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# SimpsonsTriviaSMS
Simpsons Trivia game for the SMS Power! 2018 Competition

###### RELEASE
Tuesday, 27th March 2017

###### INTRO
The Simpsons is a hit TV show that has become a world wide phenomenon.
Therefore, it seems only natural to build a Simpsons Trivia game for the SMS!

###### INSTRUCTIONS
Simple: move joystick Up and Down to select a multi-choice answer: A, B, C, D.
Press button 1 to select an answer or progress forward through any prompts.
Note: Press button 2 to always go back. Joystick Left and Right are not used.

###### TOOLS
- Programming: devkitSMS
- Languages: C / Z80
- Visual Studio 2008
- Graphics: BMP2Tile
- Music: VGM2PSG
- Assembler: WLA-DX
- Disassembler: SMS Examine
- Emulators: Fusion / Meka / Emulicious

###### SOURCE CODE
http://github.com/SteveProXNA/SimpsonsTriviaSMS

###### ROM HACKING
You can hack this ROM!
Download and dump SimpsonsTriviaSMS.sms into Hex Editor, e.g. HxD, and modify bytes:
- 0x004F Used in development => debugging.
- 0x0050 Non-zero value will show answers.
- 0x0051 Ask random questions during quiz.
- 0x0052 Music 0=music play otherwise off.
- 0x0053 Sound 0=sound on otherwise off.

###### CHEAT
Some of the questions may be tough so you can cheat if necessary!
Either hack the ROM [above] to show the answers for every quiz OR

Alternatively on the Title screen whenyou're prompted to "Press Start"
Press button 2 five times and you will have answers to current quiz!

###### CREDITS
Extra special thanks to: sverx for devkitSMS https://github.com/sverx/devkitSMS
Plus shout out to eruiz00 as I used some programming tricks from "Astro Force"

Special thanks to:
Maxim, Martin, Ville Helin, Steve Snake, Bock + the Emulicious devs

Also, I "borrowed" sound effects from Baluba Balok http://bit.ly/2nnSQJG Thanks!
Note: game complete screen has the "Flicky" game over music from SMS Power!

Reference to original Simpsons Trivia questions can be found here:
https://www.absurdtrivia.com/trivia/the-simpsons

###### OUTSTANDING
It would be nice to have more graphics of The Simpsons characters throughout the quiz.
Unfortunately, I only had enough time to import one consistent image for everything...

###### DOCUMENTATION
Links to documentation on games written for the Sega Master System using devkitSMS:
http://steveproxna.blogspot.com/2017/09/devkitsms-programming-setup.html
http://steveproxna.blogspot.com/2017/11/devkitsms-programming-sample.html
http://steveproxna.blogspot.com/2018/03/devkitsms-programming-sample-ii.html

###### COMPANY BIO
StevePro Studios is an independent game developer that builds and publishes 80s retro arcade video games!
Founded by Steven Boland "SteveProXNA" (Jan-2007) a "one man team of one" currently based in Dublin, Ireland.

Previous Sega-based retro games published include "Candy Kid" available here:
- iOS http://apple.co/1QcidUk
- Android http://goo.gl/5rWsYO
- Kindle http://amzn.to/1IQPBA4
- PC http://amzn.to/1QiHM9d

###### CONTACT
- Blog: http://steveproxna.blogspot.com
- Email: steven_boland@hotmail.com
- Twitter: [@SteveProXNA](http://twitter.com/SteveProXNA)

http://www.smspower.org/Homebrew/SimpsonsTrivia-SMS

It's an interesting idea... but I think it would really help to have a lowercase font :) Or even better, a variable-width font, but that's a lot trickier.

Maxim wrote

I think it would really help to have a lowercase font :).

Thanks Maxim - actually, that was a consideration to include lowercase characters but the Video RAM budget is pretty much at capacity...! :)

Hi!

Well done with the Game! Although here in Spain there are subtle differences in the serie, i have answered about 50% of the questions without fail. Well designed interface and interesting quiz.

Interesting concept, beautifully executed.

eruiz00 wrote

Hi!

Well done with the Game! Although here in Spain there are subtle differences in the serie, i have answered about 50% of the questions without fail. Well designed interface and interesting quiz.

Thanks eruiz00 for the awesome feedback and glad you like the game! I gave a shout out to you on the credits as I "borrowed" some of your programming tricks from Astro Force e.g. ROM banking and function pointer arrays etc. so thanks again for sharing :)

Kagesan wrote

Interesting concept, beautifully executed.

Wow! Awesome Kagesan - thanks very much for the kind words :)

How interesting! Very creative game :)

(And I've noticed a Super Uwol! SFX there)

Interesting thematic!

Really original, good job

Niloct wrote

How interesting! Very creative game :)

(And I've noticed a Super Uwol! SFX there)

Awesome - thanks Niloct! Actually credited SFX to Baluba Balok will update to include Super Uwol! :)

BcnAbel76 wrote

Interesting thematic!

Really original, good job

Awesome BcnAbel76 - thanks for the positive feedback - very much appreciated :)

Version 1.02 uploaded, note the name changed a little bit.

Maxim wrote

Version 1.02 uploaded, note the name changed a little bit.

Great thanks a lot :)

It might be nice to add in some of that extra art you didn't have time for.

Well executed trivia game. I think it is very much to the point - the graphics, sound and content play well together. I can get about 50-60% correct answers on easy (including some lucky guesses), so I'm looking forward to the flashcard-like training module add-on, where I can level-up my Simpsons trivia skills :)

Nice entry, and it does what says on the box!
(I usually score around 80% on easy, close to 0% on "Pro!"...)

Maxim wrote

It might be nice to add in some of that extra art you didn't have time for.

Thanks Maxim but arrrgh! Ran out of time... maybe v1.03 "one day" :)

hang-on wrote

Well executed trivia game. I think it is very much to the point - the graphics, sound and content play well together. I can get about 50-60% correct answers on easy (including some lucky guesses), so I'm looking forward to the flashcard-like training module add-on, where I can level-up my Simpsons trivia skills :)

Thanks hang-on for the awesome feedback. There is a cheat mode included... about as "close" to the flashcard-like training module add-on :) On the "Press Start" screen, press button 2 five times and you will have answers to current quiz!

sverx wrote

Nice entry, and it does what says on the box!
(I usually score around 80% on easy, close to 0% on "Pro!"...)

Hi sverx - thanks for the feedback! Yeah, had to make the "Pro!" super hard as there are some hardcore Simpsons fans out there... I mean, Q. What is the combination to Bart's school locker? A. 362436... some people actually know this...!!

Turns out i am more of a Simpsons fan than i thought. 80% correct! Graphics came out better than i expected for SMS palette. Start up tune is nice.

psidum wrote

Turns out i am more of a Simpsons fan than i thought. 80% correct! Graphics came out better than i expected for SMS palette. Start up tune is nice.

Awesome psidum - thanks for the positive feedback - very much appreciated :)

I've enjoyed this game at the point I mastered it at retroachievements.org, thanks.

FeRcHuLeS wrote

I've enjoyed this game at the point I mastered it at retroachievements.org, thanks.

Thanks FeRcHuLeS for the update: I found the website that you are referring to https://retroachievements.org/game/14672

Wow - amazing...! I had no idea about this so I downloaded and set up the RALibRetro emulator and started playing Simpsons Trivia again trying to get my own achievements posted :)

BTW: I see you are currently top of the of High Scores chart so well done... you must be a serious Simpsons fan!
Oh and I see from the same source that some nice person also made some Simpsons Trivia box art - totally cool

SteveProXNA wrote

BTW: I see you are currently top of the of High Scores chart so well done... you must be a serious Simpsons fan!
Oh and I see from the same source that some nice person also made some Simpsons Trivia box art - totally cool

Yeah I'm a fan of both, what a coincidence a SMS game and a great show...!!!, I'm actually at the top of the game highscore because I was the first one who mastered the game, to master this game I looked for info through the internet though :D. I thought the box art was made here, fans can make nice stuff, keep on your funny stuff !!!!

FeRcHuLeS wrote

I'm actually at the top of the game highscore because I was the first one who mastered the game, to master this game I looked for info through the internet though :D

FeRcHuLeS - there is a cheat where if you press button 2 five times on the Title screen then the game will point out the answers for that quiz. If you hack the ROM and replace the default value in address 0x0050 with any non-zero value then the game will point out the answers for every quiz you take!

Hello SteveProXNA, what a surprise the game has a cheat function, even if I had known before I would completed the game without it, since you are the creator and never revealed it, then the game at retroachievements it is maybe unprotected against the cheat and anyone can gain points easily. and about hacking the game will result in the game changing the Checksum to an invalid ROM to the game resulting no achievements for that hacked ROM. :)

FeRcHuLeS wrote

since you are the creator and never revealed it

Hi FeRcHuLeS - the cheat is mentioned up above in the notes but not many people read the fine print :)
Good point on hacking the ROM as the Checksum would most likely not match but there should be no problem to use the button2 cheat on the Title screen... However, pls remember the cheat was in the initial build - I had no idea this game would end up on RetroAchievements.org...!!

Oh my mistake, I used to read the readme and the alikes, in the future if you make a similar game I suggest you to have 8 answers showing 4 only to blow your mind. :D

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