Bumpy Grumpy

Anything from run & guns to modern RPGs, what else do you play?
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MommysBestGames
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Bumpy Grumpy

Post by MommysBestGames »

Anybody remember this one?
It was pretty obscure, from 1983. It's a great little racer, with lots of score-depth.
I recently got the opportunity to buy the IP, and now I'm porting the game to Steam.
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The company, Occidental Designs, was really weird. They made lots of stuff, but most games didn't make it out of test markets, and I've never yet heard of a surviving arcade machine. They also went bankrupt several times and pulled some wild marketing stunts.
I remember playing Bumpy Grumpy in a smokey Pizza Hut on a field trip to see the Arch in St. Louis.

The company's "history" is really interesting. You should read through it if you are into arcade lore.
http://mommysbestgames.com/ODgames/index.html
I'm sure it'll jog your memory.
If you have any good stories about playing some OD games I'd love to hear them.


And do check out the full trailer, and wishlist it if it looks interesting. Thanks!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2411970/Bumpy_Grumpy
Made a giant arcade-adventure: Pig Eat Ball. Also made shmup with multi-ships: Shoot 1UP DX, Gunstacking game: Serious Sam Double D XXL, and more shooters.
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BulletMagnet
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Re: Bumpy Grumpy

Post by BulletMagnet »

Yup, brings back memories. ;) Best of luck with the release!
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BIL
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Re: Bumpy Grumpy

Post by BIL »

The beltscrolling racer seems like an under-explored genre, now I think about it. First example that comes to mind is the bonus stage in Battle Circuit. :mrgreen: (edit: and the bike scenes from FC Kunio, I guess!)
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Air Master Burst
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Re: Bumpy Grumpy

Post by Air Master Burst »

Lots of belt scrollers have vehicle segments and they're usually pretty jank, mostly because it's hard to react at speed to stuff when you're that zoomed in.

See also Battletoads, TMNT, Streets of Rage 3 and Remake, Fight n' Rage, probably a bunch more I'm forgetting...
King's Field IV is the best Souls game.
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BIL
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Re: Bumpy Grumpy

Post by BIL »

Yeah, it seems like something that'd require a lot of smart mitigation to work nearly as well as the more typical Pole Position/OutRun chase cam. I could see a brawling racer with appropriately generous hitboxes (big on your attacks, small on theirs) being a good time, if they mitigated against the endemic visibility issues even very good side-on 2D racers are prone to. (Konami's authentically militant ram 'em up Road Fighter, Sunsoft's terminally badass Spy Hunter sequel Battle Formula... cool games, but you have to put the work in learning those course layouts, before you can approach them at anywhere near full throttle, never mind scything through 'em like the 2ALL big bois on teh toob)

Totally forgot Nichibutsu's Seicross! (which I'm compelled to call that instead of its JP arcade title Sector Zone, because I grew up with the NES cart, and the FC cart of the same name was one of my first import pickups) Despite the TATE layout portending disaster, it manages to play pretty comfily. Nice balance of icy STG snipe n' rescue with grittily tactile sideswiping, caveat being if you hit scenery, you dead sonny!

Nichibutsu always did a great flyer. Could go in the movie taglines thread.

THE SILENCE HAS BEEN BROKEN IN SPACE CITY
Spoiler
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ROARING SOUND TURNS THE CITY INTO A BATTLEGROUND


Well, "evade" pursuers as in "ram them into the nearest wall / roadblock, assuming you can't simply put one up their tailpipe." I guess it's technically evading them if they're dead, right? Image Player sprite will instantly recall the previous year's ROTJ speeder chase, as if the concept didn't already. Dude's even got a little flat cap just like Luke's.
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BryanM
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Re: Bumpy Grumpy

Post by BryanM »

Air Master Burst wrote:Lots of belt scrollers have vehicle segments and they're usually pretty jank, mostly because it's hard to react at speed to stuff when you're that zoomed in.

See also Battletoads
The issue of the one in Battletoads is really more one of player agency, and the depth of choices they put into the minigame.

It is at its core a pure reflex game, and nothing more. If you gave the player 1 second to react, it would be trivial and boring. 0.6 seconds, a bit spicey. And at 0.3 seconds, as a game developer, you're just being an asshole. You can see how it's conceptually flawed against being very interesting for very long, with only this one dial to turn. It's designed to be a short diversion. Very few would want to play an entire 20 minute long game of Simon Says.

Depth and interest are always a huge problem when trying to make a new game that isn't just copying everything that works in an old one; play, counter-play, making plays conditionally good or very very bad... I'm currently pondering on how to make a kaiju tactics RPG on a small field that's like King of the Monsters 2, how to make that work beyond just numbers bashing against each other... without it being a rock/paper/scissors move guessing game.

Just like with everything, stealing ideas is so much simpler.

(For the sideways racer the answer's just "make it a shoot'em up". Maybe with less shooting. And more hot dogs.)

(Ugh, now this has me thinking about the backpedaling in Hellgate London. Where the optimal play was often to walk backwards while shooting zombies that couldn't fight back. Then you walk forward through the empty hall you've long ago already cleared, and had just been running backwards through. If your game only has one optimal way to play and it's boring, change your game Flagship...)
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Air Master Burst
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Re: Bumpy Grumpy

Post by Air Master Burst »

BryanM wrote:I'm currently pondering on how to make a kaiju tactics RPG on a small field that's like King of the Monsters 2, how to make that work beyond just numbers bashing against each other... without it being a rock/paper/scissors move guessing game.
That sounds dope as fuck and if it played anything like Fights in Tight Spaces or Into the Breach I'd be into it.

The main issue with a side-scrolling racer is that you can't turn; so you're stuck with jumping, ducking, and combat. Hell, the only single-plane example I can even think of that actually emphasizes the racing aspect is that budget PS1 Xabungle game, and it's not great. Of course veering left and right is the other option, but precise z-axis positioning at high speed never works well on a belt. The only game I can remember that sort of does this well is that SD Kamen Rider game on SNES, but even there they tilt the perspective up so high it's barely even a side-scroller anymore.

With that context, the lane-based arcade style of Bumpy Grumpy actually looks kind of interesting. I'm thinking some sort of Guardian Heroes style lane-change system could maybe work for a modern widescreen belt-scrolling racer if they zoomed it out enough.
King's Field IV is the best Souls game.
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MommysBestGames
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Re: Bumpy Grumpy

Post by MommysBestGames »

I'll be putting out a demo down the road as it gets closer to a Steam release.
I do think you'll enjoy it, as you get lots of lane options AND the player and enemy collision is mercifully small, so pulling off moves like this is very possible but always exciting.
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There's also lots of power-up options, and bonuses to decide to risk trying to get to keep things interesting.
Plus you even have a "brakes" button to slow down. But the high score does not come to the slow driver! :D
Made a giant arcade-adventure: Pig Eat Ball. Also made shmup with multi-ships: Shoot 1UP DX, Gunstacking game: Serious Sam Double D XXL, and more shooters.
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FunktionJCB
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Re: Bumpy Grumpy

Post by FunktionJCB »

Looks great!

Hopefully the wait for the release won't be long. :wink:
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MommysBestGames
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Re: Bumpy Grumpy

Post by MommysBestGames »

I have cool news.
Bumpy Grumpy now has a free demo on Steam!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2411 ... py_Grumpy/

Works with a controller or keyboard, but ALSO will work in your mame cabinet with an arcade stick (let me know if you have problems with it).
There is an option for "arcade cabinet mode" that will skip the main menu, and just show the main game.
Made a giant arcade-adventure: Pig Eat Ball. Also made shmup with multi-ships: Shoot 1UP DX, Gunstacking game: Serious Sam Double D XXL, and more shooters.
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