The Authorized Contest

[Quote58]

Alright metconst, it's time for the first contest of our new system.

The Authorized Contest:
Brought to you by the Liquid Crushment Committee.
Complaints are not authorized.

When:
February 1st - April 14th
Games:
Any Metroid Title

Contest:
Welcome to The Authorized Contest, where your goal will be to present a hack based on none other than your perfect military imitation of that perfect military mind, Adam Malkovich. The goal is to make a hack that Adam would have approved of so hard he'd authorize it even if it didn't prevent heat damage and the next room was burning up.

Rules:
The hack is required to present a challenge to the player they can't pass. Such as a cliff overhang they can't walljump up, but something like a Shinespark or Space Jump would allow them access. And then, you have to not allow the player to have the item until after they get past the point where it would've been most useful. This can be accomplished with any Metroid title, and the exact details of which are entirely up to you. You get to choose the obstacle and how to go about making your perfect military trap.

There is no size limit with this hack, only a requirement that it ends with your game of choice rolling the credits for the player. Obviously try to pay special attention to the quality of the hack as well. Don't want any permastucks or bad tiling to ruin your hack. Also a stronger theme showing the impassable section and the Adam effect afterword will result in a better score.

Collabs are allowed.

Judging:
Judging this time is going to be handled by the committee and the contest entrants. We will have a scoring system with different values that can be given. An entrant cannot rate their own hack, and an entrant will also be penalized for not providing a judging score for the other entries.
Scoring System Breakdown:
Theme Strength: 10 Points Max
How strong is your inner Adam? Nailing this not only proves you have a perfect military mind, but also gives you lots of points!
Quality Control: 5 Points Max
No slope errors? No softlocks? No tiling errors? Congrats on your Anthony Higgins "treat a lady to these bonus points" award!
Enjoyability: 5 Points Max
Sure, being a perfect military mind sucks, but if your hack is still fun to play, you can use the PTSD to build a massive score!
Graphics: 5 Points Max
So this is just the general look of your hack. Making that perfect military look is going to make yours stand out!
Not Submitting a Judgement: -10 Points
Not grading your counterparts on their perfect military hacks is going to cause the deletor to come and wipe out up to 40% of your total score. Much like Other M, you don't want that to happen.

Collab Judging:
If a collab is entered, only one member from that team may submit a review of the other hacks. Since they cannot judge their own, this will keep it an even 1 review across the board.

Let's see some great hacks this contest metconst!

[liamnajor]

that was fast! it hasn't even been 4 months since the fall hack contest. I'm liking the new structure :yay:
also, real hack from me this time.

[OneOf99]

that was fast! it hasn't even been 4 months since the fall hack contest. I'm liking the new structure :yay:
also, real hack from me this time.

Well the new idea is for 3 contests a year so...


Would like a clarification: how much time do entry owners have to write their reviews for the other hacks after contest ends?

[MetroidMst]

April 30th is the deadline.

[Jiffy]

My name is Adam, and I didn't authorise you to post this contest.
Honestly, the contest specification makes little sense to me. The specification says "The hack is required to present a challenge to the player they can't pass.", but isn't that what every game does anyway? Present a challenge to you, and then tell you to get an item before you can advance? And then there's "And then, you have to not allow the player to have the item until after they get past the point where it would've been most useful.", which basically means placing items in the wrong order or what? This really confuses me. Everything really confuses me. I'm just gonna go hack Other M instead.

[Technomagus]

That's pretty much it.  It's just like the heat run in Other M.  The player needs to take a laborious path (such as an extended suitless underwater segment), then they get an item that makes traversing that room trivial, and never encounter a room like it again.  Just like how in Other M there were no indication of heated rooms other than the forced climb up the volcano before obtaining Varia suit.  Or how there were no enemies hiding behind walls except for the one room where Wave Beam was obtained, etc.

[NicoleC]

I guess I'll join in on the fun too. I'll start tomorrow since today I have to go somewhere after school.

[Hackmi]

lol, (this isn't serious)
u guys are obviously really scared that fangames will win. lol

[dewhi100]

Request for clarification. Is the requirement an obstacle which is *tedious, difficult, annoying etc* to traverse without the pickup (like the heat run), or *impossible* without the pickup (like the cliff)?

[MetroidMst]

More toward tedious than impossible.

[liamnajor]

life has been getting in the way lately...I planned to spend spring break making my hack, but my grades fell and I lost my laptop. I probably won't make the deadline. sorry to disappoint you guys.

[Quote58]

Quick reminder everyone, this contest ends in 1 week, on April the 14th, so finish up those entries or Adam will scold you!
Any objections metconst?

[Quietus]

What you need to do for a prize, to really fit the theme, would be to make the prize a tool that would have made the winner's hack much easier to make if they'd had it from the start. :^_^:

[OneOf99]

I assume the prize is a Switch?

[liamnajor]

unless I can finish my hack by tomorrow morning, which is doubtful, I'm not going to be able to submit one.

[Cpt.Glitch]

POST HACK

[Quote58]

Hack submitting ends at 11:59 April 14th (that's today!) so get those hacks in!

[OneOf99]

Hack submitting ends at 11:59 April 14th (that's today!) so get those hacks in!

Time for timezone loopholes!

[Ing-ing]

Introducing Adam, please the latest new in Metconst contest history, a fusion hack!



Strange things are happening over Europe, and Adam has dispatched Samus to investigate, travel trough colorful and dangerous enviroments such as Space elevator, Acid factory and a flying battleship just to name a few.

Features: Exciting Adam conversations! Exciting seven areas to explore! Exciting platforming challenges that put your Fusion skills to the test, will you impress Adam, or are you just another lady who should go back to non-gender-specific tasks?

Uses Metroid Fusion U as base.

Note: Requires knowledge of some basic Fusion tricks like Jump Extend and jumping down from platforms.

[OneOf99]

Metroid: SR387

ADAM'S ORDERS

Samus, the space pirates have abandoned their base
on SR387 due to a rogue ai and are now asking us for help! I fear this
may be a trap, but we shouldn't waste any opportunity to strike them
at their core! Infiltrate their base and discover what vile secrets lie there...



Note: You start with Long Beam, Power Grip, and Morph Ball
Patch to Zero Mission U rom.
Credits:[spoiler]
OneOf99- Room design for areas 1-4, map design, gfx, asm
NathanTech- Room design for areas 1 and 3, gfx and animation, music
Thanks to Metroid3D and Jiffy for testing and CaptGlitch for gbatroid asm help[/spoiler]

[Crystal_Knight]

STORY

      One day as Samus is going about her daily routine she notices that her power suit has a computer virus. This virus has disabled all of the abilities on her suit. Samus immediately started running diagnostics. Due to the effect of the virus being that of disabling her abilities, she named it the Adam Virus. After much work, she was able to start counteracting the effects of the virus. Her suit will now begin to slowly recover its abilities. However, there was still the issue of where it came from. Without much effort she was able to pinpoint the source, a distinct desert planet. What Samus does not know is that this virus was made an isolationist group of space pirates. These space pirates discovered a golden chozo artifact, that could implant files in any chozo device. With advanced space pirate hacking skills that they definitely did not steal for the federation. They managed to hack into the chozo artifact. Using this they developed a virus for Samus' power suit, and sent it her way. They did not expect Samus to be able to track the source.
     Samus is now on her way to this planet to destroy the source of the virus. However, her suit is still fighting the effects of the Adam Virus. As such, she must hope her abilities return to her as she explores the planet.



+ There are no special skills needed to beat the hack, but to get 100% you will need to able to mid-air morph.
+ This hack uses a tileset that I drew myself, as such, any critique directed at the tileset would be much appreciated

Not really much else to say, so just have fun with the hack.

[mccad]

ITS THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR
IN A WORLD, WHERE THE ULTIMATE TREASURE IS JUST A CLICK AWAY
YOU WILL NEVER KNOW WHO TO TRUST
SAMUS ARAN AND ADAM MALKOVICH WILL HAVE YOU STUNNED
COMING THIS SUMMER
METROID DREAD 2 - THE QUEST FOR THE ULTIMATE TREASURE - REMIX EDITION TURBO ULTIMATE 15
coming to a theater near you


Disclamer - this photo has been doctored. Actual gameplay experience may not reflect this photo

Huge props to Smiley

[Conner]

METROID FREEZEFLAME

Story: The Federation explored a rather hot planet until the investigative team disappeared without a trace. Samus Aran! Fly to this planet and look for the lost troops! ~ Adam Malkovich

Information: I had planned more for the hack but eventually I did not have the time to do it because I had other things to do and hacking was not my priority.
Also, it's my first "real" Metroid Hack, which is why I'm glad I managed to finish it. Feedback and suggestions for improvement would make me happy!

Hack Author: WhaleConner

USE: METROID ZERO MISSION U

[Cpt.Glitch]

LETS GET READY TO RUMBLLLLLLLLEEE
First official reviews incoming. Brought to you by the most handsome GBA hacker around!

[spoiler=Adam, Please by Ing-Ing]Theme Strength: 6 out of 10
Ing-Ing definitely had the advantage of text-based lore over all the other hacks. Right from the get go
the player feels limited and stuck due to their lack of equipment. Missiles, varia, bombs, and especially hi-jump are the main players that give this hack this score. Nearly every platforming section required thinking outside the box to pass. How he achieves this effect with missiles was rather neat as well. The score is lower however, because it doesn't fulfill the second half the Adam way. In other words, the obtained items that I so longed for were not useless/needed anymore after requiring them. Speedbooster and Varia for instance were needed many times after I acquired them. I understand it may be harder to do this with a Fusion hack, so I won't make too much of a point on that.

Quality Control: 2 out of 5
Tiling and gameplay wise, the hack is solid. However, I am prone to finding ways to soft-lock. That ability did not spare this hack. I soft-locked in two areas, one by triggering an SA-X when the player wasn't meant to, and the other is being knocked OoB by a solid enemy. There is also one door output error but other than that the quality was sound. Perma-stucks are a big deal though, so it sadly takes a toll on the score. Map issues and a text glitch are also present but are minor.

Enjoyability: 4 out of 5
The early game really took a toll on me. Especially the Siberian Complex (sector 1). I died the same way many times there. But it wasn't due to difficulty, is was usually do to blind jumps or enemies I couldn't see right away. I ended up having to redo the same 5-10-minute segment like 5 or 6 times. Afterwards I started having a blast. I still died many times, but they were my fault rather than his. (other than the soft-locks). Ing also brought some really creative puzzles and boss encounters that I fully approve of! This is perhaps his best hack so far. The game does end a bit abruptly, but the text at least foreshadows this. Speaking of text, Ing brings back his knack for comedic dialogue and does it perfectly. The dude knows how to meme.

Graphics: 3 out of 5
As one of my chat members said "It's too simplistic." The earlier areas of the game, such as the rooftops and Anchor are indeed bland in terms of level data tiling. Backgrounds however were good all around, especially the trains. No custom enemy or palette stuff this time around but the other tilesets in the game were well done. My favorite room in the game is also his favorite room. (the sideways data room). You'll know it when you see it. Level design was pretty in some spots and lacking in others (sideways data room and rooftop respectively.) The ending images are pretty great too.

Closing: Total 15 out of 25
Ing-Ings best hack. I enjoyed the difficulty, despite my frustration with Siberia. The creativity and puzzles were really good as well. Some questionable design choices and trolls exist but this is definitely a hack to check out. You better know how to walljump!
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=SR387 by NathanTech and OneOf99]Theme Strength: 4 out of 10
As much as it pains me to rate a ZM hack so low, this hack just does not deliver in terms of theme except in one particular area, which I will get to. There aren't many situations where I was presented with an obstacle that I could pass but would be a pain/harder without a particular item. I would mostly see an impassible barrier of some sort because I lacked the item, go find item, get past barrier, repeat. This was the case for speedbooster and supers. Varia had potential, but it was wasted as no heat runs are required  to get it. The research lab though, is different. This area puts you against deadly foes you cannot combat against. After you get the weapon, these rooms aren't necessary to traverse again, which almost the theme perfectly. The only reason it doesn't is because ice isn't actually required to beat the hack. If only more of the design was like this, the score would be higher.

Quality Control: 4 out of 5
General quality was pretty solid, especially for the scope of this hack. Some very small tiling errors exist as well as a couple map issues. There is also a music bug that could have easily been fixedin which the music will stop if one travels to an area with custom music via a hatchless door.

Enjoyability: 3 out of 5
The research area is the saving grace for the score in this category. While the hack is enjoyable,
the sheer scope of it stretches progress and action out by a large amount. Basically, there was too much hack
and not enough content. Some of the rooms also looked really similar with aided in me getting lost and having to frequently refer to the map to see where I was going. Now this isn't a bad thing actually. There just should have been something to spice up those areas as I was fumbling around. The research area though was my favorite section of the hack. The sick, albeit accidental music track of the area coupled with its premise made it really stand out. If the entire hack had an enjoyment level like this particular area or had it been smaller, 5 out of 5 rating without a doubt.

Graphics: 5 out of 5
This is the only entry to feature custom music, and good music at that. Enemy palettes, tilesets, and backgrounds are custom and are well done as well. These things alone put it above the other entries. Ending image was a solid rating of Adam out of Other M. Better variation in terms of level design could exist, but general level design was decent. It's also the only hack to change the title screen! Title screen edits are always accepted and a plus.

Closing: Total 16 out of 25
This hack is massive. Perhaps too massive. The music was excellent as well as the colors. The hack was really forgiving, which I can always agree with. There is also so neat and special little assembly blocks one of made himself. They function pretty well and open up new ways of quick travel. The research area by far is the defining point of the hack for me. You have little to lose by playing this hack, give it a try!
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Adam's Virus by Crystal Knight]Theme Strength: 9 out of 10
Wow Crystal Knight nails the theme almost perfectly with every single item. The most notable are Varia and Gravity. A very long heat run ultimately rewards Varia. Afterwards no more heated rooms exist in the hack. (other than backtracking, which isn't required here.) Pre-gravity has a moderate underwater section. Again, after getting Gravity no more water rooms are encountered. Other items are only "restored" after moving away from where needed, making the player have to backtrack to the area, and then the items are never needed again. Truly an Adam move! Not every item does it perfectly however (like morph, but let's be honest, that doesn't count), but this hack definitely does it best. Crystal is a true Adam.

Quality Control: 5 out of 5
I don't recall any errors or bugs in this hack other than a wall being air, but I'm not sure if this was just a secret I didn't have the ability to explore yet. Every other entry had some sort of issue somewhere albeit minor ones. But this one manages to say NO to bugs and errors and emerge with the top score for this category. If there are actually any errors in the hack, I sure as heck never saw them.

Enjoyability: 4 out of 5
The hack is solid. The story is great, the concept is good, the gameplay is good. I died to the massive heat run but it was decently balanced. I feel like it was one of those "you have to die to learn what to do" kind of things, which isn't bad, especially given that that's the only section of the game to be like that. Also, you didn't add respin. WHY?! Space-jump was god-tier though.

Graphics: 2 out of 5
The only custom GFX here was the tilesets. But they were done well. My one gripe is that it doesn't blend with the SM art style very well. The filler tile is the main offender of this, but most of the tiles could be adjusted to better accommodate the SM style. So, while the graphics were good, minimal custom stuff was done, and even that needs work. This is why the score for this category is rather low.

Closing: Total 20 out of 25
This hack demonstrated the way of Adam better than any other entry and was enjoyable at the same time. There were minimal (if any) errors in level design and flowed well. Definitely give this hack a go
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=METROID DREAD 2 - THE QUEST FOR THE ULTIMATE TREASURE - REMIX EDITION TURBO ULTIMATE 15 by Mccad]Theme Strength: -2.98e77
This hack is so mind blowingly Adam that it caused my brain's number handler to underflow and output a negative number despite the actual value being a positive number beyond conception! Darn brain with your limited RAM!

Quality Control: Adam
Adam was so restrictive that even if any bugs were present, we could never see them!

Enjoyability: No Objections

Graphics: Text out of 5
Adam didn't even authorize the ability to see advanced graphics beyond text. What a madman!

Closing: Total -2.98e77 + AdamTextObjections
Whoa this was a roller coaster. Can a hack better than this ever be created? Is even the mighty homenag challenged by this marvel?! Surely not, homenag must have inspired this.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Freeze Flame by WhaleConner]Theme Strength: 4 out of 10
This hack seeks to emulate the mind of Adam throughout its entirety.  It almost does it as well as Adam's Virus. However, it fails because the one item we longed to have the entire game is not even in the game. Conner said it was meant to be, but it seems he messed up his door transitions and the room is skipped. This is why you have to test your hacks people! It's a shame the score is so low when it could have been an 8 or 9.

Quality Control: 4 out of 5
The hack is tiled well and there are no bugs. Two things keep this from a full 5 score. One, you managed to mess up the connection to Varia's room. This already impacted your theme score severely so I won't count it much here. Another small detail is some lava at the bottom of a particular room doesn't animate. (not the "frozen" lava) Some door transitions are also a bit wonky. Other than that, it's a very comprehensive hack. Good job.

Enjoyability: 4 out of 5
I actually really liked this hack. I didn't know what to expect from it but Conner really delivered. It contains two really simple in concepts; constant heat and a light/dark like world design. These concepts were done very well. Some nice use of BG0 triggers and other forms of clipdata also exist. There's also a Metroid 2 inspired part of that hack for those of you who like references.

Graphics: 3 out of 5
The new "frozen" norfair tileset and the portal rooms are pretty impressive and well made. No enemy GFX or ending images were added, which is okay, but gives less content to rate this category on.

Closing: Total 15 out of 25
The hack is very good, do not let the low score fool you. It's also not as difficult as it would sound either. It's worth a playthrough.
[/spoiler]

[caauyjdp]

About Metroid: SR387
In Command Center, in the 2wide3tall room below map room, and above a save room, there's thunder+lightning effect(which I didn't even remember was in vanilla, had to check), but as far as I noticed it's the only room in the hack with that effect, it doesn't even seem happen in top ridley area. I'm guessing it's unintentional? Also, imho music in command was too loud.

Also, I have found 100% items according to endgame screen, but I still haven't found out what's behind once particular set of speedbooster blocks(bombs reveal a 4 block tall column). I'm guessing they're a way out but I have no idea where from. They're kind of near an elevator and a save room, don't want to get too spoilery. If someone knows what I'm talking about, please pm me with either a hint or a spoiler how to get there.