Time bomb set get out fast!
The time has come! I don't know why it's taken me so long to post this; I wrote up most of the comments ages ago. Procrastination is a harsh mistress. Almost as harsh as Puddin'.
First, the bad news. I looked with the utmost thoroughness. Then I ran some searches of the hex code. Then I checked in SMILE. Then I watched a Japanese TAS run of the hack on Nico Nico Douga. The verdict is in: there is no fourteenth energy tank in Puddin'. The maximum percentage is 100%; Samus's tallies will be 13 energy tanks, 230 missiles, 55 supers, and 50 power bombs. My determination to be the first to get 101% was doomed from the start.
On the other hand, I did figure out how to get the super missile pack just off the old Tourian shaft, and no one else in this thread has done that yet. Woo! (That item is easily the most fiendish in any Cardweaver hack, and I'm counting the Maridia half-shinesparks in Soup.)
Btw, that Japanese run is cool, but Nico Nico Douga won't let you watch anything unless you register. Instructions for doing so can be found online easily enough, so here's the run if anyone's interested.
Here are some general comments on Puddin', spoilered for length.
And now the traps, some of which have been found...
And finally, two questions for Cardweaver.
First, the bad news. I looked with the utmost thoroughness. Then I ran some searches of the hex code. Then I checked in SMILE. Then I watched a Japanese TAS run of the hack on Nico Nico Douga. The verdict is in: there is no fourteenth energy tank in Puddin'. The maximum percentage is 100%; Samus's tallies will be 13 energy tanks, 230 missiles, 55 supers, and 50 power bombs. My determination to be the first to get 101% was doomed from the start.
On the other hand, I did figure out how to get the super missile pack just off the old Tourian shaft, and no one else in this thread has done that yet. Woo! (That item is easily the most fiendish in any Cardweaver hack, and I'm counting the Maridia half-shinesparks in Soup.)
Btw, that Japanese run is cool, but Nico Nico Douga won't let you watch anything unless you register. Instructions for doing so can be found online easily enough, so here's the run if anyone's interested.
Here are some general comments on Puddin', spoilered for length.
- Lower Norfair in this hack taught me two things. First, I will never underestimate the wave beam's special attack again. It's an essential weapon at that stage of the game, when super missiles are needed for crystal flashes; it got me past Ridley's guards by the skin of my teeth. And second, red Kihunters are the spawn of Satan. When I saw that locked door blocking off the pre-Ridley energy tank, I put myself through save-state hell trying to kill the roomful of Kihunters below. Turned out not to be enemy-locked, of course.
- Speaking of Ridley's guards, you're bound to be weak by the time you reach them, so you'll have to fight strategically. Fortunately, the "cage match" gives you something you don't usually have: a hiding spot. Stay in the hole and duck when a pirate runs over you. They tend not to move if you stay still, but walking left and right in the hole (for all of one pixel) gets them moving. I actually got the closer pirate into a loop where he did nothing but the yellow charge attack. That doesn't seem to work on the farther pirate, though; his positions are wrong. Finally, when you do have to leave the hole, charge spin is your friend.
- The Crocomire fight was, to be blunt, stupid. Not cool, Cardweaver -- it should always be at least theoretically possible to win without savestates. I doubt even Red Scarlet could do so here (more than one try out of ten, anyway). That said, I think your rationale for the crumble blocks was pretty cool. If you had only made falls recoverable, it could have been an epic boss remix.
- Speaking of Crocomire, who else left his area the way they came in? It's a pain in the butt... and unnecessary. The item he guards lets you get out much faster. Alas, this is something you're unlikely to figure out the first time through.
- This is one of several hacks that make you fight the Golden Torizo without strong beams, so it's a good idea to learn the right timing for super missiles. If you have enough, though, you can just spam him. He's vulnerable while grabbing them, so for each one he gets, you'll nail him with two.
- This is probably accidental, but Ridley guarding the gravity suit is a neat Zero Mission reference.
- Kraid was almost as bad as Crocomire. My dismay knew no bounds when the only reward for that fight was Hi-Jump. I did enjoy (in a "grr, this is fiendishly clever" way) how you have to use all your supers to get into the room, and can't refill them before going in. Fortunately, Kraid's projectiles occasionally drop supers. (Speaking of those projectiles, ever notice that he only throws some of them himself? Others actually spawn in the corners of the room. Brrr.)
- Speaking of Kraid's underwhelming reward, I wonder if an expert bomb jumper could actually skip it -- defer Kraid till later and go straight for Phantoon. The potential sticking point is entering the Wrecked Ship; I think the gap right before the door may be impassable without hi-jump or better. An HBJ would work if not for the invisible wall any would-be shinesparker encounters. But there are even more powerful (and difficult) bombing techniques that might get the job done. If so, Kraid would become much easier -- just come back later and cram some charged plasma down his gullet.
- Mini-Kraid was fun here. I always bomb Kraid in the original Metroid, but he doesn't do a full tank of contact damage!
- Interesting Phantoon fight. It's nice that for once super missiles don't make him go crazy-go-nuts. In fact, I'm not even sure if they do more damage than power beam shots.
- I only had one energy tank for the hell runs my first time through (I missed the one in the old hi-jump room). Under those conditions, they're about as bad as the one in Redesign. With two tanks, it was much easier; I had more trouble with the Wrecked Ship than with Norfair.
- First power bomb tank was quite fiendish. I like it when a hack rewards me for exploration -- I wasn't expecting anything vital in that area.
- Spore Spawn was rejigged interestingly. As for his puzzles, most people would complain about the maze above him (which is nasty), but I was much more annoyed by the one speed block in the ceiling you have to find to get to him. "Bomb everywhere" puzzles are rarely fun, and it should never be necessary to bomb every ceiling block, unless you've already given the player the spring ball.
- Similarly, you (Cardweaver) have mentioned your fondness for puzzles that involve turning off powerups, but I find those really annoying. You know Puddin's noob bridge room, where the mockball is almost impossible with hi-jump or speed booster on? I once did it with them both anyway just to spite you.
- I laughed out loud when the mushrooms in early Crateria were solid. To me, that's the Cardweaver experience in a nutshell: everything looks familiar and then WHAM.
And now the traps, some of which have been found...
- Don't go in the Brinstar map room until you have the means to destroy crawly enemies.
- Make sure you've beaten Draygon before you take the Maridia shortcut tube. In this hack, the room at the other end has several doors that won't open until Draygon dies -- including the door you came in through.
- Don't go behind the (old) charge beam statue without the gravity suit. Not only will you be unable to get the very difficult item that lies beyond, you'll be trapped.
- Similarly, before you have the gravity suit, don't get too clever in the Wrecked Ship. You can reach a certain room early by freezing enemies, but you can't get back out.
And finally, two questions for Cardweaver.
- You said Ridley had a quirky weakness that "makes sense if you think about it". What is it? I tried almost everything and didn't find one. Fortunately, super missiles still work fine (as does wave beam special attack, which I used for the whole fight last time).
- Do you mind if I make an easy version of Puddin? A couple of SMILE edits -- namely to Kraid and Crocomire -- would turn it from a very clever hack that I dread replaying into just a very clever hack.