Looking for beta testers

Update:
Alright, it took much longer than I thought, but it's finally done: My game is finished.
Now, it's time for beta tests. If anybody is interested, please write me.


I'm still working on my NES game and we're making good progress. I guess I'll have all relevant gameplay features implemented within the next four weeks.

So, I wanted to ask if some people are interested to do the beta testing then.

The game is an arcade-like highscore game, i.e. not a full-length game, but more of the complexity of "Kung Fu" and "Paperboy". Four levels that become increasingly harder and a hardcore mode after the first loop.
It's a jump 'n' run platformer where you attack the opponents with a taser.
The levels are randomized (platform width and height, gap width).
The levels are auto-scrolling. If the left border of the screen catches up with you, you lose a life.
The game plays on rooftops of houses. The background is a city skyline.
Your player character is female and the opponents are a criminal gang.
So, no aliens or monsters or any supernatural stuff. Additionally, you don't have a projectile attack, so it's not a shooter. (The bosses have projectiles, though.)

I would need you to play the game on an emulator and to record your play sessions with the emulator's built-in record function. In case you find a bug, I could use the same replay to apply it to the corrected ROM to see if the bug is actually removed.

If you are interested, please tell me. (I'd need more than one beta tester.)

But as I said: I'm not finished with the game yet. But I wanted to ask for beta testers now, so that I don't have to waste time when the game is completed.


Edit: Screenshots:

I'd be interested in play-testing your game. I could also have my friend Darren test it as well since you're looking for multiple people to do it.

Alright. I'll get back to you as soon as all gameplay features are implemented.


In the meantime, let me show you the first screenshots:

These screenshots really remind me of Kung-Fu for the NES in terms of art style. I like it.

This comparison is not too far-fetched.

My goal was to have an art style like those old first generation NES games.
If you have a look, for example, at "Soccer" or "Tennis", these characters are pretty much the same art style as well.
Another similarity is of course the fact that our characters are 16 x 40 pixels instead of the usual 16 x 32. But this was not because "Kung Fu" does it as well, but because I have a female main character and I wanted the sprites to be extra large, so that you see the girls well enough.

(There are three female characters in the game: Your main character Amy. Then the bad girl Scarlett that you can see in one of the screenshots. And a nerdy girl with glasses, Rachel, that appears once per level to give you an item.
The rest of the characters are male.
Only one of the male characters will be a single individual, though: The final boss whose name I haven't set yet. The rest of the characters are more like Goombas, i.e. you can have two of the same on the screen at once.
This never happens with Scarlett. There are never two Scarletts on the screen. And when she leaves, she cannot instantly appear again.)

Gameplay-wise though, our game doesn't have more to do with "Kung Fu" than with any other random platformer.
For example, our main character is very agile: When you press or release the buttons, she starts and stops instantly. And when you jump, you have full control over her in the air.
You cannot control the height, though. That one is fixed.
So, the controls are more like in "Contra" where you also have full control without any delay.

And of course our background graphics are much nicer than in "Kung Fu". We have a skyline that spans over the length of two screens. And the game uses parallax scrolling, so that the background only moves forward one pixel when the foreground has moved forward eight pixels.

I like what I see so far.

I co-host a let's play show and we just played Rockman 4 Minus Infinity, a ROM hack by some uber-talented 6502 wizards, so we're open to playing homebrew games and ROM hacks. We'd love to play it on the show once it's completed or if the beta is presentable enough. But as for the play-testing, how soon do you think we'll be able to test it out?

For beta testing, I'll have to see how long me and my graphics artist take to complete the boss characters. But I assume I can send you a version in about three weeks.

About doing a Let's Play:
As far as I'm concerned, that would be fine. But only with the finished version of the game.
That's very important: I give you the beta ROM for testing, but please don't publish anything of it and don't give the ROM to any other person.

Also, the game is not freeware. I intend to sell this on RetroUSB. So, as long as the game is not available on their site, this means it isn't released yet.

I'll have to ask RetroUSB what are the terms when it comes to promotional stuff like Let's Plays. Personally, I wouldn't have a problem giving the final ROM to you for free. But since I rely on RetroUSB to sell the game in cartridge form, I'll have to ask them first if that's o.k.

So, even when you get the beta ROM for testing: Don't publish anything of it until the game is out. And even if the game is out, don't ever use the beta ROM for publishing stuff. From that moment on, the one final ROM will be the only legitimate version of the game.

Will do, hoss. We use the Wii NES emulator for the show since our capture card only takes 480p component and not the NES's composite video, so when we would play it, I'd have to buy the ROM from you/RetroUSB or buy a cartridge ripper.

I will clear this up once it's time.

Alright, it took much longer than I thought, but it's finally done: My game is finished.

Now, it's time for beta tests. If anybody is interested, please write me.

I don't have time to test another programmers game as I'm coding my own project,but I really dig the art style.

I would be interested once you need someone to test on real hardware using flashcart.

Thanks!

In the meantime, I was able to get four testers. But thanks anyway.

I would be disinterested in not helping you.

Oh yeah! And I have a PowerPak, too!