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Here is where to post about the latest Commander Keen fangame or modification you've finished, a new website you've made, or another Keen-related creation.
Captainkeen
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Post by Captainkeen »

Alright so I finished it (am I the first?). I really enjoyed it so far. My keen skills haven't been tested like this in a while (and also I was replaying a new dope just now). But after a while I sharpened my keen skills to a level neccesary to beat some extremely difficult levels. I also didn't play a lot of levels bcause I met the 150 points requirement and also I couldnt go back after using the teleporter. So maybe I skipped some very hard puzzles. because I have to say it was more precise jumping then puzzles the levels I played. I'll get back to it and try to beat every level. I really liked the "verboden toegang voor onbevoegden" on keen's workplace very appropriate. Also your picture of earth was genius.
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Roobar
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Post by Roobar »

I beat that level, but it turns out it was quite easy compared to the next levels! For instance, the last level is impossible for me. It requires pixel perfect precision at a lot of places and it's very punishing. So half an hour later, I didn't have the nerves to deal with the rest. In the end, there's also nothing rewarding when you are reading some text you don't understand and see that you made like only almost 200 points (SERIOUSLY? ALL THAT HARD WORK FOR ONLY 200 PUNKTE???).

So yeah. To sum up the mod: at the beginning it was fun and at the end it was quite the opposite.
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Levellass
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Post by Levellass »

It's an anti-game, something that totally reverses what a game should be.
What you really need, not what you think you ought to want.
Benvolio
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Post by Benvolio »

Thank you all for your comments. They have interested me to no end!

First of all, something I didn't anticipate, was that speaking Dutch was strongly associated with liking this mod. I did not expect this because, this is a Keen mod which is played entirely through graphical means. So the text was intended to be ignored by those who could not read it! And as for the finale, I understand how you feel there's "nothing rewarding", wiivn, but completing the game (and seeing the picture of Earth mentioned by Captainkeen) is the real reward :P. Okay the Earth picture is not that great. But do people really play mods purely to read the end-text?

Nextly, I note that people found the fun factor to decrease as the game progressed. This is not what I intended. Rather, I intended the game to contain a learning curve whereby early levels would clue the player into what the game is all about, and then later levels would push the player to the limit. I think an increasing difficulty curve is a reasonable thing to have in ones' mod. Yes, there are a few particularly infuriating levels at the end - including the one made of 2x2 terrain blocks, which I personally hate - but I offer the player a lot of choice in how to achieve the game's objective.
more precise jumping then puzzles the levels I played
I wouldn't really classify this as a puzzle mod. More as a skills mod or as I called it before, a physics mod.
Levellass wrote:It's an anti-game, something that totally reverses what a game should be.
That's the highest honour a mod can be given!! Thanks for playing! Now, everyone else, you know what to do this evening.
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Levellass
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Post by Levellass »

I have to say, I think we're all looking forward to the playthrough video you're going to do of this Ben.
What you really need, not what you think you ought to want.
Captainkeen
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Post by Captainkeen »

Benvolio I do have to ask you something. Is it possible that this mod was (partly) inspired by my topic post "Idea for a keen1 competition". Let's explore the parallels between this idea and this mod.

The idea was for keen 1 and this mod is keen 1 (and on mars)

Both are about collecting as many points as possible before exiting the levels were anything other then collecting points has no relevance.

you only score points if you exit the level without dying.

In the first level of your mod you start right next to the exit just like in my competition idea.

your patch request "When Keen gets x points he beats keen1" was posten less that 30 minutes after my post

now this could all just be coincidence I'm just wondering.
Benvolio
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Post by Benvolio »

Interesting parallels alright, Captainkeen. But entirely coincidental. In fact, I only skim-read that topic, as I thought to myself "Oh i'll never have time to delve into another Keen competition, better give this one a miss". No, the mod was very much in the works before that topic.

Consider this post:
On 9th June 2013, whilst in the Netherlands, Benvolio wrote:"Benvolio creëert momenteel een modje! En het is niet in Engels!"
Now as for a playthrough... well, challenge accepted. I will need to learn to edit video first because you will find my botched attempts intolerable. Any suggested software for stringing together a few avi's and adding some annotations?

EDIT: Here is a Complete Playthrough:
http://youtu.be/UM6dNpfcQEo
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troublesomekeen
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Post by troublesomekeen »

Very nice! And well played! Tis a thing of beauty!
I use VideoPad for most of my video editing purposes. After the trial version runs out, you can downgrade to a free version, which keeps most of the features. My information, however, might be outdated because I use an old version of VideoPad. It works. It'll need a restart after 30 minutes or so, because the interface starts to disappear. I also have After Effects if ever I had text to do crazy things. Nice thing about VideoPad is Slowing Down and Speeding Up footage, as well as playing it in reverse. The version I have is 2.41.
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Commander Keen in... Canteloupe Quest!
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Levellass
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Post by Levellass »

*Sniff*

It's beautiful...
What you really need, not what you think you ought to want.
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tulip
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Post by tulip »

I'm not impressed. >:

:P

But seriously, I can see that you don't want to give away secrets, and don't go into secret passages. But I really would have liked to know how you get only one of the 2 blue keycards in in the third level or so.
Not that I'm saying anything about your impressing jumping skills, but 9:53 convinces me pretty much that you play in godmode.
Image You crack me up little buddy!
Benvolio
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Post by Benvolio »

To get just one of those blue keycards requires a very difficult jump. You approach it at such an angle that you only get the bottom one. It is slightly easier to get back out without getting the top keycard. As with every item in this mod, I have demonstrated to myself that it is possible to do it. However this doesn't mean that I expect the player to be able to do it regularly - or even once. The blue keycard in the last level I played is similar.

Yes I didn't want to give away secrets. But additionally, I didn't want to take too many risks. After all, I do not deny that this mod is very difficult! And that I would go utterly insane if I attempted a perfect run, getting every point.

Finally, I am most certainly not playing in God Mode! :P If you look closely, you see me lining myself up against a wall block as I jump forwards. Then I fall vertically to the space adjacent to the fire. It follows, per the Keen1 engine's rules, that I am completely within the safe tile.

Speaking of looking like God Mode... I almost had a heart attack at 01:48.

---------------------------------------------------------------

@troublesomekeen
Thank you for your advice. I will acquire that software before attempting any more Keen videos.
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Levellass
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Post by Levellass »

Indeed, it is a strange thing about Keen that he can be partially in hazards and still be safe.
What you really need, not what you think you ought to want.
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