CodeLink v1

[momoguru]

Hey guys, ive started my new project called CODELINK. its a hacker game (similar to UPLINK), in which you are an agent, hacking for fun, fame, and profit.

ive got most of the graphics done, and 60% of the coding finished. i still have alot to do, im guessing 2 more weeks til its done. as far as gameplay goes... its much better than my first game starquest (imo). ive taken a few screenies to give you an idea of how it works. the whole game takes place in the early 80's... so if you're an oldschool haX0r, you will definately enjoy this game.

my qb site is almost done too, ive been working on it here and there, and i will probably launch it this weekend.

anyway... heres the beta demo screenies.

[na_th_an]

Wow, man, you're fast! You'll be becoming a new QB legend soon

And the screenshots rock.

[Jocke The Beast]

Love the screenshot This one I'll be looking forwards to.

[wizardlife]

Looks very similar to Uplink. Uplink is an amazing game, of course, but how do you plan to expand on it?

The screens look nice.

[momoguru]

lol, i wish....

actually, as i keep adding to my qbsprite program, it gets easier to pump out the graphics. im working on incorporating a gif loader so that i can import my graphics from fireworks mx. i already build a gif palette to mimic the qb45 palette for screen 13, that way, i don't 'Have' to load a new palette for the images. But i soon realized the qb pallette sux, so i made a better one.

i made gif.act color tables for fireworks mx, now i just need to put the gif loader in. i found a decent one online, but have yet to incorporate it into the qbsprite program. little by little, ill get there.

as for the game code, i built a standard code template that i use for all my programs, it has routines for
-mouse-window-button-(print) font-(input) font-image-timer...etc...

that way i can jump right into the goodstuff.

just outta curiousity, what ide do you guys use for development. i found this AWESOME gem of a program called source-edit.

http://www.sourceedit.com/

if you are still coding in the QB ide... u may wanna check this out.
you can build your own lanquage syntax formatting. (i have a qbasic one i made if u need it)

you can also add your own tools into the toolbar. for example, i made a 'COMPILE' button that when clicked, runs a .bat file that compiles the code i was working on AND spits out the output into source edit. you can see exactly how much mem / size you have left in your program. it also lets you set the FUNCTION formatting, so that all your SUBS and FUNCTIONS can easily be accessed from the function window.

seriously, if u are still coding in the qb ide (and are sick of it)... download this free program, its incredible!

anyway thanx again guys for the support

[momoguru]

well first off, think of it as a prequil to uplink. this game takes place in the early 80's (max modem speed is 128kb dual dialup),

1)the gameplay is similar, but alot different. in uplink, u can bounce
thru any PC. in codelink, u can only bounce thru PCs u have already hacked, or public proxies.

2) this game is ALOT more plot based, and less routine.

3) the game is modular, so after u beat it, u unlock the ability to create your own PCs and plot (i plan on hosting the mods on my site). I built a small interpriter for the PC files, so you can program all the security / files / plot etc... into that file instead of having to open my source to change the game. you can build websites / proxy servers /search engines / databases / file servers / Plot servers / Ecommerce (shops).

4) the programs u run function alot differently, each level of PC security is set up in a way to prevent you from moving to far to fast. which keeps you on the plot. the programs are run via a console, unlike uplink.
ALOT more console based hacks, and less drag and drop.
once you beat the game, u can write your own programs and include them for sale in your mod.

5) ive got servers for almost every 80's movie that has anything to do with hacking. (wargames,running man,daryl,explorers,real genius ect...) if there is an old movie that had a hacking scece in it, its somewhere in this game.

aside from all that, this game is a comedy.

im still contemplating a MP option.

[speedlemon]

This game has high potential. it looks great already

[relsoft]

Lachie, you have a problem...

Looks kewl!!!!

[wizardlife]

2) this game is ALOT more plot based, and less routine.

Good plan. Biggest problem with uplink was the lack of plot early on in the game. And some of the mission descriptions were pretty ambiguous about what you were actually supposed to do.

Also the issue with spending 5 minutes setting up for a hack by compromising sixteen servers to bounce through. Do you plan to fix this by simply considering a server permanently compromised once you hack it once or twice?

[momoguru]

yes, yes and yes.

when you first crack into a server, you get the main menu. at the beginning, u can't disable all the security at first. but as you get better and progress, you can set the server security so that you dont need to waste time re-hacking it to use its proxy. so you can route right through it like an old shoe

also, when you diconnect from a server, it doesnt destroy your bounce chain, it just disconnects THAT server from the chain. the modem allows you to remove servers from the chain one at a time (and you can opt to disconnect from all of them if you want). this help skip alot of the boring stuff and keeps you on track of the plot.

however, this is qb so i know ill hit some limitations somewhere, but so far, its looking good (feature wise). i still have over 30000 bytes left to work with, and most of the serious code is done.

i can send you a demo of where im at now, to give you an idea of how its shaping up. lemme know