, that for it to be fast enough you'd have to have both calcs basically only getting basic information from each other and each calc basically calculating everything needed for their game. (In a sense, the opposite of one calc being host, where one calc calculates everything and sends relevant data to the others)

Though I personally know very little about linking so I could be very, very wrong.

Edit: Reading what I have written, I say "basic[ally]" a lot

[boot2490]

I was thinking it could be more of a DS Download Play kinda thing. You get the full version on your calc, with all the characters and stuff, and single player mode, and other extras, and for multiplayer, it is a simpler version with fewer characters for link speed and transfer size.

[Scipi]

That would definitely be a good idea to have the single and multiplayer separate. Just for the program actually executing and sending data across the link cable it would have to send as little data as possible and still be able to work. So basically you could just have it send what's being pressed by the user in certain intervals and the other calc uses that data to control the corresponding character. That way one calc doesn't have to send all the data to client calcs which could be too much to send. The only issue would be if there's any disparity with randomized functions.

[boot2490]

Exactly what I was thinking. Basically, just where the players are, what they are doing, and their health would be all we would need. This would be so awesome...

So what are the bare essentials for a fighting game to be fun in your opinion? I want it to be small and simple but fun, addicting, and replayable.

[Scipi]

Imo, it'd have to be 8 way movement, And perhaps a Standard and Special attack. The SSB Formula could work well.

I don't think you'd even have to send that info. Basically I think you could get away with just sending what's being pressed and the other calc would control that character on its process with those key presses as though they're playing on the same calc. The only issue could come from if there's either differences in timing, lag, or random number generation. Or at least that's how I'm seeing it.

[ZippyDee]

2D platformer AI is a pain in the ASS.

[Art_of_camelot]

Lets see:
Possible-yes
Axe- not sure.
Grayscale: probably not with linking.
Nspire compatibility: Sure, as long as it doesn't use any incompatible commands.

[boot2490]

I'll get working on a one player movement demo soon I guess.

[DJ Omnimaga]

Such game would be nice. For odd reasons, all SSB projects that got started in the past died, so as a result, there are no existing SSB clone for calcs. There's one Mortal Kombat game from me, but it's single player and uses ASCII graphics in TI-BASIC (not to mention the code was written back in early 2002 so it's very unoptimized).

[Netham45]

Such game would be nice. For odd reasons, all SSB projects that got started in the past died, so as a result, there are no existing SSB clone for calcs. There's one Mortal Kombat game from me, but it's single player and uses ASCII graphics in TI-BASIC (not to mention the code was written back in early 2002 so it's very unoptimized).

http://www.ticalc.org/archives/files/fileinfo/244/24406.html This is a pretty decent arcade fighter style game that I remember being fun.

[DJ Omnimaga]

Oh right I forgot about that one. It wasn't finished, though, right?

Also it would be nice if a MK clone had actual floors and background images.

[Yeong]

I think it was pretty much finished.
Also, for whoever works on this, I can help with hit detection since I did some study about fighting games before.

[Netham45]

I can't recall, it's been probably 5 years since I played it. I remember it being at least playable and fun, though. A background might get a bit confusing on the screen, heh.

As far as boot's question goes, you should be able to at least get a black and white version done. For linking, I'd say that HOMER's idea was decent.

[DJ Omnimaga]

Well I meant for example like in the 68K street fighter clone, where the bg was like in Project M: a gray background. It might be better if it's light gray, though.

As for linking, to ensure good syncing between both calcs, when a calc sends info, the other has to wait for it and vice versa. This is slower but it ensures everything is sent and if your cable is defective, once connection resumes, the game resumes again.