899 replies to this topic

[newstarshipsmell]

I think I want to start over from the beginning again on this new demo, and see if the corridors work properly when I finish them all, without touching the cheat menu once. Shouldn't be too hard - I have practically the entire map memorized now, so it should be a breeze to play though again (well, a very long breeze.)

I never even had a chance to fight the last boss. Those massive lasers at the beginning of the level kept hitting me and killing me off right away; the Iron cutscene just prior plus the continue point prior to that made reaching it a royal pain, so I gave up after 2 or 3 tries and figured I'd wait until you'd fixed one or both of those things to try again.

Plus I went through all my bug reports and put giant red Bs on my maps everywhere I found something wrong, so I can have those open as I play through and confirm which ones slipped through the cracks and still need fixing. I have to focus on school for a few days, though, so I might not have anything to post until later in the week.

I mentioned having a bunch of ideas/suggestions, but you know, it sounds like you're almost done with the game, so it seems more helpful to assist you with ironing out the remaining bugs rather than tossing a bunch of ideas at you, none of which would be trivial to implement in a short time. The main thing I'd like to see improved is the subscreen interface. The cursor movement is totally annoying since it's non-intuitive, and even after thoroughly mapping out the logic so I understand what does what and when, I still end up always moving it where I don't want to move it. If you could make up and down simply toggle the row (with horizontal move(s) needed if you're toggling from that item below and between the sword/sidearm, or toggling from an item opposite a blank spot in the other row) and make the row-end movements move to the opposite ends of the same row, that would make it far more intuitive and less frustrating. Also, with all the shit in the inventory with shiny flashy shit going on, it's easy to misplace the cursor/mistake something else flashing for it, when trying to quickly select something, so maybe turning it into a solid box that doesn't flash, and always displaying it on top of the items, would help make it more visible.

And I don't think I've said it before... the plot is fucking awesome. I wasn't even really expecting much of a plot when I began playing it, much less NPCs and cutscenes, so that was all a pleasant and welcome surprise. And while there are some things that don't really make sense, none of them are a big deal, and I particularly appreciated the way you set up the background about scarcity of higher life, which, intentional or not, totally makes the later revelation far more plausible. And I've always despised the stupid Link-as-mute trope in all the official Zelda games; it totally makes sense in this game's context and isn't irritating as a result (it helps that you refrained from making needlessly stupid jokes about it.) Speaking of which... poor Iron, stuck for all eternity with a companion that doesn't talk, lol! Yes, I have my suspicions regarding some of what happens in the "good" ending...

[C-Dawg]

Thanks!  I'm glad the storyline adds to the experience.  If you find plot holes or things that don't make sense, please do let me know. Some of them are there for artistic value (the way the Earth is lit in the window near the end is actually not possible because the sun never shines on it that way, for example, but it looks pretty) but some just might be oversights.  I endeavor to establish a universe with rules, albeit different from our own, and then have the characters act logically within those rules.

 

Also, just because the Guardian cannot speak does not mean she can't communicate.  Her memory banks are designed for easy access so she can share her experiences, and it's implied several times that she can at least gesticulate.  I don't think Iron is totally alone.  

 

And even that, of course, assumes that he somehow survives the final showdown.  I wouldn't assume that until you get there...

[newstarshipsmell]

Only things I can recall off the top of my head is: the terminal inside the lower-right Libra area. It's implied that the Alliance folks couldn't even access the inside of it, prior to you finding/activating the laser that opens it, so it doesn't really make sense that you'd find one of their terminals inside it. But it's not a big deal, and it makes sense to put that hint in there for the player instead of locating it somewhere nearby instead, so it's a minor trade-off that is probably worth it.

Also, the simulation sort of implies that you're physically located in the lab, plugged into the terminal, while exploring it virtually, and not implied that things "inside" it can come out, so it's kind of a hole that you obtain powerups in there that translate into the real world. But it's a videogame, you know, so not everything has to make perfect sense.

[C-Dawg]

Hrmmm... the Libra thing makes sense.  I can redesign that so that the terminal is outside of that area but cut off from the regular outside by a landslide or something.  That would work.

 

The simulation thing is actually explained in one of the rooms.  You're collecting data in the system that helps the Guardian integrate her powerups and abilities better into her system.  Or something.  So, I did think of that one!

[C-Dawg]

I've posted some new potential box art over at the Project Update section.  Check it out.

 

Also, and more importantly, I NEED BETA TESTERS.  I have a few things on my punch list by way of improvements and upgrades before we get to Version 1, but I'm currently relaxing on the coding part and working on the other stuff: music, artwork, instruction manual, etc.  I would love it if I could have three or four more folks do a play through to generate a list of bugs , or convince me that certain mechanics have to change before they're set in stone.  If you know anyone remotely interested in the old school games that inspired Zodiac, let them know about this project because I'd love to have their input.

 

At the end of the day, there are some things that limit me just because I used Zelda Classic for this.  But, within those limitations, I want this to be a quest that will appeal to people who never heard of Zelda Classic as much as those who use it every day.  Any help getting there is appreciated!

 

EDIT: Said punch list

 

1. Tweak cosmetics of Mega_pheagon boss

2. Tweak behavior of little Pheagon - deploy little Pheagon to later areas as a normal enemy.

3. Find more places to add instances of corridor enemies in the labyrinth that make sense.

4. Add an additional attack to the Scorpio boss and a random element to prevent the fight from getting stale.

5. Revamp and improve the Aries boss guarding the high jump (and later instance guarding Black Hole Armor)

6. Finish artwork for credits and epilogues

7. Track down sources for biblography that I've lost track of, update and correct credits

8. Tweak behavior of bosses later used as regular creatures.

9. Remove Guardians' ability to rarely scoot along the ceiling once she has wall-cling

10. Find a way to implement bomb upgrades that matter.  Perhaps move the enemy bullet-removing ability of the Volt Key to the high level Bombs instead?  Remove gravity's effect on the bomb and add the "bump up" mechanic from Metroid?  If I do the latter, then I'd have to test very carefully for places that could be abused.

11. Fix the bullets sprayed by the Shield Armor boss so they matter.

12. Upgrade combos that represent the Pandora in dock to mirror the Pandora in space.

13. Tweak the way the game handles cut scenes to make Leo less buggy and make scenes look better.

 

Now, that seems like a lot, but it's really not.  Other than the bosses, many of these fixes are only a few hour's work or so.

Edited by C-Dawg, 28 January 2015 - 11:17 AM.

[newstarshipsmell]

Starting playthrough #3 on demo 409 this evening.

I have a lot of suggestions to make, but I was kind of loath to mention a lot of them, since they'd require a fair bit of work to implement, if even possible with ZC, and I wasn't sure how much more effort you want to put into the game before calling it "done," for 1.0 at any rate.

[C-Dawg]

It doesn't hurt to suggest something, and let's face it, you're the only one beta testing right now!  Let'er rip.  I may or may not incorporate your suggestions, but that shouldn't stop ya from making em.

[Air Luigi]

 

Also, and more importantly, I NEED BETA TESTERS.  I have a few things on my punch list by way of improvements and upgrades before we get to Version 1, but I'm currently relaxing on the coding part and working on the other stuff: music, artwork, instruction manual, etc.  I would love it if I could have three or four more folks do a play through to generate a list of bugs , or convince me that certain mechanics have to change before they're set in stone.  If you know anyone remotely interested in the old school games that inspired Zodiac, let them know about this project because I'd love to have their input.

 

 

 

 

I'm a total nerd of games like Metroid, Blaster Master, Cave Story, La-Mulana, Turrican, Mega Man, Castlevania, Legacy of the Wizard, Maze of Galious... But I wanted to save myself to play the final version X) I'm not a big fan of demos and unfinished stuff. Maybe I can give it a go when you release the next demo with all the fixes.

[C-Dawg]

Yeesh, what a tease.  I could use your help now more than later, but it's all good if you don't want to check it out early.  Note, though, that work to be done is basically all around-the-edges stuff.  It should be playable from beginning to end.

[Air Luigi]

How long is the quest?

[newstarshipsmell]

I'm a total nerd of games like Metroid, Blaster Master, Cave Story, La-Mulana, Turrican, Mega Man, Castlevania, Legacy of the Wizard, Maze of Galious... But I wanted to save myself to play the final version X) I'm not a big fan of demos and unfinished stuff. Maybe I can give it a go when you release the next demo with all the fixes.

I feel the same way re: spoiling good game playing unfinished demo version. Especially when the demo is basically a preview that ends well before the intended end of the finished game.

But I would say, in this case, that you should give it a shot, even with the current demo - I don't really see much in the pending stuff that will radically improve the game overall - just stuff that should be done to clean it up some. It still feels a bit unbalanced in many respects, but... I'm not sure how much of that is due to my own ability compared to average players/target audience here, and how much I've spoiled my sense of the initial playthrough of the game, having played through most of it twice and thoroughly mapping everything out. Getting another opinion on those aspects would be helpful to see whether "the game is too easy" is all in my head, and "fixes" I might suggest would just make it needlessly harder for others, or if they contain real merit.

I'm slowly drafting a list of suggestions to post later, but you know... whenever I start doing that shit, it just makes me want to play the quest some more, so I end up leaving it half-finished and never get around to posting it all, heh heh.

How long is the quest?

No timer is provided in-game, so I can't tell you how long I've played on my previous saves, but... on a first playthrough, I can guarantee you are going to spend at least 10+ hours on it, probably more. It is by no means a short game.

Edited by newstarshipsmell, 28 January 2015 - 09:51 PM.

[Air Luigi]

Is there anything I should know before starting to play the beta? Other than what comes in the description of the quest. Like some typical glitches.

[C-Dawg]

I will add that it's not just LENGTH of gameplay; everything is done, right up until the final boss and rudimentary credits.  The only stuff left to do is balance, cleanup, a few tweaks to make some stuff more impressive, and bug testing.

Tell you what, chief.  Let me upload my current draft of the "manual" for you to look at.  It tells you what you need to know.  Note: it is a WORK IN PROGRESS.  Gimme a sec.

 

Here ya go.  It's rough, but it will tell you what you need to know.

 

https://s31.solidfil...age_format).pdf

Edited by C-Dawg, 28 January 2015 - 10:06 PM.

[Air Luigi]

Thanks, I start the game now

Sorry for doubleposting, Can I use ZC 2.5.1 or just 2.5?

[ShadowTiger]

Really fun manual to read!

Spoiler

On page 5, at the bottom of the left column, "arnt' -> aren't"
On page 6, "jump dash" may need a comma between them. It also may need a bit explaining that you can't dash right off the bat. People may get confused.