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Re: The Alphamatic (Version 2 + Marooned Over Mars Expansion)

Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2021 15:37
by DarkAle
I read it but I don't understood it completely. Now I read it again and I understood other things

Re: The Alphamatic (Version 2 + Marooned Over Mars Expansion)

Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2021 14:29
by Syllypryde
I found the teleporter that leads to the new expansion. I have beaten Space Port Tehlah and Defense Tunnel Terra. Haven't figured out Mars Machineworks and Command Sector (warp cheated here when I couldn't beat the former). Most definitely large and challenging levels.

Edit: Just now beaten Mars Machineworks. It took me 4-5 hours but I did it.

Re: The Alphamatic (Version 2 + Marooned Over Mars Expansion)

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2021 2:04
by Lower IQ than 314
I've been looking forward to this one. :) Hopefully it's a little more balanced and less punishing this time around. Looks like its Keen Wiki page needs an updated link, though.

EDIT: Also...4-5 hours for one level? :O I can beat the entirety of vanilla Keen 5 in less than half of that time. Can't wait to try it out and see what all the fuss is about.

Re: The Alphamatic (Version 2 + Marooned Over Mars Expansion)

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2021 8:47
by Grimson
Yes, it's out! :D Now comes the hardest part, finding some spare time...

Re: The Alphamatic (Version 2 + Marooned Over Mars Expansion)

Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2021 18:22
by Gridlock
Quick note: Some links seem to have broken on the initial post. I've updated the midi soundtrack .zip with new tracks from version 2 and a couple outtakes. I don't know if anyone actually cares, but I'd like for the music to be available in MIDI form just in case. The main changes are the new track "Tehlaportation" used in Space Port Tehlah, and the extended version of Armageddon Begins Again used in Defense Tunnel Terra.

I also updated the download link for version 1.0 with a new mirror (although it should also be available on Keenwiki).

Re: The Alphamatic (Version 2 + Marooned Over Mars Expansion)

Posted: Thu May 27, 2021 5:30
by MongolianThree
Hello, Gridlock!

I have been looking for a way to contact you, but I haven't been able to find any other way than in this forum.

I want to sincerely thank you for all your work on Atroxian Realm and the Alphamatic. I am a Canadian living in Mongolia and during this pandemic/multi-lockdown era I remembered playing Commander Keen when I was much younger and so I decided to start playing it with my kids. I thought it was a way to keep them engaged and happy while being stuck at home in a foreign country. It wasn't long before we came across various mods, many of which were fantastic, but when we found Atroxian Realm we were totally blown away. I didn't expect the mature nature of the story, but my (young) kids handled it well, and yet I can say that we have never been so determined in our lives to find and bring the final boss to justice as we were with Atroxian Realm. The music, the art, the level design, the story... it was all amazing. Even a few months later, we still talk about "Atroxus"!

Of course, we jumped straight to the Alphamatic and when we reached the end we learned the shocking details you revealed there (along with a lot of suspense). If you ever do manage to finish that major sequel you mentioned, I can assure you we will be thrilled to see the conclusion to this magnificent story. Thank you, my dear friend, for the joy and excitement you brought to my family in a difficult time.

All the best,

Chris

Re: The Alphamatic (Version 2 + Marooned Over Mars Expansion)

Posted: Fri May 28, 2021 22:04
by Gridlock
Hey Chris, thank you so much for the kind words! It really means a lot to me to hear about people enjoying these projects that I put so much time and passion into!

I can definitely understand the concerns about Atroxian Realm's darker themes, but I'm glad it worked out for your kids. Maybe it can capture some of the same magic for them that Keens 4-6 did for me when I was very young.

I wish I could say that the sequel is coming soon, but it doesn't look that way. It's still something I think about a lot, and I have a pretty massive and epic story planned out for it. Unfortunately, I just don't have that much time and energy to do the hard development work, especially since I actually work in games professionally now (I may be able to announce a big project I'm involved with soon). But, you never know, maybe someday I'll be able to complete enough to get more momentum on it. Or at least share more of the story concepts with the community.

Happy keening! Hope your family is doing better after this last unfortunate year.

Re: The Alphamatic (Version 2 + Marooned Over Mars Expansion)

Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 9:20
by proYorp
That's such a heartwarming story. I can say for myself that Commander Keen and the mods and the community have helped me through various rough patches -- AR included. :)


Speaking of kids playing mods, every so often I think KeenWiki should have a content rating system of some kind. Some of those mods get pretty dark, or explicit. It's especially relevant to me since I have experience having to check and filter them for younger siblings and strict rules. Fortunately knowing how to mod allows me to edit out smaller things that would otherwise make the mod contraband. If anyone needs a visually "clean" edit of Atroxian Realm, hit me up.

Re: The Alphamatic (Version 2 + Marooned Over Mars Expansion)

Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 19:08
by Lower IQ than 314
I don't know that there's much you would need to censor in Atroxian Realm outside of the corpses in the Kridonea Ruins levels, which border on Bio Menace levels of gore, but I can understand. As an adult, it's pretty tame, but if I were a little kid playing that mod, I might have had a hard time with it, too.

Re: The Alphamatic (Version 2 + Marooned Over Mars Expansion)

Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2021 9:21
by DarkAle
Since I'm updating the wikipage (the version 2 link should be added), Gridlock can you tell me which levels did you change?

Re: The Alphamatic (Version 2 + Marooned Over Mars Expansion)

Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2021 1:26
by Ceilick
This is the next mod I've been catching up on and I just made it past the first elevator. To my understanding this mod is pretty big so I thought I'd give commentary incrementally. Also I'm playing on easy because I'm a mental wimp :mortlol

I like the concept of the Alphamatic, both as a mod and the station itself, and the story is fun, although kind of drawn out with character dialogue. The direction you take with Vitacorp is admittedly different than what I imagined the corporation to be: a Shikadi run outfit, hence the Vitacorp level in Battle of the Brains, but I've since decided that level is just a Vitacorp dealership :lol I'm looking forward to unraveling the mystery here.

My favorite levels so far are Orbital Transit for the goplat progression and, surprisingly to me, I really liked Power Grid. Normally I don't like door levels, but I loved that this one was backed up by a logical system the player could discern and that it was unimportant to recognize any pattern or visual look to the rooms otherwise. Really fun and satisfying puzzle work.

My least favorite level so far is Ventilation Ducts. So. Much. Backtracking.

A mixed bag for me was Mars Station, which at first I hated and then realized through subtlety in the architecture that there were distinct sections in the level with self contained 'puzzles'. Still, that's a heck of a lot of red on the screen, which I didn't enjoy, but kudos on the overall design. I particularly like your use of volt-faces.

Re: The Alphamatic (Version 2 + Marooned Over Mars Expansion)

Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2021 16:57
by Gridlock
Since I'm updating the wikipage (the version 2 link should be added), Gridlock can you tell me which levels did you change?
Quite a few levels got tweaked, some more than others. Without doing a detailed comparison I don't remember for sure (I worked on it occasionally over 2 years), but some of the more noticeable changes are probably in the world map, Surge Protection, Defense Tunnel (19), Cryptocorridor, and Alpha Explosion Dynamo.


Happy to hear your thoughts on the game so far, Ceilick. The VitaCorp story is something I've imagined being a piece of a much larger story in the future, which parts of this game allude to. It's still run by the Shikadi, but perhaps they answer to a higher power... Hopefully I'll be able to finish that story someday.
My least favorite level so far is Ventilation Ducts. So. Much. Backtracking.
Yeah, I don't disagree there. I like the idea of a fall-based level, but I think I could probably create a more elegant design if I made another attempt at it.


Completely unrelated, but just a fun thing to mention: A few weeks ago I said that I was involved in a big game industry project. Well, since it was revealed yesterday at the IGN Expo, I can now talk about it. I'm actually a lead engineer (on the publisher side) for Doki Doki Literature Club Plus. I don't know if anyone here is a fan of the game, but it's pretty cool being involved in such a high profile project. Maybe someday my dream of working on a Keen or Metroid project will come true.

Re: The Alphamatic (Version 2 + Marooned Over Mars Expansion)

Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 9:07
by DarkAle
Okay, I made the new map file but before I upload it to KeenWiki I would like to know what do you think, Gridlock
https://www.mediafire.com/view/qhwzfo4l ... 0.png/file

P.S. I shared its link because if I use [img][img] it doesn't show. I think it happens because it's too big

Re: The Alphamatic (Version 2 + Marooned Over Mars Expansion)

Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 14:27
by Gridlock
Looks really great! Thanks for all the effort

Re: The Alphamatic (Version 2 + Marooned Over Mars Expansion)

Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 15:32
by DarkAle
Thanks to you for the nice mod you've released :D
P.s. The credit is partly due to Nisaba who created the version 1 file which I then modified