Obit is a game that’s been done before, but with the source code before you now you can make your own levels and challenge your friends, and share your levels on the forums.

The author of the program also built an Allegro version that load bitmaps to make a less text based game. You can see more and download it on the forums here.

Obit was make by Marcus Wiseman based on a flash game named Orbox.

Now THAT is thinking with portals.

Zugz has promised more levels in this set, so stay tuned.

This is what making mandalas is all about. You control the ripple and the dipping. How many ripples from your hand to the end? That’s called the ripple frequency, and how many dips in a complete swing, that’s a frequency too.

When your mandala is made, the ripple and dip effects are added – if one is positive and the other negative you’ll tend to get a blank area. But if both are positive, you’ll have lots of colored fields of various density.

Your mandalas have a third effect, a combination of dips and ripples. All three effects are added to get the surface.

Advice: Until you have a good feel for dips and ripples, use zero (0) for your combination number. Also, use small
integers like 1 or 5 or 4.

Mandala was converted to C by R. Alan Monroe based on a BASIC game of the same name by Greg Yob as found in “What to do after you hit Return” by Creative Computing.

A little while back I alluded to the fact that Cymon’s Games is changing, but I haven’t said much since. The fact that I’m not getting enough program in is only one reason for the change. As the ratio of games coming in to weeks dropped to less than one and the stock of programs I had to draw on dwindled I had to make a choice: stop working on my other projects and focus on making sure the site had enough games to maintain one a week or let it go. Considering that the “other projects” above included work, school, and family life it wasn’t really much of a decision to make. But, so you feel a little bit better I’ll mention that  “other projects” also includes bigger projects like my rant videos, the next version of ASCIIpOrtal, and a BIG project that will take several years to implement and will (hopefully) change the face of both early computer science education and the domain of Cymon’s Games. I’ve alluded to this many times in the past too, but details will have to wait for another post.

Let me reiterate: Cymon’s Games is not closing down, just slowing down for a while. “A new game and it’s source every week” will no longer be something I focus on is all. I hate to do this because I the community that’s come to Cymon’s Games and I hope you all will stick around. Don’t think of this as an end. Think of it as a calm before the storm.

… uh, never mind.

I first ran into Marky online when I saw his ASCII Lemmings game on YouTube. We connected on chat and began an interaction back and forth as I mentored him in his development ASCII Lemmings as a one-switch game for Gamma 4. I say mentored because while I intended to contribute more in the end he did everything and I answered his questions. Unfortunately for Gamma 4 we missed the deadline my a mere 11 hours. Fortunately this meant Mad Mister Marcus could develop his game into a multi-switch game. The number of switches ended up being 4, by the way.

Marcus posted many of his old programs on the forums. Unfortunately they use Windows.h instead of curses so they’re not cross-platform compatible, but they are a lot of fun.

This week’s program, Obit, Marcus just kinda threw together. That’s a Cymon’s Games game right there. After he made the text version he, without any prior experience, made an allegro version. Wow. Marcus is another one that I consider to be a Cymon’s Games success story. Not that he learned programming here, but Cymon’s Games gave him an excuse to program, and that’s what it’s all about.

Rover Warsis a competitive game for 3 players. At the main menu you can choose to let the computer control any of the opponents. Then just into the game. Absorb blobs smaller than you, avoid balls larger than you. The last of the 3 player blobs left is the winner. Rounds tend to be short, not lasting more than a minute. A good enhancement would be some sort of score table between games to keep track of who’s won more games and declare a winner after a number of wins.

Rover Warswas written by Joe Larson.

This game is also a one-switch game, meaning you play it with only a single button, so even those with severe physical limitations can participate.

Skee ball is by James E. Ward.

I hate ice levels is a punishingly difficult game that satirizes all the worst things in platform games including disappearing blocks, (mercifully few) pixel-perfect jumps, and of course lots of slip slidey ice.

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/526208

Just like Nim this is a solved game, if both players know what they’re doing the end of the game is determined from the first move. Unlike Nim the solution is simple enough for you to figure out in your head so there’s no need for a trainer. Play the computer on the hardest setting and see if you can’t devise the strategy yourself. Then play it on an easier setting and see if you can’t catch when it makes a mistake and turn things to your advantage.

Pick Up is written by Joe Larson inspired by 23 Matches by Bob Albrecht and Batnum by John Kemeny both found in ‘BASIC Computer Games’ edited by David H Ahl (c) 1978.

Until then you can give me status updates on the forums. Unless those are messed up too. In which case contact me.