N+ coming to XBLA

EskimoDave

wow, i can't believe how quickly I got the 1000 death achievement...

Mr_Grinch

Mission Control was fucking evil. Paper thin walls is still the one that made me it's bitch though.

I'm gonna go through and add a load of you today (largely to compare scores but I'm up for some multiplayer if you don't shout at me for being crap!)

jothki

Kinda odd how you people are complaining about particular levels being tough. In the PC version, I get stuck on almost everything. Is the XBLA version generally easier or something?

Mr_Grinch

I'd say they're about the same difficulty to be honest. Some easy levels, some more difficult ones.

Djiem

The levels that piss me off the most, apart from the obvious such as Paper Thin Walls and Mission Control are those that reek of lazy design.

Oh, how could we make that long-tunnel-filled-with-mines/cramped-area-full-of-electrocuting-enemies stage harder? Why, let's just have the ninja start by the door, go to the switch, then come back! 2X the length without any effort.

Oh, how could we make that open stage harder? Well, let's just add 1 or 2 more missiles launchers. There, that was easy.

Akinos

Played a bunch of coop tonight. Goddamn I love this game.

OremLK

So far I find the XBLA version much, much easier than the PC version. But I'm still less than halfway through the levels, so I assume it will continue ramping up in difficulty. (But even then--I couldn't beat a single one of the ovearching episodes in the PC version, not even 00-09).

Echo

I'm on Master Control.

Halgwet

I'm sure it has been mentioned before but it's such a nice feature that it bears repeating: You can download the replays of the top ten places on the single player leaderboards. You can even do this while playing, so no need to quit out of your progress. I use this all the time, both for help on how to do things but also to see all the crazy stuff that the top players do. It helped me a lot on Paper Thin Walls because I found a much safer way of getting through the first mine field.

Mr_Grinch

I don't like to view the replays until I'm done. I may be odd but I feel like it's cheating. It's not just a platform game, there's a puzzle element in there in how to get through the level quickly.

OremLK

Paper Thin Walls sucked ass. A lot of it.

Thank God I'm done with it.

Djiem

Mr_Grinch wrote: »

I don't like to view the replays until I'm done. I may be odd but I feel like it's cheating. It's not just a platform game, there's a puzzle element in there in how to get through the level quickly.

After my 5,000th death on the same level, I don't really care about cheating anymore.

thej3w

I think I made the coolest level ever...



Ok, so it's not the coolest. But it is pretty sweet. Admit it.

EskimoDave

Back to School is real tough.

OremLK

God, I hated Back To School. I think it actually took me more tries than Paper Thin Walls; at least I felt like I had time to think in the latter.

Legacy

thej3w wrote: »

I think I made the coolest level ever...



Ok, so it's not the coolest. But it is pretty sweet. Admit it.

Now throw in some enemies and put the door unlock at the top of the flagpole, and it's perfect.

thej3w

Legacy wrote: »

thej3w wrote: »

I think I made the coolest level ever...



Ok, so it's not the coolest. But it is pretty sweet. Admit it.

Now throw in some enemies and put the door unlock at the top of the flagpole, and it's perfect.

I wasn't exactly sure what enemies to put in. But the door unlock is a good idea, right now its in the of the power-up blocks. Best part about those blocks is the ability to put stuff behind them, so when you hit em like in Mario you can collect stuff.

OremLK

thej3w wrote: »

Legacy wrote: »

thej3w wrote: »

I think I made the coolest level ever...

Ok, so it's not the coolest. But it is pretty sweet. Admit it.

Now throw in some enemies and put the door unlock at the top of the flagpole, and it's perfect.

I wasn't exactly sure what enemies to put in. But the door unlock is a good idea, right now its in the of the power-up blocks. Best part about those blocks is the ability to put stuff behind them, so when you hit em like in Mario you can collect stuff.

That's really neat. As for the enemies, I'd put a few of those little floor sweeping guys. Closest you can really get to a Mario enemy, I suppose.

Blue map

Looks like ign is holding a contest of sorts. http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/856/856148p1.html

Mr_Grinch

I'm stuck on a damn stage RIGHT at the beginning of a chapter. That shouldn't be happening! I forget the name but it's got two rocket launchers on either side of the level, one launchpad and a load of those bouncy blocks inside the middle. The switch is at the top right.

Argh. I can get up to the switch, flick it, and then die!

OremLK

I finally beat all 50 episodes, and let me tell you, the second to last level is a bitch.

Some of these levels basically become memory/muscle memory games, where you remember exactly when, how, and where to make each jump and keep repeating everything until you master how to get to every switch and get out.

My thumbs and hand muscles are killing me. And my head hurts.

I think I'm gonna go lie down.

Mr_Grinch

Stuck in traffic is going to make me kill someone or something.

Gdiguy

Mr_Grinch wrote: »

Stuck in traffic is going to make me kill someone or something.

which number is that? I swear I've played it, and I have a memory of much pain, but I can't remember what it looks like

I've basically skipped paper thin walls for now... to be honest, I think it's a bit easier for me than some of the ones with more blue guys, but I haven't had the free hour or so to devote to learning it. Some of the co-op maps, though, holy jesus... I played through them with a friend, and after a few of those almost every single player map (including mission control) was almost relaxing

Mr_Grinch

Stuck in Traffic, as played by someone not all that funny:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lefOHUzzZ8A

It was hell. HELL.

I've done it though at last.

Even the guy with the top score didn't manage it that fast. I'm ranked about 1308 which is pretty pathetic.

OremLK

I think there are really about ten or twenty "hell levels", and yeah, Stuck In Traffic is one of the worst. The only one that ever forced me to shut off the console mid-episode was the second to last level in the final episode, though. It's that fucking ridiculous.

SithDrummer

If the physics aren't changed (much) from the PC version, you can do "perpendicular" or reverse jumps using inclined planes - run up the slope and jump while immediately switching movement directions. Your ninja should leap quite high, and based on what it looks like in the video that was just posted (as there is no such level on the PC version), he could probably easily clear the three-mine sets.

OremLK

SithDrummer wrote: »

If the physics aren't changed (much) from the PC version, you can do "perpendicular" or reverse jumps using inclined planes - run up the slope and jump while immediately switching movement directions. Your ninja should leap quite high, and based on what it looks like in the video that was just posted (as there is no such level on the PC version), he could probably easily clear the three-mine sets.

No way, you run into the roof, which kills your momentum. The farthest I could ever get was over the third mine pillar, but even then, falling damage would kill me on about half of my jumps.

Gdiguy

OremLK wrote: »

SithDrummer wrote: »

If the physics aren't changed (much) from the PC version, you can do "perpendicular" or reverse jumps using inclined planes - run up the slope and jump while immediately switching movement directions. Your ninja should leap quite high, and based on what it looks like in the video that was just posted (as there is no such level on the PC version), he could probably easily clear the three-mine sets.

No way, you run into the roof, which kills your momentum. The farthest I could ever get was over the third mine pillar, but even then, falling damage would kill me on about half of my jumps.

Oh yeah, I remember that level now, I played it yesterday (heh, no wonder i remember the name)... I wish I had a video of mine; I basically stayed in the middle section and used little jumps and hanging on the walls to wait between blue things

jumping over the mines I tried the first time, but I basically got sick of just missing clearing the mines and exploding... I dunno, i've had some far worse levels personally

OremLK

Yeah, I just wound up sticking to the middle as well... Those kinds of shortcuts are usually ill-advised.

Pjstelford

Mr_Grinch wrote: »

Stuck in Traffic, as played by someone not all that funny:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lefOHUzzZ8A

It was hell. HELL.

I've done it though at last.

Even the guy with the top score didn't manage it that fast. I'm ranked about 1308 which is pretty pathetic.

Stuck in Traffic is easy.

Wall cling to the middle row, when the bot above you passes, follow it, and just hold the pertinent direction. DO NOT JUMP. You'll end up wall clinging to the next dot. Repeat until done.

SithDrummer

OremLK wrote: »

SithDrummer wrote: »

If the physics aren't changed (much) from the PC version, you can do "perpendicular" or reverse jumps using inclined planes - run up the slope and jump while immediately switching movement directions. Your ninja should leap quite high, and based on what it looks like in the video that was just posted (as there is no such level on the PC version), he could probably easily clear the three-mine sets.

No way, you run into the roof, which kills your momentum. The farthest I could ever get was over the third mine pillar, but even then, falling damage would kill me on about half of my jumps.

You misunderstand me. I'm not talking about walljumping up, and then away from, the left (or right) side wall. I'm talking about jumping off of the incline itself, using a physics feature/bug? that has the ability to propel you fairly high, at least in the PC version.

Gihgehls

That "bug" is explained in the tutorial and is critical for beating several levels.

SithDrummer

Yeah, it was definitely required in at least 3 of the levels in N that I can think of offhand. They pissed me off so much until I found it, and for a little while after.

jothki

SithDrummer wrote: »

Yeah, it was definitely required in at least 3 of the levels in N that I can think of offhand. They pissed me off so much until I found it, and for a little while after.

One particular level that stands out for me is one where you have to use that technique to hit a whole bunch of switches. A few of them are easy to get to and will open the way to the exit, while if you can hit the others, you'll get access to a whole bunch of gold. I never managed to get that gold.

OremLK

No, I knew what you meant, I think you still wind up hitting the roof.

RainbowDespair

DLC on the way: http://www.xbox360achievements.org/news/news.php?id=826

"N+ will have Three DLC Packs
Written Thursday, March 13, 2008 by Alan Pettit

IGN reports via co-creator Mare Sheppard:

"N+ co-creator Mare Sheppard told IGN today that Metanet plans to release three downloadable expansion packs, each containing about 200 levels, in the months ahead. The first pack will likely contain some easier levels and some co-op multiplayer levels and could hit Xbox Live Marketplace as early as three weeks from now. The second and third packs would follow soon after.

"The other packs will probably contain harder levels, race and survival multiplayer, and some classic N levels from the original game -- we're just not sure how the content will be distributed among the packs yet," Sheppard said.

Metanet is shooting for a price of 200 Microsoft Points per pack (US $2.50) or one point per level, and one of the packs will be free.

In addition to designing/porting the roughly 600 extra N+ levels, Sheppard said Metanet is hard at work on a potential title update for N+ that would enable level sharing. Although the N+ level editor, included with the game, allows players to create their own levels, the finished products aren't distributable over Xbox Live.

There are also some other "secret goodies" in the works for the three sets of downloadable content, but Metanet isn't sharing that info just yet." "

So for 400 MS points, you get 600 more levels? Sounds awesome to me.

OremLK

This game already killed enough of my time, I'm afraid it's set to kill some more now.

Legacy

Jesus. 600 more? D:

Djiem

Jesus. Harder? D:

DrPineapple

I downloaded and seriously played the original N for the PC a few years ago. I think i had 6 or 7 columns done out of 10 - I know I had the white ninja. I gave up not because I couldn't keep going, but because it required such a great effort to keep going and i was getting bored.

I don't have a 360, but If i did I would be all over N+. I watched some of the levels you guys were talking about, and believe me, those are cake in comparison to some levels on the PC version.
Ever heard of Mother Thumping Impossible?

Here's a vid of a completion of MTI. For better replays, download the PC N and go to the highscores for 88-4. Also, major props to Hylianbunny for managing to complete everything .

This thread inspired me to start playing N again, although I don't have my old data anymore. I blasted through columns 1 and 2 in short order. Also, I found this great add-on which adds another 500 user levels to N called N Reality, with its own highscores and everything. It should keep me going for a while.