The good thing about setting up this computer is that it gives me time to think - I've pretty much automated the task of importing ADF's from the PC and unpacking them to virutal floppies - and copying directories full of files are now just a drag 'n drop from my PC. This gives me plenty of time to think about stuff, like where I've gone astray in the past.
Idea's are a dime a dozen for me - I literally have notebooks full of them. Getting them to completion has been the problem.
Some ideas are too big, you get lost in the 'big picture' when you start planning it - or when you actually work on it there is never an end in sight.
Sometimes there's no 'end' to reach - I programmed a MUD for nearly 4 years, there was always just 'one more idea' to put in before I run it.
The project that's too ambitious - you get bogged down in too many problems to solve and eventually give up.
Starting from scratch there are a lot of problems to solve - a lot of things to set up - that will be used again in future projects. So best to do them as well as I can the first time and work on something that will be interesting and challenging, but at the same time introduce the least amount of 'new problems' to the mix.
To this end I've decided to start with the last project I had on the Amiga 11 years ago - a variation on 'Moon Patrol' called EVA. I no longer have any of my original code, or graphics, but I had already solved many of the problems before I sold up and moved to the US.
It's going to be a simple one directional scrolling game.
- Only one direction to worry about, but it will be parallax and variable speed.
-To simplify scrolling and collision detection I'll be using dual playfields - which on the OCS chipset I currently have will be 8 colors in the foreground and 8 in the background.
- I'll be making a very simple mapping system to plot rocks, craters, and aliens. A very simple path system for aliens to follow. And a simple 'set and forget' animation system for objects (since each object will follow a looped animation that won't change).
The main object of this game will be the basics - setting up a system friendly coding environment that's compatible with as many Amigas as possible - basic screen manipulation routines - basic blitter routines - and simple joystick input.
To this end I'll be giving myself a 1 year deadline to finish EVA. It sounds doable. So, time to start coding.
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