Lars the 18th, since you're good with passwords... | MSX Resource Center (페이지 1/2)

Paladin (866)

31-08-2017, 05:38

In my experience playing the Japanese version of the game, the errors created by the password system aren't game-breaking -- however, in testing the English-translated rom, they definitely have been. Which leads me to wonder if the changes to the rom have inadvertently affected password generation.

Even if they have, though, the game's password system is definitely really broken, and tends to go nuts with non-essential items, and even create an endlessly bugged version of a consumable item that prevents you from ever getting that item again. So a password generator for this game would still be helpful.

What would be even better, though, is if you or someone else would take a look at the English-translated rom when it's done and see if you can fix the password system internally. There must be some obvious bugs in it somewhere that are causing it to swap out items haphazardly, but where there are bugs, there are bound to be means of fixing those bugs. And having an actual, functional password system in the game that players can trust would be really nice.

-Tom

By Vampier

Prophet (2376)

31-08-2017, 08:17

omg MP83 is alive!!

By tfh

Prophet (2616)

31-08-2017, 08:49

wyrdwad wrote:

In my experience playing the Japanese version of the game, the errors created by the password system aren't game-breaking -- however, in testing the English-translated rom, they definitely have been. Which leads me to wonder if the changes to the rom have inadvertently affected password generation.

Even if they have, though, the game's password system is definitely really broken, and tends to go nuts with non-essential items, and even create an endlessly bugged version of a consumable item that prevents you from ever getting that item again. So a password generator for this game would still be helpful.

What would be even better, though, is if you or someone else would take a look at the English-translated rom when it's done and see if you can fix the password system internally. There must be some obvious bugs in it somewhere that are causing it to swap out items haphazardly, but where there are bugs, there are bound to be means of fixing those bugs. And having an actual, functional password system in the game that players can trust would be really nice.

-Tom

My guess is that Lars18th might also be just the person for the job. He could do both in one go ;-)

By Hydragon

Paladin (716)

31-08-2017, 12:32

and i smell a new content fot the website win-win for everyone!

By MP83

Master (203)

31-08-2017, 13:06

Vampier wrote:

omg MP83 is alive!!

I've been aliving for quite a while now. Just not in these forums, but elsewhere (like on my YouTube channel and Discord server).

I will also use this space to announce my interest in mapping the whole game. A Life M36 Planet is surely special. A hidden gem on the MSX.

By Hydragon

Paladin (716)

31-08-2017, 14:03

MP83 wrote:

Vampier wrote:

omg MP83 is alive!!

I've been aliving for quite a while now. Just not in these forums, but elsewhere (like on my YouTube channel and Discord server).

I will also use this space to announce my interest in mapping the whole game. A Life M36 Planet is surely special. A hidden gem on the MSX.

Once mapped, feel free to submit them by email to CheatMSX

By larsthe18th

Master (164)

31-08-2017, 21:48

Nice, looks like a interesting game, i'll have a look at it.
Although my vacation ended this week so i have less time.

Thanks for the mention

By wyrdwad

Paladin (866)

01-09-2017, 11:02

Manuel actually made a basic password generator for the game today, which I found waiting for me in my email when I got home from work. So big thanks to Manuel for that! It is lacking a few features, but it will absolutely come in tremendously handy for beta-testing the English-translated rom over the next couple weeks or so. I'll leave it up to Manuel to note any specifics about what he did or didn't do, since my general lack of technical knowledge would ensure that I fail to mention something crucial.

I did want to expand upon something both MP83 and I mentioned earlier, though, and that's the bugginess of the game's password system... and of the game in general, really. M36 is a really ambitious and fun game, but it's definitely not perfect, and some of the bugs in it are pretty major.

The password system has been known to do any or all of the following:

Enter your password to find "Daimon's Journal" has transformed into "Shimura's Diary."
Enter your password to find "Shimura's Diary" has transformed into "Daryl's Research Log." This is especially bad, because when you use the Research Log, you take Professor Daryl's "Seal" off the front cover and add it to your inventory. And since the seal is a major plot-crucial item, the game won't let you drop it... so if you already had the Seal, and you use the Research Log item that suddenly appeared in your inventory, you'll wind up with a second Seal, taking up yet another spot in your already limited inventory of seven total items.
Enter your password to find the "Seal" has transformed into the "Toy." This is, of course, even worse, since a plot-crucial item has now turned into an item you no longer have any use for, rendering the game unfinishable.
Enter your password to find the "BL-FUEL" (blaster fuel) item you had in your inventory is now completely gone. Except, even though you no longer have it, the game thinks you do, so enemies will never drop BL-FUEL again for the entire duration of the game, and if you try to buy BL-FUEL from a store, the game won't let you, because it'll claim you already have it.

MP83 was also having an issue where he couldn't use the Seal to make the entrance to the final area appear, and was thus stuck and unable to finish the game. (This was not related to the password system, however, as it occurred on a single-segment playthrough in which passwords weren't used -- though I was able to "rescue" him from his fate by giving him my own password from right around that same area!)

So, yeah... this game has some big bugs, to be sure. But I was lucky enough to only have non-critical bugs happen during my initial playthrough, so I was able to beat the entire game without ever running into a progress blocker. MP83 was not so lucky, however.

I do want to stress again, though, that despite the bugs, this game is absolutely worth playing. It's very quickly become one of my personal favorite MSX games, as it has a really cool atmosphere, some great enemy variety, creepy bosses, good exploration elements, and... a story! Which is actually pretty good, all things considered... if a bit confusing at times.

It's just a very "grand" adventure, particularly for an MSX1 cartridge. If I had to compare it to another MSX game, I'd say it occupies the same gameplay space as something like Maze of Galious, but is IMHO a deeper and more engaging experience than even that Konami classic.

-Tom

By MP83

Master (203)

02-09-2017, 18:23

Manuel has been making great progress with his password generator. I've been using it for beta testing, as well as for mapping the game. Thanks Manuel! I do kinda feel bad for Lars the 18th, though, but I want to thank him too for considering making a password generator, so... thanks!

Can anyone make a cheat for this game to walk through walls or do super-jumps? There's a couple of spots that I'd want to reach, which isn't possible to pull off normally. I'd want to see what happens.

By MP83

Master (203)

03-09-2017, 04:25

Heh, and I thought the game's title couldn't get any funnier.

This is thanks to one of the passwords generated by Manuel's password generator (IDLFH MJCSM EGCJB HFKDI GEJCH BKFLP). What it does is to take the player to a town called Tauccia, but with slightly glitched wall graphics. That's not all. If you reset the MSX after this, you'll get this delightful "MotherBra" title screen.