It's like Terraria but for the calculator!

If Terraria is a 2D minecrafty sort of game (which the Googling I just did confirms) then I'd agree with that. Compy, I regret that I had to reject your upload from the archives due to screenshot size; please see my note to you in your PMs.

Still great! I wish I had a TI-84 PSE.

The file was just accepted! I updated the post with the screenie on it to include the link, but you can also find it here:

http://www.cemetech.net/programs/index.php?mode=file&id=743

* bump *

A bit of good news on this. I can't submit an update for a little while because I'm going to be gone on vacation (dang those TI drivers), but I have still done some work on this and have eliminated the most pressing problem: that the app version doesn't work. Now I can run up to 16384 bytes without worry about execution size!

I was also playtesting a bit, and I noticed that the game is a lot more fun when you are in water, because it is a lot easier to navigate. I originally thought of the bilayer as a way to enhance navigability, but what do you think of this: What if the player was capable of climbing blocks? The player could jump onto a wall to cling to it, press up and down to climb up and down the wall, then press the horizontal direction away from the wall to drop down and the horizontal direction toward the wall to climb forward onto the ledge.

Also, I REALLY need people to download this and help me optimize. I don't know how much more I can add in my space constraints.

Some more thinking on this:

► I thought of a good modification to the climbing rule: Basically, you can climb it if you can mine it. This means that, if you aren't equipping the appropriate tool, you can only climb blocks that you can harvest by hand, such as trees and dirt. In order to climb stone and ores, you have to have the pickaxe equipped, and climbing wears down both the pickaxe and the hunger meter (when that shows up).
► I also wonder if some of my game's modifications (such as the 2D and the wall-climbing mechanism) would disqualify my game from really being called a Minecraft clone. Should I consider this?
► And, finally, when I release this next version, I would like a lot of help with spriting. Sprite masters, would you please help me draw some good images for blocks, players, mobs, and such like? Thanks!

I think that sounds like a great idea.
You absolutely should. Actually, I think it's better to have it be a more unique game, and I don't love the idea of calling any calculator program something that it really isn't, ie, Minecraft.
Certainly! Any requirements other than 8x8?

It would probably be a good idea to include a list of what you want as well, so that the spriters won't have to remember every single resource, mob, etc.

Hey, I would help you if you'ld like. I've done pixel art before, and would like to do it again.

Thank you so much for offering help, everyone! I'll provide a more complete list when I get it, but here's a partial list to get you started:
► The player (8x16, 3-color-greyscale), standing, climbing left and right (animate if possible!)
► 8x8 Tiles: Bedrock, Dirt, Stone, Cobblestone, Wood, Leaves, Obsidian
► Mobs: 8x16 Creeper, 8x16 Zombie, 8x16 Skeleton
► The Title Logo! (96x16)

If you can, along with your pictures, please provide HEX codes that I can input directly into Axe. The Pt-Mask function takes an 8x8 front layer sprite and an 8x8 back layer sprite, and interprets bit combinations as follows:

0 Front, 0 Back: Transparent
0 Front, 1 Back: Gray
1 Front, 0 Back: White
1 Front, 1 Back: Black

But if you can't provide HEX codes, that's fine - it will just take me longer because I have to find them myself.

@KermM: And I'm glad you like the climbing idea, Kerm, especially since I just implemented it yesterday. The world is certainly a lot easier to navigate with it. Additionally, since the game is becoming different enough, I probably should come up with a different name. Suggestions, anyone?

It's not "HEX", since it's an abbreviation of "hexadecimal", not an acronym. "hex" is fine. Also, did you know that SourceCoder can generate Axe-compatible hex from sprites and other images, in addition to ASM .db hex and C code for the Nspire and Prizm? As far as name suggestions, do you have both mining and crafting? Or just mining?

Announcement! An update has been submitted and is pending review. This new version is an App, and also has a graphical saving and loading screen, along with climbing walls! I'll edit this post with the link when it gets approved.

Oh, and here's a screenie!


EDIT: There was a bit of a problem uploading (corrupted ZIP file), and it'll take me a while to re-upload. Which is OK, because I needed to fix another bug anyway. Additionally, I wanted to say that since I don't really want to replicate the original Minecraft anymore, all artists now have free artistic license! So, when spriting, please feel free to submit original ideas for resources, mobs, and other elements!

Oh good, I missed the part where you had posted sprite guidelines for your spriting requests. Did you see my previous post with questions following up on your ideas about re-naming this project?

Looks great, but it has slowed down a lot! Is this simply because it wasn't optimized?

I made a few good player sprites. Standing animation, walking animations are done.





right-click + view image makes zooming easier

Here's a link to the zip.

Also, before any titles can take place, we'd need an official name.

Also, for a quick speed boost, you can use Full, if you're not already. If you use timer-based day sequences, then nothing should go wrong except speed between 83+ and SE/84s.

Does this include the title screen? I thought axe uses pictures like so: pic->Dispgraph
I call doing tiltle screen. I really enjoy making tittle screens. What do you want as the name? Do you want the name in the tittle screen, which I was going to do. How about grayscale tittle? will take another pic, meaning alot more memory, but cooler effect.

Aye, I have the same concern. Do you have some planned optimizations to deal with the issue?

I just wrote one that I'm going to submit in the next day or two: update flags. Currently, each tile also has a data nybble that allows it to store extra characteristics about itself, such as fluid level for water and direction for pistons. This next update will repartition that data nybble into 3 bits of data and a 1 bit update flag. When a tile is changed (either the type or the status), its update flags as well as those of the surrounding tiles are set, and the game will run update logic (such as water flow) only on those tiles. If a tile doesn't change, its update flag is reset. Currently, this optimization adds about 2-3 FPS to the game speed.


I'm actually already using Full - the game will say "You need an 84+" and quit out if you can't do Full mode. I'm also using 270 Hz interrupts for independent timing sequences.

EDIT: Here are a couple of ideas that I have for a name:
- CalCraft
- CalcCraft
- Terraform
- Cubin (q-bin)
- MineBuild
- And some more...

Also, I have some ideas for elements that I want to add to the game:
- Crafting will be in it, but will have a different interface
- Will still have smelting via Furnace
- Mob targeting - like in Zelda, press 5 to automatically follow mobs
- New tools, such as a Hookshot and Lightning Gun
- Change around and add some monsters:
- Creepers changed to Bombos (pronounced bomb-bose), an 8x8 walking bomb
- Skeletons changed to Gunguys, 8x8 Potato Heads with guns
- Add Spider Monkeys, 8x8 monsters that can climb

-If the tools only allow climbing on surfaces they can mine, I'd also recommend some sort of 'all-purpose- climbing tool(think spiked gloves or something along those lines)

-How would the hookshot be used? would the player have to add wooden posts or something?

-I'd also suggest that no one works on a logo until the name is decided

- I can agree with the climbing gloves if they provide no mining bonus - something I will definitely add.
- I was actually thinking that the hookshot could work on any surface: basically, when you fire it at a wall, you are propelled towards that point and will grab onto the wall once you reach it (if you can climb that surface). The hookshot itself will probably take damage as its used.
- Actually, I would love to see ideas for logos before names are decided - they might help me decide on the name and even the attitude of the game.