Jump to content

Photo

NES Maker


  • Please log in to reply
17 replies to this topic

#1 Ezka

Ezka

    Newbie

  • Members

Posted 15 January 2018 - 06:42 PM

I stumbled upon a really cool Kickstarter and thought some fellow retro enthusiasts such as myself might be interested in this. This is a game engine that can be used to create your own NES games.

So far it has raised enough for its first goal but It has stretch goals that can unlock different game modules for easier making of different game genres such as RPG, Brawler, and shooter.

I dont have any correlation with this Kickstarter but I thought some people here might appreciate this new engine

https://www.kickstar...d?ref=discovery
  • Anthus likes this

#2 Anthus

Anthus

    Lord of Liquids

  • Members
  • Location:Ohio

Posted 15 January 2018 - 07:48 PM

This look really cool, but I see some potential problems. Firstly, I don't think they are allowed to call it "NES Maker". I could be wrong, but it just seems like something Nintendo would be against. Secondly, it doesn't seem like there is any way to monetize your creations, so the prospect of spending money to make stuff you can't sell might put some off.

 

I'll be keeping an eye on this, and hoping it doesn't get C&D'd. Even if you can't sell the games, it would still be fun to be able to make stuff. 



#3 Russ

Russ

    Caelan, the Encouraging

  • Administrators
  • Location:Washington

Posted 15 January 2018 - 08:26 PM

Perhaps I'm too cynical, but I don't see the point. RPG maker exists for making RPG games. Gamemaker exists for platformers and adventure games. ZC also exists for adventure games. Numerous platforms exist for shooters. And this is without even getting into rom hacking.

Really, it doesn't seem like there's a whole lot you can do with this that other programs don't already exist for. :shrug:

#4 Koh

Koh

    Tamer Koh

  • Members
  • Real Name:Dominic
  • Location:Monsbaiya, Virginia

Posted 15 January 2018 - 09:26 PM

Game Maker, Unity, Unreal Engine 4, these tools already exist to help you make any type of game you want.  This one would just be another stepping stone to the big leagues I suppose.  Couldn't hurt, but it does seem a tad redundant at this point.


Edited by Koh, 15 January 2018 - 09:27 PM.


#5 Cukeman

Cukeman

    "Tra la la, look for Sahasrahla. ... ... ..."

  • Banned
  • Location:Hyrule/USA

Posted 15 January 2018 - 11:10 PM

I'd like to try it. I would like to work in an engine that forces NES graphics restrictions, which ZC doesn't.



#6 NoeL

NoeL

    Legend

  • Members
  • Real Name:Jerram

Posted 16 January 2018 - 12:20 AM

RPG maker exists for making RPG games. Gamemaker exists for platformers and adventure games. ZC also exists for adventure games.

 

Game Maker, Unity, Unreal Engine 4, these tools already exist to help you make any type of game you want.

 

Yet none of those programs allow you to create software that runs on NES hardware. That's the "gimmick" of NESmaker - your games can be written to a cartridge and played on an actual NES. For that alone I'd say this has a niche in the marketplace.

 

Secondly, it doesn't seem like there is any way to monetize your creations, so the prospect of spending money to make stuff you can't sell might put some off.

 

Where did you see that? I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to sell your games, unless the NESmaker license forbids it.


  • Anthus likes this

#7 Anthus

Anthus

    Lord of Liquids

  • Members
  • Location:Ohio

Posted 16 January 2018 - 12:31 AM



Where did you see that? I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to sell your games, unless the NESmaker license forbids it.

 

It doesn't seem to mention anything about monetization on their page, but I just kind of figured since it is a physical medium based off of existing tech, there might be issues with selling stuff you made with it. Remember when Nintendo sued TenGen (secretly Atari), and Wisdom Tree for making unlicensed NES games? :P Granted, this is 30 years later, but knowing the big N, they'll probably jump on this as soon as they learn about it. :(

 

I think this is a really great thing, but I just worry about these guys getting in trouble, and/ or not making money cause of niche market, and whatnot. And yeah, as others have said, there are other game making suites, but this one caters to a very specific niche; of which I'm a part of. Just don't wanna pay for it if I can get C&D's, or not sell my games. The fact that they make no mention of it makes me a bit wary.



#8 Nicholas Steel

Nicholas Steel

    Hero of Time

  • Members
  • Location:Australia

Posted 16 January 2018 - 05:31 AM

Secondly, it doesn't seem like there is any way to monetize your creations, so the prospect of spending money to make stuff you can't sell might put some off.

That's literally what happens in Mario Maker and millions of people bought it.


Edited by Nicholas Steel, 16 January 2018 - 05:31 AM.


#9 Anthus

Anthus

    Lord of Liquids

  • Members
  • Location:Ohio

Posted 16 January 2018 - 03:06 PM

That's literally what happens in Mario Maker and millions of people bought it.

 

You know, that crossed my mind too. The difference is Mario Maker was a licensed game for a system, and only cost 60$ new. It let you share your levels with other people over a free network. This thing, however, according to their page can cost up to 200$+ and is using something that very closely resembles a company's existing tech. Just imagine how mad people might be if they bought this thing, only to have Nintendo come along, and shut it down. "Thanks for all your support, but Nintendo has sent us a C&D so we're going offline. Thanks."



#10 Saffith

Saffith

    IPv7 user

  • ZC Developers

Posted 16 January 2018 - 03:44 PM

The only thing Nintendo can really object to is the name. They own the rights to the name and image of the NES itself, but they don't have any sort of ownership over the creation of NES games.

#11 Jamian

Jamian

    ZC enthusiast

  • Members

Posted 16 January 2018 - 06:46 PM

Perhaps I'm too cynical, but I don't see the point. RPG maker exists for making RPG games. Gamemaker exists for platformers and adventure games. ZC also exists for adventure games. Numerous platforms exist for shooters. And this is without even getting into rom hacking.

Really, it doesn't seem like there's a whole lot you can do with this that other programs don't already exist for. :shrug:

 

I think it'd really boil down (for me, at least) to how easy it is to create games with their program. ZC, for example, allows us to create Zelda-like games way more easily than if you had to learn rom hacking or create your own game from scratch. If you have the time and programming knowledge to create your own game, you could also make a point that ZC doesn't do anything that other programs can't do.

 

Programs like Unity, etc. give you a lot of freedom and tons of possibilities, but there's a steep learning curve and a huge time investment that come along with it. Sometimes limiting what you can do with a program is a good thing. Another example: there were tools to create custom Mario games before Mario Maker, but Mario Maker, thanks to its self-imposed limitations, made it much easier and more accessible.

 

So IMO, this could either be a dud or something amazing, depending on how they implemented it.



#12 NoeL

NoeL

    Legend

  • Members
  • Real Name:Jerram

Posted 16 January 2018 - 06:48 PM

It doesn't seem to mention anything about monetization on their page, but I just kind of figured since it is a physical medium based off of existing tech, there might be issues with selling stuff you made with it. Remember when Nintendo sued TenGen (secretly Atari), and Wisdom Tree for making unlicensed NES games? :P Granted, this is 30 years later, but knowing the big N, they'll probably jump on this as soon as they learn about it. :(

They sued Tengen for copyright/patent infringement because they copied the NES lockout chip. I'm not sure what kind of hardware is in the NESmaker carts, but if it's reverse-engineered rather than copied (and at this point I would assume that's the case) there's no problem. Even if there was some way for Nintendo to C&D the carts (which, if they were going to they already would have), you could still sell the ROM... again, as long as the NESmaker license permits it (and I would assume it does, but I'd check before purchasing).


Edited by NoeL, 16 January 2018 - 06:50 PM.


#13 Anthus

Anthus

    Lord of Liquids

  • Members
  • Location:Ohio

Posted 16 January 2018 - 09:43 PM

Well, yeah there's that. You can't copyright claim an entire programming language. xD

 

I was watching their FAQ video on the kickstarter page, hoping someone would ask if you can sell the games made with it. No one did, so I went ahead and asked. If they reply, I'll post it here, cause that is really the only thing that is making me not back this right now.

 

The FAQ video has some other interesting technical stuff about the engine, and various modules and stuff. 

 

 

Things worth noting so far, imo: No music support, yet. No Mac or Linux support yet. Currently, does not support screen scrolling. That's a big one, but the platform module will support it if the goal is reached. Games can be played on any emulator which supports the Mapper 30 chip, which this uses. Must use emulator to test, if you want animations if you don't have the cart (and NES). Replacement carts can be bought from a 3rd party (link). Allows users to write their own ASM for some things, if they want to. Engine interface is hard-coded though. They actually said, "if you are doing that, then go make your own engine, it will probably be great". They are very clear that this is targeted at hobbiest game makers, with little to no coding knowledge. I can dig it.

 

I wonder if this tool could be reverse engineered, and used to dump NES carts, and essentially edit existing games.. Hm, I could finally remove lives from Zelda 2!

 

edit: And I have that NES controller shirt too.



#14 NoeL

NoeL

    Legend

  • Members
  • Real Name:Jerram

Posted 16 January 2018 - 10:50 PM


I wonder if this tool could be reverse engineered, and used to dump NES carts, and essentially edit existing games.. Hm, I could finally remove lives from Zelda 2!

Highly doubtful. I'm sure you could pull apart games written with the NESmaker engine, but it would be useless for games written with other engines (i.e. every single official NES game).



#15 Anthus

Anthus

    Lord of Liquids

  • Members
  • Location:Ohio

Posted 17 January 2018 - 12:55 AM

They replied. So, yeah, I'll be backing this. :)

 

 

Can we sell the games we make? And can Nintendo take any type of action against you guys for doing this? I'd hate to see this get taken down, because it is so awesome and you have worked really hard on it.

 

 

Hey friend!

 
1) yes - you can, provided it's an original game that you have created. We are not charging a license fee of any kind...once you have the software, you're good to go.
 
2) Should be fine...we're not trampling on any IPs. The hardware patents have expired (why there is so many clone systems out these days). Besides, we are licensed third party devs for Nintendo, so they're aware of us making NES games and have no problem. The only thing that might come under any contention is the name of the thing, but I don't think that would be an issue either.

  • Cukeman likes this


0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users