Let's Play Randomizers - Megathread Edition - The Something Awful Forums

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Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

Randos are cool, I've tried LttP, Dark Souls, OoT and DK64 so far. Probably forgetting some.

I might record the next try of one. Was eyeing a new-ish release for Aria of Sorrow that turns it into a Roguelike, for example!

Also, re: the Fusion vid, nice start with the screw attack. I'd heard that it gives you a single-wall jump, but haven't seen it before, really cool. Like your gameplay, keep it up!

# ¿ Apr 11, 2023 15:50

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# ¿ May 15, 2024 07:25

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

Carbon dioxide posted:

How does one get started with a randomizer?

There are some games I like to think I know quite well but it's not like I know where every single useless item is in vanilla. I feel I'd be stuck for hours.

For LttP, I watched a few runs on GDQ first (which were what got me to try it), and noticed patterns in what they checked early, as well as remembering some stuff they said like "oh x is out of the way but it's technically in logic".

When I tried it myself, I did the same checks (lots of chests at once) first and got a lot of good items from them, that's just how it works; I did get stumped regardless, and just asked in their Discord about it. Turns out that going through a dark room early without a lantern IS in logic "because everybody can do it blind, or with a map" and yeah the item was there. Just unlucky because I thought "surely this means Lantern is in logic beforehand".

So observe, try, ask imo

# ¿ Apr 12, 2023 07:57

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

AweStriker posted:

Dark rooms being in logic depends on your settings - there are settings where the lantern would indeed have been available some time before needing to go into one, and others where it might not and the logic expects you to do them blind. Or at least, unless they changed what settings are available.

I don't remember exactly, I do think I used some basic setting, and was told that this specific room is "easy enough" or sth like that. It was at least a year ago, so definitely not the newest version.

Regardless, won't hurt to ask. I did finish that seed, by the way!

# ¿ Apr 12, 2023 16:13

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

Aria of Sorrow Reprise Roguelike Randomizer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyHc15eYboo

The hack in question

I will never not have technical issues when starting a new project, no matter how many times I've done it. I'll fix the sound desynch + weirdly high quality for the next video. That is, if you all would like to see more!

# ¿ Apr 20, 2023 23:03

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

DoubleNegative posted:

The people who made the hack have actually implemented the IntFix patch. So intelligence is now a super powerful stat because it makes all your red souls much stronger. So all those +2 Intelligences you kept finding were really good!

Oh riiiight I remember the runner I watched this play mention that! I actually didn't know about Int not doing anything in the original version, I just figured it would increase my MP reg lol

(I should read the readme at some point)

# ¿ Apr 21, 2023 12:30

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

DoubleNegative posted:

The people who made the hack have actually implemented the IntFix patch. So intelligence is now a super powerful stat because it makes all your red souls much stronger. So all those +2 Intelligences you kept finding were really good!

Uuuh very nice, thanks for the heads-up!

Blaze Dragon posted:

This is an interesting randomizer, and it's always fun to watch your LPs, so please continue! I hope you get some more soul luck though.

Thanks! I get

Also thanks to the rest of the vocal enjoyers

.

Aria of Sorrow Reprise Roguelike Randomizer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbCdS5W2Lhw

Maybe next time I record at double the resolution and then it can be HD - if it matters. I don't think my encoding program can upscale losslessly because it's a bit of a dumdum

# ¿ Apr 24, 2023 00:07

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

Rigged Death Trap posted:

In the original your red souls scaled with STR, and blues scaled with int.
So Int was not entirely useless but Strength increases both red soul attack and weapons damage so why go for int.

Ah, I misunderstood then. Still haven't read the readme because playing is too much fun, haha

quote:

Nice bit of luck on the death's robe and valmanway. Death's robe is the best armor in the game, hard mode exclusive, and valmanway is a boss rush reward.
Also the man eater is a boss rush stage.

Oh, I hate boss rushes, that explains why it's new to me

CptWedgie posted:

Quite enjoyable! Personally, I'd be using one of those those "guaranteed soul drop" items on a Valkyrie, since they've got one of the best attacks in the game, but since they cost so much I won't get on your case for skipping them. Might consider using one on a Winged Skeleton, too; their spears are reasonably cheap, good range, and, unless I'm misremembering, decently damaging due to its multi-hit ability (especially if you can aim it to land on your target), so they're not bad as a "budget" weapon.

I did get a Winged Skeleton drop iirc

I thought I remembered Valk being good, but I think I'm actually conflating it with Dawn's red Valkyrie, which has an AOE holy attack that rips. Dawn's blue valk is a transform rush. Having played WAY more Dawn than Aria is screwing with me!

# ¿ Apr 24, 2023 07:26

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

Aria of Sorrow Reprise Roguelike Randomizer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8n_HUFte-Q

That's it!

For now?

# ¿ Apr 27, 2023 19:35

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

Huh, that's very good to know about the sword! I usually am more adventurous about trying out stuff, but the live setting and inherent risk made me not want to. I'll keep it in mind!

Personal, I think the biggest issue is that I'm rear end at Balore - I can beat most Aria bosses first try, but that one's always an issue for me. I think it's because it's the only one where you just have to learn the positioning for every single move to avoid heavy damage - I don't particularly like doing that so usually I just damage race him. Bad idea here.

In contrast, every Circle of the Moon boss demands that you learn the positioning, so I did, and I rule at Circle now.

...wait a minute...

# ¿ Apr 27, 2023 23:10

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

C-Euro posted:

The Medusa Head soul completely chumps Balore's second phase. It keeps your position locked in the air, so just activate while you're next to his eye and just beat it up while his shockwaves float under you.

Also you killed a bunch of Lightning Dolls while you had a Charon's Obol in your inventory It's so good!

1) I knew about the Medusa Head soul; I was in fact about to say something about it but got distracted by getting my rear end beat lol
2) sure but it's much more boring than seeing what random chance gives me. Also Nightmare is really good too!

anilEhilated posted:

The second phase is generally not the one that needs chumping, though, you can just kickjump through it.

e: Aw hell, the kickjump isn't a guaranteed ability in Aria, is it.

I was in fact lamenting that it hadn't shown up yet!

# ¿ Apr 29, 2023 10:09

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

DoubleNegative posted:

Simply Simon actually got really shafted in terms of Green soul drops. I'm pretty sure you're supposed to find the kick soul way before floor 70. And the Hippogryph too.

I know for a fact they guarantee double jump starting in the 30s. I think around 35 it will start spawning anywhere that there's an opportunity. So it's bizarre that by double that, the high jump and kicks were nowhere to be seen.

It's quite possible that this is due to my inexperience with the game. I have started to see some recurring rooms that always have a red soul, a +stat thing etc., but the ability soul stands are too rare for me to see a pattern in where they show up yet. In a few runs, I might be going "oh I should poke my head into one more room - ah! This is a candidate for having an ability...and there it is, cool". Not yet, though!

# ¿ Apr 29, 2023 11:15

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Randomizer

First Session: Catacombs - Abyss Stairway - Audience Room - Outer Wall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdMcr8__qIg

I like Aria, but I love Circle. I'm weird like that. I absolutely want to finish this one, I should have the skills and knowledge for it. Small blunders notwithstanding - nothing that can't be fixed with editing, eh?

# ¿ Jun 9, 2023 16:17

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

anilEhilated posted:

Curious to see the familiars in action, never bothered with them myself and the rebalance should help.

Lucky to get the double grips early, too.

There's something cool for you in the second video!

I try not to abuse the DGs too much. You'll see.

DoubleNegative posted:

When I played Circle as a teenager, I was kinda dumb because I never figured out what the brain floats were even for. To be fair, grinding for 1% card drops never occurred to me. They really just looked at Rippers from Metroid and went "but what if they were easily killable by accident" didn't they?"

Also ~~Mario~~ Luigi RPG randomizer looks neat!

At least they respawn if you go slightly off-screen...still. Not the funnest idea. Or the most necessary, all things considered!

PurpleXVI posted:

I haven't played Circle of the Moon, but a few observations.

Castlevania games' most banging tracks often seem to be playing in tower-themed sections.
Why the hell does every Castlevania game seem to have knockback that sends you flying half a screen? I loving hate this. Worst thing in platformers of any kind.

I think it's reasonable to add another factor to difficulty, as the knockback in more complex CVs (Symphony for sure, but this one too!) is not a fixed distance. In the original platformers, it was purely to make platforming even more deadly, of course. I address this a bit in the video!

C-Euro posted:

Circle is a weird game. Design-wise it feels like a transition state between your old-school platformer Vanias and your SoTN and onward Vanias. There are a couple of really bad design decisions, but they're all in the details rather than the core mechanics of the game. So the game ends up being just pretty good. I think this was also the first Metroidvania that I ever played?

Also the whip spin is hilariously useful, as it makes you impervious to many projectiles and some small swarming enemies like Medusa Heads. Don't sleep on it!

1) yeah it's slightly awkward and does a bunch of mistakes, but I think it ends up super solid exactly because the core is so strong
2) I did address this in my first recording but welp, you'll see. I meant that it's not obviously useful especially as an attack, the only time you NEED to use it to get everything is to open the floor/ceiling secrets, but it is absolutely vital to not get screwed by e.g. Dragon Zombies for sure! I do know how good it is

Odd Wilson posted:

I think it's a holdback from the original game where knockback is intended to punish sloppy gameplay with instant death.

Portrait of Ruin has an armor that makes the knockback higher, if you want.

This reminds me that I should do a PoR rando run for the thread still, but I'm still behind on even getting to the Dark Souls videos. DW III rando is ready to write up but I'm way behind even on my main LPs.

I think my favorite CV knockback thing is the (obsolete now, I think) trick in SotN where it scales with the amount of damage you take, so you can take off all your starting armor, get hit in a specific way, and the knockback yeets you completely through the room where Death steals your poo poo, entirely bypassing the cutscene trigger, so you keep the great starting equipment.

Anyway...

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Randomizer

Second Session: Triumph Hallway - 1/2 Machine Tower - Eternal Corridor - Chapel Tower

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f0RmsCIrFQ

# ¿ Jun 10, 2023 23:34

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Randomizer

Third Session: Mostly Just Underground Waterway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lQp6QSB1qQ

This area sucks, but guess what? It was entirely pointless. Basically a wasted session except for the experience. Womp womp

# ¿ Jun 27, 2023 23:50

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

anilEhilated posted:

The crow/lever dynamic tells me not even the devs bothered with the familiar card. Admittedly, IIRC you get the card much later and the waterway is a horrible area even in the regular game so I guess they could be forgiven for not testing it out.

Earliest you can get Saturn (which gives you the various familiars) is from the Battle Arena entrance, and as we saw in this video, you can't get there without the Gryphon Wing, so you have to beat Camilla first. Definitely not an issue in vanilla, unless you go back to the waterway for that one dumbass ceiling item later.

# ¿ Jun 29, 2023 13:40

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

C-Euro posted:

Pretty sure the whip spin blocks the ice balls from the shades and demon in the Waterway, though definitely not the ice spears from the armors.

Also I'm a big fan of the late-game boss music that we hear in the Camilla fight here, previously used as the final boss music from Castlevania III

Oh, I missed this post!
1) Whip spin deal very little damage, but otherwise it behaves like a normal whip swing. All the destructable projectiles get taken out by one swing, and thus also by a spin. I actually never tried against the demon's ice balls, that might have helped. Spears I know it doesn't work on, yeah.
2) Huh, you're right! I never played CV3 all the way through, so I didn't notice it.
original CotM version

And with that...

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Randomizer

Fourth Session: Underground Warehouse (attempted) - Underground Gallery - A whole bunch of running around

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpzfPQVGp5Q

I cut literally half of the original footage!

# ¿ Aug 6, 2023 22:46

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

Well, it's not like you don't get instant access to huge amounts of the map anyway multiple times in SotN :v:

.

I'd kill for the high jump, personally!

# ¿ Aug 10, 2023 08:30

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Randomizer

Fifth Session: Trying to find progress - Underground Gallery revisit - Triumph Hallway - Machine Tower cleanup

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emiJOOvr-M8

As you can probably tell from the word "cleanup", progress finally happens! I should be able to finish very soon now.

Simply Simon fucked around with this message at 15:14 on Sep 5, 2023

# ¿ Aug 13, 2023 14:26

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

CptWedgie posted:

Castlevania Symphony Rando 6, Does This Count As Hell?

Okay, back now.

Good to hear that you managed to overcome the LP curse and that you're making steady progress with exploration!

# ¿ Aug 20, 2023 20:35

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

Man there's a LOT of crap in SotN

# ¿ Aug 23, 2023 11:47

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Randomizer

Sixth (final) Session: Observation Tower (brief) - Outer Wall - Ceremonial Room

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhEyBzg0JYs

As expected, this went quick, but actually even quicker than that. Happy to have wrapped this up somewhat expediently!

# ¿ Sep 5, 2023 15:19

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

CptWedgie posted:

Castlevania Symphony Rando 12, Justifiable Patricide

And there's the other Castlevania randomizer run finished. I'm honestly amazed at how overpowered I wound up by the end.

In SotN, I'd be more amazed if you weren't tbh

Congrats on finishing! (Japanese) Curry is great, I'm gonna make some today! It's basically a stew with a specific spice mix.

# ¿ Oct 9, 2023 15:13

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

Shitload of onions (literally the same amount as the meat), some carrots, meat (in this case turkey, but anything goes), potatoes. Five minutes seared in a big pot:

Add water, let it cook until veggies are soft.

Important secret ingredient: the cubes of curry to give it actual curry flavor lol

(the recipe is from the back of the box)

Looks like chocolate when it's melting:

And the end result, much nicer color:

We serve it with Fukujinsuke (mixed pickles, rather sweet, pairs extremely well)

# ¿ Oct 10, 2023 13:07

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

CptWedgie posted:

DSVania: Dawn of Sorrow Rando, 01: Hunting Your Own Cultists

Surprise! After a month of total thread silence, I randomly decided to start up another rando. I feel this isn't breaking promises or anything like that because this isn't for testing, it's because I saw a Youtube video and it looked interesting. Hopefully it works properly from start to finish.

Imp is super unintuitively described - as long as it's active, you basically flip an enemy's HP and MP, so if they e.g. had 100 HP and 20 MP, you can kill them with a single 20 damage attack instead of 5. This is how you farm those iron golem things that have infinite defense and a shitton of health - they are one-hits with Imp.

# ¿ Jan 9, 2024 15:25

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

CptWedgie posted:

DSVania: Dawn of Sorrow Rando, 02: In We Go

That was enough fun that I'm already updating again. Or maybe it's just the extended hiatus leaving me a lot more motivated than I was before.

"I could also combo it with Gaibon to get twice as many javelins per throw, but that requires unequipping Bat Company."

Well, that's what Doppelganger is for :v:

"This soul I got from a stand a bit below the entrance may or may not be a Jojo reference"

:v:

�

# ¿ Jan 9, 2024 15:39

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

I'm pretty sure you don't need the magazines at all to get the respective souls - they just give hints, if you already know how, just go for it.

Devil is extremely good with multi-hit attacks but also anything else - it just about triples your damage. Does indeed cost 10 HP a second, can't kill you tho

Also I'm not a speedrunner either but you'd bet Black Panther would stay glued to my R button forever. It's so good

# ¿ Jan 11, 2024 20:28

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

CptWedgie posted:

I know this; it's just that I don't have the prerequisites or, with one exception, the locations to actually go for the UMA souls yet. Like I said, I need specific souls to do anything with them. For example, did you notice that I don't have Waiter Skeleton yet?

...sorry, that came out overly defensive; bad habit. Gets the point across well enough that I won't go back to rewrite it, though.

It's fine; I think I misread something you said in an earlier update, probably mixed up "I can't use this soul because I don't have the newspaper yet" with the other way around.

While I'm being a smartass though, that is very much not a "Tetris" room :v:

# ¿ Jan 12, 2024 21:47

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

CptWedgie posted:

DSVania: Dawn of Sorrow, 07: Finally Tower-ing

Not sure if taking a day off was what I needed or a sign of impending burnout after almost a week of daily updates...

It's pronounced "Draghignazzo"

drah-[soft]geen-yatzo

Also happy that the Imp explanation helped!

# ¿ Jan 18, 2024 14:10

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

CptWedgie posted:

DSVania: Dawn of Sorrow, 08: ZA WARUDO!

Woulda had this out a few hours ago, if I didn't decide to finally clean up the folders in my lpix. Moving 1000+ images takes a while.

- Bear is a joke weapon but apparently super good with Devil because it multi-hits
- the Malacoda tail is apparently the best bullet soul from a damage/reach/cost standpoint (maybe only if you're good enough to physically attack while it's whippin)

# ¿ Jan 18, 2024 14:15

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# ¿ May 15, 2024 07:25

Simply Simon: Nov 6, 2010; 📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

CptWedgie posted:

DSVania: Dawn of Sorrow, 10: Standard Castlevania Ending

Called it.

I think the Death fight in Sorrow is pretty tough but completely fair. You can learn how to dodge each of his attacks extremely consistently, and then it becomes a wonderfully paced dance where you can get into a greath rhythm of dodge - counter - dodge - counter, with ample windows to hurt him. Also it looks cool as hell to avoid the side-skulls by just taking a few steps left then right then left, not even looking at them. Badass

Anyway, congrats!

# ¿ Feb 13, 2024 10:28

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Let's Play Randomizers - Megathread Edition