Building a Game

Three complete games, built chip by chip. They are three of the sixteen example games: in a creative world the Gallery's Arcade Exchange lists all sixteen, so you can download them and compare. Rows not listed are left empty and use their default. A setting not mentioned stays at its default. See Modules for every chip.

1. Serpent Garden — a one-player growing game#

Steer a serpent round a garden that wraps at the edges, eat orbs, and reach 100 points without biting yourself.

Why it works: Score Target needs points, and the Score Orbs give them (each orb comes back after a second); every orb also makes the serpent longer, so the game gets harder as you get closer to winning. Wrap-around opens the border, so the only thing that can hurt you is your own tail.

Try next: set the Serpent's Speed to 3 for a faster game; add a Chaser in the Hazard row and the board gets a hunter; swap Score Target for Survive with 90 seconds and the orbs become a way to grow, not to win.

2. Vault Run — keys, a maze and drones#

Find three keys in a big maze while two drones hunt you, then reach the exit before your lives run out.

Why it works: with Needs key on, the exit appears locked on the far side of the board and opens only once all three keys are collected. Keys are placed away from where you start and never come back. The drones always step toward you through the maze, so you have to plan a route. After losing a life you get a one-second shield.

Try next: add a Shield pickup to give yourself breathing room; add Fog in the Modifier row (radius 5) and the maze is only visible around you; turn Needs key off and it becomes a straight race to the exit.

3. Paddle Duel — two players, one ball#

A two-player game for two linked cabinets: keep the ball from crossing your goal line. Three misses and you are out.

Why it works: each Paddle paints its player's goal line behind it. The ball bounces off walls and paddles; a ball past your goal line costs you a life and gives your opponent a point, then a new ball is served. Last Standing ends the match when one player is left. Two-way keeps the paddle on its line, so the pad's other axis does nothing.

To play it, build a Link Bus with two cabinets (see Multiplayer and the Link Bus), put the cartridge into one of them, and have both players sit down and press A when ready. Alone, the game waits ten seconds and then plays you against the computer.

Try next: Count 2 on the Bouncing Ball for chaos; Seats 4 on Versus and four linked cabinets — players three and four guard the left and right sides; swap Last Standing for Score Target (Target 5) to play to points.

Tips#

• The rack row and the preview update as you change a setting; TEST PLAY before you save.
• A grey ▲ warning is advice, not an error.
• A saved game shows its chips in the cartridge tooltip, and /neroarcade cartridge inspect (holding it) lists every slot.