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Amiga computer related discussion => General chat about Amiga topics => Topic started by: Rebel-CD32 on May 13, 2008, 10:39:15 AM
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Here is a review I have written about Backbone, a wonderful, yet sadly abandoned piece of software that many people missed out on. So if you're interested, grab a cuppa, start downloading this package ( http://www.spin.net.au/~amiga/BackboneGames.lha )(example games made in Backbone), and read on!
Backbone Review
Have you ever wanted to design your own video games? I'm sure many of us, at some stage in our lives, wanted to give it a shot, but just didn't know where to begin. Sure, you could learn a programming language and code your own games, (which I fully encourage if you have the time) but a lot of us just don't have the time or patience to learn. In the past we've been treated with such programs as SEUCK and the various Adventure game creators, but there's never been much choice if you wanted to make fast-paced platform games or multi-directional overhead shooters. That was until a great little Shareware program called Backbone popped up on Aminet over ten years ago. Unfortunately it went largely unnoticed, which is a shame as with more support, the author would have continued development on the program, adding extra features and enhancements. However, despite the program being abandoned, it still works great, and is free to download on Aminet.
Now for the review. Backbone is an easy to use, Intuition friendly game creation program. It was coded by Alastair Murray. With it, you can design your own platform games and overhead shooters without any programming knowledge. All you need to make your own games are some graphics, sound and music, and a bit of creativity. You can design your own graphics in a paint program like Deluxe Paint, or download or rip graphics from thousands of other arcade or console games out there if you don't feel like pixelling them yourself. Backbone uses standard Amiga IFF files for graphics and sound effects, and can use any Protracker mod for the music.
The program unfortunately only makes use of the OCS/ECS chipset, so games can only use a maximum of 64 colours (in Extra Half-Bright mode), however the less colours you use, the faster the game will run. The same goes for the screen resolution, the smaller the faster. A faster CPU definitely helps speed games along, so owners of a 030 or higher should find their games run much smoother. Screen resolutions can be set from low-res PAL or NTSC up to high-res interlace.
Backbone allows you to create two different types of games using the one interface. Differences between platform and overhead games are obvious, one is side-scrolling and the other is viewed from above (Alien Breed/Chaos Engine style). You can choose for your game to contain weapons, or just use the traditional jump-on-their-head method to kill your enemies. Several different collectable items can be used in your games, including extra lives, health, points, and weapons. Weapons fire can be adjusted for intensity, duration and killing power. Two different types of enemies can be used; Chasing enemies and patroling enemies. Enemies can walk, jump, fall, fly, shoot, chase, stand still, or just walk around. When an enemy is killed, they can stay on screen, disappear, or turn into another object (for example, you can make it so when an enemy dies, a coin is left behind). Unfortunately this is the only way to gain points through killing enemies, as they don't add to your score just by killing them.
Using the level editor, you design the map for your game levels using a set of blocks. Blocks can be solid, platforms, ladders, dangerous (spikes/lava), destroyable or foreground. Destroyable blocks can only be destroyed with the Power Head powerup by jumping up and smashing them from below (like Mario). They can also be shot to be destroyed, but only in overhead shooter mode.
Platform games can have a plain static background or a simple copper gradient from a small selection of basic colours. Each level can have its own background music by selecting a Protracker mod. An interesting and useful feature in the level editor is the Event editor. From here, you can add events to areas of the map that can be accessed either automatically when the player passes them, or at the push of a button or key. Events include teleporting the player around the map (like to a hidden room or inside a building), it can change a block (removing a solid block at the flick of a switch to allow the player to progress), add objects, and play scenes.
Scenes can be added all throughout a game in Backbone. Scenes can be title screens, intro animations, menus, or cut scenes between levels. Each level can have its own "level complete" or "level failed" scenes. Scenes can contain still pictures, music or anims.
One great feature in Backbone is the ability to select different controls. This means you can make your game have the option to use a joystick, keyboard or control pad, utilising different directions, buttons or keys for each control method. Backbone has 2-button control as well as full 7-button CD32 controller support.
With so many options, it's never hard to shape the game you want to make. Sure, there are many limitations too, and had the program been better supported it would have had more options (such as collectable/limited ammo, money, score board, 2-player support...) it could have been even better, but it's still the best option for making these sorts of games on the Amiga without having to learn a programming language or one of the more limited commercial game creators.
If you've ever wanted to have another try at making a game, give Backbone a go. Games can be compiled and uploaded to Aminet or anywhere online for thousands of other Amiga users to enjoy. Download the program and the update, (and the tutorial packs as well if you want), find a keyfile, and get started on those new games today!
So, still with me? Hopefully by now, that package has finished downloading, and should be ready for you to extract to a directory on your Amiga's (or UAE PC's) hard drive. Inside you'll find a bunch of example games made by various people with Backbone. Four of the games (Tutorial, Micro Fighters, Reality, and Monkey) were made by Alastair Murray, the author of Backbone, as simple examples to show various features of Backbone. The rest of the games were made by other users, some of the games having several people working on various aspects of the game. One of the games (Halloween Nightmare) was made by my girlfriend and I, and is only a demo of a much larger game we're still working on. Another game (Tuesday) was made by me almost ten years ago, but was never finished and only has a couple of playable levels.
Thanks for reading, and I hope more people will give this program a go and make their own games.
Backbone can be downloaded here - http://aminet.net/package/dev/misc/Backbone_Full
Install this update once Backbone is installed - http://aminet.net/package/dev/misc/Backbone_Upd
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Nice review rebel, might check it out when I have some time. Have you managed to get around any demo version restrictions?
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Interesting package! Pity that it doesn't support RTG/AHI though.
Varthall
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Check out the example games folder for something that should help get around the demo restrictions. It fits in the S: directory, and since the program is abandonware, this seems to be the only way (unless we can find Alastair Murray, perhaps).
It's a shame the program was never finished, never had AGA or RTG support, but if we managed to get the source code, who knows what we could add! (Probably still not RTG support, unfortunately since it uses Amos libraries).
Best of luck to anyone interested in making their own games. Remember, if you're not a pixel artist, you can always download full sets of ripped graphics from a huge range of arcade, console and Amiga games from the various sprite rip sites out there.
Perhaps someone could make Amiga-MarioWorld or Amiga-MetalSlug!
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Hi everyone. I just started making a quick little caveman game in Backbone after being inspired by Viddi, who is also beginning work on a new Backbone game (following his epic Ambermoon Arcade). I checked the link to the Backbone games in this tutorial but it was dead, so I have uploaded the original archive to my server so people can still download it if they want. It was put together before a few extra Backbone games have come about so I'll link to those too, for anyone who wants to see what kind of games it's possible to make in Backbone.
http://home.exetel.com.au/amiga/BackboneGames.lha <-- A bunch of older Backbone games. Half are incomplete, but still worth trying.
http://aminet.net/package/game/jump/Cornelius <-- Cornelius Saves Christmas, a full 30 level game. Winner of third place in the Festive Game Making Competition
http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=622075&postcount=1 <-- Ambermoon Arcade, complete with labels to print for an authentic package. It was recently reviewed in Amiga Future magazine!
http://sonicamiga.blogspot.com/ <-- This is a Backbone game project that was started but never went anywhere, a Sonic the Hedgehog fan-game. I'll have to search around for the file the page links to and upload it to my server in case anyone still wants it.
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Interesting package! Pity that it doesn't support RTG/AHI though.
It was written in AmosPro. We'd need a new AmosPro (or at least a system-friendly extension set) before we could implement the new RTG/AHI features.