Super Metroid: Hotlands

[MetroidNerd#9001]

Presenting, Super Metroid: Hotlands! This hack was my entry into, as well as the third-place winner of, the Oatsngoats Hacking Contest.

Samus has been hired to take out a Space Pirate mining operation on the planet Vulkin, a Class-XIII Wasteland. Due to the planet's uninhabitable nature, the Galactic Federation has no issues with Samus blowing up the entire thing, as is her specialty.

Explore two full areas in this mini-hack, filled with interesting items, 6 custom songs (including 2 original compositions), custom graphics, and lots of custom ASM to create a fresh and interesting playing experience.

Screenshots:

Credits:
[spoiler]Moehr
Caauyjdp
Justanotherpapertoad
Phazon Webb
Sickwood
Toby Fox
Drewseph
Albert V
Shogo Sakai
Scyzer
DC
Amoeba
Person703
Black Falcon
Oi27
Nodever2
Jordan5[/spoiler]

[DonnyDonovan]

59.1% in 1:40.  Not bad, but I found the rinka rooms kind of frustrating, and the ninja pirates were very annoying until I figured out the technique.  But the music was good and there were some neat ideas here.   

[Steel Sparkle]

Very fun hack, wish it had been longer. Music was good! Always nice to hear tracks in the SM Sound font.

[spoiler]The secret gardens had my favorite track in the game![/spoiler]

[jet]

Where is the Varia Suit? Sick of doing heat runs in Norfair

[MetroidNerd#9001]

[spoiler]Just beat the main boss of the surface area. Varia is the reward for beating that fight.[/spoiler]

[jet]

If by the Surface area you mean Criteria then no, there is no "main boss" there, the Torzo that gives you the bombs is in Brainstar. If by main boss in the surface area you mean Kraid, then no, you get a reserve tank for beating him (which is lame). So again, where is the Varia suit?!

This is the version of the hack I am playing: Super Metroid Hotlands v. 1.0

Perhaps it is different to what everybody else is playing. I don't notice any different music or anything like that and the physics appears to be project base...

[MetroidNerd#9001]

Yeah. I don't think you're playing the right hack. Kraid is not in the hack, there is custom music, the physics are vanilla, and Brinstar doesn't exist.

[MetroidNerd#9001]

If anyone is having trouble getting 100% in the hack, I just put together a guide for how to find all the hidden pickups in the hack:
https://youtu.be/2rzBhyaWw8M

[MetroidNerd#9001]

Posting this here to have a permanent link to it. This is the Health Alarm Revamp patch I developed for version 1.1 of this hack:

This code reworks how the low health status is calculated
Instead of always setting off the alarm at 30 energy, the threshold scales based on Samus' max energy
When Samus has 399 or less health, the alarm will trigger at 30 energy as usual
Each subsequent 100 health she attains will increase the threshold by 10
Example:
- At 5 energy tanks (giving 100 energy each), the low health alarm will trigger at 50 energy
- At 14 energy tanks, the low health alarm will trigger at 140 energy
This code also alters the cutoff for the game exclusively giving Samus health drops at low energy
Instead of always cutting off at 50, it cuts off at 20 above the low energy threshold

Notes:
- This patch hijacks both the room load routine and the energy tank collection routine
  If either of these routines have been changed, their respective hijack points will have to be changed as well
- This patch uses 4 bytes of RAM
- This patch uses 70 bytes of freespace in bank $84

[MetroidNerd#9001]

Sorry for taking so long on this, but it's finally time to release Super Metroid: Hotlands version 1.1! Here are some changes that this new version has:

Visual changes:
- Suit palette during the credits matches equipped suit
- Added hint tile for the most hidden Energy Tank
- Removed transparent pixel from title screen stone
- Fixed minor tiling error near green gates in Core
- Enhanced tiling in Charge Beam room
- Added hint tile for lower Core missile tank and other things
- Replaced the baby metroid with the hack's prominent stone on the game over screen
- Background volcanoes in open rooms now glow
- Old-looking pipes on the surface no longer have red dots scattered throughout them
- Added numerous glows to the Core
- Tiling in Phantoon's room improved
- Cracked ceiling tiles added to post slope room missile
- Updated the credits to include new ASM used in the hack (by Smiley)
- Text in credits changed from "1994 Nintendo" to "2021 MetConst"

Gameplay changes:
- Added slope under pillar in jagged multiviola room in Core
- Solidified ceiling before first Core miniboss
- Decreased overall suck in the first screen of the second escape room
- Spazer location now revealed by Core map station
- Fixed transition back into 3 gate puzzle in Surface to use Door ASM, preventing any scrolling issues
- Unlocked left door in Charge Beam room
- Space pirate guarding Charge Beam room moved to left side of screen
- Ninja pirates guarding first missiles replaced with normal pirates
- Escape from bottom of optional surface miniboss now automatic
- All pipes in Core halls now shoot smoke in all roomstates
- 1 Space Pirate moved from leftmost outdoor room to reduce lag
- Added two unkillable violas to the pirate computer miniboss. They are destroyed when the miniboss is destroyed
- Added a roomstate to the room before the final boss and removed the locked door

Balance changes:
- White Space Pirate damage reduced by 20%
- Multiviola damage and health reduced by 20%
- Low Health Alarm trigger now scales with number of energy tanks
- Energy drop grace period similarly scales. It is equal to the low health threshold + 20
- Grey space pirates now die to bombs

[DonnyDonovan]

Replayed this using 1.1 and I enjoyed it more than I recall enjoying it the first time.  Nicely done!

[MetroidNerd#9001]

For those who are interested, I made a video discussing how the map of this hack evolved from the earliest stages of development.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hhT905W648

[Zincoshine]

The song, at the start of the gameplay. I know this, I've heard it before..... from another metroidvania I think.... but not in 16 bit. Where is it from!

[MetroidNerd#9001]

The song for the Surface is "Another Medium" from Undertale.

[Zincoshine]

Thanks for the info. By the way, I'm curious as to why you would put obstacles everywhere (especially in the latter half) that require the spring ball upgrade but then neglect to include the spring ball upgrade anywhere in the world. Why in God's name would you intentionally take such a well-made Metroidvania-style hack and then deliberately turn it into an exercise in frustration? At the very least please release a version that swaps out one of the missile tanks for the spring ball upgrade so that people not registered on this forum can enjoy it. There's a really great place for it too in the upper left part of the lower biome where there is a missile tank on a pedestal in a relatively open room  :)

[LetsPlayNintendoITA]

Thanks for the info. By the way, I'm curious as to why you would put obstacles everywhere (especially in the latter half) that require the spring ball upgrade but then neglect to include the spring ball upgrade anywhere in the world. Why in God's name would you intentionally take such a well-made Metroidvania and then deliberately turn it into an exercise in frustration? At the very least please release a version that swaps out one of the missile tanks for the spring ball upgrade so that people not registered on this forum can enjoy it. There's a really great place for it too in the upper left part of the lower biome where there is a missile tank on a pedestal in a relatively open room  :)

what room requires springball? I' m  curious

[Zincoshine]

Well, the majority of secrets do. Just discovering them, let alone getting, in requires the spring ball. There is however one room on the mandatory progression pathway that does require it and it is the room just before the final boss battle. Technically you CAN use the mid-air morph glitch to get through but holy hell is that hard to do in this room where the platform falls down after standing on it. I remember having to use so much IBJ to access stuff when playing this because there was no spring ball.

[MetroidNerd#9001]

Mid-air morphing is not a glitch. I don't know what you don't understand about that. It's an intended mechanic, and it's not hard. I am sick and tired of you going on about how much putting Spring Ball in would "fix" my hack. You even bring that up in discussions of other hacks, and I find it to be extremely uncalled for and disrespectful.

[FelixWright]

Mid-air morphing is not a glitch. I don't know what you don't understand about that. It's an intended mechanic, and it's not hard. I am sick and tired of you going on about how much putting Spring Ball in would "fix" my hack. You even bring that up in discussions of other hacks, and I find it to be extremely uncalled for and disrespectful.

I understand you are frustrated as many of us are and agree with you that mid air morph is an intended mechanic. With that being said, I'd like to see Zincoshine maybe send a couple screenshots of spots in Hotlands he thinks would be improved if spring ball existed. Simply saying "a majority of secrets do," no offense, isn't particularly helpful when making the case for adding spring ball to the hack. It would help a lot to see where you struggled and how spring ball would make it better.

[Noxus]

Thanks for the info. By the way, I'm curious as to why you would put obstacles everywhere (especially in the latter half) that require the spring ball upgrade but then neglect to include the spring ball upgrade anywhere in the world. Why in God's name would you intentionally take such a well-made Metroidvania-style hack and then deliberately turn it into an exercise in frustration? At the very least please release a version that swaps out one of the missile tanks for the spring ball upgrade so that people not registered on this forum can enjoy it. There's a really great place for it too in the upper left part of the lower biome where there is a missile tank on a pedestal in a relatively open room  :)

A Hack is a Hack. You either like it as it is or you don't. Stop advocating for the "average Metroidvania player" because you think something doesn't conform to your definition. If we want to appeal to the mainstream audience, we will certainly do so.

Here's an idea: Learn to hack yourself!  :whoa: Make a mainstream "Metroidvania" that appeals to the masses! Gain notoriety and fame! Retire on an island in the Bahamas! But in the meantime, don't rag on us about how walljump is ruining the experience of the average metroid fan, because the average metroid fan can, in fact, walljump and such.

[LetsPlayNintendoITA]

Thanks for the info. By the way, I'm curious as to why you would put obstacles everywhere (especially in the latter half) that require the spring ball upgrade but then neglect to include the spring ball upgrade anywhere in the world. Why in God's name would you intentionally take such a well-made Metroidvania-style hack and then deliberately turn it into an exercise in frustration? At the very least please release a version that swaps out one of the missile tanks for the spring ball upgrade so that people not registered on this forum can enjoy it. There's a really great place for it too in the upper left part of the lower biome where there is a missile tank on a pedestal in a relatively open room  :)

A Hack is a Hack. You either like it as it is or you don't. Stop advocating for the "average Metroidvania player" because you think something doesn't conform to your definition. If we want to appeal to the mainstream audience, we will certainly do so.

Here's an idea: Learn to hack yourself!  :whoa: Make a mainstream "Metroidvania" that appeals to the masses! Gain notoriety and fame! Retire on an island in the Bahamas! But in the meantime, don't rag on us about how walljump is ruining the experience of the average metroid fan, because the average metroid fan can, in fact, walljump and such.

walljump is literally taught ingame by the animals lmao

[Zincoshine]

Mid-air morphing is not a glitch. I don't know what you don't understand about that. It's an intended mechanic, and it's not hard. I am sick and tired of you going on about how much putting Spring Ball in would "fix" my hack. You even bring that up in discussions of other hacks, and I find it to be extremely uncalled for and disrespectful.

Well MetroidNerd I likewise find it extremely disrespectful that you expect players to go through all manners of glitches instead of using the actual intended mechanics included in the base game that have no good reason for not being used. That last room before the final boss was really uncalled for. You clearly have no idea how enraged I was when I reached that room just before the final boss. I was going to do a KPF-style review but I decided to calm down and try and be constructive. If you don't want to get disrespected, don't disrespect players with troll design choices like this. Now, here's a bit of advice for the future: Next time seek playtesters who aren't also overexperienced with metroid so that you'll get a better proofreading of your hack next time. To see that If any given mechanic is not a mechanic that was needed in the base game or taught by the animals then it's not an intended mechanic.

As for mid-air morphing in super metroid. No, it is not an intended mechanic and it's not one that normal players are going to figure out. The intended mechanic is the spring ball upgrade. Some later games do have it as an intended mechanic (If I am correct, at the very least it's an intended mechanic in dread and AM2R) but super metroid is not one of those games. It is unintuitive and hard to execute due to the lack of a morphing button, the base game never teaches you it and it's not required for anything in the base game. If anything it is used to exploit the game and do sequence breaks (which should itself be a sign for you that a given mechanic is a glitch).

walljump is literally taught ingame by the animals lmao

He's referring to my earliest reviews which have since been fixed. Wall jumping is not a glitch, I only thought so back in july because the hacks I played at the time didn't teach it (which makes sense since they were mostly mini hacks). It is worth mentioning that even though I thought that wall jumping was a glitch at the time, it didn't result in a negative evaluation because I thought it was a super easy glitch to do that any player can figure out. There are however a few hacks that expect way too much from players with that mechanic, most notably temple of the winds.

Edit: showing all the rooms which could be improved with the spring ball upgrade would require a second playthrough. no way I am going trough that hell again. I have since forgotten how to IBJ due to Axeil.

[nodever2]

As for mid-air morphing in super metroid. No, it is not an intended mechanic and it's not one that normal players are going to figure out. The intended mechanic is the spring ball upgrade. Some later games do have it as an intended mechanic (If I am correct, at the very least it's an intended mechanic in dread and AM2R) but super metroid is not one of those games. It is unintuitive and hard to execute due to the lack of a morphing button, the base game never teaches you it and it's not required for anything in the base game. If anything it is used to exploit the game and do sequence breaks (which should itself be a sign for you that a given mechanic is a glitch).

I've got bad news for you buddy. Mid air morphing is taught to the player by the original game's title screen demos and is provably not a glitch. You can see where it is taught to the player at this point in this video:
(note that this one only appears after you have a save file which has beaten the game)

https://youtu.be/QsIBLOx12KU?t=291

Also, we have disassembled the game's code and found that it was intentionally programmed into Samus' movement. While you may have a valid point about it being difficult for the average player to pull off and being arguably unnecessary to make required for progression in a hack, trying to argue that it is a glitch in the game is simply misinformation.

[MetroidNerd#9001]

While you may have a valid point about it being difficult for the average player to pull off and being arguably unnecessary to make required for progression in a hack, trying to argue that it is a glitch in the game is simply misinformation.

And even if the trick is difficult for an average player to pull off, this hack is clearly labeled as "Veteran" difficulty.

Now, here's a bit of advice for the future: Next time seek playtesters who aren't also overexperienced with metroid so that you'll get a better proofreading of your hack next time.

Please don't go around insulting my beta testers.

[Zincoshine]

Wait, what the actual fuck???? Infinite bomb jumping (let alone mid-air morphing) is INTENTIONAL???? and it's revealed after winning? Oh my god, that means Nintendo actually designed this game with the intention that players DO try and sequence break it on a second try. This is a mind blowing revelation. OK uhm.... I might have to have another look at my past reviews then.  :whoa:

Edit: it goes without saying, but for obvious reasons I concede this argument in light of this evidence.