Xiahou Ba

Xiahou Ba

Wiki Administrator Poll Consultant
If I know my father....he'd be smiling! 30 From Formerly Wei, defected to Shu
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  • Xiahou Ba
    I've posted my Wario over Knuckles WiP on GameBanana because I figured it would be a popular mod that would get some interest in it. I'm still relatively new to SA2 modding, and playing with its quirks that I'm aware of is hell.

    gamebanana.com

    Wario over Knuckles [Sonic Adventure 2] [Works In Progress]

    A Sonic Adventure 2 (SA2) Work In Progress in the Other/Misc category, submitted by BabyLuigiOnFire
    gamebanana.com gamebanana.com

    Voices are my next thing. In-game uses at least 50 clips or so, so that'll be fun. No idea how I should tackle everything else.
    Xiahou Ba
    Update: Wario's Wario World model is a mess of duplicate polygons but other than that, I've adjusted his model to fit the rig. Now time to attach his polys onto Knuckles's model...
    Xiahou Ba
    Xiahou Ba
    I fixed it by deleting duplicate polygons and merging the mesh together, and then Vertex Welding it. Had 3DS Max crash at least twice during the welding process because derp.
    Xiahou Ba
    Give this profile post a Like if you want to see me attempt to mod Wario over Knuckles in Sonic Adventure 2 Battle.
    Xiahou Ba
    I've dreaded revisiting Security Hall in Sonic Adventure 2 since that stage I found the most difficult to clear in Story Mode and lost the most lives, back when I played it on a GameCube.

    I've tried it again, and I...actually cleared it with an A rank in my first try with at least a minute left over, then I actually replayed it some other times and also got A-ranks. ....wow, I think I have vastly improved than when I first played that level.

    Also, cleared all stages in Death Chamber with an A rank. Still really like the stage. Pumpkin Hill is also warming up to me as I'm starting to learn where the pieces are typically hidden in. Meteor Herd too. I think Aquatic Mine would soon be my least favorite but I still don't think it's that bad of a stage.

    Tails/Eggman stages are pretty mindless as far as this game goes if you're getting good ranks. Just shoot a lot of people, spin your vehicle in a 360 angle to get everyone in sight and blast through the level. I don't mind it too much, actually but it is pretty shallow. Gotten easy A-ranks for this simple strategy.

    Sonic/Shadow stages, they're okay. Not my favorite though, as I have the most difficult time with them and...idk I don't think I can get quite the groove to speed through things as them as it's...simply not as satisfying to me as other Sonic fans enjoy these levels. I did A rank the story stage of the jungle level though.
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    Xiahou Ba
    Xiahou Ba
    @Peepa Yeah it is. But the thing is, all stages have a time limit variant of them in their 4th stage, only Security Hall has a time limit in its story stage. Also, getting A-ranks in the gem hunting kinda prepares you for Security Hall since you're also required to find them as fast as you can too if you want that rank, at least under five minutes. The thing I didn't like about Security Hall is that you can open only one level of safes at a time, and that's really annoying. Back then, I didn't know how to open the safes so I died quite some times because at least one of them is always hidden in a safe, it took me luck to find them all I could.

    @Maria Renard Was thinking about getting Sonic Adventure 1 but I'd like to finish this game first. I really don't want to A-rank the kart racing missions though. Those two levels I can confidentially say are the worst in the game. The car controls are stiff and they just plain suck.
    Xiahou Dun
    Xiahou Dun
    Though tbf the hack that causes all three gems to light up rather than just one at a time is a major quality of life improvement.
    Xiahou Ba
    Xiahou Ba
    Even without the hack I think I can manage, as the hack doesn't help digging the emeralds out (since your character can't pinpoint it with an ! pop up). The general idea is to patrol one area, and then move on to the next if there's nothing, since all three emeralds are always in a set location and aren't truly random (though not always in order). The hint computers also help immensely if you know the level's layout, even the first one tells you a lot.
    Xiahou Ba
    I'm replaying Sonic Adventure 2 on PC for teh mods.

    Idk if my opinion is unpopular but I like treasure hunting, even more when you understand the map layout. And Death Chamber is my favorite Knuckles stage.

    Also, there's a cheat that makes all emeralds active on the radar (though it's still hard to dig them as the ! doesn't show up), and that's a huge QoL improvement in my eyes.
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    Superchao
    Superchao
    treasure hunting is fun once you get used to it and knuckles is one of the only two characters i've A-ranked every mission with (eggman is the other)
    Xiahou Ba
    Xiahou Ba
    Yeah, at first, it's a bit disheartening to take a long time in your first time getting familiar at the map and getting an E ranking because you took a long time, but once you learn all of the rooms and all of the fun little secrets (and then understand what the hint computers are trying to say), it's pretty fun to find them. I also like how the emeralds/keys change their layouts, and there's a lot of different ways they can be hidden in any single map. Even the first levels like Dry Lagoon and Wild Canyon have lots of ways to hide the emeralds.

    I like Death Chamber, because I think it complements Knuckles's ability to run really fast (it's very fun running around rooms with him!), and there's a lot of landmarks that are properly tagged so that you're not completely lost. I think the only reason people may dislike it is because the hidden rooms screw with your radar but that's about it, and once you know what the hint computers are referring to, even the first hint is very useful at knowing which one is in a hidden room. I'm not the biggest fan of the large roaming maps (Pumpkin Hill and Meteor Herd come to mind) but perhaps I'll grow more appreciation of them if I play them more. Aquatic Mine does have annoying dripping sound effects that ruin what I think is an all right stage.

    I think the treasure hunting is an acquired taste thing. I think they're types of levels that are more fun when you replay them than when you first encounter them. I really like the large and detailed maps, filled with landmarks and secrets.
    Superchao
    Superchao
    i like Pumpkin Hill because yeah, it's a large roaming map, but it's open. you can just glide across the whole thing with ease and check it out. meteor herd doesn't have the same because of being generally level terrain so i feel you there

    as for rogue levels, favorite are security hall, and despite its nonsense mad space is always really fun to me. egg quarters is Eh because the scarab imo throws off the whole "run around and search" deal
    Blue
    *insert Shakira music here*
    Huh? *Plays the smash ultimate theme* What?
    Xiahou Ba
    Xiahou Ba
    Lifelight sucks and would get bulldozed by Krypteria, Nightwish, and Epica any day of the week.
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    zel
    zel
    a guy on a discord i used to be active on quoted lifelights lyrics constantly with no provocation to the point where he mighta ruined the song for me. or not. im just indifferent on it honestly
    Xiahou Ba
    Xiahou Ba
    I don't like how Lifelight is used, like 60 different times in the game. Yes, I had counted. I don't even think it's that good, the lyrics are far too cheesy in a song that you're supposed to take "seriously". If I wanted to listen to music in its genre, I'd just listen to symphonic metal, like the aforementioned bands I've listed.
    Glowsquid
    Have you heard of the Ukrainian game "You Are Empty"? (likely not but I'm bringing it up because it seems like a very BLOF-core game)

    Xiahou Ba
    Xiahou Ba
    Of course I haven't heard of the game because it's really obscure but I've decided to check out the video because Soviet Union stuff, of course! My first impressions are...the first cutscene looks really good, actually. It had a lot of artistic style and atmosphere, and I was surprised it actually set the pace for the rest of the game, because I was wondering if the game itself really was bad. I also agree with that the reviewer said in the middle in the video about Pokemon, about the whole handholding stuff, and it's actually a strong and consistent issue I have with Luigi's Mansion 3 recently: so many points in Luigi's Mansion 3 the game forces and railroads you (and nags you with E. Gadd bringing up dialogue boxes constantly to get you to get to another location) that it really could have done without it, I wanted to explore the mansion, not follow the scripted events.

    I've also decided to check out one of the scathing reviews from GameSpot, and the author claimed to not know what was going on...when I knew what was going on by watching the cutscene alone. It confused me. This is the review I'm talking about, whose title you're in for a ride, comparing playing a bad video game to the horrendous living conditions of the gulag:

    www.gamespot.com

    You Are Empty Review

    Soviet gulags were probably more punishing than You Are Empty, but we're not taking any bets.
    www.gamespot.com www.gamespot.com

    Much of the criticisms the reviewer had playing the game was unfounded. He critiqued the game for the lack of multiplayer for one, that made a "this review was totally written in the late 2000's vibe where people want phoned in multiplayer despite not fitting with what the devs aim to achieve" vibe. He claimed that the creatures in the game are lifted from other games when I don't think I've seen the helicopter baddies appear anywhere else or the giant bird chicken thing. The game wasn't trying to be a Serious Sam/Doom/Painkiller clone, but something else, and he came into the game expecting it to be one of them.

    However, I think this following review is more fair to the game and was more constructive on what they didn't like about it (despite also being negative) and worth a read from someone who has played the game and understood what it was trying to do:

    worthplaying.com

    PC Review - 'You Are Empty'

    You Are Empty immerses players in an exaggerated dark and obscure atmosphere of Soviet totalitarianism. Fighting against mutants created by the Soviet super human program, the players are tasked to figure out what happened in the city and stop the mutants from spreading further.
    worthplaying.com worthplaying.com
    Xiahou Dun
    Xiahou Dun
    I agree; that soviet gulag joke was made in really poor taste.
    Xiahou Ba
    Woke at 6:00 am, posted garbage, getting tired again, going back to sleep. See you at 12:00pm.
    Xiahou Ba
    Terrible things about the Santa Ana winds:

    1. They make it extremely hot. In the middle of October.
    2. They exacerbate wildfire conditions.
    3. They blow the extremely loud sounds of construction at 1:00 AM in the morning towards our direction
    Superchao
    you were one of the biggest supporters iirc so i thought you'd want to know the Pico article is out to read now
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    Xiahou Ba
    Xiahou Ba
    Yesssss I like his vehicle the most out of the original 4 vehicles (that I knew about thanks to Smash and how it out of four vehicles appears in Mute City SNES) and it's even named after a type of bird.

    Is it a coincidence that he looks like a turtle and drives the most durable vehicle in the game? He even plays like Bowser in being the guy who shoves people around. Like, his intial appearance doesn't even look turtle-like until...is it F-Zero GX? Wonder why they decided to make him look more like a turtle.
    Superchao
    Superchao
    They make him more turtly when he got redesigned for F-Zero X, he was only the lizardy version for the SNES game. Dunno why, X also gave some redesigns to the other three (for example, Falcon actually looks quite a bit different outfit-wise), but Pico was the one who got the biggest changeover.

    Trust me when I say you're not the only one who noticed Pico and Bowser's similarities ;D

    Also this segues nicely into a trivia fact that hasn't come up in MSM yet: The cars actually weren't numbered in SNES. 07, 05, 03, and 06 were all only added to the original four cars with the roster mega-expansion of X
    Glowsquid
    Something felt deeply right with the world when I looked up the first name in Kreed: BFS's credit and found he later worked on the also-fps, also-jank, also-hilarious Exodus from the Earth.

    If you and @Mario's Painting find Kreed so hysterial, you're gonna *love* this
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    Xiahou Ba
    Xiahou Ba
    Cutscene shall be just called "Mike Dies".

    Frank says "Mike, nooo!" as if he's chatisting him like a pet when Mike inexplicably just runs to the door without even listening to him.

    "Oooh fuck off bas*coughs as something is caught in his throat*tards." Frank says this as if he stepped on a piece of dog poop.

    "How are you Mike." Frank, sounding like a Hey Google robotic voice, complete with even the "Mike" name spliced in like a robo-caller.

    ---------

    "Forget it. Errgh hurry up. Go save the universe."

    "But.................................how?"

    "Aaagh, you'll cope with it.......just..........find the....buttin memory block." -Mike, sounding annoyed before he dies.

    "I'll find it. And I'll find those who set you up."

    10000000/10 death scene dialogue
    Glowsquid
    Glowsquid
    It's not just the cutscenes that are funny either. The loading screens (1:20 of the embed) are horribly translated and the NPC dialogue is surreal and hillarious.

    It doesn't have all the funny, but recommend this 4-part supercut

    Xiahou Ba
    Xiahou Ba
    I like how the commentator reacted to the video.

    During the second clip, oh my god the car's interior textures are utterly atrocious. That's not how you texture a car interior. At all. Seeing all of that bump stuff distracted me to the point where I didn't realize the dude was getting a retina scan with sunglasses on until the commentator mentioned it. Not to mention that the pick-up truck itself looks like a toy truck upscaled to normal size.

    Camera: If you see the camera icon on the screen, it means that something interesting is happening nearby. Perhaps you should look at it before you start shooting.

    Oh my god, game, stop giving me ideas on how to edit MBST files for Nintendo game's advice words.

    In the loading screen, there's more poor contrast with the words that I can't read the terrible writing. So not only is it poorly written, I can't read the badly strung words together either. Fantastic.

    I didn't know you can be reprimanded for being too late to deactivate a thermonuclear bomb in this universe. They want their thermonuclear bombs being deactivated ON SCHEDULE dammit.

    Lol a guy randomly talking about his vacation and.....hilarious monkeys like WTF.

    Advice: Don't hesitate to pull the trigger and enjoy the effect. WHAT.

    Commentator is hilarious in the written descriptions hahahaha.

    Oh in this universe, a form of greeting other people is to slam an axe in their face repeatedly and becomes a bloody face. I'll keep that in mind.

    "If you're running out of everything except your enemies it means that you're fighting." -Ancient wise philosopher proverb, circa 2008

    Wow can't believe the devs either know how to translate different materials into different property values when you strike them so it explains why the helmets make a different sound when you strike as opposed to flesh or using attachment functions for gibs (are the helmets gibbable in this game?) in the case of why the helmet has different noises.
    Xiahou Ba
    Been through all posts from the LOOK AT IT thread, re-liking many of them. It's easily my favorite thread in Marioverse.
    Xiahou Ba
    Ever been through a night of insomnia, chugged through the morning fine, then crashed hard when the afternoon hits?
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    Xiahou Ba
    Xiahou Ba
    I said this because my brain is incredibly sloppy right now, like my thought processes feel like waves rolling lazily on a beach.
    Julia-BM
    Julia-BM
    I do remember this one night in, like, March 2016, where I stayed up all night on my iPad.
    Wittgenstein
    Wittgenstein
    That's like every day for me
    Glowsquid
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    Glowsquid
    Glowsquid
    funnily enough after posting my comment I found out the game was never officially released outside Eastern Europe due to Acclaim's bankruptcy so everything in that video is a fan translation(!)

    oh my god should i just comment on like everything i see while watching this video cause im having a blast <--- DO IT
    Xiahou Ba
    Xiahou Ba
    Who can tell the difference between a fan translation and an official one though? I didn't! The fanlation is still amazingly bad on a level that perfectly fits with Kreed that I'll still riff on it.
    Xiahou Dun
    Xiahou Dun
    That gracefully animated fight sequence at 30:00 with the awkward camera panning followed by an abrupt loading screen with cyan text over a white background that washes out part of the text is pure unadulterated Russian jank.
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