The Queen
Music production is, for the most part, done. There's just a couple songs left to polish, likely to be finihsed during the week.
Now the production is being focused on the Metroid Queen. It's proving to be a very interesting process. I was able to make a nice looking animation cycle for its legs, using the knowledge I gained while developing the other Metroids. It doesn't look as static and robotic as it used to.
The Queen has its original Metroid 2 attacks, and I'm experimenting with some new ones. The thing is, the limited space Samus has to move around the room also limits the variety of new attacks I can add without feeling cheap and frustrating to avoid.
Unfortunately, I can't fill the screen with projectiles.
So, new attacks need to be mostly timing based, making them fairly easy to predict when you learn them, but also making the fight feel predictable and formulaic.
While the Queen fight works right now, it's going to take a bit of experimentation to make it feel a lot more unique, without changing the foundations of the original fight.
It is, after all, the most important boss in the game.
Balancing and playtesting might take longer than expected too, but I want this fight in particular to feel fair and rewarding. Stay tuned for next month's update, hopefully she'll be finished by then.
As always, thanks for following the project.
Now the production is being focused on the Metroid Queen. It's proving to be a very interesting process. I was able to make a nice looking animation cycle for its legs, using the knowledge I gained while developing the other Metroids. It doesn't look as static and robotic as it used to.
The Queen has its original Metroid 2 attacks, and I'm experimenting with some new ones. The thing is, the limited space Samus has to move around the room also limits the variety of new attacks I can add without feeling cheap and frustrating to avoid.
Unfortunately, I can't fill the screen with projectiles.
So, new attacks need to be mostly timing based, making them fairly easy to predict when you learn them, but also making the fight feel predictable and formulaic.
While the Queen fight works right now, it's going to take a bit of experimentation to make it feel a lot more unique, without changing the foundations of the original fight.
It is, after all, the most important boss in the game.
Balancing and playtesting might take longer than expected too, but I want this fight in particular to feel fair and rewarding. Stay tuned for next month's update, hopefully she'll be finished by then.
As always, thanks for following the project.
Comments
Can't you make the room bigger than the original? Would that break the fight?
In my experience I know that in order to make a good game, it is necessary to work very well, so I wish You success in Your laborious work.
With the respect!
Sergey
(Original text:
"DoctorM64!
По своему опыту я знаю, что для того чтобы сделать хорошую игру, надо очень хорошо потрудиться, поэтому желаю Вам успехов в Вашем кропотливом деле.
С уважением!
Сергей")
I don't think she should die in one shot or be a super scripted fight like Mother Brain in Super, but the Queen having just a couple of powerful but limited attacks seems thematically appropriate to me.
The fight was way more challenging in Other M because Samus actually had to move around the room and not just be pinned up against a wall. Add to that her ability to spawn new baby metroids whenever and it got real tense especially on hard mode.
I agree with Blue Madness' thoughts. Why don't you make the Metroid Queen fight work a little bit like the Crocomire fight? You have the fight start where it normally would, but then have it move backwards after the Queen takes a certain amount of damage. You could vary up the moves the Queen uses with distance, or possibly change the layout farther back in the Queen's lair to give the player more room to react.
And, if you need to make the Queen's boss room bigger at some point, I'd say there'd be ways to make that work. We already have the Torizo boss where the ceiling opens up after a while.
That side, though, I'm loving reading this blog. I'm super excited and can't wait to play the final product. I know from experience how hard it is to stick with a project to the end. Kudos!
For the Queen battle, I really don't feel like expanding the room would be the best way to go. There is a certain danger and suspense from fighting the Queen in such a cramped and enclosed space. New attacks would be cool, but as someone said above, the Metroids developed to protect the Queen, so having the Omega Metroids be stronger then the Queen would make much more sense. The Queen helps the species reproduce, while the other Metroids defend the Queen from creatures and invading forces.
As far as mechanics go for the queen fight, I think that the rest of the game has the perfect balance of uniqueness and staying true to the original, and that shouldn't change for the boss fight. I think new attack patterns would be a great addition, even if that makes it more challenging. The rest of the game on hard mode has had some difficult sections so it makes sense that the final boss be difficult as well. Also I bet a slightly bigger room may keep that sense of claustrophobic and trapped feeling if the attacks are more varied and long range.
CANT BEIEVE ITS NEARLY FINISHED
IVE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS FOR LIKE 6- 7 YEARS I THINK
AL THE BEST!
TERRA
AS FOR THE QUEEN I THINK IT SHOULD STAY THE SAME AS THE ORIGINAL, NICE AND CRAMPED. AS ITS A NEST.
THE QUEEN SHOULDN'T BE AS STRONG AS THE OMEGAS.I AGREE ON THIS
My complaint with the original queen fight, was that it felt more like a war of attrition (unless you used the quick kill method). Like you were just wearing it down and just spamming while dodging those few attacks. If you can work around that and somehow make it one glorious, new experience, you'll definitely have a winner here. Honestly I'm not even sure how you can make it better, but with all of the outstanding improvements you made on everything else so far, I'm super confident that you'll think of a platinum-like idea for the queen in someway. Keep at it!
Although I understand that some people don't really like the Zero mission sprites similarities in am2r. but I have to give you credit you still do a lot of hard work despite the graphics on the game. at least you do very, well. excited for 1.5 though c:
First, you have the classic fight you know and remember. After walking past her 'corpse' and you think the coast is clear, she gets back up, enraged, breaking open the room and starting the fight for real.
I think it would be a poetic/thematic climax to the game - everything you knew and loved about the original, but then the game blows past those old expectations with new twists and challenges that enhance the experience.
This would also make it seem she is protecting the egg (of what is implied a to-be-Queen Metroid, unlike a random larva).
What I am more interesed in, though, is going for Ice Beam to a destroyed Chozo Statue. That's quite a powerful moment that I wonder how'll it be since we have the Ice Beam by then.
(Maybe one of those corrupted "Unidentified Items" from Zero Mission?)
So now I have to make note of a few small things with how you have to be wary of in this final boss fight.
1. Super Missiles and Power Bombs.
They were not existent in the original Metroid 2. They likely could cause the fight to become even more easy than it originally was and that's not a good thing. Be wary of how to go about with balancing with these two super powerful weapons.
2. The environment.
If you want to create a very interesting boss experience using the cramped space. Make the boss become a race against time. This is the queen's nest and the atmosphere and terrain is like a breeding ground meaning that its draining your energy as the fight goes on. Use this idea to make the fight more challenging.
And to add to it, after the queen feeds on so much of your energy (that heals her of some of the damage you've done) she could then release a more powerful attack that will stun you.
Now of course to keep the fight balanced, after the attack is done, she releases a few Metroid Larva like from Other M version of her fight (not the baby Metroid) or some type of spores from her body that you can shoot to get health and ammo. Rinse and repeat and add a few more tricks and you've just made a boss that is more of a race against time and adds tension.
Also, make sure to have spikes on the roof so you have to use precision jumping to avoid attacks and still be wary of the fact you can't get careless with your jumping.
Just some ideas to throw out there. And this idea also works great for speed runners who can likely kill the boss if they are really smart before the first "energized" attack comes out.
Best of luck with the final touches.
1 - "Classic" fight against her.
2 - Save the baby. However, as you're waiting for it to "chew" through the barriers, the queen returns with a vengeance and you have to hold her off while the baby metroid does its thing. I think this would add some tension, surprise, as well as a nice dramatic flow to take the player back to the surface.
3 - Upon reaching the surface the enraged/desperate queen bursts up from the ground, blocking your escape and coming at you with whatever new crazy attacks you have in mind for an ultimate showdown.
The queen is the most important part of the game, so I don't recommend rushing it. I think the greatest ideas mentioned include
1. Spikes on the ceiling
2. Rocks and debris falling from the ceiling
3. 2+ phases, especially a chase to the surface
So have the final Queen fight start in the "original" location, then have her blow away the floor below Samus' feet after the Queen takes enough damage and gets truly enraged. The Queen would chase Samus all the way down to the large chamber, where the fight would continue, and eventually conclude. Then Samus would just climb back up to pick up the baby Metroid.
I also like the idea of the fight continuing after the baby Metroid has hatched, by the way, but would it make sense? In the original game, the only reason why the baby Metroid accepts Samus has its mother is because the Metroid Queen is dead. Would the baby still follow Samus around "like a confused child" if her mother was chasing after Samus all the way up to the surface?
suggestion 1: like in super metroid.
regular queen fight with 2 attacks. goes down decently normal like, then the screen breaks away to a new room and you've got more space a minor transformation sequence, and the real fight commences with a few new attacks.
suggestion 2: utilize some triggers that couldn't be done with the original.
Give the queen some battle damage triggers, after awhile it protects itself against missles in the mouth, but still lunges forward to bite you- make the next step be turning into a ball, getting eaten, and mashing the bomb button- blow it's jaw off. now it takes missles to the face again, and it gets up on hind legs and starts doing claw attacks. after a bit it starts covering its face with one of its claws, so then you need to spider ball up the back wall and bomb the cracked ceiling. after a few blasts some pillar or large rocks fall on it, and it is helpless to your missles until a bunch of x parasites attack it, and evolve it into another monstrous queen fight?
i have found your project a couple of years ago and was very impressed about the quality and new atmosphere the game is creating. I came across your project, while I organized a podcast about the whole Metroid series and we also talked a little about your work.
Here is the Link to the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBftDuebjyQ at 22:38 minutes we will start to talk a little about AM2R. It’s unfortunately in german but we all love the project.
I also want to ask you to have the permission for a Lets Play Project about your game, when its done.
My Youtube channel is a german Lets Play channel and I would love to present your game an german audience. So, big greetings from germany and keep working on AM2R, it’s a good thing ;)
this may very well be the first and only metroid fan game to be fully completed.
best of luck!
M2 was where it all started for me, endless hours of it made many moments and memories of my childhood, fond ones. I always hoped someday Nintendo would remake it, especially after M:ZM and Fusion released. But here you are doing what Nintendo fell short of, and an amazing job i must say.
I can barely wait for AM2R's release, and relive the nostalgia of M2 in what I could only imagine it would be till now. thank you so much for your efforts and keep up the amazing work!
I think this fight should be similar. You start with a near immobile queen that can do nothing but attack with her long neck and caustic spit (essentially the original fight), but then Samus beats that version, and she disconnects from whatever is keeping her immobile and the REAL fight begins.
Change the foundations of the fight. Do it. But do it Super style.
Once the player does enough damage with the timing base formulaic style, and has had that homage back to the original, do it.
Have the queen destroy the room opening up a new arena, or whatever you need to do, and just do your thing.... And it looks like I am not alone on this. Tell you what, I trust you more to do right by metroid than I trust current Nintendo.
So treat them within the range doing not disturb.
I want...
The Zeta & Omega can attack flying.(Especially The Zeta)
The Queen attacks landing all fours and standing up like the Kraid repeatedly.
(When she stands up, The Youngs appears on the time interval.)
SuperMissile-shot takes over characteristic on any one of beam equipped.
When only charging single beam, recovery items absorb different movement for beam equipped.
Each orbit reminds charging single beam costed PowerBomb in SuperMetroid.
Mixed beam-shot charged not enough go separate each ways of orbit
by hit other object.
The beam-shot is fired on charged enough by her damaged only just now.
She can shot a SuperMissile costed one Missile by charged enough.
(She must hold ChargeBeam and one or more SuperMissile to be able to do.)
([Bomb])
By input to jump limited morphing ball, she can force to blow up touching launched.
(She does not have to adjust her motion to time reserved when launched (to bound recieving the impact).
([PowerBomb])
Monster defeated by PowerBomb never change recovery item.(0%)
([GravitySuits])
By squat during ShineSpark in space,she returns to ChargeBoost
& retry flying straight again anywhere only once.
She falls slowly as underwater by no input.
([VariaSuits])
When she damages on ground,the damage reduces.
She gets no damage when Knockback.
([3-paterns KickClimb])
By input to jump away from wall touched during rolling jump or fall,
she holds rolling & jumps away from the wall.(Original)
By input to jump toward wall touched during rolling jump or fall,
she stands up & jumps high away from the wall,
By input to jump only wall touched during falling,
she starts rolling & jumps just above.
So, I hope your success on the great mission !!
That said: What you've created so far is no short of fantastic, You've erected Metroid 2 and the whole metroid series a monument, and one can tell you've put heart and soul into your work. Take your time to put in a special carved and polished crown jewel of a boss fight, I'm sure everyone will wait gladly until you're pleased with every bit of it :) Great work!
Just an idea.
Or at least making the escape with the baby Metroid a bit more Shinespark friendly, seeing as it's looking to be long-arse caverns and trails.
Not to mention we have Super-Missiles and Power Bombs as well, so we have a lot more powerful attacks at our disposal as opposed to the original Queen fight. This fight is going to have to be dramatically different in some way or another to compensate for having that much power now. Don't you dare even think about a shitty sequence to strip us of that power either. That'll ruin it.
But yeah.
Shinesparking.
Have a think about how creative you'd be with it too, knowing you.
It would give a bit more life to the sprites (specially what I've seen from betas and zetas), in my opinion, just a small animation that changes a bit the "lighting" on the bellies, just a couple of shades of lighter green or white here and there, alternating.
It can go on while they aren't moving or while they're prepping for attacks, or even while they are screaming at you, much like in the Super Metroid title screen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chh6RAjGohw
It wouldn't need a total redraw, so I think it might be doable...
Something interesting about Nintendo and their policy on fanmade video games.
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