I started working on a Sudoku game back in November and this morning I burned a revised prototype onto  EPROMs and game it to a friend for him to beta test for me.

Anyways, here are some screenshots (taken in an emulator.  It looks the same on real hardware)

http://www.geocities.com/albailey_nes/sudoku_screens.JPG

If anyone on here ends up attending the Game show in Toronto at the end of April, you can pick up a copy.  I plan on making a limited run of games for that event.

Al

I actually like sudoku.  The screens look pretty nice too.  You should sale a few on the boards.  I wouldn't mine having one :D
~~NGD

Wow... very sweet... I'd be honored to host the game on NES WORLD some day

Would you be willing to do a trade? ;)

Since my geocities site only lets me post html files and images,  I guess I'll take you up on that offer Martin.

I'm still letting it "soak" for a week.  testing it on real hardware.
Once it's finalized I'll send you the ROM, as well as the label image.   I might have to make a custom PAL version since I have a hardcoded "60 frames per second" in the timer code and I'm too lazy to implement a detection method.

I'm only planning on making 25 or 50 (we'll see how much soldering I get done).
I'll keep one copy for myself, and sending 3 out to people I "owe".  
All the rest will be individally labelled and sold at the Toronto game show at cost (which would be fairly cheap (in the 10 dollar range) if I use existing carts and dont do manuals or boxes.  And VERY expensive (well over $30) if I go the other route with custom plastic, manuals, boxes, etc..).

If there are any left, I'll let you guys know.

Al

make sure you save one for me, i'll be at the t.o show.

bravo!  That looks great!  I gotta drop by CGCC and see when the show is.  I'd love to get a copy for my collection.

excellent work!

Wow dude this is so awesome. Very cool your sharing this, great sneak preview, hehe. I am ready to support 'locals', i would love to own a copy. ;)

Great game!  I just played it, really fun.

Great work.


Usually when people start homebrewing, they lose their interest at some point. Nice to see that you actually finished it! :)

That's really great.  Would love to own one if you ever start selling for a little profit on here.

Awesome! Count me in when you sell the copies :)

You made the main page of NESWorld over this Al, great job.  I will also add your game into the NintendoAGE database soon as well.   :D
~~NGD

Congrats man! I'd love to get a copy too.

im in for a copy as well.  

Great!!   There has to be a way for US to get one of these BADBOYS. I cannot get to Canada. But I really would like a copy.

Ya like Early-Worm said, there has to be a way for us to get a copy of this game down here in the states.

Are they all going to say NESWorld on them?

Nope... neither of them are...

The game is really fun to play and addictive too. I want a copy when ready Al. 8-)

...but there are two versions of the game?

Great quality.  Good job man!

So if I ever get all 100 made, there's 2 versions.  10 Gold, 90 regular (100 total).
The Gold ones are only going to be available to be won (like door prizes) at the different meets.

I'll create a separate set of puzzles for the Gold one, and change the title screen.   If time permits, I'll add an easter egg of some sort.  I did recently add PAL detection and support for both and it seems to run fine in Nintendulator on PAL mode.

But all my time is now focused on production.
I still have all the labels and manuals to design.
I havent made a single cart yet (other than the early prototypes).
I need to disassemble the donor carts, clean em, de-solder em,  program em, etc..

So for me, this is going to be a busy month.

Al

You are doing this a VERY smart way Al.  You are making them collectable, yet fun to play.  You have a long road ahead of you though, but it will be worth it for sure.

I am about to send you a PM in a minute. . . . .
~~NGD

I managed to get the first 33 finished around 1am Friday (April 27) just in time for me to leave for the Toronto show this weekend (bringing 28 grey and 1 gold).  Only reason I got it done at all is because my wife helped out so much. She did all the image design, layout, cutting, sticker making, stapling and folding (for the manuals) and stuck on most of the stickers.

Here is a pic of the carts side by side

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f388/albailey1974/Sudoku%20NES/sudokuBoth.jpg

Those are the 2  I am keeping.  I messed up the security hologram a little bit on the box for the gold one though :(.  I forgot to upload pics of the boxes and manuals. I'll do this next week after I get back.  

Al

Those look great!  What kind of paint did you use on the gold cart and how did you go about making the labels (tape and paper) in the end?  How do you think the pain will hold up in the long run?  I have some Fami/NES conversion pieces I'm working on and would love to know what you thought about your paint results and label making method.

Looks really great man, very impressed.
~~NGD

I got the labels printed on a color laser printer on glossy paper.
Then I put them through a sticker maker to laminate the top, and turn them into stickers.
The downside to this is that the labels dont necessarily come out perfectly square, and so you cant predetermine where to set a guide when cutting them.   As a result, not all my labels are cut to the same size.  I am very happy with the look of them, but you can tell its done by a human instead of a machine.

I doubt the paint on the gold will hold up well if played very much.  It's Kyron stuff with real 18K gold in it (or so they say).  It feels rough to the touch, and I suspect over time it will get worn off.  I probably should have sprayed some sort of sealant over it.  I probably also sbhould have sanded a but under where the label goes.  There are little bumps under some of the gold labels from the paint.


I will say this,  if I ever make another game, I wont be doing it like this.   I'll pay the extra and have custom labels/stickers printed.  The cost of printing and sticker making really adds up, not to mention the time involved and it would look more professional.

I'd also get custom PCBs made since de-soldering was one of the largest time killers.  I ended up hooking up a bicycle tire pump to my little de-soldering iron and used that for a bunch of donors.  It was faster, but I think I ended up breathing a lot of lead.  

Cleaning existing cases wasnt too bad.  I just soak them in naptha in an ice cream container overnight with the lid on so it doesnt all evaporate, and the next morning the labels peel off relatively easily.   But finding carts that dont have scratches, chips, etc..  is also a pain.   Bottom line,  I'd rather do a custom cart.

So yeah, this was a big learning experience.

Al

How do the boxes look?

Just got back from the show, and purchased #20 from Al.

The box/manual is AMAZING!  And the price is perfect.  I strongly recommend that people try and get their hands on a copy.  It's so worth it!  Excellent job Al !!!

It's been a pleasure to meet you.  Keep up the great work.

I just saw the box and manual from a guy who posts on NESforums, they look incredible.  This has been a great project and I hope you plan to do more in the future for sure.
~~NGD

I am so envious....I can't stand it.

Wow I'm extremely impressed of the work that has been put into this project, I sure hope to see more of this in the future :-)

Anyone got a picture of the box?

I put a (very large) PNG of the label art here:
http://s51.photobucket.com/albums/f388/albailey1974/Sudoku%20NES/

For people who want to make a reproduction.  Obviously it won't have the security hologram on it.

Based on how few I sold in Toronto, and how few are going to Ohio,  I suspect I'll have tons left after the Vegas show (tons meaning 40 or 50).  So if people want one of the numbered ones, you'll likely be able to get one after Vegas.

I've also talked with someone about making a true un-licensed release of this game.  That version would have custom PCBs and cart plastic and a security bypass.  No more donor carts.  It'll also have a different version of the game on it (I hope to add some music, generate more symettrical puzzles, etc..)  So who knows you can always get that one (I know I will be buying one off him).  I wont mention who, since I still havent sent him anything.

Al

This looks great!  I love Sudoku and can only imagine how fun it would be to play one on the nes.  Couldn't wait, so I completed the puzzle on the label.  Hopefully I'll have a chance to play a cart of this for real!

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/8881/nessudokufinishjr2.th.png

Congrats on a wonderful looking project...it looks like you took out all the stops on this one!

yea, i got a copy too #14, the box is so friggin cool, great work albailey

I am from Spain and I cant see any way to get that wonderful game =(

Please help me!!! Where I buy?

Regards...

You'll have an opportunity.
1) I can almost guarantee I'll have leftovers after the Vegas show (CGE) of the numbered carts.  Those are NTSC though and the equivalent of repros in terms of how they are made.
2) There will be an un-numbered series being made by someone (not me) that should be multi-region compatable.   Those are the equivalent of unolicensed games in terms of how they are made.  (Assuming I ever get some time away from work to make the required updates.)

Al

Hmm the unlicensed business sounds extremely interesting.... could be a "nearly (un)official" NES release in many many years :-)

Especially if he makes more than 1 game and comes up with a company name for them.  He could pseudo start a whole new age of collecting in a way.  There are still new Atari games being made and I have been wondering for years when someone was going to start making new NES games.

On a side note, I wouldn't mind seeing a NES tic tac toe someday or a good paper rock scissors (better than Honey Peach)
~~NGD

I'd really like to see a Hide and Seek game similar to Sneek-n-Peek on atari.  One person hides their character in one of the 15 or so hiding places on the map (while the other person turns their head).  then the other player has a set time limit to find the first player.

I can't imagine it would be that hard to make.  If I knew anything about these things i'd probably even do it myself.

OK, I'll start a new thread where people can post their game ideas.
Puzzle games and the like are really simple to do.


I think the only way a new un-licensed game becomes "collectable" is if its production ends.
So hopefully the un-licensed sudoku games will only be available until I get my next game done.

Al

Hey, Al, got some questions for you in PM. (No, not questions like "WILL YOU SELL ME THREE PLEASE!")

Also just want to say publically, I really respect you for this effort, I hope everyone realizes how groundbreaking and difficult this sort of undertaking is, especially for the NES. If anyone doesn't know what I'm talking about...

Step 1: Collect Underpants
Step 2: ?
Step 3: Release Homebrew NES Cart

...Al filled in the "?".

Question for Al: Is Puzzle 99 the hardest in the game? Because, holy crap, that was pretty damn difficult.

http://www.nesplayer.com/sudoku.gif

This is the most mentally taxing NES game since Color A Dinosaur (trust me on this). Great work!

I'm glad i could get one, it looks pretty professional. Also would be cool if i can get some for Eurocon 2007.

If you finished one of the "hard" puzzles in only 16 minutes, you're way better at sudoku than me.
I have to "cheat"  quite frequently (not really a cheat, its how I designed the game) by making guesses and pressing start to evaluate and see if my guess was correct. (which penalizes me 5 seconds).

A real cheat if you are in an emulator, you can use a memory viewer in the emulator and look at the 81 sequential memory addresses starting at  0x40 (ignore a leading F)

I "think" I made the first 40 easy, next 40 medium and last 20 difficult.  I have no idea which is the most difficult.

The way I classified their difficulty was by the algorithm I used in autogenerating them and removing numbers from the board.  
For the hard ones I attempt 81 times to remove a random square(and re-evaluate the board to make sure it only has one solution.  Obviously I cant remove all 81 squares or the board would have infinite solutions).  For easy and medium I attempt to remove less squares.  I think 40 and 50  (I'd need to check my code).

Al

Yeah, I was on a "Sudoku roll" with that one... after six or eight failed attempts at the puzzle. I haven't really used the evaluate feature yet.

Anyway, if you ever decide to create a list for future buyers (that is, if there are any left over), please add me to it (mike@nesplayer.com) as I don't check this forum very often.

Hey Al, any details on the CCAG show release yesterday? Who won the gold?

dangevin wrote on 27. May 2007 at 20:11:

Hey Al, any details on the CCAG show release yesterday? Who won the gold?

Hey there, just thought I'd answer your question by saying that it was me who won the gold (#4/100) at CCAG. I've been a member here a while, but lurking obviously (I'm slightly more active over at the DP board).

FWIW, I:

1. Bought a gray copy (#39) earlier in the day.
2. Misheard an early drawing and thought I lost since Sudoku was all I put tickets in for.
3. Wasn't paying attention at all to the actual drawing.
4. Half heard my number called and had a genuine "Oh crap" moment.
5. Claimed my prize about a half second before they drew a new winner.

So yeah... fun story. Fun show. My friend who rode three hours with me to the show won the pinball machine they gave away too. Good times.

And although I completely suck at Sudoku, big props to Al. To develop your own game and see it through to the cart creation and all is amazing. I've got nothing but respect after trying out the games, and they'll be great conversation pieces. It's the small touches that put it over the top, though. The "seal of adequacy", the "homebrew series" with the beer stein logo, the box, the manual and back labels (which made me laugh out loud a few times); they're all good.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Thanks again to the guys here at NES World who were at the show and donated the cart. I had a blast talking to you, and hopefully we'll meet up again sometime in the future.

Hi Jesse,
Congrats on winning the carts and thanks for letting me know the numbers.  I'm trying to keep track of who got which carts.

Al

Hey Al,
I've never posted here before, but I learned all about your game from the guys over at NintendoAGE.com.  Since you're trying to keep track of who has what number, I have #32 and I'm shipping #40 to burnambill (Nick).

Oh, and Jessie, I'm going to be SOOO mad if you sell that gold one to anyone but me, since I was the VERY first to offer to buy it from you at CCAG!

@Burdger - So that's what number I'm getting, sweet. 8-) Can't wait to get it and see this game in person and play it myself.

@AlBailey - Are all the Gold ones spoken for?  I read somewhere that one might be given away over the internet for a contest of some sort.

@Jcheatle - Congrats on winning a gold one.  Either keep it for yourself or sell it to ME.  And check your PM box!!

Of the 5 remaining golds (which I have eproms for, I just need to order more sticker making supplies)
1 is a prize for the CGE (vegas) show
1 is a prize for Eurocon show
1 is for the unlilcensed game producer
1 is for my beta tester
I'd like to make the last one as a prize in a Nesworld contest or something.  

Edit- Thanks Burdger.

Al

albailey wrote on 30. May 2007 at 14:13:

I'd like to make the last one as a prize in a Nesworld contest or something.   Al

Yeah, do that!  It's probably my only chance to get one.

Also I was playing my gray one that I got a few days ago (thanks burdger) and realized how much I suck at Sudoku.  Even the easy puzzles I can't finish!

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Solve-Sudoku-Puzzles:-Beginner-Tips&id=129448

This is a really good brief beginner strategy. The only difficult thing about playing Sudoku as a VG is the inability to mark more than one possible number in a square on difficult ones, but as you get used to it you will find you don't need the pencil-ins as a crutch, you can just visualize it.

It's a big spike in the learning curve though, and if you enjoy the puzzles and are getting frustrated just pick up a dollar-store pad of harder ones and fudge through those. I've had as many as five possibles crammed in the same square and it actually helps, you just erase them as you can rule some out.

It takes practice like any advanced logic puzzle. Respect yourself if you can solve a difficult one on a video version. :)

Al, do you have an extra gray copy for sale yet? I would really like to get my hands on one.  :)

I actually did get chips this week.  I initially ordered from futurlec on May 5th, and after repeated emails where I asked them either ship the chips or cancel the order, they cancelled the order on the third week of June.

So I paid a little more and ordered them from digikey, took less than 2 days.

But to answer your question, No,  I dont have any available.   I'm still working on the batch that is being sent with Jumpman to  CGE in Vegas.

Al

Right on. If I lived anywhere near Vega, I would check out that game show, but unfortunately I live across the country in FL. Good luck with the show, and I look forward to checking out your game sometime soon.

FYI, there was a bug in the grey/gold and blue carts.  On certain TVs this made the screen jitter or act weird.  The problem was that the NES has a 64 color palette, you have to pick the colors you use from that palette, and one of the colors (the shade of black I was using) causes some types of TVs to think they need to refresh again, which fubars the display.

This bug will be found in the grey version, gold version and the early blue versions (no code and -1 code).  it will be fixed in the -2 code blue version.

Al

OK, I had 7 copies left over and so I've contacted 7 people who had PM-ed me asking for a copy a LONG time ago.

If you contacted me, but I didnt send you a PM, let me know in case one of those people dont get back to me.

Thus ends the sudoku numbered saga.   According to my spreadsheet,  I'll have made roughly $30 by ordering parts for 100, making 95, and selling 80+ copies.    As you can see, it was not exactly done for the money, lol.

Al

(Still wants a gold one :D)  If by some chance you have trouble selling these for some odd reason, I will take 1 more if you have any left over.  I freaking love these.
~~NGD

So far 1 out of 6 people have replied.  Gonna give them till Saturday otherwise I'll contact the people the people who looked like they werent getting one.

Al

Your 4 guys have one day left to get back to me if you still want a numbered copy:

Mike nesplayer.com
Sphinx
petrosky
GnarlyNES


Al

No responses from those 4.  I went to the next 4 and have a response from all of them.
Thats it for numbered Sudokus except for #100 (the Gold one).  More info on that hopefully by the end of November.

Al