Spelunky (platformer / roguelike)

-Bridget- · Post by **-Bridget-** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 11:15 am

Kengou showed me this topic here for this game a few days ago, and honestly, I havent done much else since.

Im just as much into Roguelikes as I am into shmups, and one question I always have is...... why cant there be more "action" types sorta like the most excellent Baroque?

Not that the usual turn-based fare is bad at all, no no no. I've got a large, large number of those.

But I think more people should try to come up with things like this.

It's been awhile since I've played a platformer I've enjoyed this much that wasnt LittleBigPlanet, lol. This game holds my attention completely and I never get frustrated at it if I die (which is often). Plus, many deaths I've had in it are simply hilarious. My shortest run was about 3 seconds..... level 1 loaded, I hit jump once, an arrow shot me, and I bounced into some spikes, the end. Lol.

Oh, and I accidentally found an interesting way of stealing from the shopkeeper; I was digging in the area right above his shop with bombs, to get a couple of crates that were in there, and I musta managed to get within a certain distance of him that triggered something, I was holding a bomb at the time and suddenly he yells out "Ahhhh!!!! Terrorist!!!!" and just zooms out of the room (I couldnt find him anywhere else in the level after that). Totally unintentional but I got free stuff outta it, haha. With of course the price of ticking off every other shopkeeper ever.

I love how you can pick up any object you see that isnt money and lob it at things..... my favorite thing to do so far is to chuck that girl at enemies, doesnt hurt her at all but the monsters just pop.

I still havent progressed very far in this though. I'll get into that jungle-looking area, and then...... those bloody frogs...... I think I hate those.

One way or another, absolutely amazing game. I'll be playing this one alot.

Elixir · Post by **Elixir** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 7:00 pm

Fucking spiders I swear to god.

Zebra Airforce · Post by **Zebra Airforce** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 10:05 pm

Jump on them

landshark · Post by **landshark** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 5:54 am

I've also been sadly addicted to this since last week sometime. Though I'm yet to make it past level 9. Also, I haven't found a way to unlock a 2nd shortcut. Do you have to play from level 1 to get the buy-a-shortcut screen?

Edit: level 13. It seems you have to make it to the buy-a-shortcut screen from the 1st level. I've been able to buy up to about $120k of the level 8 shortcut. But it doesn't offer the level 13 shortcut unless you have the level 8 shortcut, I'm guessing, since he wasn't there

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 6:08 am

I cannot make it past level 6. Fun game, but the difficulty goes from tough to impossible the mnute you hit level 5. Exactly how many levels are you supposed to beat to win?

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 12:00 am

OK, the more I play this game the more I'm convinced that there are some significant flaws with the level generation in this game. In theory, the idea behind something like this is to generate levels which are tough but beatable, but I have on quite a few occasions now run into situations that are either impossible to get past without taking damage (usually either long drops with no alternative routes or dart-shooting heads that cannot be avoided and nothing to trigger them with) or just plain impossible to get past period if you don't have ropes or bombs, Based on these observations, I suspect a significant portion of "winning" the game has to do more with sheer luck than anything else.

LaserGun · Post by **LaserGun** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 12:44 am

Hnnnnggghhhhh so I made it to level 16 today, with a jetpack and shotgun, I hate arrow traps, fuck them.

TOMORROW I FINISH THIS.

Ruldra · Post by **Ruldra** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:42 am

@Vexorg: That's why item management is so important here. You WILL come across situations where you need to bomb or use a rope, so you have to think twice before spending items to save girls or get idols.

landshark · Post by **landshark** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:54 am

I wish he'd get rid of the dark levels. They just aren't fun. Not in the least. Especially when you try to constantly juggle the slut, the idol, and a torch. Other than that, this game is pure fun.

Damocles · Post by **Damocles** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:59 am

Two things that make me love this game:

Monster in a box.

You can throw the chick.

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 6:57 am

Ruldra wrote:@Vexorg: That's why item management is so important here. You WILL come across situations where you need to bomb or use a rope, so you have to think twice before spending items to save girls or get idols.

But if you had to use them to get past the last five levels and never got any extras, it's still possible to get stuck. This game goes heavy on the fake difficulty, becaise if it weren't for cheap deaths and unavoidable situations I suspect it would actually be rather easy. Then again, we're talking about Roguelikes here, where it's actually considered to be a feature when the game is only beatable roughly 5% of the time.

Zebra Airforce · Post by **Zebra Airforce** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 8:21 am

fake difficulty

Why don't you just say "I don't like this mechanic" and let that be that? Fake difficulty is a nonsensical term. "Shmups are fake difficult because you only get three lives, instead of the requisite four for non-fake difficulty."

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 10:03 am

OK, so maybe fake difficulty is the wrong term, but mostly the issue is that it all just seems to arbitrary. Some games you have 12 bombs, 8 ropes and climbing gloves by the time you reach level 3 (at which point you usually appear right between a giant spider and a dart trap,) while at other times you'll get to level 6 with 1 health, 1 bomb, 2 ropes and you haven't seen a shop or a crate in the last three games.

LaserGun · Post by **LaserGun** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 10:37 am

@Vexorg: The game really isn't that hard at all, I always kill myself about 5 - 6 times before I get a decent run going, and I can make it up to area 4 with some consistency now.
I'd say 99% of my deaths are due to carelessness i.e. trying to clear out a narrow corridor of savages with just my shotgun when I could use a bomb and not paying attention to blocks and getting hit by a dart/arrow trap.

It definitely sounds like you're using way too many bombs and ropes in the earlier levels, most of the time I don't use any at all.

captpain · Post by **captpain** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 12:38 pm

Vexorg wrote:game is only beatable roughly 5% of the time.

Pssh, hope you're not talking about Nethack. There are players who can ascend nearly every single character they start.

nimitz · Post by **nimitz** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 8:11 pm

Great game,

Vexorg: Don't blame the game because you're not good at it....

Like Lasergun said, usually you have the choice of using items for more points or using none and go for survival for that specific level, thats when the whole "item management" part comes in.

Ruldra · Post by **Ruldra** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 8:36 pm

Version 0.99 released!

captpain wrote:Nethack

A bit off-topic, but after playing Spelunky I felt like trying roguelikes and downloaded nethack, but I'm totally new to the genre and I have absolutely no idea what to do. I don't even know how to open doors =S

Zebra Airforce · Post by **Zebra Airforce** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 10:56 pm

You could try a rogue with a more friendly interface, like Powder.

LaserGun · Post by **LaserGun** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 11:41 pm

The DS NetHack port is pretty good, the controls are a bit strangely placed though. Powder is also really good, great pick up and play games, I can never make it past the 4th floor on both of them but they're still a lot of fun.

Also I think I'm going to just give up on the old version of Spelunky and download the new omg brand new rebalanced hyper edition remix version.

EDIT: LOL no I won't, newest version has a shitty shotgun bug + a few more annoying bugs, the new content sounds pretty neat though.

LaserGun · Post by **LaserGun** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 12:15 am

http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?t ... #msg133487

More Spelunky related amusement.

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:12 am

I am starting to get better at it (I've made it to level 9 a couple of times now) but it still seems a bit random what you'll get at times. I even made it to the door out of level 8 (starting from level 1) with 100,000 to contribute for the shortcut, and promptly got done in by the spikes right next to the door. I think my death count is up to 350 now...

And in the stupid deaths department, so far I don't think I've found anything to beat clobbering myself with a rock repeatedly yet...

There's also a new build (0.99) out too in case you missed it.

Ruldra · Post by **Ruldra** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 6:23 pm

I'm curious about that golden door on area 4, how do you open it? I brought the chest key from level 2 to this door but it doesn't work.

captpain · Post by **captpain** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 6:40 pm

Ruldra wrote:Version 0.99 released!

captpain wrote:Nethack
A bit off-topic, but after playing Spelunky I felt like trying roguelikes and downloaded nethack, but I'm totally new to the genre and I have absolutely no idea what to do. I don't even know how to open doors =S

Press ?. It's a very complicated game, I'm afraid, and there's no way around that.

http://www.spod-central.org/~psmith/nh/

Ruldra · Post by **Ruldra** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:05 pm

FLAWLESS VICTORY!

All the way from level 1 =D It did help the fact that I found a jetpack on the first level. Props to anyone who can beat that score.

And what's behind the first door? I'm not telling BWA HA HA!

nimitz · Post by **nimitz** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:06 pm

how many levels are there? (or worlds)

landshark · Post by **landshark** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:18 pm

Ruldra - Nice score, damn! I haven't broken 100k yet because I keep buying stuff. Though I did finally finish the game.

I'm yet to open any of the doors on the socre-room. Don't know how, don't want to know how. Still don't know what the trophy above one of them means.

The door in world 4... (possible spoiler)
has something to do with the staff. The staff fits in the keyhole but nothing happens. Have you tried bringing the eye from one of the locked boxes to the door with a staff? I never make it to the door both with a staff and the eye. I'm wondering if that might do it?

I also haven't killed the alien yet in world 3. This game is still video game crack.

Ruldra · Post by **Ruldra** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:59 am

@landshark: I just tried that but it doesn't work either =S

Ruldra · Post by **Ruldra** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 2:35 am

Okay, I googled around and found out what you need to do to open the damn door. You might as well give up because it's just crazy.

How to open the door: http://www.gamingw.net/forums/index.php ... msg1459214
What's behind the door: http://www.gamingw.net/forums/index.php ... msg1460873

landshark · Post by **landshark** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 3:02 am

Wow, that IS crazy.

landshark · Post by **landshark** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:01 am

Heh, yo

Ok ok ... it glitched. But I did run through all the way from the beginning. I was pissed though because I should have had 10 damsel saves. But I fell from a pretty high fall onto a door and was holding up. I went in the door, the chick didn't

This is my real score =)

shmups.system11.org

Spelunky (platformer / roguelike)

I think Spelunky is a pretty cool guy

Super Spelunky II Turbo HD Remix