6th Anniversary of OrbKeen

Commander Spleen · Post by **Commander Spleen** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 6:51

Sometime over the past week marked the end of the 6th year since I began work on my first Keen mod, Monky Business Episode 1: An Essence of Mayhem, and the 5th year since the release of the prologue/beta (available here).

So here's a reminder that it's far from abandoned! At present I'm focussing on getting my other mod project ready for an incremental launch, but as soon as that's done I'll be getting stuck back into this one.

Without further ado, screenshotsss!

Snortimer · Post by **Snortimer** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 7:06

And a Youtube video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2-aVFGSsBw

I actually just discovered your 2004 beta today (I had already left the Keen community by the time that it was released). It looks and plays amazing. The only thing missing is atmospheric wizardy music, which is unfortunately not possible in mods of Keen 1.

EDIT: or IS IT? Didn't the Mangling Machine level in Keen 3 have music, of a sort?...

szemi · Post by **szemi** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 8:11

I commented and rated the video: IT'S AWESOME! ^^ 5/5

Post by **tulip** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 10:23

It's possible to add music with CG/CKP.

The blue background with the different size Squares is maybe the best I've ever seen.

Post by **KeenRush** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 14:26

This is very trippy (I always think of that word in context of this) and fresh.

It's so great to see it's still going on and will be out one day. Thanks for the screens!

Snortimer · Post by **Snortimer** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 19:10

tulip wrote:It's possible to add music with CG/CKP.

What format can the music be? Is there a mod that has tried that?

I'd be willing to volunteer to make some music for this mod, if it's technically possible to make something nice-sounding (I'd have to do some tests first) and if Commander Spleen is agreeable.

Post by **tulip** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 19:49

The music has to be .ogg format, which means you can make anything you like and I can convert it to .ogg.
Aliens vs. Keen had a music file in midi format as a soundtrack, but that's the only mod I know that did this so far.

Post by **Ceilick** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 20:59

Dude...this looks freaking awesome

The perspective, the colors, design; everything looks absolutely brilliant. THIS is the mod to look forward too

Snortimer · Post by **Snortimer** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 21:11

tulip wrote:The music has to be .ogg format, which means you can make anything you like and I can convert it to .ogg.
Aliens vs. Keen had a music file in midi format as a soundtrack, but that's the only mod I know that did this so far.

So basically, no restrictions? I wonder how that's possible... that's not exactly early 1990s technology...

Anyway, for an example, the section beginning on 4:54 in this song of mine could be used on a particularly "significant" level... (modified to be a loop, etc.)

P.S. I'm going away on vacation for a week, so... any questions or comments will be answered then.

Genius314 · Post by **Genius314** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 21:38

Snortimer wrote:Anyway, for an example, the section beginning on 4:54 in this song of mine could be used on a particularly "significant" level... (modified to be a loop, etc.)

That's pretty cool, but I don't think it'd fit the mod very well.
I was thinking something more along the lines of Psy-Trance, or maybe some Trip hop or something.

This mod probably won't work well with Commander Genius, though, since it requires so many patches (I assume)...

Post by **tulip** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 21:45

Well you don't seem to realize that CG/CKP is Commander Genius aka Clone Keen Plus, which is a program that is still under development that runs Keen games with some extra features (music is one of them), so it's pretty modern and isn't restricted to early nineties tech.

I could imagine the biggest part of your Beetle Circus as soundtrack for this mod...

edit: ah didn't see genius314's post before. We're working on mod compatibility, and if this mod continues to be developed at the same pace it has until now, we're ready when it's released.

Post by **KeenRush** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 21:46

However I don't think that music stuff is count as "music in Keen 1-3", it's not the Keen executable in any way that's outputting the sound...

Snortimer · Post by **Snortimer** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 22:31

tulip wrote:Well you don't seem to realize that CG/CKP is Commander Genius aka Clone Keen Plus, which is a program that is still under development that runs Keen games with some extra features (music is one of them), so it's pretty modern and isn't restricted to early nineties tech.

I see, thanks for the explanation. I've been away for a half-decade or so, so I'm a bit out of touch.

I could imagine the biggest part of your Beetle Circus as soundtrack for this mod...

I see what you mean, sort of mysterious, weird, and melodic. I have other better ones than that one, but I haven't uploaded them anywhere yet.

Post by **Levellass** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 1:36

It's possible to add music with CG/CKP.

Including music in say, IMF format, then playing it whilst you play the mod would work. AvK used this I think. What is needed is a program that can play music and run in the background with Keen, which I'm not sure if we have. But, knowing Spleen, and his prowess, we may have it soon.