Messages

46

Anything Goes / Re: The Cutopian Writers' Guild

« on: June 24, 2014, 03:56:39 AM »

So I was thinking about random stories I could write about various things
And Arle happened to cross my mind
And one thing led to another and I had a thought

So here, have
The Hook Starring someone who may or may not be Arle Giskell, I'm not entirely sure

(click to show/hide)

"At last, we're finally here. My humble abode. ...Well, 'humble' is a bit of a stretch. You'll see once we get inside.

"...Assuming you'll stop screaming, of course. Seriously, you're quite the noisy one. It's not like I'm going to hurt you or anything.

"...Oh, no, no, hurting you would be counterproductive, not to mention rude. What did you think I was going to do to you?

"...Heavens, no! I wouldn't do that! What do you take me for, some sort of sadistic bitch who prowls the night looking for souls to torture? My modus operandi may be... brutal at times, but I have standards. I wouldn't do anything of the sort.

"However, my dear, I do have plans for you. It's simple, really. All it requires is for you to cooperate.

"...No, no! Didn't I just say I wasn't going to do that? Listen to me! You have ears for a reason, you-

"...Let me explain.

"You're here, my dear, as a... business opportunity.

"We dragons didn't always kidnap people, you know. There was a point in time where dragons stealing anything that wasn't gold or food was unheard of. The first kidnapping was a fit of lovestruck insanity, as the stereotype would have you believe. Every other dragon thought stealing a live human was crazy.

"That is, before they noticed his horde gaining all sorts of shiny new trinkets.

"You see, adventurers from all the nearby towns heard about this maiden the dragon had swept away. So many set out to find this crazy son of a bitch's lair. And what do adventurers like to bring with them on adventures?

"That's right. Their gear.

"All those shiny magic items were now in that lucky bastard's grasp. Every day, a new staff, a new circlet, a new chestplate found its way into his horde. Occasionally, a new battle scar would show up if he was unlucky. Eventually, he was overcome by one party and slain.

"That's why you're here, my darling. All I have to do now is spread the rumors, maybe post a note on the Adventurer's Guild quest board, and I'll have myself a nice income in no time. All I have to do is pick the precious bits off the corpses of the fools who fall to the traps, and possibly cut a deal with whoever's lucky enough to make it all the way through.

"...I guess you could say that it's a bit like fishing for fools.

"My cavern's the hook.

"And you're the bait."

47

Anything Goes / Re: $#!% Cutopians Say - The Quote Thread

« on: June 24, 2014, 03:06:24 AM »

Naessa: "Well, we've officially reached a whole new level of stupid. I don't know if I should continue laughing at you or just kill you now before I get infected with it."

48

Anything Goes / Re: $#!% Cutopians Say - The Quote Thread

« on: June 23, 2014, 01:03:23 AM »

Spoilers for heavy language.

(click to show/hide)

Meanwhile, somewhere in the multiverse, the ISPA officials hold a meeting...

Ellen: "I'm gonna fuck that robot."
Jessica: "No, I'M gonna fuck that robot."
Juliana: "I already fucked that robot. Get on my level, you two."
Christopher: "...Ladies, please, this is supposed to be a serious meeting..."

49

Anything Goes / Re: $#!% Cutopians Say - The Quote Thread

« on: June 22, 2014, 06:45:17 PM »

Ah, my apologies. I thought the first line was more clear than it was.
EDIT: Added the above note to the first post.

Elena: "...Alphonsium: The Densest Material Known To Man."
Alphonse: "Huh?"
Elena: "Exactly."

50

Anything Goes / Re: $#!% Cutopians Say - The Quote Thread

« on: June 22, 2014, 06:30:55 PM »

Apparently you missed the first (and only) post, so allow me to elaborate
This is meant for quotes from Cutstuff characters, such as the ones from the Character Catalog. Hence the example starring Fusion Five members.

EDIT: This post is now irrelevant.

51

Anything Goes / $#!% Cutopians Say - The Quote Thread

« on: June 22, 2014, 06:20:05 PM »

Have a scenario in your head, but don't feel like writing out a whole story just for a couple of lines of dialog? Post your quotes here!
This is for characters only. No actual members, please.

Example:

Annette: "Well, mark me down as scared and horny."
ALEXIS: "I was under the impression that 'horny' was your primary mode of operation."
Annette: "One, that's a quote. Two, that's what the 'and' was for, asswagon."

52

Anything Goes / Re: Character Catalog

« on: June 16, 2014, 01:44:32 AM »

(click to show/hide)

The Order of the Crimson Web
"It's wonderful to get some recognition for my work once in a while..."
They appeared seemingly overnight. Men and women in black cloaks, chanting prayers to a being only known as the Crimson Weaver. No one knows where they came from, or what their motives are, or why they keep themselves out of the public eye for the most part. The only thing known about them is that since their formation, missing persons cases have increased in quantity greatly...

53

Anything Goes / Re: Character Catalog

« on: May 29, 2014, 02:47:32 AM »

The following characters have been updated:
- Caleb "Cold Fusion" Felderson
- Alphonse "Royal Flush" McGraw
- Naessa "Vanessa" Saralein

54

MM8BDM Discussion / Re: MM8BDM V4A - RELEASED!

« on: May 18, 2014, 10:52:51 PM »

I personally like the new Skull Barrier. It differentiates it from Time Stopper somewhat, as silly of a reason as it is.

Even so, I feel it has a similar issue to Treble Boost as discussed earlier; it's incredibly strong in certain modes, yet not as much so in others, depending on how much fight control matters in said mode. Of course, it also has the issue of being incredibly difficult to counter thanks to the fact that it's invulnerability as opposed to evasion, which puts it in a trickier spot in terms of balancing.

Like CMM and Mess said, I think it's a bit early to make a decision just yet, but I would keep an eye on it just in case.

55

MM8BDM Discussion / Re: MM8BDM V4A - RELEASED!

« on: May 18, 2014, 05:38:59 PM »

I feel like the Treble Boost argument has reached the "beating a dead horse" threshold at this point, but I figured I'd take one last look at it before we drop it completely.

Strengths
* It makes reaching power items much eaiser
* Aiming at a flying target is trickier than aiming at a walking one, which means running
* Opens up alternate travel paths
* Lengthy respawn timer means your opponent won't be able to get their hands on a copy easily

Weaknesses
* It's generally fairly tricky to reach in the first place, and has a lengthy respawn timer
* Pew-pew buster means you're effectively defenseless while in the air
* Pew-pew buster means you're not getting frags while evading, which means you can fall behind in modes that require offense
* Weapons with fast projectile speed or strong AoE damage can knock you out of the air
* No actual defense, meaning a well-aimed/lucky shot could still shoot you down

Overall, looking at both sides, Treble Boost seems like one of those items that has great power in some situations and isn't that great in others. Considering this game was balanced for its namesake (where it's probably the least useful) and not Duel (where it's most useful apart from CTF), that's probably where the argument is coming from.

Remove from Duel? Maybe. But I'm gonna side with CutmanMike on this one; Let's not jump at it right this second.

56

MM8BDM Discussion / Re: MM8BDM V4A - RELEASED!

« on: May 18, 2014, 05:42:58 AM »

Stop assuming that the person using Treble Boost is bad at the game. You use Treble Boost to leave a fight that's disadvantageous. If you can't lose a fight, you can't lose the game.
I'm not assuming the person using Treble Boost is bad at the game. I'm assuming that you're using Treble Boost to leave fights that you're losing. Which means that you'd have to be losing fights in order for Treble Boost to be useful. Let's see where this gets you, assuming you successfully disengage:

(T)DM - Disengaging means you aren't killing people, which means you're not getting frags, which means you're falling behind. It's much faster to just take the death with honor and respawn.
Duel - The best mode for disengaging, because it actually matters somewhat. However, you net your opponent the same amount of time to recharge, meaning you're essentially back where you started.
(T)LMS - If you disengage in this mode, you can't heal, meaning you're still in pretty bad shape. Sure, it lets you keep playing and have a chance at a kill, but if you're relying on the disengage to save you, it's still a crapshoot.
Terminator - See DM. The terminator might actually like disengage to save his ass so he doesn't give someone 10 points, but even then it's not spectacular since you can't exactly heal as a Terminator iirc.
Possession - The only time it would be useful is while you're holding the Board. Which, if you do, means you've bugged the game and might get votekicked for being a douchebag.
(OF)CTF - If you got a Treble Boost on a CTF map, you should probably ask yourself a few questions about the quality of the map you're on as opposed to the weapon.
Screw Scramble - Disengage is actually kind of really good in this mode for delivery. Then again, who even plays this mode?

Overall verdict: Disengage isn't spectacularly useful in most modes, essentially offering you one more shot at getting the battle right, or (in some cases) simply prolonging the fight longer than it needs to be. It doesn't directly improve your chances of winning substantially in most gamemodes.

SUCH STRAWMAN WOW
You don't understand that static vertical position != changing vertical position. Hitting someone on a ledge above you is easy, because they're keeping a constant vertical position that is easily predictable. What you're not getting is that if someone can EASILY change their vertical position at will, they will be 5 times as hard to hit compared to someone on a ledge above you, or below you.
Again, I never said that the two were equivalent. Sure, hitting a target who's moving in three dimensions is harder. I'm just saying it's not impossible, and a competent (or lucky) player would be able to shoot someone out of the air.

No response to this. Further increasing either player's skill will not lead to anything.
No response to this. Just saying "you're wrong" doesn't automatically make me wrong.

No, knight doesn't have proto buster.
Okay, my mistake. I have trouble remembering what's on certain maps sometimes.

On Windman, a player can traverse the outsides of the rooms as well with flight, you know.
The invisible ceiling on the outdoor maps are still fairly low, though that is a fair point. The map does, however, have Ballade Cracker, which (while it isn't a perfect solution) has a fast projectile speed and good damage, two things that Treble Boost doesn't exactly like.

Dynamo isn't as cramped as you think. The moving floor sections are great spots to abuse Treble Boost.
Keep in mind that you have to make a tricky jump from the conveyor belt to the platform Treble Boost is on without getting shot, and even then in order to get back you have to expend most of its ammo bar, and then you have to refill it manually because I don't believe there's a Balancer or a W-Tank on the map (again, correct me if I'm wrong.) That seems like a lot of effort for the ability to run away from a fight.

Uh, what? Doing WHAT wrong? If you have powerful disengage then you have an immediate handle on the game's flow.
"If you rely entirely on aim you're doing it wrong."
"If you rely entirely on map control you're doing it wrong."
"If you rely on anything you're doing it wrong."
We call these "playstyles"
I phrased that wrong, and I apologize.
There are ways to counter Treble Boost's disengage, and its effectiveness as a primary strategy is nowhere near ideal. If you believe it's going to save you 100% of the time and rely on that fact as part of your strategy, you are doing it wrong.

"Strong projectile weapons" tend to be slow and have a slow RoF. You'll only get in 2 shots maximum before someone with Treble Boost will be WAY out of your effective range.

Proto Buster says hi. (Fastest projectile speed in the game, bro)
Ballade Cracker says hi (good projectile speed + splash, if you play your cards right).
Metal Blade says hi (Don't underestimate rippers).
Magnet Missile says hi to an extent, if you know how to use it. (Also Dive Missile, if you know your opponent's weak.)
Hell, even Silver Tomahawk says hi to some degree with proper use. (Seriously, keeping tabs on that thing in the heat of battle can be a nightmare sometimes.)

57

MM8BDM Discussion / Re: MM8BDM V4A - RELEASED!

« on: May 18, 2014, 04:04:43 AM »

Stop looking at it from an offensive point of view. Treble boost gives you massive amounts of game control if you know that it's defensive, not offensive.
The reason we're bringing up the offensive point of view is that when you're on the defensive, you're not helping your own cause. As much as semi-reliable disengage is good for saving your ass and resetting the playing field, the game typically relies on your ability to kill people to score points. And if you're running away to go scrounge up health pellets, you're not killing people. A good offense is just as important as a good defense, which is why weapons with OHK and 2HK potential, no matter how tricky or time-consuming they are to use properly, are so damned powerful. You can disengage all you want, but you're never going to win if you can't win a fight.

Sorry, but this argument is not applicable in this game. Aiming slow projectiles vertically AND horizontally at the same time is simply not going to happen. You fail to realize that adding a third dimension to how someone must aim is EXTREMELY powerful.
Leading shots in this game is difficult, but not impossible. Any weapon with a projectile speed of ~40 or 50+ is tricky to react to in a typical fight scenario. Besides, the rest of your argument basically boils down to "I don't know how to move my mouse up, therefore flight should be banned."

"If a player is good, they'll hit someone in the air"
If a player is good, they won't be stupid enough to let magnets hit them, or use treble boost while an enemy has Ghold. The argument works both ways, you know.
If a player is good, they'll be able to use Magnet Missile in a way that compensates for nearby terrain and movement, or trick the enemy into thinking flying away is a safe option. The argument works both ways, you know.

Weapons to deal with Treble Boost
Starman has Ghold (difficult to obtain, mitigated by not being an idiot), Astro (Effectiveness debatable, difficult to obtain), and Magnet (Effectiveness debatable)
Knight has Rain Flush (not able to kill directly, small chip damage at best)
Wind has Centaur (chip damage, difficult to obtain?) and Magnet. Good luck with the rest lmao
MM7DW4 has Magnet, Rain, Centaur
Astro2 has Ghold and Astro
Dynamo has Lightning Bolt (effectiveness debatable)
MMBdw1 has Lightning Bolt

I believe Knight also has Proto Buster, AKA the fastest shot in the game barring IG Metal Blade. Correct me if I'm wrong on that one.
Also, Wind and Dynamo are incredibly claustrophobic to the point where being able to fly does pretty much jack crap in most parts of the map.
Also, if Lightning Bolt isn't effective, I don't know what is. That thing is hell to try and dodge.

If you think easy disengage and hella game control ISN'T overpowered, you clearly have not played this game enough
Again, disengage is strong, but it can be countered and if you're relying on it you're doing it wrong.

58

MM8BDM Discussion / Re: MM8BDM V4A - RELEASED!

« on: May 18, 2014, 03:08:36 AM »

...And all you can use is the world's shittiest spread buster while everyone else has weapons that aren't terrible.

People who are actually good at the game can lead their shots
and/or use Proto Buster/Magnet Missile/Dive Missile to mitigate the distance issue
or use Astro Crush/Lightning Bolt to pick you out of the air
or use Gravity Hold to fuck your day up completely

I'm still not sure I see the issue here. Sure, it can be annoying, but I'd hardly consider it "overpowered."

59

Projects & Creative / Re: [Expansion] Cutstuff Community Classes (v5b)

« on: May 18, 2014, 02:53:57 AM »

Let me set the record straight here.

My motivation for this and everything else I do fluctuates wildly. Ever since I announced Project Prism, said motivation spiraled into the pits and hasn't climbed back up since. In addition, real life has been leaving me with less time than I would like to work on projects. Thus, this project has been put on hiatus for the time being and I'm not sure when it's coming back.

I'll try to keep you all informed if I get back to work. In the meantime, I apologize heartily.

60

MM8BDM Discussion / Re: MM8BDM V4A - RELEASED!

« on: May 18, 2014, 02:35:01 AM »

OK, so I feel the need to chime in on a few things. A few spoilers below the break:

(click to show/hide)

* A couple of the weapon sounds seems a bit quiet. I personally feel like Wave Burner's, Ice Wave's, and Tengu Blade's sounds in particular could be amplified. Copy Vision and Lightning Bolt suffer a similar issue, but Lightning Bolt plays the sound numerous times at once and Copy Vision's sound is so low you could barely even hear it in the first place so I'm not sure if those need to be touched. I'm not sure why Famitracker exports sounds at such a ridiculously quiet volume compared to the normal NES rips...

* On the subject of weapons, PLEASE switch Sakugarne and Lightning Bolt on Ground Man's stage. For its sheer power in large deathmatches, Lightning Bolt is FAR too easy to get compared to Sakugarne. Aren't AoE weapons generally locked behind a jumping puzzle or something anyway...?

* As for actual weapons I have an issue with as a whole, Treble Boost was unneeded and is really, really spectacularly useless. Sure, it gives you flight for a few seconds, which is neat, but beyond that it's pretty much useless and not worth the effort it generally takes to get. I have no idea what Bikdark's upset about here.

* I will agree with Bikdark on one thing, though (I can't believe I said that...): I preferred the old Fire Man over the current rendition. I don't think the current one is a bad map, per say; I'm just not sure that the change was entirely warranted, and the map feels kind of generic now.

*...OK, two things; new Dustman hurts my head far more than it should. And I'm not entirely sure why it got changed. Why are there walls with textures that look like actors that can be broken, but aren't? Why is Hard Knuckle hidden behind one of the game's most surprisingly tricky jumps? Why are there so many side paths that I need to consult the automap whenever I turn a corner? Can we just get the old version back? ...What was even the issue with old Dustman that warranted this change?

*On a similar note, I'm not a big fan of the new Centaurman either. What was wrong with the old one? Just replace the W-Tanks with health like you did here and it would have been golden. Not sure why the whole thing had to go; it was a nice small map and I didn't see any reason for it to get trashed.

* That being said, THANK YOU for making Brightman and MM2DW1 playable. I HATED the old Skull Castle Entrance; it was literally box cesspool: the map (ft. guest star Time Stopper) and I groaned loudly whenever it came up in a server. Brightman was a bit less painful, but it was still hard to stomach sometimes, and while the new map is a little on the bland side for my tastes I feel like it's a step in the right direction.

* Also Cutman is a really nice map and I don't think it's confusing in the slightest. As much fun as we all had with the CutBox, I think the new map is a much-needed twist on the old favorite.

* The other changes, I'm a bit more ambivalent about, but I wouldn't consider them bad ones. Stoneman, for one, is less visually interesting, but it's easier to make sense of which is definitely a plus.

* While we're on the subject of revamps, can I suggest Diveman's stage for the next big revamp? It's still the only RM stage in the entire game that I dread playing on because it's absolutely terrible. It's literally a box with a bunch of random heights stacked into it. I'm not even sure I can actually call it a map.

* In my honest opinion, Ground Man's skin looks really wonky around the face area. I dunno, it just looks a little squashed to me.

* The Genesis Unit are a bunch of assholes. I applaud and curse the person responsible for bringing their fight into existence with the same breath.

All things aside, love this expansion, can't wait for v5.