Foray in the Forest

[Syllypryde]

Had you have saved after completing each level you would have a save state to go back to levels you might want to redo.

[B_Bard]

Hello! I am quite a bit late to the party, but still would like to say how amazing this mod is (and so are all the mods by this wonderful community that I've played over the years). I found it rather difficult at first due to the whole pay-to-save thing, which was frustrating and made me abandon the mod for a while. I did manage to complete the first version several times, but didn't find most of the secret areas nor could get a perfect score until FITW 2.0 was released. I do have several questions, though:

- I have not been able to talk to the Janitor twice, and really am at my wit's end regarding this. Any clues?
- Is the secret green-and-black area meant to be completed like a level?

[Syllypryde]

Hey fellas, until the next update arrives
Some help please with Lost Mine. I cannot figure out how to access the top part in the outside area (the extra life, the Slug Slime Soda, etc.). Without cheating, of course.

It's not like I attempted to complete the level too early, is it?
(By that I mean, the layout of a level doesn't change with gameplay progress, right? Because it's set at the moment you choose the difficulty level.)

Thanks in advance, and you can PM me the answer if it's not considered public yet.

1) When you complete one of the secret levels it opens up a path to another secret. That secret reveals a dozen+ easter eggs, a couple of the alternate endings. One of the easter eggs gives a clue on how to reach those "unreachable" areas.

2) With the new update the game manual is now available. The physical copy of this manual is only available to those of us who won a physical copy of the game. In the manual there is a section of brief secret screenshots. One of those screenshots gives a clue on how to reach those "unreachable" areas.

.........- I have not been able to talk to the Janitor twice, and really am at my wit's end regarding this. Any clues?
- Is the secret green-and-black area meant to be completed like a level?

There are 2 ways to talk to the Janitor more than once :
1) In one of the alternate ending sequences the Janitor will tell you one of the ways to speak to them again. You will have to find which sequence it is.
2) Keen is totally confused when he has a Nasasi on his head.

The Secret green-and-black area (Monochrome) is just an easter egg placed by Nisaba as it is one of her all-time favorite mods. It's not designed to be completed like a regular level. You can replay it as many times as you would like.

[B_Bard]

There are 2 ways to talk to the Janitor more than once :
1) In one of the alternate ending sequences the Janitor will tell you one of the ways to speak to them again. You will have to find which sequence it is.
2) Keen is totally confused when he has a Nasasi on his head

I did encounter the second one, but I also assumed that it is possible to talk to them more that once in every level. Will have to see about the ending, thank you!

[Gigaman94]

Hey fellas, until the next update arrives
Some help please with Lost Mine. I cannot figure out how to access the top part in the outside area (the extra life, the Slug Slime Soda, etc.). Without cheating, of course.

It's not like I attempted to complete the level too early, is it?
(By that I mean, the layout of a level doesn't change with gameplay progress, right? Because it's set at the moment you choose the difficulty level.)

Thanks in advance, and you can PM me the answer if it's not considered public yet.

1) When you complete one of the secret levels it opens up a path to another secret. That secret reveals a dozen+ easter eggs, a couple of the alternate endings. One of the easter eggs gives a clue on how to reach those "unreachable" areas.

2) With the new update the game manual is now available. The physical copy of this manual is only available to those of us who won a physical copy of the game. In the manual there is a section of brief secret screenshots. One of those screenshots gives a clue on how to reach those "unreachable" areas.

I have already figured that out. I responded to Nisaba-san regarding this matter. The screenshots really helped though, so it's good pointing them out.

It's the "re-entering levels" thing is that I'm confused about now, but then it's probably something I misunderstood.
You cannot re-enter finished levels, right?
This could be a feature in the next update, if possible.

[Syllypryde]

.........I have already figured that out. I responded to Nisaba-san regarding this matter. The screenshots really helped though, so it's good pointing them out.

It's the "re-entering levels" thing is that I'm confused about now, but then it's probably something I misunderstood.
You cannot re-enter finished levels, right?
This could be a feature in the next update, if possible.

I have already answered this question earlier on the page:

Had you have saved after completing each level you would have a save state to go back to levels you might want to redo.

Under the normal rules of all the official games and the mods, once you complete a level you cannot go back to it. The only exception to this is saving. If you saved your game right before you entered Lost Mine then you can load that most recent save and start Lost Mine again. But if your most recent save was 4 levels ago, when you load that save then you would have to redo Lost Mine plus those 4 other levels. This is why it is a good idea to save frequently. Plus if you save on the world map instead of in level, it will not cost you a life.

[Nisaba]

↑

Thank you for your support in answering the many questions from the players. We warmly appreciate your effort.

I played a bit of this just now. I like it so far. I dig the music, was it done with mid2imf or is there another way of making IMF files? I assume they're IMF at least, correct me if I'm wrong.

Generally speaking, mid2imf is the way to go.
However, for this mod, our lead developer K1n9_Duk3 has pulled out some nifty tricks and packed the tracks much more efficiently, allowing us to generate enough space for the floppy disk version of the game.

[...] just for the curiousity of it: in Skov af Søvngængere, you're sighting relicts and not relics (so that choice of word was intentional), right?

that is indeed intentional

Gameplay-wise: with the current executables, I should be able to re-enter levels, correct? I presume those ones that doesn't have a perfect flag yet.
What if I missed a secret? To be exact, I would like to revisit Magic Wonderland somehow, because I missed a very specific area...
Let's say I'm aiming for the perfect score. Must I restart from scratch?

Once you've finished a level there is no intended way to re-enter it. Of course, you always have the option to revisit levels via cheats. While it does affect the ending you unlock with cheating, it can also be quite a fun affair! Just hit F10+W to wrap yourself into the level of your choice as often as you like.

Hello! I am quite a bit late to the party, but still would like to say how amazing this mod is (and so are all the mods by this wonderful community that I've played over the years). I found it rather difficult at first due to the whole pay-to-save thing, which was frustrating and made me abandon the mod for a while. I did manage to complete the first version several times, but didn't find most of the secret areas nor could get a perfect score until FITW 2.0 was released. I do have several questions, though:

- I have not been able to talk to the Janitor twice, and really am at my wit's end regarding this. Any clues?
- Is the secret green-and-black area meant to be completed like a level?

Thank you very much for your feedback. We developers always love to hear when our game resonates well with players. It motivates us greatly to work on improvements to enhance the gaming experience even further.

Re: pay-to-save
There is a mode (easy) where you can enjoy the game without these restrictions. Plus we are working on a version, that lowers the overall difficulty a certain amount. You may want to look out for that.

That said, we are currently working on another update that will hopefully bring some clarity regarding the interactions with the janitors. The secret you refer to as the green-black area will also receive a significant update to better clarify the underlying idea.

[B_Bard]

Thank you very much for your feedback. We developers always love to hear when our game resonates well with players. It motivates us greatly to work on improvements to enhance the gaming experience even further.

I've played FITF non-stop for the past year, so yes, it definitely does resonate with me. Also, brilliance should acknowledged.

Re: pay-to-save
There is a mode (easy) where you can enjoy the game without these restrictions. Plus we are working on a version, that lowers the overall difficulty a certain amount. You may want to look out for that.

I would say that the detector window in version 2.0 was the solution to my problems (looking for extra lives mainly). I made the mistake of skipping the manual, so I never knew saving on the world map was free and wasted extra lives. The overall difficulty is just about right for me on Hard, and I haven't tried Expert since I still need to make in-level saves for the tricky spots.

[Gigaman94]

I just realized that one of my modifications has made it impossible to re-enter certain levels after they have been completed. This problem can be solved by modifying one single byte in the game executables. If you want, you can use the following patch script (...)

The patched executables are still 100% compatible with the original 2.0 executables, so you won't lose any progress by applying the hotfix. If you load a game that was saved on the world map, you will need to enter a level (like the BWB level, for example) and then return to the world map to make the other levels available again.

This post by Duk3 is why I was asking about re-entering completed levels.
It says "made it impossible" - which implies that sometime earlier, it was possible.
Was it actually meant to be "possible" instead of "impossible"?

[Nisaba]

This post by Duk3 is why I was asking about re-entering completed levels.
It says "made it impossible" - which implies that sometime earlier, it was possible.
Was it actually meant to be "possible" instead of "impossible"?

aha, now I better understand the reason for your question. The statement is indeed a bit misleading given the angle you looked at it.
Generally speaking there are few levels that can intentionally be re-entered. The BwB Megarocket level is, for example, one such candidate. However, the majority of levels do not fall into the re-entering category. Every time you receive a flag indicates you've finished a non re-enterable level. I hope that brings a bit of clarity.

I've played FITF non-stop for the past year, so yes, it definitely does resonate with me. Also, brilliance should acknowledged.

That fills my developer heart with great joy!
As you may have noticed, we are working on an update that we believe will bring many improvements and additional little surprises. We've made significant adjustments to the color palettes, removed unnecessary elements, and highlighted the essence of each map, and so much more. Right now, we are working on several bonus levels, some new mechanics and a couple of small quality of life improvements. I'm curious to see how you guys will like it.

[DoomJedi]

Out of pure curiocity - as a modder who released many mods - many new and some as remasters and/or improvements of older released mods - what are your considerations between desire to make a new mod - and improving/re-releasing/remastering an older mod?
No judgement either way and as already mentioned - have done both myself and can relate to both
And fully fully support and await for new versions of Foray. As we all here.

But I was visiting your wiki page today and was surprised - I thought you released more mods actually.
I myself struggled between the two desires (that every modder met or will meet as some point), beside my perfectionism wich plays a role - feedbacks and playthroughs are a big tease for me to improve older works (aspecially on things that bother the players most - which eventually led to a huge remaster), some where my own improvement ideas.

On the other side - having a team - we had different approaches about it.
Some said - and it sounds smart as well - "it's better the take the feedbacks and take those into account on new mods, rather than re-visiting released ones".
And indeed our team took the remarks in our new mods, and those were better due to that.
No mod is perfect and will never be, and people will always have their complaints and wishes.
And usually much less people redownloaded revisited mods - than those who play them when the mod is new and first released.
You'll never have "a second "first release"", in regard to the wow factor and interest of the original.
Despite that - as mentioned - I did released fixes, improvements and even one big remaster of an older mod, for reasons mentioned above.

After the team sort of became inactive - I couldn't make new mods all my myself so gradually the releases were more of remasters of older mods/works...Or mods incorporating older mapsets and unused art from my previous projects.
Or mods that were art-oriented and were lacking innovation in other areas.

What is your considerations for improving (the amazing, amazing) Foray over thinking of another mod to make?
Lacking ideas? I remember brainstorming with you and you seem not to be a person lacking ideas.
Lack of coding support the original project have? Can relate to such, always depend on good coders for modding.
Lack of time you once had? Can relate to that too.
Desire to make tribute to unused art and resources? Respect and admire that much.
Mere perfectionism? Can relate.
Desire to please thre players and address every grunt? You can never please the all. But as one who made a big remaster of older mod - can relate to that too.
Something else I've missed?

I myself would love to see more mods from you.

[Nisaba]

Thanks for your interested questions!

For my part, the answer is a bit of a reality check: release v1.0 was driven by a deadline that was looming. I was about to embark on a sort of professional world tour, and I knew I couldn't take the modding project with me. Real life things would need my full attention. So I wanted to make sure that the product we had at that point was available to the community.
v2.0 was a stepping stone where we mainly responded to feedback, fixed weaknesses, and incorporated a few new ideas that changed the overall experience. The feedback has definitely helped me understand my own project better. I’ve grown by accepting certain change requests while deliberately ignoring others. In the meantime—I'm still traveling around the world—there was a bit of chaos with hardware and software for various reasons, so K1n9_Duk3 temporarily took over and gracefully pushed what we had prepared.
v3.0 is probably the version I’ve always wanted; my baby. And I’m super excited about it! With this upcoming update, I think I’ll consider the project complete.

You know, I’ve learned a lot from constructive criticism and even more from modding itself. Before this project, level design was like a mystery to me. That’s also one reason I used abandoned material as a base. With the v3.0 iteration, I’m really getting to know the essence of map creations and bravely cutting away all the bloatware.
And secretly, I’ve borrowed my most beloved parts from my favorite community mods and given them a fresh coat of paint. But don’t tell anyone! I’m sure you can rediscover a Ceilick layout, a Gridlock puzzle, a DrColossus color scheme, a quirky Levellass idea—and whatever else all our modding masterminds are called (check the credits!)—under one roof. I love ya'll pckf, and FitF is my love letter to the community.

In the end, I’m building a mod that I would have loved to play as a kid—my favorite world that I kind of pieced together when I was five or six years old. It’s such a wonderful feeling that others are also enjoying the project, but ultimately, it’s a gift to my younger self. And that younger me is super excited about the upcoming update!

And then there’s a personal preference that definitely influences my work. I’m one of the few who are glad there isn’t an official Commander Keen continuation. Sure, the desire is strong, but nothing will ever be as good as the imagination of that wish itself.
For TV series, for example, I strictly stop watching after the second season. I firmly believe that the story has been fully told within that framework, and everything after that can only feel watered down or recycled, just subject to commercial reuse. It’s definitely a debatable stance, but you asked for my perspective. Does that mean there won’t be a continuation of Foray in the Forest? Only the Vool will know...

[DoomJedi]

Thanks for the detailed reply

I was about to embark on a sort of professional world tour

Wow, this sounds interesting. Would you be okay with revealing anything about for profession you hold and what it's about?

v3.0 is probably the version I’ve always wanted; my baby

I'm glad this is so close now to your full original vision, and in general it's healthy at some point to just...put sort of an end to revisiting older project - that could open a path to a new exciting project.

it’s a gift to my younger self

This is a touching and a prefectly cool reason to mod and create.
I hope (will fully respecting either way) but it doesn't mean this project is a 1-time thing from you here.
You can keep adding gifts to younger self, and especially now when you solved the mystery of level design.
As children - there is no end to what we dreamed of.

I firmly believe that the story has been fully told within that framework, and everything after that can only feel watered down or recycled

I fully understand and respect this approach, and felt myself like that at least about "Arrow" series (which inspired me for a Wolf3D mod).
But in general - most shows I see all seasons of (though my wife not being ready to keep watching with me - as we mostly watch things together - can affect that), the only time I stopped by my own preference was CW comics shows - last seasons of "Flash", "Legends of Tomorrow", "Supergirl" etc.
I felt here was no overall/overarching plot plan for those and each episode was a per-episode improvisation.
No inspiration or vision.

Still I have to say - many series actually kept the quality through all seasons. "Suits", "Lucifer", "The man in the high castle", "Daredevil"....

[Nisaba]

Thank you for your warm words and your interested inquiry!
yeah, it was my blunder to pique your curiosity! Unfortunately, I'm not really at liberty to spill the beans, except to say that I have to come up with some creative and unconventional ways to solve other people's problems. Sometimes it's actually my job to create problems to spark inspiration, or something like that. It's a wonderfully chaotic field that defies easy categorization—kind of like trying to herd cats!
What I can share is that I've been jamming to 'Riviera Affair' by Neil Richardson on repeat while modding. So, if you ever need a soundtrack for problem-solving, I've got you covered!

[DoomJedi]

(2 words I had to google their meaning in one line, LOL)

No, no "blunder", you are a very interesting person even without trying to "pique" my interest.
And there is nothing bad in it either. Part that only adds to your character.
This is so much an answer from a person I imagined you to be
Very magical, mysterious and puzzling, word-defying and unconventional
Between a life coacher, unconventional fairy and a hippie

Hope you get enough income from your magic dust Not much an expert on fairy accounting

You would be surprised though by how much I can understand...if you ever care to try me
Things I've done or believed in - during my life....tree hugging is the least of those.

Will try your musical recommendation I myself didn't use music while modding...