Slime World anyone?

2013-05-31 10:54:52 pm

Anything you can do I can do halfass

So today, possibly in anticipation of meeting some folks tomorrow and possibly just because today was payday and my local vintage shop had a bizarrely good selection of the sorts of games that I'm not actively looking for but willingly add to my purchase just because I happen to be in the same store that they are, I acquired an Atari Lynx (bringing my total system count up to ~39). With this Lynx I rediscovered a little niche title called Slime World. More specifically, Todd's Adventures in Slime World. Apparently it's out for Lynx, Genesis and PC Engine. Modulo graphics and music, the Genesis ROM I tried essentially matches the Lynx version.

Both are... I would say excellently charming games in the PJ sense of the phrase. Choose any of 6 areas at the start, and then solo or with up to 2 (Genesis) to 8 (Lynx) players, ... get through the area. Basically, it's a giant platformer mazerun with really... okay... the physics... er... you are designed to do things that are already special, like climbing any wall from a walking start. The walking and jumping we shall never speak of again save to say that they got the jump button and the shoot button reversed AND YOU CAN'T CHANGE IT >.<. Everything you shoot explodes into slime, and both the slime and your shots have their own happy physicsoid behavior. Also, damage is... a thing. It sticks to you until you wash it off. Unless you have invincibility, which is fairly liberally distributed, at least in area 1.

But that said, while I'm not a runner myself, there are quite a few strategic and execution elements which I think could make this game a legitimately enjoyable and fairly brief speedrun, at least once you learn it. Any volunteers, or shall I contemplate posting a bounty?

As a crash-course, the Genesis controls are
Move/aim: D-pad
Pick up item: D-pad down while standing by it
Jump: B
Shoot: C
Use item: Hold A to bring up the menu (game keeps going), D-pad left/right to select item, and then press D-pad Up if you wish to use it.

Most items can be figured out by experimentation. Particularly useful ones are
- Shield: Grants invincibility when used
- Red gem: Grants invincibility when picked up
- Bait: attracts monsters (and if it's there, you'll probably need it)
- Bomb: clears all enemies and items out of the room it explodes in (thrown forward when used)

Also, there are MANY secret passages, frequently chock full of red gems. And continues from the most recent checkpoint (minus any items you picked up) are infinite, so death abuse could easily be a thing for clearing out rooms.

Thread title:

So today, possibly in anticipation of meeting some folks tomorrow and possibly just because today was payday and my local vintage shop had a bizarrely good selection of the sorts of games that I'm not actively looking for but willingly add to my purchase just because I happen to be in the same store that they are, I acquired an Atari Lynx (bringing my total system count up to ~39).  With this Lynx I rediscovered a little niche title called Slime World.  More specifically, Todd's Adventures in Slime World.  Apparently it's out for Lynx, Genesis and PC Engine.  Modulo graphics and music, the Genesis ROM I tried essentially matches the Lynx version.

Both are... I would say excellently charming games in the PJ sense of the phrase.  Choose any of 6 areas at the start, and then solo or with up to 2 (Genesis) to 8 (Lynx) players, ... get through the area.  Basically, it's a giant platformer mazerun with really... okay... the physics... er... you are designed to do things that are already special, like climbing any wall from a walking start.  The walking and jumping we shall never speak of again save to say that they got the jump button and the shoot button reversed AND YOU CAN'T CHANGE IT >.<.  Everything you shoot explodes into slime, and both the slime and your shots have their own happy physicsoid behavior.  Also, damage is... a thing.  It sticks to you until you wash it off.  Unless you have invincibility, which is fairly liberally distributed, at least in area 1.

But that said, while I'm not a runner myself, there are quite a few strategic and execution elements which I think could make this game a legitimately enjoyable and fairly brief speedrun, at least once you learn it.  Any volunteers, or shall I contemplate posting a bounty?

As a crash-course, the Genesis controls are
Move/aim: D-pad
Pick up item: D-pad down while standing by it
Jump: B
Shoot: C
Use item: Hold A to bring up the menu (game keeps going), D-pad left/right to select item, and then press D-pad Up if you wish to use it.

Most items can be figured out by experimentation.  Particularly useful ones are
- Shield: Grants invincibility when used
- Red gem: Grants invincibility when picked up
- Bait: attracts monsters (and if it's there, you'll probably need it)
- Bomb: clears all enemies and items out of the room it explodes in (thrown forward when used)

Also, there are MANY secret passages, frequently chock full of red gems.  And continues from the most recent checkpoint (minus any items you picked up) are infinite, so death abuse could easily be a thing for clearing out rooms.

Lone_Kilted_Ninja

2013-06-07 10:11:01 pm

Anything you can do I can do halfass

ye gods... I have been playing the Logic map for 3 consecutive hours. ON SO MANY LEVELS THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING. Lynx batteries, why have you foresaken me and lasted this long?!?!
...
must... finish... game... ;@_@;

Lone_Kilted_Ninja

2013-06-09 11:42:18 am

Anything you can do I can do halfass

DONE! ... with the Logic game. 3.5 hours. I may actually contemplate running this mode just for the sheer masochism. It would NEED to be password-segmented just because a few rooms are literally RNG Cadence: the Platformer, and one or two are precision sequential execution, which given the controls, is also ~25% RNG. Apart from those, though, Logic looks to be a fairly cleanand satisfying mode to run since most rooms have a particular single intended solution, and very few areas leave open the option or grant any benefit from carrying over items, so it's not really a route-planny challenge until very late. Total optimal time could be as little as a tenth of my first play, on account of retries and RNG luck which could be optimized out.

A few more notes for anyone playing along at home which aren't in either the manual or the in-game instructions:
- there is a high jump the game expects you to know or figure out: hold up when jumping.
- there is a triangle jump the game expects you to work out in precisely 1 location: (long?) jump into a slick wall and jump again as soon as you touch it. While you still can't climb it, you can usually get a quick about-face and a bit more height.
- jetpacks have unlimited duration, but touching water/sludge kills you.
- birds are jerks. All enemies but 2 are birds. Those 2 suck even more.

DONE! ... with the Logic game.  3.5 hours.  I may actually contemplate running this mode just for the sheer masochism.  It would NEED to be password-segmented just because a few rooms are literally RNG Cadence: the Platformer, and one or two are precision sequential execution, which given the controls, is also ~25% RNG.  Apart from those, though, Logic looks to be a fairly cleanand satisfying mode to run since most rooms have a particular single intended solution, and very few areas leave open the option or grant any benefit from carrying over items, so it's not really a route-planny challenge until very late.  Total optimal time could be as little as a tenth of my first play, on account of retries and RNG luck which could be optimized out.

A few more notes for anyone playing along at home which aren't in either the manual or the in-game instructions:
- there is a high jump the game expects you to know or figure out: hold up when jumping.
- there is a triangle jump the game expects you to work out in precisely 1 location: (long?) jump into a slick wall and jump again as soon as you touch it.  While you still can't climb it, you can usually get a quick about-face and a bit more height.
- jetpacks have unlimited duration, but touching water/sludge kills you.
- birds are jerks.  All enemies but 2 are birds.  Those 2 suck even more.

Lone_Kilted_Ninja

2013-06-13 09:20:52 pm

Anything you can do I can do halfass

Fair warning: the more I play this game, the more I'm seriously contemplating running it.
Planning phase 1 is making an updated map of Logic based on LX.NET's vintage work from http://atariage.com/forums/topic/184677-maps-to-todds-adventures-in-slime-world/
I'm ~2/3 through transferring the rough layout (with some corrections and additions) to a proper clean bitmap onto which I then hope to annotate not just pickup locations, savegates and passwords, but also enemy patterns and what I find to be the quickest routes through the trickier rooms.

Phase 2, once I've stared at the maps enough to more or less know them is I'm thinking maybe capturing a single-segment practice with whatever happens, likely including copious deaths and retries. There's going to be a lot of slog, to be sure, and a 2-hour estimate may not be out of ballpark even segmented and sans deaths. Which, if you think about it, is an insane size for one of 6 independent game modes on a handheld from the early '90s.

Phase 3 would ideally be seeing someone see my run and decide they can do it much better (which was my first experience attempting a run here...), but that failing, probably acquire the Genesis cart, choose my segments, and go at it.

Also, for the record, Energizer 2300mAh 1.2v rechargeables last about 5.5 hours in an Atari Lynx. And then take probably 8h to recharge depending on charger. Which is why I have a second set of rechargeable batteries because hey, who ~isn't~ crazy enough to play Lynx for more than 5 hours straight?? ... T_T

Anyway, I'll probably start a new thread in the casual/planning section once I have a map together.

Fair warning: the more I play this game, the more I'm seriously contemplating running it.  
Planning phase 1 is making an updated map of Logic based on LX.NET's vintage work from http://atariage.com/forums/topic/184677-maps-to-todds-adventures-in-slime-world/
I'm ~2/3 through transferring the rough layout (with some corrections and additions) to a proper clean bitmap onto which I then hope to annotate not just pickup locations, savegates and passwords, but also enemy patterns and what I find to be the quickest routes through the trickier rooms.

Phase 2, once I've stared at the maps enough to more or less know them is I'm thinking maybe capturing a single-segment practice with whatever happens, likely including copious deaths and retries.  There's going to be a lot of slog, to be sure, and a 2-hour estimate may not be out of ballpark even segmented and sans deaths.  Which, if you think about it, is an insane size for one of 6 independent game modes on a handheld from the early '90s.

Phase 3 would ideally be seeing someone see my run and decide they can do it much better (which was my first experience attempting a run here...), but that failing, probably acquire the Genesis cart, choose my segments, and go at it.

Also, for the record, Energizer 2300mAh 1.2v rechargeables last about 5.5 hours in an Atari Lynx.  And then take probably 8h to recharge depending on charger.  Which is why I have a second set of rechargeable batteries because hey, who ~isn't~ crazy enough to play Lynx for more than 5 hours straight?? ...  T_T

Anyway, I'll probably start a new thread in the casual/planning section once I have a map together.