itch.io

Rats, I didn't make the connection between that rule and art assets. It makes sense though! Honestly I wouldn't really mind this being moved to the Tools and Toys category (it's not quite a game in its current state anyway). I'm happy to update the entry with custom sprites if it can make the physical release.

I plan to upload another version before the deadline. If you can pick any version is most recent before 2:59am that works for me.

Oh thanks for the heads up! I'll try and fix that before the deadline.

Submitted as https://blackbirddev.itch.io/mariokart86

Mindbleach, thanks for the great suggestion. I tested out variable tile speeds today and I think a  time trial is the way to go to make it a proper game. Plus I can focus on  focus on polishing the core driving mechanics, like collision/sliding. After staring at the "graphics" part for so long working on game mechanics will be a relief :)

Without more tracks you can still go forward or backward

I never thought about reflecting or reversing the track lookup table. That should be straightforward to try!

I hoped to have enough time to submit this as a "game" but it is still very much in the "toy" category. I'll see how far I can get by the deadline.

This is what I'll be submitting for the competition, a "Kart Racer" game for the NES. To meet the constraints of the competition, this demo uses only 64kb PRG and CHR RAM. I also designed it to meet the constraints of a "GNROM" configuration, with no IRQ counter required. The first GNROM game was released in the US and Japan in 1986—so instead of releasing Gumshoe stateside, you can picture if Nintendo had released their first kart racing game that year instead.

While the demo's pretty rough, and there's a long TODO list remaining, here's some ideas I was kicking around:

• The submission demo will only have one map (+ 16kb dedicated to lookup tables and 32kb to rendering and game logic). Each new map after takes an additional 16kb. This means twelve or more levels would fit in a 256kb rom.
• By halving the vertical resolution of the road, you can feasibly support two player mode.
• Current FPS is 7.5. 10 FPS is achievable, which sells the effect much better.

Next steps for the game overall:

• Fix rendering near the horizon. The lookup tables exist, I just need to add routines to draw it. (In this video those lines are in dark grey.)
• Likewise, render a solid map out-of-bounds color instead of rendering garbage.
• Switch to a ring buffer for PPU updates, try and hit 10 FPS.
• Add fixed objects on map, like other players, pipes, etc.
• Make mountains and minimap smooth scroll.
• Make current tile position influence player acceleration, rather than moving with fixed velocity.
• Add enemy racers, add multiple angles of sprites for each player.
• Add main menu, music, and character select screen.

After I fix some of the urgent issues I'll share the ROM and submit it.