Desert Escape!
An NES arcade platformer with two-player co-op, programmed in NESFab. Players climb falling blocks without getting crushed.
Desert Escape! gameplay footage.
Sprites and tiles
The game needs freely moving blocks as well as a growing pile of placed blocks. NES sprites can move freely, while background tiles sit on a grid; sprite capacity is limited.
I used sprites for falling blocks and tiles for placed blocks. This lets the game build the stack without keeping every placed block as a sprite.
Clearing a level
Removing every block after a completed level takes more than one frame. Showing that work directly would make the clearing process visible.
I first change the blocks’ palette to match the sky. With the blocks visually hidden, the game clears them over several frames.
Two-player interaction
The game supports two players at once within the NES processing budget. Players also collide and interact with each other, making cooperation and competition possible in the same round.
Contact
Email me about gameplay programming roles.