Keen 3: Levels You Can Actually Beat

You can discuss anything about fan-made Commander Keen games here.
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Toothpick
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Keen 3: Levels You Can Actually Beat

Post by Toothpick »

I want to do a mod of Keen 3 that fixes the many level design flaws that made the game so unfair to some players. I'm told the game was originally rushed due to some time constraints and that's why the level design in Keen 3 feels so incomplete. I want to finish the work id Software originally started and refine the level design to be more on par with Keen 1 and 2.

The first thing I want to do is redesign the Caves of Oblivion so that players can actually beat the level the long way instead of having to take the shortcut above. I also want to reward any players that take the long way with extra lives and tons of ammo. It will make the game feel more like an epic journey rather than something you can just cheat your way through.

What's the first step I need to do to make this a reality? Would anyone be willing to help? What tools would you all most recommend?
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Post by Dynamo »

Mindbelt I guess.
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Post by VikingBoyBilly »

Ckeen summed it up in two more words than were necessary. Go grab the latest version of mindbelt and the keen 3 graphics (maybe they're already included) and start chipping away at those levels. I would be inclined to post a link to this stuff but... nope. too hungry and lazy atm. :dopefish
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Post by Toothpick »

Not to worry, I found it. Now to see what this thing can do.
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Post by XkyRauh »

It's crazy to think that all the levels in Keen3 were created in a single weekend. :) Given that kind of rush, I'm surprised they're as good as they are. Hard as heck and ridiculously unfair, but they more often than not work.
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Post by StupidBunny »

I feel the same way about the Keen 3 maps as I do about Sandy Petersen's maps in Doom: they seem pretty mediocre compared to the other levels at first glance, but then you realize the time frame they were made in and suddenly it makes a lot of sense. The problem is that the levels aren't bad at all for that standard, but with that in mind it's always nice to see what they'd be like in a universe where id Software never had to deal with deadlines or other time constraints. But not in a DNF kind of way...
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VikingBoyBilly
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Post by VikingBoyBilly »

It was made in 2 days? seriously? No wonder so much of Hal's kitchen is inaccessable.

And then the Cave of Oblivion trolls you for doing it the hard way, hoping for some reward for not taking the shortcut.
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Post by Toothpick »

Mindbelt is much easier to use than I first expected.

I hope nobody minds if I remove all of the balls and jacks in the game. I find them to be pointless gimmicks that only exist to add cheap difficulty to the game. Unless someone knows how to slow down the speed of the balls and jacks, I don't intend to keep them in the game in any form.
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Post by Eros »

ooh, make the jacks bounce linearlly so they're like slicestars!

also, unless there's a crapton of hazards and enemies around, having a ball wouldn't be the worst.
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Post by Toothpick »

How can I edit them to make them bounce linearly?
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Post by Commander Spleen »

And then the Cave of Oblivion trolls you for doing it the hard way, hoping for some reward for not taking the shortcut.
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I like the part where you can't even cheat to get to the lower exit.
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Post by Toothpick »

I am excited to inform you all that, as of this night, I am the first person in Keen history to beat the Caves of Oblivion the long way. I have modified the level to make it just hard enough to be challenging, but easy enough to navigate through. It still has the same basic layout as the original Caves of Oblivion, only you can actually beat it.

I also revised Valden Park to make it easier in addition to a couple new secrets.

Is there any way I can upload the mod so that some of you can play it? I plan to provide the link over Keen IRC, but I need a place to upload the mod first. Any upload site you all would recommend?

EDIT: Never mind, I found a place.
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Post by Shadow Master »

Preston wrote:I am excited to inform you all that, as of this night, I am the first person in Keen history to beat the Caves of Oblivion the long way.
OH MY-
I have modified the level
Bah.

Considering I wasted days and days playing that level trying to figure out some secret exit (before learning that I could jump up at the beginning), this is sort of a downer.
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Post by Toothpick »

It's still pretty hard. Just not impossible anymore.

EDIT: Link now out of date.
Last edited by Toothpick on Sat Apr 02, 2011 2:27, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by StupidBunny »

I'm making a surreal graphics skin of Keen 3 (actually, I started it 3 years ago) in which Keen's sprite is only one tile tall, so it might be beatable the long way. Probably not though, what with the stalagmites in front of the exit being all stupid...
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