Anyone hacked Exile 2 to fix the difficulty?

[arromdee]

With questions about translations and ports and such, surely something like this would be a worthwhile project and much more feasible than translating a whole game.  Has anyone managed to do it?

(And while you're at it, hack it to fix the censored translation... Klispins indeed.)

[MotherGunner]

Great question.  I played the hacked rom for sidearms since I don't have the skills to make it to the end.  I have wondered the same as well and if there are any other titles out there that are hacked and improved.  Perhaps change the topic to discuss all of them?

[BigusSchmuck]

With questions about translations and ports and such, surely something like this would be a worthwhile project and much more feasible than translating a whole game.  Has anyone managed to do it?

(And while you're at it, hack it to fix the censored translation... Klispins indeed.)

Its a shame we really don't have many dedicated groups to hacking Turbo/PCE games. Most groups are still sadly doing stuff for the nes and snes which IMHO doesn't need any more loving.
What the pce scene really needs right now is more documentation so we can get more people interested in projects such as suggested above.

[Bonknuts]

I had thought Nodt ('old Rover) had looked into this game and related stuff a number of years back. I dunno, maybe my memory is failing me.

[nodtveidt]

Not this one... I messed with Shape Shifter, Sinistron, and Dead Moon... but not Exile II. I know what's broken but have never monkeyed with it to fix it. I just know Exile II like the back of my hand, is all...

[Mishran]

Never had the luxury of owning the game, so I never played it. What about the messed up code makes the game so difficult? Enemies doing more damage per hit than what's feasible?

[nodtveidt]

Yeah. Apparently, it's just one value set in the code that screws everything up. Every combat value in the game seems to be based on this one root value... Working Designs changed that one value to make the game harder, but ended up making it legendarily difficult. The original is way too easy by comparison.

[Mishran]

Yeah. Apparently, it's just one value set in the code that screws everything up. Every combat value in the game seems to be based on this one root value... Working Designs changed that one value to make the game harder, but ended up making it legendarily difficult. The original is way too easy by comparison.

Ok, makes sense. Dumbasses... Must have been a last minute change with very little to no beta testing after the change or WD did it on purpose to be douches...

[nodtveidt]

I think it was rushed, honestly... there were other far more important issues with the game that should have been addressed instead, such as the terribly broken collision detection present in the original version. They overhauled certain graphical elements of the game but couldn't fix the broken coldet? Really?

[SignOfZeta]

Yeah, it was just rushed. Really really rushed. Obviously there was no play testing after the point at which that value was changed. IIRC it takes over an hour with the attack button taped down sitting in just the right spot killing giant scorpions over and over again to get enough XP for the final level. If you get hit by any of them you die instantly. Once maxed on levels, its STILL bitch hard to get anything done.

This is just what I vaguely recall. I sold the game in the late 90s.

[ParanoiaDragon]

Yeah, it was just rushed. Really really rushed. Obviously there was no play testing after the point at which that value was changed. IIRC it takes over an hour with the attack button taped down sitting in just the right spot killing giant scorpions over and over again to get enough XP for the final level. If you get hit by any of them you die instantly. Once maxed on levels, its STILL bitch hard to get anything done.

This is just what I vaguely recall. I sold the game in the late 90s.

I don't recall finding a spot to do that?   I do remember in Exile 1 there were a couple spots in the first level where I'd kill dragon fly's, & just wrap a rubber band around the controller.  Ahh, memories!  But yeah, Exile 2 is very difficult, even if you are maxed out.  Still, it's beatable, & that's coming from a guy who plays EVERY game on easy!  It's one of the few games that people complain about, that I've actually figured out a way to beat! So if I can beat Exile 2, anyone can!

[nodtveidt]

Hell, the original game was rushed out the door too. The technical flaws extend way beyond the mere damage imbalance.

[Shrapnoid]

Well, that sucks. I didn't know about this flaw. I've been wanting to get both of these games for quite some time. I had no idea that there was a difficulty glitch but, if Ben says that he found a way around it then maybe the rest of us can as well.

By the way, Ben, how's your leg? Did it heal up well where you tore it open on that old pipe or whatever it was? 

[jperryss]

Yeah, it was just rushed. Really really rushed. Obviously there was no play testing after the point at which that value was changed. IIRC it takes over an hour with the attack button taped down sitting in just the right spot killing giant scorpions over and over again to get enough XP for the final level. If you get hit by any of them you die instantly. Once maxed on levels, its STILL bitch hard to get anything done.

This is just what I vaguely recall. I sold the game in the late 90s.

I don't recall finding a spot to do that?   I do remember in Exile 1 there were a couple spots in the first level where I'd kill dragon fly's, & just wrap a rubber band around the controller.  Ahh, memories!  But yeah, Exile 2 is very difficult, even if you are maxed out.  Still, it's beatable, & that's coming from a guy who plays EVERY game on easy!  It's one of the few games that people complain about, that I've actually figured out a way to beat! So if I can beat Exile 2, anyone can!

From what I remember, this trick works in Exile 1 only. Exile 2 requires the player to scroll the screen to make enemies re-appear.

[nodtveidt]

The US Exile II doesn't even have respawning enemies... you have to leave the area to get enemies to respawn. So in places where you need to level-grind (like the Spire Of Eternity... how appropriately named), you have to go in and out of the place over and over again. I don't recall if the Japanese version worked the same way, as I've only played it through once... and it was as easy as XZR.