itch.io

Hey sorry for the late reply. As far as I can tell it works perfectly with a keyboard, but the controller tends to be a bit unresponsive when trying to turn.

I use a controller wired to my laptop. I'll try it with a keyboard too later.

The game works just fine, however yeah the controls do seem quite a bit laggy and unresponsive.

Linux-x64 for sure. The ARM ones are only if you're interested in supporting single board computers, such as the Raspberry Pi.

I understand what you're saying. In this hypothetical scenario, a lot of the playable characters would need to be cut  out entirely, and focus would need to be shifted back to characters that would play like the standard Mario Bros (in this case, Steamboat Mickey and Minnie) . Enemies would indeed have to be altered as well, notably any goombas, koopas, boos, bob-ombs and anything else that's directly affiliated with Nintendo. However, they can still remain the same so far as they can still be "angry mushrooms" and "turtles". They just need their notable features changed enough as to where they are no longer "goombas" and "koopas". This can be as simple as giving the goombas a different face with different colored shoes, the koopas could have their shells turned into metallic armor, and the boos could be turned into any average cartoon ghost.

In terms of environments, World 1 could just be renamed to "Mushroom Land", and be modified just slightly so that it's not recognisable as coming directly from Nintendo. They certainly don't own the idea of a kingdom with giant mushrooms, right?. Just as they don't own the idea of a colorful desert, iceworld, etc. There is more flexibility here than you realise. Not much would have to be changed to avoid legal issues. Some of the other worlds may need more or less tinkering, to be sure.

Hunting for replacement music could be challenging, but I think it can be done given some time. I could even look for some, if such a task was undertaken. For sprites, I think commissioning a sprite artist for custom assets would be necessary for sure, and that is something else I may be willing to do also. To my recollection, there aren't many useable sprites for the Steamboat characters which is fair enough.  I know you're probably thinking "what's the point?", but I feel there is an opportunity to make MKF legally distinct and allow for the team to monetise what they've made, whether by accepting patreon donations or even making this an original game that can be sold on a platform like Steam or Itch.io.  Or even just to continue offering the game without fear of any kind. At this point, you're only benefiting a company that could strike you down at any moment. As enthusiastic as we are about the Nintendo brand and it's characters, they've only proven time and again that they will not tolerate even the slightest bit of fan-made media. 

I understand. At the very least, perhaps he could be considered as a possible back-up plan in case Nintendo decides to flex it's muscles once again?. A legal version of MKF only containing popular public domain characters and scenarios would be interesting, so far as the MKF team would be willing to continue on afterwards. It would be a way of ensuring that the team's work won't ever go to waste, and it would open the door to monetisation as well.

I could see Steamboat Mickey and Minnie taking over for Mario and Luigi, Steamboat Pete could be Wario, and the various worlds could be transformed (via palette swaps) into something else. Just on the top of my head, the Hell world could use Freedoom assets instead of Doom ones. Many sprites and backgrounds would have to be edited here and there to make them legally distinct of course, but if the project were to reach the 1.0 stage a lot of the stuff would have already been made, so the bulk of the work would already be done. The game could ultimately take the form of a pastiche of retro gaming and entertainment, rather than explicitly featuring such characters and scenarios. These are just my two cents, of course.

Now that "Steamboat Willie" is in the public domain, I think it's time to include a certain mouse and his girlfriend into Super Tux Kart!. 

As the original versions of Mickey Mouse finally entered the public domain, he and the other characters depicted in the "Steamboat Willie" short are now available to be used for any purpose, both commercial and non-commercial, without worrying about any strikes or legal issues. Since this is the case, perhaps he can be included as a character in Mushroom Kingdom Fusion?. He's not synonymous with video games, but he has been in a number of them. Sega's Illusion series, Kingdom Hearts, and especially "Mickey Mania" which features a Steamboat Willie level. I think it would be cool to play as a character that isn't tied to any one company any more, and without fear of being taken down (unlike Nintendo's IPs)

The only caveat is: he can only be in black and white, and for now it's best to refrain from referring to him as "Mickey Mouse". Until further shorts enter the public domain in the coming years.

Tons no doubt. It was a long time coming, and would've happened a full 25 years earlier if Disney didn't lobby for a copyright term extension under false pretenses. I think a great thing for game developers is the possibility of using him as a Mario replacement, especially for fan projects that no longer have to be "fan projects" because of this. They can be legally distinct now while still having an appealing and recognisable mascot character.

Hey, perhaps you could give this game a "Steamboat Willie"makeover?. The original Mickey and Minnie Mouse are now public domain and can be used for any purpose, including to make money!. So long as they remain recognizeable as being from that original short, and not any future version. So they can't be in color, and they can't be voiced. 

I understand you're trying to defend your choice, but even a GTX  760  can run modern games that look better than Golden Souls 3 at around the same or even higher framerates.  And those games also use bloated engines, no less. It's just that GZDoom has gotten so poor, it slows things down to a crawl, and the visual fidelity does not justify the added performance burden. You should not look at this with pride, it actively harms the enjoyability of your game and it means less people can play it. 

Just take a look at this benchmark video for the GTX 760 in 2020. Even years after it's sell-by date, it can still play a lot of the newer titles at around the same speed as Golden Souls 3. But look at the difference in visual quality. 

For a time GZDoom was uncontested, but for years now the developers have made it worse and worse and they show no signs of changing course. You do not find it disconcerting that Golden Souls 3 can run slower than 60fps?, on hardware released 20+ years after Doom's original launch?. The GTX 760 may be 10 years old, but it's still a lot newer than Doom itself, which ran on an Intel 486 with a few megabytes of ram. Golden Souls 3 shouldn't be so demanding, but it is. 

I have been playing an MBF21 wad called "Ad Mortem", and it does a great job of providing a more custom experience while being playable on better engines, at far more than 60fps. I believe you can do a Golden Souls game that targets that specification as opposed to ZDoom, and still allow it to stand apart and show your talents as a game designer. Even if it's a one or two level demo, it would be cool to see!. 

Will there be an MBF21 version?. You really shouldn't need a GTX 760 'at minimum' to play Doom, regardless of how much more ambitious this mod is. I blame GZDoom for this, and an MBF21 version would allow for all the custom assets you'd want while making it playable on other, better source ports that are much less bloated. I hope you will consider this, if not for Golden Souls 3 then at least for a future mod or a re-release of the prior Golden Soul games.

No Nintendo PC port is complete without people autistically screeching about ceases and desistisesses. Worst case, I think the developer can play around with the assets and turn Link's Awakening into something more legally distinct. Perhaps swap the characters with ones from Arthurian legend, while keeping most of the map design and story intact. Just a thought I suppose.

Either that or simply ask for players to supply their own Link's Awakening roms, which is what other PC ports do and why they cannot be taken down.

This looks absolutely incredible, but I must say it's a shame that it's exclusive to Windows. I would strongly recommend a native Linux version in the future, particularly with an Appimage binary for cross-distro compatibility and general ease of use!.

This plays very well on Linux! (Fedora 39). But would it be too much to request a more 1:1 recreation of the original arcade game, as well as one for "Pac-Land" and "Cosmo Gang" (1992)?.

Fedora Silverblue.

I cannot get past the title screen on Linux.

I also like how the doors open instantly too, no waiting around for a few seconds lol. in my opinion these ports are more interesting than original titles. There is no shortage of original homebrews for these old Comoodores, but few ports/remakes.  Most "original" titles fail to do anything truly unique anyway, and just copy off of what is already known and popular. Like how many indie "Metroidvanias" and "roguelikes" are being produced every month.

I find it more admirable to restore games that few have heard of, but could use another chance at life. Games such as Cosmo Gang, or underrated X68000 titles like "Red Riding Hood Chacha" that barely anyone has even heard of, but offers something memorable and unique.  It it also interesting to see how far these old systems can be pushed. There never was a true Castlevania for the Amiga, but here you are making it happen!. That is more "original" to me than seeing Joe Shmoe's version of Metroid for the millionth time. These are just my thoughts, anyway.

Hmm I will say that it was difficult for me to find Pac-Mazing in the first place. I was trying to find perfect ports of Pac-Mania for my PC for a week and a half or so, and it wasn't until two days ago when I finally discovered this game. I think if knowledge of this game spreads more, you will have more people download as well as donate to you. Us Linux gamers are also very passionate, we tend to highlight and promote native versions of games all the time.

This is more fun to play than the original versions!. Very excited for the final build. If possible, I would also like to request a homebrew version of "Cosmo Gang" (1992). A very under appreciated Galaga game by Namco, which only got a Super Nintendo version in Japan.

I would like to request a homebrew version of Cosmo Gang (1992). A great version of Galaga by Namco, which only received a Super Nintendo port in Japan.

As well as Mario Bros (1983, Arcade) and Cosmo Gang (1992, Arcade). These three games are among the best ever in my opinion!.

This looks stunning!. I would like to ask for a native Linux release as well, perhaps with an Appimage binary/executable?. I would also like to suggest doing something similar to the amazing Pac Man Arrangement game (1996).

I would like to request an Appimage version for Linux.

Will the main game be sold on Itch.io in the future?. I would also like to request a native Linux binary as well, perhaps in the Appimage format for ease-of-use and cross distribution compatibility.

Would love to see your interpretation of other arcade classics like Rally-X, Mappy, and perhaps even the mighty Pac-Man Arrangement. This is an A+ game, and you get two big thumbs up from me for including native Linux binaries.

Please sell the full version on Itch.io as well!. And perhaps include an Appimage binary for us Linux gamers too

I did end up trying this on my Shield TV, and it plays great!. But I suppose an issue is that the touch screen controls still appear on screen even if you're using a controller.

I'd love to see your take on other Namco classics, like Mappy, Galaga and Rally-X, based on their Arrangement versions. Even if none of those ever got mobile ports...

I hope to see a native Linux version of this game, with an Appimage binary for ease-of-use and cross-distribution compatibility!.

Native linux version with an Appimage binary?.

Hope to see the full version of this game as well as Antonblast released on Linux as an appimage binary.

I would love to see a version of the classic 1983 Mario Bros Arcade. But with the QOL option of muting the footstep sound effects, and perhaps a more modern control scheme similar to the one we had on the NES in Europe. Your work is outstanding regardless, mate!.

Hope to see this completed one day. With an Appimage release for Linux too!.

Big ups for offering an Appimage version of this!. Any chance we might see an SDL3 version of Mario Bros (1983)?.

This game looks fun!. Is there a chance the full game will release on Itch.io or GOG as well?. As popular as Steam is, I can't really support it in good faith. I also feel an Appimage release for the Linux version would do wonders for cross-distro compatibility and long-term playability.

Any chance of the Golden Souls series getting more vanilla-friendly versions in the future?. These are fine games, but I hate the GZDoom engine. It's incredibly bloated and way too hardware intensive. This game chugs despite running on a laptop with an Intel 13th gen i9 and an RTX 4070. Remember the "KISS" philosophy: "Keep It Simple, Stupid"

Does this game use a software renderer?.

There is a custom version of the Quake engine, known as "Retroquad", that has a completely new software renderer. The author states that it can be used to create original games, and is GPL licensed. Check it out!. 

https://www.moddb.com/engines/retroquad/downloads/retroquad-0100-public-release

https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?t=84730

Yes, OpenGL adds complexity. Often unneeded, especially for games that are striving for simpler visuals. Like getting a three bedroom house for only one person. It hugely increases the complexity of the whole rendering system, we have to have a special API and drivers for communication with the GPU, and we have to upload data (3D models, textures, etc) to the GPU before we want to render them. Debugging gets a lot more difficult too.

GPUs may be faster, but they come with a cost. Both in price and on the programming side. CPUs have come so far that I can play games like Quake, Quake II and the original Half-Life with ease on my Intel. If the goal is realistic visuals with complex rendering techniques, then yes OpenGL/Vulkan is needed. But for retro-styled games?, not at all. If the goal is to keep the game code as lean and as portable as possible, then software rendering is the path forward. You can code games in pure C, and do whatever you want with it.