A new demo of Venture released!

[Cyperium]

Download it here! Extract the zip anywhere and you can open it from there. Make sure folders follow correctly, there should be a venture folder which has a files folder within it where the game's graphics and sound are. The game and the map editor is in the venture folder.

Currently there are a total of about 40 levels, there are 11 levels in each world (where level 11 is always the town).

After level 5-1 there are no more levels (except one that my nephew made that is on 5-4, I think). The game now has sound, but only the title theme and some sound-effects (taking coin, loosing a life and jumping). Many new objects have been added since the last prototype.

I've placed three mines on level 1-1, don't get too close to them or they will explode! I also placed the jet-pack conveniently in front of Vent to pick up , I thought you might want to try it! Not all levels has access to the sky though, but you can always use the jet-pack to avoid pitfalls and other things (but it isn't as easy as it looks!).

Collect the flag on each level to have it completed even after game-over! Not all levels have a flag at this moment though.

I hope you will enjoy this game!




This time it also comes with a map editor, which requires a bit of explanation:

When opening the map editor you will see a frame with a blue sky background. In the small box in the upper-left is a picture of the current item (in the start this is a coin, that is blue, but in the game it will go through colours of yellow), to the right of the small box is the "map", each pixel in this map represents a object that you have placed.

Inside the big frame is the "play field", there are some items that doesn't show while in the game but instead changes how the game works (like stop scroll to the left or to the right, or keep the selected background throughout the level and such things).

Pressing TAB will show a map of the entire level, press TAB again to go back.

Press PgDown / PgUp to go up/down one section. Doors make Vent go down one section. When there's a ladder to the sky and the ladder is at the first section then it will wrap to the last section but the last section in the game isn't the last section in the editor, so you have to go up one section in the editor to get to the last section as it will be in the game, this is because the last section in the editor isn't a complete section.

To select which object you want to place, press SPACE. All items available are visible in this screen. You select one of them by moving the rectangle and pressing ALT.

You place the item by using the cursor keys and ALT to place it. If you hold the button left of Z the cursor moves fast (not one by one).

To load a level you press ENTER, then ENTER again (a empty field skips it) and enter the level number (1 for level 1-1).
To save a level you press ENTER once and the first entry is the Save: dialog, enter the level number that you want to save the level as.

Each world has 11 levels, so to get the level number for 2-1 you use the calculation ((world-1)*11) + level, or you simply calculate it in your head (which I think is easier), the level number for 2-1 is as such 12.

Experiment and you'll figure out the rest, otherwise you can always ask in this thread and I will answer your questions.

[Lachie Dazdarian]

I like the retro look of the game and simple Mario-like gameplay. Looking forward to see this finished.

Reached world 2 so far. The first time I killed the boss in world 2, the game wouldn't let me leave the level. I had to restart it. Also, the fight was a bit anticlimactic. Only one jump to kill him? Same as visiting the king. Maybe add some more juice in the story. You know. Give the enemy background and name. It all feels a bit flat at the moment.

I did not like the beginning of level 2-1. To be honest, I hope you'll remove the tanks from the game all together. Beside being a pain in the ass, they don't belong to the setting.

Overall sentiment so far is that I would prefer more jumping, less messing with the enemies. But this is prolly my gameplay preference.

Also, I hope you'll manage to polish up the engine a bit. I can jump on the edges of tiles at the moment.

One last thing. I really don't like that the same key is used for jumping and running. Makes jumping unnecessarily cumbersome and jerky.

I'll play this further later. How far are you from completion now?

[Clippy]

Cyperium never finishes anything! It is always an update as we all know that NO PROGRAM is EVER finished! 

[Cyperium]

I like the retro look of the game and simple Mario-like gameplay. Looking forward to see this finished.

Reached world 2 so far. The first time I killed the boss in world 2, the game wouldn't let me leave the level. I had to restart it. Also, the fight was a bit anticlimactic. Only one jump to kill him? Same as visiting the king. Maybe add some more juice in the story. You know. Give the enemy background and name. It all feels a bit flat at the moment.

Story will be improved upon, there will also be more challenging bosses later (more variety). If the boss happens to move outside view it can be picked away by the object control system, this obviously shouldn't happen and will be solved. It takes three hits to kill the boss, but sometimes these three hits happen in a row since the boss has no invincibility time between hits, I'm going to make it require more hits as a solution to this (as invincibility would make you sometimes miss him even though you hit him).

I did not like the beginning of level 2-1. To be honest, I hope you'll remove the tanks from the game all together. Beside being a pain in the ass, they don't belong to the setting.

The levels are revisited all the time and improved to make the experience better. The tanks won't be removed from the game as they fill a function and makes the game challanging, also, the tanks aren't over-represented in the game.

Overall sentiment so far is that I would prefer more jumping, less messing with the enemies. But this is prolly my gameplay preference.

Also, I hope you'll manage to polish up the engine a bit. I can jump on the edges of tiles at the moment.

The collision detection isn't pixel-perfect and won't be, most tiles fill the entire collision area. Some levels are more directed to jumping while others are more directed at enemy fighting, or staying alive. The sky-world presents many oppertunities for jumping.

One last thing. I really don't like that the same key is used for jumping and running. Makes jumping unnecessarily cumbersome and jerky.

That's because you use Alt Gr, use the left Alt to jump and left Ctrl to run. Alt Gr gives the same scancode values as if you pressed both CTRL and Alt.

I'll play this further later. How far are you from completion now?

Probably a couple of months away.


You can press TAB to open inventory, press left to select a item. Down + CTRL sets a door if you have that item and down + ALT uses the flash (kills all enemies on the screen), CTRL makes you shoot fire.

[Cyperium]

Cyperium never finishes anything! It is always an update as we all know that NO PROGRAM is EVER finished! 

Many programs are actually finished but improved upon , in my own head the editor was finished at about version 1.2, but new ideas kept coming and I just couldn't let it go, the same will probably happen with this game, but there will be a release in a couple of months where all levels are finished and all the basic elements of the game is implemented. Venture 2 is already on the drawing board and will make full use of QB64 features.

[iamdenteddisk]

the compiled game is cool but I was hoping to learn from the code which won't compile due to a missing lib..

dqb.bi I think is this a bought lib for qb64?

[Cyperium]

Sorry, here's the files: directqb.bi and directqb.bm, I totally forgot to include them, I have updated the zip as well.

[Clippy]

Is this related to your DQB work? Any ideas on when you will have that ready?

[Cyperium]

Yes, my game uses directqb to function, my plan was to continue making it fully compatible with qb 4.5, and I worked on the game on my Win98 computer until a while ago where the memory restraints just became too much to handle and I wanted Venture to progress beyond that (it would only have 4 worlds if I let qb 4.5 decide), so I continued working on it in QB64 instead, it still needs the directqb library though, as I didn't want to remake all the code into the QB64 equivalent (which the directqb wrapper does for me). Using QB64 statements also made the game smoother as the FPS routine in my wrapper isn't fully up to standards (it will work, but less so than the original dqb fps routine).


The DirectQB library has over 150 functions and will be a work in progress for a very long time. If a user needs a DQB function that isn't represented in the wrapper then I hope that he informs me of this, as I would concentrate development on that function. I won't do 3D or blending though, since that is over my head.

iamdenteddisk: dqb.bi I think is this a bought lib for qb64? No, it's totally free to use (I made it myself) in your programs and is a QB64 wrapper of the directqb library that was available for QB 4.5.

[Clippy]

Perhaps you could advertise DQB assistance in your signature...

[Cyperium]

Good idea, Clippy. Perhaps I'll do that later, or start a thread on it. It's of course free for anyone to work on.

I was planning to release it later (unfinished of course), but kind of hoped that Galleon would make the change to QB64 so that it doesn't need to be in two files (the .bi and .bm), I know it's simple enough as it is, but any explanation required would put some people off. If it could be done with one file then the source of the program wouldn't need to be changed at all, unfortunately this isn't a option as the library needs to contain subs/functions and the old source always had the directqb.bi file around the beginning of the code.

Galleon has said that he will make QB64 recognise the subs/functions in the included file and place them automatically at the bottom.


I guess I will have to release it prior to that though, cause I don't see it happening any time soon. My "dream" explanation would be "just place it in the QB64 folder and your old directqb dependent source will work.", and in my point of view, that's how it should be. Of course my library isn't ready for such a explanation either, and perhaps never will be (there will always be some functions that aren't yet included, or bugs that will present themselves when the wrapper gets big enough).

[Clippy]

Well. if you don't mention DQB people won't think about it either so we won't find out if there is enough interest in it.

[Cyperium]

I know, I do mention it from time to time, but it doesn't seem to be much demand for it though, few people asks for it. I made a big deal about advertising it before but there wasn't much interest, my guess is that people waits for a more complete version.

When I start developing it again (I've developed the editor and Venture instead as all the functions that Venture needs are completed in the library) I will ask for help, as of now I barely get time for the editor and Venture, not to mention the interpreter, so the dqb port will have to wait kindly in the back until the other projects (especially the interpreter) gets more flesh on the bones. Or if I see more demand for it. The size (and thus work needed) of the directqb project doesn't equal the demand for it, to put it in other terms. I will work on it though, but my interest in working on it, is very much based on the perceived interest that others have in it (I don't work on it for my own satisfaction, as I don't need it anymore for any of my projects).

[Clippy]

I was looking through the conversion code and many of the DQB functions translate directly to QB64 ones. That could help others to convert them if you made up a list of them. Make a WIKI page for the Appendix...

[unseenmachine]

I'll help if i can, just point the way!