Constraints

You must design and build your game within the given constraints. The constraints are deliberately chosen to get you considering deeper designs, and to help remove the blank canvas syndrome.

• You can only use a single analog stick and a single button as the input for the entire game
  • The button must be an action mapping
  • The stick must be an axis mapping

• You must follow the required Atari 2600 limits:
  • Limit Screen Size: 160px x 192px
  • Max 3 colours for any object. 
  • Maximum 1 colour per horizontal line of any object.
  •  Max 2 “unique” animatable characters on screen (Can display any amount of each). Each character can be 8px x 192px at most. 
  • Unlimited missile sprites, but all sprites can be, at most, 2px x 192px. 
  • “Background” elements can scroll, but keep it accurate to the Atari
  • Animations: at most 8 frames Max 3 words of text anywhere on screen. 
  • Must use 8 bit style font. Nothing smooth. 8 Character limit. 
  • All sound fx must be taken from original Atari 2600 games… Atari color palette: https://lospec.com/palette-list/atari-2600-palette-ntsc-version

Advice

It can seem daunting to be given creative constraints and be mandated to create a game within them. Constraints can actually increase your creative output if utilized correctly. Lean into the constraints and think of clever ways to apply the theory.

• Overloading - A button can change what action it performs depending on the game state.
• Button States - A button has both a pressed and released event.
• Held Length Contexts - A button can perform different actions depending on how long the button is held down.
• Button History - If you store the history of inputs, you can change which action the button will perform.
• Command Motions - Combing stick and button inputs can create more actions.

Rules

These rules are steadfast and unbreakable. Abide by them.

• You must submit your game before the deadline.
• You can only use assets that you have a license to use.
• The majority of game has to be original.
• Respect your team members' roles.
• Keep the scope of the game small - try to focus on a single feature.

Judging Criteria

These are the areas the staff will be judging your games on. Keep this in mind when designing and building your games.

Previous Examples

It can be difficult to create something without a quality target or example. So here's a collection of Atari games that you can play online that previous student groups have created. Go and play them to see what your predecessors have created.

We expect you to surpass them. 😊