Keen 1, 2, 3 Bug Fix Versions

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Mondae Sundae
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Post by Mondae Sundae »

Well, I've fixed the issue!

On closer observation, the reason the hitbox was taller was because the 2 largest pogoing sprites were too tall. The result of the initial fix: the top of Keen's helmet goes slightly into roofs when pogoing.

To fix this new issue, I removed 1 row of repeated pixels from the 2 sprites, and added back in the black pixels at the top of Keen's helmet. Incidentally, this makes the sprites consistent with all of Keen's other sprites (the black pixels weren't present also because the sprites were too tall). The results I think are surprisingly good, maybe even better than the originals! Might still need some tweaking, but I'm personally satisfied with it as is.


At any rate, thanks for the help Levellass! I would not have figured this out on my own (I originally though this was going to require actual ASM hacking).


After I do a final refinement pass of the Keen 3 levels, I'll be releasing bug fix versions for the entire Invasion of the Vorticons trilogy in a new post (unless it's possible to change the title of this one).
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Levellass
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Post by Levellass »

Very nice.

It should be possible to alter the title of this topic as you are the original poster, if not I'm sure an admin can help.
What you really need, not what you think you ought to want.
Mondae Sundae
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Post by Mondae Sundae »

Finally Finished!

Also, I was able to alter the title of the topic without issue.
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Levellass
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Post by Levellass »

Aaah very nice. Should these get a page on the wiki? Three? Technically they're mods right?
What you really need, not what you think you ought to want.
Mondae Sundae
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Post by Mondae Sundae »

I'd love to see these on the Keen Wiki if you think they are good enough. Also, I think enough effort went in to constitute 3 (technically) mods.

NOTE: I had to upload a new version of the Keen 3 Bug Fix. I forgot to add the points patchfile to the fix. Also, I made one final fix to Level 15 (I obviously didn't test it thoroughly enough last night).
Mondae Sundae
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Post by Mondae Sundae »

I've uploaded another version (final version) of the Keen 3 Bug Fix. I wasn't satisfied with Level 13 (Secret Level) and Level 15 (Caves of Oblivion). Now I'm completely satisfied with both.


----------------------------------------
THOUGHTS ON DESIGN DECISIONS
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Keen 3:

1. Beyond Bug-Fixing
The cave portions of Level 13 and Level 15 no longer look so bland. I've accomplished this by adding cracks in the walls (it actually looks amazing in-game and gives the levels a feel of being even larger than they actually are). I know making these two levels look better goes beyond bug-fixing, but I don't think I could ever play the original Level 13 again (feel free to compare the screenshots with the original version). Besides, a secret level should be something special.


2. Level 15
The changes to Level 15 make both paths more challenging. However, I have successfully beaten both paths without cheating or making use of any sort of glitch.

Easy Path - The easy path contains some tricky spots, but nothing that I think is too challenging considering that this is supposed to be the last obstacle between Keen and the Grand Intellect. Also, I was able to get every item along the easy path (including all the ammo near the exit) during my latest test-run. This indicates to me that the overall balance is solid.

Hard Path - I've beaten this while getting every point item along this path. However, I wanted to win, so I didn't risk getting any challenging ammo along the way (basically, ammo that requires precision one-tile jumps to reach). The level is balanced such that if you pick up all ammo along the way, you will always have enough to beat the level - barely. This isn't an issue in the first half of the level, but everything gets much more challenging in the second half. I would not recommend attempting this path unless you have a lot of ammo to begin with. Otherwise it will be even more challenging to beat.


3. Easy Versions
As with every level that is more difficult, I've included optional easy versions.

Level 15 - The easy version is only different in that the doors to get to the exit in the easy path have been removed. This makes the path functionally identical to it's original incarnation. I added the doors in the first place because once you know the trick to the easy path, there isn't any challenge to beating the level. Also, much of the level was not being utilized at all (merely dead ends to make the maze confusing). This is no longer the case in either version, which I think makes the level stronger overall.

Level 04 - For the easy version, I removed the blue door and key that made facing the Vortininja's a requirement. The blue door and key was not in the original version to begin with. However, I felt that getting to the Grand Intellect in 2 levels should be earned.

Level 09 - The easy version is basically the original level, but with the inescapable traps removed. The traps added a deviousness to the level that was lost when they were removed. I made a more difficult version of the level in order to add that devious back in, but in a fair way. I wasn't too concerned about making a more challenging version of this level since the level is completely optional.


4. Other Thoughts
The goal of this mod was to fix the game's issues in a minimal impact way. Due to the number of issues, Keen 3 was the only game in the trilogy that required something more extensive. Many of the original Keen 3 levels felt unrefined and unpolished. Hopefully now that is no longer the case.

--------------------

Keen 1:

1. Level 15
Technically, I made this level more difficult by adding in the yellow door and making the yellow and green keys mandatory. However, the increase in difficulty is so minimal that I didn't bother making an easy version.

--------------------

Keen 2:

1. Level 16
The harder versions came about because it appeared that the original intent for obtaining the Red Key was by opening the bridge and dropping on it. I do prefer the most challenging version because beating it is so rewarding. However, the increase in difficulty is very very significant, and this is a mandatory level. As such, the harder versions are the optional ones.
Quin
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Re: Keen 1, 2, 3 Bug Fix Versions

Post by Quin »

Thanks a lot for this. I'm a big fan of the keen games and all those keen 3 problems bugged the hell out of me. This fix addressed all of them, so much that I'd recommend anyone to play this over the original. You even went back to keen 1 and fixed that one unobtainable item in the secret stage. Much appreciated.

Very small suggestion though. There are some cakes in level 2 that are unobtainable at the end of the stage. I've been trying to get them for the last half hour but no dice. Would probably be fixed by moving the platforms a small bit to the right.
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Mondae Sundae
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Re: Keen 1, 2, 3 Bug Fix Versions

Post by Mondae Sundae »

I'm glad you enjoyed it!


I agree that all the usual ways to obtain the Cakes won't work. But they CAN be obtained, which is why I didn't modify this part of the level.

In order obtain the Cakes, you need to stand on the right Burger platform, perform a super-pogo jump, and then turn off the pogo mid-jump so that you don't hit the roof. If timed correctly, you'll reach the platform with the cakes.

While the method for obtaining them is a bit unintuitive, once you figure out the trick, they're relatively easy to obtain. Especially compared to some of the later items. It's worth noting that these two Cakes are the only items that require this sort of precision jumping (that I can recall at least).

That said, if I was going to make the Cakes easier to obtain, I'd probably use pass-through tile(s) after the exit (ideally in a devious way).
doomcommanderkeen
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Re: Keen 1, 2, 3 Bug Fix Versions

Post by doomcommanderkeen »

Commander Keen 1 Bug Fix can by
www.mediafire.com cannot be downloaded
because the file does not exist.

Can anyone upload the bug fix for Commander keen 1.

Thanks in advance
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