Wat Story [Idkutsu Monogatari] - Alpha 3

Version 3 is out. Yippee.

So this morning.
I was sitting in my chair
As I do.
Always.

And then, the most inspirational thing happened.
I went to my fridge.
And got out some cheese.
And made myself some crumpets, 2 buttered, 2 with Marmite.
And I thought to myself. "What a wonderful world".

And then, I thought to myself 2 seconds later.
"Imagine if I was one of the main characters of Cave Story and I was also a mimiga and the most distinguishing feature of me was, as it is in real life, my eyebrows."

And then I remembered I've been learning Cave Story modding.

So now I present to you fine Ladies, Gentlemen and Noxid...
Wat Story, also known as Idkutsu Monogatari. Because I said so.

Big thanks to everyone who made those tutorials that are amazingly hard to find even with a quick google search, all the people who made those tutorials that were easy to find, the two /sexiest/ users Enlightened One and apis for telling me how to replace the title screen background and Spiritga for providing his sprites.



Anyway, here's some screenshots.

Spoiler

The title screen in all it's quick 10 minute line-tooled glory.

TO THE MOON WITH THOU!

Oh look. It's a badly reedited sprite for me, and quote.

I made it so you have to go up to rescue me, and if you don't I crack an [sarcasm] extremely witty joke [/sarcasm] and teleport you back so YOU HAVE TO DO IT OKAY?!

What does this remind you of?

Spoiler

Hint: Grasstown tileset and enemies. Also the map's EggX idk.

I have an owl block fetish.
Also if only there was a way to fly?
Hint hint you get the booster.

Oh look it's me again. This is where I stopped modding for the day.

Pretty good for about 12 hours worth of work, no?

Also I gave Spiritga a cameo.

Anyway here's the downloads
Alpha 3:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/w3zsbwugvyw3mwg/Wat%20Story%20Alpha%203.zip
Alpha 2:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/99zcmx52gf9dlm9/Wat%20Story%20Alpha%202.zip
Alpha 1:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/banapb1yz5p5hve/Wat%20Story%20Alpha%201.zip

Have fun with my poorly made mod.

Night guys, I'm off to bed.

 

First reply!
I'm off to try it, it sounds good so far. More feedback after I play it!

-Edit: It says it's malicious... Why? D:

 

Weeeeell OK kind of a weird mod. It was mostly just a lot of walking with the occasional enemy thrown in. Not bad, just boring. I suppose my favorite part had to be the dialogue. Not hilarious or anything but entertaining enough. If I had to list some issues it's that you shouldn't put slope tiles together like in the first room. The rooms are also flat and boring and sometimes the ground tiles lack detail (the narrow path to the first save point comes to mind).

-Edit: It says it's malicious... Why? D:

I hear that Chrome does that with basically every mod because nobody has downloaded it yet. I was able to play it, and as far as I know I don't have any sort of virus.

 

Spoiler

This is what you wanted the hack for?

 

This is what you wanted the hack for?

Oh no, this is more a test for stuff.
Also that background is up for change, forgot to mention that.

First reply!
I'm off to try it, it sounds good so far. More feedback after I play it!

-Edit: It says it's malicious... Why? D:

Ignore, it's Chrome being silly.
It happens to me when I get new mods too.

Weeeeell OK kind of a weird mod. It was mostly just a lot of walking with the occasional enemy thrown in. Not bad, just boring. I suppose my favorite part had to be the dialogue. Not hilarious or anything but entertaining enough. If I had to list some issues it's that you shouldn't put slope tiles together like in the first room. The rooms are also flat and boring and sometimes the ground tiles lack detail (the narrow path to the first save point comes to mind).

I hear that Chrome does that with basically every mod because nobody has downloaded it yet. I was able to play it, and as far as I know I don't have any sort of virus.

Why thank you, I pride myself to write barely sensical text that links together still.

I tend to have that problem with the boring flat levels, not the best at level design y'see. I'll switch it up a bit tommorow, try and make it look and feel more interesting.

I was thinking of removing the slope tiles as well, they feel weird when I was playtesting.

The narrow path is more so I can crack a bad joke without glitches, but I guess I can always make it look nicer.

Any tips on making the levels feel more...
Alive?
I tried to kind of make an image for the second half of the grasstown level, the weird city or whatever I made, did it work?

This is probably my first actual mod with assembly and a story apart from a few map and scripting tests, so I'm still getting used to using Cave Editor to it's potential.

 

I tend to have that problem with the boring flat levels, not the best at level design y'see. I'll switch it up a bit tommorow, try and make it look and feel more interesting.

Just keep on experimenting with the tiles until you get something that looks nice and pleasing to the eye. Of course, always look at vanilla Cave Story for ideas.

I was thinking of removing the slope tiles as well, they feel weird when I was playtesting.

The slopes aren't necessarily a bad thing. I didn't explain what I meant well enough-- you should remove them because they push around Quote. Try putting a slope in midair and jumping through it. It pushes you from under it, and that is sort of what happens the way you have yours set up. Maybe something similar to this:

Spoiler

I even added some aesthetic to help and maybe spur some ideas for next time you polish it. It may be a good idea to add some of those water drop entities that you would normally see in vanilla First Cave.

The narrow path is more so I can crack a bad joke without glitches, but I guess I can always make it look nicer.

You can't still do that without making it bigger? I don't see why not. Even if that were the case, you could try something like this:

Spoiler

Replacing the ground tiles with blocks. The ground tiles look odd if they don't have that extra dirt tile added next to it, so you can go around that by adding some blocks, which don't look odd by themselves.

Any tips on making the levels feel more...
Alive?
I tried to kind of make an image for the second half of the grasstown level, the weird city or whatever I made, did it work?

Working on the aesthetics is probably the best first step to breathing life into your environments. Craft some eye candy, I guess. Even make some objects interactable if it would make sense to. As for the city, I did see what you were going for, as I explored it more and found some signs. I didn't like how some of the houses were empty, but that's probably because you're going to work on that later. If you want to make the city look more alive... well, just look at Mimiga Village. It has NPCs sprinkled here and there, and it is coherent in its design. Study that, and maybe copy some ideas from it, if that helps.

 

You can't still do that without making it bigger? I don't see why not. Even if that were the case, you could try something like this:

Spoiler

Replacing the ground tiles with blocks. The ground tiles look odd if they don't have that extra dirt tile added next to it, so you can go around that by adding some blocks, which don't look odd by themselves.

My main problem is the way I pull of the teleportation animation. I have a blank NPC that I instantly switch for quote when the horiz / vert trigger's activated so I run into two problems that'll require a biting magic and thought to get around. Either I make a boring corridor but get a relatively nice animation, or remove it and the corridor but use a rather unprofessional mere teleport.

And as for the whole aesthetics bit, yeah I definitely need to add some small details in. I'll dedicate an hour or two tomorrow to playing with the jail a bit to make it look AND function pleasingly.

Anyway, I need to sleep now. It's quarter past 10 and if I stay awake it'll mess up my sleep schedule and I'll wake at like half 7 and loose an hour or so.

 

My main problem is the way I pull of the teleportation animation. I have a blank NPC that I instantly switch for quote when the horiz / vert trigger's activated so I run into two problems that'll require a biting magic and thought to get around. Either I make a boring corridor but get a relatively nice animation, or remove it and the corridor but use a rather unprofessional mere teleport.

Well, with this solution, here is a way you can get both a nice animation and a more flexible corridor:
Add <KEY<MM0<MYD0000<WAS to the beginning of event #0070, and add <CNP0605:0150:0002<ANP0605:0050:0002<WAI0010<ANP0605:0000:0000<CNP0605:0000:0000 to the beginning of event #0200.

The first bit stops the player in their tracks and forces them in the direction of the Quote NPC, while the second bit moves the Quote NPC forward enough so that when the real Quote gets replaced by the NPC, it looks natural.

 

THE TITLE SCREEN MAKES MY EYES HURT!
This is your first mod?

 

THE TITLE SCREEN MAKES MY EYES HURT!
This is your first mod?

Also since I'm lazy said title screen background's barely completed, has my scrawly handwriting on it and a picture of a cat.

Also that background is up for change, forgot to mention that.

It helps to read the thread, ya know.
On a side note, I may have to try this sometime, though it seems like a good bit of constructive criticism has already been given.

 

THE TITLE SCREEN MAKES MY EYES HURT!
This is your first mod?

I put a picture of a cat in to ease the pain, don't worry.
Also it's subject to change. Just wondering how many colours my title.bmp supports.

And it's not my first mod per say, but it's my first one beyond a few tests. Also it's the first time I've used assembly and sprite hacking.

It helps to read the thread, ya know.
On a side note, I may have to try this sometime, though it seems like a good bit of constructive criticism has already been given.

Of course, I'd love more opinions. As well as that, I'm also gonna work on making the levels a bit better, they're a bit empty as has already been said.

 

I'm just starting to play the mod, so give me time to post constructive criticism.

Spoiler

http://prntscr.com/4dye50 eyebrow game too strong

But anyways yeah I would love a cameo in this...if it ever gets finished. :<

 

I'm just starting to play the mod, so give me time to post constructive criticism.

Spoiler

http://prntscr.com/4dye50 eyebrow game too strong

But anyways yeah I would love a cameo in this...if it ever gets finished. :<

With the dumb re-sprites I'm putting in you probably will.

I've already got Balrog's totally-spanish/english cousin Nalrog in the city, speaking with perfect broken english.

Maybe I'll reskin Misery and make you an illuminati boss.



Speaking of that is that a gravity falls character I spy in your avatar? :3

 

Wh-What no why would it be hahaha
youregonnagetmekilledkid

Also I finished the mod and it's
-relatively short
-kind of enjoyable
-all of the above
So yeah, keep up the work nerd.

 

Wh-What no why would it be hahaha
youregonnagetmekilledkid

Also I finished the mod and it's
-relatively short
-kind of enjoyable
-all of the above
So yeah, keep up the work nerd.

-It's Alpha version 1, of course it's short
-I think my eyebrows make it go beyond what it would be without them
-kk
I'll keep up the work mum, not that I haven't been doing that since I got up this morning.
Which was 7 hours ago.

god I've been working on this for 7 hours straight wtf is wrong with me.

 

Haha oh wow

people work on mods for more than 40 hours straight and barely get anything done
I think
...
yeah you should probably sleep

 

I have one benevolent suggestion for you: finish teh mod. 'Cause I followed blogs like Noxid's and GIRs mods but they abandoned theirs. Scope it's boundaries from beginning to end. It's your first mod, next one will be even better, don't get bogged down on details and lose motivation. Finnish dat mod

 

I have one benevolent suggestion for you: finish teh mod. 'Cause I followed blogs like Noxid's and GIRs mods but they abandoned theirs. Scope it's boundaries from beginning to end. It's your first mod, next one will be even better, don't get bogged down on details and lose motivation. Finnish dat mod

Okay, but expect the story to just get weird since this is all made up on the spot and then spruced up a bit.
Example:

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

-The next area after the city you go to is the generator room. Why? Because Red's heater's on the blink and obviously it's the generator's fault, which is powered by the core. Then you go there and find magical sparkles which give you a spur and 50 life.

Then you walk into a cave in the generator room to find the core, when suddenly Spritga teleports in, gives you a rant, quotes Dimentio from Super Paper Mario, flies up and suddenly you have to kill the core with nothing but 60 health, a polar star and the spur.

After killing it, Spritga gets angry at you, disposes of the core and says "Cya Nerd" before flying out through the ceiling or something.

Also, broken english balrog with a monocle and mustache.

I doubt you expected anything but pure uncondensed rubbish as soon as I posted a mod.

Haha oh wow

people work on mods for more than 40 hours straight and barely get anything done
I think
...
yeah you should probably sleep

I slept last night and I woke up at 6 AM and then started working and now it's 3 PM.

SLEEP IS 4 DA WEEK

 

you should probably put all that exposition in a spoiler

also yes that is what I would do 100% positive trust me I am a doctor

also will we discuss what I look like ingame or

 

you should probably put all that exposition in a spoiler

also yes that is what I would do 100% positive trust me I am a doctor

also will we discuss what I look like ingame or

Sure mum.
For now I've just used your icon n stuff but if you want tell me idk