MAKING MYSTIC SEARCHES
Interview with Joe Granato IV:
When did you first play the NES?
It's difficult to remember the very first time I played the NES. Many friends in my neighborhood had one before I did and I remember being incredibly jealous. I'm sure that many in our generation can relate, but there was a year where it was the only thing on my Christmas list. I do remember Christmas morning opening the last of the presents and being so disappointed to have not found it among the boxes. Of course, my sneaky parents had set it up with a small TV in my downstairs family room. They asked if I got everything I wanted for the holiday, and I feigned satisfaction as best I could, likely holding back tears. Then they asked me to help clean up by going to get a garbage bag for the wrapping paper from downstairs. And there it was. Life was never the same after that!
What inspired your childhood sketches of an NES game?
At seven years old, video games became the language by which I experienced things like science fiction and fantasy. Years before I was ready for Tolkein and before I could really appreciate things like Star Wars, I was accessing these fantastic worlds in a way that I could comprehend through The Legend of Zelda and Mega Man and Castlevania. I would say that those original sketches for Mystic Searches were very derivative of everything I had absorbed to that point, feeding back in a fascinating way as a reflection of the time and place I was growing up.
As an adult, when did you start seriously thinking about developing for the NES?
It was when I found those childhood illustrations. I had become a programmer and had dabbled as a hobbyist in game development, even churning out a few contract jobs as an indie developer. They often had a retro aesthetic. The affinity for that as a visual language never really went away for me. But I never even considered trying to develop a game for the real system until I found those illustrations I'd once drawn as an 8-year-old kid. Then I became compelled to see the realized on a cartridge.
What led to the development of NESMaker, and how many people were involved?
Well, we started making this game. At the time, there were a lot of people tinkering away on bits and pieces of it, lending a hand as we were still trying to even figure out what would be possible, but really the core team consisted of myself and artist Austin McKinley. We found certain processes that really warranted automating - rather than create graphics using graph paper and strings of hex values, we built a sprite editor with visual feedback through a GUI that spit out that data. Rather than build screens using tables of data, we built screens in a GUI that we could easily edit. And so on and so forth. Our programmer friend Josh Fallon helped us with a lot of these little utilities that were very specific to the game we were creating. Before we knew it, we realized we effectively had a single development environment with everything needed to create entire games. We never planned on releasing the tools, but at every convention we visited where we showed off our game or The New 8-bit Heroes documentary, people were adamant about wanting them to create their own games. So we put the time into break our "Mystic Searches Screen Tool and Game Engine" and re-form it into something more versatile, and the result was NESmaker.
How would you sum up NESMaker to somebody who wanted to try it?
NESmaker is a suite of tools that allows a user to create NES games regardless of their experience level with coding or developing games. Someone with zero knowledge of coding can have their first project on a cartridge inside of half an hour. Obviously, the more ambitious the project, the more a user will want to dive into the code to make their unique vision come to life. NESmaker also provides easy tethers to the 6502 ASM, and advanced users can so far as to create entire engines from scratch, using NESmaker as an asset creator and organizer. For someone who wants to create NES games but has no idea where to start, NESmaker is a great back door into that world. If you have a vision, but are an artist or a musician or a writer or an idea person and not much of a programmer, it's a great tool to allow you to get started, get visual feedback, get the confidence to want to learn more and take it from there.
What have been your favourite projects created with NESMaker?
Oh, that question is like asking me to choose my favourite child. That's tough! I've loved most seeing the passion from developers who have always had this vision but never could scale the steep first step. Adam Bohn and his game Dungeons and Doomknights come to mind. It was humbling to see a successful and long-established developer feel confident in taking that leap into this passion due to the tools. I've also loved seeing the parent/child team-ups in projects like Doodle World. Space Raft spoke to me, as it's an NES game featuring the developer's band, and making games for my band's merch table was what kept me involved in game development in my 20s! Seeing the alpha user lovingly known as Dale Coop and his son SJ creating games together, travelling the world, getting projects released through Limited Run...that has been a fantastic story. There are honestly so many cool games being created, and I'm always surprised to see how the users in this community continue to surprise and inspire me!
Are you adding new features and updating NESMaker?
There has been a massive update in the queue since before the pandemic. The pandemic really stopped progress dead. However, in the coming months, we have some very exciting things to show, for sure!
When did you start work on Mystic Searches?
1987. And then procedurally, in very real and trackable ways, ever since. That's the literal answer. Maybe more accurate to the spirit of the question - I started developing Mystic Searches for the NES in 2014 when no tools really existed to do what we wanted to do (so we built them), and when it came to NES development, we didn't even know the questions to ask (let alone have answers for them). It took a few years to get on solid ground, both technically and creatively. It was late 2017 that we were putting it all together. By that time, we had created this suite of tools, and we had a revelation moment...imagine if we'd had these tools at the start, think of what Mystic Searches could be! That's when Austin asked...why couldn't we do that? Now, we had an engine that was more or less finished, and starting from scratch would be a huge undertaking. What we did at that point was we restructured what existed as Mystic Searches, truncated it a bit, changed the narrative a bit, and sanded down the edges. We made it into a prequel quest called Mystic Origins. That allowed us to still deliver the game we'd set out to create while opening the capacity for the flagship product of childhood ambition known as Mystic Searches to be as cool as we could make it no matter how much time it would take. Mystic Origins, which was formerly Mystic Searches until that point, was released in 2019, I believe. And sometime around then, the real work on what is now Mystic Searches began. So, you could argue I've been working on this for four years, or you could argue I've been working on this for nine years, or you could argue I've been working on this for thirty-six years. All of those would be correct depending on your point of view. You can actually see the entire history of the development on MysticSearches.com on the development page, with lots of fun rich media of the creation process.
How many people are involved in Mystic Searches and The New 8-Bit Heroes?
There have been countless people who have contributed to it. But really, Austin and I have been at the core of it. Aside from working with some amazing artists to get or refine assets, the two of us are the core team. These days, it's mostly me with my eyes bleeding from staring at ASM.
What development tools are you using?
Besides NESmaker, some of the other tools we've developed along the way that aren't public. I'm a big fan of Shiru's tools as well and make occasional use of them. Famitracker is still used for music.
Is it amazing to see your sketches becoming a real game?
Oh of course. It's been such a long development process that sometimes the lustre fades a bit, but then all of a sudden I'll finish a new boss battle or work in a new cutscene mechanic, and it feels new all over again. The community's enthusiasm for it and continued support have also helped keep me motivated. It's hard to believe that these illustrations I hacked together as a seven-year-old are now a thing that people have legitimate anticipation for. That is very validating. Most validating, though, is that the legacy of all this will be the fact that so many more people have realized it's possible and are also making more games for this system we all love.
The multiple cartridge options and merchandise are incredible, how did you come up with things like the accompanying comic and the wood-grain cartridge?
Some are just implicit with the lore. The wood grain cartridge was always something I wanted to do. It's neat to think that that NES cart is made of something that was once alive. It feels like it's out of a fantasy world. It's new, it's something that people haven't seen before, and just opening the prototype had me giddy and feeling the same way as when I saw a gold cartridge for the first time. I hope others have that same experience. As for some of the other things - they're just outgrowths of the development cycle and Austin and my other functions as creatives. We're both writers and filmmakers, so there was bound to be written material. He's a comic illustrator, so it seemed inevitable we'd see a comic adaptation. I'm a musician, so of course the score would be arranged for a full orchestra. I hope that the time and effort put into it helps create a real living, breathing world despite the constraints of the system.
Will there be a digital download as well as the physical edition?
Yes. More news on that as time goes on.
Do you have any other ambitious designs or ideas you want to turn into NES games?
Oh yes! Endless ideas! Never enough time in the day, though.
Can you list five completed games/projects made with NESMaker you would personally recommend, and why they are interesting?
There are a lot of finished games, and a lot in development, that are quite awesome. But for a unique cross-section, I might recommend...
- Dungeons and Doomknights: It's crammed with just the right balance of nostalgic charm and classic NES gameplay. Adam Bohn understood the assignment, so to speak! https://dungeonsanddoomknights.com/
- Turtle Paint: This is an 8-bit colouring book. It was the kid's first physical NES game (gifted to him by Joe Sherman). I recommend it mostly because it was just completely outside of what NESmaker was created to do, and it demonstrates how far the software can push in different directions when one really digs in. https://turtlerescuenes.itch.io/turtle-paint-volume-1
- Kubo 3: It's a simple game with simple graphics. But this absolutely belongs on everyone's shelf who dreamed about making a NES game when they were 7. Why? Because it was created by a 7-year-old and ended up seeing an official release through Limited Run games. It's a beacon that NES development is about more than nostalgia. https://dale-coop.itch.io/kubo-3-nes-game-by-sj-games
- Doodle World: It's a familiar feeling simple platformer that invokes the imagination of a kid. https://doodleworldgame.com/
- Mystic Origins: It's the one that started the thing, after all. https://www.mysticsearches.com/copy-of-development
NEWS BYTES
AMIGA: The Swords & Sorcery AmiGameJam ended, with more coverage soon. https://itch.io/jam/amigamejam
APPLE II: Million Perfect Tiles, based on Takuzu puzzles, from A2_4am, supports 64K memory, mouse and Mockingboard sound. https://bit.ly/million-perfect-tiles
ATARI 2600: Development continues porting Space Taxi. https://bit.ly/spacetaxi-atariage
ATARI XL/XE: At Lost Party 2023, Krzysztof Swiecicki released Doom – inspired by Kweepa’s VIC-20 version. Features include automap, converted MIDI soundtracks and DOS sounds, multiple weapons, and plenty of levels. http://moodler.pl/doom.zip
C64: The latest arcade-inspired title from LC-Games is Dig Dug Revival, with improved graphics and procedurally generated levels. https://bit.ly/digdug-revival
DOS: Juan Martinez released Gold Mine Run, his entry for the DOS Game Jam 2023. https://bit.ly/goldminerun to download, and https://bit.ly/making-goldminerun for the making of videos.
INTELLIVISION: New digital ROMs from https://www.intellivisioncollector.com/ by William Moeller (Elektronite) include Jeff Minter’s Hover Bovver, Miner 2049’er by Bill Hogue, and Steamroller (based on David Rolfe’s unreleased ColecoVision game).
MASTER SYSTEM: Louis the Sega Nerd released Sub Assault and the 2-player Line Runner. https://louistheseganerd.itch.io/
ZX SPECTRUM: Amebatron Software released Speccy Quiz in English and Spanish, mixing platform action with trivia questions on classic Spectrum games. https://bit.ly/speccyquiz-english
Allan Turvey of Midnight Brew Games launched Lunar Rescue RX, his Spectrum adaptation of the early Taito arcade game. https://bit.ly/lunarrescuerx
VARIOUS: The 2023 Portland Retrogaming Expo took place from the 13th-15th of October - https://www.retrogamingexpo.com/
CHAMPION CODER
László Rajcsányi (WLS)
[Info]
From: Hungary
Format: Game Boy / Game Boy Color
Previous game: Musical Notes (GBC), Ninja Master (GBC)
Working on: Tom Thumb (GBC)
László has created many Commodore 16 remakes and original titles for the Game Boy.
When did you start writing Game Boy homebrew?
In 2020, I saw a very rudimentary version of GB Studio on the internet and thought I'd check it out. I really liked it and then I wrote the first rewritten game the Treasure Island GB.
What do you like about GBStudio, and what would you change?
I really like that it's a system bound to limits and you have to use a lot of tricks graphically that the player doesn't even think is solved this way, in order to make the game more enjoyable.
You can play a lot by changing palettes and background graphics, and it's very limited, so I often can't get the most out of a game, but I notice that they are constantly improving the system and that's good, because a lot of things are added that make it even more usable. Today, I would also make the old games differently, because when I made them, many new developments were not yet available.
How did you start converting C16 games?
The first version did not have Color mode and only handled 16x16 sprites. Since I'm not very good at drawing, I used other graphics to learn. Having grown up on a Commodore 16, I reached for that, these old beloved games. There were a lot of 16x16 sprites. Then I saw that they looked very good on Gameboy too, and that's why I thought that maybe we should make the whole game. And that's how I fell in love with it.
What has been your favourite game to convert?
Those in the know said that this is not even a conversion, but a rethinking and rewriting from beginning to end. So if I think about it that way, I like the ones that don't deviate too much from the original game. I like very simple games where I immediately know what the goal is, so I really like Bug-Byte's games, Aardvark or Leaper. But the real favourite is Finders Keepers.
How well has the Tynesoft Collection cartridge sold?
We didn't expect a big bang, because the games themselves aren't that well-known and attractive. Jet Set Willy is very much though, but this is the C16 version. :) 35 of them were made in a boxed version, and as far as I know, 30 sold out among collectors in a short time. Since it can be downloaded for free, this is a very nice result for me.
NOTE: There is now a second Tynesoft Collection cartridge available from Inside Gadgets.
Is there a game you want to convert but haven’t tried yet?
Yes, Tom Thumb for Commodore 16, which is one of the best games, is considered by many to be the masterpiece of Udo Gertz (Kingsoft). However, for this I still need to learn the new GB Studio version.
Did you enjoy taking part in the Showdown game jam?
It was very good. I have participated in many competitions, but this one was somehow very close to me. The contestants chatted on an online stream, the organizer Tronimal played with all the games, and we reviewed them. Everyone was positive, it was a great experience.
Is it harder to write a conversion or an original game?
The conversion is more difficult because it's given what the game should look like. In your case, if you cannot solve something technically, you usually solve it in another way, but it is not advisable to do this for a conversion, so it is more thoughtful.
What inspired Musical Notes?
We bought my wife a piano because she wanted to learn to play better. She played only Bach all day because it was the easiest for beginners. That's why I had the sheet music and I thought I'd make the chip music for Gameboy, and then it would be good for something. This is how the idea of having composers in the game was born.
How were the composers' photos made?
The pictures were on the internet, I just had to convert them to 1-bit and redraw them a little to make them look nicer. That was pretty simple.
What are your favourite Game Boy homebrew creators and titles?
I love the style of Max Oakland and All Alone Games. My favourite is logic games, I don't like crawling and talking games.
DATABURST REVIEWS
Astebros
Format: Mega Drive / Steam / Switch (to be released)
Credits: Neofid Studios
Price: digital ROM €17.99 / Steam £14.29 / cartridge from €59 / Switch TBC
[Score] 90% Retro Gamer Sizzler
Space Taxi
Format: Atari XL (64K minimum, 128K required for sampled speech)
Credits: Andrea Cuchetto
Price: Free download
[Score] 88%
Lemmings
Format: Plus/4
Credits: TCFS (code), Csabo (music), Unreal (graphics)
Price: Free download
[Score] 90% - Retro Gamer Sizzler
PROCESSING PREVIEW
Interview with PuttyCAD (Ric Lumb)
When did you start creating Spectrum graphics?
When I was a kid, I used to draw on my brother's ZX Spectrum. I copied cartoons and stuff by drawing on acetate and taping it to the TV so I could trace under the lines.
What tools do you use?
My favourite tools are pencil and paper (I made my own set of squared jotters for drawing sprites) and I make mock-ups using Aseprite so I can test animations. Some of the programmers use MPAGD too so we can share the files so I can draw sprites and tiles straight into there to speed things up. I use Aseprite to draw the loading screens and there are tools for converting these to .SCR files.
Do you sketch out or plan the games before using the computer?
Not completely but I always have a notepad and the squared jotters handy if I need them. We often use Discord to discuss ideas together. It's very much a team effort.
Is there a reason for working with different programmers on different projects?
Variety! None of the games we've released so far has been remotely the same. Even the ones we have planned are very different. We all have busy lives too so there's no pressure to get stuff out by a certain date but having plenty to go at keeps us motivated and we're allowing ourselves to experiment with these Speccy games before we move on to other systems.
Can you give me a quick description of each of the games in development?
I'd like to focus on four upcoming games here if possible...
I currently work with 3 different programmers, all longtime friends. Jeff Murray (PsychicParrot) who I'm working with on Gherbert 2: Gherbert in the Garden. The first Gherbert game was very popular so we have always wanted to make it a trilogy. Gherbert 2 is set in his neighbouring bear’s garden. Gherbert & Ghertie's kids have run amok, digging up the grumpy bear's garden while he's hibernating in his cave. Gherbert needs to frantically run around filling in the holes while avoiding nasty snakes and also the grumpy bear himself who tends to sleepwalk!
Next up is Nigel Critten (100TinSoldiers) we're currently working on Babyman3 "Babyman Vs the Terminatots" a flip-screen beat 'em up with weapon pickups. The terminatots have been sent back through time to intercept Babyman who is trying to find Professor Plumbob so he can be turned back into his adult form and return to the future.
Rich 'Pantson' Hanson (RichPea) sent me an idea for a train track game with a basic demo and we're now making that into our next release. We've gone with the name "Chuffin' Nora" as the name of the train as we like to inject childish British humour and puns into everything we create.
(I should probably point out that NORA is the name of the train, and the track pieces are being delivered by drone, that's the bit you control.)
Finally, I'm also doing a side project with my son Tommy who's really into 80s horror at the moment. So "Scream Queen" has you playing the final girl in a nightmare dream world of horror cliches with levels and characters loosely based on the movies we all love. The aim of the game is to survive long enough to wake up!
Are there any special techniques or tricks you are using in these games?
Not really any tricks, I just wanted PuttyCAD Presents: to have a range of budget games to suit all tastes and try to emulate the creativity you got when games were new and daring to try different things. Some will work, some may fail but so far, we've had really positive feedback. We just need more people to see and play them now!
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