Pirates Classic Remake

[Pickle]

OK, I been brainstorming about this for a little while. Im playing with the thought of starting a clone/remake of the original Pirates/Pirates Gold. I love this game and I would love to have a version that is devoted to running on the GP2X. Although (disclaimer) I havnt decided to do this, the reponses I get will help determine the demand for such a project. I think in the end I dont want to hoard the project, just jump start it and let a community take off with it.

I dont want to duplicate a project, but everything I come across isnt usable.
Ive come across 3 existing projects, one runs on DOS (sent an email for source, havnt gotten a response) and is dead and the other is incomplete, not sure if its still alive. Ive also seen a 3d project, but not really anything.

If this project started here would be the goals:
1. Cross Compatiable meaning SDL is a must and 320x240 at a min must be supported
2. Have the same feel as the original, not neccessary the same content, by this i mean sound and grahpics can be upgraded. If it doesnt effect the way the game plays then it should be updated. I think new features could added once a classic mode has been completed.
3. Has to be a group project (meaning I cant draw or create music), plus it would get done faster
4. Will be open sourced so it doesnt die: code,graphics,sound, anything used (this may mean putting everything into a SVN)

Let me know what you think!

 

[Alex.]

Although I won't be able to help you with it due to lack of time, I have to express my full moral support

The classic Pirates is a great game, and a remake for the GP2X could take it even further, with whole new gameplay ideas, maps, graphics, all those things dreams are made of.

- Alex

 

[Pickle]

Although I won't be able to help you with it due to lack of time, I have to express my full moral support

The classic Pirates is a great game, and a remake for the GP2X could take it even further, with whole new gameplay ideas, maps, graphics, all those things dreams are made of.

- Alex

Thats cool, im hoping those that could help post with what they can help with. Theres no way im going to be able to anything decent without assistance.

If you view this thread, but do not want to devote time until its at certain point then let us know. For example there would have to be a map mode for the navagation and it would need to have tile graphics such as land/water/ship, if you want to do these things, but want to see a engine running first then post that.

 

[___]

I could do GUI graphics... I am quite okay at doing that. I can look up the original game, make a concept and post it if you want me to. Would be fun!

 

[mrsnature]

What's wrong with the Megadrive version?

 

[___]

I don`t think anybody talked about that being not good but a remake would be cool as a community project and also graphic wise... we could add feature at our will and liking, could update the graphics. Would just be nicer to have something new meet something that has been done well already to make it even better.

 

[paulobecker]

Hell yeah, Pirates rule!

Even though I don't have much time, I could try helping with some graphics here and there I'll be watching this topic.

 

[Pickle]

What's wrong with the Megadrive version?

Your right there are decent versions on different platforms, but theyre not as portable and if you dont own that rom, it really isnt legal. I like the PC versions, Gold is good, but it has the same problem it isnt portable.
Building a version based on SDL can solve this problem.

I could do GUI graphics... I am quite okay at doing that. I can look up the original game, make a concept and post it if you want me to. Would be fun!

see below

Hell yeah, Pirates rule!

Even though I don't have much time, I could try helping with some graphics here and there smile.gif I'll be watching this topic.

great! if we start this project i think the best thing to start is the map mode. Ive seen the nav map done 2 ways, either it can built from tiles (the original) or the whole map is hand drawn. Tiles will require more code (this no prob I have a solution), the map would require more artistic ability. If no one can draw this decently, it will have to be tiled.

Other than that graphicallly there will need to be "windows" for text, these can be tile based. I think we would need 8 tiles, 4 corners and the 4 sides.

Here a list of graphic todo's in priority
1. Map of Caribbean (entire thing hand drawn, or tiles)
2. Ship (need at least 8 angles, 16 would be nice) (1 ship to start is needed more would be nice)
3. Font (must be free, ttf or graphical, im leaning to graphical)
4. Window tiles (8 tiles sides and corners)
5. Map stuff houses/clouds/waves (this will increase if map is tile based)
6. Situation pictures (i.e. pics of pirates, towns)

I guess this project has started!

 

[Pickle]

Anyone who is doing graphics, here is a invaluable resource for screenshots:

http://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/sid-meie...tes/screenshots

 

[badwolf]

If you go with a tile based map dosent that open up the posibility for people to add on to it and make mods?

 

[Pickle]

If you go with a tile based map dosent that open up the posibility for people to add on to it and make mods?

I had that in mind too, I think it could be mod either way. But tiles make it easier.
Im leaning this way, because I wouldnt have to wait for the hand drawn.
Currently I have just researched a bunch of caribbean maps, so maybe I can start something.

 

[badwolf]

I just had a idea

this might be a little early but after the engine is finished someone could make a space adventure kind of thing out of it. </premature idea>

 

[Alex.]

I just wonder who and why anyone voted "no" :-\

- Alex

 

[Pickle]

I just wonder who and why anyone voted "no" :-\
- Alex

Who knows, i think its more of the mindset of if it is needed, not that they hate the game itself. Just look at the post by mrsnature.

Im going to try an get something going this weekend. It shouldnt be to difficult since I have already accomplished these in another app. No promises though
1. Get a map in a txt file that has some island in it (im going to draw some crude tiles)
2. Have a 16 angled sprite (I will draw arrows for the sprite) this will be the ship
3. Collision detection between the arrow(ship) and island and map borders

 

[___]

Today I will go to Bremen to my cousin, but I guess I can even start to work there. Hopefully I will drop off some nice and piraty gfx for those window borders.

 

[Pickle]

Today I will go to Bremen to my cousin, but I guess I can even start to work there. Hopefully I will drop off some nice and piraty gfx for those window borders.

Cool, I think this can work pretty well. Im thinking using a font bitmap, where each letter will be the same size as the border (make sure you have 4 corners and 4 sides, unless they look the same). Then I can make a function that takes a string and returns a surface* that contains the border and letters.

I did work on the code i have, I have the map feature set up. I spent a bit of time trying to determine the types of tiles needed to make decent looking land shapes. I have stuff for the ship just need to get the motion of it down. Not as much as I wanted to do, but hey thats life.

Need some more people i think, even if you cant help at this point let us know what you can do.

 

[Pickle]

I have a working map system with a ship sprite. The map is defined by a text file where certain ascii characters are hardcoded to be certian tiles. Map is read in and tiles are stored in a vector. The ship rotates 360 deg at 16 different angles, each has its own frame in the animation. The angle determines the movement of the sprite. Right now the movement is a constant rate. There is collision detection between the ship sprite and any of the tiles. There is map border detection keeping the ship in a determined area. The map is shown from a camera which is the size of the screen. The camera is centered on the ship, if not by a border, so the map is scrolled across. Basicaly its comes down to the navagation mode is almost complete.

Todo's:
1. Need random wind source that changes angles, provides speed of ship. Ships speed depends on the direction of the ship to the direction of the wind.
2. Shoals, easy to add to map. At some point will need to add that shoals damage certain ships.
3. In-Land Movement, this means you can leave the ship and move around the islands (this is big)
4. Inland Tiles, that affect the movement of the inland sprite
5. Start looking into cities, starting attributes will be stored by file. Detection with player sprites.
6. GUI Message System (this is massive)

This is a lot of stuff and very broad and will take a good amount of time to do. But step by step things can be done. Im still concerned about graphics, no talant means my crappy fillers. Maybe after some progress is made some people can be convinced to contribute.

 

[___]

I will hopefully upload some stuff tonight. Also I am thinking of makin a tile for the window border that can contain a heading for the window. Any specific idea what size the border tiles should be?

 

[TheMinder]

I'm not sure if you sorted the ship graphics as you wanted them, but i know there are some on Reiner's Tilesets - url is http://reinerstileset.4players.de/englisch.htm

 

[Pickle]

I will hopefully upload some stuff tonight. Also I am thinking of makin a tile for the window border that can contain a heading for the window. Any specific idea what size the border tiles should be?

If I understand what you want to do is have border around the outside and then borders around the smaller windows inside the larger border. Well two sizes are needed, one for 640x480 and 320x240. But i think if you make a 640 size it can be compressed for the 320.
Im thinking a 25x25 for the outside and 15x15 for the inside, the outside needs to be able to fit the font which would be 15x15 to match the inside border. All of these could be compressed for the 320 size.
Let me know what you opinion on the sizes are, im just looking to see what might look right.
(I need to find a bitmap font.)

I'm not sure if you sorted the ship graphics as you wanted them, but i know there are some on Reiner's Tilesets - url is http://reinerstileset.4players.de/englisch.htm

Those are great, my ship was a brown rectangle with a point. I will use them, plus it has 32 angles and sinking animation, this is the type of stuff im looking for.