so ...PLASTIC...

Discuss how totally awesome Bang! is here.

Moderator: Terryn

Post Reply
#45#
newcomer
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Sep 05, 2020 1:25 pm

so ...PLASTIC...

Post by #45# »

hi
first time poster, not a long time reader. i will be blunt, most game design efforts on zzt were severe autism.
i dont want to overstress that, but i cant stress that enough. i did/do however enjoy v much - so keep the torch burning bright you crazy assholes.
not meaning to alienate idiots however, but i want to start a no-nonsense discussion about PLASTIC
(RC2.0, not the broken PLASTIC X/RETROFREEDOM)

i dont care about some puritanical adherence to zzt, if you are all about zzt then be about it. this is about PLASTIC.
i think everybody might have missed something here. or is it me? this software is dope, but apparently nobody used it.

people still pay good money to buy doom or other stuff that only runs in dosbox. im not saying anything about doom, just about buying it.
this thing PLASTIC still runs fine in win 10 and i cannot fault it for speed or responsiveness.

it has the nintendo chipset but it also supports zzt #play sfx. it breaks zzt re the included limits, basically asks the user to discard the existing assets, introduces player/global/local coding, light/shadow effects, and extends the zzt-oop programming language with added logic, subroutines, etc. one thing it does not do is reproduce zzt glitches for games that rely on that, and some other cons, bugs and crashing. it persists with some hard coded messages/tones and some zzt assets became non-working or were not included. it has extensive functionality possibly well beyond zzt, but the features are not fully documented in the materials nor explored here afaik. also - is this open/limited/restricted license to use as a game creation engine? even as far as abandonware goes there is little to no information about it. if there ever was, there isnt now.

myself, i have it working for basic map based shooters and platformers, it can also handle endless runners. could do in browser but needs a clean up? maybe the only thing missing for a pre-90s retro experience is scrolling and realtime ascii editing or the potential for firstperson. am i wrong?
i am no coding prodigy so do not mistake my impertinence for arrogance, its just impertinence.

if you can tell me more about the hidden features? or why this was not fully realized? or what the licensing is?
did anyone ever think about reviving this thing if source code could be made available?
i might like to talk to those guys without starting at a personal message.
(maybe others might feel the same as myself about getting pmd forever just because i did something once)

if this seems brash then sumimasen and pardon my shameful manners. i just want to be clear that someone answering:
'i dont know i never used but it sucks and who r u and this wasnt relevant since x?'
probably dont jump in right away, you might not have a good time. not my place to act this way but i am a nice guy at heart, honest. just ask me.
mostly i just want to get a real conversation happening and show my approval for those that did good things or tried to break the box.
i wont hold my breath waiting for answers, too. if this is way late to the party, blame my shitty upbringing but i didnt get started so it isnt finished.
...and please dont try to convince me megazeux is way better, you may just be missing the point.

as an aside +pls excuse my blocktext dissertation:
commodores angelis was the best thing zzt for my tastes but could have been done better as a platform shooter and would have had greater replayability if it could have been procedural. also, pretty dark commodore. one minute you were doing a choose your own adventure with cats and the next its all fapping and overdosed hookers? for most of you besides, reliance on glitches would never have stood up to re-implementation, inside humor falls flat on others, self-referential parodies never age well. just my opinions but whatever its all good. i dont want to talk about this stuff actually, just letting you know im not here just to troll or start a flame war but because i actually do/did play your games and generally approve (maybe you didnt know that outsiders could be aware of of you and your varied contributions). so, thanks for nothing and disregards! #45#
plasticguy
newcomer
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2020 7:13 pm

Re: so ...PLASTIC...

Post by plasticguy »

Oh hey.

I am the Plastic guy. If you made a complete game in Plastic, then (I think) you and I are the only two people to have done so.

I've asked the original creator the question about licensing and source code. It's written in C with a very simple game library, he's checking his archive HD now to see how that library is licensed. We'll let you know.

As to why it was never adopted more widely, it was released when interest in ZZT and ZZT-esque things was near its lowest point. I think with a userbase to provide some feedback, it could easily have been honed into a powerful tool. As it stands, it (as you noted) didn't quite get there on a couple of points. Even now, if the source code were available (it isn't) and there was community interest (there is not), I don't know that I believe in the spirit of Plastic any more. It taught me a lot about the lightning in ZZT's bottle (learning curve, adoption, quick prototyping) and how easily it escapes. I think as a project it was headed in the wrong direction, and if I had it to do over again I would have a completely different plan of attack.
Still, I would love to see anything you've made with it.

Have a nice day.
User avatar
Commodore
fgsdfs
Posts: 2471
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2003 5:44 pm
Location: :noitacoL
Contact:

Re: so ...PLASTIC...

Post by Commodore »

#45# wrote: Sat Sep 05, 2020 3:21 pm one minute you were doing a choose your own adventure with cats and the next its all fapping and overdosed hookers?
lol, it was based on a story I wrote back when I thought I was the second coming of William S Burroughs and William Gibson. Cat game was originally going to be a spy game of some sort, but playing with single pattern shapes, I drew the profile cat, and was like, well it's about a cat now.
*POW* *CLANK* *PING*
User avatar
zamros
my power level is enormous
Posts: 543
Joined: Thu Mar 20, 2003 9:34 pm

Re: so ...PLASTIC...

Post by zamros »

i dont know i never used but it sucks and who r u and this wasnt relevant since 2006
Post Reply