M. Planets - NES Style Game

[DramaticMarquinh0svi]

I would like to have a online multiplayer,where you go to servers,play with other players,etc,would love to help people on planet novus.
Also after watching this video of the map: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwsdpZ3Sr7Q hint me where are those last 3 items.

[VacantShade]

Sometimes people organize online games on different discord servers.
Anyone can host a multiplayer Connect game, they just need to setup portforwarding on their router first.

As far as the missing items:
[spoiler]Try bombing the floor in the outside rooms (yellow/orange) in Crateria.
Check the Western Elevator.[/spoiler]

[DramaticMarquinh0svi]

That was easy. Now i need to get that last tile,and i think it will be pain to get to it. I always suspected that item in the elevador,but i never found how i get to it

[VacantShade]

It's been awhile since I posted any progress here.
So for those interested, here's a bit of an update as to how Enigma is coming along!

A look at the Enigma algorithm in action:


A look at a playthrough of an Enigma world:
https://www.twitch.tv/vacantshade/video/780903678

Obviously, there is still much work to be done! But things are coming along nicely.
In addition to the progress with Enigma, lots of small improvements are being made. For example, the audio is becoming more unified into the 8bit style, some animations have been revised, and more!

[nodever2]

Hey Vacantshade! I had a quick question for you. I thought I remembered there being an option to play with the original NEStroid music, but upon not being able to find it anymore I checked the changelog, where I found this:

+Improved 8-bit Audio +Style Option for audio has been removed

So am I misremembering/misunderstanding how this works, or does this remove the option to play with original NEStroid music? If so I would like to ask why this change was made? Was it to avoid copyright infringement and the like from Nintendo? I generally would prefer to play with the original NEStroid music, as I am quite fond of it.

[VacantShade]

Hey, good question!

So, in the original release of the game, it only made use of ZM and SM music tracks. Several people recommended switching to 8-bit music, as it would fit in with the aesthetic more. However, at the time there were no 8-bit remixes available for several of the SM tracks used in the game, so it wasn't possible to make a clean transition. However, I added the option for the Music Style so players could use the 8-bit tracks where they were available.

Since then, a couple of generous musicians have contributed a lot of remixed 8-bit music to the project, and all of the SM music has been replaced with 8-bit remixes. To keep the game experience consistent, I removed the Style option and the ZM and SM tracks from the game.

As time has passed, several of the original NEStroid tracks have also been updated in a similar style, using the VRC6 chip. But not all of them have been replaced yet.
I haven't thought about adding an option to allow the original tracks instead of the updates, but that would lead to some inconsistency in style, since the SM remixes use VRC6. I'd prefer a more unified presentation to players, but it's something to consider!

If there is any feedback you have on a particular track, I'm sure the musicians would be interested to hear it! I can pass it on, or you can chat with them directly.

[VacantShade]

I'm excited to bring you all another update!  :^_^:

VERSION 1.27 [2/6/21] - Major

The biggest thing this update brings is a working demo version of Enigma, the randomized world! This allows you to generate endless worlds, and right now the demo features 5 separate Areas, 3 Bosses, and roughly 45~ minutes of playtime each world. The demo also supports the multiplayer Connect feature, so you can play through them multitroid style!

But that's not all; There are a bunch of new features for the Room Studio too! From tools that make designing smoother and faster, additional enemies, and more! You'll need a bunch of Rooms in order to generate random worlds for Enigma, so check out Rooms other people have designed too!

There were also some improvements to Connect, like Door syncing, and shared Zebetites to make Tourian more cooperative.
In addition, there was a complete overhaul of the SFX, replacing them with all 8-bit sounds. And many new 8-bit remixes were added in as well!

Here's a list of changes for those interested:
[spoiler=Changelog]
VERSION 1.27 [2/6/21] - Major

+Playable Enigma Demo:
   +2 Saves
   +5 Areas
   +3 Bosses with Improved AI
   +Connect Functionality
+Enigma World Generator Beta:
   +Basic Progression Logic
   +Import and Export Worlds
+New Features added to the Room Studio:
   +Boss Placement Available
   +Combat Doors
   +Spark Enemy Available
   +Turret Enemy Available
   +Zebetite Enemy Available
   +Tile Adjustment Randomizer Function
   +Tile Mixer Function
   +Paint Mixer Function
   +Palette Copy Function
   +Spike Blocks Available
   +Chained Attribute for Crumble Blocks
   +A few new Tiles
   +Minimap Appearance Editing
   +Revised Pathing Menu
   +Many other small improvements
+Connect Improvements:
   +Doors can now be synchronized
   +Zebetites are now shared when Boss Sharing is on
   +Shared Data is auto cleared when players on on the menus
+Novus: Updated Randomizer Logic
+Many new 8-bit remixes by Loeder
+Complete replacement of SFX with 8-bit sounds by Loeder
+Many Improvements to File Management on the Enigma Menus
+New Minor Item Acquisition Fanfare
+New Suit Upgrade Animation
+Fixed many, many, many issues
+Improved many, many, many small things
+Rewrote many, many, many sections of code
[/spoiler]

I hope you all enjoy!  :^_^:

[DramaticMarquinh0svi]

Where do you download worlds for Enigma?

[VacantShade]

Some people have posted pre generated worlds on various Discord servers.

[Gaviin]

First off, fantastic work with this project.  Super impressive.  Thank you.

I have to say though, to follow on the posts from January... I would very much support and prefer an option to use the original NEStroid music.  This is not to denigrate the work of the musicians who remixed the tracks in the current version of the game.  I just don't feel they maintain the simple but beautiful feel of the original.  That might not have been their intent, so that's totally fine and understandable.  But if people are looking for a more genuine NEStroid experience, music is a huge part of that, and the remixed music is a constant reminder that "hey, you're not really playing NEStroid".  If there's any way to work the original music back in, I think the game would be near perfect.  :)

Thanks again!

[VacantShade]

I'm glad you enjoyed the game!

It might be possible to add that as an option, but it would only really work for Zebeth. Novus and Enigma both have extra areas that use 8-bit remixes of Super Metroid's music, so there would be a weird inconsistency if some of the music in those were original NES quality and then some with the VRC6 chip.
It's something I'll consider! Thanks for the feedback!

[Gaviin]

Oh yeah I was only referring to Zebeth, to preserve that original core game feel.  The other planets/modes make a lot of sense to use remixes and explore other music options, since they are newer, more custom things anyway.  Thanks for the consideration!  :)

[Paragon]

This whole time I've been here, I thought that Planets was still in production/incomplete. Watched MST stream it yesterday, downloaded it today, and I've been playing for around 8 hours. Holy crap! This is amazing! Tons of fun. I'll probably play the Planets' version of NEStroid from now on. Also loving Novus! Great map, very fun, and I liked the nice little surprises you included.

Love it!

[VacantShade]

Hey, thanks so much for playing and taking the time to share your impressions! Glad you enjoyed it!

And yes, the game has been "complete" with both Zebeth and Novus since it was first posted here. But I'm still adding new stuff as I have the time! Enigma is still in active development, so you may see more updates in the future regarding that!

[VacantShade]

Hey all! Big update here!

VERSION 1.27g

This update brings a bunch of new content to Enigma, as well as continued improvements to the other parts of the game! There are far too many things to list here, but I'll share some of the highlights:


+ New Tiles, Enemies, and Boss available in Enigma!
+ Newly implemented item: Spring Ball!
+ Improved Enigma Generator, with customizable options, such as: Number of Areas, World Size, World Style, Starting Location, and filters for rooms based on Creator!
+ Several new 8-bit remixes by Minimacro Sound and Loeder!
+ Some new advanced features in the Room Studio, such as the Animated Palette Offset function!
+ Continued polishing and balancing of Zebeth and Novus, including more visually distinct maps!
+ And more!

Have fun! :bounce:

[Quietus]

I made a hack called Enigma, so I demand that you change its name immediately. :evilno:



Just kidding! :grin:

That room is delicious, and almost makes me wish I was more interested in ol' NEStroid. Almost. :heheh:

[VacantShade]

Quick note: I updated the link to fix a crash on Novus and an issue related to Connect. If you were experiencing one of these issues, simply redownload and it should work!  :^_^:

[Zagan]

I'm not very fond of fangames in general but I was pleasantly surprised with this one.
It looks good and plays nicely, I still didn't try Enigma but Novus was great.
The level editor is neat too and has a lot of potential.
Thank you VacantShadeGames  :^_^:

[VacantShade]

Thanks for giving it a try! I'm glad you enjoyed it!  :^_^:

[rveach]

Great game.

Is there any plans to make co-op / versus that enemies are in synch so all players are actually together and not just ghosts of each other?

[VacantShade]

Thanks for playing!

It is possible this might happen for co-op someday. The engine is currently undergoing some substantial rewrites in order to better support its future development and make new features possible. If I get the chance I'd like to improve Connect to be a bit more interactive!  :^_^:

[Zeikuss]

This is one good game, my dude.

Never was into Metroid I, in spite of it being the first game I ever played. Kinda got overshadowed by Super Metroid around  the time I hit 4 years old  :lol:.

Anyway, I'm in the middle of making my own Enigma world and I'm loving the design and various functions of both the games that came packaged, and the room editor that allows us to make our own things.

100%ed the original and finished Novus with 100% mapped and 96% items.
Had a blast the whole time, to the point that I couldn't put it down until I had finished it. :whoa:

I did have a question to ask, however. I watch a particular youtuber name MetroidMST or ShyGuyExpress, and he's got a couple videos of Metroid Planets with other new items like Spazer and such added in. I was wondering what your thoughts may be on this? :?:
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/ShyGuyExpress

Thanks again. Wonderful work, btw. :nod:

[VacantShade]

Thanks for playing, glad you had fun!

Those videos you mention are of a new version that I haven't posted here on this thread yet, as it isn't 100% stable.
It is also temporarily without Zebeth, Novus, and Connect.

Once the update is stable, I'll be posting it here. :wink:

[VacantShade]

VERSION 1.29 - New Stable Build
IMPORTANT: This version does not have Zebeth, Novus, or Connect. Those will be reintroduced in later updates.

This update brings a ton of new content to Enigma! It has been well tested and any remaining issues should be minor.


+ Animated Palettes can have between 2-16 Frames and a variable speed on a scale of 1-5!
+ Slopes now function properly, and a collision visualizer tool is available in the Room Studio!
+ Hazard Rooms deal damage unless you have the Varia Suit, and can have different color and visual effects for Heat, Cold, Acid, Phazon, or other themes!
+ The Gunship can be placed in a room to designate it as a starting point in Enigma!
+ Lifts replace linked elevators in rooms, and are extremely more versatile!
+ Map Scanners allow for revealing small sections anywhere in the world every 15 minutes!
+ Gates and Buttons allow for proper wave gates, and can be used in tons of other ways!
+ Space Jump and Spazer Beam enter the fray!
+ And much, much more, like randomly placed Missile Doors, a Room Shift Tool, larger Room Sizes, and new 8-bit Remixes!

Have fun! :bounce:

[TobiMikami]

All I saw was the word "Phazon" and I was set lol. The pallets in the screenshots are Hellasexxy I might just have to break from developing my own game for a couple hours and give this version a whirl, only one planet in this version yeah? What'd you say approx run time would be for a player of moderately advanced skill level  on an any% run? 4-6 play hours maybe? Definitely the GOAT of M1 based games, thank you for your contribution!