Former player
Joined: 7/2/2005
Posts: 309
Location: Baltimore, MD
With Cabal done, I can move on to other things. I noticed this game in the "Top Games that Haven't Been Done Yet" thread, or one of them anyway and decided to give it a go. I'm having fun with it, currently playing through to get a feel for it. The story of the game (from GameFaqs) is: You are Amagon, a pilot who crashed and is now stuck on a small, crescent shaped island. On the other side of the island you see a boat, your only means to escape the island. Armed only with your rifle, you must journey across 12 dangerous zones and escape on the boat. Amagon can transform into the mighty Megagon when he gets the Mega Key, who is bigger, stronger, faster, and can take more hits. So, any thoughts on how I should do this?
Guybrush: "I'm selling these fine leather jackets." Wally: "Really?" Guybrush: "No. I 'm lying." Wally: "In that case, I don't want one!" Currently working on: Nothing at the moment.
Former player
Joined: 7/2/2005
Posts: 309
Location: Baltimore, MD
Moreover, would anyone like to see a run of this game?
Guybrush: "I'm selling these fine leather jackets." Wally: "Really?" Guybrush: "No. I 'm lying." Wally: "In that case, I don't want one!" Currently working on: Nothing at the moment.
Joined: 11/18/2005
Posts: 4
Location: here
Count me in as wanting to see a run. Only because I had the game as a kid and it remains the butt of many jokes between my old friends and I to this day. God did I hate that game. I'd still like to see anything beyond stage two though. Being able to see it without playing it is definitely worth the price of admission.
Of course, I could be lying.
Former player
Joined: 11/13/2005
Posts: 1587
I'd like to see a TAS of this game (Had it on my Famicom). I could also help you with this run, so post WIPs as often as you can;)
Joined: 11/26/2005
Posts: 16
Location: Storrs, CT
I would -love- to see a run of this game. This was one of my faves from about 20 years ago, even though I never did get past the second stage.
Former player
Joined: 7/2/2005
Posts: 309
Location: Baltimore, MD
It's settled then, this run is to be done. I should have a WIP up within a day or so. Funny, most people can't seem to get past the second stage when I find it to be pretty easy. One thing I want to know is would you guys prefer I transformed into Megagon as soon as I get the key or should I wait and save him for bosses? The key drop is different in each level and in some levels, like the second stage, the key drops at the very beginning.
Guybrush: "I'm selling these fine leather jackets." Wally: "Really?" Guybrush: "No. I 'm lying." Wally: "In that case, I don't want one!" Currently working on: Nothing at the moment.
Skilled player (1886)
Joined: 4/20/2005
Posts: 2160
Location: Norrköping, Sweden
I haven't played this game a lot before, but I remember the part where you turn into Megagon. As to whether or not you should transform into Megagon or not as soon as you get the key , you should ask yourself these two question: 1. Does it make the run any faster to transform into Megagon directly? 2. If turning into Megagon as soon as you get the key is exactly as fast as turning into Megagon when you get to the boss, the question only comes down to whether or not it makes the run more interesting to play as Megagon. Personally, I would prefer if you transformed to Megagon as soon as you get the key (because I find him really cool), IF this is exactly as fast as transforming right before the boss since you should always aim for the fastest time. A WIP would be nice, I'll watch it and give some feedback on it once you get it up, I too would really like to see this run! Other than that, I wish you good luck on this, Tailz!
Former player
Joined: 7/2/2005
Posts: 309
Location: Baltimore, MD
Woo! Managed to get a WIP done for the first 2 levels quicker than I thought. http://dehacked.2y.net/microstorage.php/info/488/Amagon%20%28U%29.fcm In this WIP I waited until I got to the boss to transform into Megagon. It is somewhat easier to play as Amagon than Megagon because Amagon uses a rifle and Megagon uses his fists. While he can take a hit and not die, Megagon's fist control is crappy. He does have an energy(?) attack that is pretty powerful, but using it depletes his health. Depending on what you guys think, I may go back and do it again, this time transforming as soon as I get the key. Another thing to consider is Megagon's health. His health is determined by how many points you have when you transform. Every 5,000 points gets him another notch on his health bar. So if you have 20k points when you transform, you'll have 4 notches.
Guybrush: "I'm selling these fine leather jackets." Wally: "Really?" Guybrush: "No. I 'm lying." Wally: "In that case, I don't want one!" Currently working on: Nothing at the moment.
Skilled player (1886)
Joined: 4/20/2005
Posts: 2160
Location: Norrköping, Sweden
Looks good so far! One question though: Around frame 3400 you let a snake jump over you, and you back a bit and then shoot the snake. Wouldn't it be faster to just turn around for 1 frame, before he jumps, and shoot him and then continue running?
Former player
Joined: 7/2/2005
Posts: 309
Location: Baltimore, MD
I noticed that too. I'm not sure why that happened, I thought I had turned around and shot it. I'll redo it at some point.
Guybrush: "I'm selling these fine leather jackets." Wally: "Really?" Guybrush: "No. I 'm lying." Wally: "In that case, I don't want one!" Currently working on: Nothing at the moment.
Former player
Joined: 7/2/2005
Posts: 309
Location: Baltimore, MD
I redid the WIP and fixed the snake part around frame 3400. I also managed to shave 3 seconds off the time, from 2:50 to 2:47! http://dehacked.2y.net/microstorage.php/info/490/Amagon2%20%28U%29.fcm
Guybrush: "I'm selling these fine leather jackets." Wally: "Really?" Guybrush: "No. I 'm lying." Wally: "In that case, I don't want one!" Currently working on: Nothing at the moment.
Former player
Joined: 11/13/2005
Posts: 1587
Looking good! I didn't find anything to complain about.:)
Skilled player (1886)
Joined: 4/20/2005
Posts: 2160
Location: Norrköping, Sweden
Yeah, looks good! I didn't find any flaw this time, so continue working with this. I see you changed tactics on the bosses some too. Good luck!
Emulator Coder, Former player
Joined: 10/2/2005
Posts: 563
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Looking good. Haven't seen this game played since I got a Game Players Magazine video on how to beat it (which was a good 15 years ago, back when "slow-mo" was the new big thing ... but it was annoying to watch). Can't wait till you're done :)
Experienced player (527)
Joined: 11/14/2004
Posts: 169
Location: Mirabel, Québec, Canada
I tried Amagon too, earlier this year, I never finished it but got about halfway through the game (3-2) in 9 minutes ... simple game to make a run of (since it's just run and shoot), but still looks cool with the perfect reflexes. http://acmlm.cjb.net:2/emu/nes/fceu/fcs/Amagon-1.fcm Mine is about 5 seconds ahead at the end of 1-2, I think most of it is because: - I jump off platforms at the last possible frame (gives me a little boost ahead while sliding off the corner) - I used Up+B to beat the minibosses (and I only got one on 1-2, not 2) - I didn't have to stop running at all (the only time I did was in 3-1, something was in the way and took 16 shots to kill) - You lose 1 frame when jumping, so I minimized the jumps (but then shooting everything you can in front of you would be nice) There's also a glitch at the end of 2-1 and 3-1, where I die but still finish the level, instead of having to kill the enemies there (16 shots each).
Former player
Joined: 7/2/2005
Posts: 309
Location: Baltimore, MD
Yeah, I could've killed the bosses at 1-1 and 1-2 quicker with Up+B but I didn't have the life to do it (each Up+B costs 1 notch on the health bar). Update time! New WIP, next two stages done! http://dehacked.2y.net/microstorage.php/info/495/Amagon2%20%28U%29.fcm Here's a savestate: http://impact.megarpg.net/Amagon(U).fc0 The levels are getting longer and tougher. I had a tough time with this WIP, but it was really fun too. At one point I have to stop and shoot an elephant because there is no way around it. He takes 16 shots to kill.
Guybrush: "I'm selling these fine leather jackets." Wally: "Really?" Guybrush: "No. I 'm lying." Wally: "In that case, I don't want one!" Currently working on: Nothing at the moment.
Former player
Joined: 11/13/2005
Posts: 1587
Great work!! Didn't find anything that wasn't as fast as possible. Really liked the level 2-2! Keep up with the good work.
Experienced player (527)
Joined: 11/14/2004
Posts: 169
Location: Mirabel, Québec, Canada
- You had enough life to use Up+B for the bosses in 1-1 and 1-2, except maybe at the end for 1-2 where I also used the punch attack - That elephant in 2-1 can't be avoided, but it can be killed without slowing down (just barely) if you start shooting early. I also avoided the first elephant without stopping But things I noticed that seemed better than in my run: - You go around and shoot enemies a lot more (while I only killed what was in the way), which was more interesting, and you scored more points - Killing the 2 elephants at the end of 2-1 seems a little faster than what I did (jumping past them, dying and waiting for them to exit on the right) Other than the few things I pointed out (my run was 11 seconds ahead at this point), it does look pretty good, and I'd also like to see what the second half of the game is like since I didn't get that far.
Former player
Joined: 7/2/2005
Posts: 309
Location: Baltimore, MD
Acmlm wrote:
- You had enough life to use Up+B for the bosses in 1-1 and 1-2, except maybe at the end for 1-2 where I also used the punch attack
Technically I had enough life to do it, but that would have made it more difficult to get his health back because of the low score I would be left with.
Acmlm wrote:
- That elephant in 2-1 can't be avoided, but it can be killed without slowing down (just barely) if you start shooting early.
I tried that a few times and I probably could've killed it quicker if I tried harder. The annoying thing is Amagon can only fire 3 shots at a time and only 3 bullets can be out on the screen at a time making it difficult to fire a lot of shots into something from a distance. When I got closer to the elephant and the shots started to speed up it was hard to keep track of how many I fired. There was one more elephant I had to kill and it's in 2-2. I tried jumping over him and it seems like he will just make it but the elephant stops walking at one point, making it impossible to jump over. It looks like he keeps walking but he is actually walking in place. It took me a while to realize that, which counted for several rerecords. The next two levels will be done tomorrow if not later tonight. The levels will pick up now because I have Megagon at full health, enabling me to use his Up+B move more at bosses. I'm also thinking about doing another Amagon run but using Megagon as soon as I get him, which is pretty early in the levels as you have seen.
Guybrush: "I'm selling these fine leather jackets." Wally: "Really?" Guybrush: "No. I 'm lying." Wally: "In that case, I don't want one!" Currently working on: Nothing at the moment.
Former player
Joined: 7/2/2005
Posts: 309
Location: Baltimore, MD
Time for another update! The next 2 levels, 3-1 and 3-2 are done! Get it here Here's a savestate: http://impact.megarpg.net/Amagon (U).fc0
Guybrush: "I'm selling these fine leather jackets." Wally: "Really?" Guybrush: "No. I 'm lying." Wally: "In that case, I don't want one!" Currently working on: Nothing at the moment.
Former player
Joined: 11/13/2005
Posts: 1587
Again, you do just amazing work!!!
Joined: 7/20/2004
Posts: 108
Not bad at all. I rented this game several times as a kid, thinking I'd be able to at least get further than the last time. I think 4-2 was as far as I got before I gave up on it. You have more than enough bullets, you should be killing as much as possible (without slowing down, of course). You skipped nearly all of the mushrooms in area 1. Since most of the enemies seem to die in one hit, I wouldn't bother with Megagon until you have some unavoidable big enemies coming up. Yeah, if you start firing early, I think you can take down elephants and alligators with the gun. Another fun idea would be to waste all your bullets as fast as you can and stock-bash your way through the game, assuming you can do so while running.
Skilled player (1886)
Joined: 4/20/2005
Posts: 2160
Location: Norrköping, Sweden
Good job! The jungle-areas were very entertaing, since there were so many enemies to shoot. I especially like dit how you handled the swarms of dragonflies that flew towards you :) How much of the game do you have left now, Tailz?
Former player
Joined: 7/2/2005
Posts: 309
Location: Baltimore, MD
I'm half-way through the game right now. I should have another WIP up sometime today. As for shooting everything I can, I found that it's faster to only shoot the things in my way and dodge the others than to shoot absolutely everything. If Amagon could fire diagonlly I would definately shoot more enemies, but he can only fire straight, forcing you to jump to hit higher enemies. It's been proven that you lost a frame while jumping so I'm trying to minimize the amount of jumps I make.
OmegaFlareX wrote:
Another fun idea would be to waste all your bullets as fast as you can and stock-bash your way through the game, assuming you can do so while running.
I never thought of that. It would be interesting to see but how would I get rid of all the bullets? You start with 300 or so and I can't just fire at nothing. I did however find a Game Genie code that makes you start with no bullets, but I'm not sure if a run with that would be allowed. Also, I don't know if it only works for the first stage. Either way, I think it's definately worth looking into. Thanks for the complements everyone!
Guybrush: "I'm selling these fine leather jackets." Wally: "Really?" Guybrush: "No. I 'm lying." Wally: "In that case, I don't want one!" Currently working on: Nothing at the moment.
Former player
Joined: 7/2/2005
Posts: 309
Location: Baltimore, MD
The next two levels are done, get the WIP here As always, here's a savestate: http://impact.megarpg.net/Amagon1.fc0 Expect another WIP tomorrow.
Guybrush: "I'm selling these fine leather jackets." Wally: "Really?" Guybrush: "No. I 'm lying." Wally: "In that case, I don't want one!" Currently working on: Nothing at the moment.