MT Engine MK1 NES / AGNES (or MK1_NES/AGNES for short) is a framework composed by a modular engine coded in C and a set of tools to create simple games for the NES platform.
This engine was built as an excercise to learn to write simple games for the NES. It compiles using a fairly old version of cc65 (2.13.2), and uses the original neslib by Shiru.
The library was used in early 2014 and during 2015 to create several games, some of them released. You can find those games (cleaned up and ready to be compiled) in the examples folder, plus four new games created to test / feature the engine.
I've decided to clean MT Engine MK1 NES up and make it useable - I've ended rewriting most of it, as always. A tutorial is coming, but I'm still undecided on how to release it.
Update 20181120: v1.2 Stable released
The engine / framework resides in src. The code, as is, features a placeholder game you are supposed to replace with your own. You can compile it as-is, of course. To do so, fix src/dev/setenv.bat with the correct path to cc65_2.13.2/bin and run it and then src/dev/compile.bat.
To compile the tests, enter tests and run make_tests.bat. cc65_2.13.2/bin should be on the PATH.
To compile the examples, enter examples and run make_examples.bat. cc65_2.13.2/bin should be on the PATH.
- You can read about engine features .
- MKTS (GFX cutter & importer) reference.
- Short description of ANGES Metaspriteset
- Game configuration reference
- MSCMK1 (script compiler) reference.
- Code injection points
- MK1_NES / AGNES utilities.
- There's a detailed postmortem on every tester and examples #7 onwards.
- A tutorial is coming in the near future.
Although this isn't our main engine, we will be updating it in the future following a simple roadmap:
- Create a working UNROM-based template.
- Update to the latest version of the cc65 compiler.
- Update to the latest version of neslib.
MT Engine MK1 NES was designed and developed by The Mojon Twins and relies on:
- neslib and famitone, written by Shiru.
- Some tools written by the Mojon Twins.
- The old cc65 v2.13.2
MT Engine MK1 NES is copyleft The Mojon Twins and is distributed under a LGPL license.
But if you make a game with the engine we understand you'll want to make it into a cart. In such case, just tell us! Write to mojontwins@gmail.com - just as a matter of courtesy.
The games included in the examples folder are now free to produce, which means you can put them into carts and sell them, as long as you tell us first and send us a couple of copies. You will eventually find assets (stickers and possibly cover art) alongside the game ROM in each game folder.
The game assets included in the testers and examples (graphics, music, etc.) are donationware.
If you like this, you can buy me a coffee.
Have fun.