Topic: Mega Man: Rock Force

[GoldwaterDLS]

Hey, everyone! I'm really excited to introduce you to a fan game project I've been working on for a little more than two years now, Mega Man: Rock Force. As a fan of the 8-bit series, pariticularly Mega Man 6 and 3, I've always dreamed of creating a classic Mega Man game of my own someday. Thanks to a college class in Game Maker (oddly, the only useful thing I got out of college), I was finally able to realize that goal in an 8-bit styled Mega Man fan game.

In this game, Mega Man has founded a team of Robot Masters to help him maintain peace in a world wearied by the threat of Dr. Wily. One day, however, a group of mysterious Robot Masters began defying their creators, driving all humans away from their work places. Mega Man's newly established team, the Rock Force, is sent to subdue this unusual threat, but is seemingly captured in the process. Thus, it is up to Mega Man, once again, to stop these new Robot Masters, save his friends, and get to the bottom of this mysterious rebellion.

Here are a few screens from the game:




Also, here is a quick trailer I made to demonstrate my game to someone. I apologize for the quality as I am sorely lacking in decent video capturing and editing software. Plus, this was intended as a rough demonstration.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWGXFwj0878[/youtube]

If you would like to download a completed version of the game or find out more about the game, please visit this website: http://megamanrockforce.com/rockforcemain.html

I really hope you enjoy the game!

[spd12]

I got an advance copy of this some weeks back and I really fell in love with it almost entirely from the get go. I know you guys are kind of touchy about the whole 'fangame advertisement' thing, but this game is actually done! Complete! Ready to be played! None of that whole 'advertising for help and then disappearing' business that seem to set some of you off.

For those that really did not like Revolution's or Unlimited's stage lengths, you will like this as stages are more of a moderated length in general. The weapon set is on the whole pretty fun with some genuinely interesting new ideas here and there, too. I can't recommend it enough, and I definitely encourage people who might seem put off by the initial story to give it a chance all the same.

I'm most amazed Goldwater kept quiet about all this to begin with, as I feel it's a real gem and worth any classic Mega Man series fan's time several times over.

[Reaperoid]

Passed only Shock Man's and Fuse Man's stages for the moment. Pretty good so far... but lots of jumping in Shock Man Stage, ahaha.

I was confused for a moment when Shock Man appeared on the stage select, after [spoiler]exploding after being defeated in the intro stage[/spoiler]
Not sure if items should actually drop through the electrical tethers when they are extended, though.

Checkpoints seem to be quite scarce; I was just about expecting one at the room after the Met-Ring fight, if not somewhere in the next few rooms after it.

[thefallenalchemist]

It's kind of funny, because I just said "I hope somebody hurries up and releases a new Megaman fangame, so people would stop fighting over MMR and MMU. Seems my wish has been granted. Will download and upload a playthrough.

[Zynk]

Is it just me or the jump button is broken? When I press jump, it sometimes feels like pressing it twice doing short jumps esp. while holding jump. I'm on Joy2key.  

EDIT: I am forced to play with keyboard. It seems my gamepad is screwed! 

[Zan]

From what I've played, the game is pretty good. There's some really nice attention to detail with the palettes, and I also like the stage gimmicks I've seen thusfar.

Some quick observations:

-Should the menu be accessible while Rock is still teleporting?

-The stage select highlighted Crypt Man from the get go. This unfairly emphasizes it as the first boss. Maybe consider putting the cursor on Rock?

-Crypt Man's "Quickman Lasers" do not appear to be as damaging as they are. This is especially true when hitting any section other than the hand. Perhaps just have the hand take out a good chunk of your life bar, or actually grab hold of Rock, whereas the chain would have no collision damage?

-Aerial knockback seems excessively high. Also player invulnerability times appear rather short during a fall . It is possible to get shot in mid-air, getting knocked into spike pit, then losing invulnerability before hitting the spikes.

-Why do the crypt robbers "explode" when defeated? They're just regular robots, not bombs... are they?

-You can get yourself stuck in the slide paths if you happen to get hit while in there.

-Is Virus Man / Virus Man's stage supposed to be about biological, regular computer viruses or the likes of Roboenza/Sigma Virus?  The latter uses a different symbol than is used in the game.

[Cherrykorock]

Im pretty sure the knockback is a throwback to Megaman 1.
As for the hands that section is pretty short and i only died once so its no Rainbow Man at least!
Maybe the hand should grab the player and drag them off screen for the death, that would be pretty cool imo.

The only gripes i have are with how many things explode and how few checkpoints there are.
Just add one more to each level and that would even out the frustration a little bit.
I mean the levels arent so brutal and the levels are really fun for the most part.
Its just tedious being sent back to the middle of a stage even though the gate is a screen away you know?

With that said ive taken 6 of them down so far and im loving the game even with the lack of check points.
The graphics are fitting, of high quality and fit the Megaman theme.
Likewise with the music, Charademan's theme not withstanding. (Its terrible imo sorry)
I havent encountered any bugs as of now and the controls are solid and accurate.
I think Megaman might slide a little bit fast but its easy to adapt to.

The weapons are definately unique and have some worth despite having the charge shot which is always a plus!

Its very well made and i cant wait to continue playing tomorrow when i have some more time. As cheesy as the story is i feel it fits right in the Megaman universe.

Thank you very much to everyone who helped make this game, I truly enjoy it and hope everyone else enjoys it as well.

[Amatiramisu]

I'm giving it a download now. Just from the screens I'm impressed - particularly by the bosses.

[GoldwaterDLS]

Thanks to everyone who has posted a response so far! I really appreciate the feedback I've been getting; a lot of common issues I've been seeing seem to be checkpoints, explosion rates, knockback, and the MM1 styled spikes. So, in the next update, I'm planning on implementing more options that will allow the player to customize their experience, such as: choose how spikes damage mega man, how many check points should appear per level, etc. I certainly don't want this game to be a frustrating experience for anyone.

Is it just me or the jump button is broken? When I press jump, it sometimes feels like pressing it twice doing short jumps esp. while holding jump. I'm on Joy2key.

Yeah, it's not your controller that's having the issue. I'm not sure why, but for some reason joytokey doesn't like to cooperate with my game. I think it might have something to do with the jump button being assigned to the shift key, but I think someone circumvented this issue by first changing the jump and shoot keys to keyboard letters in the game's options menu, then mapping those letters to joytokey. I haven't yet tested it myself. Xpadder works with the game too, though that program isn't free anymore.

The stage select highlighted Crypt Man from the get go. This unfairly emphasizes it as the first boss. Maybe consider putting the cursor on Rock?

That's a good idea; his stage definitely is one of the most difficult of the first eight. I'll be changing the hands too, since it was the initial idea of mine to have the hands grab Mega Man and pull him off the screen. Still, I used instant kill on the whole sprite for testing purposes and I guess I really never thought to change it since the result would have been death anyway. I suppose I could also have so that when it grabs him, the player has to wiggle to break free of the hand while it causes damage, and if the player doesn't get loose in time, it kills them. Though, I'm not sure how I'd convey that the wiggling is necessary.

Likewise with the music, Charademan's theme not withstanding. (Its terrible imo sorry)

About Charade Man's theme: I'm sorry. Yeah, that was one of the few tracks I composed for the game along with a few others (I hope they didn't stick out too greatly compared to Kevvviiinnn's music). I definitely wouldn't mind another musician redoing Charade Man's theme, since I'm really not that familiar with famitracker. Though, I'd still want it to keep that zany feel to it.

[Cherrykorock]

Its not that the composition of the song itself is bad, it just starts off kind of grating. Maybe if you played with the pitch and tempo a bit that could improve it.

As for the joy2key issues, i havent had any.
Remember you can change both the keys and the in game controls.
I have jump set to c.
Shoot set to z.
Enter for start and q and e for weapon swapping.
Its a keyboard issue.
Stick to letters and avoid any other keys for the controls.
Also if you have a joystick on your controller i suggest using that as it makes sliding and ladders easier.

[MacDaddyMike]

I haven't given the game too much time, but already I'm having a lot of problems with the game engine.  The delay to starting the charge for the Mega Buster is significant enough that it completely upsets the timing of its use, so I end up avoiding using the Mega Buster even when I want to because of how much it cripples the player in a combat situation.  The slide is just all kinds of wrong, specifically how you can't cancel out of it without jumping, and changing direction while sliding and continuing to slide is going to lead to a lot of sloppy deaths that wouldn't happen in any other Mega Man game.  The knockback feels strange, too, though I can't really tell why.

Stage design seems fine so far, but I'm having such a frustrating time with the game just because everything feels wrong in the contols. 

[Joseph Collins]

Someone from the community actually alerted me to this while I was watching ACE Spark and his friend play Kirby's Fun Pak.  I was in no condition to actually play it yesterday, so I put it off until today.  And today, I also beat and analyzed it.

Show of hands, who among you is surprised?

(Major spoilers within.)

8/13 Edit: Forgot some stuff about the buster.
8/15 Edit: Dat music glitch~ (Forgot all about it until now.)  Also, repetitive sound complaint.
8/16 Edit: Custom sprites get! (Cutscene stuff.)  Also removed all empty Spoilers (unless it contains an actual game spoiler).
8/18 Edit: The mystery of Beat revealed!
9/7 Edit: Weird speed issue has been resolved.  O_o
[spoiler=General/Global Stuff]
Bugs

• The game doesn't save your customize control scheme, despite the fact it saves your resolution setting.
• If you pause the game before a stage's music loop starts playing, once the intro part plays, there will be no music until you unpause.
• *Intentional?* If you enter the menu while a weapon is selected, it automatically goes back to the Mega Buster.
• *Intentional?* The cursor starts on the upper-left on the Stage Select screen rather than the middle.
• On occasion, the game just randomly dumps Beat on you, even if you don't meet or exceed the requirements to get him. (Pointed out to me by someone.)

Complaints

• Why can't you skip the opening information screens?
• Why doesn't the title screen replay the introduction story after the music runs out?
• In other games, Megaman starts with 2 lives.  The default here is 3.  Why?
• The default keys are really a bad idea.  A lot of people don't know how to disable Sticky Keys and on top of that, the function keys (Shift, Ctrl, Alt) tend to react poorly to JoyToKey.  This can be circumvented by customizing your controls, but still.  It's always better to have the defaults be in the region of Z and X.
• Why do the menu transitions take so long to scroll?  Seriously, you should be able to skip that.
• A password system...?  You implemented a password system into your game...?!  While I have to give you points for going really retro, there is simply no reason not to have a save system in place.
• You start the game with Rush, Eddie, and Tango?  And the Energy Balancer?!  Why?!!
• ... are you using music from other fan games?  A couple of songs I've heard sound extremely familiar.  It might just be because they're Kevvviiinnn's work, which he posts on YouTube a lot, though...
• Leaving the Save/Load State keys enabled, whether a conscious decision or an afterthought, was a silly idea.  But that's just my opinion.
• The checkpoint rooms for each stage are pretty obvious.  Why not disguise them or doctor them up a little?
• Why does everything that shoots use the exact same Mega Man 4-6 shooting noise?  Elecns, for example, should have their unique "zap!" noise.  There's several other enemies that use the default "bewp" shooting noise, but I can't remember which at the moment.

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=*Updated* Game Engine Stuff]
Bugs

• Active objects don't sink into the floor 1 pixel like they do in the commercial games.
• *Intentional?* Megaman can't fire as fast as you can hit the Shoot button, ala Mega Man: The Wily Wars.
• While on a ladder, if you press the Shoot button faster than Megaman can fire, after the three shots are fired, Megaman refuses to fire anymore until you slow down your button presses.
• There's an odd delay before you can charge the Mega Buster.
• You cannot charge the Mega Buster while sliding, but if you're already charging when you slide, the charge counter continues to rise.
• The charge for the Mega Buster is longer than it was in even Mega Man & Bass (122 frames/2.03~ seconds).
• Megaman jumps 3 pixels higher than he should -- he jumps 51 pixels high here whereas he should jump 48.
• Megaman's jump feels oddly floaty in this game...  His physics when falling straight off a platform seem a little off, too.
• *Intentional?* Megaman slides 28 pixels farther than he should -- he slides 94 (!) pixels here whereas he should slide 66.
• Going the opposite direction is supposed to stop Megaman from sliding, not turn him around...
• Deflected shots sometimes play the "dink" noise twice.
• After being hit, Megaman is invincible for about 33% longer than he should be.
• The knockback on Megaman is a little faster (and by extension, farther) than it should be.
• *Intentional?* Spikes instantly kill you regardless of whether you have hit immunity or not ala Mega Man 1.
• Small Energy Capsules give 3 units instead of 2.
• Large Energy Capsules give 8 units instead of 10.
• *Intentional?* Your weapon/life energy meter doesn't refill unit-by-unit when you pick up an energy capsule.  Yet boss energy meters do.
• The energy refill noise overlaps considerably while playing.
• There is a notable delay before you can hop off a ladder once you've gotten on one.
• It takes a lot longer than usual amount of time for deflected shots to clear the screen.
• The hit boxes on enemies, sprites, and Megaman himself are noticeably wonky, making things harder to dodge than they should be.
• Tango is utterly, utterly useless.  I dare say he was more useful in Mega Man 5 GB.  He's just so slow and sticks to the ground/walls/roof here... like those enemies from Mega Man 5, in fact.
• In certain conditions, the game treats Caution Clone as the actual Megaman, thus causing the player damage and not destroying the clone. (1)
• If the weapon before Rush Coil is full (Phantom Fuse, in the case of a full set of Master weapons), quick swapping from it to Rush Coil will cause Rush Coin to be completely refilled

Complaints

• *Updated* The game runs at 50% speed during most levels on my machine. (Dual Core 1.2 GHz CPU, 3.6 GB RAM, 400 MB VRAM) I don't know why, but both v1 and v2 run at full speed on my laptop now.  I'm definitely not going to complain, but I wonder what I did or didn't do before that made this game run so slowly...
• The speed dipped considerably during some other levels, however. (Shockman, Fuseman, one of the fortress stages...)
• That deflected shot gimmick is kind of dumb...  But at least it works correctly.

Notes
(1) One such example of this is while running Caution Clone through the water of Shockman's stage, if the clone is in the water when the water is electrified, the player will take damage instead of detonating the clone.  This is especially humorous if the clone dies while the original is still on-screen.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Enemy Stuff]
Note: Bugs and complaints regarding stage-specific mini-bosses bosses are found in their stage section.

Bugs

• *Intentional?* Mini-boss explosions hurt the player.
• *Intentional?* Two enemies can be attacked, but can't be killed: The volcano enemies, and the freezing cloud enemies.  When they run out of Life Energy, they keep going about their business, but can't be attacked anymore.

Complaints

• Why do rock-throwing zombies and grave robbers explode violently when killed?  That doesn't make any sense.

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Intro Stage]
Bugs

• The background ends abruptly at one point in the stage. (Noted by Grand Trine.)

Complaints
I did not find anything to complain about in this stage.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Cryptman Stage]
Bugs
I did not find any bugs in this stage.

Complaints

• Explain to me why the grabby hands are instant-death.  Justify that.  Seriously.  They're not spiked and they're not lasers.
• Why does everything explode in this stage?!

[/spoiler]

Charademan Stage
I did not find any bugs or anything to complain about in this stage.

Virusman Stage
I did not find any bugs (the irony is not lost on me here) or anything to complain about in this stage.

[spoiler=Shockman Stage]
Bugs
I did not find any bugs in this stage.

Complaints

• Didn't we already kill Shockman once this game?

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Pulseman Stage]
Bugs
I did not find any bugs in this stage.

Complaints

• Isn't Pulseman red?  And smaller?  And cuter?  

[/spoiler]

Charademan Stage
I did not find any bugs or anything to complain about in this stage.

Fuseman Stage
I did not find any bugs or anything to complain about in this stage.

Photonman Stage
I did not find any bugs or anything to complain about in this stage.

Cryptman Stage Revisited
I did not find any bugs or anything to complain about in this stage.

Charademan Stage Revisited
I did not find any bugs or anything to complain about in this stage.

[spoiler=Virusman Stage Revisited]
Bugs

• Because I'm silly, I slid into the alcove one of those snake platforms came out of.  When it went back in, it pushed me into the wall and I got stuck, having to reset the game.

Complaints

• Plagueman is an incredibly boring Robot Master...  I was hoping he'd do something.  Anything.  But nope.  His arms just fall off.

[/spoiler]

Shockman Stage Revisited
I did not find any bugs or anything to complain about in this stage.

[spoiler=Cryptman Stage Revisited 2]
Bugs
I did not find any bugs in this stage.

Complaints
I did not find anything to complain about in this stage.  Yes, seriously.  Despite the fact the entire stage is one long spike trap, I found it to be very unique and a lot of fun to play through.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Fortress Stage 1]
Bugs
I did not find any bugs in this stage.

Complaints

• Geeze, a lot of those underwater section jumps are tight...

[/spoiler]

Fortress Stage 2
I did not find any bugs or anything to complain about in this stage.

[spoiler=Fortress Stage 3]
Bugs

• *Intentional?* The "Ready" animation plays every time you enter the teleporter station, regardless of whether or not you died.

Complaints

• At first, I was going to complain about the fact the entire stage is just chunks of the main eight's stages.  Then I thought, "This is actually kind of cool..."  And then I thought, "Nah, this is lazy."  And that's my verdict on this stage.  Lazy.

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Cutscene, Epilogue, and Post-Game Stuff]

• Some of the cutscene art is pretty poor.
• ... seriously?  You made Ryu a newscaster?  You didn't even bother to disguise him or anything?  Chun-Li (Mega Man 9) at least made sense and was dressed appropriately...
• So... Shockman gave Justiceman complete free will?  This sounds all too familiar. (See also the 1986 classic movie, "Short Circuit".)
• You know, you could have easily made the "walking home" sprites from either The Wily Wars or Mega Man 7 8-bit (1) instead of using those super-deformed ones from Mega Man 2.  Your choice, though.
• Why would Roll react so strongly to Justiceman's demise?  It's not like Rock hasn't had to smash up people she knows before...
  
  • For that matter, why would Megaman?  For the same reason.  Just because it wasn't Wily?
• And what was up with all this "father/son" crap?  When has Rock ever called him that or Dr. Light called Rock his son? (Not saying it isn't technically true.  Just saying, seems... stupid.)
• And lastly, where the hell was Wily during all of this?  Sitting on his ass?  He would have taken advantage of the confusion to pull another scheme for world domination.

Notes
(1) *New*

[/spoiler]
Ya know, this game reminds me of a few different entries in the series.  The game engine, feels like a modified Rockman Mega World engine... which is not good at all.  The game itself reminds me of Rockman & Forte: Challenger from the Future.  In quite a few ways, in fact.  Kind of weird parallels at some points...  The Rockman 3 vibe going on here is also pretty clear.  Despite that, I don't think I'll be playing this game again.  It annoyed me too hard, between some of the shoddy (or lazy) level designs and the various quirks with the game engine.  Not a bad game overall, though.

[Zan]

I'm having such a frustrating time with the game just because everything feels wrong in the contols.

"Everything wrong" is quite the exaggeration. You did however post three very valid issues, which I hope will be addressed by the creator soon.

Ya know, this game reminds me of a few different entries in the series.  The game engine, feels like a modified Rockman Mega World engine... which is not good at all.  The game itself reminds me of Rockman & Forte: Challenger from the Future.  In quite a few ways, in fact.  Kind of weird parallels at some points...  The Rockman 3 vibe going on here is also pretty clear.  Despite that, I don't think I'll be playing this game again.  It annoyed me too hard, between some of the shoddy (or lazy) level designs and the various quirks with the game engine.  Not a bad game overall, though.

It seems the primary issues lie in the engine itself. If "shoddy (or lazy) level designs" was as big an issue as you say it is, why is each stage-based spoiler tag so devoid of complaints?

[Joseph Collins]

Would it be spoiler-worthy to say that mostly applies to the last few levels?  It probably doesn't help that I was angry when I wrote that, due to how frustrating said levels can be.

I guess for the most-part, the levels are alright, if not a little bland.  There was nothing particularly noteworthy to post about each most individual level, though.

[N-Mario]

I don't know why JC, but I believe your avatar pic suits you pretty well. You analyze every aspect of a Mega Man game so well, and so thorough like you did with MMU, and now this game, that it even makes Dr. Light's brain hurt. 

[Amatiramisu]

I do have a criticism with some of the BG work. I've only played the intro stage thus far, but I noticed an abrupt cutoff of some of the textures in some places, notably where the waterfall cuts off right above the spikes.

[thefallenalchemist]

Damn, JC. You need let all that crap go and just learn how to have fun. It's fan's game, so it isn't going to be perfect. You're going to play hundreds of these 8-bit ones before it's over, so you'd better get used to it now. Nothing's ever going to be as good as the original games were. But I'll take "damn close" to completely frustrating. (MMU.) 

Granted there were challenges here and there and without that one extra checkpoint, it made things very difficult especially in Al-Quieda Man's stage. I thought the clone item was a good addition, as well as the cloak (whereas enemies don't even notice you) but I'll admit that using Eddie to farm for E cans was a bit unexpected. Certainly didn't bring the game down for me, though!

Haven't finished the game yet, but working on it whenever I've got time. I'm not going to spoil the story for myself as it seems quite interesting so far. There's some intriguing work here, so it's hard for me to criticize the game too much. I usually play games like this to wind down from writing work, so it hit the spot in that regard. Don't know if I'll run a quick playthrough on it yet, because there's probably umpteen million of them already up there for it, as is the norm for a new game release.

 - Just one more checkpoint in the stages is all I'd ask for. The rest of the game is fine. You should try to place your checkpints after tough gimmicks. Sometimes you use several gimmicks in one stage, which can be frustrating since one exclaims "Damn. So I have to go through all that [parasitic bomb] again?" which can lower the fun factor a bit. On the other hand, it does make you think and strategize your route more efficiently, since you can't afford to make mistakes.

- Charademan's music definitely needs work. Not as bad as I thought, but it still needs a tiny bit of tinkering.

A great surprise nonetheless. Hope to play more, or I'll be back in Titan Quest.

[Joseph Collins]

I do call myself a "Fan-Game Snob" for good reason.  That said, it's hard for me to just "let go and have fun" when I know people can do better.
Games like SuperDanny 2 and Mega Man Christmas Carol 2 have spoiled me, since those games were pretty much as close to perfect as I've seen.  And just because I'm so critical of these fan games does not mean I think they're horrible, or not worth playing.

This game in particular had me distracted part of the way through it.  Even at 50% speed, I found myself getting lost in the gameplay.  Or... you could look at it like this: The stages were better designed than I give them credit for and genuinely engaging.  Therefore, I didn't spend as much time writing things down as I should have.  I do have quite a few completely empty sections under Spoilers up there, after all, so either the stages were fine as they were, or they're otherwise non-noteworthy, as far as I'm concerned.

[MacDaddyMike]

Damn, JC. You need let all that crap go and just learn how to have fun. It's fan's game, so it isn't going to be perfect. You're going to play hundreds of these 8-bit ones before it's over, so you'd better get used to it now. Nothing's ever going to be as good as the original games were. But I'll take "damn close" to completely frustrating. (MMU.) 

I feel like the human race should be embarrassed whenever someone is told to stop thinking critically.  JC should be given a goddamn medal.

[thefallenalchemist]

I do call myself a "Fan-Game Snob" for good reason.  That said, it's hard for me to just "let go and have fun" when I know people can do better.
Games like SuperDanny 2 and Mega Man Christmas Carol 2 have spoiled me, since those games were pretty much as close to perfect as I've seen.  And just because I'm so critical of these fan games does not mean I think they're horrible, or not worth playing.

This game in particular had me distracted part of the way through it.  Even at 50% speed, I found myself getting lost in the gameplay.  Or... you could look at it like this: The stages were better designed than I give them credit for and genuinely engaging.  Therefore, I didn't spend as much time writing things down as I should have.  I do have quite a few completely empty sections under Spoilers up there, after all, so either the stages were fine as they were, or they're otherwise non-noteworthy, as far as I'm concerned.

Have not finished Super Danny 2 or Megaman Christmas Carol 2. You've piqued my interest in finishing them. Not looking forward to the Megaman & My Little Pony crossover though. There's a thread here about it:

http://www.sprites-inc.co.uk/files/forum/showthread.php?tid=70



Posted on: August 17, 2013, 03:52:39@Mike. Didn't see your post before. I didn't tell him to stop "thinking critically" but these are games, and doesn't it make sense to enjoy them a bit? Granted the game was frustrating, I still managed to enjoy it. Isn't that why we play games in the first place? For an escape from the day-to-day grind of the corporate machine? Plus, it's free. If someone buys you a drink, are you going to look in the can, make sure that it looks like a beverage? May be a few dents, but it still tastes good. At any rate, I actually enjoy the notes that Joseph Collins leaves, he knows how these games function more than probably 98% of people on this planet. It just didn't seem like the guy was enjoying the games and he never seems to like the stories (of course, I'll level with him here) but now I see that he's got a very analytical personality and I respect that he goes above and beyond, while still having fun with the games. That's all I was worried about. Life is too short to not enjoy the things in it.

On another note, I finished the game. I have to say, without spoiling the story, that the game's ending is one of the most depressing endings in the history of the series. I just felt bad while the credits rolled. The final boss was also kind of a pushover, and there is some serious balancing issues. On the other hand, I liked the theme for [spoiler]powerman's[/spoiler] stage alot. The game had terrific music, especially on the final level and for bosses.

The game has a moral, kind of Orwellian in nature. Again, this is what made me upset.

Out of the ones I've played, I like this one and perfect harmony the most. MMU the least, and MMR in the middle.

I want to say thanks to the devs, I appreciate the hard work and for giving me something to do on a saturday night.

[spd12]

A new version was recently released (the download was taken for a while earlier but it's back now)! Here's a copy of the changelist from his site's forums:

Changes:

    Knockback has been reduced and can be adjusted.
    The player can slide cancel when direction is changed.
    The time to charge up a shot has been reduced.
    The player can choose how spikes will damage Mega Man.
    A new save file system has been implemented.
    The new save system allows for saving between the final stages.
    The number of checkpoints can be changed by the player.
    The default controls have been changed.
    The stage select cursor now begins on Mega Man’s portrait.
    Less enemies will explode upon defeat.
    Mega Man no longer gets stuck when damaged in slide paths.
    Mega Man recovers 10 bars from large energies rather than 8.
    Pausing will place the cursor on the weapon Mega Man was last using.
    The intro scene will replay once the title screen music has finished and no player input is detected.
    Mega Man can detach from ladders more quickly.
    Minor alterations have been made to the ending dialogue.
    Informational screens and most cutscenes can be skipped.
    Mega Man can now fire more rapidly.
    Deflected shots will clear the screen more quickly.
    Mega Man’s hit box has been modified.
    Most enemy and obstacle hit boxes have also been modified.
    Mega Man detaches from ladders much lower than before.
    He can also grab ladders further above his head.
    The charge shot will not continue to charge while sliding.
    Some levels have had minor alterations.
    The strength of Mega Man’s slide ability can be adjusted.
    The duration of Mega Man’s recovery period can be adjusted.

Bug Fixes: *Spoilers*[spoiler]
    The pause screen glitch preventing input from the player has been fixed.
    Terror Man can only summon a finite number of buggers.
    Terror Man cannot be defeated off screen.
    The electrified water will destroy Mega Man’s clone rather than damage Mega Man.
    A similar modification has been made to the shock tiles.
    The electrified water will not send Mega Man into the ceiling.
    Rash blocks (snake platforms) will not send Mega Man into the wall.
    Mega Man’s clone will lower on the coffin with the player.
    Spikes will squash the player to death in Death Man’s stage.
    Volcanoid and Chilbert no longer react to player weapons.
    The player can no longer pause during transport.
    The music won’t stop when the game is paused.
    The charge shot no longer stops invincibility frame flashing.
    Rush Coil no longer refills when the weapon swap is used.
    Deflected shots will not make multiple *ding* sounds.
    Mega Man cannot detach from ladders while climbing.
    Items no longer pass through spikes and other platforms.
    Mega Man will not stop firing on a ladder if the fire button is pressed too rapidly.
    Utilities should not spawn in walls.
    Pit Pods will not explode when regenerating in a pit.
    Tube Tank barriers will not glitch the player into a wall.
    Mega Man reliably attaches to ladders he is closest to.
    Mega Man will not turn invisible if his recovery period ends while sliding.
    Robot Masters will align to the proper Y-coordinate when Mega Man enters the boss chamber.
[/spoiler]

[RetroRespecter]

Hopefully, this addresses the bugs and problems from the earlier version(s).

[Joseph Collins]

...   You guys were paying attention after all!  Splendid!  This updated makes me incredibly happy.  Not just the convenient stuff, like the new save game system, but the actual bug fixes!  And you found several that I didn't catch, it seems!  Even better!

I'll give this new version a go later.  I'm glad I was able to help make the game even better!

[GoldwaterDLS]

Of course! I endeavor to listen to all the feedback I can to help improve this experience. I must admit, Joseph, your analysis was vital in helping me update the game to its current state, so I thank you for that. All the feedback has been helpful; the positive ones keep me motivated to work on the game, and some of the meaner ones, despite sometimes crushing my spirits, help me to identify the issues with the game and where to focus my efforts. Unfortunately, I wasn't quite able to address all the recommendations, bugs, and complaints for the game in this update (I figured the game had already been down for too long), but hopefully what has been changed will make the game much smoother and more enjoyable for now.

Thanks again, everyone, for the feedback! Your continued input will certainly help the game.

[RetroRespecter]

Maybe you can fix the health and weapon replenish effect while you're at it.