Homebrew Anyone interested in making GameBoy or GameBoyColor games?

[Advil Lavs]

So, it's spring break and I really wanna work on games again. I've worked on 3 games with some friends a few years back and it was a great experience. Here are the games if you wish to know.
If anyone is interested in making a game, I'd be happy to work with you.

 

[Advil Lavs]

I have absolutely no experience in game creation, nor the tools for it. But I can suggest a few ideas.
For example, a humorous Science-Fiction adventure game, with no “Game Over”, multiple story branches and multiple endings depending on the choices the player makes. Choices that could be answers to dialogues or actions/interactions with characters, scenery and objects.
Whatever the player's choices, the story always advances in one direction/branch or another, and the player can't get stuck.

That sounds pretty cool, even if a little complicated if the story gets long. If you want to, I can help you learn how to work with game engines, making a GameBoy game has gotten very easy because of GBStudio.

 

[Dawg19]

There's this dude named LumpyTouch that was able to make games small enough to fit on a GameBoy cartridge. But he usually only does pixel art, but he is damn good at it.

Lumpy Touch

I'm Lumpy, the pixelart guy! Please enjoy my nightmares.

www.youtube.com

 

[Advil Lavs]

There's this dude named LumpyTouch that was able to make games small enough to fit on a GameBoy cartridge. But he usually only does pixel art, but he is damn good at it.

Lumpy Touch

I'm Lumpy, the pixelart guy! Please enjoy my nightmares.

www.youtube.com

I know him but I don't think he would like to make a game with a random duded that DMed him.

 

[Dawg19]

That's fair. I mostly brought him up as a source of inspiration, whether to keep going, or to pull ideas from.

 

[MelonSlice]

I would love to do something like this I have been looking into it myself but I have never done it before I can only really do art stuff right now and have software for that. I do have gb studio downloaded and watched videos on it, but I would be willing to learn anything tbh!

 

[Advil Lavs]

I would love to do something like this I have been looking into it myself but I have never done it before I can only really do art stuff right now and have software for that. I do have gb studio downloaded and watched videos on it, but I would be willing to learn anything tbh!

If you want to, we can work together. I've been using GBStudio since I was 14 so I can do some cool stuff. If you want to, we can talk about this in DMs.

 

[happymasksalesman]

So, it's spring break and I really wanna work on games again. I've worked on 3 games with some friends a few years back and it was a great experience. Here are the games if you wish to know.
If anyone is interested in making a game, I'd be happy to work with you.

did you use code only OR specefic game engine? I know there is a game engine for gba but not for gc.
I actually have a old game I want to make and you know maybe I never could make it so I will give you the idea and all mechanics here.
The game's story about a great power break out. The whole city loose their power. Main character have to go to his home in darkness with a flashlight. The graphic look like shin megami tensei(persona) but this game isn't rpg. Character must use his flash light too act with monsters. Something like outlast. There are different monster like : tall man(reference is slender,scare from flashlight), pig man(mine character which is a kind of nightmare, he want to be ignored).
If you interested send me a massage.
As always :
I happy to do business.

 

[MelonSlice]

If you want to, we can work together. I've been using GBStudio since I was 14 so I can do some cool stuff. If you want to, we can talk about this in DMs.

Aye that sounds good to me :D

 

[Advil Lavs]

did you use code only OR specefic game engine? I know there is a game engine for gba but not for gc.
I actually have a old game I want to make and you know maybe I never could make it so I will give you the idea and all mechanics here.
The game's story about a great power break out. The whole city loose their power. Main character have to go to his home in darkness with a flashlight. The graphic look like shin megami tensei(persona) but this game isn't rpg. Character must use his flash light too act with monsters. Something like outlast. There are different monster like : tall man(reference is slender,scare from flashlight), pig man(mine character which is a kind of nightmare, he want to be ignored).
If you interested send me a massage.
As always :
I happy to do business.

Your game sounds pretty cool, and I did use GBStudio which lets you make Gameboy and GBC games. I was just asking if anyone else want to help because i can't finish anything on my own (not even because of a lack of knowledge, I just get bored and start working on something else).

 

[happymasksalesman]

Your game sounds pretty cool, and I did use GBStudio which lets you make Gameboy and GBC games. I was just asking if anyone else want to help because i can't finish anything on my own (not even because of a lack of knowledge, I just get bored and start working on something else).

I actually try to make it. The probelm was about graphics and engine.(didn't know anything about shin megami tensei yet). I even make a map and some NPCs. The problems are about map points,game world and how match the mechanics. I didn't know about GBstudio, I heard about butano for gba. In fact butano need c++ but I think it gives people more advantage.

 

[Advil Lavs]

I actually try to make it. The probelm was about graphics and engine.(didn't know anything about shin megami tensei yet). I even make a map and some NPCs. The problems are about map points,game world and how match the mechanics. I didn't know about GBstudio, I heard about butano for gba. In fact butano need c++ but I think it gives people more advantage.

You can manage your ressources better but GBStudio is way easier to work with, even a child can make a game if they know English. And you can execute custom code too so you're not restricted only to the building blocks.

 

[Shameless]

Iv been planing on making a gb/gbc game for a lil while to learn some harder languages, but im saving that for when i can get some real hardware. Tho best of luck with your projects.

 

[jul]

Does GBStudio run on Android? Because I only have a modest tablet from 2016!

Nope, I'm afraid it doesn't. It's either windows, mac, linux or btfo

With a tablet from 2016... Go for javascript and phaser for instance https://phaser.io/download/phaserce but that's web browser games, not roms for GB or anything else

You also have godot that runs on android https://godotengine.org/download/android/ for native games, but again fugget'about making roms with that.


Nah, you need a PC, and to make GB roms or megadrive roms (with SGDK) you don't need a big config at all, just a PC config... Which a 2016 tablet running on android, isn't and never has been.

And you'll need a fucken keyboard get used to it.


That being said, you can easily run GBstudio on such device "Firebat T8 Pro plus" https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005234838380.html

At $123.30.

I ordered one with the N100 processor, 16GB of RAM and 512GB ssd disk a couple of months ago for my mom, I ditched windows and installed linux Mint cinnamon on it, of course (100% compatible, no install problem, no missing driver). Runs pretty well for everything such as web browsing and streaming, GBStudio runs flawlessly on it, GIMP also works fine, I guess Krita will do also, probably blender too but don't expect to go beyond the realm of lowpoly renders typically, pretty much everything you need for 2D game deving with SGDK or GBStudio will work fine as long as you set a reasonable screen resolution of course, (1920x1080 here, on a 27" monitor). And it's noiseless btw, you won't hear the cooling fans.

For 100 bucks you can have a descent monitor https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-Gaming-Monitor,-1080P.html?spm=a2g0o.best.search.0 you can also have one for much less if you buy a second-hand one (don't forget to take one with speakers or buy speakers seperately, or settle for earphones...)

So yeah, $223.30... And of course, you'll need this https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008721177581.html Wireless Keyboard Mouse, $16.08.

So that's $240.

You get a similar config with a smaller screen with that laptop but then IDK about linux compatibility https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006753588833.html for $187.73

For a $50 difference I take the desktop config over the laptop. Because we're talking about spending hours typing, doing graphics, deving, watching tutos on youtube... Not just scrolling on tiktok. It's possible on the laptop also, but it's more comfortable on a bigger screen and a real keyboard that aren't soldered to each others. Also, linux compatibility.


Now again you can have it for half the price if you go for second hand products, but well, I wouldn't do that except for the monitor eventually.

​

 

[ZengarZombolt]

I have had some experience in making games, and failing to make games. though the last time I worked in 2d was back when I was making MUGEN characters.

though I did want to try making games on the homebrew PS Vita scene with a three button fighter based on the touhou SWR and dive kick. I don't know where to put hte time.

 

[Advil Lavs]

I have had some experience in making games, and failing to make games. though the last time I worked in 2d was back when I was making MUGEN characters.

though I did want to try making games on the homebrew PS Vita scene with a three button fighter based on the touhou SWR and dive kick. I don't know where to put hte time.

This sounds cool, and your art looks great too. If I had a PSVita I'd probably think how to make a game for it too, like how I bought a 3DS without knowing that 60% of the homebrew games are made exclusively for the newer models.

 

[happymasksalesman]

This sounds cool, and your art looks great too. If I had a PSVita I'd probably think how to make a game for it too, like how I bought a 3DS without knowing that 60% of the homebrew games are made exclusively for the newer models.

I actually had some problem with its emulator Citra. 3ds is so good console.
about making game for gb, I think maybe you can even sell them. One of my old plans were make a real gba.

 

[Advil Lavs]

I actually had some problem with its emulator Citra. 3ds is so good console.
about making game for gb, I think maybe you can even sell them. One of my old plans were make a real gba.

I tried selling a game once but I earned only 14 bucks or so, my most popular game got 200 downloads or so.

 

[ZengarZombolt]

This sounds cool, and your art looks great too. If I had a PSVita I'd probably think how to make a game for it too, like how I bought a 3DS without knowing that 60% of the homebrew games are made exclusively for the newer models.

Sour, winder of the Godot for homebrew has eomthing for that.

 

[happymasksalesman]

I tried selling a game once but I earned only 14 bucks or so, my most popular game got 200 downloads or so.

Something like "if you want more,donate!" Maybe work.
In fact if the GB can connect net you can add some ad for more money. But this isn't possible.
I wonder if people pay for translation and hacks.

 

[jul]

Something like "if you want more,donate!" Maybe work.

It doesn't, or rarely does, it works with something like 1% of customers. People (including me) pay when there's no way around it, when it's not optional, AND they want the product/service, of course. It's not even a question of money in the end, it's mostly a question of "laziness", like you're tired of filling forms and typing stuffs, giving your email etc, you can have it without doing all that, and that's what most people default to, that's all.

Me for instance I buy stuffs on blendermarket, silly stuffs sometimes, like I didn't really need them but it was 5 bucks and I wanted a bunch of 3D trees to try something and I didn't want to bother with modeling and texturing etc. But then when some stuffs are free I just take them as is and I don't donate.

That being said I think it's possible to make/flash your own GB cartridges to run on a real GB and you can sell those on aliexpress, there's a market for that, for MD cartridges for instance, it sales, but not much....

Here you have Barbarian https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007140406488.html 6 sold... At $10.88. Well, that's not much.

Xeno Crisis, 5 sold... https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003329721279.html

It's mostly a hobby, nobody's going to make a living with that, not even in Sudan. Most people don't play on real hardware nowadays and those roms are available for emulators on internet, that's kind of like selling bottled water near a fountain.

 

[happymasksalesman]

It doesn't, or rarely does, it works with something like 1% of customers. People (including me) pay when there's no way around it, when it's not optional, AND they want the product/service, of course. It's not even a question of money in the end, it's mostly a question of "laziness", like you're tired of filling forms and typing stuffs, giving your email etc, you can have it without doing all that, and that's what most people default to, that's all.

Me for instance I buy stuffs on blendermarket, silly stuffs sometimes, like I didn't really need them but it was 5 bucks and I wanted a bunch of 3D trees to try something and I didn't want to bother with modeling and texturing etc. But then when some stuffs are free I just take them as is and I don't donate.

That being said I think it's possible to make/flash your own GB cartridges to run on a real GB and you can sell those on aliexpress, there's a market for that, for MD cartridges for instance, it sales, but not much....

Here you have Barbarian https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007140406488.html 6 sold... At $10.88. Well, that's not much.

Xeno Crisis, 5 sold... https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003329721279.html

It's mostly a hobby, nobody's going to make a living with that, not even in Sudan. Most people don't play on real hardware nowadays and those roms are available for emulators on internet, that's kind of like selling bottled water near a fountain.

Yes it must be a hobby. I think having a main job is important. But hobby job can help a bit.
In fact I even see some rooms froum add a illegal roms! So it maybe don't even work!
I more think making old simple games can help people in codding. As AI is become a part of a lot things knowing code and simple stuffs like that can help you to don't get fire or lose your job!
I actually think making games can be a side job for anyone! In fact I like to write, and I have a lot of stories can turn to a lot of sellable things.
I know some people publish books who don't even writer( someone said
"People don't have work, write books!").
Thanks you for sites.

 

[jul]

Yeah in the end it has much more educational or entertainment value (for the game's author) than actual market value.

Me I'm coding a sega megadrive/genesis game ATM just for the sake of it. I've spent a lot of time on it already, well over 6 months, I'm planning to spend as much time as necessary to end up with something that I find satisfying, finished. And while I certainly would enjoy making money out of it, I know I won't or if I do it's going to be very little, 50 bucks or so, at best.

But that's like, idk, fishing, some people go fishing over the week end just for the sake of it, sometimes they don't even eat what they fish they just take a selfie and release the fish afterward. And most don't expect to sell their fishes, it's just a hobby.

Thinking about it, one thing that can be done however, is to put a link to a given website in the said game, in plain text like "visit mywebsite.com for more!" somewhere, and from there maybe it can bring people to visit the said site... Because one thing is for sure; if it gets realeased on the internet with permission to copy it's going to be available on pretty much every rom site, and maybe featured in game sets coming with aliexpress handhelds, so in the end it potentially can reach a very large audience.

Now what's the next step? Idk, you have some people coming to your site eventually, that's already that, maybe a paid service can be proposed to them, like an online editor allowing people to get a customized version of the game, with different graphics, musics, story line, parameters, custom items, custom characters, intro screens, etc... A hack of the original game essentially, but much less painstaking since it's assisted with an online tool that will modify the source code that isn't public and re-compile the modified version into a fresh new rom available for download.

That's also going to be a lot of work for probably not much in return.

 

[happymasksalesman]

Yeah in the end it has much more educational or entertainment value (for the game's author) than actual market value.

Me I'm coding a sega megadrive/genesis game ATM just for the sake of it. I've spent a lot of time on it already, well over 6 months, I'm planning to spend as much time as necessary to end up with something that I find satisfying, finished. And while I certainly would enjoy making money out of it, I know I won't or if I do it's going to be very little, 50 bucks or so, at best.

But that's like, idk, fishing, some people go fishing over the week end just for the sake of it, sometimes they don't even eat what they fish they just take a selfie and release the fish afterward. And most don't expect to sell their fishes, it's just a hobby.

Thinking about it, one thing that can be done however, is to put a link to a given website in the said game, in plain text like "visit mywebsite.com for more!" somewhere, and from there maybe it can bring people to visit the said site... Because one thing is for sure; if it gets realeased on the internet with permission to copy it's going to be available on pretty much every rom site, and maybe featured in game sets coming with aliexpress handhelds, so in the end it potentially can reach a very large audience.

Now what's the next step? Idk, you have some people coming to your site eventually, that's already that, maybe a paid service can be proposed to them, like an online editor allowing people to get a customized version of the game, with different graphics, musics, story line, parameters, custom items, custom characters, intro screens, etc... A hack of the original game essentially, but much less painstaking since it's assisted with an online tool that will modify the source code that isn't public and re-compile the modified version into a fresh new rom available for download.

That's also going to be a lot of work for probably not much in return.

Cool. One of thinks make me unhappy is about fanmade roms and hacks some sites don't show the name of developer at all!
I actually think try to port you game on other new or old console and pc can be worth.
what is your game exactly?
Oh and I remember it now I actually think the main problem of these games is people don't play them much anymore and they don't know them too.
Idea of online editor is so good! Seriously I have a lot of problem with some modders tool for old games. Some of them need even specific different languages!
I hope you don't have any problem on making your game.

 

[jul]

I'm not running into any particular problem or surprise with the game I'm making, it's a sequel of barbarian II on amstrad, pretty much the same thing except I use blender combined with shaders to make different landscapes in the same style, very pixelated and contrasted in 15 or so colors

so it's pretty safe and secure regarding technical challenges and surprises , the megadrive can handle that

Yeah that's not the best game in the world

I actually think try to port you game on other new or old console and pc can be worth.

Well the point of making a megadrive rom is to not have to port, the porting is secured via megadrive emulators which run pretty much everywhere, from a powkiddy v90 to a smartphone to any given PC, mac or linux or windows, doesn't matter.

There are even rumors that a megadrive emulator has been deved for Temple OS at some point... https://www.reddit.com/r/TempleOS_O.../sega_megadrivegenesis_emulator_for_templeos/ but all is gone...