Creativity time: construction kits and more [UPDATE 3]

TechStorm · Groupie Joined: 16 May 2002 Posts: 182

This post has been updated. New entries are in bold.

Hi All,

I made a substantial search for all C64 games that are or feature construction kits. I don't think I got them all, nevertheless, I found quite a few of them.

3D Construction Kit
4th & Inches Season Maker
4th & Inches Team Construction Kit
Adventure Construction Set
Adventure Creator
Adventure Grafik Editor (AGE)
Adventure Master
All Smiles Maze Maker
Arcade Game Construction Kit
Arkanoid - Revenge of Doh Editor
Ben (press RUN/STOP for editor)
Bingo Construction Kit
Bingo Construction Set
Blagger Construction Set
Boulder Dash Construction Kit
Bowman
Breakout Construction Kit
Cavern Construction Kit
Championship Sprint
Complete Computer Fireworks Celebration Kit, The
Create With Garfield
Crillion Construction Set
Demolition Construction Set
Demon Stalkers: The Raid on Doomfane
Dungeon - Adventuring Construction System
Enigma Force Construction Set
Fast Tracks - The Computer Slot Car Construction Kit
Flaschbier Konstruction Kit
Formula 1 3D: F.1 Manager II
Games Creator
Gamemaker
Ghosts'n Goblins Construction Set
Golden Pyramids
Golf Construction Set
Graphic Adventure Creator
Graphic AdventureWriter
Great Giana Sisters Construction Kit, The
Gyroscope Construction Set
Hot Pop
Hot Pop II
Hungry Horace
Johnny Reb II
Kaleidokubes
Kikstart II - The Construction Set
Krakout Construction Set
Ladder Games Construction Kit 2.0
Last Ninja Engine, The (runs on PC, creates for the C64)
Locomotion
Lode Runner
Lords of Conquest
Mail Order Monsters
Manic Miner Construction Set
Magic Tile
Maze Construction Set
Microdot
Mindbender
Movie Creator
Movie Maker
Mr. Robot and his Robot Factory
Music Construction Set
Nova II
Panzer Strike!: West
Penetrator
Pharaoh's Revenge
Pinball Construction Set
Pro Mountain Bike Simulator
Quill, The
Racing Destruction Set
Repton 3
Runman Construction Set
Session 1.4
Shoot-Em-Up Construction Kit (SEUCK)
Soko-Ban
Spore
System
System II - Move The Stones
System III - The Final Stone
Tank War Construction Set
This is E.F. IGES - Interactive Game Editor System
Tile
Tile - The Revenge
Topsy-Turvy
Trailblazer Construction Set
TRAZ: Transformable Arcade Zone
Trivia Whiz Construction Set
Tron Construction Set
Ultimate Wizard
Underground
War Cars Construction Kit
War Cars Construction Kit II
War Cars Construction Kit III
Wargame Construction Set
Weaver
Weaver II

I have also come across what I call "programmer's games", games in which you need to think like a programmer (this definition is quite loose, mind you). Since I wasn't actively looking for them, I only have 3 on the list:

Chipwits
Floyd the Droid
Mission Omega
Omega

If anyone knows of any other construction kits and/or "programmer's games", please post the names!

Out of curiousity and nothing else, for which games would you like to see a construction kit? UPDATE. Here are the answers posted so far. I also included various of my own:

Age of Adventure (Return of Heracles engine)
Autoduel
Bard's Tale (any)
Bruce Lee
Commando
Castles of Dr. Creep
Chip's Challenge
Eidolon
Faery Tale Adventure (including improved color)
H.E.R.O.
Iridis Alpha
Jumpman (any)
Montezuma's Revenge
Paradroid (already in progress!)
Questron II
Realm of Impossibility
Shamus
Shamus Case II
Space Taxi
Trolls and Tribulations
Ultima (any?)
Uridium
Who Dares Wins
Xor

qazi · Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 6:22 pm Post subject:

Are these all C64 utilities or editors for PC remakes?

Oh, and I think a wave editor for IA would be pretty nifty.
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TechStorm · Groupie Joined: 16 May 2002 Posts: 182

I meant to list only C64 stuff but now that I think of it, the Last Ninja Engine is PC-based instead of C64-based. Oh well. I suppose that PC-based editors don't hurt, so as long as the target of the creation is the C64.

Which is IA?

MacbthPSW

TechStorm wrote:

I made a substantial search for all C64 games that are or feature construction kits. I don't think I got them all, nevertheless, I found quite a few of them.

Cool, I love lists like this, thanks for the efforts.

Quote:

Out of curiousity and nothing else, for which games would you like to see a construction kit?

I've certainly thought about trying to reuse the game engine and make unofficial sequels for games like the Ultima series, Autoduel and in a different genre, Jumpman. A construction kit would help, but even better would be a good disassembly for these games, so some tweaks/improvements could be made to the code as well.

As an aside, MS-DOS machines got a Bard's Tale Construction Kit - I wish they had done the same for the C64.
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TechStorm · Groupie Joined: 16 May 2002 Posts: 182

Jumpman is one of my favorites. I'd love to see an editor for it! Bard's Tale is a good series. An editor for any of its 3 games would be great, too.

andy vaisey · Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 7:07 pm Post subject:

TechStorm wrote:

Which is IA?

Knowing Qazi, he probably means an "Iridis Alpha" wave editor...
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qazi · Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 7:44 pm Post subject:

Damn right. I want to fill the gameworld with those annoying buggers who make your energy max out after two shots. Not so trigger-happy now, eh? Twisted Evil

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merman · Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:12 pm Post subject:

The Quill (and its art package The Illustrator) by Gilsoft was another text adventure creator.

A real shame SSI didn't do their RPG creator for the C64 too.
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Robotron 2084 · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 12:11 am Post subject:

Let's not forget the utterly brilliant "Mail order monsters!", the monster construction set! Totally unbalanced but fun as hell.

I will never forget the moment when my carfefully designed humanoid "Tim"
got ripped to shreds by the "ALLMIGHTY SLUGGO".
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Firefox · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 6:26 am Post subject:

TechStorm wrote:

Jumpman is one of my favorites. I'd love to see an editor for it! Bard's Tale is a good series. An editor for any of its 3 games would be great, too.

There's a Bard's Tale-Editor available. At least I know of a version made for Amiga Wink

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MacbthPSW · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 6:43 am Post subject:

Firefox wrote:

There's a Bard's Tale-Editor available. At least I know of a version made for Amiga Wink

...I had already pointed out in this thread that a non-C64 platform had an official Bard's Tale editor.
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Canute · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 7:12 am Post subject:

What great times I had with the track editor in Racing Destruction Set! Thumbs Up

(As I wrote in the game's comments:

Fantastic 2-player game, where you could create your own tracks with custom pieces, and choose wide variety of vehicles. Using fast cars, "moon gravity" setting was the best, which enabled the most incredible *long-distance* jumps off customised ramps!

Even better was to race your opponent in the opposite direction which enabled enthralling "airborne collisions" off these opposing ramps! If collisions couldn't deter your competition, you could always drop oil slicks and land mines! It still is great fun!)

Other construction kits I'd like to see are one for Paradroid, Uridium, and maybe Commando or Who Dares Wins. Creating a tougher Commando would be great!

TNT · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 7:46 am Post subject:

Canute wrote:

Other construction kits I'd like to see are one for Paradroid ...

1, 2

Canute · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 11:07 am Post subject:

tnt/beyond force wrote:

Canute wrote:

Other construction kits I'd like to see are one for Paradroid ...

1, 2

Hi TNT, I wasn't aware you were exactly doing this. Sounds good. I knew you were doing something relating to Paradroid. But, I am still not savvy enough about the Paradroid Redux project. Smile

Firefox · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 1:02 pm Post subject:

MacbthPSW wrote:

...I had already pointed out in this thread that a non-C64 platform had an official Bard's Tale editor.

Ah yes, you had, hmmm, those early morning-readings an replies in the threads...sorry for that Confused

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SkrapYard · Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 3:41 am Post subject:

Well, this isn't a game, but it's got "construction" in its name: an early Electronic Arts release, "Music Construction Set".

By the way... by "Project Omega", are you referring to the game "Omega" by Origin, and its AI programming system?

shteev · Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 3:25 pm Post subject:

Spore had a construction kit on it... it was a fun, simplified gauntlet clone done with graphics characters.
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ocean ranger · Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 3:27 pm Post subject:

along the same line of non-game construction kits--i would mention Movie Maker...on which i made some immensely horrible animations, that i though were awesome when i was 8. Embarassed

and for game construction kits--i had a lot of fun with Jon Matson's Bowman Mazemaker utility. it was an awesome game c/o one of my first loadstar issues.
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Craig P. · Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 8:22 pm Post subject:

Adventure Master is another one.
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Fizza · Lemon64 Donator! Joined: 14 Aug 2002 Posts: 504

Would love to see a Bruce Lee Construction Set!

knoeki · Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 10:08 pm Post subject:

Does anyone know how to load 'Gary Kitchen's Game Maker'?

The label on the disk reads: "see instruction manual for loading information", but I don't have the manual... Sad

/knoeki
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SkrapYard · Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 12:37 pm Post subject:

As well, the platform game Mr. Robot and His Robot Factory has an in-game editor ("The Factory") to create different levels.

By the way... in my message above, I asked if Techstorm was referring to "Project Omega"... little brain-slip there, I meant to ask about "Mission Omega", which I realize is another game altogether from which I was asking about.

Anyway, Origin's game called "Omega" should be added on to the list of games with construction kits where you have to think like a programmer.

Craig P. · Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 3:19 pm Post subject:

Topsy Turvy has a level editor.
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TechStorm · Groupie Joined: 16 May 2002 Posts: 182

SkrapYard wrote:

By the way... in my message above, I asked if Techstorm was referring to "Project Omega"... little brain-slip there, I meant to ask about "Mission Omega", which I realize is another game altogether from which I was asking about.

Anyway, Origin's game called "Omega" should be added on to the list of games with construction kits where you have to think like a programmer.

Yes, sorry for the delay. I checked it out and I added it to the list.

Also, I recall seeing a game kinda similar to Solomon's Key that I think was made rather recently (2000+?) and I think it had a level editor. Does anyone know of which one am I talking about?

BTW, the Paradroid editor looks cool. Keep those posts coming!

TechStorm · Groupie Joined: 16 May 2002 Posts: 182

Oh yes, I also remembered to suggest that a H.E.R.O. editor would be cool. I'll add it to the list on the next update.