Return of the Romhackeria!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Return of the Romhackeria!

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

ChaosArgate posted:

That "touhou" song was Mega Man X, guys. It's Storm Eagle's stage!

Wait, how do you manage to confuse MMX (especially Storm Eagle) with Touhou?

# ¿ Jan 14, 2017 00:03

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 10:36

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Dr. Fetus posted:

It probably doesn't help that the first half conditions you to do this thing that would be natural in a platformer, then the 2nd half tells you to do otherwise.

It probably does help though that no attempt is made to "trick" you. That block after the mid point does blatantly tell you that following the coins is bad.

# ¿ Jan 26, 2017 03:47

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

CirclMastr posted:

Let's Play Link to the Past Randomized with CirclMastr and Combat Lobster
Episode 4

The quest for the lamp, part 1

Have you checked the spots where the magic medallions are supposed to be since going to the Lost Woods and claiming the Tempered Sword? I'm pretty sure those obelisk thingies are scripted to only give you the medallions after you get the Master Sword, and the pedestal in the Lost Woods sets the flag. I know you checked once before the Tower of Hera and once after the Tower, but I don't think you have since pulling the sword. Disregard this message if Combat Lobster checked the spoiler file and told you they don't have anything or they've been swapped with Rupees or Arrows or some nonsense.

The easy way to tell if you pulling on those tongues in the ice dungeon will do anything is that the tongues of the statues who can't be pulled end at the bottom of the statue. If the tongue protrudes a pixel or two beyond the bottom of the statue, pulling the tongue will do something.

Try tossing the Boomerang and the Shield in the fountain at the Waterfall of Wishing anyways, see what you get. You can always reload if the game doesn't give you the item back. It would be hilarious if you toss the Boomerang in and get the Magic Powder or something; you already know where the Magic Boomerang is.

The Quake Medallion can't get you into Misery Mire, but it can get you into Turtle Rock, although I suppose you can't really do anything there until you get the Staff of Somaria. Bombos is the only Medallion completely unnecessary to beat the game.

# ¿ Feb 4, 2017 07:10

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

I can see why they'd let you switch between the Flute and the Shovel at will, but is there any point to using the Boomerang once you've gotten the Magical Boomerang?

# ¿ Feb 14, 2017 20:02

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

oldskool posted:

Presumably the method that originally upgraded the Regular to Magic Boomerang gives you a different item, so you need to have access to the regular boomerang in order to go down that line & get whatever item is there.

That's a good point. CirclMastr seems to have decided not to check the Magic Fountain, perhaps because the reward is Rupees or Arrows or something.

# ¿ Feb 14, 2017 21:42

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

It's a SMRPG hack called "Mario Is A Drug Addict". Do you really expect any attempt at quality control, intelligent game design, or genuine wit from someone whose idea for a romhack was "HURR DURR SUPER MARIO BROS HAS MUSHROOMS IN IT MUST BE DRUGS HURR DURR"? That joke was funny the first time I heard it. In middle school. I'd imagine the hack's author is probably about that age, or was at the time they made it.

# ¿ Feb 16, 2017 23:36

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

I don't think so. Both times I think Sigh shot him at the same time as the bomb went off.

# ¿ Feb 21, 2017 02:40

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

CirclMastr posted:

Let's Play Link to the Past Randomized with CirclMastr and Combat Lobster
Episode 9

gently caress Turtle Rock.

Wow, you got lucky entering Turtle Rock, though, because I'm pretty sure those chimes meant you did in fact hit the posts in the right order.

# ¿ Feb 25, 2017 06:06

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Yes, but it would have been better if he left and it counted as a victory, allowing you to progress.

# ¿ Mar 1, 2017 22:29

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Combat Lobster posted:

You won't believe what Dr. Light smells like.

You won't get me with that clickbait article title!

# ¿ Mar 2, 2017 22:36

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Well, Link touched the Triforce and got his wish. You do remember that plot point in ALTTP, correct? Ganon touching the Triforce and getting his wish is basically the entire reason that the Dark World exists. That explains all of the dead characters being alive again, like the King, Link's uncle, and the ocarina boy.

The thief in the Lost Woods stole the screen.

# ¿ Mar 4, 2017 08:03

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Whit27 posted:

Yeah, I just watched that video and I gotta say, not my cup of tea.I much prefer FPzero's laid back and informative commentary to... whatever that was.

He seems very... rambunctious. I imagine that kind of high-energy commentary appeals to some people, though.

# ¿ Mar 31, 2017 00:50

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Yeah, this hack seems to have a lot of mandatory pre-Gravity Suit underwater sections, and that's definitely a strike against it. Then again, from what I'm gathering, that seems to be a distressingly common element in Metroid romhacking. People deciding to increase the tedium rather than reduce it. I mean, if you really have to put in one or maybe two mandatory underwater segments before you place the Gravity suit, fine, as long as they aren't too prolonged. Preferably place them just before the Gravity Suit, or make it part of the necessary challenge to get the Gravity Suit. It will increase the player's sense of accomplishment upon getting the suit and make the suit feel more valuable to the player if they experience the "before" and "after" in quick succession. Other than that, I feel like any pre-Gravity Suit underwater sections should be optional and grant powerups like missile or Power Bomb expansions, or an Energy Tank.

# ¿ Jun 14, 2017 22:48

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Rabbi Raccoon posted:

There was one I like. FPzero mentioned it in a thread and I looked into it, but I can't for the life of me remember what the hack was called. Essentially, there was an optional, prolonged underwater section you could get into with a bunch of grappling tricks. And ultimately, it would lead you to a section of the Wrecked Ship you couldn't get to otherwise (the doors lock by the time you can get to it another way and never re-opens) and rewarded you with an early Plasma Beam, an early Screw Attack, and a (slightly) early Gravity Suit. Something like that is cool, rewarding you for going through all that (and it's a pain in the rear end). It's optional, requires a lot of skill and patience, and has a satisfying payoff.

Agreed. It's optional and has a reward commensurate to the difficulty and inconvenience of getting to it. Sounds fun.

Rabbi Raccoon posted:

Super Metroid Limit forces you into a gigantic Maridia and (if I recall correctly because I never played it again because it's poo poo) even forced you to fight Draygon without a Gravity Suit. That's just being a dick. Redesign did it slightly better. It's a slog, it takes time, but it's not TOO difficult, and the boss you fight is out of the water.

These, on the other hand, sound painful. You'd wonder if the people who make these romhacks ever actually play them, because this seems like the kind of thing you'd rather quickly realize is unfun.

# ¿ Jun 15, 2017 22:31

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Somebody capable of adding Bubble Bobble, Hammer Bros Suit, and Tanooki Suit powerups to Super Mario World obviously has at least some talent as a romhacker. It pays to know that coding talent doesn't necessarily equate to game design or writing talent, though, which is information the designers of this hack could have used. The plot is painfully edgelord (the last thing a Mario game needs is multiple character deaths). The level design seems kind of bland and "kitchen sink", without a unifying theme. Also, they apparently managed to gently caress up SMW's controls somehow, unless that was the result of you playing on a keyboard with some odd key bindings. I prefer a gamepad for emulators, personally; I use a PS3 controller.

# ¿ Jun 20, 2017 15:48

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

FPzero posted:

Also, I appreciate that you're approaching the hack from the perspective your described. I've always held the idea that the romhacks I make should still be accessible to new players instead of the niche audience that I know will be the ones to play it so I can completely relate to your mindset here. I hope my tips are helpful going forward.

I've always held up the old Othello box statement "a minute to learn, a lifetime to master" as the pinnacle of game design. You want something that's simple enough to pick up and play that a rank beginner isn't intimidated by it, but deep enough that people will continue to devote their time to learning and mastery. The basic mechanics required to beat the game should not be overspecialized or obtuse, but time invested in learning everything about the game should pay off, even if it's in the ability to beat an optional superboss or just the ability to look cool and show off. The "lifetime to master" part is obviously more essential to a multiplayer game (competitive or cooperative), because eventually a player will move on from a single-player game no matter how deep the mechanics are.

# ¿ Jul 3, 2017 21:59

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

CPColin posted:

Great. Now I have to listen to the whole Mystic Quest soundtrack.

Which is unequivocally the best thing about Mystic Quest, so rock on!

# ¿ Jul 10, 2017 23:57

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Maybe it's a tsunami of pirate treasure.

# ¿ Aug 4, 2017 03:19

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

liquidypoo posted:

Yeah, the bit regarding the second cast was what I was most curious about. The seed I was playing on my phone for a while has someone with W-Elem, and the second cast just blasts the party more often than not.

Put on armor/shields that absorb Ice and take the free heal with your attack?

# ¿ Aug 18, 2017 23:01

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

A level designed by a person who lives in the country of Switzerland, I assume? The flagpole FP climbed at the end of the level was bearing Switzerland's national flag.

# ¿ Aug 22, 2017 02:06

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Super Jay Mann posted:

I'm shocked that worldpeace level only got 9th.

Hopefully that means the rest are even better, right?

Ramos posted:

Wow, the quality jump with these two levels alone is absurd.

Remember, the other worlds (except for Worst) weren't ordered by place number, but by theme, so FP's been playing an essentially random assortment of quality levels. Which may be making the "gap", if there indeed is one, seem quite a bit wider, as we jump from playing, for example, the level in 63rd place to the level in 10th place. It might be best to look for the other levels that FP gave really glowing praise to before considering whether or not there's a gap in quality.

# ¿ Aug 26, 2017 04:10

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

It seems like your Balloon energy keeps counting down during that section, though. Is hitting zero "lose a life and start over"?

# ¿ Oct 18, 2017 02:40

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

He checked the first judge level; it didn't have scores.

# ¿ Oct 31, 2017 19:41

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

FPzero posted:

Yeah in theory it's a decent idea to have everything be fairly beatable without a powerup and offer extra mushrooms as a bonus if need be. The problem as mentioned was that the message wasn't communicated well. It might have been because I was really tired by that point but I interpreted it as "you only get two mushrooms from here every time you die", not the use them and lose them principle that's actually in place.

Nah, it's not just you two being tired. That actually was very poorly communicated to the player, especially since it was counter to what the game had been doing up until then. Also, while it's good game design to make sure your level is beatable without any power-ups or abilities the player might not have by that point, it's bad design to force you to take hits or expend limited-use powers or abilities, even (or perhaps especially) if you want to make sure that the "true challenge" of your level is preserved. The mushroom thing is poorly communicated and bad level design no matter how awake you are when you play it.

FPzero posted:

Also more generally, I kinda feel bad about this level because over half of the segments are actually fine and I really have no problem with them. But when taken as a whole at a time when we weren't expecting a mega-long level and we were both very tired because we thought the judge world would take about 45 minutes at most, our tempers had soured and even minor annoyances were projected pretty harshly. It's not a terrible quality level overall but the length of what's being asked of the player mixed with the context of when and how we played explains so much of our opinions.

I wish we'd played it under different circumstances just so the opinions might have been a little better (as well as our commentary) but that's how it goes.

Yeah, I kind of got the feeling you both wanted it to just be over at that point, and the hack's refusal to cooperate on that point definitely seems to have affected your opinions. It might have been better if you had played Staff Invasion as a separate recording session, but hindsight is 20/20 as they say.

# ¿ Nov 7, 2017 01:25

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Artix posted:

I don't know what the gray one's deal is, but he doesn't seem to be functioning correctly.

Blaze Dragon posted:

Oh boy, Cat o' Nine Tails variations. Exactly what we all wanted.

But wait, that colour...hmm...

Be careful if a black one appears, he has guns and time powers.

Sounds about right to me.

# ¿ Jan 5, 2018 02:03

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

A bullet hell Squawks level.

# ¿ Jan 29, 2018 23:55

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 10:36

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

Look, the Master Twenty was minted centuries ago by wizards. With all the currency changes since then, it makes sense that CROW wouldn't recognize one.

# ¿ Mar 10, 2018 12:41

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Return of the Romhackeria!