The Real Ghostbusters Remastered (GB1, NES)

[PresidentLeever]

Looks great! You could have a look at the SMS version for some gameplay improvements, though it's far from perfect (as in it held up well, not compared to the original version) there still.

My only minor complaint is that the sidewalk in the car segment looks very busy, which could perhaps be distracting.

[nesrocks]

I'll certainly be looking at the other versions, especially the original C64 one for ideas once I'm done with the graphical changes. One thing I really don't like about the game is that the only downside to not catching the ghosts on time is that the time runs out. It would be good to actually have a penalty so there could be some challenge on that scene. Crane mentions that the ghosts can "slime you", but I haven't found a video of that happenning on the C64 version, so I don't know.

Also, some aspects of the game are so under utilized, like when the marshmallow man destroys buildings, or shooting him from the top of the zuul building being completely useless.

I should have a new screenshot today, just finishing the staircase scene. I had a lot of technical freedom on this screen, so I had a lot of fun doing it.

[Da_GPer]

On the C64 version, you can get slimed for failing to catch the ghost before it leaves or if you fail to catch it in the trap. Also, the C64 version doesnt have the store, gas, cars and hazards on the streets, and the part after entering Zuul. Once you pass Stay Puff to enter Zuul, the game shows the Ghostbusters closing the game by crossing the streams. Also, the C64 version has a special "password" like part at the beginning that you enter your name and if you have an account and stuff. Its used to give yourself a bank account, meaning that you can gain and lose money each time you play, making it harder or easier to win, depending on how well you did last time you played. Ill go find a play through of the C64 game to show you the differences and post it here.

EDIT: Heres the play through. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElJNQxgKZPw

[rainponcho]

I think these remastered projects are a great way of making use of your elite level talent! Something above amazing ideas and touch-ups. If you start having fun adding your own cutscenes (thinking Mega Man 3 Improved storybook intro), you'll be shooting far beyond the moon.

+1 to waiting list.

[nesrocks]

@Da_GPer I had watched exactly that video, but throughout its entirety the player never gets slimed even once.
@rainponcho: that could only be done with some rom expansion, there isn't a lot of space left. I'm not sure how I feel about expanding roms.

Here is the finished staircase scene!



The building has 10 floors now instead of 23, but I may change that to adjust difficulty later on.
To do: final scene, the other three building variations for the ghost catching level, staypuft man destroying buildings, and the pause inventory.

To make it clear, I don't want to change the mapper or expand the rom, I want the game to use its 1985 technology and see what I can do with it.

[Da_GPer]

@Da_GPer I had watched exactly that video, but throughout its entirety the player never gets slimed even once.

Lets see if I can find a video with stuff like sliming and other things not seen in that other video. I noticed they didnt even show the other cars.

[FCandChill]

Hey, NesRocks. A new NES project eh..? Would you mind if I team up with you again for the sound? I'll even add your notes to DataCrystal again!

[dACE]

I'm confused - are you going to include Winston or not?

Be quick with the answer, before any moderator deletes the question...

/dACE

[nesrocks]

Why would the question be deleted? I hope nobody deletes it, there is nothing wrong with it.
I had written a long post about that but the answer is simple. For technical reasons I decided not to add him on that particular scene. I hope I can add Louis, Winston and Janine (how can people forget her???) somewhere, but there is very limited tile space to work with so I find it unlikely I'll be able to do that.

@FCandChill: that'd be nice, but I want to try and do it myself, as training for my pc game (in which I'm using nsf files). In fact, for ghostbusters Macbee already found a nsf someone made that maybe I could use as reference. I haven't looked into the music format in the game yet, but I know the addresses. One thing I have no clue how to do but wanted to is to change the "Ghostbusters!" yell DPCM to the one from the official song. I tried looking into it but couldn't figure out much yet. The ultimate badass thing to have would be for the ghosbusters yell to happen at the right moments in the song, but that is probably dreaming too high.

[retroverse]

I have (surprisingly) fond memories of the ZX Spectrum version of this game, so I'll be watching this with interest - you're doing an awesome job of improving the graphics, and I'm curious to see what further enhancements you can achieve while working within the limits of the ROM.  (I also wonder what you'll do with the famous end screen...)

On the subject of sliming, here's a video of someone getting slimed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBBbFnwkLzE

If I remember rightly, you lost one of your team of three ghostbusters every time you got slimed - if your team drops down to one, you can't go to ghost call-outs anymore, as you need two ghostbusters to pin the ghosts down.  You can replenish your team to full strength at any time by returning to GBHQ.  (In my head, I always imagined Winston was waiting at GBHQ and got swapped in for the 'slimed' team member, but the same three identical sprites kept walking out...  )

[FCandChill]

@FCandChill: that'd be nice, but I want to try and do it myself, as training for my pc game (in which I'm using nsf files).

How are you play NSFs for your game..?

[nesrocks]

How are you play NSFs for your game..?

Using this https://forum.yoyogames.com/index.php?threads/chiptune-player-game_music_emu-free.25121/#post-157284
I have already written a couple of test tunes but they aren't in style with the game, it was more of an exercise.

@retroverse: interesting! thanks for the video, and that voice was funny heh

[Da_GPer]

Thanks for finding that video too. I ended up falling with a mild case of some kind of stomach illness shortly after writing the last post and wasnt able to look for the video. Im glad someone else stepped up to the plate.

[Asaki]

@FCandChill: that'd be nice, but I want to try and do it myself, as training for my pc game (in which I'm using nsf files). In fact, for ghostbusters Macbee already found a nsf someone made that maybe I could use as reference.

Was the original music that bad? I haven't played it in a little bit, but I remember it being pretty decent.

They say you can't polish a turd, but Nesrocks sure likes to try =)

[FCandChill]

Was the original music that bad? I haven't played it in a little bit, but I remember it being pretty decent.

It's passable ... however it has composition which an experienced NES would stray away from ... for instance playing two of the same notes at the same time and at a high pitch. Jun Ishikawa does the theme better justice in New Ghostbusters with a more advanced sound engine ... he's also the composer for Kirby's Adventure ... so he knew what he was doing...

[Asaki]

Hmm, maybe could borrow music from that game, if graphics are already being borrowed.

[Da_GPer]

That would require a rewrite on the sound code, which unless FCandChill is able to copy and paste the sound code from New Ghostbusters 2 to Ghostbusters, would be a lot of work. Besides, he was able to use the horrible sound code from Super Pitfall to make some awesome songs, so I have high hopes that the same can happen here too.

[FCandChill]

That would require a rewrite on the sound code, which unless FCandChill is able to copy and paste the sound code from New Ghostbusters 2 to Ghostbusters, would be a lot of work. Besides, he was able to use the horrible sound code from Super Pitfall to make some awesome songs, so I have high hopes that the same can happen here too.

Ah, Super Pitfall II ... A lot of effects provided by the engine were superfluous and the engine itself was barebones. For this game ... there's definitely room for improvement for the music just like with the Pitfall game. It would be nice to have extra themes ... the NSF file for the game just has the ghostbusters theme and the "gherst bersters" sound byte...

[NES Boy]

It would be nice to have extra themes ... the NSF file for the game just has the ghostbusters theme and the "gherst bersters" sound byte...

That would be an excellent opportunity to adapt the film's score for this game. The score was commercially released by Varèse Sarabande back in 2006.

[nesrocks]

Guys, unlike Super Pitfall, this game doesn't have a lot of unused bytes. It has only a few actually, just enough to insert some new asm. Super Pitfall was a freak case, it had TONS of free space. I have no idea why it even needed a mapper! So, unless we cut something, adding other songs would be difficult. Maybe removing the ghostbusters voice would work, as that takes a lot of rom space. But the yell is so characteristic to the game, I think that removing it completely would feel weird...
One thing I like about the original song is that it is very long. When you think it has started looping it throws in a new phrase. The song can be vastly improved, but one thing that absolutely has to be kept is this varied length.