[HN Gopher] Portal 64 - A demake of Portal for the Nintendo 64 ___________________________________________________________________ Portal 64 - A demake of Portal for the Nintendo 64 Author : skibz Score : 223 points Date : 2023-09-04 15:27 UTC (7 hours ago) (HTM) web link (github.com) (TXT) w3m dump (github.com) | etaioinshrdlu wrote: | Is there any guide to getting this running on a real N64? I have | an everdrive. | bhaney wrote: | I went ahead and built the newest version of the ROM into a | .z64 (happened to have a copy of Portal on hand). Here's a | magnet link for it if you just want to use it: | | magnet:?xt=urn:btih:5FAD6DBBF02D39AA40062D7F0F498F3F341F8DB3&tr | =udp://tracker.opentrackr.org:1337/announce | bluescrn wrote: | Looks like you need a PC copy of Portal: | | https://github.com/lambertjamesd/portal64/releases | | (There's some older releases below as a ready-to-go .z64 rom | image, though, which should be ready to run on an Everdrive) | danbolt wrote: | Lambert has also created new homebrew works that run on | original hardware with the N64 SDK. His team has always been a | finalist in the yearly jams. | | [1] https://teamultrarare.itch.io/telocation-gemini | | [2] https://teamultrarare.itch.io/mission-lost-control | | [3] https://teamultrarare.itch.io/styx | andrepd wrote: | By far my favourite demake of Portal is this one: | https://www.ticalc.org/archives/files/fileinfo/451/45101.htm... | bluescrn wrote: | There's also a 2D demake for the C64: | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK140z-ZX4Q | derrasterpunkt wrote: | Mine is Mari0: https://stabyourself.net/mari0/ | sillywalk wrote: | Cool. | | Here's one for the Apple II [ | http://www.deater.net/weave/vmwprod/portal/ ] | | and the C64: | | https://tasvideos.org/2122G | CaesarA wrote: | I think this Apple II version of Portal is the best thing I | have ever seen. Is this the same guy who did the Apple II | version of Myst? | djmips wrote: | yes | 0xC0ncord wrote: | It's worth mentioning that the author has a YouTube channel[1] | where he periodically posts videos showcasing updates he's made | to the game over time. I'm surprised there isn't a link or even | any kind of screenshots of the game on the Github repo, even if | it is still very early in development. | | [1] https://www.youtube.com/@happycoder1989/videos | frfl wrote: | Was wondering the same thing. If you search "screenshot" in the | issues, there are a few screenshots people have uploaded, | primarily in regards to demonstrating bugs. | | https://github.com/lambertjamesd/portal64/issues?q=screensho... | beebeepka wrote: | Looks much better than I expected. Hard to believe people are | complaining about things this cool. | driscoll42 wrote: | Agreed, this repo is in desperate need of a few | screenshots/video on the ReadMe to showcase what it looks like. | pard68 wrote: | I personally have found there is something of an art to a | good readme. So folks can make one that is informative and | visual, others can't. I have a project or two that suffered | because my readme designing skills suck, then talented friend | PR'd a great readme with screenshots and such. | andai wrote: | It may be an art, but I wouldn't say it takes much talent | to include a screenshot, GIF or YouTube link! Most likely | he just didn't give it much thought. | Nition wrote: | Weirdly even commercial software websites seem to do this | a lot. Pages of text and some mostly-unrelated images | with no screenshots at all. Sometimes you can learn more | about a program from screenshots of it in Google Images | than from the official website. | Retr0id wrote: | Speaking only for myself, often a project is in a half- | finished state, and any provided screenshot would quickly | become out of date. | beezlewax wrote: | You could probably automate a tool to take screenshot for | you. | yowzadave wrote: | This sounds like a slippery slope into yak-shaving...next | thing you'll open source your automated screen-shorting | tool, and it will require a readme of its own! | pard68 wrote: | Should I write a new screenshot tool for the screenshot | tool's readme? | dharmab wrote: | Your audiences imagination is probably even worse! | TaylorAlexander wrote: | Sounds like a good opportunity for a pull request! | driscoll42 wrote: | I opened an Issue on the Repo for it! | dark_urges wrote: | [flagged] | Waterluvian wrote: | Yes and yes. It's a hobby. | 0xC0ncord wrote: | A lot of times a demake is a challenge. Video game technology | has evolved significantly, and being able to take a | (relatively) modern video game and remake it on much older | hardware while still having most of the game's original | features is an impressive feat. | dark_urges wrote: | [flagged] | theodric wrote: | Pressure relief valve. People can't run at a 100% duty | cycle for very long or they burn out. ASK ME HOW I KNOW | fb03 wrote: | How do you know? | andrepd wrote: | Do you think it's a waste for a chef to make scrambled eggs | to enjoy with his family? | Karunamon wrote: | Openly opining on the (harmless) ways other people choose | to spend their free time is generally seen as gauche. | danjoredd wrote: | Life isn't exclusively about being useful. Challenges like | these are great for people, as it gives people a goal to | reach that isn't work related. | junon wrote: | Woof, glad we have you around to tell us what to do with | our lives. We'd be lost otherwise! | psychphysic wrote: | Sounds like you want to hire them? | | Or not pay them, and tell them what they can work on? | slikrick wrote: | and here you are commenting on HN. Nobody asked for your | input on how others spend their time | sqeaky wrote: | This person thinks this is a good use of their time. | | Why do we care what you think? You clearly don't care what | person putting in the hard work thinks. | shepherdjerred wrote: | Is the purpose of life to only work on "useful" things? I | ask that genuinely. | 533474 wrote: | The developer wouldn't be as talented if he didn't take on | such challenging projects | NobodyNada wrote: | Exactly. | | I've spent many thousands of hours since my early teens | messing around with retro games and gaming systems. I | haven't accomplished anything as "big" as this person, | but I've gotten to work on some cool things, and through | that process I learn _so much more_ about computer | architecture and low-level programming than I ever could | through school or work. The time I've invested into that | has paid off in job and educational opportunities that | would not have been available to me otherwise. | | A hobby project that is both fun and hard is in my | experience the best way to gain experience and develop my | skills, regardless of whether it's "useful". | pests wrote: | CTRL+T, "demake", Enter | | That was a quicker solution to your question than posting on | here. | kristianp wrote: | From [1]. " A demake is a video game remake on an older platform, | or one which converts the game to an older graphical or gameplay | style." | | [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Video_game_demakes | psychphysic wrote: | How long before versions are distributed ready to play? | crtasm wrote: | https://github.com/lambertjamesd/portal64/releases | | You need a file from the official Portal game, then it's an | easy single step with an online tool to generate the demake | ROM. | | edit: or see bhaney's download link on this thread. | autoexec wrote: | Hopefully before the project is taken down due to a DMCA | notice! | hypertele-Xii wrote: | By what party? Valve is famously community-friendly. | ralferoo wrote: | I'm sure GlaDOS would give it a try... You are trying to | kill it after all. | tczMUFlmoNk wrote: | Nah, she's made her views clear on the matter. | I'm not even angry I'm being so sincere right now | Even though you broke my heart and killed me And | tore me to pieces And threw every piece into a | fire As they burned, it hurt because I was so | happy for you Now these points of data make | a beautiful line And we're out of beta, we're | releasing on time So *I'm GLaD I got burned*; | think of all the things we learned For the people | who are still alive | | (emph. mine) | hinkley wrote: | > demake | | Maybe the author will explain what a "demake" is. | | Nope, he doesn't. No introduction section, just straight into | compiler instructions. You have to make people care about your | project, and right now I don't. | atom-morgan wrote: | I mean, I've never heard of the term either but the context of | the title alone was enough for me to figure it out. | floydnoel wrote: | just curious, who made you the boss of what other people "have | to" do with their hobby projects? seems like a big | responsibility | 0xC0ncord wrote: | A "demake" is just a spin on "remake". Instead of remaking a | game to be newer and "better", you remake it to be "older". | | Edit: adding that most demakes specifically involve remaking a | game on much older hardware. | [deleted] | jrajav wrote: | If there are many Wikipedia articles, and Youtube videos with | millions of views on a given concept, at what point is the | burden on you the reader to already know the concept or be able | to look it up and learn it quickly? | binarymax wrote: | Latest demo video by the creator, mobile friendly: | https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OCBHdgbickE | Ideenfindung wrote: | I did not know this concept existed, Wonderful Idea, no doubt | demakes would be a lot more frequent if we valued ecology and | actually tried to curb digital obsolescence as much as possible, | in a permacomputing way. | | I imagine it would be much more straightforward to port pretty | much any indie games to consoles like Xbox original onwards, PS3 | onwards, Wii onwards, maybe Windows 7 average desktop and | notebooks (lots of indies already use older direct x and are | compatible with windows 7 , another win for the pc master race). | The AAA Games would need to be done with less scale and no 4k | dlss ray tracing whatever. | nonethewiser wrote: | This demake is an additional game. Seems like it will just add | to the energy load required to run a computer programs. Which I | think is fine, frankly. Perhaps some people will play it | instead of portal but even still there is the overhead of | developing it. I guess if we cared about ecology we'd shut down | more game servers faster. | bluescrn wrote: | To 'save the planet' you want as many people playing video | games, watching TV, or arguing on social media as possible. | | If they're doing those things, consuming digital | entertainment (eventually powered by renewables), then | they're not out in the real world, travelling around using | fossil fuels, consuming physical products, using up physical | resources and emitting CO2. | | Pretty bleak future though. | sgu999 wrote: | Or simply less people, busy doing what machine can't, with | a bit less free time to spare. It's as bleak if we put | ourselves in the shoes of the humans who wouldn't exist, | but not that bleak for the ones who would... | indolering wrote: | > I imagine it would be much more straightforward to port | pretty much any indie games to consoles like Xbox original | onwards, PS3 onwards, Wii onwards, maybe Windows 7 average | desktop and notebooks (lots of indies already use older direct | x and are compatible with windows 7 , | | Not a game developer, but given the lack of ports between | current gen gaming systems I would assume that it is not | straightforward. Sure, a game engine will magically pump out | your game for different backends but even supporting Vulkan and | Metal results in much gnawing and mashing of teeth (and a lack | of games on Apple hardware). | | Then there is the developer ergonomics. I know that I hate | having to write code to maintain compatibility for even 5 year | old standards. Each GPU and game engine is also a unique | clusterfuck of incompatibility and subtle bugs that crash the | shit out of games. If you want to support that old hardware, | you will need to test on the actual hardware. Why bother with | all that when there is no money in it and your team just wants | to move on from a project that already took 5 years of their | lives to develop? | | Forward compatibility is something I strongly agree with but | backwards compatibility is a logistical nightmare. | p0w3n3d wrote: | I was thinking the same - ecology. People need to have 3d | Tetris with raytracing while there are millions of hours of old | games to be played through. There are few titles that are | avant-garde and IMO better in 3d, like GTA VC/SA, Minecraft is | revelation of a sandbox game. But otherwise we don't need such | good graphics and DLC, when we want story and playability. | Recently we played with kids Pokemon fire Red - the world is | huge and full of secrets. But I guess this only applies to me | and my kids, because other kids I know (my brother's e.g.) | don't like pixel games at all | MayeulC wrote: | While I agree with the sentiment, and it's awesome that a | lower-specced version of the game exists... | | > port [...] to consoles like Xbox original | | Uuh, in the name of energy efficiency, let's not. My smartphone | is much more powerful and has a much lower power consumption | than these systems. My Steam Deck even more so, though it's | higher-power than a phone. | | Targeting energy-efficient, low power hardware should be the | goal, not porting to inneficient obsolete HW, IMO (though it's | pretty cool, and demonstrates that you can do a lot with little | computing power). | | Still, I agree that something that runs well on old commodity | hardware can run well on most existing hardware, reducing the | need for hardware upgrades. | | But my point is, running ond old HW is probably | counterproductive if you only value ecology. At best, you could | emulate old HW with much more efficient modern HW, and | integrate most of the system on a single low power chip. | cosarara wrote: | The typical modern gaming PC uses a lot more power than the | original xbox. Yes maybe it's more efficient because it's | doing "more", but in the end it's one person playing a game. | Whatever13 wrote: | ''running ond old HW is probably counterproductive if you | only value ecology'' I could be wrong, but i think the | opposite than you. | | You are being reductionist, and only accounting for the | factor of direct eletrical consumption during use, and not | the total energy and natural resources spent during the | equipments lifetime , specially its manufacturing (which i | think is the real measure of ecological efficiency we should | aim). | | The old hardware was already produced, resources were spent | and pollution and emissions were made, so it is a duty that | we should use it as much as possible until irrepairable | breakdown happens, and reduce our consumption of new stuff | that would only replace it. Like your example of a new | smartphone or new steamdeck replacing the old Xbox Original: | it is almost certain that the electrical consumption gains | would not compensate, in terms of total energy and resources | spent and pollution made, the discarting of the original xbox | (in fact, it would generate more waste that would need to be | reprocessed, generating even more pollution). | | Remember the 3Rs ? The 1st R is REDUCE, not ''replace stuff | every 3-5 years to get slightly less eletric consumption''. | It is kind of the point of the Permacomputing movement the OP | mentioned: perma comes from perma-nent, make computers that | last much longer lifespans than the current system. If people | could repurpose old PS3s and Xbox for playing indies, and | bigger games we demaked to it, people could keep using the | stuff and buy less. | | A Few texts for inspiration: | https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2020/12/how-and-why-i- | stop... https://www.iltascabile.com/scienze/sostenibilita- | digitale/ | lmm wrote: | > Like your example of a new smartphone or new steamdeck | replacing the old Xbox Original: it is almost certain that | the electrical consumption gains would not compensate, in | terms of total energy and resources spent and pollution | made, the discarting of the original xbox | | Citation needed. We're talking about a huge difference in | electrical efficiency. | heinrich5991 wrote: | > But my point is, running ond old HW is probably | counterproductive if you only value ecology. | | Do you have a calculation for that? It's not entirely clear | that this is the case if you factor in that the old hardware | already exists and new hardware needs to be produced. | idonotknowwhy wrote: | This isn't an issue. A lot of us who mod old hardware, etc... | Once we get the project working, we'll play the game for like | 10 minutes a few times a year at most lol. | | Can't wait to fire up my 128mb ram modded og xbox today, to | test the unreleased debug build of the need for speed game | mvg dumpped yesterday. I'll probably play it for 10 minutes | before I pack up the console again. | CaesarA wrote: | I was just watching a video about this, it's pretty cool and | honestly impressive that it could be done on N64. They don't even | have Half-Life 1 on N64, which makes me wonder if recreating | Portal 1 decently in Goldsrc is possible. | idonotknowwhy wrote: | The got tomb raider one demake running on a GBA recently. | Anything is possible | mr_sturd wrote: | Would probably make it liable to DMCA, but I wish they could have | the rotating 'N cube' passing through two orthogonal portals on | boot up. | | Looks like a great project. I'm going to have to give it a go on | the emulator. | StevenXC wrote: | Maybe an option to provide your own ROM with that asset would | be a work around? | Janicc wrote: | He should publish an emulated version on steam with an option | to download the rom through it. Valve usually lets others use | their IP then. | idonotknowwhy wrote: | This works on the new N64 FPGA core for the MiSTer | tmountain wrote: | Sounds like a really cool project, but I would love to see some | screenshots or videos. | dale_glass wrote: | Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCBHdgbickE ___________________________________________________________________ (page generated 2023-09-04 23:00 UTC)