Spelunky Catch-all (Spelunky HD now on Steam!)

Sweet, thanks for the update Erik! Been meaning to put more time into this.

Yeah, I pulled it out again recently... still haven't done most of the secret stuff. I did get to use an altar, though I'm not sure what the actual effect is.

This game is probably off the radar for a lot of people, but here's a quick bump to alert people to v0.99.9. (Seriously, could Yu be any more afraid of 1.0?) Spelunky is one of my favorite "Tetris replacements", along with Rescue: The Beagles... I think both games will probably become part of my default install group for new computers.

Changelog:
= Bugfixes and level editor improvement.
= Separated config menu from main game (config.exe).
= Lowered shop prices.
= Increased scarab value.
= Made chests more worthwhile.
= Changed craps houses to dice houses with new rules (no cheating!).
= Changed the way that flares work (no more flare button).
= Increased radius of explosions horizontally.
= Trees can now be climbed without the aid of items.
= Tweaked altars.
= Tweaked player movement and physics.
= Beefed up machete.
= Bow has a special action.
= Each bow now gives the player 6 arrows.
= Players can now exit the tutorial level to the title screen.

That looks like a great update. I will definitely have to give it a go. I still need to beat the damn game though I am starting to have my doubts that that will ever happen. Not that I haven't had fun trying.

Yeah, I broke 600 deaths today and I still haven't really beaten it. I just tend to play fast and loose. The new version, by the way, is pretty great -- and my previous note about the idol traps in the ice stage is now obsolete, since the trap has been fixed (as death #618 taught me). Also, press the purchase key (Space by default) to initiate gambling with the dice shopkeeper; maybe that's how it always was, but he doesn't say anything when you come in and I hadn't tried using the dice before (except to steal one).

EDIT: I remember now, I did finish the normal ending once. But I haven't seen the secrets.

Huh. Good for him.

Along with the XBLA news, Derek also released version 1.0 on his new Spelunky website.

I haven't had a chance to play it yet, but here is the changelog for 1.0.

--------------------
1.0 - 9/1/2009
--------------------

+ Added: [SECRET]

= Mantrap's appetite increased.
= Piranha's appetite increased.
= Dice now reveal whether they've been thrown or not.
= Opening a chest or crate won't cause the player to attack.
= Mummies shouldn't bleed.

- Fixed fatal error: flies hitting a damsel caused a crash.
? Fixed fatal error: game could hang when enemies collided with one another.
? Fixed fatal error: sticky bombs could cause a crash when stuck to dead enemy.
? Code from ChevyRay might fix up the graphics glitch with the "black boxes."
- Fixed bug: lava deaths weren't counting toward your score.
- Fixed bug: Machete and mattock had no back swing when facing right.
- Fixed bug: When an item was held but put away and the player ledge flipped or
got thrown, the item would disappear.
- Fixed bug: when a rope burned away under a player, the player would continue
to hang.
- Fixed various bugs related to monsters getting stuck in walls.
- Fixed bug: if blocks were placed directly in front of arrow traps in the level
editor, it would cause glitches.
- Fixed bug: the player would float in air after teleporting off a ladder.
- Fixed bug: items could get stuck in the corners of walls.
- Fixed bug: shopkeeper could still kill you through 1-tile thick walls.
- Fixed bug: damsel could be shot while exiting the level.
- Fixed bug: monkeys could throw damsels while they were exiting.
- Fixed bug: monkeys could throw damsels into the ceiling, killing them.
- Fixed bug: monkeys had a 100% chance of tripping the player.
- Fixed bug: if a monkey tripped the player during a ledge flip or while the
player was exiting a level, the player would be stunned permanently.
- Fixed bug: push blocks were generated next to lava pits, causing problems.
- Fixed bug: destroying spear traps next to lakes would not cause them to drain.
- Fixed bug: spear traps could get generated in trees in area 4.
- Fixed bug: flare crates should disappear in the water.
- Fixed typo: kissing parlor shopkeeper would state incorrect price when trying
to buy damsel (rather than kiss) without enough money.
- Fixed bug: "I HEAR SNAKES..." message appearing in Tutorial.
- Fixed typo: Tutorial sign recommends holding down to run, even though this is
now turned off by default.
- Fixed typo: "KEEP THE YOURSELF"
- Fixed bug: muting/unmuting in area 3 will make area 1 music play.
- Loot shouldn't overflow over the text during transitions.
- Fixed bug: resetting scores doesn't hide the bonus room descriptions until you
leave the room.

Aww man... we can no longer keep the yourself?

So i picked up Spelunky again yesterday, and got myself hooked once more. I finally made it to the last level (twice in fact), and I nearly beat the boss both times. I don't know what has changed, but I am able to get much farther in my games than I used to be able to. My next goal, beyond actually beating the final boss is to see what sorts of goodies I can get from making sacrifices on the altar. I know you get an item for sacrificing damsels, but I want to see if you get any other bonuses for bigger game like shopkeepers or yetis.

EriktheRed wrote:

My next goal, beyond actually beating the final boss is to see what sorts of goodies I can get from making sacrifices on the altar. I know you get an item for sacrificing damsels, but I want to see if you get any other bonuses for bigger game like shopkeepers or yetis.

The Spelunky wiki has details on how the altars work, but of course discovery is part of the fun.

Itsatrap wrote:
EriktheRed wrote:

My next goal, beyond actually beating the final boss is to see what sorts of goodies I can get from making sacrifices on the altar. I know you get an item for sacrificing damsels, but I want to see if you get any other bonuses for bigger game like shopkeepers or yetis.

The Spelunky wiki has details on how the altars work, but of course discovery is part of the fun.

Yeah I am trying to keep myself unspoiled for the time being. I way over-spoiled myself with Nethack, and in some ways I regret it (well not too much since I have since gone on to beat it many times).

It looks like there is a new version of Spelunky out, version 1.1. It is mostly bugfixes and some changes to the editor, but it is good to see Derek continuing support for the game. I'll post the changelog below. He also released the source code. Here is a forum for people discussing modding. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for any cool forks of the game.

--------------------
1.1 - 12/25/2009
--------------------

^ Compiled game in new version of Game Maker (8.0), which should fix some
GM-related errors and speed up the game and make loading faster.

+ Added: alien boss to level editor.
+ Added: extended statistics are written to "stats.txt" upon game exit.
+ Added: more shopkeeper names.

= dark areas would not appear if you beat the previous level fast enough (to
prevent frustrating speed runs).
= Moon Room minigame improved.
= Changed damage from longest falls.
= arrow traps now have arrows inside of them.

- Fixed bug: The Tunnel Man was too broken as a playable character.
- Fixed bug: he could get hurt while exiting through doors.
- Fixed bug: he could screw up the minigames with his mattock.
- Fixed bug: he could jump while attacking with his mattock, so long
as jump is pressed after attack.
- Fixed bug: the title music stopped when you switch between the
Spelunker and the Tunnel Man.
- Fixed bug: no animation for when the Tunnel Man is eaten by a mantrap.
- Fixed bug: Tunnel Man was missing his "look up" animation.
= reduced starting life to 2. No bombs or rope.
- Fixed bug: when you first play the game, if you tried to back out of the
tutorial you would be crushed in the wall on the title screen.
- Fixed bug: after betting at the dice house, you could destroy the blocks
protecting the item without angering the shopkeeper.
- Fixed bug: pressing the keyboard's attack key causes you to load the level
on the Load Level screen.
- Fixed bug: loading a non-existent level on the Load Level screen takes
you to the custom win screen instead of providing a warning.
- Fixed bug: spikes were much more safe from distances of 2 blocks or
smaller than in previous versions (possibly due to a physics change).
- Fixed bug: in rare cases, Black Market entrances would generate in every
free tile on the map.
- Fixed bug: you could throw damsels onto spikes or into lava over and over
again to obtain multiple kills.
- Fixed bug: if the player puts down an item and goes through the end door,
he/she would be shown in the ending still carrying the item.
- Fixed bug: Player could get perma-stunned if attacked while doing a flip.
- Fixed bugs: problems with bow:
- Fixed bug: priming a bow and then having it knocked out of your hands
often caused the arrow to become permanently stuck to the player until
a bow is picked up again.
- Fixed bug: priming a bow and then switching to a bomb or rope caused
lots of problems.
- Fixed bug: bow flipped when you pressed away from wall while hanging.
- Fixed bug: bow graphic jittered when priming.
- Fixed bug: being stunned prevents you from taking fall damage.
- Fixed bug: whipping yetis from the left knocked them towards you.
- Fixed bug: shopkeeper corpses could get stuck to webs while you were
carrying them and could not be picked up from webs.
- Fixed bug: being stunned could cause you to lose an item permanently.
- Fixed bug: teleporters buried in ground could poke out of the ground.
- Fixed bug: jumping up, holding down, and pressing attack while holding
shotgun would not cause the shotgun to fire.
- Fixed bug: flipping over a ledge wouldn't trigger arrow traps.
- Fixed bug: right-facing arrow traps that span with only a one-tile gap
ahead of them would not fire their arrows. (Custom levels only.)
- Fixed bug: shooting kissing parlor damsels off-screen wouldn't anger
the shopkeeper.
- Fixed bug: the compass marker shouldn't disappear when messages are also on
the screen.
- Fixed bug: as Damsel or Tunnel Man, if you are crawling and facing right
and then press run, you'd do a super wiggle.
- Fixed bug: trees would appear in front of shop signs.
- Fixed bug: items in lava would float in mid-air once the lava is drained.
- Fixed bug: items would sometimes show up in unbreakable walls.
- Fixed bug: skeletons (and other "bloodless" monsters) shouldn't leave
blood on spikes.'
? Fixed bug: in the Black Market, Mantraps could spawn in areas where they
could eat shopkeepers.
? Fixed bug: Kissing Parlor: if you have enough money for a kiss but not
the damsel, trying to buy her would result in you buying a kiss instead.

I may check this out after hearing a bit about it.

dark areas would not appear if you beat the previous level fast enough (to
prevent frustrating speed runs).

Doesn't making the game easier for speed runners defeat the purpose of a speed run?

LobsterMobster wrote:
dark areas would not appear if you beat the previous level fast enough (to
prevent frustrating speed runs).

Doesn't making the game easier for speed runners defeat the purpose of a speed run?

Eh the game is going to be plenty hard even without dark areas. I don't think it is that big of a change.

Holy crap I finally beat Spelunky! It was probably my 3rd or 4th time getting to the boss, but this time I actually killed him.

My final equipment was a shotgun, jetpack, jumping boots, kapala, compass, and a lot of bombs and rope. I nearly flubbed up by accidentally pissing off a shopkeeper on level 15, but I was able to evade and kill him (and take his items).

The time is nearly here.

Should the PC version be ready in a couple months, I think that's about the right time when I don't have lots of games planned to purchase.

cyrax wrote:

Should the PC version be ready in a couple months, I think that's about the right time when I don't have lots of games planned to purchase.

Is a PC version something that is definitely going to happen? There's no mention of it anywhere, but of course that might have more to do with what Microsoft wants people to think rather than what the developer is actually planning.

imbiginjapan wrote:
cyrax wrote:

Should the PC version be ready in a couple months, I think that's about the right time when I don't have lots of games planned to purchase.

Is a PC version something that is definitely going to happen? There's no mention of it anywhere, but of course that might have more to do with what Microsoft wants people to think rather than what the developer is actually planning.

Let's just say Derek Yu has done a lot of winking, and the past is always an indication of the future.

cyrax wrote:
imbiginjapan wrote:
cyrax wrote:

Should the PC version be ready in a couple months, I think that's about the right time when I don't have lots of games planned to purchase.

Is a PC version something that is definitely going to happen? There's no mention of it anywhere, but of course that might have more to do with what Microsoft wants people to think rather than what the developer is actually planning.

Let's just say Derek Yu has done a lot of winking, and the past is always an indication of the future.

It's being published by Microsoft Studios. Really crossing my fingers and hoping they're not on a Metro or bust trip right now.

I just stumbled across this today, and it's sucked away all my time I meant to spend doing something marginally productive. What fun! The PC version has some pretty cool music as well.
I'm playing the "Un-Haunted" mod version while I learn to play the thing, which strips the stopwatch ghost out of the levels and lets you explore at your own pace.

EriktheRed wrote:

Oh yeah I meant to post this earlier but Spelunky for XBLA is coming out tomorrow. I don't own an Xbox, and I am not sure if I like the new art style as much as the 16-bit style, but I hope to see the changes translated into a PC version soon.

I'm pretty sure Derek has said in the past that a PC version is planned but not until any exclusivity period is past.

Huh, something rarely seen on XBL, Derek actually self-published the game via his label, Mossmouth. He must have good relations over in Redmond. That basically means whenever the PC version is ready, it's up to him to feed us.

Even though I suck at platformers, I picked up this VERY HARD platformer, and the strange thing is, I'm having lots of fun dying over and over again. I don't think I've made it past the third room.

I played a little of the original back in the day, and I think the graphical change is very nice, and I much prefer a controller over the keyboard. My major frustration is with the evil ghost that comes to whisk you away if you dilly-dally too much on a level. Me, I like to dilly and dally!

Anybody else pick this up on XBLA? feel free to friend me up so you can feel superior with your scores on the leaderboard.

chaosmos wrote:

Even though I suck at platformers, I picked up this VERY HARD platformer, and the strange thing is, I'm having lots of fun dying over and over again. I don't think I've made it past the third room.

I played a little of the original back in the day, and I think the graphical change is very nice, and I much prefer a controller over the keyboard. My major frustration is with the evil ghost that comes to whisk you away if you dilly-dally too much on a level. Me, I like to dilly and dally!

Anybody else pick this up on XBLA? feel free to friend me up so you can feel superior with your scores on the leaderboard.

Protip: Getting to the exit is WAY WAY WAY more important than collecting all the gold.

DanB wrote:
chaosmos wrote:

Even though I suck at platformers, I picked up this VERY HARD platformer, and the strange thing is, I'm having lots of fun dying over and over again. I don't think I've made it past the third room.

I played a little of the original back in the day, and I think the graphical change is very nice, and I much prefer a controller over the keyboard. My major frustration is with the evil ghost that comes to whisk you away if you dilly-dally too much on a level. Me, I like to dilly and dally!

Anybody else pick this up on XBLA? feel free to friend me up so you can feel superior with your scores on the leaderboard.

Protip: Getting to the exit is WAY WAY WAY more important than collecting all the gold.

Yes, but you are much more likely to be able to win if you have enough money to buy that shotgun or jetpack when the opportunity arises.

Guys, guys... the whole point is to kill the first shopkeeper you meet and see how long you last after that. Duh.