Cave Story - Rise of Ballos

What do you think of this mod, and why? Please tick only 1 of the first 5, and please don't troll.

  • 5/5, Really good

  • 4/5, Somewhat good

  • 3/5, Neither good nor bad

  • 2/5, Somewhat bad

  • 1/5, Really bad

  • ============= # This is just a space between choices, please do not tick this # =============

  • Needs better/more music

  • Needs better sprites

  • Needs more asm

  • Needs more levels

  • Needs to be easier

  • Needs to be harder

  • Needs clearer storyline

  • Needs more work on level design

  • Needs more dialogue/characters

  • Needs less bugs


Results are only viewable after voting.
Dec 10, 2015 at 3:23 PM
Its dark in here
"Deaths: 4000"
Join Date: Nov 21, 2013
Location: farther
Posts: 922
Age: 27
Dec 10, 2015 at 11:16 PM
Eevee Enthusiast
"Big Joe Tire and Battery Restaurant! Opening Soon! Eat at Big Joes!"
Join Date: Mar 26, 2014
Location: Somewhere with Wi-Fi
Posts: 541
Age: 26
No, since it is hidden inside a fake block, most people would just take one and go!

But why even hide them in fake blocks? Why not just leave them out where the player can actually see them?
 
Dec 14, 2015 at 7:01 AM
Eevee Enthusiast
"Big Joe Tire and Battery Restaurant! Opening Soon! Eat at Big Joes!"
Join Date: Mar 26, 2014
Location: Somewhere with Wi-Fi
Posts: 541
Age: 26
Okay, I decided to continue from where I left off previously. I was hoping deep down that it would somehow smoothen out. I was wrong.

Okay, let's get this show on the road.

I don't think I mentioned this in my first set of notes, but the sprites for the Power Critter reskins in the Labyrinth are a little weird. May want to consider fixing/changing them.

Somehow I managed to get past Labyrinth M's long, lava-filled corridor on my first try. A few things about said corridor:
1) It is the ANTI-FUN. One screw up and you're basically dead, full health or no.
2) You may want to make it so the player can't land on the moving block without being ready to cross. Once it starts moving, there's no calling it back thanks to how long the corridor is.
3) You may also want to place some REAL, and I stress REAL, blocks at points along the corridor so it isn't so unforgivingly hard.

p210464-0-llklyux.png

go fuck yourself with a cactus
no offense

Anyways, if you intended to keep this as a shortcut, the slope to the left of the fake block prevents the player from getting back into Labyrinth M. If this was planned, that's just mean.

p210464-1-xd7f0v0.png

A few minutes in Booster's Lab later, and now I can progress.

p210464-2-xzqtnms.png

but why

p210464-3-daxqgvk.png

BUT WHY

I don't think I should've glitched through the blocks over the door at the end (the ones with a down arrow on them), but it happened anyways.

p210464-4-srrb6mn.png

And this greets me as I go through the door.
I'm going to download the latest version to see if this was already fixed, but if not, your door at the end of Labyrinth M is broken.

Okay, the update fixed it.

p210464-5-17yo8s5.png

Why is the water level in The Drain already raised? Without Curly's Airtank, I might add.

p210464-6-liukkxp.png

After raising the shutters, I tried to interact with the monitor on a whim, and the game acts as though I should have been able to look at it a second time, yet nothing happens. Rather strange.

p210464-7-gbk9cj2.png

this arena design is 10/10
just kidding this is horrible oh god why
there's hard and there's poorly-designed, but this is just a clusterfuck

p210464-8-m0alfwh.png

why are these sparkles instead of a save point, ammo refill, and life refill?

why does the boss not trigger until you go up top
FOR WHAT PURPOSE

why is the core invisible
why
w h y

i got close to where the core should have been and instantly took 4050 damage
WHY

the core's special attack where it fires three big white orbs at you is impossible to avoid
with the spikes and shit everywhere, you have nowhere to go when you get blown backwards

I don't usually give myself extra life/equipment with save editors, but I think I may have to now.
This is one of the worst designed bosses I have ever laid my eyes upon, to be brutally honest.

p210464-9-q9qmatf.png

"beserk" should be "Berserk"

You can still damage/knock back the mini Cores after you kill the Berserk Core.

I'm not really sure what I was supposed to do after killing the Berserk Core, so I backtracked.
Even though the grating was still over the gate to the Waterway, I was still able to go through it.

p210464-10-safqjzr.png

why did these bones do 10 damage to me
no really, why
it's just a pile of bones

p210464-11-jmkflva.png

the spikes here are all the water version
if you jump into them, you're treated as if you're underwater

p210464-12-14jumht.png

requiring the player to find these hard-to-see, entirely illogical pockets of air is bad design

p210464-13-ypbmbrm.png

what

p210464-14-4pl8htp.png

what even is the point of this room

if you move at all during the ascent up the glitch blocks, you won't automatically transition back to Waterway Cabin

i tried to go down the hole a second time, but died just as if i fell off the island/into a pit
why??

p210464-15-bqvwtxv.png

>not changing the computer's dialogue
simply epic

i don't understand how you're supposed to survive this without curly's airtank

neither do i understand how you're supposed to do this with 61 health
especially with all of these yellow critters; having that much health and being able to deal 127 damage isn't fun

p210464-16-zsgc6xu.png

why

p210464-17-6iyires.png

this level design is the opposite of okay

p210464-18-t7jcld1.png

when i stand in this spot, i hear the sound that plays when you get a heart, but my health isn't going up

p210464-19-rnaenaf.png

i came out this door when i went through the upper door in Reservoir
yet now it leads to somewhere called Mimiga Hospital
why??

thanks for trusting me with your drugs, nurse

wow ok
why did the mimiga die when i refused to give him either the cure-all or the life pot
was he really seconds from death
the nurse said he was doing much better
how does that work
and all without a save

nevermind, the save was hidden in the upper left-hand corner of the room
above an unbreakable block
WHY???
unrelated, but if you leave and come back, you can sleep in the dead mimiga's bed WHILE HE'S STILL IN IT

p210464-20-dsitfoz.png

BUT
WHY

p210464-21-wdxzdbc.png

i know i just saved his life (i guess), but that's still rude

p210464-22-v05dank.png

why do i need spikes

why did Sue act as if i had already talked with her
i only just talked with her after visiting the hospital
you may need to check your coding/placement of areas a bit more, because this's wonky

p210464-23-hvbftud.png

YOU DON'T SAY?

okay, i understand that the mimiga is to the left, but why do you want me to see him
i mean, i know why NOW, but i wouldn't have known if i did this the "right" way earlier and talked with her first

p210464-24-11piteb.png

that's a rather emotionless response to give to the news regarding the recently-passed mimiga
why is killing it even an option, again?

p210464-25-elgp94x.png

why are the last two periods much slower than the others
also, there should only be three periods in an set of ellipses

ok wait what
why did the mimiga die when i gave it the life pot, but no cure-all
i don't understand
why even give me the option to give the life pot if it won't work

why did the mimiga die after i gave it the cure-all, but after i refused to rummage in its pockets
i just
why

the game doesn't really hint at where you're supposed to go after you save the mimiga
or if that was even required

I entered First Cave
Took damage since the door had respawned
and then the mod crashed
AWESOME

p210464-26-gferfmp.png

why did standing in this exact spot make that wall up there go away
there was literally nothing that hinted that this could have happened

why does the sharp-looking grass deal 10 damage to me
it's GRASS

oh hey wow, booster's alive
and he gave me the booster 2.0
and plot dump which i don't entirely understand
why did ballos make a path from the Island to a separate mountain not on the Island
and how does that even work

p210464-27-0rzvfne.png

i shouldn't have both of these at the same time

p210464-28-spey1wt.png

why is this building even here if i can't go into it

why is Sandaime's dialogue unchanged
why is his farm locked off in such a way, anyways

Beast Fang get, I guess

why is there a door in the farm that can't be entered

p210464-29-keuadv6.png

how in the world was i supposed to know that these blocks somehow opened a way to progress

p210464-30-d96x4ce.png

bad design spikes all over the place no health i hate myself etc.

p210464-31-1fvzvsv.png

"life capsule" should be capitalized

p210464-32-iy8ssjm.png

why even put a fake block there

p210464-33-xokxe4w.png

now where'd i put my redstone

AND THE TNT PROPELLED ME TO MY DEATH
WHY DOES IT EVEN EXIST, THEN

p210464-34-wvlwr2t.png

i like how this doesn't at all hint at how you're supposed to get in
like, needing the beast fang at all
OR ANYTHING

p210464-35-tzonp7e.png

i like how the path to yamashita farm stays unlocked once you unlock it, but this one doesn't

and suddenly i'm back at our home on the mountain
i just
okay

i know the next area i had to go was east of the house, but why didn't you remove the wall?
it took me a while to realize that i had to boost over it

holy wow a lot of stuff is happening

p210464-36-cet8jzm.png

the spur event and the dialogue should probably be separate

i like how i was supposed to get a "super spur"
but nothing happened

p210464-37-an4ztzu.png

how was i supposed to know that these were teleporters
or that i needed to go to them after meeting Misery
or that only the left one works

p210464-38-t940guy.png

nice fireplace

p210464-39-ovwdvu4.png

why

why did booster just slap me into the nearest wall
i only touched the computer

p210464-40-xxpjtwx.png

why didn't this open up until i came back from yamashita farm

p210464-41-iuujpgn.png

I only activated Sand Zone, so why can I also go to Grasstown and Egg Corridor?

p210464-42-zab4qya.png

that's not toroko

p210464-43-ib5md1n.png

literally why

p210464-44-mx2cxse.png

"ground" gets cut off

I think Toroko was supposed to give me the Snake, but you aren't giving weapons correctly, because it didn't show up at all in my inventory.

p210464-45-eag4f2y.png

u wot m8

p210464-46-jejnzbd.png

how in the world are you supposed to:
1) notice that
2) know not to hurt the spirits floating through the floor so you can invincibility frame your way through that

oh great
at the end of Mountainside, I crashed
like, as soon as you transition to the next area

p210464-47-fjswug6.png

the deeper i go in this rabbit hole, the cheaper the levels get
and that's saying something

just when i think i've seen the worst level so far
there's another one
example: bottom of the island
however, i do like the Cloud Fortress theme, so you earn at least one point

p210464-48-1jzurjh.png

this happened
while i was
still on the moving block
and the last save was at arthur's house

ok you know what i'm done for today

tl;dr the four hours I spent playing the mod tonight were four hours of pain
 
Last edited:
Dec 14, 2015 at 7:39 AM
Catz R cool
Modding Community Discord Moderator
"..."
Join Date: Nov 23, 2015
Location: Somewhere within a world far away from reality...
Posts: 381
Age: 23
You seemed to have gotten yourself into the unfinished parts of my mod that somehow automatically linked to each other, or in other words, you've been playing too much, and I forgot to put the usual 'End of demo' thing. Great, now you've found out about my stuffed up maps as well. F*** you how did you even get into Mimiga Village? The mod was supposed to finish after the Waterway. I am currently working on fixing the broken maps (Even before you posted that) and extending the mod. For now, please put up with the stupid unfinished and stuffed up maps until I fix them. Also, how did you manage to get SO MUCH HEALTH? (I'm guessing Booster's Lab BTW). I had already designed heaps of levels, but as most of them were still broken, I didn't release them. I never realised that someone like you would spend so much time on my mod, also being so good at it (*cough cough* no cheating *cough*).

There also seems to be something different about when you played my mod. Some of the bugs you mentioned had never happened in my playing of it! A few things are that the fuzzes in Labyrinth M are not supposed to have babies around them, also there are not supposed to be that many chinfish in the Reservoir. The bugs in Mimiga Village also didn't happen for me, but I'll look further into that. For now, please refrain from trying to access more unfinished areas in my mod and wait until I finish them.

EDIT: Wait, about the image where you said 'That's not Toroko,' HOW DID YOU FREAKING GET IN THAT PLACE?
 
Last edited:
Dec 14, 2015 at 10:42 AM
Its dark in here
"Deaths: 4000"
Join Date: Nov 21, 2013
Location: farther
Posts: 922
Age: 27
F*** you how did you even get into Mimiga Village? The mod was supposed to finish after the Waterway. I am currently working on fixing the broken maps (Even before you posted that) and extending the mod. For now, please put up with the stupid unfinished and stuffed up maps until I fix them. Also, how did you manage to get SO MUCH HEALTH? (I'm guessing Booster's Lab BTW). I had already designed heaps of levels, but as most of them were still broken, I didn't release them. I never realised that someone like you would spend so much time on my mod, also being so good at it (*cough cough* no cheating *cough*).
you can't put even a little faith in your testers, can you. We aren't sheep you know

Not to mention I don't think this is the best reply to someone who has devoted 4 hours to your mod, very few mods get even ten minutes from people.
There also seems to be something different about when you played my mod. Some of the bugs you mentioned had never happened in my playing of it! A few things are that the fuzzes in Labyrinth M are not supposed to have babies around them
fuzzcores have mini fuzzes automatically spawn around them
 
Last edited:
Dec 14, 2015 at 11:38 AM
scrungy
Bobomb says: "I need a hug!"
Join Date: Oct 7, 2011
Location: PrtWeed
Posts: 777
Age: 24
It'd be great if you cared about making your mod fun to play and not a fucking nightmare
 
Dec 14, 2015 at 5:00 PM
Eevee Enthusiast
"Big Joe Tire and Battery Restaurant! Opening Soon! Eat at Big Joes!"
Join Date: Mar 26, 2014
Location: Somewhere with Wi-Fi
Posts: 541
Age: 26
It'd be great if you cared about making your mod fun to play and not a fucking nightmare

PLEASE. Having to go through areas like these with only 61 health would be an absolute nightmare.

F*** you how did you even get into Mimiga Village? The mod was supposed to finish after the Waterway.

I just progressed like the mod wanted me to. I unlocked the path out of the Waterway, left the Waterway, and got spat out in the Reservoir/Mimiga Village.

I am currently working on fixing the broken maps (Even before you posted that) and extending the mod. For now, please put up with the stupid unfinished and stuffed up maps until I fix them.

Please make them more tolerable so we're not forced to cheat in order to make any kind of progression without having to spend hours fighting through Spikes: The Experience.

Also, how did you manage to get SO MUCH HEALTH? (I'm guessing Booster's Lab BTW).

Close. I ended up using a save editor in order to give myself more health, Curly's Airtank, and, in the case of the Spur, weapons that the game failed to successfully give to me.

I had already designed heaps of levels, but as most of them were still broken, I didn't release them. I never realised that someone like you would spend so much time on my mod

I was just curious to see how much more was in the mod, especially considering that I ended up giving up around halfway into the Labyrinth in my first session.

EDIT: Wait, about the image where you said 'That's not Toroko,' HOW DID YOU FREAKING GET IN THAT PLACE?

After being sent back to the Island on a quest to find Misery's staff, I backtracked to various areas of Mimiga Village to try to find a way to progress. After entering and then leaving Yamashita Farm, all of the removeable walls in Mimiga Village disappeared, including the one blocking off the Graveyard. In there, I went through the upper door first to see if Ma Pignon's cave was still there. However, what instead greeted me was the spike-coated Lava Tube map.
 
Dec 14, 2015 at 10:35 PM
Catz R cool
Modding Community Discord Moderator
"..."
Join Date: Nov 23, 2015
Location: Somewhere within a world far away from reality...
Posts: 381
Age: 23
@Goerge Bobicles:
I didn't really want people to explore the unfinished parts of my mod, also I was not referring to you. Also, I know that they have mini-fuzzes automatically generated, but not if the enemy cap is reached. I don't really know much about the entity cap, but it seems to be around 255. I don't know how it can be increased.
@Aar:
Okay, then, I might make the start a bit easier.
@SeasonsOfDestiny:
Yeah, not all the new levels have loads of spikes. It is also possible to skip the entire first and second sections of Labyrinth M just like in the original game using the Machine Gun. Path.PNG You just have to know how to use it! Sorry for scolding you for getting into the unfinished parts. I was in a really bad mood during my last post. I really should be the one making sure that they are locked. I should also be the one thanking you for spending that time on my mod. Ma Pignon's cave was supposed to say 'Locked,' but what happened was that I accidentally reloaded the Script Editor while doing so, and it didn't work. For me, some of those didn't happen, like the Super Spur was given to me.
 
Last edited:
Dec 14, 2015 at 11:58 PM
Its dark in here
"Deaths: 4000"
Join Date: Nov 21, 2013
Location: farther
Posts: 922
Age: 27
@George Bobicles
not my name
also I was not referring to you.
neither was I
Also, I know that they have mini-fuzzes automatically generated, but not if the enemy cap is reached. I don't really know much about the entity cap, but it seems to be around 255. I don't know how it can be increased.
why in the world did you try to put the maximum amount of entities in 1 map?, if you didn't want the fuzz babies, why didn't you just use the <DNA command whenever the player enters the map?
 
Dec 15, 2015 at 12:03 AM
Catz R cool
Modding Community Discord Moderator
"..."
Join Date: Nov 23, 2015
Location: Somewhere within a world far away from reality...
Posts: 381
Age: 23
@Goerge Bobicles:
Meh, I don't care about the babies being there, I'm just curious about the enemy cap.

In fact, I might make an 'easier' version of my mod, with lots less spikes and stuff, a bit like WTF story Easy mode.
 
Last edited:
Dec 15, 2015 at 4:01 AM
The TideWalker
Modding Community Discord Founder
"That dog!"
Join Date: Apr 5, 2013
Location: In my mind and of my body.
Posts: 1640
Age: 26
Okay, I decided to continue from where I left off previously. I was hoping deep down that it would somehow smoothen out. I was wrong.

MEGAPOST

tl;dr the four hours I spent playing the mod tonight were four hours of pain

I love this post so much, you get mod tester award of the year.

Also I was going to try this, but after Season's summary I'll decide to not.

God so help me I need to get my mod going a little faster.
 
Dec 15, 2015 at 5:51 AM
Catz R cool
Modding Community Discord Moderator
"..."
Join Date: Nov 23, 2015
Location: Somewhere within a world far away from reality...
Posts: 381
Age: 23
Okay guys, I've updated the mod again, with multiple bug fixes, as well as some improvements to the level designs, although I don't have too many ideas right now...

Anyway, I've also made an easier version of my mod, which contains much less spikes and the enemies are easier in general.
 
Dec 15, 2015 at 3:12 PM
Senior Member
"Master using it, and you can have this!"
Join Date: Oct 18, 2012
Location: United States
Posts: 82
Age: 25
I'm pretty sure this isn't supposed to happen.

 
Dec 15, 2015 at 10:06 PM
Catz R cool
Modding Community Discord Moderator
"..."
Join Date: Nov 23, 2015
Location: Somewhere within a world far away from reality...
Posts: 381
Age: 23
@Tale_Zero:
No, I'm sorry, I forgot to remove that. Wait, I'll do it in a sec.

EDIT: I fixed it, don't worry, that was just me testing something. Also, I don't even know how your version worked, because the script for that map was null!

My internet isn't coping with uploads, so until I get to post the new links, please refrain from using the sparkling item in the Start Point.

EDIT #2: The Google Drive link should be working again now. The Dropbox link is still malfunctioning though.

EDIT#3: The Dropbox link has now also been fixed.
 
Last edited:
Dec 23, 2015 at 10:23 PM
Deliverer of Sweets
Bobomb says: "I need a hug!"
Join Date: Jul 20, 2015
Location: Under sea level or something
Posts: 785
Age: 25
I've given this a second chance now, and after I escape the spiky heck that is first cave, it was kinda fun and narrowly on what I like.
I've yet to beat it though, so I'll edit this post once I've done more.
 
Dec 23, 2015 at 11:07 PM
Catz R cool
Modding Community Discord Moderator
"..."
Join Date: Nov 23, 2015
Location: Somewhere within a world far away from reality...
Posts: 381
Age: 23
@Miccs:
I've given this a second chance now, and after I escape the spiky heck that is first cave, it was kinda fun and narrowly on what I like.
I've yet to beat it though, so I'll edit this post once I've done more.

That's not going to go very far. As you might have seen from previous posts, there are some unfinished levels I haven't blocked off yet. I can sense that it won't go very well.

EDIT: Also, I'm telling you guys that I am preparing my mod for the next update; it's not dead.
 
Last edited:
Jan 14, 2016 at 4:37 AM
Catz R cool
Modding Community Discord Moderator
"..."
Join Date: Nov 23, 2015
Location: Somewhere within a world far away from reality...
Posts: 381
Age: 23
I do know how colours work, thank you very much. However, after editing some of my sprite & tile sets, I accidentally saved them as 16 colour bitmaps, which, already mentioned, was a big mistake. Right now I don't have time to fix them, but I've already planned that the next update would fix most bugs, and I'd planned to fix those as well later. Also the autoguns are destroyable, fyi

EDIT: I know my text and cutscenes seem really rushed; they are. :p
I'm not really that interested in writing the next, which I'll probably get into more laterrrrr
 
Top