M. Planets - NES Style Game

[VacantShade]

M. PLANETS
A NES style game​

This is a game designed to emulate the feel of NEStroid, while adding improvements to the graphics, sound, and mechanics. Each Planet is essentially a complete "game", but they are all bundled together and run on the same engine.

There are 2 complete Planets, one of which is the original NEStroid world. The other has an original design with some additional areas and bosses.

A 3rd Planet is available as a demo, and it is randomized, so each playthrough is different! You can even use a built in Room Studio to design your own rooms for it!

On top of that, you can do online multiplayer (co-op or versus), item randomizer mode, and more!

Here are some of the adjustments/additions made:
+Sharper Movement
+A Map System
+Restarting with Full Health and Ammo
+Customizable Controls
+Item Percentage, Time Counter, and Mini-map
+Randomized Mode, where Item locations will be swapped randomly
+Hard Difficulty, where enemies deal 3x Damage
+Strike Mode, where there is a finite amount of Energy and Ammo in the world, but you start with all upgrades
+Automatic Saving, no passcode needed
+Keeps track of Speedrun Data for your playthroughs
+Smoother/Added Animations
+Fancy Particle Effects
+Equipment Menu, turn items on/off
+New remixed 8-bit audio

NOVUS - NEW WORLD MAP
This redesigned world has a larger world than the original, a completely new area, a few new enemies, and some new bosses.

CONNECT
A multiplayer feature that allows you to play co-op with up to 10 players! Also supports a party style Versus Mode for racing!

ENIGMA - RANDOMIZED WORLD
A randomized world built from user designed rooms! Every world you generate is different!
To generate worlds, you'll need some rooms. Design your own or find Worlds and Rooms people have shared.

ROOM STUDIO
You can design rooms for Enigma directly in the game with a level editor:
[spoiler][/spoiler]


Here's a short video showcasing some of the features:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOhr_GllWCg


DOWNLOAD: For Windows - [zip] 21mb - Version 1.27g
Older version, but supports Novus.

DOWNLOAD: For Windows - [zip] 88mb - Version 1.33
Latest version with new features for Zebeth and Enigma and Connect, but temporarily lacks Novus.

You can find a detailed readme and changelog bundled with the game.


WEB LINK: For HTML5 - Version 1.21
Web Browser Version
This is a very old version and hasn't been maintained for a long time. The Windows version is strongly recommended instead.


COMMUNITY DISCORD:
A few people are running a community discord. You can find it here:
https://discord.gg/Ayp92UJ


I hope you enjoy this little personal project, and have fun!

[alexman25]

This looks great! I know what I'm playing when I get home.

[altoiddealer]

Whoa!

...Whoa!!!!  Damn man nice work, I'll definitely be playing this soon.

[Hackmi]

Well done, amazing how this project just appeared!
I'll play the rest later m8

[alexman25]

Here's a quick review of the game based on my experience so far.

[spoiler]
This review was written for the HTML5 version of the game. I am not sure if there are any discrepancies between versions.

Overall, it's just NEStroid but slightly better in some places, and slightly worse in others. I'll start with some things I like.

I like the new movement physics. It's easier to move around, and get where you want to be. Weaving jumps between enemies is easier than every, and not dropping like a rock when you get hit certainly helps.

Starting fully resupplied on everything is also really great. It (mostly) negates the need for farming, and dying no longer makes you want to stop playing.

The extra options are great to have as well. I haven't tried out the new planet or hard mode yet (back on the second one later), but I really enjoyed being able to set the missile style to match the GBA games.

Another plus is: It's NEStroid, but you can play it in your browser.

The minimap is good, but I didn't use it.

Being able to drop bombs at any time in ball form is great. While I was a bit sad at first that it didn't quite match the original, it was made up for by making bomb jumping more feasible.


Now, here's some things I didn't quite enjoy.

Some of the bugs from the original are absent, while major poor design choices stay. Some of the stuff that's kept here is even worse than on the NES version.

Being able to get damaged during door transitions would be fine. Would be, if hatches closed behind you when you entered. But instead, you have to time your entrance properly if you want to be (almost) completely safe.

The screen scrolling is another issue. In some places the camera jumps around, scrolls further when it wouldn't in the original game (which ends up revealing secrets), and the way it pans in front of Samus can be a bit jarring when turning in quick succession.

One thing I miss from the original is the mid-air jump exploit. It provided a lot of extra skill and opportunity in movement, and the lack of it ended up making me take damage in places or miss things that I normally wouldn't. While this isn't a bad thing to remove since it was unintentional, it's something to consider.

The way Samus controls is familiar, but different in some negative ways. Being able to hold down in mid air to instantly morph when landing is one thing that should have been kept. Samus's horizontal acceleration is pretty much instant, instead of just quick like in the original. This second point can make lining yourself up to jump into one block holes a nightmare.

The infinite respawning air hole enemies don't go to the right position. When they spawn, they go slightly above you instead of going to arm cannon level like in the original. This makes farming off from them a nightmare, and not worth the effort. Just kill yourself or find some skrees.

Not too big of a deal, but you can jump through the ceiling and get out of bounds at the top of the Norfair to Brinstar elevator.

The last thing I think is bad about the game is Tourian. Everything here is frustrating, and I only pushed through it out of obligation.

Bombing off metroids is inconsistent at best. No matter what angle I try, I still find myself having to eventually spam bombs and roll around. The angles I try almost never work more than once.

The shaft where you go back and forth to navigate down is the absolute worst problem with the Zebes portion of this game. It was hell in the original, and Satan himself here. Constantly being hit by rinkas while trying to avoid being or having been caught by a metroid is the biggest issue. It wasn't so bad in the original, but here? Here, there's larger damage knockback. You end up being knocked around, your energy sapped, and being unable to push through without taking a beating. The only way to reasonably get through unscathed is freezing the rinkas, and very specific manipulation of the metroids AI.

The one final thing that bugged me is killing Mother Brain. It's not harder than the original, it's what happens afterwords that bugs me. When she's exploding, Mother Brain can STILL damage you, and the enemies STILL keep spawning. I died because of this, and as you can imagine I was pretty upset.

Escape was okay, though.


All in all, this is a pretty good recreation of NEStroid with a few rough spots. 8/10 from me, would definitely recommend. I can't wait to play through planet Novus, and I'm looking forward to future updates.[/spoiler]

Great job, can't wait to see what's in the future!

[Tower]

Are you going to add new upgrades?

[VacantShade]

Thanks for all the interest!

I've updated the Windows and HTML5 versions to 1.0.1
Previous saves and records should all pass over with no problems.
Here is a list of the updates:
[spoiler]+Fixed camera jerking when turning around
+Fixed camera issues in the Original World Map
+Doors close behind you faster
+HUD now displays if you have max missiles
+Added ability to morph when landing if holding down
+Added the morph jump glitch, but to the original world only
+Fixed pipe enemies so they fly to better position
+Adjusted Rinkas to no longer spawn on the player
+During Mother Brain death, Rinkas no longer spawn and turrents no longer shoot
+Defeated Bosses no longer deal damage during death animation
+Fixed a coloring issue with some of the bosses[/spoiler]


Thanks @alexman25 for the great feedback and review! I've addressed some of the issues you mentioned:

+Camera should work better now
     Please let me know if you come across any specific area where it still has issues.
+Doors close behind you faster.
+You can morph as you land by holding down
+Pipe enemies now fly at the level of your gun
     They will still fly over you if you are morphed, so that is still a viable strategy for avoiding them.
+Mother Brain will no longer damage you while in the death animation, and enemies won't spawn or shoot
+I also added the morph/jump glitch, but it is only available in the original world, not the redesigned world.

As far as the other points you mentioned:

+Having the player accelerate slightly slower
     I'm certainly open to adjusting the physics if players want it adjusted. I guess I would just like to hear some more opinions before I make a substantial change like that. Anyone else have an opinion?
+Metroid bombing
     If a Metroid is hit 3 times by a bomb, it will release you and fly upwards and to the left or right, every time. If you move around while bombing, some of your bombs will miss, so it will take longer to get the hits in. It seemed like the original worked in a similar way, but was a bit less forgiving, where the Metroids would sometimes only fly away slightly. If you could explain in detail where the difference seems to be, I'd be happy to try and make some adjustments.
+Rinkas and knockback
     I'm not sure how to improve this. I feel the knockback in the original is a lot more punishing and unpredictable, and at least in this version it is consistant. I did adjust the Rinkas so they will not spawn on top of you, or too close to you in that vertical shaft. But yeah, Tourian is no push over!  :neutral:

As always, if you have any further thoughts on these or other issues, please share and I will look into them!

Are you going to add new upgrades?

As of now, the original and redesigned world features the same original upgrades. One difference is that you can actually collect all 8 Energy Tanks in the original. Also, the redesigned world allows you to combine the Ice and Wave beams, and brings the total Item count from 37 to 69.
If I eventually work on a third world, then yes, I will likely add new upgrades from the other games in the series. But for now, I want to focus on what has already been made and make sure it is as good as possible before trying to add more. So any feedback you have on the current worlds would be much appreciated!

[alexman25]

Great that you updated it! Glad you considered some of what I had to say, even though I was a bit salty.

[spoiler]In the original, Metroids were bombed off by being hit at a certain angle if I remember correctly. But knowing how it works makes the issue void!

The knockback is annoying, but it's fine to be kept in in retrospect. It wasn't that bad, it was just lack of skill on my part.[/spoiler]

[alexman25]

I think it's safe to say, this might be the definitive way to play NEStroid now!

[altoiddealer]

Whoa, that is a fast update!  After reading alexman25's review I was going to hold off for a possible update - looks like my wait is over!  :bounce:

[VacantShade]

Whoa, that is a fast update!  After reading alexman25's review I was going to hold off for a possible update - looks like my wait is over!  :bounce:

I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback!

Regarding updates, sorry, but I missed something earlier in my last update. So here is version 1.0.2
VERSION 1.0.2 [4/28/19]
+Fixed an issue with Missile Capacity not being immediately saved after defeating a Miniboss in the original world

[Metroid3D]

Haven't played much so far, but it's awesome to see people are still making/finishing fangames and this one looks really neat!

[Flower]

gotto check that out sometime. it looks nice!

[Tower]

i play it for sometime and managed to kill fake kraid and big one.
This is just wonderfull game.
I wish you all that is good in life.

And the other question is: do you plan to make something like this for metroid 2 like you made for this game?

[VacantShade]

Haven't played much so far, but it's awesome to see people are still making/finishing fangames and this one looks really neat!

Thanks for checking it out! Definitely looking forward to any feedback you have!
I liked your work on Pixeltroid by the way. It has a cool style! Was a bit of an inspiration for me to start work on this project.  :^_^:

gotto check that out sometime. it looks nice!

I appreciate your kind words and interest! Hope you enjoy it, whether you play the current version or wait for the next one!

i play it for sometime and managed to kill fake kraid and big one.
This is just wonderfull game.
I wish you all that is good in life.

And the other question is: do you plan to make something like this for metroid 2 like you made for this game?

Wow, great to hear your progress! Thanks for playing!

I don't plan on making any other Metroid games with this. I believe a "certain other" Metroid fangame has Metroid 2 very well covered.  :^_^:
So I will be focusing on the style of the original Metroid. However, I do want to explore the ideas in other Metroid games and perhaps implement them in various "planets" in this game. If I do so, I will be adding new items from other games, like the Gravity Suit, ect.
I'm also interested in experimenting with some new mechanics, but that is sometime off in the future.

[Tower]

managed to win a game on novus?
Do somebody have a full map? 95%

[VacantShade]

managed to win a game on novus?
Do somebody have a full map? 95%

Nice! I don't think anyone can provide you with a full map, as you are the first person I know of who has finished the game on here!  :^_^:
I'll send you a PM with some clues as to where you can find the rest of the items. However, I'd like to avoid posting any spoilers in this thread so those who have yet to play it can experience it for themselves. Thanks again for playing!

[VacantShade]

Hey everyone, a new release is here!
VERSION 1.10 [5/31/19] - MAJOR

Spoiler: Release notes
[spoiler]
VERSION 1.10 [5/31/19] - MAJOR Update
      Additions:
+Completely new main menu interface
+Each Planet now has 3 separate saves
+Randomized Mode can now have its Seed customized
+Added Strike Mode\n  Start with all items, enemies do not drop refills, Item locations are replaced with refills, Energy and Ammo are saved and not restored at game start, saving only occurs at spawn points( when changing Areas ).
+Added a Mission Report screen after completing a game
+Added a simple replay of a run after completing a game. Currently not available for Strike Mode.
+Added a DEBUG log that warns of potential errors in game
      Improvements:
+Smoother Samus animations
+Animated Lava Tiles
+Planet Name added to Map Menu
+Map draw speed drastically improved
+Mini Map on HUD increased to 5 x 5
+On HTML5, nontouch input will fade out the Virtual Keys
+Tons of code reorganization
      Fixes:
+Fixed an issue with elevator speed on different FPS
+Fixed an issue with the Dissolve Shader on mobile devices
+Fixed an issue with sound not playing on mobile devices
+Fixed a potential crash when killing small kraid
+Fixed an issue with Destructible Blocks sometimes being destroyed when pushed into them
      Planet Changes:
+Zebeth: Various inaccuracies fixed throughout
+Novus: Various small changes, Small Kraid's room expanded
[/spoiler]

Some of the highlights:
+ Improved Animations for Samus ( Big thanks to Omegachaino for this! )
       I will still be looking at improving them as I go along, but it's already a lot better than before. Suggestions and feedback welcome!
+ New Strike Mode
       This is a bit experimental, so it may need balancing in later updates. Basically, you start with all items at the front. Enemies will not drop refills though, and instead you must acquire Energy/Ammo from the usual Item locations. Saving is also restricted to when a new spawn point is reached. All this makes it essential to play efficiently, and to know how many missiles you need for each section, especially Tourian. Let me know if you have any suggestions as to how it is to play!
+ Mission Report
       The game will now store data as you play, and provide a review after you complete the game. It also allows you to view a replay that shows you the route you took as well as events like deaths or item acquisitions. Keep in mind, however, that saves ported over from a previous version cannot view this info. Also, Strike Mode games cannot currently view the replay.
+ Randomizer Seed can now be customized!
+ Additional Save slots added!

As a note, I updated alot of things behind the scenes, so saves and records are in a new format. The new version should patch these properly... but apologies in advance if something happens and your progress is lost. (Sorry!)

You can find the updated links in the opening post at the top.

As always, your input and feedback is much appreciated!
Enjoy!

[VacantShade]

Because Strike Mode is new and I don't believe anything like it has really been done in Metroid hacks/fangames before, I've uploaded a video demonstrating a run in it. Hopefully this will help show the concept a little better for those who haven't tried it out.

https://youtu.be/m96-ZTGKxiA
( Apologies for any jerkiness. The game runs smoothly enough, but my computer had issues with recording. )

As it is still a new concept, any feedback or ideas are welcome.
Also, any feedback regarding the rest of the game is always appreciated too!

[VacantShade]

Updates over the last month:

VERSION 1.11 [6/5/19] - Bug Fix
[spoiler=Changelog]+Fixed an issue with Item Saving for items near screen borders
+It is now possible to collect the alternate Ice Beam even if you already have the Ice Beam[/spoiler]

VERSION 1.12 [6/25/19] - Bug Fixes + Improvements
[spoiler=Changelog]+Reduced Hit Rate of Screw Attack against Bosses
+Revised some of the Samus animations
+Mission Report now displays Seed Number if playing Randomized Mode
+Fixed an issue with Replay Item Locations near screen borders
+Hopefully fixed an issue with Randomized Item Placement in HTML5
+Hopefully improved Audio Stability and Speed in HTLM5[/spoiler]

[Hackmi]

good job with the menus btw

[VacantShade]

Time for a new update! Big thanks @MetroidMst for streaming the game for the first time! I was able to see quite a few areas that needed improved. Some of these changes will take some time to implement fully, so this update is more like a stepping stone towards future progress. Everyone's continued feedback will help keep things moving in the right direction!

VERSION 1.13 [7/19/19] - Bug Fixes + Improvements
[spoiler=Changelog]

    Additions:
+Added some more SFX
+Added support for Directional Pad input on controllers
+Added an option for changing the Music Style to 8-Bit, though currently the music selection is limited

   Adjustments:
+Adjusted Camera scrolling to be smoother and smarter
+Adjusted freeze timer so invincible enemies can be refrozen any time
+Adjusted small Ridley's Fireballs to more closely act like the original
+Adjusted Samus' collision box to be slightly thinner
+Geruta HP corrected for each color
+Made Super Ridley's AI smarter, and added a new attack for him
+Reduced Super Ridley's HP, but reduced Missile Damage as well, so low Missile runs are more viable
+Zebeth: Various inaccuracies adjusted throughout
+Novus: Several rooms completely redesigned, mostly in Ridley

   Fixes:
+Fixed an issue with Route Review crashing
+Fixed an issue with a false error message regarding missing items on Zebeth
+Fixed an issue where doors would not always lock while fighting small Kraid on Novus
+Fixed Brinstar Audio Loop issue
+Hopefully fixed an issue with drawing the map borders
+Fixed an issue where Item Percentage would sometimes read larger than 100
+Fixed an issue where Kraid projectiles would destroy Bombs
+Dragons no longer draw if outside of room
+Fixed a minor issue involving collision detection for certain tiles

[/spoiler]

Some of the highlights:
+ Directional Pad input for controllers should now function properly!
+ A new option for 8-bit Music!
    While all the music from the original game is available, Planet Novus makes use of tracks that currently have no 8-bit counterpart. In that case, it just uses the previous music instead. As I get more 8-bit music, I will add it, but it will take time. If anyone is willing to contribute/compose 8-bit versions of the music I am missing, please contact me!
+ Camera scrolling is now smoother and smarter!
    Unfortunately, I believe to fully remedy some of the camera issues, I will have to rewrite the whole system. So instead, I've made some adjustments so it will be less jarring. I will work on rewriting the system for a later major update.
+ Several rooms in Novus were completely redesigned!
    Based on seeing some playthroughs, it helped me pinpoint some spots where the rooms felt a bit uninteresting. I've completely redone those, most of them in Ridley. There are a few others out there though.
+ Ridley is a bit tougher!
    Ridley got a bit of an upgrade. He fights a bit smarter and faster now. He also learned a new attack... He'll try it out on you if you spam him with Missiles too quickly!

There are a bunch of other little things, so check out the changelog for more details!
As usual, saves and records should port over with no issue.

The HTML5 version is giving me some trouble, but I will try to update it soon.
The HTML5 version is now up to date... please note that I've had issues with saves being lost when updating the version on HTML5. I highly recommend you use the Windows version when possible. If you do have any issues with saves being lost, please let me know, and I will look into trying to find a more stable solution. Thanks!

[VacantShade]

Sorry for the bump, adding an update that fixes some bugs: Version 1.14

VERSION 1.14 [7/26/19] - Bug Fixes
+Fixed a fatal crash when touching the bottom of the world on Zebeth
+Fixed an issue with time not counting while map open and riding elevators
+Added a message when at the gate to Tourian on Novus

[Steel Sparkle]

Decided to speed run the game. V1.11
Not the best but i tried ^_^

[spoiler]https://youtu.be/vPZ8Xk_cdxc[/spoiler]

[VacantShade]

Nice! Cool to see, and very well performed!
I'd love to see what you can do on Planet Novus. It doesn't have a strict item progression, so there are several routing options. On top of that there are several possible skips and shortcuts throughout. However, I would recommend you get the latest version first, as there have been quite a few updates, especially to Novus.
At any rate, thanks for sharing your speedrun! :^_^: