Pete's QBASIC Site

"Text Map Game"</i> Competition!

The Challenge

Your challenge is to create a text-based game using only one "map" made entirely out of text. Your game must have a character (represented by the DOS smily face character) that you move around with the arrow keys. Everything else is up to you.

• <img src="/sections/express/issue3/lost2.gif" alt="Lost 2" width=320 height=200>
  
  (A screenshot of <i>Lost 2</i> by Groovy Concepts, a game using ASCII graphics and a smily face as your character.)

This challenge was inspired by one of my personal favorite QB games of all time, <a href="/sections/express/issue3/virtualp.bas">Virtual Pimp</a>. This game was made by Mike Kristopeit and Eric Boudreau, and uses a very simple text-based interface. It is a crime-based RPG, reminiscent of <i>Grand Theft Auto</i> and all those economy simulating games like <i>$$$ Wars</i>. It's got very addictive gameplay, and a lot of cool random events that keep things interesting. Your game doesn't have to be anything like this; the only thing it has to have in common is that you play as a smily face on a text-based map. Other games that have used text graphics in a similar style are: Jocke The Beast's <a href="http://jockethebeast.qbrpgs.com/darkwoods2.shtml">Dark Woods 2</a>, <a href="http://www.petesqbsite.com/reviews/asci ... html">Lost 2</a> by Groovy Concepts, <a href="http://www.petesqbsite.com/reviews/asci ... .G.U.E.</a> by Dunric.

Entries will be due on or before November 10th, 2004 at midnight, Eastern Standard Time. Results will be revealed in Issue #3 of <i>QB Express</i>, which will come out on or around November 15th.

Here is a complete listing of the rules for this competition:

• Rules
  
  *Your character must be the standard DOS smily face character. (CHR$(1), I believe.) He or she must be moved around with the four arrow keys.
  
  *Your game map / environment must be text-based, and consist of only one screen. No scrolling screens or walking into a "building" that is on another map.
  
  *Your map may adjust based on user input, but it can not change completely. For example, you can have your character pick up items, shoot bullets, interact with other characters that move around the map, open doors, push walls, etc. -- but you can't, for example, have your character push a switch and have everything on the map change. That would mean you're loading a second map.
  
  *Your game may be of any genre -- RPG, puzzle, shooter, strategy, dating game, etc.
  
  *Your graphics must be entirely text-based. Absolutely nothing but text. (You may use as much colored text as you want.)
  
  *You can use any screen mode you would like.
  
  *Entries are due no later than <b>November 10th, 2004 at midnight</b> Eastern Standard Time.

Send your entries to <a href="mailto:pberg1@gmail.com">pberg1@gmail.com</a>!

Good luck!

does it HAVE to have a map? Or can I enter the text-based war game that I am currently working on?

Here are some other examples of games that use a smily face on an ASCII map:


Dark Woods 2 by Jocke The Beast



Dark Woods 1 by Jocke The Beast



P.R.O.G.U.E. by Dunric



Wurmi (site)

Nathan1993 wrote:does it HAVE to have a map? Or can I enter the text-based war game that I am currently working on?

Your "map" can consist of just empty space if you'd like -- which would mean that you don't really have a "map". Basically, what I don't want is a scrolling "tile engine" type set-up, just with text. By my definition, your "map" consists of the static text "objects" that your character will move around in the game.

So, you can have no "map" per se, if you simply don't have static objects like walls, trees, buildings, etc. However, your smiley face character still has to move around the screen using the arrow keys. How this figures into the gameplay is up to you.

Here are a few more example screenshots:


QBasic: The RPG



Gamez by Neurolake Software







Crystal By SingSong



Capture the Flag by NeuroLake Software

Hmn.... maybe I'll enter this challenge If I have enough time that is... I've got exams next week Text mode isn't so hard, I'll probably come up with something crappy but it's better than nothing Anyway, I think if I can make N.N.S. in textmode, I can make this as well

How about a fighting game in ASCII using the smiley face as the characters' heads? That would be definately something I'd make.

Hey, quick question. I'm making a game that randomly creates a screen when you play with a village, a lake, trees, and such that will never move. Everything that's not these, though, is a random number that determines how many spaces you can move from that square in any direction. When you complete a 'level,' the numbers are going to be randomized but everything else will stay the same. I assume this will be fine, but I wanted to make sure so I'm not surprised when I enter it.

Cool!

Sounds fine to me...and I'm the judge.

Pete, I'm currently making a game. But I don't know if it's actually allowed (it would be nice if it was allowed, else my work would be for nothing ).

Anyway, it's not top-view but front-view. And the players have ascii characters that can move to some extent. In short, I'm making something like Schorched Earth in text mode. Am I allowed to do this? (I hope so ).

It looks (Scorched Earth) something like this:

Neo: Yep, sounds good to me. As long as your map is made entirely out of text, and you move your character using the arrow keys. It doesn't have to be a top-down game, and it doesn't have to be an adventure / RPG game. Nek mentioned making a text-based fighter, which would also qualify.

Oh well, nevermind that game of mine. I think it won't pass the requirements.
#1: No smiley faces as characters
#2: Players couldn't move (much)

Anyway, I'll just something else now (something simpler as well )

Hey Pete, you never answered my question.

Nek: Yes! A fighting game would qualify as long as you have only one "map" and you move the character with the arrow keys. For example, take a look at this game: http://www.petesqbsite.com/reviews/ascii/fight.html

That qualifies for this compo, and is pretty much what you had in mind.

So enter! We need participants... big time.

Is it still on? It's past your deadline. Have you extended the deadline? Sorry, I've been out of the loop for a few weeks.

Announcement:
This competition has been extended for another month!

I got only one entry by the initial deadline, so I have extended the competition until the December issue! So....get codin'!

Will there be a new competition in this issue?

Nope, I'm not gonna start a new compo, because I don't have enough time to organize and run two simultaneous competitions. I also don't want to swamp everybody with too many compos, especially considering that I only got three entries to the first competition, and only one so far for this one. There's not enough interest right now to make two compos successful.

BUT, here's an opportunity for anyone who is interested: I am looking for someone to run the QB Express competitions every month. Your job would be writing the rules, promoting the competition around the QB community, collecting entries, organizing the judging / personally choosing the winners and then writing up the results.

SO... if anyone wants to do this, I would gladly turn over the job!

I for one would rather say there doesn't seem to be enough time for those interested to submit their posts.....from what I read from the competition, People want to, but alot of people seem to be out of time .....but still...get coding people....you'll have to...to beat my submission when I make it .....

A month extension? Sweet! That means I can actually compete in it! I've only conceptualized my game but now perhaps I can actually make it. I'm also, naturally, going to compete in my own compo in December (Text Adventure Compo '04), but I'll certainly make time to code up my game for this one.