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hello there please forgive how stupid this is gonna sound but i had an idea of making a master system for a friend of mine who loves the console. I was just wondering if anyone here knew of what id need to actually do this?

thankyou for reading

One that works, without using any parts from an existing console? That'd be almost impossible. Making a model, or a case mod, or something? Quite feasible.

lol i do apologise i completely screwed that up i didnt write it properly i meant making a master system game ? like what kind of programs should i use and where would i get advice on the subject not actually make one sorry.

Ah, that's different. Do you know how to program in any language? How complex a program do you want to make? Do you want to make it onto a cartridge too?

the general idea is to make a platformer or a scrolling kind of action game based on the idea of my friends stag do where his fiance comes to rescue him. it would have 4 levels set in different parts of the world. i have very nearly no programming experience with the exception of using action script once a while ago. the perfect scenario would be to have it on a cartridge he could use although just something he could play on a comp would be cool too. so how badly off am i lol

Not wanting to be harsh but I doubt you have much chance - an experienced programmer with an artist could do that with maybe 100 hours of work.

lol no dont worry be as harsh as you want although on the upside i am kind of an artist i just need to know what programming language id need to learn in order to create the game, or if there was some kind of programme out there for this kind of development, right now im just assessing the enormity of my stupidity lol

if it helps i do have almost half a year to get this done so i have got the time to learn the language i just need info on what tools i need

While it is technically very possible, it looks like it would be a massive endeavour to learn the skills required to actually do this on the Master System considering that you don't have programming experience (we're talking years).

What I would suggest personally is to use a program such as Game Maker and do it on the PC. It'd be much easier and allow you to iterate better and get a nicer game. You can try to use the SMS color palette and resolution to somehow mimic how a game would look on the Master System. And maybe construct a SMS-looking game box to fit a CD in it :)

+1 to Bock's suggestion.

also, it's worth mentioning, that there is a free version of Game Maker, so you can try it out and see if it's up to your liking. GM is very versatile and can make stuff ranging from simple retro-looking games, to full fledged 3D games.

ahh thankyou guys so much i know its a seriously big undertaking but i have at least half a year to give it a go, thankyou again

Personally I think it's 1000000 times cooler to do this for SMS rather than PC.

There's a BASIC interpreter available: http://www.smspower.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12902&highlight=basic

so that's the language I'd use.

There's lots of source code and tools as well.

I'd start with a ROM displaying a static screen and playing some PSG tune and then keep adding stuff.

ahhh brilliant thanks ill have a look at that lol although ill probably end up tearing my hair out and cursing my friend by the time all this is done lol. thankyou again though for the help

For reference Maxim's tutorial to program the Master System can be found here:
http://www.smspower.org/maxim/HowToProgram/Index

The BASIC interpreter is a great thing, just be sure to know that:
a/ it hasn't been tested/used much
b/ it is bound to be slow (so your game would have to be simple by design, perhaps avoid scrolling?)
c/ you'd need some understanding of the hardware to do any programming even in BASIC.
But it is a good place to start if you want to have a go at it. Even if you end up using BASIC I think it is worth having a look at Maxim's tutorial.

Hi,
You can also try to make a graphical modification of an existing game.
You don't have liberty about the gameplay, but you are sure to have a playable game even if you run out of time.

I agree with Bock... Create a PC game that looks like a Master System title. It's 100000000 times easier and faster.

However I would use Scirra Construct Classic instead of Game Maker.
Construct is way faster, it's free and runs games with better performance: http://www.scirra.com/construct-classic

Bock wrote

For reference Maxim's tutorial to program the Master System can be found here:
http://www.smspower.org/maxim/HowToProgram/Index

The BASIC interpreter is a great thing, just be sure to know that:
a/ it hasn't been tested/used much
b/ it is bound to be slow (so your game would have to be simple by design, perhaps avoid scrolling?)
c/ you'd need some understanding of the hardware to do any programming even in BASIC.
But it is a good place to start if you want to have a go at it. Even if you end up using BASIC I think it is worth having a look at Maxim's tutorial.

My system's 64 bit and i wanna do SMS games, what do i do?!

You can now use devkitSMS from sverx to make Master System games using C :-)

All the tutorials apply regardless of OS or bitness, mostly.

Author	Message
hari00164 Joined: 23 Aug 2012 Posts: 7	How to make a Master System game? Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 10:15 am
hari00164 Joined: 23 Aug 2012 Posts: 7	hello there please forgive how stupid this is gonna sound but i had an idea of making a master system for a friend of mine who loves the console. I was just wondering if anyone here knew of what id need to actually do this? thankyou for reading

Maxim Site Admin Joined: 19 Oct 1999 Posts: 14741 Location: London	Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 7:52 pm
	One that works, without using any parts from an existing console? That'd be almost impossible. Making a model, or a case mod, or something? Quite feasible.

hari00164 Joined: 23 Aug 2012 Posts: 7	Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 9:57 pm
hari00164 Joined: 23 Aug 2012 Posts: 7	lol i do apologise i completely screwed that up i didnt write it properly i meant making a master system game ? like what kind of programs should i use and where would i get advice on the subject not actually make one sorry.

Maxim Site Admin Joined: 19 Oct 1999 Posts: 14741 Location: London	Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 10:27 pm
	Ah, that's different. Do you know how to program in any language? How complex a program do you want to make? Do you want to make it onto a cartridge too?

hari00164 Joined: 23 Aug 2012 Posts: 7	Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 12:31 am
hari00164 Joined: 23 Aug 2012 Posts: 7	the general idea is to make a platformer or a scrolling kind of action game based on the idea of my friends stag do where his fiance comes to rescue him. it would have 4 levels set in different parts of the world. i have very nearly no programming experience with the exception of using action script once a while ago. the perfect scenario would be to have it on a cartridge he could use although just something he could play on a comp would be cool too. so how badly off am i lol

Maxim Site Admin Joined: 19 Oct 1999 Posts: 14741 Location: London	Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 7:21 am
	Not wanting to be harsh but I doubt you have much chance - an experienced programmer with an artist could do that with maybe 100 hours of work.

hari00164 Joined: 23 Aug 2012 Posts: 7	Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 7:33 am
hari00164 Joined: 23 Aug 2012 Posts: 7	lol no dont worry be as harsh as you want although on the upside i am kind of an artist i just need to know what programming language id need to learn in order to create the game, or if there was some kind of programme out there for this kind of development, right now im just assessing the enormity of my stupidity lol

hari00164 Joined: 23 Aug 2012 Posts: 7	Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 8:08 am
hari00164 Joined: 23 Aug 2012 Posts: 7	if it helps i do have almost half a year to get this done so i have got the time to learn the language i just need info on what tools i need

Bock Site Admin Joined: 08 Jul 2001 Posts: 8651 Location: Paris, France	Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 8:10 am
	While it is technically very possible, it looks like it would be a massive endeavour to learn the skills required to actually do this on the Master System considering that you don't have programming experience (we're talking years). What I would suggest personally is to use a program such as Game Maker and do it on the PC. It'd be much easier and allow you to iterate better and get a nicer game. You can try to use the SMS color palette and resolution to somehow mimic how a game would look on the Master System. And maybe construct a SMS-looking game box to fit a CD in it :)

tibone Joined: 30 Mar 2009 Posts: 295	Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 1:23 pm
tibone Joined: 30 Mar 2009 Posts: 295	+1 to Bock's suggestion. also, it's worth mentioning, that there is a free version of Game Maker, so you can try it out and see if it's up to your liking. GM is very versatile and can make stuff ranging from simple retro-looking games, to full fledged 3D games.

hari00164 Joined: 23 Aug 2012 Posts: 7	Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 10:53 am
hari00164 Joined: 23 Aug 2012 Posts: 7	ahh thankyou guys so much i know its a seriously big undertaking but i have at least half a year to give it a go, thankyou again

Christuserloeser Joined: 26 Dec 2004 Posts: 295 Location: Pangea	Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 9:46 pm
	Personally I think it's 1000000 times cooler to do this for SMS rather than PC. There's a BASIC interpreter available: http://www.smspower.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12902&highlight=basic so that's the language I'd use. There's lots of source code and tools as well. I'd start with a ROM displaying a static screen and playing some PSG tune and then keep adding stuff.

hari00164 Joined: 23 Aug 2012 Posts: 7	Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 10:33 am
hari00164 Joined: 23 Aug 2012 Posts: 7	ahhh brilliant thanks ill have a look at that lol although ill probably end up tearing my hair out and cursing my friend by the time all this is done lol. thankyou again though for the help

Bock Site Admin Joined: 08 Jul 2001 Posts: 8651 Location: Paris, France	Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 12:02 pm
	For reference Maxim's tutorial to program the Master System can be found here: http://www.smspower.org/maxim/HowToProgram/Index The BASIC interpreter is a great thing, just be sure to know that: a/ it hasn't been tested/used much b/ it is bound to be slow (so your game would have to be simple by design, perhaps avoid scrolling?) c/ you'd need some understanding of the hardware to do any programming even in BASIC. But it is a good place to start if you want to have a go at it. Even if you end up using BASIC I think it is worth having a look at Maxim's tutorial.

jmimu Joined: 06 May 2012 Posts: 53 Location: France	Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 9:50 am
jmimu Joined: 06 May 2012 Posts: 53 Location: France	Hi, You can also try to make a graphical modification of an existing game. You don't have liberty about the gameplay, but you are sure to have a playable game even if you run out of time.

macbee Joined: 15 Sep 2010 Posts: 49 Location: Brazil	Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 2:53 am
macbee Joined: 15 Sep 2010 Posts: 49 Location: Brazil	I agree with Bock... Create a PC game that looks like a Master System title. It's 100000000 times easier and faster. However I would use Scirra Construct Classic instead of Game Maker. Construct is way faster, it's free and runs games with better performance: http://www.scirra.com/construct-classic

lucasyuhyuh Joined: 02 Oct 2019 Posts: 7	Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2020 5:42 pm
lucasyuhyuh Joined: 02 Oct 2019 Posts: 7	Bock wrote For reference Maxim's tutorial to program the Master System can be found here: http://www.smspower.org/maxim/HowToProgram/Index The BASIC interpreter is a great thing, just be sure to know that: a/ it hasn't been tested/used much b/ it is bound to be slow (so your game would have to be simple by design, perhaps avoid scrolling?) c/ you'd need some understanding of the hardware to do any programming even in BASIC. But it is a good place to start if you want to have a go at it. Even if you end up using BASIC I think it is worth having a look at Maxim's tutorial. My system's 64 bit and i wanna do SMS games, what do i do?!

kusfo Joined: 29 Mar 2012 Posts: 886 Location: Spain	Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2020 7:49 am
kusfo Joined: 29 Mar 2012 Posts: 886 Location: Spain	You can now use devkitSMS from sverx to make Master System games using C :-)

Maxim Site Admin Joined: 19 Oct 1999 Posts: 14741 Location: London	Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2020 9:32 am
	All the tutorials apply regardless of OS or bitness, mostly.

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