Recent posts by Precarious on Kongregate

Topic: Forum Games / [Competition] The Pyramid (Level 2 // Squares)

[Vote: Futurecade]

Originally posted by haych2:

Reason: I touched one thing, it registered that I touched another.

Topic: Kongregate / Badge Suggestions!

N’s controls aren’t nearly as bad as some people are claiming. I do agree that the game feels like it should play faster (and feel matters in precision platforming), and wall jumping doesn’t feel completely fluid. But player movement is significantly impacted by momentum, and part of the (intended, actually) challenge is learning how to use that momentum to traverse difficult spaces.

My point, though, is that Kongregate is riddled with difficult games whose ratings don’t measure up to their actual craftsmanship. Genre and difficulty play an enormous role in how games are perceived, and Kongregate’s overall player base is more casual than it was when Greg started that thread. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but some games do get the short end of the stick. N is a kind of a landmark title, for reasons not grounded in the present, and people remember it years later. There are badged games people forget about in a week; something that will still be relevant next year and beyond should probably be represented as such on the site.

But then, if API isn’t added, it’s all a moot point anyway. ;)

Topic: Kongregate / Badge Suggestions!

Assuming it gets API, I feel that N should be badged despite its current rating. The game kind of reflects the culture change that’s gone on over the past half decade and more at Kongregate: the player base that made it “by far the most requested” game in 2007 seems (collectively) less interested in a difficult, relatively unforgiving platformer. But N occupies an important place historically in flash gaming; older badges are not removed as their popularity wanes, in part because the past means something. If N doesn’t speak to what Kongregate is now, it does to what it was. I’m hoping the rating will rise a bit, but the truth is that the game earned its badges years ago.

… :D (current rating: 3.88) [NEEDS API]

King :D:D:D Badge (medium ~ 15 points)
Finish all 24 levels.
[ ] Game complete (best so far: )

Coaster Racer 3 (current rating: 3.59)

2001: A Race Odyssey Badge (easy ~ 5 points)
Score 2001 points across your career.
[ ] 2001 career points (best so far: )

Coasting On Your Laurels Badge (medium ~ 15 points)
Earn any 10 in-game achievements.
[ ] 10 achievements earned (best so far: )

Star Tracks Into Darkness Badge (medium/hard ~ 15/30 points)
Earn a star ranking on every race, event, and level.
[ ] All stars (best so far: )

After earning all achievements, a permanent turbo option becomes available, which definitely drops the last badge below typical hard difficulty. However, finishing everything is long enough that a hard wouldn’t be entirely unwarranted.

Topic: Forum Games / [Competition] The Pyramid (Level 2 // Squares)

Topic: Forum Games / [Competition] The Pyramid (Level 2 // Squares)

Topic: Forum Games / [Competition] The Pyramid (Level 2 // Squares)

A long time ago, I saw a child playing with a tangerine…the size of a tangerine.

Topic: Kongregate / Average Gaming Tournament Redemption!

Topic: Kongregate / Average Gaming Tournament Redemption!

Topic: Kongregate / Average Gaming Tournament Redemption!

Topic: Kongregate / Average Gaming Tournament Redemption!

Topic: Kongregate / Post Your Wins.

So I finally finished everything in Ghost Hacker 2. I’m guessing there was some sort of update recently, as completing Level 36 on hard (there is no challenge difficulty) gave me the challenge icon, and 2,202 cores. The map looks better that way. :)

Topic: Kongregate / Badge Suggestions!

Texas HoldEm Poker Deluxe (current rating: 3.84)

Can’t Read My Poker Face Badge (medium ~ 15 points)
Reach level 10 in-game.
[ ] Level 10 reached (best so far: )

Topic: Kongregate / Badge Suggestions!

A small talk at the back of beyond (current rating: 4.14)

Voices of a Distant Star Badge (easy ~ 5 points)
Discover either ending.
[ ] Game complete (“Leave” or “Stay”) (best so far: )

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The level pack for Liquid Measure 3 has been out for a few weeks; I hadn’t seen it mentioned yet. Unfortunately, neither it nor the original has API at the moment, but given the API (and badges) on LM2 and its level pack, I’d think the developer would be amenable to adding it.

Liquid Measure 3 (current rating: 3.76) [NEEDS API]

Poor Richard’s Aqueduct Badge (easy ~ 5 points)
Complete the first 10 levels.
[ ] 10 levels complete (best so far: )

Plumb Pudding Badge (hard ~ 30 points)
Finish all 30 levels.
[ ] Game complete (best so far: )

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Liquid Measure 3 Poison Pack (current rating: 3.57) [NEEDS API]

Poise in Poison Badge (hard ~ 30 points)
Finish all 30 levels.
[ ] 30 levels complete (best so far: )

Topic: Kongregate / Average Gaming Tournament Redemption!

Topic: Kongregate / Average Gaming Tournament Redemption!

Topic: Kongregate / Average Gaming Tournament Redemption!

Topic: Kongregate / Average Gaming Tournament Redemption!

Topic: Kongregate / Average Gaming Tournament Redemption!

Topic: Kongregate / Average Gaming Tournament Redemption!

Topic: Kongregate / Badge Suggestions!

no-one has to die. (current rating: 4.26) [NEEDS API]

Primer Primer Badge (medium ~ 15 points)
Discover the true ending.
[ ] Game complete (best so far: )

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Ninja Slash (current rating: 3.92) [UNITY]

Ninja Assassin Badge (easy ~ 5 points)
Kill 200 enemies.
[ ] 200 enemies killed (best so far: )

Scoring States Period Badge (medium ~ 15 points)
Dice up the undead and score 1500 points in a single game.
[ ] 1500 points scored (best so far: )

Omnislash Badge (hard ~ 30 points)
Rack up a 200 enemy combo.
[ ] 200 Max Combo (best so far: )

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Urbex (current rating: 3.73) [NEEDS API]

Fly Another Day Badge (medium ~ 15 points)
Finish the game.
[ ] Game complete

Topic: Kongregate / Average Gaming Tournament Redemption!

Topic: Kongregate / Skill/Art/Luck/WTF contest

walruswalruswalrus

Also here are some numbers:

101, 102, 9763, 818456, 313961, 268555, 3999427, 3999423, 635, 10000000, 9999999, 42163, 142163, 595422, 776, 42, 69, 1337, 420, 666, 1776, 400, 4000013, 2, 27649, 27648, 2616956, 8200000, 5417347, 801, 5000000, 6000000, 7000000, 8000000, 9000000, 4000000, 3000000, 2000000, 1000000, 500000, 1500000, 2500000, 3500000, 4500000, 2 again, 2 a third time because of Maist, 5500000, 6500000, 7500000, 8500000, 9500000, 50000, 75000, 90000, 100000, 200000, 700000, 1700000, 2700000, 3700000, 4700000, 5700000, 6700000, 7700000, 8700000, 9700000, 250000, 1250000, 2250000, 3250000, 4250000, 5250000, 6250000, 7250000, 8250000, 9250000, 9644, 318676, 1318676, 2318676, 3318676, 4318676, 5318676, 6318676, 7318676, 8318676, 9318676

EDIT: I would like to partake in the luck challenge.

Topic: Kongregate / Average Gaming Tournament Redemption!

I almost entered with an alt, since I’m not sure how much time I’m going to have, but whatever. Let’s go. :)

Topic: Kongregate / Badge Suggestions!

Ghost Hacker 2 (current rating: 4.05)

Some Kind of Monster Challenge
Save up 200 total memory in Monster Mode to earn [card] in Kongai.
[ ] 200 Monster Mode Memory (best so far: )

There is No Data, Only Zuul Badge (easy ~ 5 points)
Collect 60 data cores.
[ ] 60 data cores collected (best so far: )

The Matrix Has You Badge (medium ~ 15 points)
Dive into a ghost matrix and emerge with an unpleasant surprise.
[ ] Level 16 complete (best so far: )

Ghosts in the Shell Badge (hard ~ 30 points)
Finish every storyline level.
[ ] 35 levels complete (best so far: )

What a Tangled World Wide Web We Weave Badge (impossible ~ 60 points)
Win the internet.
[ ] All data cores collected (best so far: )
[ ] 36 levels complete (best so far: )
[ ] 1900 Monster Mode Memory (best so far: )

After the discussion of a possible impossible badge came up, I spent a lot of time considering it. My main concern deals with something Frick mentioned in passing; that the Challenge levels can be solved with single, canned solutions. While at or above impossible difficulty now, walkthroughs would reduce the challenge substantially. And although the game-attached walkthrough does not present Challenge level solutions, once someone finds a valid solution, it would be easy to reproduce. That said, the limited scripts (assuming there are scripts available in a given challenge level) probably encourage at least some user action.

More importantly, all data cores would also require challenge level memory in all Monster Mode levels. These would not be as readily walkthroughable, since timing is fairly critical to maximizing saved memory. In furtherance of the importance of Monster Mode, I’m also suggesting a required value of total memory saved, independent of the data cores collection. This is because it is possible to achieve more than Challenge level memory in these levels.

Unfortunately, with the leaderboards filled with cheaters (the combined starting memory of all 10 levels is 2660, meaning (even with core recovery) the maximum achievable value is less than that), I was forced to evaluate my own performance, and I’ve only achieved Challenge memory on the first five so far. In those five levels, the combined Challenge total is 570. I’ve managed 664 so far, and more is undoubtedly possible. Since I haven’t reached the Challenge mark on the latter five (or even come close, really), I was left to estimate what kind of total would be appropriate. Although there’s a tendency to use round numbers, 2000 definitely seems too high. I’m recommending 1900 (even that might be slightly too high), but I would suggest further research before going ahead with a requirement of this nature.

Additionally, all data cores might not cover the bonus level (hopefully someone who’s played the bonus level can tell us if it adds to the data cores stat). As such, I added a 36th level requirement, just in case.

Overall, I think this combination of requirements would retain impossible difficulty even when walkthroughs start to appear.

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The Crystal Temple (current rating: 3.77) [NEEDS API]

Rhythmic Gemnastics Badge (easy ~ 5 points)
Complete any five levels.
[ ] Five levels complete (best so far: )

Better Living Through Crystals Badge (hard ~ 30 points)
Lead Fireboy and Watergirl through the entirety of the temple.
[ ] All levels complete (best so far: )

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Scene of the Crime: Dream of Murder (current rating: 3.75) [NEEDS API]

Emil Kovac and the Trail of Blood Badge (medium ~ 15 points)
Finish the game.
[ ] Game complete (best so far: )

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Searching for the Elephant (current rating: 3.74) [NEEDS API]

Damn That’s a Fine Elephant Badge (medium ~ 15 points)
Find the elephant.
Game complete (best so far: )

Topic: Kongregate / Synecdoche, Kongregate [Tournament] Fin. Winner is BestMte

Regarding the Labyrinth and the lack of activity therein, I think it points to an ongoing issue with these tournaments. There simply isn’t a large community of invested tournament players right now. We’ll probably see an uptick during the summer months, for obvious reasons, but this tournament would have definitely been better served by a larger committed player base. I don’t think there’s an easy solution; the best we can probably do is recruit in the chats and elsewhere, and be as welcoming to new players as possible.