Badniks & Bosses

Gracias, Sir!

I think more platforms isn't the way to go. That moves into the realm of bullshit. The realm of artificial difficulty.

I'd like to suggest a different direction. I think the best way to "harden" a boss is to find what's weak about it, and the strengthen that aspect. With this boss, I find that the weak link is the laser. It's slow. It's easy to dodge. You can get several hits in before it fires. So I've made it faster, fire more often, and have a smaller vulnerability window. I find it pretty challenging with just 3 platforms, but I can add more back if you want. I've also increased the speed of the platforms by a small amount.

<a href="http://www.xmission.com/~jake_reed/files/other/WFZHardBoss2.zip" target="_blank">WFZ Hard Mode Boss Concept v2</a>

Also, to whoever put all the comments in the code for this boss, I love you; you've made my life very easy.

Edit: Current version:
<a href="http://www.xmission.com/~jake_reed/files/other/WFZHardBoss6.zip" target="_blank">WFZ Hard Mode Boss Concept v6</a>

 

I don't know if you guys are still taking ideas for hard mode Badniks, but I was messing around with the beta version of Sonic 2 the other day and I felt that the bat Badnik in the scrapped Hidden Palace Zone could make for a good enemy in a hard mode Mystic Cave Zone. The bat could hide in the foliage, swoop down to attack the player when it is approached, and then fly quickly back up into the foliage to hide. Destroying it will depend on quick wits or knowing when to expect it to come flying down at you.

I actually was having the same idea in mind here, but I want to add another thing to make it even harder: a bottomless pit, in the middle of the arena. There could still be just more than enough space at the sides, near the totem, for the player to stand on, and there will be a platform over it at first that collapses as the totem poles rise up from the ground.

 

I have no code-type skills whatsoever, but I have an idea to contribute. For Oil Ocean's boss, the laser could shoot at the area where it's easy to avoid it -- the area under the platforms where you have to constantly jump to stay alive. Also, the giant claw that Robotnik launches could be two claws instead, shooting one and then the other. Just putting that out there.

 

I like that idea. Doesn't allow for cheap tactics.

Oh, just read a bit further up the thread. That's exactly what we're talking about :P.

 

That actually sounds rather interesting, however, it's more of a cheap kill when you die than an honest shot.

Nice idea for the extra claw. Currently, OOZ stands like this: "No oil to stand on / The oil on fire" and "the tail flying over you hurts." This could use some extra HARDness.


However, now we're talking, first I'd like to hear some ideas for the Casino Nights Zone boss.

 

Guys, no offense, but why are you even discussing something that probably won't be done (or started, for that matter) until the game's finished, when not even a quarter of the project is actually done?

 

No seriously.

 

I react whenever people post in this thread, be it useful in your eyes or not. I have little faith in the project for now, since our "team" seems pretty much bored shitless with it and doesn't seem to make any brave or honest attempts of letting us know that it's been scrapped for over 4 months. No-one HAS to contribute anymore, we're all just waiting for the 1st level demo :/

That said, I still like messing around with ideas that would make this hypothetical project cool.



Soooo... CNZ? I already had the idea to stick a bumper between the flipper and the wall to not allow rolling up, but I bet he can be made a lot harder.

 

Scrapped? Ack. I hope you weren't 100% serious with that statement. o_O

 

Doubt it. I think they just like keeping everything to themselves (don't be offended, I'm not totally serious). So I'll just wait until it's released, and good luck to them .

 

Maybe the demo will re-invigorate the community. But does that really matter in the short run? There have been no contributions for what seems like a half a year, 4-5+ months. Your efforts won't go any further than the post you put it in unless you staff. Its really the staff's game at this point.

I'd like to hope they are making progress with 4-5+ months of work. This forum almost seems obsolete. Maybe it should just be turned into a myth/speculation/general discussion for Sonic 2 HD.

I have no doubts that I will be blown away from the finished demo. But with no demo yet, even with whatever amazing details and polish they add to the game, progress is at a crawl. All I can do is cheer on the staff.

So: Woo staff!
Hope the game isn't a myth.

 

The way I'm looking at it is that I don't expect anything before this year is out. Christmas is coming and I'm sure the staff are all going to be busy with their lives than to really concentrate on this project.

 

I am a big fan of different difficulties since Sonic Jam. That game proved it is possible to make the game easier by changing the object layout and level order. That means it is possible to make the game harder by doing the same thing. (I will have a discussion with Saxman soon about this. Just to point out, Saxman has been a great ally to our project! I hope more people choose to help, like he did ).
But we can also go further, by changing the characteristics of badniks and bosses. If you have had an idea for a very long time about just that, then you might have something that works! Because we need really good ideas that are well thought through, or ICEknight will bite your head off (no kidding, hehe).

 

Coconuts can throw his nuts at both sides of the tree, or throw them in a slightly straighter angle that follows Sonic?
Buzzer can fly faster or move and shoot at the same time?
Masher could maybe have a spike up his head so he can't be hit on top?


Oh, and put them all on fire.

 

We could just make everyone follow and actually aim at Sonic.

 

Or have different moves, like the buzz bomber dives for Sonic or coconuts explodes into spikes that fly off everywhere. What Why should the badniks be limited to their current moves and attacks.

 

I don't know... it would definitely be fun to do, but it shouldn't become a completely different game from the "easy" setting.


That said, I still vouch for the inclusion of the many awesome badniks that got scrapped.