Burton
A retro game, loosely based on the BBC Micro game, Repton. When I was a kid, I loved the Repton series of games. Repton Infinity was life changing - it wasn't only a game, it was a game designer, where I could write the logic for each game character. Burton follows on from where Repton Infinity left off.
FYI, the town of Repton in Derbyshire, England is near Burton upon Trent.
Aim of the Game
Collect coins, stamps and other collectable items. Don't get hit on the head by rocks, and don't get trapped.
Sounds easy, but as you progress, things get more and more tricky. Are you good enough to solve them all?
Starting the Game
To play the game, you must first install Tickle.
Start Tickle, then click "Play", and choose the file : "Burton.tickle". (If you've set up the proper file associations for ".tickle" files, you can double click it instead).
Status
Complete.
There are many level in the spirit of the classic Repton, but also introduces many more objects.
There's also a single level which mimicks the TRS-80 game Cavern Quest.
Plus, it also mimics all 15 levels of the BBC Micro game XOR.
So thet's 3 games for the price of none ;-)
There's good coverage of "unit tests" for Burton's standard game objects. Minimal coverage for the Cavern Quest objects. The testing for the XOR objects consists of solutions to each of the 15 levels.
History
This is my fourth time writing a grid-based puzzle game. All have stemmed from the enjoyment and challenge from playing Cavern Quest on the TRS-80 as well as Repton 3 and XOR on the BBC Micro.
Game Style
Repton and XOR have different styles, even though they look superficially very similar. XOR is pure, in the sense that it is all about solving the puzzles, and there is no need to be nimble.
I personally prefer XOR's style, but adding a little bit of excitement from being chased by deadly creatures can be good. I never liked the timed aspect of Repton 3 though.
Cavern Quest is interesting, because you can play it in two ways. As a child, I often let the enemies out, and then I'd need quick reflexes and good timing to knock them on the head.
Now, as an adult, I understand the enemy's behaviour, and I can defeat them without reflexes or timing. I can literally pause between every move, and it would make no different, just as with XOR.
The standard Burton levels require a little bit of nimbleness, but there is (currently) no timed elements.
The Future
Then what's next?
Then there's looks of finishing touches, such as sound effects, and better animations.