QJ.net Game Discussion - PSP, Xbox, Wii, PS3, PSP Homebrew, and PSP Guides

**Kagato** · 04-26-2006, 06:20 AM

Hi everyone!
Electris is my first program for the PSP (and actually, my first game release for any platform). I originally started it in Java a few years ago but never finished it; once I got access to homebrew on the PSP (thanks Fanjita and Ditlew!) it was an obvious first project for me

It's written in LUA, which I think is a great little platform -- the full rewrite has only taken about 2 weeks of spare time.

Electris is a puzzle game in the "falling block" genre.
The goal is to align the blocks to create closed circuits. As the circuits are closed, they are removed from the board. You have to be careful not to place blocks such that you can't close a circuit! However, large circuits will give you Eraser blocks so you can clean up mistakes. Keep an eye on the timer as well; if you take too long to make a circuit, a penalty row is added to the bottom of the screen.

The game is played with the PSP held vertically. In that orientation, the controls are:
- Left, Right: move block
- Up: rotate block
- Down: drop block

This project is being released under the umbrella of Pineapple Productions, a collective of friends with creative aspirations. Electris is our first public release. I'm having a bit of trouble with my domain registrar, so it's currently hosted at a temporary location. (Hopefully it'll have a more permanent home shortly.)

I think it's ready for an initial public beta; all the basic features are in place. (I've already got plans for additional features and game modes for future releases.) If anyone has any feedback, suggestions or bug reports, please send them to me at kagato.pineapple@gmail.co m.

I'm also interested in getting some appropriate background music for the game. If anyone would like to donate a track, it would be greatly appreciated! (Any LuaPlayer-supported Tracker format is fine.) If I use it, you will of course get full credit.

More info, and the download, is currently available at:
http://morningstar-comic.com/electris/

Hope you like it!

Kagato

**iball®** · 04-26-2006, 06:24 AM

'Bout damn time something different came along.
The game looks great and appeals to the old-school electronics hacker in me.

04-26-2006, 06:32 AM

Nice, I like it.

**Glynnder** · 04-26-2006, 06:45 AM

big gratz to you mate!
Well done

**GWKYOU** · 04-26-2006, 06:47 AM

it looks very nice I am DL it right now

**Samstag** · 04-26-2006, 07:10 AM

Very nice! It looked so good I actually installed Lua on my PSP for the first time. I love the concept and it really comes across as a professional finished product. Excellent work.

The only room I see for improvement is in the redraw as blocks are moving. It looks like a black space is momentarily created where the block used to be before it gets refilled with the background color. After a few minutes of playing I was too busy to see it, though

**Psilocybeing** · 04-26-2006, 07:12 AM

Nice! A great little game

.

**Deanaw22** · 04-26-2006, 07:28 AM

Yeah it looks very nice

, im downloading it now

**muratcan** · 04-26-2006, 07:45 AM

nice very unique style you've got there! I like these kind of games!

**Gutya** · 04-26-2006, 08:28 AM

Very nice indeedy.

**Kagato** · 04-26-2006, 03:57 PM

Thanks everyone! I hope you enjoy it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samstag

The only room I see for improvement is in the redraw as blocks are moving. It looks like a black space is momentarily created where the block used to be before it gets refilled with the background color. After a few minutes of playing I was too busy to see it, though

I've noticed that there's some ghosting when blocks move too, but it's not (directly) related to sprite redrawing -- I'm doing a full-screen blit every frame. (I haven't done any optimisation yet.) Maybe I'm not managing the screen:flip quite right. But I suspect it might actually be something to do with the refresh rate on the PSP's LCD...

**Samstag** · 04-26-2006, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kagato

Thanks everyone! I hope you enjoy it.

I've noticed that there's some ghosting when blocks move too, but it's not (directly) related to sprite redrawing -- I'm doing a full-screen blit every frame. (I haven't done any optimisation yet.) Maybe I'm not managing the screen:flip quite right. But I suspect it might actually be something to do with the refresh rate on the PSP's LCD...

Yeah if you're redrawing the full screen it's probably the LCD. And like I said I really don't notice it anymore. The game really keeps me too busy to see it.

**El Diablo** · 04-26-2006, 10:01 PM

does this work with 2.6? if so i think im gonna get it just to see how much i suck at it =p good job with htis game its cool and original (at least i think)

**darkshadow88** · 04-26-2006, 10:24 PM

Very nice; the uniqueness of the game is refreshing.

**Kagato** · 04-26-2006, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by somewhatnoob

does this work with 2.6? if so i think im gonna get it just to see how much i suck at it =p good job with htis game its cool and original (at least i think)

Yes, it should work fine on 2.6. I'm stuck with a 2.01 unit myself, so anything I write will support 2.0+ for the forseeable future.

Tiboric · 04-27-2006, 02:04 AM

Great game Kagato,

is this really your first game?

i'm impressed, its better than alot of games that have been coming out.
(not that i dont love and apreciate every bit of homebrew)

two weeks rewrite...
time to learn lua, me thinks. (hello world)

[EDIT] my god this is addictive, cant stop playing it and playing it and playing it...

but i'm getting 'index.lua:109 image.load error loading image' when i press (X) for instructions(not that they are needed)
i've left them in the help folder, so i cant see why this could be causing an error.

.

**Kagato** · 04-27-2006, 04:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiboric

but i'm getting 'index.lua:109 image.load error loading image' when i press (X) for instructions(not that they are needed)
i've left them in the help folder, so i cant see why this could be causing an error.

Okay, that's the second report of this. I'll check the archive and make sure it's all correct...

EDIT: I've checked the archive and it all seems right for me.

Tiboric (and anyone else with this error), can you tell me what firmware and LUA versions you're using? Maybe there's an API difference that causes the problem.

**Moose** · 04-27-2006, 05:21 AM

First Game??

It's really good, and your telling me this is your first game, you must be kidding, this is more original than most games coming out (no offence to any dev's out there)!!! nice one.

600th POST WOOHOOO

Asuswild · 04-27-2006, 08:48 AM

Nice original tetris concept. One of the best 1st releases for a new psp scripter I've seen in a while. Keep up the good work.
A release w/ integrated lua would be a plus.
Hope to see more homebrew like this.

**llol_slim** · 04-27-2006, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kagato

Okay, that's the second report of this. I'll check the archive and make sure it's all correct...

EDIT: I've checked the archive and it all seems right for me.

Tiboric (and anyone else with this error), can you tell me what firmware and LUA versions you're using? Maybe there's an API difference that causes the problem.

I also get this problem.

Using PSP Firmware 1.5 and Lua 0.18

LLol_slim

04-26-2006, 06:20 AM	#1
Kagato Developer Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 7 Trader Feedback: 0	[Release] Electris 0.1 Beta Hi everyone! Electris is my first program for the PSP (and actually, my first game release for any platform). I originally started it in Java a few years ago but never finished it; once I got access to homebrew on the PSP (thanks Fanjita and Ditlew!) it was an obvious first project for me It's written in LUA, which I think is a great little platform -- the full rewrite has only taken about 2 weeks of spare time. Electris is a puzzle game in the "falling block" genre. The goal is to align the blocks to create closed circuits. As the circuits are closed, they are removed from the board. You have to be careful not to place blocks such that you can't close a circuit! However, large circuits will give you Eraser blocks so you can clean up mistakes. Keep an eye on the timer as well; if you take too long to make a circuit, a penalty row is added to the bottom of the screen. The game is played with the PSP held vertically. In that orientation, the controls are: - Left, Right: move block - Up: rotate block - Down: drop block This project is being released under the umbrella of Pineapple Productions, a collective of friends with creative aspirations. Electris is our first public release. I'm having a bit of trouble with my domain registrar, so it's currently hosted at a temporary location. (Hopefully it'll have a more permanent home shortly.) I think it's ready for an initial public beta; all the basic features are in place. (I've already got plans for additional features and game modes for future releases.) If anyone has any feedback, suggestions or bug reports, please send them to me at kagato.pineapple@gmail.co m. I'm also interested in getting some appropriate background music for the game. If anyone would like to donate a track, it would be greatly appreciated! (Any LuaPlayer-supported Tracker format is fine.) If I use it, you will of course get full credit. More info, and the download, is currently available at: http://morningstar-comic.com/electris/ Hope you like it! Kagato

04-26-2006, 06:24 AM	#2
iball® My Mood: Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Interstates Posts: 9,652 Trader Feedback: 0	'Bout damn time something different came along. The game looks great and appeals to the old-school electronics hacker in me. __________________ [spoiler=signature][center][img]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d75/iball2929/iballsig2fz.jpg[/img][/center] [size=-2][center][b][color=purple]Nintendo DS WFC codes[/b][/color][/center][/size][size=-2][center][b][color=green]Mario Kart DS: 180448 583615 (I-Ball)[/color] [color=blue]Animal Crossing: Town of Sampson 4853-9284-6519 (I-Ball)[/color] [color=red]Metroid Prime Hunters: 5025 8054 3555[/size][/center][/color][size=-2][center]-----------------[/center][center][color=blue]Homebrew authors! If your software is based upon GPL code then you MUST release the modified source code you created the same time you release the binaries![/b][/size][/color][/center] [size=-2][center][b]Supercard mini-SD w/2GB 150x Mini-SD card, SuperPass II, FlashMe v7 and an EFA Linker II GBA flashcart[/b][/center][/size][/spoiler]

04-26-2006, 06:47 AM	#5
GWKYOU Jesus loves me more. Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Illegal Abric Sites Posts: 1,549 Trader Feedback: 0	it looks very nice I am DL it right now __________________

04-26-2006, 07:12 AM	#7
Psilocybeing Mushroom Man Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: UK Posts: 318 Trader Feedback: 0	Nice! A great little game . __________________ [URL=http://www.othala.co.uk]Othala[/URL] [B]o[/B] [URL=http://www.entheogendefencefund.org.uk/]Save the shroom![/URL] [CENTER][URL=http://www.othala.co.uk/travellerBlog][IMG]http://www.othala.co.uk/graphics/travBanner.png[/IMG][/URL][/CENTER]

04-26-2006, 08:28 AM	#10
Gutya Gutya Gutya Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 2,398 Trader Feedback: 0	Very nice indeedy. __________________ D:

04-26-2006, 06:32 AM	#3
TheMarioKarters Guest Posts: n/a	Nice, I like it.

04-26-2006, 07:10 AM	#6
Samstag Developer Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 408 Trader Feedback: 0	Very nice! It looked so good I actually installed Lua on my PSP for the first time. I love the concept and it really comes across as a professional finished product. Excellent work. The only room I see for improvement is in the redraw as blocks are moving. It looks like a black space is momentarily created where the block used to be before it gets refilled with the background color. After a few minutes of playing I was too busy to see it, though

04-26-2006, 07:28 AM	#8
Deanaw22 Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Pluto Posts: 490 Trader Feedback: 0	Yeah it looks very nice , im downloading it now

04-26-2006, 07:45 AM	#9
muratcan Enter Custom Title Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 3,717 Trader Feedback: 0	nice very unique style you've got there! I like these kind of games!

04-26-2006, 10:01 PM	#13
El Diablo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Somewhere Posts: 3,625 Trader Feedback: 0	does this work with 2.6? if so i think im gonna get it just to see how much i suck at it =p good job with htis game its cool and original (at least i think) __________________ Veteran [CENTER][COLOR="Green"][FONT="Fixedsys"] PSN Name[/FONT][/COLOR]: Eldiabl1o[/CENTER] [center][QUOTE=gmansixfo]Since I have to reset my psp whenever i get out of an emulator. Can this damage my psp.[/QUOTE][/center]

04-26-2006, 10:24 PM	#14
darkshadow88 Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Michigan Posts: 104 Trader Feedback: 0	Very nice; the uniqueness of the game is refreshing. __________________ [QUOTE=Gutya]I think it's getting a bit stupid people posting 'I don't know' or 'I've never messed with that before', it's a waste of time. It's like buzzing in on a quizshow only to say 'I dunno...'.[/QUOTE]

04-27-2006, 02:04 AM	#16
Tiboric Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: second star to the right... Posts: 139 Trader Feedback: 0	Great game Kagato, is this really your first game? i'm impressed, its better than alot of games that have been coming out. (not that i dont love and apreciate every bit of homebrew) two weeks rewrite... time to learn lua, me thinks. (hello world) [EDIT] my god this is addictive, cant stop playing it and playing it and playing it... but i'm getting 'index.lua:109 image.load error loading image' when i press (X) for instructions(not that they are needed) i've left them in the help folder, so i cant see why this could be causing an error. . __________________ Last edited by Tiboric; 04-27-2006 at 03:43 AM..

04-27-2006, 05:21 AM	#18
Moose Enter Custom Title Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: National Front Disco Posts: 13,063 Trader Feedback: 0	First Game?? It's really good, and your telling me this is your first game, you must be kidding, this is more original than most games coming out (no offence to any dev's out there)!!! nice one. 600th POST WOOHOOO

04-27-2006, 08:48 AM	#19
Asuswild Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 24 Trader Feedback: 0	Nice original tetris concept. One of the best 1st releases for a new psp scripter I've seen in a while. Keep up the good work. A release w/ integrated lua would be a plus. Hope to see more homebrew like this.

QJ.net Game Discussion - PSP, Xbox, Wii, PS3, PSP Homebrew, and PSP Guides

[Release] Electris 0.1 Beta