Jenka's Nightmare - Done. *mic drop* [3.0.1.0]

Spoiler

During the fight against Tristitia (or however you spell that) I found it infuriating that you couldn't change directions until the game let you.

Unless someone like Randolf wants to wander in and help with the anti-gravity so you can change directions freely or something, the best I could do was put two H/V triggers in the middle of the map.

Of course, even if we did re-ASM the thing to work that way, it might unintentionally ruin the Oblivion fight. Maybe I could move those H/V triggers closer to the sides of the map, and see if I can center them when the first form dies? I dunno. It would be best if I had a unique command that turns on free-roam but also lets you change directions freely, but I don't know how much hassle that would be. Me no ASM do good.


Spur getting taken away again is sort of there because good lord the Spur is very, very powerful in the final dungeon and against the final bosses. I suppose I can make the last Suto fights not multi-parters at the expense of his "

" parts. *cough*


And the true ending is sort of... Something you'd probably try to do anyway. I'm not sure where or how I'd hint that you "should" go there. Dunc was pretty happily inclined on heading there asap, and was pleasantly surprised despite his 180 in the group stream. Maybe he was just faking it at the time because I was watching, I don't know.

 

Huh? No no I said that there was no indication about the ending, not that it wasn't obvious. I had in fact been about to say that I found it because I'd been obsessing over that house since like age 9 and I needed closure on it, so it was obvious for me to go there. Conversation just switched rather quickly to a different topic and I didn't get that in.

 

Ah.

Well, the thing is, there's really no obvious way any of the cast would imply you should go there. The whole secret ending is a surprise to them as well. It's a surprise to everyone on the island.

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The only hint to it occurring is the Doctor's Statue in the Statue Chamber still being (a) crowned, and (b) legible.

So I can't think of any real reason why you'd be told to stick around. You saved everyone you needed to.


Also, something else came to mind that I should probably really do. Nerf the falling blocks in Arcadia F1. I'll see if I can fudge around with the ASM timer to make them fall less frequently, so you can actually collect some of the EXP without getting bashed for your troubles.

 

The falling blocks room was the worst room in all of Cave Story. The room does nothing but drain a random amount of hp. Decreasing the frequency a considerable amount would make it into an ACTUAL challenge and not just a clusterfuck.

Cave Story is NOT literally perfect after all.

 

Unless someone like Randolf wants to wander in and help with the anti-gravity so you can change directions freely or something, the best I could do was put two H/V triggers in the middle of the map.

Of course, even if we did re-ASM the thing to work that way, it might unintentionally ruin the Oblivion fight. Maybe I could move those H/V triggers closer to the sides of the map, and see if I can center them when the first form dies? I dunno. It would be best if I had a unique command that turns on free-roam but also lets you change directions freely, but I don't know how much hassle that would be. Me no ASM do good.


Spur getting taken away again is sort of there because good lord the Spur is very, very powerful in the final dungeon and against the final bosses. I suppose I can make the last Suto fights not multi-parters at the expense of his "

" parts. *cough*

If you can't fix the gravity thing, that's fine. I was over exaggerating, it really only got in the way once.

As for the spur thing, the problem I have is that you literally only lose it for the rest of the

Spoiler

reformed sand zone after Curly recovers Quotes gear,

and that final fight with Suto. It just feels like padding, unless you really wanted to have the Sand Zone experienced in it's fullest.

Anyways though, I really can't think of any more negative criticisms, so how about some more positive criticisms?

You did well I think in filling the mod to the brim with content, with hidden chests, things you missed, and secret areas all throughout. It makes the game feel to me more like what Cave Story should have been, more of an open world (even if it is very Metroid like).

Also the balancing was pretty good. I'm not gonna pretend that the nerf of the spur didn't piss me off at first, but that was really my fault for not figuring it out, and in general every weapon is useful at some point or another.

 

I'm also wondering in what way(s) I could go about making Deconstructor Mk.2 less of a pain.

For Alpha, the reason he's so obscene is because you can wipe out almost all its health in one round with the Blade. In any case, I believe in the original game Omega's 'breakable' shots would bounce along the floor - I may simply change it so it will have breakable shots, but the indestructible ones will bounce around instead.


Are there any other bosses that should be nerfed?

 

I'm also wondering in what way(s) I could go about making Deconstructor Mk.2 less of a pain.

For Alpha, the reason he's so obscene is because you can wipe out almost all its health in one round with the Blade. In any case, I believe in the original game Omega's 'breakable' shots would bounce along the floor - I may simply change it so it will have breakable shots, but the indestructible ones will bounce around instead.


Are there any other bosses that should be nerfed?

Maybe you could make the fan shots less frequent, or perhaps have them only come in when the boss is opened up to attack.

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Btw, if you check the magic journal, that at least tells you to go to Jenka's house. There's no mention of Date, but still. The journal in the Prefab house is a subtle clue

Also, remember how you said you were going to make all of Suto's projectiles destructable in the first fight (or second, or both. I forget.)? Do that for the last two fights with him, and keep him multi-phase. That'll make him more bearable and he can still continue

'ing.

 

Spent some time on the mod during the server outage, and I already have a fairly large changelog for the next version. I think I'm almost done, but I need to test a few things. Specifically, the game knowing not to give you specific Snake ammo back during a trade if you pick a second one up later.

Things I'll spoil for discussion:

- Two Bubbler chests come before/during Grasstown, now. Can pick it up again post-underside regardless.

- First two Bubbler levels are nerfed (because early-game), and the latter two Bubbler levels regen slightly slower (2 additional frames per number).

- Bubbler level 3 is now more powerful, and actually really useful defensively (Regular bubbles do 6 damage, shots still do 3 damage).

- Snake ammo regens more than twice as fast as before.

 

Spent some time on the mod during the server outage, and I already have a fairly large changelog for the next version. I think I'm almost done, but I need to test a few things. Specifically, the game knowing not to give you specific Snake ammo back during a trade if you pick a second one up later.

Things I'll spoil for discussion:

- Two Bubbler chests come before/during Grasstown, now. Can pick it up again post-underside regardless.

- First two Bubbler levels are nerfed (because early-game), and the latter two Bubbler levels regen slightly slower (2 additional frames per number).

- Bubbler level 3 is now more powerful, and actually really useful defensively (Regular bubbles do 6 damage, shots still do 3 damage).

- Snake ammo regens more than twice as fast as before.

So you did the opposite of what I suggested. Makes more sense to me, lol. Okay then...

- Im assuming they replace the Pignon Notes

- How much is 2 frames in real time?

- Well, that's certainly a game changer. Maybe I'll get more use out of the thing. It was pretty worthless to me before.

- Never gave me an issue, but that sounds really useful, til I get the Hydra anyway.

 

- How much is 2 frames in real time?

The game runs at 50 fps, so 1/25th of a second.

This sounds like it would affect nothing, but basically where you'd recover 100 ammo before, you now only recover 32 ammo at the same speed. The effect is more noticeable with more ammo, but it prevents you from being THOR GOD OF BUBBLES all the time.


When I feel the changes are ready, I'm going to release a sub-version so it can be tested and decided if these changes are good or bad, and to ensure there aren't any bugs I miss. When everything's well and tested, I'll bump the version to 2.0.0.0.
=-=-=-=-=

Other things:

- Arms Barrier turns the game into easymode, and works very well with the new Bubbler in preventing one-hit leveldowns.

- The 'Spur sidequest' now simply requires chatting with the gunsmith, then going to the Pignon hideout (in that order), then returning with the Polar Star. Still deciding on how the fight(s) with Suto should go.

So another question:

Should the gunsmith be back in his house immediately after the Labyrinth, or should he only show up after one of Genesis/Oblivion are defeated? Or should he be AWOL until BOTH Gen and Obliv are defeated? I'm still hesitant to give the player the best weapon at an early point.

 

Do you wan them to fight those two bosses with that weapon?

 

Not sure. Genesis is more vulnerable to it, while Oblivion is partly unphased due to most hits landing on the hands. In either case, the floating solid blocks can also get in the way and prevent the beam from being entirely effective, so it's largely a coin toss.

I'm more concerned about general mobs than the bosses, though. Spur cuts through everything like butter.

 

- The 'Spur sidequest' now simply requires chatting with the gunsmith, then going to the Pignon hideout (in that order), then returning with the Polar Star. Still deciding on how the fight(s) with Suto should go.

So another question:

Should the gunsmith be back in his house immediately after the Labyrinth, or should he only show up after one of Genesis/Oblivion are defeated? Or should he be AWOL until BOTH Gen and Obliv are defeated? I'm still hesitant to give the player the best weapon at an early point.

Hmm...
Maybe you could provide a ceiling on getting to the Pignon hideout before too long. Maybe you can't reach high enough without the machine gun or something.

Maybe you could implement a hard boss like in the super secret room which can be fought at any time, but probably won't be able to be beat right away. That way if they can be rewarded for being really good at the game, or just get it at the time when they have other powerful weapons.

Maybe you could put the notes in places that you don't need to backtrack to, but aren't exactly out in the open.

uhmm....
That's about all I can think of.

 

I'm just going to keep the only real 'roadblocks' the Pignon and Suto fights. Suto is a pretty respectable one since you can have trouble against him unless you have good weapons or an abundance of ammo. I am taking out the 'Pooh Black' part of it in the Gunsmith's house, though.

I also found a neat little bug within Cave Story itself. The game doesn't expect you to kill the Missile Balrog while grappled. As a result, you get stuck in the hidden state. I've thrown in a <SMC in case that handles it, but if that doesn't fix it, there's no real way around it. (WAY TO GO, PIXEL. GAWD.)


Also,

Spoiler

Hmmm. Something seems different.

 

The game runs at 50 fps, so 1/25th of a second.

This sounds like it would affect nothing, but basically where you'd recover 100 ammo before, you now only recover 32 ammo at the same speed. The effect is more noticeable with more ammo, but it prevents you from being THOR GOD OF BUBBLES all the time.


When I feel the changes are ready, I'm going to release a sub-version so it can be tested and decided if these changes are good or bad, and to ensure there aren't any bugs I miss. When everything's well and tested, I'll bump the version to 2.0.0.0.
=-=-=-=-=

Other things:

- Arms Barrier turns the game into easymode, and works very well with the new Bubbler in preventing one-hit leveldowns.

- The 'Spur sidequest' now simply requires chatting with the gunsmith, then going to the Pignon hideout (in that order), then returning with the Polar Star. Still deciding on how the fight(s) with Suto should go.

So another question:

Should the gunsmith be back in his house immediately after the Labyrinth, or should he only show up after one of Genesis/Oblivion are defeated? Or should he be AWOL until BOTH Gen and Obliv are defeated? I'm still hesitant to give the player the best weapon at an early point.

Damn, slow recharge...



I say he should come when Genesis is defeated since Genesis is more vulnerable to the Spur. I always fought him without it anyway.

I'm just going to keep the only real 'roadblocks' the Pignon and Suto fights. Suto is a pretty respectable one since you can have trouble against him unless you have good weapons or an abundance of ammo. I am taking out the 'Pooh Black' part of it in the Gunsmith's house, though.

I also found a neat little bug within Cave Story itself. The game doesn't expect you to kill the Missile Balrog while grappled. As a result, you get stuck in the hidden state. I've thrown in a <SMC in case that handles it, but if that doesn't fix it, there's no real way around it. (WAY TO GO, PIXEL. GAWD.)


Also,

Spoiler

Hmmm. Something seems different.

Aww, I liked the Pooh Black part... Oh well.



Oh my, what do we have in that spoiler?

 

I'm just going to keep the only real 'roadblocks' the Pignon and Suto fights. Suto is a pretty respectable one since you can have trouble against him unless you have good weapons or an abundance of ammo. I am taking out the 'Pooh Black' part of it in the Gunsmith's house, though.

I also found a neat little bug within Cave Story itself. The game doesn't expect you to kill the Missile Balrog while grappled. As a result, you get stuck in the hidden state. I've thrown in a <SMC in case that handles it, but if that doesn't fix it, there's no real way around it. (WAY TO GO, PIXEL. GAWD.)


Also,

Spoiler

Hmmm. Something seems different.

You're right, Suto is pretty tough. I could see that working.

 

Woah nelly. Here we go.

UPDATE 2.0.0.0 (Because, yes, this is a Major version.)

Spoiler

- Fireball Level 3 is now more powerful.
- Bubbler Level 2 and 3 are now weaker, but Level 3 is now more powerful.
- Bubbler recharges slightly slower to compensate for the more powerful level 3.
- Snake recharges more than twice as fast as before.
- Machine Gun is now more powerful.
- Blade is now more powerful.
- Changed the charge times for the Spur from (60/120/180) to (50/100/200).

- Snake ammo now starts at a hard +20, and gives +10 per additional drop (max 80).
- Bubbler ammo has been reduced to start at +30, and give +15 per additional drop (max 120).
- Snake can now be picked up again post-underside.
- Two additional Machine Gun pickups, new max total is 160.

- Moved the Bubbler from Pipeworks' shutter to where the pignon note was under the bridge.
- Put a new Machine Gun ammo chest in said shutter, instead.
- Bubbler can be picked up a second time post-underside, if collected.

- "Balrog Shots" no longer block bullets.
- Suto's bouncy shots have half HP.
- Suegor has 40 more HP (200).
- Suto 1 is now 'bouncy top'.
- Suto 2 has 60 more HP (300).
- Suto 2 is now 'solid (bouncy)' and 'bouncy top'.
- Bro Pignon has 40 more HP (200).
- The Pignon gang fight has one less pignon.
- Suto 4 has 20 less HP (700).
- Alpha has more HP.
- Heavy Press has more HP.

- Removed some of the Midorins in Pipeworks, due to Bubbler Lv1 being blocked by the Tile44's.
- Green beetles in Pipeworks give 1 additional EXP, each.
- Added some bars over the left pipe in Pipeworks N to prevent people from diving into it face-first.
- Moved the Snake Ammo in Grasstown to be further in.
- Added a +3 life capsule to Grasstown where the Snake Ammo was.
- Moved the Grasstown Missile Ammo down to where the pignon note was, and removed the little hole at the top where it used to be.

- Moved the two bats at the start of Underside to locations where they shouldn't be collectable.
- Cleaned up the layout at the beginning of Underside a bit.

- Teleporting out of the Inner Sanctuary is less obnoxious and more mysterious.

- Map System is now available in Mimiga Village.
- Relocated the Missiles from the Chimney to where the Map System used to be.
- Relocated Whimsical Star to a later point in the game.
- Arms Barrier is no longer NG+ content, and is now available where Whimsical Star used to be.
- Added a +3 life capsule to the Eroding Valve.

- Reduced Brown critter HP from 8 to 6.
- Reduced Aqua critter HP from 12 to 8.
- Night Spirit/Deconstructor Mk1 has 40 more HP (240).
- Night Spirit/Deconstructor Mk1 projectiles do 1 less damage (4).
- Alpha's projectiles are no longer solely 'invulnerable' ones.
- Alpha's projectiles do not give EXP.
- Deconstructor Mk 2's arena is now wider.
- Upper part of Abalandoned Facility is redesigned a bit.

- Camera in Void now moves much faster.
- Whimsical Star is available in the Revolutionarium on the return trip after Gens/Obliv.

- Sue and Little Man no longer notice or exchange for the Blade and Nemesis capsules.
- Spur sidequest simply requires talking to the Gunsmith, then going to the Pignon Hideout.
- The "Pooh Black" version of Suto no longer exists. (Ironic)

- Balrog now returns correct ammo values for Machine Gun.

- Removed the 'Mjolnir'. Little Man just gives you the Nemesis if he's alive.
- Can no longer trade missile launchers with Little Man.
- Little Man now returns correct ammo values for Machine Gun.

- Rebuilt the EXP cage on the Balcony for funsies.
- Changed Booster's dialog slightly to imply that you can visit Jenka.
- Toned down Last Cave (Hidden) a bit at the end of the first and second floors.
- Improved the amount of EXP obtained from capsules in Arcadia.
- Falling blocks in Arcadia now spawn at half-speed (a little under a second each).
- Jenka now shoves a Life Pot into your inventory if you missed every opportunity to get one.

- Relocated the 'Door' in the credits to be chronologically correct.
- Changed Dunc's credited title and added HyMyNameIsMatt alongside him.

 

Will I experience any issues if I migrate my save from 1.6.1.0? I was right at the beginning of the Labyrinth. Also got the first 3 Pignon notes.

 

There shouldn't be any issues... Except the third note's flag was used for the Arms Barrier chest, so your game might suffer from the old difficulty. Feel free to just hack it into your inventory if you reach the chest it was supposed to be in (Chasm in Grasstown).

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And you might want to revisit the Labyrinth and talk to Malco after you get back and find the Map System where the first Pignon note was.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Something I forgot to put in the change log: I added a 'feature' wherein most bosses will spawn EXP drops after they're defeated, similar to the very first Balrog fight in CS. It's kinda neat.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=


And surprising absolutely no-one, I have a hotfix within 12 hours of a major version!

Update 2.0.0.1

- Fixed some small graphical things in Grasstown.
- Fixed the graphical issue in Pipeworks E, where the +x over the player's head would fly to the right when entering a pipe.
- Blade and Nemesis Capsules now have correct 'medal' graphics.
- Removed the solid/bouncy and bouncy top from Suto 2. Not entirely sure why I added those.
- Moved the bats in Underside back to their original locations since Whimsical Star is no longer an issue.

 

Am I supposed to be able to get the Snake back from First Cave after exiting the Labyrinth?
edit: Glitch. If I examine the chest where the Map is after I get the Map, I get the missile upgrade further up.