So, for your viewing pleasure, it’s time to give you a sampling of new features.
For the original preview (to see what’s changed since November), see the link below:
http://superwalrusland.com/ohr/issue9/index.html
Gameplay:
Perhaps the biggest change to come to The Adventures of Powerstick Man since the November preview and, quite obviously, since the December 2000 original release is the implementation of the “Field Stat Counter,” which increases heroes’ stats according to what they do in the field.
For example, if the hero changes direction at any point during the game, the Field Stat Counter will record it. If the counter reaches 1000 points, it will award the hero an increase of 2 agility points (or 3 if the hero is an agile type) and start over again.
By pressing “5” on the number pad, the player can call up a menu with a list of available heroes and select the hero of whose counter he wants to view.
Right now, three stats can be manipulated in the field: strength, agility, and defense. Strength increases when the caterpillar party swims in pools (or the ocean) or climbs ladders. Agility increases when the caterpillar changes walking direction. Defense increases any time the player enters a battle and comes out alive.
I may add a precision (aim) stat later if there should be a place for targeting objects in the field. Also, if/when James includes the global variables for enemies, the defense counter will change from surviving battles to taking points whenever an enemy hits a hero. Hopefully that’ll be implemented before I’m ready to release it.
Also, in some cases, certain NPCs can affect whether you have an easy game or a hard one. For example, in the original game, Powerstick Man could walk across fixed chemical pools in the first part of the factory to restore lost health. The pools were always in the same place every game, and the player could always count on the ease of level-busting in that area. However, in the Extended Edition, the player has two things working against him. The first, the pools are randomly generated, so there’s no guarantee the player will have enough pools in the same area (or even enough in the game) to keep up with the restoration. The second, there’s a janitor walking around the area cleaning up the mess. Once he steps on a chemical pool, he’ll mop it up and it’s gone forever. Give him time to cover the board and you’re out of healing pools.
Another new feature, or rather the extended version of an old feature, is the ability to access new objects including computers, bookshelves, and magazines.
There are other gameplay elements I’ll cover in a future HamsterSpeak preview, but that highlights the major ones.
The Graphics:
And now for the moment you’ve been waiting for (or rather the moment you didn’t know you were waiting for, but know now). In previews past, I gave you snippets of in-game screenshots. They all contained map graphics only. As of this week, however, I have something new to show: updated battle graphics.
For anyone who’s played the original, you’ll know the battle graphics were atrocious. The following screenshots show what they used to look like:
But like all things over time, they’ve improved. Enemies look nicer. And now, as of this week, the backdrops look nicer.
So, without further adieu, it’s time for the world premier of The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition’s improved battle graphics preview:
The first one with the vat animates.
That’s actually all I’m sharing for now. Look for a new HamsterSpeak preview in a month or two.
The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition has an expected release date between December 2008 and June 2009.
