Old Engines

Ninja-Duck · 07-23-2007, 02:20 PM

Aha! Finally I get access to the forum!

Anyway. I have sent a "Message" to the ppl on the main site about this but haven't received an answer, so I'm putting it here in hope that someone will stop by and help me.

All I'd like is a copy of the engine used to make Secret Agent. Maybe Crystal Caves as well. I'd like to make my own fangames, you see. That's all. Just make them and play them. Make some more... well, exciting/difficult Secret Agent levels. Yes, I completed all three episodes. Eventually. When I was 11. And the first episode of Crystal Caves, recently.

I'm the only kid in my school who still plays DOS games.

So yes, any sort of answer, preferably a positive or helpful one, would be appreciated very much.

Thanks!

Joe Siegler · 07-23-2007, 02:28 PM

There are no plans to do what you wish.

Ninja-Duck · 07-23-2007, 02:30 PM

No plans to make more games... or no plans to give me a copy of the engine?

Edit: If not, I'll just rip the Engine out of your vault using my FBI connections.

(Note the nonsensical humour.)

Joe Siegler · 07-23-2007, 03:05 PM

Both. No plans for more Crystal Caves or Secret Agent. And no plans to do anything with the source code - assuming we could find them in the first place.

A lot of the materials from that era just don't exist anymore.

IceColdDuke · 07-23-2007, 09:30 PM

Why dont you just make your own side-scrolling engine?

Ninja-Duck · 07-24-2007, 06:02 AM

Is it THAT easy then?

oak man · 07-24-2007, 07:42 AM

Yeah Dude, I'm working on a complex yet easy to use 2-D engine, with faked physics. I'd be more than happy to give you a copy of it when it's done!

IceColdDuke · 07-24-2007, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ninja-Duck

Is it THAT easy then?

yup if you know what your doing

.

hark · 07-24-2007, 04:48 PM

I made a side scrolling game engine but it's sort of limited and can get laggy (thanks to a high level language known as Turing) with bigger levels, plus the hit detection is off at times since I didn't think that part out properly, but it works. I suggest picking up a programming language if you're interested in that sort of thing since you get much more control over what goes on in your game.

oak man · 07-24-2007, 06:29 PM

Hit detection!? cool, I'm faking that in my engine, because I'm terrible at programming

doomjedi · 07-29-2007, 03:47 AM

Or you can make games with Game Maker engine

IceColdDuke · 07-29-2007, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doomjedi

Or you can make games with Game Maker engine

ah no, make it from scratch.

If you couldn't tell i dont like game maker

.

Shadow Master · 08-02-2007, 08:56 AM

Well, I'm writing one from scratch (C++, Allegro). You can see the code if you want (you certainly don't).

Dreams · 08-05-2007, 08:00 AM

I have written a sidescroller engine too, with physics, hit detection etc. But the code is horrible so i don't really want to opensource it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmJ_lXNPvx8

Strongsad · 08-05-2007, 07:07 PM

Dreams, the Vortiville video of Superland looks like a high resolution version of Commander Keen! It would be neat if you could import those graphics into Keen.

alexgk · 08-05-2007, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oak man

when it's done!

Here we go again!

Tomorrow I'll enter college (B.S. Computer Science and Technology). I hope to learn the basics of programming and create an engine and games of my own. Someday.

pr102076 · 08-06-2007, 04:33 AM

My operating system, ready 'when it's done'

will have such facilities (and decent ones too). In the meantime, if you are sticking to VGA programming, there was a neat little demo years back called Scroll written by Steve Eisner. See if you can find it. It was 100% asm, and easy to follow.

Shadow Master · 08-06-2007, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strongsad

Dreams, the Vortiville video of Superland looks like a high resolution version of Commander Keen! It would be neat if you could import those graphics into Keen.

I pray for that you already know it's impossible without reducing their colour palletes or rewriting the Keen game engine.

Strongsad · 08-06-2007, 06:05 PM

Oh, I knew that! I was just daydreaming and thinking about what it would be like if Keen was like that.

Little Conqueror · 08-07-2007, 09:56 AM

I made a Keen 4-6-esque engine at one point. I didn't have pogo sticks or anything, but I did have springboards, grasping onto ledges, moving platforms, hit detection, fans that blew your character, and even swimming. It's not that terribly difficult.

retrojeff · 06-16-2008, 05:39 PM

Using the source code from crystal caves or secret agent would probably be more of a hindrance than a help since it's for dos, unless you actually wanted to write a game that targeted dos, in which case you'd be insane.

It's much easier to write a side scroller in portable C (no assembly) using libsdl (Windows, Linux Mac) http://libsdl.org or if you prefer a higher level language you could use python or something similar.

Here is a site that covers some of the theory for 2d games with code examples in C++, using libsdl http://lazyfoo.net/SDL_tutorials/index.php - browse through this to get an overview of how you need to think about various concepts.

If you can actually program then that's all you really need to write a side scroller, if you can't program then I suggest you get a decent book. If you're going for C, The C Programming Language, Second edition by K&R is the canonical book for programming in C. If you want to use C++, don't confuse it with C, they are two different languages, no analogies please. They have different specifications, different compilers, different tools, trying to group them together only confuses beginners and novices.

Joe Siegler · 06-16-2008, 08:15 PM

We don't have the Secret Agent source. When we ran into the y2k bug we fixed in 2005, we looked for it. Couldn't find it. We have the code for Crystal Caves, but it uses some pre-compiled libraries, so I don't think we can legally release it for that reason.

ryche · 06-16-2008, 08:25 PM

Wow dang a 14 year old game patched lol...that's service!

(yes I know that's like 3 years ago....but I forgot!)

07-23-2007, 02:28 PM	#2
Joe Siegler 3D Realms Staff	Re: Old Engines There are no plans to do what you wish. __________________ Apogee / 3D Realms Employee: Dec 14, 1992 - May 22, 2009, Oct 23, 2014 - current "Lifting up the Cross to the waiting lost" - Petra \| John 3:16

07-23-2007, 03:05 PM	#4
Joe Siegler 3D Realms Staff	Re: Old Engines Both. No plans for more Crystal Caves or Secret Agent. And no plans to do anything with the source code - assuming we could find them in the first place. A lot of the materials from that era just don't exist anymore. __________________ Apogee / 3D Realms Employee: Dec 14, 1992 - May 22, 2009, Oct 23, 2014 - current "Lifting up the Cross to the waiting lost" - Petra \| John 3:16

06-16-2008, 08:15 PM	#22
Joe Siegler 3D Realms Staff	Re: Old Engines We don't have the Secret Agent source. When we ran into the y2k bug we fixed in 2005, we looked for it. Couldn't find it. We have the code for Crystal Caves, but it uses some pre-compiled libraries, so I don't think we can legally release it for that reason. __________________ Apogee / 3D Realms Employee: Dec 14, 1992 - May 22, 2009, Oct 23, 2014 - current "Lifting up the Cross to the waiting lost" - Petra \| John 3:16

07-23-2007, 02:20 PM	#1
Ninja-Duck	Old Engines Aha! Finally I get access to the forum! Anyway. I have sent a "Message" to the ppl on the main site about this but haven't received an answer, so I'm putting it here in hope that someone will stop by and help me. All I'd like is a copy of the engine used to make Secret Agent. Maybe Crystal Caves as well. I'd like to make my own fangames, you see. That's all. Just make them and play them. Make some more... well, exciting/difficult Secret Agent levels. Yes, I completed all three episodes. Eventually. When I was 11. And the first episode of Crystal Caves, recently. I'm the only kid in my school who still plays DOS games. So yes, any sort of answer, preferably a positive or helpful one, would be appreciated very much. Thanks!

07-23-2007, 02:30 PM	#3
Ninja-Duck	Re: Old Engines No plans to make more games... or no plans to give me a copy of the engine? Edit: If not, I'll just rip the Engine out of your vault using my FBI connections. (Note the nonsensical humour.) Last edited by Ninja-Duck; 07-23-2007 at 02:39 PM.

07-23-2007, 09:30 PM	#5
IceColdDuke	Re: Old Engines Why dont you just make your own side-scrolling engine?

07-24-2007, 06:02 AM	#6
Ninja-Duck	Re: Old Engines Is it THAT easy then?

07-24-2007, 07:42 AM	#7
oak man	Re: Old Engines Yeah Dude, I'm working on a complex yet easy to use 2-D engine, with faked physics. I'd be more than happy to give you a copy of it when it's done! __________________ "I hereby nominate 'DUDE!! Huge bag of cheetos!' for 'Best Topic Title of the Year, 2006.'"-ZzTX "I vote oak man for supreme leader of the 3DR boards."-Tang Lung >>My flickr page<<

07-24-2007, 04:48 PM	#9
hark	Re: Old Engines I made a side scrolling game engine but it's sort of limited and can get laggy (thanks to a high level language known as Turing) with bigger levels, plus the hit detection is off at times since I didn't think that part out properly, but it works. I suggest picking up a programming language if you're interested in that sort of thing since you get much more control over what goes on in your game.

07-24-2007, 06:29 PM	#10
oak man	Re: Old Engines Hit detection!? cool, I'm faking that in my engine, because I'm terrible at programming __________________ "I hereby nominate 'DUDE!! Huge bag of cheetos!' for 'Best Topic Title of the Year, 2006.'"-ZzTX "I vote oak man for supreme leader of the 3DR boards."-Tang Lung >>My flickr page<<

07-29-2007, 03:47 AM	#11
doomjedi	Re: Old Engines Or you can make games with Game Maker engine __________________ If it moves - it's a frag, gib it!

08-02-2007, 08:56 AM	#13
Shadow Master	Re: Old Engines Well, I'm writing one from scratch (C++, Allegro). You can see the code if you want (you certainly don't). __________________ You're master of no shadows! -- Steve Duke Nukem Forever! [My website \| Public Commander Keen Forum \| The Commander Keen Wiki]

08-05-2007, 08:00 AM	#14
Dreams	Re: Old Engines I have written a sidescroller engine too, with physics, hit detection etc. But the code is horrible so i don't really want to opensource it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmJ_lXNPvx8 __________________ Do you love dos games?

08-05-2007, 07:07 PM	#15
Strongsad	Re: Old Engines Dreams, the Vortiville video of Superland looks like a high resolution version of Commander Keen! It would be neat if you could import those graphics into Keen. __________________ Hocus Pocus is so awesome, it hurts.

08-06-2007, 04:33 AM	#17
pr102076	Re: Old Engines My operating system, ready 'when it's done' will have such facilities (and decent ones too). In the meantime, if you are sticking to VGA programming, there was a neat little demo years back called Scroll written by Steve Eisner. See if you can find it. It was 100% asm, and easy to follow.

08-06-2007, 06:05 PM	#19
Strongsad	Re: Old Engines Oh, I knew that! I was just daydreaming and thinking about what it would be like if Keen was like that. __________________ Hocus Pocus is so awesome, it hurts.

08-07-2007, 09:56 AM	#20
Little Conqueror	Re: Old Engines I made a Keen 4-6-esque engine at one point. I didn't have pogo sticks or anything, but I did have springboards, grasping onto ledges, moving platforms, hit detection, fans that blew your character, and even swimming. It's not that terribly difficult. __________________ If wishes were fishes, we'd smell like ladies' underwear. "If you join the good fight, you get 72 domain names when you die." -- Wamplet

06-16-2008, 05:39 PM	#21
retrojeff	Re: Old Engines Using the source code from crystal caves or secret agent would probably be more of a hindrance than a help since it's for dos, unless you actually wanted to write a game that targeted dos, in which case you'd be insane. It's much easier to write a side scroller in portable C (no assembly) using libsdl (Windows, Linux Mac) http://libsdl.org or if you prefer a higher level language you could use python or something similar. Here is a site that covers some of the theory for 2d games with code examples in C++, using libsdl http://lazyfoo.net/SDL_tutorials/index.php - browse through this to get an overview of how you need to think about various concepts. If you can actually program then that's all you really need to write a side scroller, if you can't program then I suggest you get a decent book. If you're going for C, The C Programming Language, Second edition by K&R is the canonical book for programming in C. If you want to use C++, don't confuse it with C, they are two different languages, no analogies please. They have different specifications, different compilers, different tools, trying to group them together only confuses beginners and novices.

06-16-2008, 08:25 PM	#23
ryche	Re: Old Engines Wow dang a 14 year old game patched lol...that's service! (yes I know that's like 3 years ago....but I forgot!) __________________ {<- machines have no conscience ->} {<- “Shoot him!” They say, Who will be the killer? Who will be the winner? ->}