[Mercury]

This is the greatest thing ever!

Something about how the music, art, graphical effects, and confusing layout all come together creates a great mood. Mood is something I miss in most hacks - they usually feel like hacks, with bits from here and there that don't really add up. But I got "lost" in this (pardon the expression!) and actually reeled in surprise when I first went low enough to enter the "hellish" area. I could almost feel the heat!

I know that the extent of my hacking achievements is taking some rings out of Sonic 1, so just about anything seems amazing to me, but the technical prowess here is astounding.

Anyway, I had a lot of fun.

Oh, and the Jesters are sooo cute! I want to hug them!

[E-122-Psi]

Yay you got it finished. Quality project with a unique concept (how'd ya get that music on the MD soundchip?).

Also hard as sin. I will foil this maze, Markey, mark my words.

[MarkeyJester]

Though I do have one question: is the music just a series of DAC samples played together?

Indeed it is yes, well spotted!

The reason for this is insted of having an entire PCM track in the rom taking up space, they're in small samples that can be repeated and reused to make the tracks feel longer while keeping rom size down. Of course, if you would create a sounddriver that could do a better job of this (which knowing your work on sounddrivers, I think you could) then I'd certainly use it for future projects if any =)

Where are the musics from?

I'd like to know this as well.

They're written in the credits screen at the end of the game, but I'll post them here anyway:

Param Zone = By DJ Ron - Dangerous (Cannan Land)
Param Zone ICE = By Toshio Shimizu and Tate Norio (Yasuo Yamate) - Last Resort (The Melting Pot)
Invincible = By Ultraworld - Northern Piano (Hardcore Piano Mix) but "sorta" remixed by myself.
Boss Theme = By Tweaker - created for the hack.
Credits Theme = By Unknown - Fantazia 1992

[Overlord]

A very nice technical achievement, but I stopped finding it fun after the row of about 4 or 5 monitors switching the layers in a row cheated me out of what was likely the way to the boss. Another hour's play has failed to turn up the same spot, at which point I've given up. =| Haven't seen any of these signs people are talking about, either.

Do the ice monitors actually DO anything apart from turn the level to ice? I'm guessing the B hint things just point to the nearest layer switch monitor rather than offer path hints, as well.

[SonicVaan]

Do the ice monitors actually DO anything apart from turn the level to ice?

No, not really. Like Markey said, it's one of the proof of concept things. =P

[Ritz]

I love this and I love you. What makes this all the more charming is that I know exactly where you got the idea from! There aren't very many people who can appreciate this sort of thing, but I always found The Project theraputic, running full tilt through an endless series of tubes with bangin' music and some really atmospheric visuals. You came pretty damn close to replicating that specific vibe here.

Now, tell me there's a digitized sprite of yourself that vomits on you when you get too close hidden in there somewhere so I'll have an incentive to play it again.

[Jan Abaza]

This is awesome. It's such a big and confusing maze, and the whole experience really trippy! I love it. Didn't finish it yet, but according to the signs, I was on the right track a couple of times.

Those multi-layered backgrounds are damn impressive on their own account, by the way. If I may ask...did the mushroom hill bg deformation code have anything to do with them..?

This post has been edited by Jan Abaza: 08 December 2010 - 05:26 PM

[Ritz]

It's just a couple of sprites in the background that scroll in time with the parallax, right? Given everything else he's accomplished here, I can't imagine the effect is too advanced.

This post has been edited by Ritz: 08 December 2010 - 05:30 PM

[MarkeyJester]

I'm guessing the B hint things just point to the nearest layer switch monitor rather than offer path hints, as well.

No, they point the direction I set them to point, all of them point the correct path/direction within reason (except one but it's obvious which one that is when you find it and hasn't lead you anywhere far from the right direction). I'm also aware that one or two have struggled to find it possible to complete, here is a YouTube clip showing the way through, but be warned, if you haven't played the game or want it to be a proper challenge then watching that clip will simply ruin the game for you.

I love this and I love you. What makes this all the more charming is that I know exactly where you got the idea from! There aren't very many people who can appreciate this sort of thing, but I always found The Project theraputic, running full tilt through an endless series of tubes with bangin' music and some really atmospheric visuals. You came pretty damn close to replicating that specific vibe here.

Avast! I see someone else also has a love for that particular level in Gex! It was a brilliant level and really unique, it gave a nice break from the rest of the game being different in it's own way, but at the same time didn't ruin the concept and control of the character =)

Now, tell me there's a digitized sprite of yourself that vomits on you when you get too close hidden in there somewhere so I'll have an incentive to play it again.

Well I'm not saying there is, then again, I'm not saying there isn't =P

As for the parallaxing, parts are sprites like the windmills and the bars that are the closest to you, though other parts like the bars that are furthest away, the Warm to Ice change and Markey's sprites are animated tiles loaded into V-Ram every frame. So it's half and half.

[Jay T.]

I finally got to the boss...so unfair! I was told to run, and I did. What happens? It lands on TOP OF ME! DX

This is a great concept, but man it's frustrating. I might try again later, depending on my mood.

[D.A. Garden]

So, on my first attempt I spent a solid hour getting (lost several times and then) to the end... only to die against you know what. So, I set off again. And a third time until I finally killed him. Geez, I certainly wasn't ready, that's for sure.
On a technical note, this is amazing to see in action and to play. The graphics and layout changing on the fly, different temperatures, the ice monitor in and of itself, etc. All worthy of a "Wow" moment from me.
I do love the music as well. Quite nice to listen to something that isn't "port of another MD game" while running around in the maze, so I was impressed with that also. You might have opened my mind up to some jungle music, though... don't know if that's a good thing.
Only one annoying thing I got out of this (Which isn't your fault, at all), is that playing it through Picodrive on the PSP, the individual DAC samples are obvious, due to a slight pause between each one. I found myself switching off the music, as it didn't sound too good like this. Just thought I'd mention it.

[Jimmy Hedgehog]

I absolutely loved this! And the boss was an awesome, and semi-frustrating surprise XD Would love another one though that probably won't happen so yeah =P

[Overlord]

I'm guessing the B hint things just point to the nearest layer switch monitor rather than offer path hints, as well.

No, they point the direction I set them to point, all of them point the correct path/direction within reason (except one but it's obvious which one that is when you find it and hasn't lead you anywhere far from the right direction). I'm also aware that one or two have struggled to find it possible to complete, here is a YouTube clip showing the way through, but be warned, if you haven't played the game or want it to be a proper challenge then watching that clip will simply ruin the game for you.

OK, wow. I was nowhere NEAR the boss. Not a chance I'll have the patience to finish this, thank you for the video! I wasn't expecting that boss, but it does make a certain something make sense now. =P Also lol at the post-music credits

EDIT: Actually, even having watched that clip, I'm still not sure I'd be able to beat it without playing alongside the video =P

[Ritz]

So, am I really the only one who had the good sense to savestate on that long runway before the boss? How could you anticipate anything other than bullshit at the end of something like that? I was honestly expecting it to drop me off at the very beginning of the stage.

[RGamer2009]

So, am I really the only one who had the good sense to savestate on that long runway before the boss? How could you anticipate anything other than bullshit at the end of something like that? I was honestly expecting it to drop me off at the very beginning of the stage.

I learned that the hard way. Savestated it the 2nd time.

Even the 2nd time, I was having some trouble completing the maze.

Oh, and one other thing...I STILL HAVE YET TO BEAT THE BOSS. D:

This post has been edited by RGamer2009: 09 December 2010 - 05:08 PM