skypests ...

Stealthy71088 · Post by **Stealthy71088** » Thu Mar 08, 2012 17:12

For some reason, the enemy that is always killing me in Keen 4 isn't the dopefish, isn't the berkeloids, or the rimrocks or arachnuts. It's the skypests.

Even when you know where they are going to be, they fly in such a random nature that its incredibly hard to avoid them. You wouldn't think that little flies like that would be the nastiest enemy in the game, but for me they are.

For example, look at the pyramid of shadows on hard. In the second section, there's a part where you have to hop from platform to platform over tar, dodging spears, shooters, and you guessed it, skypests.

Anyway, I was wondering, does anyone else find these things a pain? I've been trying to iron man keen 4, and its these things that always end my run. For me they're probably the biggest Keen killers in Keen galaxy.

Post by **tulip** » Thu Mar 08, 2012 21:27

I thought you said it was Poison Slugs back when you did those pacifist runs...

anyway it's always monsters like these I loathe the most: monsters that are dumb as bread but come in masses and annoy the crap out of you. Enemies that are really challenging I can get along with.

Benvolio · Post by **Benvolio** » Thu Mar 08, 2012 22:41

yeah exactly hence Keen3's jacks/red ball yokes, and the vortikids being the least likeable enemies in Keen. And the snowflakes in Keen5 are irritating despite being not a difficult enemy, cause there's little fun in them and they don't look high-tech.

the skypests always seem to leave me enough time to pogo onto them before they fly off again - i have only once or twice been killed trying to stamp one - this is their key redeeming feature.

Post by **Keening_Product** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 0:45

Benvolio wrote:the skypests always seem to leave me enough time to pogo onto them before they fly off again - i have only once or twice been killed trying to stamp one - this is their key redeeming feature.

Same here.

I find the Arachnuts really irritating, but if there's one creature which always catches me by surprise, it's the skypest. They could come from any angle on the screen, change direction, appear out of nowhere and pretend to land before shooting up again.

I agree - they are one of, if not the most annoying enemies in Keen 4. Having said that, I love them as an enemy for those reasons.

RoboBlue · Post by **RoboBlue** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 1:19

They're also the one of the only enemies in Keen 4-6 that Keen can actually kill; the others being Slicestars and Bips.

Stealthy71088 · Post by **Stealthy71088** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 3:03

tulip wrote:I thought you said it was Poison Slugs back when you did those pacifist runs...

That was because at the time I couldn't shoot. Poison Slugs aren't a problem when you can shoot.

I do think they're well designed- I like how they look, their animations, the way you kill them, the way they move- I just don't like it how a little fly kills me more often than the cthulu crab walker or the fire atronach.

Bubbatom · Post by **Bubbatom** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 5:10

I dont mind the skypest, it's fun to knock them around with bullets.

Paramultart · Post by **Paramultart** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 5:15

Most of the enemies in Keen 4 are relatively predictable and easy to avert, but the skypests are like a wildcard that exists solely to inconvenience you into using the save function.

They've always put me on edge while Keening.

Post by **Keening_Product** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 6:42

Bubbatom wrote:I dont mind the skypest, it's fun to knock them around with bullets.

Wow, massive derp moment for me here: Shooting them DOES SOMETHING?!

Pokota · Post by **Pokota** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 14:24

It makes them start a new direction, though when I do it they usually pick the same one they had before.

VikingBoyBilly · Post by **VikingBoyBilly** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 15:35

RoboBlue wrote:They're also the one of the only enemies in Keen 4-6 that Keen can actually kill; the others being Slicestars and Bips.

You can kill slicestars? Tell me how.

guynietoren · Post by **guynietoren** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 16:08

VikingBoyBilly wrote:
RoboBlue wrote:They're also the one of the only enemies in Keen 4-6 that Keen can actually kill; the others being Slicestars and Bips.
You can kill slicestars? Tell me how.

http://www.shikadi.net/keenwiki/Slicestar
Shots to defeat 20-50

troublesomekeen · Post by **troublesomekeen** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 18:41

Skypests have never been a huge problem for me, except when there's more than one of them in the same area. If there's two, any move I make is risky. I love it when the Skypest comes in for the kill and Keen ducks, barely leaving enough space above his head so as not to be bounced out of the level.
Low ceilings help. ^_^

Okay, so there's a few Skypests in Slug Village. I catch a glimpse of the Skypest flying upwards but never see it again. Do Skypests get stuck in the top of the level somehow? I looked and looked but couldn't find it!

Stealthy71088 · Post by **Stealthy71088** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 0:46

Once enemies have moved so far off screen, except for certain sprites like elevators, they "deactivate" and freeze until Keen gets close enough to interact with them. This is done to preserve memory. This being said, Skypests seem to have a lot more space before they get deactivated

Post by **Keening_Product** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 3:08

troublesomekeen wrote:Okay, so there's a few Skypests in Slug Village. I catch a glimpse of the Skypest flying upwards but never see it again. Do Skypests get stuck in the top of the level somehow? I looked and looked but couldn't find it!

I don't think so. Usually when I'm playing Slug Village they come back down when I'm pogoing for a pyramid of goodies and knock me out mid-jump.

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