Have replaced all multi-point moving platforms in critical areas with Keen 4-style platforms until I can figure out what the heck is going on (it does not seem to have to do with animated tiles on the fore/back layers). May end up leaving them like that. Also, the green key in level 2 has been lowered. I had no idea difficulty was affecting Rick's jump height. Am going to see if that's causing problems elsewhere but you guys will probably find them before I do. I was unable to reproduce the teleporter bug but I suspect it may be a KEEN6.EXE version issue, so I have dropped a "%version 1.4" into the patch per K1n9_Duk3's suggestion.
Am now debating whether Episode 3 of this trilogy should be a Keen5 mod (as originally planned) or another Keen4 mod, if for no other reason than to make sure everyone else is using the same EXE file as I am.
Everyone else's suggestions are in the support queue and will be dealt with as time permits! (Note to self: don't wait until Episode 3 is 'finished' before getting other people's input on it. Soft launch! SOFT LAUNCH!!)
Thank you for bearing with me, folks!
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UPDATE, NOV-30: Beta 0.2 is up. Link is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Xx3KNW ... ttMpOt1ebw I have fixed the game-breaking platform issue in level 2, and attempted to fix the riot-cop clipping issue, but I think I may just have to make sure he doesn't show up near 45˚ slopes.
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Title: "The Prisoner's Dilemma".
Plot summary: What happens when the most moral kid in the universe becomes a fugitive from the law?
Design notes: Storyline-wise, this mod picks up exactly where "Bounty Hunting Brouhaha" left off. In a slight break with tradition, you can play either as Keen or as Rick Uller (the antihero character I introduced in B.H.B.) Keen and Rick have separate gameplay styles, and each has his own ending sequence. The file is a bit bulkier than usual because almost everything except GAMEMAPS and MAPHEAD is duplicated, but I'm happy to report that the ZIP file will still fit on a single 5.25" floppy!
This was kind of a one-off experiment, and I do not intend to repeat it in Part 3 of this trilogy.
Download link: See above.
Music: All original again. Five of the ten tunes have separate mixes for Rick and Keen.
Hold on, did you say trilogy? Sure did! Part 3 may not come together as quickly as the first two due to some stuff happening in my personal life right now, but it is still very much on the agenda.
Levels: Every Keen6 level slot has been used. Three levels are only playable as Rick; another three are only playable as Keen; most of the others have separate rick-only and keen-only areas (or, e.g., areas which must be explored left-to-right as Keen and right-to-left as Rick.)
How to start the game:
1. Find an UNZLEXE'd copy of keen6.exe (if you don't have one handy, send your two bits to the Apogee Software distribution office on the outskirts of Dallas and they'll mail it to you on a floppy...at least I *assume* it still works like that.)
2. Place the contents of the ZIP file linked above in a folder, and put keen6.exe in the same folder.
3. Run k6loader.exe and use the menu to decide whether to play as Rick or as Keen, or to view the story or gameplay notes.
- If using DOSBox: I highly recommend you set cycles=max in the DOSbox config file.
- If using the DOS emulator in Windows XP: you may need to max out your memory settings (I have provided a PIF file that does this.)
- If using an actual DOS machine: I have no advice because I have no DOS machine to test things on, but I admire your commitment to having an authentic Keen experience!
Beta testing instructions: Same as last time: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5115
Tips:
1. Rick and Keen use separate savegame files, so don't try to get Rick into a Keen-only area by saving the game as Keen and loading it as Rick!
2. At the Mysterious Cliff while playing as Keen, you cannot beat the timer by conventional means, because you cannot move fast enough. In order to get the object on the other side of the timed lock, you need to 'mess with the flow of time', so to speak. (No patch-hacking required, it's a lot simpler than that.)
3. At the Mysterious Cliff while playing as Rick, you....well, it helps if you have the sound on.
4. The SGA 'dialect' used on the A-Danac planets is essentially the same as the standard one, once you figure out the trick.
Known problems:
1. A few of the enemy sprites get stuck on slopes and at platform edges. Is this a problem that can be solved by giving every frame exactly the same sized hitbox? I could have sworn I tried that already but if the answer is a definitive 'yes' I will try it again and upload a revised beta in a few days.
2. Duplicates of Keen's ship and Rick's ship are still visible on the ground after they take off. This is a side-effect of a temporary solution to a difficult-to-explain problem. Does anyone have a backup copy of the 'Bloogstar Rocket' page of the modding wiki, which seems to be missing? I just need to know if there's something like the 'Keen spawn height' patch for the rocket sprite (either in the X dimension or the Y dimension or both.) If all else fails I will remove that entire gameplay mechanic and replace it with something involving teleporters.
3. Forgot to make a 'purple switch on yellow stone' tile, have substituted the 'purple switch on white stone' tile, noticed it after I started typing this, don't feel like fixing it today.
Okay, that's all for now! Enjoy!