I’ve decided to shift priority to the AVGN fan game. It’s too far along to restart in ActionScript3 (or another game engine) without losing too much work. So I need to get it finished before Adobe pulls the plug on Flashplayer in 2020.

The Graphics

Though I originally started this project thinking I could nick assets from old games to save time, I’ve come to realise it doesn’t really look like an NES game when you ignore all palette restrictions and other such limitations. And so I’m changing things to resemble actual NES restrictions, but not to entirely emulate them. There won’t be any sprite flicker for instance. I want it to look a bit more authentic than, say, Shovel Knight.

Before

After

I also made a new spriteset for the Nerd. I was planning on trying to find a more experienced pixel artist to help out, but the motivation hit me and I decided to have a go of it myself.

Turned out pretty good. Not great, but definitely good enough. Third time’s the charm. Sort of looks like Luigi when he walks. My first attempt was so laughably bad. I don’t think I’ll be showing it off any time soon.

I also restricted the game to four palettes of three colours (plus one transparency) for sprites. It took some doing, but I think the results are much more retro feeling. Still working on limiting the tiles to the same set of restrictions.

Gameplay

I’ve had a couple of people test out the game. The most important thing I gathered is that getting stuck with one weapon sucks. So in response I’ve added a weapon reserve slot that allows the player to switch between two weapons at will. Given that I want this game playable on an NES controller, this function would be the select button.

I’m also planning on adding more weapons and enemies (open to suggestions) particularly ones that work as AVGN references. There isn’t enough variety in weapons and enemies to justify the games length, so rather than cutting it shorter (which would remove some of the level design, which I feel is adequate for the length) I’m looking to add at least three new weapons and a half dozen new enemies.

I’m also adding a library of cheats, accessible through the password screen. It’s a simple four letter password system, so I’m hoping players will try different words to see if they can unlock all sorts of stuff. Cheats will range from simple things like changing the default weapon or moonjumping, to secret characters and radical gameplay alterations.

The Name

The Angry Video Game Nerd: Trapped in the Nintendo Entertainment System is a mouthful, even with the mildly amusing abbreviation AVGN:TitNES. I’m changing the title to something a little less descriptive, but more evocative and exciting.

The Angry Video Game Nerd in NES Nightmare

Or AVGN NES Nightmare for short.

I might release a short demo soon. Once I get the levels spiffed up a bit, that is. They’re a bit drab, so I’ll likely pick one and jazz it up a notch for a brief demo.

That’s all for now.