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1

Projects & Creative / MM8BDM HyperFighting

« on: December 14, 2022, 11:36:57 PM »

MM8BDM HyperFighting

So what the hell is this?  On a basic level this is a mod that attempts to revamp many elements of classic gameplay to speed it up and give it more overall fluidity.  I felt the vanilla gameplay experience was lacking in some what, and this is my attempt to try to add some kick things up a notch!

Features:

Armor - Small armor pickups are added to every map automatically.  Reduces damage taken and provides the ability to prepare for battle!
Movement - Players have a higher jump and faster movement speed.  In addition, the new slide ability lets you evade attacks at the last moment or make a full speed jump.
Weapons - Nearly every weapon has been tweaked in some way to increase the speed, damage or receive a complete overhaul to give it a unique role.  Spam style items and weapons are also toned down.
Shields - Shields are now swappable.  Want to regenerate with Plant Barrier on the offense? You can! Want to absolutely wreck opponents with Star Crash and Fire Storm?  You're a monster, but have at it!
Auto Swap Empty Weapons - With this option enabled, when you deplete a weapon, you'll swap to the next weapon in the same category (if available)
Energy Balancer - All players start with the Energy Balancer by default!  The item is replaced with new Energy Saver which cuts your special weapon ammo consumption by half! (Or doubles your ammo....same thing)
Customizable pickup icons - Weapon energy and health icons can now be changed to any style from MM1-MM8, or just be based on whatever game your playing! (Plus a few extras!)
Item 1 placement choice - Front? Under? Situationally dependent? You can choose now!
Assist HUD orientation- Want your health vertical, but your assist to be horizonal? Or the other way around?  That can be arranged (Note this can cause some weird issues with other mods)

There's also bug fixes, item changes, balance tweaks and more!

!!!BETA VERSION!!!
https://static.allfearthesentinel.com/wads/hyperfighting-3a-beta4a.pk3

Constructive feedback is welcome!

2

MM8BDM Discussion / Re: MM8BDM V6 - Development begins!

« on: April 02, 2019, 02:54:54 AM »

Did you see it? Tomahawk Man's Silver Tomahawk has become even stronger! You may be wondering why, but Light Labs made it very clear in a press release later that day. They stated that nearly every weapon has been made approximately 33% stronger! I cannot claim to know the reasoning behind this change, but thankfully we have received a note that sheds a little more light on this change.

Um....hmmm.  Okay, before I comment further on this.  I'm assuming this in itself is not the only balance change related to pacing in play?  Not that you need to spoil anything, just that...well....this raised some concerns.

3

Closed / Re: [Minor] Small music script bug

« on: November 12, 2017, 01:06:10 AM »

The only way I can think to do it is do null the variables before the rest of the script runs.  Granted that would require scripts in the CTF maps to delay.  I dunno, if anything better springs to mind I'll post it.

Edit: Actually, side thought.  Why even use PAR at all at this point in the music script? You could partially fix this by just having PAR specify the cvar and never explicitly call the PAR.  Doesn't really help with maps that use custom music, but it'd be a step.

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Closed / [Minor] Small music script bug

« on: November 11, 2017, 06:06:23 PM »

This one is kinda small and obscure, but it's worth noting.

The cvars used for boss music (ex.mm8bdm_map_bossmusic) aren't cleared when you do a "map" change.  (changemap and nextmap are fine)  As a result, with some maps that don't have this cvar defined but use PAR to specify the boss music, it's possible it will play the boss music from the previous map instead due to how the script works.

To replicate the bug, choose any map from the core that uses the cvars, then MAP to something from a map pack that doesn't have it's own boss music script. (CTF packs for example) and play till the boss music would trigger.

5

Closed / mm8bdm_hitconfirm

« on: November 02, 2017, 05:15:59 PM »

Captain, she does nothing!

Seems you left in a 'feature' that was never completed.  Exists in the menudef, but no where else, thus lists 'unknown' in the actual menu.

Whomever is double checking this is failing horribly at their job.

(Thx for moving this to the proper spot The_Broker)

6

Closed / Re: [Suggestion] Teleport FX copies translation of player

« on: September 08, 2017, 04:45:27 PM »

You're overthinking things:
1.) Create an array
2.) Set the value of the array using script 998
3.) Have the teleport actor set the translation based on the value stored in the array.

This has been tested as working. (It was used in that screenshot)

7

Projects & Creative / Re: [Maps] CSCM Pack. V5c + Remixed maps (Under new management)

« on: September 03, 2017, 01:50:52 AM »

I'm not misunderstanding anything, you've told me all of this before. If anything, you don't quite fully understand what JAM is.

You aren't wrong, really had no idea what that was.  However, the difference between event maps and standard map pack is kinda big I would think.  I think with that noted, that there is merit in keeping something like CSCM around.

The Custom vs Remixed split really should happen. Remixed's quality (outside of off the top of my head MM5CHAX) was significantly less than Custom's quality by today's standards. You were trying to do that before you gave up on everything, so at least to me, hearing this is nothing new.

Ah, I should clarify.  I'm not involved in this any longer, so whatever I say here is just my opinion and has no weight on what actually happens.  The split comment was more directed at DA than anything else.

P.S. Dogman Remixed would be hilarious, someone should make that happen. +1

8

Projects & Creative / Re: [Maps] CS_CM Pack. V5b + Remixed maps RELEASED! 8/13/12

« on: September 03, 2017, 12:00:30 AM »

CSCM is dead and its spirit lives on within JAM.
There's no real reason to submit to this pack anymore.

I think you're completely misunderstanding the original point of this map pack.  The maps submitted didn't have to be great or anything, they just needed to be playable and not horribly broken.  The bar for entry was low to allow new mappers to build their confidence as well as observe how players behaved in their maps.  A way to learn basically.  A common critique was that the quality of the maps didn't stack up against maps made by other folks (Ex. Ivory) and I always felt that was an entirely unfair expectation as you can't expect new mappers to be as talented as someone who's had more experience and it fundamentally missed the point of the pack to begin with. Hell, Korby submitted some crappy maps just to see if they were going to be accepted.  Yea, they were since folks actually did play them (why, I have no idea) and my initial impression was he didn't' know how to map.  Note to self: People are jerks on the internet.

That being said, I do think that combining the Remixed maps should not have been combined into this pack.  The standards should have been higher there.  From my own experience, Ice remixed was a good way to learn, but it's really far too large of a map and thus isn't really a good map for much of anything except hide and seek.  Something like that belonged more in the CSCM side of things.  Oh well.

The point I'm laboriously trying to get to is that the standards here aren't supposed to be high.  If JAM is a new map pack, it probably has better quality maps overall at this point.  (dunno, couldn't find a link) I think that would probably be a better goto for folks who don't want to put out an entire map pack and new mappers can learn to test the waters with CSCM.  Or if an experienced mapper wants to try out a new idea that may not work well in another pack.

Last thought for DarkAura.  Probably best to split out the Remixed maps and purge the crap from there.  I'm sure the standards could be raised to make some very interesting takes on the classics now.

9

Closed / Re: Laser buster gets a bit ....anemic (visual bug)

« on: August 28, 2017, 12:49:40 PM »

/sigh.  The issue is that the LaserTrail actors are spawned only at the beginning, they last for 3 tics and never are created again.  Kinda feels like someone took Jax's code, didn't pay any attention at all and just threw only a part of it in.

Anyway, this is what I think it should look like.

(click to show/hide)

10

Closed / Laser buster gets a bit ....anemic (visual bug)

« on: August 24, 2017, 07:57:01 PM »

Laser buster's projectile get's a bit .....pathetic as it travels

(click to show/hide)

The beginning looks okay, but the right's a tad odd....however.

(click to show/hide)

After it travels a short distance, it becomes traveling ...dots.  The hell happened here?

11

Closed / Proto Buster Shield + Weapon switching

« on: August 21, 2017, 08:13:27 PM »

Small, but annoying bug

1.) Select Proto Buster
2.) Have another fast firing weapon in inventory (Ex. Thunder Bolt)
3.) Quickly switch and fire to secondary weapon
4.) Note how the shot is blocked by the now unequipped Proto Shield

It's a small window, only 2-3 tics.

12

Closed / [Suggestion] Teleport FX copies translation of player

« on: August 21, 2017, 07:58:05 PM »

(click to show/hide)

Found it weird that whenever you use an escape unit or teleport, the leaving teleportation FX was always the Mega Man blue colors.  I think this makes the effect much nicer overall.  (Though perhaps teleporters shouldn't use the escape upward teleport? I dunno, does look cool though)

13

Closed / Oil Slider oddity

« on: August 07, 2017, 07:15:26 PM »

Good day.

1.) Fire Oil Slider
2.) Continue to hold Fire
3.) Pickup Oil Blob
4.) Notice how ammo bar flashes while you continue to fire shots
5.) Release Fire
6.) Slide begins

Doesn't seem like intended behavior.

14

Closed / Energy Balancer bug

« on: August 06, 2017, 02:53:11 AM »

Good Day

This:

Code: [Select]

If(CheckInventory(weapons_ammo[ThisWeapon][1]) == GetAmmoCapacity(weapons_ammo[i][1]) || ThisWeapon < 0) Should read:

Code: [Select]

If(CheckInventory(weapons_ammo[ThisWeapon][1]) == GetAmmoCapacity(weapons_ammo[ThisWeapon][1]) || ThisWeapon < 0)
I'm sure I don't need to explain any more.

15

MM8BDM Discussion / Re: Running away is very easy in this game

« on: April 26, 2017, 02:53:07 AM »

The main game is terribly unfocused.  The slow pace is kind of a result of that.  The game is in the genre of "Arena Shooter", or at least that's my general understanding, but the design choices completely counteract this.  There are a few items that cause running away to be a viable tactic.
1.)   Slow projectile speed – With some exceptions, most projectiles in the game don’t work well beyond medium range.  It’s mostly based on prediction.  As a result, the more distance you can put between you and your opponent, the fewer options they have to work with.
2.)   Level design – This isn’t so much a fault of the game as it has more to do with the source material, but there’s a lot of vertical movement (jumping up platforms etc) which further compounds the problem listed at #1
3.)   Powerups placed in hard to reach areas – How many levels have an Etank placed on a platform that you need a mobility item to obtain?  Very few useful items are in areas that are easy to reach.  If you have an etank in inventory, running away isn’t as necessary since you can recover health.   
4.)   Powerups that effectively shut down an area – Treble is a fun item, but run up some stairs and drop him down and no player is going to reasonably follow you.  Even Tango can have a similar result since his random bouncing and OHKO by pure luck potential makes chasing a player way too risky.
5.)   Lack of counters – This is a problem that, IMHO, has cropped up more and more recently.  By trying to remove OHKO weapons, this also means the players are now lacking proper ways to turn the tables.  If you’re low on health, but have something that can immediately remove the threat, it makes turning around and attacking a viable option.  By nerfing this choice, you’re enhancing this problem. 

Look at other games in a similar genre (Doom, UT, Quake) and you’ll find that OHKO weapons were common (SSG, Flak Canon, Rockets, Grenades, Rail Gun, etc).  These were usually mitigated somewhat by armor and other powerups that could reduce the damage taken or increase your damage (Quad Damage).  Armor and power ups also made it so that exploring the level was rewarding and that just running to fight someone wasn’t always the best option.  In addition, the OHKO weapons usually had some sort of drawback (Slow projectile speed, splash damage on explosive weapons, or a close range requirement) to offset their power.   So why does this matter here?  Well it created a risk/reward setup that’s lacking here.  In other games, you could risk attacking the player or you could risk running away?  Do you attempt to take out the player and then heal yourself, or you try to grab a health pack first and then turn around? 

Let me give one of my favorite examples, Atomic Fire.  This was a weapon that was changed in a vacuum.  The change was made because of the "pressure" it gave since it could instantly kill a player.  As I noted above, this is actually a GOOD thing in most games of this style since it's a tool that player can utilize in the proper scenario.  The actual problem here is that there aren't too many counters for it and thus it was overbearing.  This is a legitimate problem that should be addressed. A solution would have been to make there more defensive options work against this weapon.  Creating a Rock, Paper, Scissors dynamic.  (Ex. Reduce damage so Jewel Satellite could reflect it, make weapons such as Mirror Buster more common in stages that have AF etc).  The chosen fix, however, feeds into the running away problem.   It's just not reliable, and a single shot is all you get.  The fact that the relationship that weapons have with the other items in the game is not considered at all is a result of trying to balance it with LMS in mind, since everything is random there.

This is why I call the game unfocused.  By nerfing weapons to help balance LMS and Duel it’s creating other problems with the general flow of the game.  Sure, nerfing Atomic Fire so it’s not as OP makes sense on paper, but now you’ve removed a tool from the belt of a player to reverse an unfavorable situation.  The end result over time is that running away is a valid strategy as it’s incentivized by the weapon balance,  stage design, and an overall lack of tools on both the fleeing player and the attacker.