AK3 Doomsday

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.
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Slayterdawg
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Post by Slayterdawg »

I must have transported 100 times; from above, from below, and from either side and have never transported outside the great pyramid (always to New Atlantis).
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MoffD
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Post by MoffD »

Slayterdawg wrote:I must have transported 100 times; from above, from below, and from either side and have never transported outside the great pyramid (always to New Atlantis).
I just walked straight left from where Keen starts and went straight through :crazy
mortimermcmirestinks wrote: Now I wish MoffD wasn't allergic to me.
Levellass wrote:You're an evil man.
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Slayterdawg
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Post by Slayterdawg »

I must admitted, this is a designer issue. Works both left and right.
Seems tile properties for small sliver block not correct. Good catch...

Enjoy life, drink the real thing...
Boreas249
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Post by Boreas249 »

I want to play this so bad...

... but I must complete AK2 first.

Got super sidetracked and never got to finish it. :(
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Levellass
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Post by Levellass »

Ok now, finally had time to process this.


PATCHES: Quite well implemented. Not exactly expert stuff, but covering all bases. This allows for an expansive gaming experience.

GRAPHICS: Ok, but nothing spectacular. This isn't a garish eye-violating accident of a mod, but there is much to be improved here. A lot is cut n pasted from other images which isn't too good, and a lot of the attempted symbolism could have been executed better. Particularly jarring were the levels that had writing in tiles instead of a more natural way of showing plot development. This was perhaps the biggest letdown of the mod.

GAMEPLAY: This is the mod's strongest point. The levels are, if not excellent, certainly engaging. The map especially was well constructed and perhaps the strongest part of the mod.

While being quite obviously the Keen 1 mod, the enemies were handled well and placed accordingly.

MUSIC: Some issues there. Several songs froze or created screeching noises. These are likely the 63.9Kb files which overrun memory. This problem stemmed from the use of web-sourced MIDI files converted straight to IMF without any tweaking. The mod would certainly have benefited from a dedicated music expert.

STORY: Solid and well written. Quite original and well thought out.


MOD: Two words sum up this mod for me, 'Lost potential' This mod is EPIC, its scope incredible, its story solid, its levels gigantic in places. And yet, and yet... so much is left undone. I can see the imagination behind this, he energy, the sheer potential. But it could have done with a lot more polishing. Some original tiles, better music, This mod's weakness was its love of cutting and pasting from other sources without much alteration. A remake would do strongly.
What you really need, not what you think you ought to want.
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Slayterdawg
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Post by Slayterdawg »

My intent was to create a few topics of controversy.

Religion and politics.
Is there a God, demons, Atlantians, & Nephilims?
Are there other dimensions?
What about mutation?
Is government corrupt?
Is mythology based on some facts?
Can video games be more than just reactive? Can they produce moments of deep thought.
If life is chemistry, then does "Drinks Cola - Enjoy Life" mean a little more? Better living with chemistry....
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Levellass
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Post by Levellass »

The problem with that however lies in the presentation. It is often said 'Show, don't tell' and what you have done is telling, visually. A good example is the cave level with all the writing in it. The same message would have been better given as some sort of Yorp messages (Which were instead used for rather unneeded things.) Keen could have had to hunt down the messages, each one building on the last, lending an air of mystery and purpose to it.

As it stands the level is rather boring involving going back and forth, back and forth past all these messages in tiles.

The issue of 'Is there a God?' could have been handled by simply including a meta reference to modding itself. Are YOU not a god of your mod? Do you not create it out of pure will? A reference somewhere to that would make a player stop and think, if even briefly about such issues.

Such things need to be woven into the gameplay. The player shouldn't just come across them, but instead have a need to seek them out, a desire to fit the pieces together, a want to see things from your perspective.. That's hard to do.
What you really need, not what you think you ought to want.
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VikingBoyBilly
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Post by VikingBoyBilly »

Hey I thought there was an Aqua Keen 4 I haven't downloaded yet, but I guess not? :pumpkeen
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