Christmas Story 2015

Christmas Story
Such original title. Much wow.

Quote and Curly accidentally knocked out Santa Claus (and possibly set him on fire a bit) and now Quote has to deliver presents to everyone on the island! But does a certain "best friend" of Quote's have something else to say about it? Find out in Christmas Story!
​

Download Links
Version 1.0

Screenshots

Spoiler

Credits:
Wedge of Cheese - Various Christmas ORGs, excluding "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "Holly Jolly Christmas".
GIRakaCHEEZER - "Your Best Friend" ORG

Have a very merry Christmas everyone! I know the mod is short but I was pressed for time so...

NOTE: The *Iron Bond* acts as an automatic health refill whenever you need it, excluding certain occasions such as boss battles and certain areas.

 

finally

will edit after I play

 

Well, this was interesting...

Spoiler

The section with the first life capsule is kinda tough, especially when you try to get the life capsule without the booster 0.8(which you will likely be doing unless you like unnecessary backtracking). You can't believe how long I was stuck there.

I don't think this needs explanation does it.

I don't know if this is intentional, but Mimiga Village feels kinda sad, especially with Jack being kinda edgy.

I swear if Xandermartin finds out he's going crazy.

Oh my freaking god why are you doing this.

Misery has become kinda edgy too, I thought she would have become 'normal' after the best ending(according to Balrog), oh well whatever she became super happy after her present anyway.
Also the Super Missile upgrade she gives you is kinda worthless considering the Snake can off things quite easily already and you'll mostly have to use it against the ice demon considering you haven't beaten it already and it isn't still level 1.

I don't think there is much else to note(aside from one thing but I'm not going to spoil that so the rest can find this out, it's short but kinda interesting and a little fun.

 

Well, this was interesting...

Spoiler

The section with the first life capsule is kinda tough, especially when you try to get the life capsule without the booster 0.8(which you will likely be doing unless you like unnecessary backtracking). You can't believe how long I was stuck there.

I don't think this needs explanation does it.

I don't know if this is intentional, but Mimiga Village feels kinda sad, especially with Jack being kinda edgy.

I swear if Xandermartin finds out he's going crazy.

Oh my freaking god why are you doing this.

Misery has become kinda edgy too, I thought she would have become 'normal' after the best ending(according to Balrog), oh well whatever she became super happy after her present anyway.
Also the Super Missile upgrade she gives you is kinda worthless considering the Snake can off things quite easily already and you'll mostly have to use it against the ice demon considering you haven't beaten it already and it isn't still level 1.

I don't think there is much else to note(aside from one thing but I'm not going to spoil that so the rest can find this out, it's short but kinda interesting and a little fun.

He he. Glad you enjoyed it. Did you find that special present?

Also, I don't know what happened but when I tested it, Tyrant (the Doctor's theme) was replaced with "Here Comes Santa Claus", but when my brother played it, it was still Tyrant, so when Santa wakes up his theme is a bit evil. That was unintentional.

Spoiler: Edginess

Jack is edgy because half of the people he would consider his family straight up died, and you're partly responsible for their deaths. The Mimiga Village is sad because there's really nobody left living there.

Misery is edgy because her mother still hasn't forgiven her after the whole Demon Crown ordeal. All of the suffering that happened was pretty much her fault, and Jenka is pissed off about that.

Also, why am I doing this? Because I *can*. And because I *can* I feel like I *have to*. And I very much want to have a bad time

 

Goddammit flowey is in this isnt he

Will play

 

Alright, so I went ahead and played through the whole thing. Here's my thoughts, as I played the game.

Here's an appropriate song to listen to while reading:

Spoiler: The Review

The Title Screen itself was just fine to me, but the addition of Flowey made me confused. I'll take more about it soon.

The Intro was just fine to me - Curly acted in-character, and Booster-Santa being out of commission sounded typical for one of those Christmas Specials. What had me confused though was...what happened to all of Quote's stuff? Curly told him to get the Guns and other stuff. The only guns he has are the Worn Spur and Fireball. Where's the Snake? King's Sword? The Booster v2.0? Did Quote just do a Minimal Items Good Ending run or something? Here he's back at around Square 3 and there's no explanation as to why.

Just a pet peeve, but I always did dislike it when the outside of a room that spanned almost an entire screen is somehow contained in a small block of house.

Also is it just me or does this look too bright for the ground? It makes the HUD to read, least in that section. It kinda doesn't make sense to have the rest of the ground be white either, since presumably the sides of it are unaffected.

I liked this little piece though. I can make my own assumptions with this, despite the lack of interaction with it.

So this is another Undertale reference. Okay? I mean, it doesn't really do anything. It's harmless I suppose.

Also I see Chaba remembers me, explicitly saying what we did together. Wish this writing could've been more subtle at times. I guess they'll call me Mr. Quote now. Also I thought Jenka imprisoned the Gaudi and not Misery? Thought it would've made more sense for the former to free the latter.

Oh, this got worse than I thought. Nice attempt at being cheeky though, it's not like a Mimiga could've just referred to itself as a Mimiga.

The references were there since the beginning! ....why?! This is a two-fer, actually. Why did I have to be GIFTED the Booster v0.8 anyway? Did I just give the v2.0 back to Booster for his research? Which would've made sense at least, but where did a Mimiga get their hands on that? The fact the Iron Bond is basically an infinite-use Life Pot (with some restrictions) suddenly makes this game feel really easy and boring.

It doesn't help whatever original level design there is, it's mostly stuff that is really basic and flat. Also on this path and the lower one, there are some instances where you can't backtrack unless you get the Booster. I guess that's fine. Yes, there are branching paths...mostly because the top part uses an Omega fight and it seems like this is a mostly direct rip of Sand Zone's designs with slight changes. This flat design, mixed with most of the familiar/ripped areas, makes this mod start to....drag.

Fast-Forward to me in a slightly edited Final Cave, and we meet this 'Snow Golem' in the area where you chatted with Mahin in jail. That Neon Blue doesn't look healthy. It looks less like you made him snowy and more like you simply inversed the Red Demon's colors. I guess this is just a boss fight for the sake of it though, like the Snow Machine/Omega fight. They were simply blocks in the way of my progression.

Mimiga Village seems to have gotten really snowed-in/icy since last time. A lot more melancholic too. Not to the point of the song 'Quiet', but definitely more tragic. Apparently Jack still feels guilty and is into Engineering now. Hell, he somehow made the Snake and gave it to me! How does that work? This makes the Polar Star and Fireball practically useless, by the way.

I didn't bother to screenshot a majority of the stuff after this because you literally go through the whole of Grasstown, Sand Zone, and the Plantation, each with a slightly changed aesthetic. You even have a third of the Grasstown Sidequest to do, but instead of Jellyfish Juice, it's Eggnog! Eggnog that literally looks like Jellyfish Juice under a different name!

Oh yeah, like that joke hasn't been done to death. I guess Santa x Chaco is now a thing.

The use of reskins comes to a head when you reach the Throne Room and end up fighting Misery because she's still kicking herself and is pissed to the point of trying to kill Quote. She's even summoning inexplicable doorframes and two blocks instead of one big block. I wonder why. The fact her rage and guilt is suddenly subsided when she receives a gift is just...boo-yotiful. It looks like years of this pent-up misery (hah) just needed one little gesture of kindness to be all gone. This really is a Cave Story Christmas special.

Those Undertale References reach a head too, since we suddenly get silenced and blinded by a vine as Papyrus and Sans inexplicably enter the mod to break the fourth wall.

Is THIS why we have Undertale References in a Christmas-themed Cave Story Mod? Or was that just something thrown in at the last minute? The Christmas part, I mean.

So after we restore Misery's faith in Jesus with the power of Christmas, Santa's Sack of Presents tells me that 'It's empty. It's time to go home." As a result, I end up backtracking through the whole of Sand Zone, Grasstown, the Plantation, the Final Cave, the Balcony, and the Surface because that isn't agonizing and boring at all.

So yes, Christmas was Ruined, then Saved, all in the span of an hour or so. Hooray! But wait, what about that Flowey cameo in the beginning? What was up with that?

That was what's up. One extra cameo/reference, because why not?

If there's any positives to this mod, it's Wedge's and GIR's ORG tracks. Really, this just feels like an overly long Cave Story x Undertale Mod teaser that is meant to capitalize on the Undertale craze with Cave Story haphazardly shoved in. This is barely a step up from mods that only modified the First Cave.

If you want a better Christmas Cave Story experience, play Cave Story+ around 12/20-12/26 and then play Undertale right after.

 

Okay, so I actually remembered to play this through on Christmas.

Spoiler

mod time here we go

OH BOY HERE WE GO

if this is a continuation of the previous sentence, "...Robot?" should be "...robot?"

"Goodnight!" should be "Good night!" or some variant

this is a run-on sentence

???

Wow Curly, why would you light the fireplace if someone who you don't even know is coming down it? It's so... out of character.

"unconcious" should be "unconscious"

*cringe*

the plural of "Mimiga" is "Mimiga"
smh tbh fam

>won't even let me back inside to save
what the fr*ck, man

*cringe*

why is that little divot even there

yeah lemme just unzip my fireball

muh mod reference

fucking finally
a mod that auto-equips the Booster

90% sure that the plural would be "Sakamotos"

i've told you before that this kind of design doesn't work

or slopes like these

ok how did the exit to Final Cave lead to the Jail
sorry
"Safe Passage"

how'd that lead here
what

10/10

"mimiga" needs to be capitalized, bruh

"wisened" should be "wizened"

you're pretty much dead if you fall in this hole, but whatever
also kanpachi that's not where the hook goes

capitalization

why does jack have no facepic

but why

Unless they happened to be Mimiga that we personally killed in Cave Story, they would have turned back to normal after we defeated the Undead Core/Red Gem.

*small cringe*

>Waterfall as Mimiga Village's BGM
>everything else so far has been Christmas-related
>Undertale music now
just
why

sounds like a pretty shitty memorial tbqh
also the "war" never happened

a nice change of pace

that never happened
you can hardly call Cave Story's plot a "war"

if you inspect the middle of the statue, nothing happens

*cringe*

*cringe*

*overuse
also fix my Spur please

you lazy motherfucker

u wot m8

-one lengthy grindfest in Plantation later-

ok good

u fkn wot m8

>life capsule of 23
wow ok
thanks i guess

flimsiest excuse i have heard IN MY LIFE

>i can't get her lipstick on a chilly Christmas Eve night
0/10 worst mod

u wot m8
why

that's not eggnog
you didn't even
you didn't even change the sprite
THAT'S NOT EGGNOG

but the fans aren't on
explain

wew lad those're some bright pallete swaps

you forgot the question mark

wow it's really like i'm playing cave story again

i like it when people use regular enemies as bosses
no joke, i like 'em
kinda like mini-bosses if you buff said enemy

that's not a dog noise
>Five!

why is Misery so butthurt, anyways
she's the one who told Balrog to save you after you killed Ballos

>when I already have the Iron Bond
t-thanks?

nice unintended line break, nerd

*CRINGE*

no
stop
do not
cease
desist
HALT

wow sans
i didn't know you were into that kind of thing

oh god i can watch the cutscene again
what the fuck
why
stop

you can move around before the textbox pops up

misery bby chill
i'm here to give you a present

misery

misery pls

10 out of fucking 10

there was a pretty long, unneccessary pause between beating Misery and the victory message
it's originally there for when she's supposed to fly through the ceiling, but you should've changed it considering that she doesn't do that

MISERY
PLEASE

i can barely begin to describe how hard i'm cringing

wow
thanks for restarting the game
you ass

i can easily jump out of the map thanks to the Booster/Machine Gun
may want to fix

the music is broken for Santa
i know someone mentioned this but
the music is broken for Santa

why is the list capitalized
also fucking rude, man

jaws i swear to god i will end you
also flowey was a present before the textbox appeared
why??

To be blunt, the mod was less Christmas Story and more Undertale Story painted white. You did add a few completely original maps, which is nice, but a vast majority was vanilla with slight edits. Personally, I think it would have been a nice touch if you made more festive changes, like the critters wearing wool caps. Y'know, stuff like that.

Jack is edgy because half of the people he would consider his family straight up died, and you're partly responsible for their deaths. The Mimiga Village is sad because there's really nobody left living there.

Misery is edgy because her mother still hasn't forgiven her after the whole Demon Crown ordeal. All of the suffering that happened was pretty much her fault, and Jenka is pissed off about that.

Also, why am I doing this? Because I *can*. And because I *can* I feel like I *have to*. And I very much want to have a bad time

This reasoning is both horrible and cringeworthy. Doesn't really fit in a mod based on such a festive, cheery holiday like Christmas.

 

Alright, so I went ahead and played through the whole thing. Here's my thoughts, as I played the game.

Here's an appropriate song to listen to while reading:

Spoiler: The Review

The Title Screen itself was just fine to me, but the addition of Flowey made me confused. I'll take more about it soon.

The Intro was just fine to me - Curly acted in-character, and Booster-Santa being out of commission sounded typical for one of those Christmas Specials. What had me confused though was...what happened to all of Quote's stuff? Curly told him to get the Guns and other stuff. The only guns he has are the Worn Spur and Fireball. Where's the Snake? King's Sword? The Booster v2.0? Did Quote just do a Minimal Items Good Ending run or something? Here he's back at around Square 3 and there's no explanation as to why.

Just a pet peeve, but I always did dislike it when the outside of a room that spanned almost an entire screen is somehow contained in a small block of house.

Also is it just me or does this look too bright for the ground? It makes the HUD to read, least in that section. It kinda doesn't make sense to have the rest of the ground be white either, since presumably the sides of it are unaffected.

I liked this little piece though. I can make my own assumptions with this, despite the lack of interaction with it.

So this is another Undertale reference. Okay? I mean, it doesn't really do anything. It's harmless I suppose.

Also I see Chaba remembers me, explicitly saying what we did together. Wish this writing could've been more subtle at times. I guess they'll call me Mr. Quote now. Also I thought Jenka imprisoned the Gaudi and not Misery? Thought it would've made more sense for the former to free the latter.

Oh, this got worse than I thought. Nice attempt at being cheeky though, it's not like a Mimiga could've just referred to itself as a Mimiga.

The references were there since the beginning! ....why?! This is a two-fer, actually. Why did I have to be GIFTED the Booster v0.8 anyway? Did I just give the v2.0 back to Booster for his research? Which would've made sense at least, but where did a Mimiga get their hands on that? The fact the Iron Bond is basically an infinite-use Life Pot (with some restrictions) suddenly makes this game feel really easy and boring.

It doesn't help whatever original level design there is, it's mostly stuff that is really basic and flat. Also on this path and the lower one, there are some instances where you can't backtrack unless you get the Booster. I guess that's fine. Yes, there are branching paths...mostly because the top part uses an Omega fight and it seems like this is a mostly direct rip of Sand Zone's designs with slight changes. This flat design, mixed with most of the familiar/ripped areas, makes this mod start to....drag.

Fast-Forward to me in a slightly edited Final Cave, and we meet this 'Snow Golem' in the area where you chatted with Mahin in jail. That Neon Blue doesn't look healthy. It looks less like you made him snowy and more like you simply inversed the Red Demon's colors. I guess this is just a boss fight for the sake of it though, like the Snow Machine/Omega fight. They were simply blocks in the way of my progression.

Mimiga Village seems to have gotten really snowed-in/icy since last time. A lot more melancholic too. Not to the point of the song 'Quiet', but definitely more tragic. Apparently Jack still feels guilty and is into Engineering now. Hell, he somehow made the Snake and gave it to me! How does that work? This makes the Polar Star and Fireball practically useless, by the way.

I didn't bother to screenshot a majority of the stuff after this because you literally go through the whole of Grasstown, Sand Zone, and the Plantation, each with a slightly changed aesthetic. You even have a third of the Grasstown Sidequest to do, but instead of Jellyfish Juice, it's Eggnog! Eggnog that literally looks like Jellyfish Juice under a different name!

Oh yeah, like that joke hasn't been done to death. I guess Santa x Chaco is now a thing.

The use of reskins comes to a head when you reach the Throne Room and end up fighting Misery because she's still kicking herself and is pissed to the point of trying to kill Quote. She's even summoning inexplicable doorframes and two blocks instead of one big block. I wonder why. The fact her rage and guilt is suddenly subsided when she receives a gift is just...boo-yotiful. It looks like years of this pent-up misery (hah) just needed one little gesture of kindness to be all gone. This really is a Cave Story Christmas special.

Those Undertale References reach a head too, since we suddenly get silenced and blinded by a vine as Papyrus and Sans inexplicably enter the mod to break the fourth wall.

Is THIS why we have Undertale References in a Christmas-themed Cave Story Mod? Or was that just something thrown in at the last minute? The Christmas part, I mean.

So after we restore Misery's faith in Jesus with the power of Christmas, Santa's Sack of Presents tells me that 'It's empty. It's time to go home." As a result, I end up backtracking through the whole of Sand Zone, Grasstown, the Plantation, the Final Cave, the Balcony, and the Surface because that isn't agonizing and boring at all.

So yes, Christmas was Ruined, then Saved, all in the span of an hour or so. Hooray! But wait, what about that Flowey cameo in the beginning? What was up with that?

That was what's up. One extra cameo/reference, because why not?

If there's any positives to this mod, it's Wedge's and GIR's ORG tracks. Really, this just feels like an overly long Cave Story x Undertale Mod teaser that is meant to capitalize on the Undertale craze with Cave Story haphazardly shoved in. This is barely a step up from mods that only modified the First Cave.

If you want a better Christmas Cave Story experience, play Cave Story+ around 12/20-12/26 and then play Undertale right after.

A few things to say to you.

Spoiler: Dude, Chill

1. This wasn't some masterful CHRISTMAS SEQUEL TO CAVE STORY I didn't plan every detail of the plot, it was just to give the story a setting.
2. You didn't pick up the secret present from the Basement. If in the beginning, before you leave the house, you go to the bottom floor and go all the way to the right, there's a fake block. Go through that. Then the Flowey thing makes more sense.
3. Oh no, I made some silly Undertale references. Did those ruin the experience for you?
4. The fact that you had to backtrack through the entire game is not my fault. You didn't go into the Sand Zone Residence, there was a teleporter to the Surface there that only worked after you beat Misery.
5. I didn't have time to do a whole lot, and I'm bad at art, so reskins is all I had time to do.
6. The only reason I used the Sand Zone as the base for the Snow Road is so that I could pinpoint where The Snow Machine needed to be. Other than that, the Sand Zone only constitutes a very, VERY basic outline for the map. Mainly because I erased the entirety of the Sand Zone except for Omega's corner and started from scratch.
7. This wasn't some teaser for Cave Story x Undertale. I originally wanted to put Papyrus in the mod as a boss but didn't have time to make the custom sprites, so I decided I'd put him and Sans in as a teaser instead. The whole thing wasn't a teaser for that mod though. And it was supposed to be a sort of reference to when you get a certain ending in the demo.
8. The whole "Chaco is on the naughty list" thing was not meant to be a Santa x Chaco thing (I don't like Cave Story pairings), it was a reference to Chaco's Lipstick and the fact that you wake up from sleeping with her when you visit her.
9. The Iron Bond is disabled during the "Final Cave" and all boss fights. It's there to make the game easier and more relaxing to play.

You make me out to be some manipulative schemer that's bad at his job when really all I wanted to do was make a Christmas themed mod that was fun to play.

Also, the last comment you made about the "First Cave" thing was kind of insensitive. You're acting like this is on-par with a beginners mod, but your only complaints were story, art, and map related. The TSC was pretty much flawless, which you neglected to mention.

IDK who burst your bubble on Christmas Day but lighten up. I made this in about two weeks, and it was meant to be a fun little thing. It wasn't going to get "Mod of the Year" award, esp. since I lack the fundamental skills to generate ASM hacks to liven it up, and the art skills to make it look pretty.

Okay, so I actually remembered to play this through on Christmas.

Spoiler

mod time here we go

OH BOY HERE WE GO

if this is a continuation of the previous sentence, "...Robot?" should be "...robot?"

"Goodnight!" should be "Good night!" or some variant

this is a run-on sentence

???

Wow Curly, why would you light the fireplace if someone who you don't even know is coming down it? It's so... out of character.

"unconcious" should be "unconscious"

*cringe*

the plural of "Mimiga" is "Mimiga"
smh tbh fam

>won't even let me back inside to save
what the fr*ck, man

*cringe*

why is that little divot even there

yeah lemme just unzip my fireball

muh mod reference

fucking finally
a mod that auto-equips the Booster

90% sure that the plural would be "Sakamotos"

i've told you before that this kind of design doesn't work

or slopes like these

ok how did the exit to Final Cave lead to the Jail
sorry
"Safe Passage"

how'd that lead here
what

10/10

"mimiga" needs to be capitalized, bruh

"wisened" should be "wizened"

you're pretty much dead if you fall in this hole, but whatever
also kanpachi that's not where the hook goes

capitalization

why does jack have no facepic

but why

Unless they happened to be Mimiga that we personally killed in Cave Story, they would have turned back to normal after we defeated the Undead Core/Red Gem.

*small cringe*

>Waterfall as Mimiga Village's BGM
>everything else so far has been Christmas-related
>Undertale music now
just
why

sounds like a pretty shitty memorial tbqh
also the "war" never happened

a nice change of pace

that never happened
you can hardly call Cave Story's plot a "war"

if you inspect the middle of the statue, nothing happens

*cringe*

*cringe*

*overuse
also fix my Spur please

you lazy motherfucker

u wot m8

-one lengthy grindfest in Plantation later-

ok good

u fkn wot m8

>life capsule of 23
wow ok
thanks i guess

flimsiest excuse i have heard IN MY LIFE

>i can't get her lipstick on a chilly Christmas Eve night
0/10 worst mod

u wot m8
why

that's not eggnog
you didn't even
you didn't even change the sprite
THAT'S NOT EGGNOG

but the fans aren't on
explain

wew lad those're some bright pallete swaps

you forgot the question mark

wow it's really like i'm playing cave story again

i like it when people use regular enemies as bosses
no joke, i like 'em
kinda like mini-bosses if you buff said enemy

that's not a dog noise
>Five!

why is Misery so butthurt, anyways
she's the one who told Balrog to save you after you killed Ballos

>when I already have the Iron Bond
t-thanks?

nice unintended line break, nerd

*CRINGE*

no
stop
do not
cease
desist
HALT

wow sans
i didn't know you were into that kind of thing

oh god i can watch the cutscene again
what the fuck
why
stop

you can move around before the textbox pops up

misery bby chill
i'm here to give you a present

misery

misery pls

10 out of fucking 10

there was a pretty long, unneccessary pause between beating Misery and the victory message
it's originally there for when she's supposed to fly through the ceiling, but you should've changed it considering that she doesn't do that

MISERY
PLEASE

i can barely begin to describe how hard i'm cringing

wow
thanks for restarting the game
you ass

i can easily jump out of the map thanks to the Booster/Machine Gun
may want to fix

the music is broken for Santa
i know someone mentioned this but
the music is broken for Santa

why is the list capitalized
also fucking rude, man

jaws i swear to god i will end you
also flowey was a present before the textbox appeared
why??

To be blunt, the mod was less Christmas Story and more Undertale Story painted white. You did add a few completely original maps, which is nice, but a vast majority was vanilla with slight edits. Personally, I think it would have been a nice touch if you made more festive changes, like the critters wearing wool caps. Y'know, stuff like that.



This reasoning is both horrible and cringeworthy. Doesn't really fit in a mod based on such a festive, cheery holiday like Christmas.

(You can't double quote so I guess I'll just copypasta this into the original post I made?)

Spoiler

I was the one who said something about Santa's theme. For whatever reason it somehow reset itself between the time I posted this and the time I tested it, which I don't understand.

I couldn't exactly help the Misery-block thing it's based off the tileset and I was pressed for time.

If I had had more time I would've made more festive stuff.

Also, what would you consider not-cringe-worthy? Seriously, is what you people want more non-meaningful/logical crap (no offense) like Rave Story? Or is the fad nowadays just straight up little-to-no-plot platformer death nightmares? Because if that's what you want, that's what I can give you. But you're not going to be happy.

Also, let's count the Undertale references:

Spoiler

1. The title screen.
2. If you're a dick and jump off the edge of the map (OPTIONAL)
3. The Iron Bond
4. The Surface town
5. What the Mimiga on the Balcony says.
6. The side area of the Sand Zone (OPTIONAL)
7. The Secret Present (OPTIONAL)
8. The Ending Credits/Epilogue

Wow. That's basically the entire mod right there. (Not)

 

I couldn't exactly help the Misery-block thing it's based off the tileset and I was pressed for time.

If I had had more time I would've made more festive stuff.

I know you intended to get this out by Christmas, what with it being Christmas Story 2015 and all, but it wouldn't have hurt to get it out a couple days later if it meant that you could polish it up more. As long as the release date was close enough to the actual holiday and you said why it took a little longer than you first thought, it would have been fine in my opinion.

Also, what would you consider not-cringe-worthy?

For starters, you didn't need to reference Undertale so frequently. Light-hearted or no, it contributed absolutely nothing to the mod; it honestly stuck out like a sore thumb. I mean, Gaster Town? Wingding Inn? Really?

Seriously, is what you people want more non-meaningful/logical crap (no offense) like Rave Story?

I really don't understand what you have against Rave Story. The mod didn't have to be meaningful or logical to make it fun. It was just everyone getting together for a rave, and then shenanigans followed.

Or is the fad nowadays just straight up little-to-no-plot platformer death nightmares? Because if that's what you want, that's what I can give you. But you're not going to be happy.

If you're referring to the attention I gave to Rise of Ballos, I'll kindly ask you to not belittle it. While it wasn't the greatest mod I've played, I just wanted to point out parts that were exceedingly unfair or needed working on. There's no need to target it just because some people had problems with your mod.

 

A few things to say to you.

Spoiler: Dude, Chill

1. This wasn't some masterful CHRISTMAS SEQUEL TO CAVE STORY I didn't plan every detail of the plot, it was just to give the story a setting.
2. You didn't pick up the secret present from the Basement. If in the beginning, before you leave the house, you go to the bottom floor and go all the way to the right, there's a fake block. Go through that. Then the Flowey thing makes more sense.
3. Oh no, I made some silly Undertale references. Did those ruin the experience for you?
4. The fact that you had to backtrack through the entire game is not my fault. You didn't go into the Sand Zone Residence, there was a teleporter to the Surface there that only worked after you beat Misery.
5. I didn't have time to do a whole lot, and I'm bad at art, so reskins is all I had time to do.
6. The only reason I used the Sand Zone as the base for the Snow Road is so that I could pinpoint where The Snow Machine needed to be. Other than that, the Sand Zone only constitutes a very, VERY basic outline for the map. Mainly because I erased the entirety of the Sand Zone except for Omega's corner and started from scratch.
7. This wasn't some teaser for Cave Story x Undertale. I originally wanted to put Papyrus in the mod as a boss but didn't have time to make the custom sprites, so I decided I'd put him and Sans in as a teaser instead. The whole thing wasn't a teaser for that mod though. And it was supposed to be a sort of reference to when you get a certain ending in the demo.
8. The whole "Chaco is on the naughty list" thing was not meant to be a Santa x Chaco thing (I don't like Cave Story pairings), it was a reference to Chaco's Lipstick and the fact that you wake up from sleeping with her when you visit her.
9. The Iron Bond is disabled during the "Final Cave" and all boss fights. It's there to make the game easier and more relaxing to play.

You make me out to be some manipulative schemer that's bad at his job when really all I wanted to do was make a Christmas themed mod that was fun to play.

Also, the last comment you made about the "First Cave" thing was kind of insensitive. You're acting like this is on-par with a beginners mod, but your only complaints were story, art, and map related. The TSC was pretty much flawless, which you neglected to mention.

IDK who burst your bubble on Christmas Day but lighten up. I made this in about two weeks, and it was meant to be a fun little thing. It wasn't going to get "Mod of the Year" award, esp. since I lack the fundamental skills to generate ASM hacks to liven it up, and the art skills to make it look pretty.

Same to you, Jaws, but I'm just trying to help you improve your mod for next time. I'll do it point-by-point anyway.

Spoiler: The Rebuttal

1. I didn't say I wanted a big plot. The set-up to this whole thing was just fine to me. Quote has to save Christmas because Curly set Santa ablaze, he runs into some problems along the way. Can he do it?
2. Now, if this Flowey thing would only make more sense with that Basement scene, why is it a 'secret' in the first place? Does it contribute to this mini-plot? Or is it just a punchline to a joke that you don't need to know?
3. They didn't ruin the experience, but they were definitely cringe-worthy with how out of place they were and how far they went at times. There was no subtlety with them. They had no real value for the mod itself. The only funny or intimidation factor they may have had would've stemmed from how recent Undertale was and how everyone played it.
4. To be fair, you are partially-right on that. The first time I went in the Sandzone Residence, that Teleporter was not connected to anything. Now, if there was some sort of sign that the teleporter was now on, like maybe a quick scene of it turning on or the camera panning to the residence entrance with a teleporter noise if you triggered the H/V after defeating Misery, that's fine.
5. If you were rushing for this to be out for the Christmas Season, I'd at least try to avoid using too many of the original Cave Story maps and make some original ones. Sure, they may not be good, but it at least avoids 'First Cave' syndrome. I called this a step up from those First Cave Mods because you at least tried changing up some of Cave Story's maps, but in essence, this is just a retread of Cave Story, but with a lot of white. Cave Story+ ends up doing that, but better.
6. The Snow Road Map itself still has a lot of remnants from Sand Zone. Hell, the tile placement is almost the exact same on the bottom route, if with a section removed. The top half does at least have some differences. It's a lot of open, somewhat flat space.
7. Eh, the Undertale stuff doesn't really do anything for this mod still. Least you confirmed to me UT x CS is gonna be a thing though.
8. I'm very aware of the fact with Chaco, I just decided to make a snark concerning the fact Santa is spending the Night at Chaco's. The dialogue, in my mind, gave several implications for why Chaco is on the Naughty list, past events aside.
9. An easy game is just fine with me. The Iron Bond's secondary purpose just doesn't really do anything (frankly I thought it was another excuse to make an Undertale reference) in this mod. It's a nice keepsake at least. The reason for why it can't be used in those certain areas was still pretty flimsy though, as Season said.

Jaws, the Fundamentals for a Cave Story Mod (and most games in general) are mostly based in actual Level Design. That's the majority of where a Player's enjoyment stems from. Aesthetics and Story can serve to emphasize the design's strengths though.

An example of this could be from one of my own mods, Jenn's Journey. I tried my best to make the maps fair and interesting to players. I integrated branching pathways into the design of some of them to give players a glimpse at things to come, or what would've came if you made a different choice, since I wanted JJ to be a game about moral choices and their effect. The different paths also have a unique feel to them, using things like different obstacles for a gun-toting player (blocks and enemies in them) and a different aesthetic (the gun-toting player's path generally had more stone-cut scenery).

TSC is still important though, so good job on doing it just fine. Just because a Mod has fancy ASM tricks everywhere doesn't mean it's going to be done well though.

Doors' Homestuck Mod was mostly meant to showcase his fancy animated full-body character portraits, and it did a good job at that, even if it was mostly walking around and making Homestuck references I didn't understand.

If you actually do some ASM (or ask friends to help/do it for you, like I did), don't tape it on there for the sake of it. Integrate it, on a storytelling, design, and/or aesthetic front first.

 

I know you intended to get this out by Christmas, what with it being Christmas Story 2015 and all, but it wouldn't have hurt to get it out a couple days later if it meant that you could polish it up more. As long as the release date was close enough to the actual holiday and you said why it took a little longer than you first thought, it would have been fine in my opinion.



For starters, you didn't need to reference Undertale so frequently. Light-hearted or no, it contributed absolutely nothing to the mod; it honestly stuck out like a sore thumb. I mean, Gaster Town? Wingding Inn? Really?



I really don't understand what you have against Rave Story. The mod didn't have to be meaningful or logical to make it fun. It was just everyone getting together for a rave, and then shenanigans followed.



If you're referring to the attention I gave to Rise of Ballos, I'll kindly ask you to not belittle it. While it wasn't the greatest mod I've played, I just wanted to point out parts that were exceedingly unfair or needed working on. There's no need to target it just because some people had problems with your mod.

1. I don't have anything against Rave Story, but all it was was (or is now) is a gigantic meme. And there wasn't any deep plot to it, it was just self-referencing dankness.
2. I have no idea what Rise of Ballos is, although by the sound of it, it's probably something that has been beaten into the ground for trying to be another attempted sequel.

Same to you, Jaws, but I'm just trying to help you improve your mod for next time. I'll do it point-by-point anyway.

Spoiler: The Rebuttal

1. I didn't say I wanted a big plot. The set-up to this whole thing was just fine to me. Quote has to save Christmas because Curly set Santa ablaze, he runs into some problems along the way. Can he do it?
2. Now, if this Flowey thing would only make more sense with that Basement scene, why is it a 'secret' in the first place? Does it contribute to this mini-plot? Or is it just a punchline to a joke that you don't need to know?
3. They didn't ruin the experience, but they were definitely cringe-worthy with how out of place they were and how far they went at times. There was no subtlety with them. They had no real value for the mod itself. The only funny or intimidation factor they may have had would've stemmed from how recent Undertale was and how everyone played it.
4. To be fair, you are partially-right on that. The first time I went in the Sandzone Residence, that Teleporter was not connected to anything. Now, if there was some sort of sign that the teleporter was now on, like maybe a quick scene of it turning on or the camera panning to the residence entrance with a teleporter noise if you triggered the H/V after defeating Misery, that's fine.
5. If you were rushing for this to be out for the Christmas Season, I'd at least try to avoid using too many of the original Cave Story maps and make some original ones. Sure, they may not be good, but it at least avoids 'First Cave' syndrome. I called this a step up from those First Cave Mods because you at least tried changing up some of Cave Story's maps, but in essence, this is just a retread of Cave Story, but with a lot of white. Cave Story+ ends up doing that, but better.
6. The Snow Road Map itself still has a lot of remnants from Sand Zone. Hell, the tile placement is almost the exact same on the bottom route, if with a section removed. The top half does at least have some differences. It's a lot of open, somewhat flat space.
7. Eh, the Undertale stuff doesn't really do anything for this mod still. Least you confirmed to me UT x CS is gonna be a thing though.
8. I'm very aware of the fact with Chaco, I just decided to make a snark concerning the fact Santa is spending the Night at Chaco's. The dialogue, in my mind, gave several implications for why Chaco is on the Naughty list, past events aside.
9. An easy game is just fine with me. The Iron Bond's secondary purpose just doesn't really do anything (frankly I thought it was another excuse to make an Undertale reference) in this mod. It's a nice keepsake at least. The reason for why it can't be used in those certain areas was still pretty flimsy though, as Season said.

Jaws, the Fundamentals for a Cave Story Mod (and most games in general) are mostly based in actual Level Design. That's the majority of where a Player's enjoyment stems from. Aesthetics and Story can serve to emphasize the design's strengths though.

An example of this could be from one of my own mods, Jenn's Journey. I tried my best to make the maps fair and interesting to players. I integrated branching pathways into the design of some of them to give players a glimpse at things to come, or what would've came if you made a different choice, since I wanted JJ to be a game about moral choices and their effect. The different paths also have a unique feel to them, using things like different obstacles for a gun-toting player (blocks and enemies in them) and a different aesthetic (the gun-toting player's path generally had more stone-cut scenery).

TSC is still important though, so good job on doing it just fine. Just because a Mod has fancy ASM tricks everywhere doesn't mean it's going to be done well though.

Doors' Homestuck Mod was mostly meant to showcase his fancy animated full-body character portraits, and it did a good job at that, even if it was mostly walking around and making Homestuck references I didn't understand.

If you actually do some ASM (or ask friends to help/do it for you, like I did), don't tape it on there for the sake of it. Integrate it, on a storytelling, design, and/or aesthetic front first.

You worded that post much better. Your previous post made you sound irritated and disdainful (at least that's how I interpreted it). I get it now. TBH I think from now on I'm just going to design my mods with no artwork whatsoever because I really, really such at making nice looking sprites (believe me I tried to make custom Santa sprites, and it did not go well).

 

I don't have anything against Rave Story, but all it was was (or is now) is a gigantic meme. And there wasn't any deep plot to it, it was just self-referencing dankness.

You keep saying that it's a meme, a singularity of self-referencing dankness, but in reality there were only two inside jokes from what I can remember: the Curly Brace and the inclusion of Spirit, and in the case of the latter it was more of a reference or mention than a joke. The rest were just references to other games/mods, like OFF.

I have no idea what Rise of Ballos is, although by the sound of it, it's probably something that has been beaten into the ground for trying to be another attempted sequel.

That's kind of surprising, honestly. When you were saying that you could make nightmarish platformer hells, that describes what Rise of Ballos was the last time I played it. I can't remember if the mod creator was given any flak for it taking place after the events of the original Cave Story, but the plot was a little hard to follow in the first place.

 

You keep saying that it's a meme, a singularity of self-referencing dankness, but in reality there were only two inside jokes from what I can remember: the Curly Brace and the inclusion of Spirit, and in the case of the latter it was more of a reference or mention than a joke. The rest were just references to other games/mods, like OFF.



That's kind of surprising, honestly. When you were saying that you could make nightmarish platformer hells, that describes what Rise of Ballos was the last time I played it. I can't remember if the mod creator was given any flak for it taking place after the events of the original Cave Story, but the plot was a little hard to follow in the first place.

Oh wait, that's what Rise of Ballos was? I played that, I had no idea what it was called though. No that was just calling "slap some spikes down" platforming. I'm talking about all of the Challenge things that there have been.

 

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight... Time to check this out

Spoiler

1. First of all, why does the fire knock Santa out?
2. What's with the houses with no doors? What's the point?
3. The blocks that Misery summons are screwed up.
4. What's the thing that shoots random bubbles in the Sand Zone?
5. Needs a question mark.
6. Some tiling needs work.
7. What the freaking heck is this all about

Overall a pretty good mod, but a little short, and I would've liked to see something more like Santa being angry then you having to fight Santa or something to get off the Naughty List!
Lol nice job.

Also please don't refer to my mod as being something that was beaten down, I started making it without even knowing about this entire forum.

 

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight... Time to check this out

Spoiler

1. First of all, why does the fire knock Santa out?
2. What's with the houses with no doors? What's the point? View attachment 2527
3. The blocks that Misery summons are screwed up. View attachment 2528
4. What's the thing that shoots random bubbles in the Sand Zone? View attachment 2529
5. Needs a question mark. View attachment 2530
6. Some tiling needs work. View attachment 2531
7. What the freaking heck is this all about View attachment 2532

Overall a pretty good mod, but a little short, and I would've liked to see something more like Santa being angry then you having to fight Santa or something to get off the Naughty List!
Lol nice job.

Also please don't refer to my mod as being something that was beaten down, I started making it without even knowing about this entire forum.

why did you post cs+ sprites on the forums?

 

@Goerge Bobicles:
That was just an idea. Besides, I had resized it to fit the basic Cave Story.

 

@Goerge Bobicles:
That was just an idea. Besides, I had resized it to fit the basic Cave Story.

no, it looks to be the same resolution. distributing cs+ stuff without nicalis's permission is illegal

 

@Goerge Bobicles:
I wasn't distributing anything to anyone. I was just giving ideas for people to think about. Besides, the image actually is in a different resolution.

 

Even just resizing the original sprites is illegal. You can't use them at all.

 

@Goerge Bobicles:
I wasn't distributing anything to anyone.

you just posted them on the forums for anyone here to take