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- colinmacc
-
Scratcher
1000+ posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
I am pleased to introduce my latest project, a recreation of the classic arcade game “Joust!”

Joust: The classic flying combat game set in a fantasy world of medieval knights and strange birds.
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/487702479
Feel free to follow this discussion thread, and use it to invite people to play the game.
Controls:
Navigate the menus by using the Arrow Keys, and Enter or Space to select.
Best played in full screen.
Sorry this game is not mobile compatible.
The flying controls are fairly unique to this game, and take some getting used to, as your horizontal direction only changes if you press a direction key at the same time as you flap your wings… but with a bit of practice you can become a really proficient flyer!
In any collision, the rider whose lance is highest is the winner.
This project is a recreation of the arcade game “Joust”, by Williams Electronics. In this version there are four game modes:
Gladiator Mode is a two player version of the game, where you simply joust against a human opponent. You can set the arena at various levels of difficulty.
Cloud Multiplayer is similar, except you are jousting against up to 3 other Scratchers. There are two “arenas” to choose from. “Novice” contains all the platforms and no chance of falling into lava. “Expert” contains fewer platforms and also features the Lava Troll (See below).
In the One and Two Player Games, the players are jousting against enemy buzzards as in the arcade version. The buzzards come in waves, all buzzards must be eliminated before you can progress to the next wave.
When an enemy rider is killed an egg is produced. This egg will hatch into another rider unless first collected by a player.
On wave 3, the bridge across the lava pit is burned away. Contact with the lava is deadly to any bird (and eggs).
From wave 4 onwards, a lava troll appears. Any bird flying too close will be caught by his hand and pulled down towards the lava.
Wave 5 is the first Egg Wave. Egg Waves begin with 12 eggs scattered on the ledges.
From wave 6 onwards the ledges will start to disappear. These waves give more freedom of movement but require different tactics.
Wave 8 is the first Pterodactyl Wave, though you may meet him in earlier waves if you take too long killing the enemy knights. The “Unbeatable?” Pterodactyl kills human players on contact. He will fly away when all the other enemy knights have been killed.
When a player is killed he is resurrected on one of the spawn pads. Until he moves he flashes and is immune to attack. These are the same pads on which the enemy birds appear at the start of each wave.
In Team Waves each player gets a bonus of 3000 points for not killing the other player.
In Gladiator Waves the first player to kill the other gets a bonus of 3000 points.
In Survival Waves the player gets a bonus of 3000 points for not losing a life during the entire wave.
Prepare to Joust, buzzard bait!
Notes and Credits:
Joust was an action game developed by Williams Electronics and released in arcades in 1982.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joust_(video_game)
This project has taken nearly 6 months to complete. It's one of the most challenging projects I've undertaken. Unlike the real version of the game, there are only 99 waves. If you reach wave 100, you have beaten the game! Please note I am still working on improving the enemy AI - at the moment it is fairly basic…
NOTE : Regarding the cloud multiplayer game - Because of the latency in cloud variable interactions there will be a slight delay in collisions being registered. You will only win a joust if your opponent’s game detects he has lost a joust. This could mean that you do not win some jousts that from your point of view it looks like you should. The multiplayer engine uses a motion prediction algorithm to attempt to smooth out the enemy movements.

Joust: The classic flying combat game set in a fantasy world of medieval knights and strange birds.
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/487702479
Feel free to follow this discussion thread, and use it to invite people to play the game.
Controls:
- Player 1: WAD (or arrow keys if single player)
- Player 2 : Arrow Keys
- 1 :Toggle Music On/Off
- 2: Toggle Sound On/Off
Navigate the menus by using the Arrow Keys, and Enter or Space to select.
Best played in full screen.
Sorry this game is not mobile compatible.
The flying controls are fairly unique to this game, and take some getting used to, as your horizontal direction only changes if you press a direction key at the same time as you flap your wings… but with a bit of practice you can become a really proficient flyer!
In any collision, the rider whose lance is highest is the winner.
This project is a recreation of the arcade game “Joust”, by Williams Electronics. In this version there are four game modes:
- One Player Game
- Two Player Game
- Gladiator Mode
- Cloud Multiplayer
Gladiator Mode is a two player version of the game, where you simply joust against a human opponent. You can set the arena at various levels of difficulty.
Cloud Multiplayer is similar, except you are jousting against up to 3 other Scratchers. There are two “arenas” to choose from. “Novice” contains all the platforms and no chance of falling into lava. “Expert” contains fewer platforms and also features the Lava Troll (See below).
In the One and Two Player Games, the players are jousting against enemy buzzards as in the arcade version. The buzzards come in waves, all buzzards must be eliminated before you can progress to the next wave.
When an enemy rider is killed an egg is produced. This egg will hatch into another rider unless first collected by a player.
On wave 3, the bridge across the lava pit is burned away. Contact with the lava is deadly to any bird (and eggs).
From wave 4 onwards, a lava troll appears. Any bird flying too close will be caught by his hand and pulled down towards the lava.
Wave 5 is the first Egg Wave. Egg Waves begin with 12 eggs scattered on the ledges.
From wave 6 onwards the ledges will start to disappear. These waves give more freedom of movement but require different tactics.
Wave 8 is the first Pterodactyl Wave, though you may meet him in earlier waves if you take too long killing the enemy knights. The “Unbeatable?” Pterodactyl kills human players on contact. He will fly away when all the other enemy knights have been killed.
When a player is killed he is resurrected on one of the spawn pads. Until he moves he flashes and is immune to attack. These are the same pads on which the enemy birds appear at the start of each wave.
In Team Waves each player gets a bonus of 3000 points for not killing the other player.
In Gladiator Waves the first player to kill the other gets a bonus of 3000 points.
In Survival Waves the player gets a bonus of 3000 points for not losing a life during the entire wave.
Prepare to Joust, buzzard bait!
Notes and Credits:
Joust was an action game developed by Williams Electronics and released in arcades in 1982.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joust_(video_game)
This project has taken nearly 6 months to complete. It's one of the most challenging projects I've undertaken. Unlike the real version of the game, there are only 99 waves. If you reach wave 100, you have beaten the game! Please note I am still working on improving the enemy AI - at the moment it is fairly basic…
NOTE : Regarding the cloud multiplayer game - Because of the latency in cloud variable interactions there will be a slight delay in collisions being registered. You will only win a joust if your opponent’s game detects he has lost a joust. This could mean that you do not win some jousts that from your point of view it looks like you should. The multiplayer engine uses a motion prediction algorithm to attempt to smooth out the enemy movements.
Last edited by colinmacc (July 15, 2022 12:50:44)
- Crispydogs101
-
Scratcher
1000+ posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
Oh wow. How much time did it take to make this game? Probably a lot of time!
- colinmacc
-
Scratcher
1000+ posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
Oh wow. How much time did it take to make this game? Probably a lot of time!
You are right! I don’t know exactly, but it’s taken around 6 months to make.
- ABitStrange
-
Scratcher
24 posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
This is a really good recreation, even though I'm terrible at it. Great work!
- colinmacc
-
Scratcher
1000+ posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
This is a really good recreation, even though I'm terrible at it. Great work!
Thanks very much!
The red buzzards are a bit too smart and the blue buzzards are not smart enough, but apart from that I'm pretty pleased by how it turned out!
- Soaponthecob2
-
Scratcher
12 posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
Nice game. how’d you learn to code like that?
- -TeamSeas-
-
Scratcher
7 posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
a few bugs i found -
if your head is touching the wall while hitting an enemy you clip through it
if you touch a wall right as you cross the edge of the screen you clip through it
WHY are the red bois so good at staying at the very top
'that's your problem for not being good, calm down"
as far as i know these aren't in the original so please fix these, other than that it's a great game keep it up
if your head is touching the wall while hitting an enemy you clip through it
if you touch a wall right as you cross the edge of the screen you clip through it
WHY are the red bois so good at staying at the very top
'that's your problem for not being good, calm down"as far as i know these aren't in the original so please fix these, other than that it's a great game keep it up

Last edited by -TeamSeas- (July 17, 2022 22:16:43)
- colinmacc
-
Scratcher
1000+ posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
S I X M O N T H S ! ?Oh wow. How much time did it take to make this game? Probably a lot of time!
You are right! I don’t know exactly, but it’s taken around 6 months to make.
Well I started it in January.. I took a break for about 6 weeks to do the “Tractor Driver” game though.
- colinmacc
-
Scratcher
1000+ posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
a few bugs i found -
if your head is touching the wall while hitting an enemy you clip through it
if you touch a wall right as you cross the edge of the screen you clip through it
WHY are the red bois so good at staying at the very top'that's your problem for not being good, calm down"
as far as i know these aren't in the original so please fix these, other than that it's a great game keep it up
Thanks for the bug reports!
1. I think I've put a fix in for that.
2. Haven't been able to recreate that one (?)
3. I've designed the player AI as best I can. It doesn't work the same way as the original, it's true. The “Red Bois” are probably a bit too smart. Conversely, the “Blue Bois” (Shadow Lords) are definitely not smart enough, so it probably evens out. Incidentally I read somewhere the Shadow Lords “cheat” the physics in the original - they can change direction faster than they should. Mine stick to the rules!

I mean, there's quite a wide range of scores, so I think although it's probably more difficult than it should be, it's not *too* difficult. I might adjust the Pterodactyl though, it's probably impossible to kill it as it's currently coded. The idea is if your lance is at exactly the same level as its tongue, it will die. I've never actually achieved it though!
- colinmacc
-
Scratcher
1000+ posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
Nice game. how’d you learn to code like that?
Just experience I guess.
- -TeamSeas-
-
Scratcher
7 posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
a few bugs i found -
if your head is touching the wall while hitting an enemy you clip through it
if you touch a wall right as you cross the edge of the screen you clip through it
WHY are the red bois so good at staying at the very top'that's your problem for not being good, calm down"
as far as i know these aren't in the original so please fix these, other than that it's a great game keep it up
Thanks for the bug reports!
1. I think I've put a fix in for that.
2. Haven't been able to recreate that one (?)
3. I've designed the player AI as best I can. It doesn't work the same way as the original, it's true. The “Red Bois” are probably a bit too smart. Conversely, the “Blue Bois” (Shadow Lords) are definitely not smart enough, so it probably evens out. Incidentally I read somewhere the Shadow Lords “cheat” the physics in the original - they can change direction faster than they should. Mine stick to the rules!
I mean, there's quite a wide range of scores, so I think although it's probably more difficult than it should be, it's not *too* difficult. I might adjust the Pterodactyl though, it's probably impossible to kill it as it's currently coded. The idea is if your lance is at exactly the same level as its tongue, it will die. I've never actually achieved it though!
since i posted i can't get the 2nd one either

also the pterodactyl always attacks low so i can't kill it either
- colinmacc
-
Scratcher
1000+ posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
a few bugs i found -
if your head is touching the wall while hitting an enemy you clip through it
if you touch a wall right as you cross the edge of the screen you clip through it
WHY are the red bois so good at staying at the very top'that's your problem for not being good, calm down"
as far as i know these aren't in the original so please fix these, other than that it's a great game keep it up
Thanks for the bug reports!
1. I think I've put a fix in for that.
2. Haven't been able to recreate that one (?)
3. I've designed the player AI as best I can. It doesn't work the same way as the original, it's true. The “Red Bois” are probably a bit too smart. Conversely, the “Blue Bois” (Shadow Lords) are definitely not smart enough, so it probably evens out. Incidentally I read somewhere the Shadow Lords “cheat” the physics in the original - they can change direction faster than they should. Mine stick to the rules!
I mean, there's quite a wide range of scores, so I think although it's probably more difficult than it should be, it's not *too* difficult. I might adjust the Pterodactyl though, it's probably impossible to kill it as it's currently coded. The idea is if your lance is at exactly the same level as its tongue, it will die. I've never actually achieved it though!
since i posted i can't get the 2nd one either
also the pterodactyl always attacks low so i can't kill it either
Yeah I'm going to change the Pterodactyl code
- kumara_highscope
-
Scratcher
10 posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
can you add an option to turn off sound
- colinmacc
-
Scratcher
1000+ posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
can you add an option to turn off sound
Press 1 to toggle music, press 2 to toggle sound.
- dah_creepah
-
Scratcher
64 posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
this is an awesome game that deserves all the love it's gotten
but quick question
what is the pterotactyl
but quick question
what is the pterotactyl
- colinmacc
-
Scratcher
1000+ posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
this is an awesome game that deserves all the love it's gotten
but quick question
what is the pterotactyl
Thanks! The pterodactyl is an extinct prehistoric flying lizard!
- dah_creepah
-
Scratcher
64 posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
oh ok. thanksthis is an awesome game that deserves all the love it's gotten
but quick question
what is the pterotactyl
Thanks! The pterodactyl is an extinct prehistoric flying lizard!
- colinmacc
-
Scratcher
1000+ posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
Currently playing multiplayer Joust if anyone fancies a quick game…
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/487702479
Choose the “Expert” arena!!
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/487702479
Choose the “Expert” arena!!
- colinmacc
-
Scratcher
1000+ posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
Short video showing how bad I am at my own game (!)
https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/youtube/zX3e8r_1vKk/
If you want to see someone good play, check out this video from mi_ll_io_nz
http://streamable.com/of8xnj
He is the current high score holder, and prompted me to change the game to allow for scores of over a million!!
https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/youtube/zX3e8r_1vKk/
If you want to see someone good play, check out this video from mi_ll_io_nz
http://streamable.com/of8xnj
He is the current high score holder, and prompted me to change the game to allow for scores of over a million!!
- alexandergc2013
-
Scratcher
4 posts
Joust! (☁) - Classic Arcade Game - Discussion Thread
error error e-e-e-e-file not found, w-w-w-wubbox failed to launch l-l-loading, loading! error error e-e-e-e-file not found, w-w-w-wubbox failed to launch l-l-loading, loading!
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