If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at writing games, but you’re unsure how to go about it, then attending the next RISC OS User Group of London meeting on Monday, 17th July, might not be a bad start – because Tony Bartram of AMCOG Games will be the group’s guest speaker for the evening, talking about the AMCOG Development Kit.
While it can’t take care of the most difficult part of game development – coming up with the initial idea – the Kit is designed to make game development extremely simple. It comes with libraries to cover core areas such as screen plotting, screen transitions, MP3 playback, sound, and so on, as well as a selection of game sprites, music tracks and sound samples to get you going.
Tony has also developed a virtual sound chip for RISC OS in the form of RDSP, and this is included in the Kit. There are also three games that have been developed with the system – Mutant Penguin, Cyborg, and Sparky, with the first two of those available separately, and the latter only available as part of the package.
Of the three, Sparky is a very simple game, and serves as an ideal case study for using the Kit, so it’s presented not just as a playable game, but in five stages of development. Tony will use this game to show the group just how easily a game can be put together with the Kit.
The virtual sound chip, RDSP, may also be a feature of the presentation if time permits – Tony first presented it to ROUGOL back in November, so this could be an ideal ‘catch-up’ on what developments have been made to the software since. Similarly, if there is time, the gameplay of Cyborg and Mutant Penguins could be demonstrated.
The Kit and games will also be available to purchase on the night – so after listening to the presentation, you could either go away and waste some time playing games, or develop something to help the rest of us can waste ours!
Starting at 7:45pm, the meeting will take place at the usual venue:
173 Borough High Street,
London,
SE1 1HR.
There is no fee to attend, and everyone is welcome. The Blue-Eyed Maid serves a range of hot and cold food, as well as both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
It is located between London Bridge and Borough tube stations, with both stations being a mere five minute walk away through well lit streets with good CCTV coverage. There is also plenty of cycle parking nearby, which is also covered by CCTV.
Drivers should note that congestion charging ends at 6:00pm, quite some time before the meeting starts, but note that you’ll have to find somewhere to park – avoid double red lines at all times, and single red or yellow lines until after 7:00pm. Most importantly, consider that this is central London – if you aren’t familiar with driving and parking there, please allow extra time, patience, and maps.
You can contact ROUGOL by email, by telephone on 07970 211 629, or via Twitter if you need any help getting to the venue, or for any other information.
