Post by Sticky

Posted: 1/10/2009 3:51 PM

Post subject: Spelunky: an awesome 2D platforming roguelike hybrid

moozooh

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Slightly less than a week ago, I've encountered a platformer with nearly endless replayability: Spelunky (~11 MB, seems to be Windows-only at the moment). It's developed by the same guy who did Aquaria.

Basically, it's a platforming game similar to Dangerous Dave and La-Mulana, except the levels are entirely randomized akin to roguelike games like NetHack. The goal is to reach the last level. There are many items, as well as treasures, to collect, and monsters to kill. There also are shops which you can lift, secrets that you can find, and numerous other awesome things. Be warned: the game is fun, but brutally hard to finish. So far I'm on my ~270th attempt, and I haven't even caught a glimpse of level 11 yet…

Posted: 1/10/2009 4:11 PM

Dromiceius

Joined: 10/3/2005
Posts: 1332

"Crap. Now I've done it. I'm trapped! I wonder if I can kill myself with this rock..." Took two tries. :) This is awesome. I wonder if there's a 2.5D beat-em-up roguelike hybrid...

Posted: 1/10/2009 5:38 PM

moozooh

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Managed to reach level 13 three times now, but the ice caves are killing me (when I don't have a compass + cape + climbing gloves combo). :( I guess I'll have to grind in order to buy that stage 13 shortcut…

Posted: 1/10/2009 9:28 PM

Blublu

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Interesting idea. I don't think I've ever played a 2d platform game with randomly generated levels.

Posted: 1/10/2009 9:39 PM

Xkeeper

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Joined: 12/23/2004
Posts: 1850

Blublu wrote:

Interesting idea. I don't think I've ever played a 2d platform game with randomly generated levels.

It isn't really that hard, considering; all you'd need to do is run though and make sure you can get from A to B and it'd work. Either that or have predefined pieces and mix them together at will...

Perma-banned

Posted: 1/10/2009 10:09 PM

moozooh

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There certainly are some pre-defined elements and traps, but they don't make the general level appearance repetitive. Kind of like the original Diablo.

Posted: 1/10/2009 10:24 PM

Blublu

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Location: Reykjavík, Ísland

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Damn. This game is pretty well made and brutally hard. I love the fact that you can blow up almost any walls. I wanted to talk to the show owner, but I whipped him instead, then he flipped out and killed me. :( Edit: Ooh, you can actually steal items from the shop... if you're prepared to deal with one REALLY PISSED OFF shop owner.

Posted: 1/13/2009 12:01 AM

pirate_sephiroth

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Location: Milky Way -> Earth -> Brazil

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This one is good too!

"Genuine self-esteem, however, consists not of causeless feelings, but of certain knowledge about yourself. It rests on the conviction that you — by your choices, effort and actions — have made yourself into the kind of person able to deal with reality. It is the conviction — based on the evidence of your own volitional functioning — that you are fundamentally able to succeed in life and, therefore, are deserving of that success." - Onkar Ghate

Bisqwit wrote:

Drama, too long, didn't read, lol.

Posted: 1/13/2009 12:05 AM

Dromiceius

Joined: 10/3/2005
Posts: 1332

Has anyone tried crushing the shopkeeper with a block? I think that might kill him without the risk of getting shot. ...Not that that would likely be worth it, considering what happens later with all the shoppkeepers angry at you. I'm just a sociopath. ^_^

Posted: 1/13/2009 4:56 PM

Blublu

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Location: Reykjavík, Ísland

Joined: 3/11/2004
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Location: Reykjavík, Ísland

What kind of a genius business plan it is anyway to set up a shop with a very small selection of overpriced items inside a deep, deadly cave!?That shopkeeper must have to deal with hungry slimy monsters all the time. No wonder he flips out and kills people at the first sign of trouble.

Posted: 1/13/2009 7:42 PM

Dromiceius

Joined: 10/3/2005
Posts: 1332

It makes more sense when you consider what the business consists of: gambling, weapons dealing, and prostitution. Now that I think about it, it's only right that I attack them...

Posted: 1/13/2009 9:55 PM

moozooh

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Top 4 ways of killing a shopkeeper. 1. If it's a weapon shop with a shotgun, pick it up, press shoot+jump when facing a shopkeeper. You only have a few frames before he shoots back, so the distance should be safe. 2. If it's a weapon shop with a web cannon, pick it up, press shoot+jump when facing a shopkeeper, and land repeatedly on his head until he's dead. 3. Shoot a sticky bomb at the shopkeeper (exactly at him) and escape. 4. If a long range weapon or a bomb is present, scroll the screen so that the shopkeeper is about 1-1.5 blocks offscreen, shoot at his supposed location. Other ways (jumping on the head, directing a boulder at the shop's location, crushing with a block, luring away, shooting bombs semi-randomly) are much riskier, or include some specific level topography. I almost always try to kill them, though, because it saves me money and gives great stuff to loot every time. I'd even go as far as saying it's easier to make do with the angry shopkeepers compared to playing through the entire game without certain inventory items.

Posted: 1/19/2009 9:13 PM
(Edited: 1/21/2009 7:22 PM)

Kuwaga

Joined: 10/20/2006
Posts: 1248

Some useful stuff I've found out while beating the game which I enjoyed very much. The best new game I've played in a long time now! ^^ This contains major spoilers: 1. The damsel is a great throwing weapon 2. Killing spiders while they are falling down is easy. 3. Bombing the space below the idol will deactivate any trap. 4. The idol in the 'dead are restless' levels is worth a lot. 5. You can sell the idols to the shop keeper by making him touch it and then either putting down one of his goods or buying something. (He'll walk towards it if he stands left of it and you cary one of his goods to the right, then put it down.) 6. You can use your whip and jump afterwards, even while hanging on a ledge. 7. Opening pots with your whip seems to give more money than throwing them. 8. You can kill big spiders easily by throwing a bomb onto their webs, not by bombing the tiles above them though. 9. You can blow up two tiles in a horizontal row with just one bomb by placing it down on the very edge. This is a lot easier if the wall is to your left. 10. Throwing bombs out of the screen will make them get stuck in the air. 11. There's always a mattock hidden at the bottom of the 'I hear snakes' levels. (visible if you have spectacles) 12. You can pick up the damsel through a wall if she's diagonally downwards from your position (one tile) 13. You can build bridges with a web gun, but it still sucks. 14. Any gun will temporarily produce light like a flare in dark levels when you shoot it. 15. You can cheat at craps to make lots of money by throwing dice one first, then dice two in this special way: Stand next to a wall, throw it upwards, so that it will land exactly where you've thrown it from. Catch it the exact moment it touches the floor. Keep holding down. If the sum of the eyes isn't 7 or 11, let go of the down button for a moment, then press it again. The dice will continue spinning in your hands and change its eye count. (If it doesn't spin in your hands just throw it again and catch it earlier) Repeat until the number on the dice is one you desire, then just put it down and and earn easy cash. 16. If you run away from the ghost, a white gem will sometimes appear in a wall (the ghost has to touch it). It's worth a lot. 17. Don't buy the Pitcher's Mitt, don't even pick it up. I do the same with Climbing Gloves and Spring Shoes. But that's only because I can't handle them. 18. The Udjat Eye will help you to find the black market in the jungle. The faster it beeps, the closer is the hidden entrance. You need to bomb it or use your mattock to reveal it. 19. Killing the fish in the 'rushing water' levels is easy if you use two sticky bombs. ^^ It'll drop 4 item chests. 20. The big alien in the ice cave will sometimes drop a jet pack. 21. The big Yeti will sometimes drop spike shoes. It's always worth killing him because of the ropes he drops. 22. The Ankh you can buy at the black market is an extra life. 23. With the Ankh: If you kill yourself on one of the statues in the ice cavern (they have the ankh symbol on their foreheads, stage one always seems to have one in it) you'll get inside them. You can do it by standing on them and using Esc+F1. Getting killed by falling down at the bottom of the level also worked for me once though. Inside them you can pick up a helmet, which will glow in the dark, and use a hidden exit which will just lead you to the next level. 24. Looking down in ice caves is very useful, as well as the compass and the cape and ropes. ^^ 25. Killing the mummy in the last levels will give you the best shooting weapon in the game, the sceptre. Killing it with the sceptre will not make it drop a second one, you should kill it with bombs instead. 26. There's a hidden exit in stage 2 of the last levels. To open it you need the helmet (maybe the Udjat Eye too?) and the sceptre. It'll lead you to a place where bombs will turn into money. 27. Above the last boss is a lot of money. Bring a lot of ropes or a jet pack. ^^ 28. Sticky bombs can easily blow up two tiles in any desired direction. 29. Spike shoes let you kill man eater plants by jumping on them. 30. The teleporter normally teleports you 5 spaces in any direction if you don't press any button. Teleporting into a wall is bad. Teleporting into enemies kills them. 31. Bombing the sides of a lava or water pool will drain it. 32. Sometimes the hidden exit in stage 2 of the last levels is hidden inside a lava pool. 33. Sometimes you have to use a bomb to get into the Ankh shop. Drop it on a floor tile that has another one below it. 34. To get into the hidden rooms in the score room you have to beat the game fast (1st level to last), finish with lots of money, free many damsels and kill lots of enemies. 35. You can push stones, that you'd normally have to push from a certain side to get in, from the other side too if you jump into them the right way or hang right next to them, then jump into them. 36. Taking a stone (or a pot) through the exits before entering an ice cavern level can be useful to kill ufos. Throw them upwards and run. You can also use your whip if the ufos fly low enough or you have spring shoes. But you need to hit them with the very edge of your whip, then immediately press into the other direction. 37. Killing shop keepers is insane, especially if you plan to visit the black market. :D 38. The only item you really need are ropes and bombs. Compass, Cape and Jetpack are great too. (and Climbing Gloves :X) 39. If you want to carry multiple items to the goal you can abuse the fact that the damsel will run on her own. 40. Using two items (bombs or ropes) is worth it if you can get an item box in return. I wouldn't waste one item for a bit of money (except if it's as much as the idol) or the damsel (except if you feel you need more energy). Getting the helmet will reset your energy to 4 anyway. 41. Buying a kiss is hardly ever worth the money. 42. You can set down the damsel into a wall if you don't want her to run away. Just put her down while being next to a wall, facing it. 43. You can cross a gap of two spaces just by running across it. You will grab the ledge of the other side. 44. You can run through spikes without any consequences, but you mustn't jump into them from above. 45. Jump before using a rope for extra height. 46. If there's a tile above you and a tile below you, you can jump on the tile above you if there are no tiles next to them on one of both sides. If you fail, you'll grab the tile below you, so there's no risk. 47. Pulling out a sticky bomb while holding the damsel isn't a good idea. ^^ 48. You can kill bats and frogs through the wall by hitting a wall while they're on the other side. 49. Duck to stop horizontal movement on ice. 50. If a monkey steals a rope you can pick it up and press your item swich buton to get it back. 51. Having Climbing Gloves will sometimes make you jump higher for no apparent reason. You can do this by running into a wall, then jumping while still holding down the buttons. You should jump 2 tiles high instead of the ordinaray 1.5 tiles. Sometimes you get the higher jump when jumping from a rope too, which led to many self destructs in the jungle levels for me. I still have to figure out when it happens exactly. 52. Sometimes there are holes with two tiles in length and an arrow trap on the right side. To set it off without a chance of the arrow hitting you, you can crawl from the left side towards the hole. It'll make you hang onto the ledge without setting off the trap. It won't shoot the arrow before you press the jump button then.

Posted: 1/19/2009 9:27 PM

moozooh

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The jetpack is easily the best item in the game, since it makes ropes completely obsolete. Finding it in the first few levels basically guarantees a lot of money later on. Closely following are the climbing gloves, and the cape.

Posted: 1/19/2009 9:28 PM

Dromiceius

Joined: 10/3/2005
Posts: 1332

I guess you don't include "shotgun" as an item. :P

Posted: 1/19/2009 9:37 PM
(Edited: 1/19/2009 10:04 PM)

Kuwaga

Joined: 10/20/2006
Posts: 1248

The Jetpack is great, no doubt about that. It can run out of fuel though. I'm pretty sure you start with a random amount of fuel, which makes using it (completely) instead of ropes kind of risky. Ropes are also great because restarting until you get a Jetpack in one of the first levels isn't fun and there's no guarantee that you'll find one later on. You'll have lots of ropes anyway because finding a jetpack (even in a shop) isn't guaranteed, so you can't rely on that. Stealing one in later levels is maybe worth considering if you don't have many ropes. Also, stealing anything is worth it, if you can perfectly handle the consequences. I can't, so I hardly ever steal something - for reasons explained above in my hidden list. Spoiler: Buying a Jetpack at the black market is a good idea though imo. You'll make lots of money from the craps house there anyway. :D The climbing gloves are good, but for me they lead to lots of self destructs (due to lack of practice). With lots of ropes you won't need them anyway. I prefer going for ropes over hoping to pick up a rare item.

Posted: 1/19/2009 9:39 PM

moozooh

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Shotgun is far from being the best item in the game just because it needs to be held (also because you can get it very easily (also because you can kill yourself with it (third set of parentheses (a shoutout to JXQ)))).

Posted: 1/19/2009 10:16 PM

pirate_sephiroth

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dude... lame story 2... but this time it looks like we're playing metroid 2, in the glitched worlds...

"Genuine self-esteem, however, consists not of causeless feelings, but of certain knowledge about yourself. It rests on the conviction that you — by your choices, effort and actions — have made yourself into the kind of person able to deal with reality. It is the conviction — based on the evidence of your own volitional functioning — that you are fundamentally able to succeed in life and, therefore, are deserving of that success." - Onkar Ghate

Bisqwit wrote:

Drama, too long, didn't read, lol.

Posted: 1/19/2009 10:20 PM

Dromiceius

Joined: 10/3/2005
Posts: 1332

I find it indispensible, possibly because I can't deal with most of the game's enemies otherwise... also, I hadn't figured out what that chirp noise was until Kuwaga's post. Ten minutes later, I had slaughtered the black market and had a very respectable collection of gear.

you can kill yourself with it

...How?

Posted: 1/19/2009 10:24 PM

moozooh

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Sometimes, it will ricochet. The other, an enemy you've just killed with it crushes you (a game bug). Also, you can't ignore the good old recoil kicking you onto the spikes.

Posted: 1/19/2009 11:20 PM

Kuwaga

Joined: 10/20/2006
Posts: 1248

I got killed once while using it, can't remember how, but I somehow got pushed forward into my own bullets (due too the terrain or an enemy, I can't remember). Guns save time when destroying pots and killing enemies, so I'm always happy if I can pick one up. As for dead enemies, you should watch out for dead Yetis especially, they can still throw you if they've just died. If there's a gun and a mattock, I will almost always carry the mattock on to the next level though because it gets me money and/or saves bombs. Having some kind of gun while facing the last boss is highly adviseable though for several reasons. Edit: I just made it to world 11 and for some reason no ghost appears. There's a craps house in that level too. I guess you all know what that means. ^^ As for details, I grabbed the helmet in level 9 and 11 had the Yeti boss in it. I'm not quite sure what exactly causes the ghost not to appear. Maybe it's afraid of my 49 sticky bombs, lol. I also updated the list..

Posted: 3/28/2009 7:06 PM

moozooh

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My 603rd attempt was successful.

Anyone else made it yet? Kuwaga?

Posted: 3/28/2009 8:14 PM

Derakon

Joined: 7/2/2007
Posts: 3960

I've made it through once around about 250 deaths. Didn't have anywhere near as much money as you do, though, since my strategy was basically to get a sceptre, then dive for the last level, then kill the boss as quickly as possible.

Pyrel - an open-source rewrite of the Angband roguelike game in Python.

Posted: 3/29/2009 3:51 AM

Kuwaga

Joined: 10/20/2006
Posts: 1248

Something like that:

I know I enjoyed commiting suicide in the first levels a lot. XD

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