MindWanderer

I've been a Garpocalypse fan for a while, didn't even notice he was unposted until now. Knew this had to be amazing if it was better than his remixes that didn't get posted. Did not disappoint. Great work!

Sure, the rest of the galaxy would know. But within it? They have no mass media, no internet, nothing but whatever the First Order chooses to show them. They don't even need a Great Firewall to control the information their troops have access to. I can't even think how Finn would know, unless the more seasoned troops decided to tell him--and even if they did, if they were successfully indoctrinated, they wouldn't make it sound like it really was. Yep, that works when you're on the page you want, and I could have used it here. Wouldn't work if you wanted to do it with multiquotes on different pages, though.

There was exactly one measly line explaining it. Han said something like, "If we were able to find the Falcon, so can the First Order." It implied that Han had indeed been looking for it all along, even taking a detour from his current job to go intercept it shortly after it took off. Witnessing exploding planets many star systems away--in real-time, no speed-of-light issues--was a pretty big gripe of mine, too. The bowcaster gag was insignificant and funny; worth it IMO even though I've seen that complaint before. I actually really like the contrast as-is. Kylo Ren, the son of two heroes, trained by another hero, becomes a villain. Finn, the son of no one in particular, raised and brainwashed by villains, becomes a hero. I'm hoping the two get to talk out that contrast later on. It kind of bugged me that Leia got no Force training in the last 25 years. She knows she has the talent, did she never think it would be a good idea to do something with that? Luke was ready enough to train new kids, he really ought to have taught Leia a little. I felt this was typical fail, actually. Starkiller Base was all snowy forest, except for the metal cravat. The others were Desert Planet, Lush River Forest Planet, Megalopolis Planet, Island Archipelago Planet. Seen from space they're literally just one texture from pole to pole. No evidence of arctic or tropical zones whatsoever. Oh, but I did really like that they named it "Starkiller." Sure, it uses stars to kill, but there could have been a better name if they hadn't wanted to use that as a callout to obscure aspects of series lore. I felt like the Riot Control Trooper came out of nowhere, though. There should have been one somewhere earlier in the movie. As it was, it looked like this one random stormtrooper suddenly had a melee weapon just to give Finn someone to fight (and explain why Finn knows his way around a melee weapon at all). I felt a little different about it, but liked it just the same. From the trailers, I thought it looked dumb and impractical. Knowing it was made by an emo teenager who was just trying to make it look cool but couldn't build it well enough to stabilize the blade explained everything. Can't really break up quotes on the new boards, so: When you're in an organization like that, how would you know what they're really doing? It's not like they get to watch TV reports or anything. Finn should indeed have had no idea of what atrocities the Order was capable of until he saw it firsthand. I remember opening week of Episode 1 very well. The group of friends I want with hung out in the lobby for a solid hour after watching it, tearing it to shreds. No honeymoon period there. Episodes 2 and 3 were much better, but mainly by comparison. Had I not seen Episode 1 first to lower my expectations, I'm sure I'd have had the same reaction to Episode 2. Yeah, it was definitely a little too close to a carbon copy of Episode 4. I guess they wanted to stay close to the source material to reclaim the fanbase, but it was overkill. Speaking of that last point, the whole "First Order"/"Resistance" thing made no sense to me. Clearly the First Order still has a ton of resources, maybe even more than before, which pretty much means they're still an Empire. If they're not an Empire, then having a "Resistance" makes no sense. And why didn't the Resistance join up with the New Republic? Ideological differences? Seems like a bad time for that. Not sure how they've managed to keep going for over 30 years with no source of income or new personnel.

Still hoping for an update on this. I don't want people submitting their source selections 12 hours after the deadline by accident... although I suppose I'd just change the deadline to match the calendar in that case.

Apparently Mega Man Powered Up! for the PSP had a level creator. It wasn't well publicized, though. Mega Man Universe was going to be almost exactly this, but was cancelled. I personally think that at Mega Man Maker wouldn't be as compelling as Mario Maker. The stages in Mega Man games are characterized more by their themes and gimmicks than by their actual design. The gimmicks are almost all just different ways of killing Mega Man, very few of them as interesting as P-switches, note blocks, etc. Enemies only have movement patterns and occasionally weapon immunities, and not the wide range of interactions that Mario enemies do. Bosses are single-room affairs, with very few having anything in them at all. There would be some fun in getting access to all the Mega Man weapons in levels from games they weren't originally in, but that's pretty much it.

"Theme of Simon Belmont" is fine, it's the Gatehouse (Block 1) stage theme. It's just poorly named. "Legend of Dracula" is the credits roll, though, so it's out.

Those are really long lists, however. The most popular by far are Castlevania I-III for the NES and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Maybe Rondo of Blood and Portrait of Ruin as runners-up. Lots of the others have some great stuff, but I'm sure you'll be able to come up with a list of 5 without going beyond those 6 games.

I've created a Chrome extension that automatically searches every website you visit looking for hexadecimal codes that match the Super Mario Maker format and turns them into links to their respective bookmark page. Feel free to use it if you think it'd be helpful to you. Edit: Just noticed that there's a stealth update: you can sort courses by "Star Rate," i.e. the percentage of players who have starred that level! Great way to get around the YouTubers and other celebrities with tons of "hits" but low-quality levels.

Technically we only have two signups so far. Everyone get your picks in! Still a couple weeks before signups close. Hopefully some folks are just procrastinating.

Addendum: I thought I put in a correction. Apparently it failed because I omitted a "required" field. This is a problem in two ways. You can't tell that it failed right away--you have to scroll down the page looking for the red text that wasn't there before. "Calendar" is a required field. However, when editing an existing event, it defaults to "Select" (i.e. no calendar chosen) and is also disabled. This makes edits impossible.

In other words, "we realize we're out of touch with what our core fanbase wants at this point, so we'll release a piece at a time so we can make corrections mid-stream." Not a bad idea, considering all the flak they've taken lately about that very issue. That's the most reasonable idea I've seen so far. Of course, they can't really correct core mechanics and style this way--if they start off with an action-RPG, they can't realistically switch to a JRPG after one episode. Of course, selling $90 or $100 worth of games when they'd ordinarily only be selling one $60 game is probably also a consideration--although I suppose they could still pull a Telltale and just sell it upfront while releasing it in parts.

I'm not sure if I'm repeatedly being an idiot, but every time I schedule a calendar event to begin or end at noon, it ends up getting changed to midnight the following morning. The first couple of times I figured I'd made a mistake, but now I'm trying to be very careful about it and it keeps happening. For instance, CCoI signups are supposed to end January 6 at 12:00 PM, but the event now shows January 7 at 12:00 AM. I put in a correction (and yay, edits no longer delete the whole event), but it didn't change, although I suppose the change might not have been approved yet (though I put it in yesterday, and usually someone approves it within a few hours).

For some reason, I parsed it correctly in the full-size version next to the post, but the shrunken version when his was the most recent post in a forum/thread came across as decidedly NSFW to me, too.

Oh, I see. You can only indent one level at a time, and you have to have some text on each line before you can indent the next. And you can't nest a numbered list inside a bulleted list or vice-versa (you can in BBCode). Doesn't look like ordering by letter or Roman numeral are options, either, but I'll live. And I see the quote thing was due to some strange "helpful" thing it was trying to do to keep what I had typed in an incomplete post earlier. Not sure how I got an empty quote by djp in there, but it's gone now. Had to delete by clicking on the "move" icon in the top-left and then holding it down while pressing the delete key. Bizarre.

OK, that was interesting. I tried to reply to this topic, but every time I click "quote" or "Reply to this topic" I get the empty quote box above. And it took me quite a while to figure out how to get my cursor out of it ("Enter" key twice), neither the mouse nor the cursor keys would do it. I was in fact trying to quote Timaeus. Anyway, when I'm in a bulleted list and hit the tab key (or Shift+tab), my cursor just leaves the editor box and moves to another field on the page (Submit Reply or the address bar, respectively).

I don't know what DAW you use, but Reaper has a Key Finder tool. Highlight a bunch of MIDI notes and use the tool, and it will give you a list of compatible keys. You may have to manually exclude accidentals. Then transposing is easy.

Yep, I was about to report the same thing. It covers part of the search box as well (although that's less of an issue.) Really missing the ability to enter raw BBCode; I've been using BBCode since before WYSIWIG editors existed, so it's just faster for me, not to mention more versatile. Is there a way to make nested lists using the WYSIWIG editor? And it looks like the "special tags" option is gone, too (I personally used the "topic" tag frequently). Fonts and custom colors are also missing.

Huh. I've been only using free stuff up until now because samples and plugins are usually so pricey, but a buck to make sure I'll have adequate drum samples for most of what I'm ever likely to want is worth a chance.

It's not first-come first-served, you should probably at least rank it if you want it. Also please include YouTube links--I'm pretty sure all these are unambiguous, but not all source selections will be and I want to set the correct precedent.

Go right ahead! Any time between now and Jan. 6.

I'd actually really love to see that. I'm probably nearly alone, though. Other than the small number of courses, I actually prefer Chocobo Racing to any Mario Kart game. I don't think speedruns are a good guideline, but yeah... deciding that buyers don't want 60 hour games and then selling them 3 20 hour games at half the price of one game seems... well, evil but probable. On the other hand, the truth is that this is pretty ambitious, and a single $60 game with no DLC probably wouldn't be profitable at all. I just hope they don't "add content" by adding fetch or farming quests. I wouldn't be surprised to see boss hunt quests, since FFX, XII, and XIII contained them.

I personally prefer the gauntlet format myself, but that's one reason for the loser's bracket, and getting a free pass because your opponent dropped out isn't the worst thing. I actually thought of that, and this is one specific reason I stated "'Castlevania' in the title" as the rule. Not because I have anything against Kid Dracula per se, but the aesthetic is so different I felt it would be a departure from the point. Edit: Oh, as an aside, I'll also take suggestions for music to use for special rounds and the losers' bracket. I have several choices of my own, but the Castlevania series is huge and I've only played maybe half of them myself.

Castlevania: Cacophony of Incarnation (CCoI) A Remix Competition Presented by the OverClocked ReMix Forums Introduction The Cult of Dracula strikes again! With their arcane power, they've reached backwards and forwards through time, even into alternate realities, to piece the Castle of Chaos and its surroundings back together, and with it, their fallen master. But the castle has come back jumbled together! Lakes float above towers, forests grow deep underground, and libraries burn perpetually in caverns of fire. Of course, with the pieces of the castle have come the heroes of ages! These heroes must fight through the Transylvanian chaos, sending each area in turn back to the abyss, until only one remains, trapping Dracula's essence and allowing him to be defeated once more. Download Current News Voting for the Final Battle has concluded! While Simon Belmont, represented by OA, has succeeded in his quest, Dracula, represented by Jorito, has had the last laugh. He'll return soon, more powerful than ever! Congratulations to both Jorito and OA! Brackets Alucard Bracket Concluded! Soma Bracket Concluded! Simon Bracket OA: Entrance, 1797 Dracula Bracket Jorito: Crumbling Tower, 1691 The Fallen PlanarianHugger: Plant Castle, 1591 Yami: Underground Caverns, 1797 theshaggyfreak: Munitions Factory, 1917 Esperado: Forbidden Area, 2035 Chernabogue: Underground Caverns, 1691 Chalis: Dance Hall, 2035 Trism: Wilderness, 1698 YoshiBlade: Castle Center, 1852 HoboKa: Burning Town, 1792 Supercoolmike: Inner Halls, 1476 Sir_NutS: Entrance, 1691 Aleix Ramon: Master's Keep, 1944 Magnetic Ether: Inner Quarters, 2035 War Machine: Dungeon, 1691 Gario: Warakiya Village, 1476 wildfire: Abandoned Castle, 1479 Format Castlevania: Cacophony of Incarnation (CCoI) is mostly a traditional elimination tournament. Each participant will choose the music from one location, stage, or area from any Castlevania game. They will then be paired off against each other, with the winner continuing to the next round. Remixers will have two weeks to write a "vs. remix;" that is to say, a remix featuring the themes of their own area and their opponent's area, and there will be a one-week voting period following each round. Two elements make this compo different from traditional brackets. First, instead of requiring a specific number of participants, any number will be accepted. One or more special rounds will be added to even out the number of participants. These special rounds will require remixes to use both their stage music and a special theme for the round. There also may be three main brackets instead of the usual two if that makes things work out more evenly. Second, there will be an optional loser's bracket. This will be point-based, and based on the number of participants who opt in for each round: the more entries, the more points will be up for grabs in each round. Those who lose in the main bracket will enter the loser's bracket slightly above the median score of all existing participants, to put them on even footing (with a reward for lasting longer in the main bracket). The winner of the loser's bracket will compete with the winner of the winner's bracket at the end: The winner of the winner's bracket can claim ultimate victory whether they win or lose, but they need to share that victory with the winner of the loser's bracket if they lose to them. All participating competitors and voters will adhere to the Competitions Code of Conduct. So do I just pick a theme? Is it first-come-first-served? I'll be doing a draft for source selection. If you're planning on participating, please post a list of at least three sources you're interested in claiming, in your order of preference. If you're choosing themes you expect to be popular, you should post 4 or 5 choices so you have backup. Since Castlevania doesn't always use consistent names for locations, and the names of the themes themselves aren't always easy to find, please include a YouTube link to each source. Also, if you have any schedule restrictions (planned vacations, exams, etc), please mention them in your signup post. I'll do my best to accommodate. Eligible sources are those which are the music for a stage, area, or location from any game with "Castlevania" in the title. Boss music, character themes, etc. are not eligible. If a source is used for two or three locations in the same game, that's fine, just specify one. If it's used in different games, try to list the game it originally came from (e.g. Castlevania for Vampire Killer). Different participants will not be allowed to choose different versions of the same melody. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest is a special case: Silence of Daylight, Bloody Tears, Monster Dance, Dwelling of Doom, and Within These Castle Walls are the eligible sources. Once everyone posts their lists, I'll assign choices based on a weighted point system designed to give the highest possible choices to the greatest number of people. (Some mathematical oddities in the sequential conflict resolution system actually make lower-ranked choices more likely in some cases, so I won't be using that.) Submissions All entries must be sent to me (MindWanderer) via PM on the forums. Please include the name of your bracket and the round number in the subject line of your PM. Please send me your submissions in MP3 format. I'll trust the submitters' ears to choose the best encodings for their music. Please do not use MediaFire, RapidShare, or any other ad-ridden public sharing site as a host for your entry. Tindeck is also bad because it changes your filenames. There are many better options you can and should be using to host your music. I recommend Dropbox or SoundCloud. Make sure your files are downloadable. File names must be in the following format: 1-on-1 round: Remixer - Title (Remixer's Stage and Opponent's Stage).mp3 3-way round: Remixer - Title (Remixer's Stage; First Opponent's Stage; and Second Opponent's Stage).mp3 Dracula Bracket round: Remixer - Title (Remixer's Stage and Round Theme).mp3 Examples: DarkeSword - Blood in the Water (Sunken City of Poltergeists, 1476 and Wilderness, 1698).mp3 MindWanderer - Wallachia Just Keeps On Burning (Warakiya Village, 1476; Burning Town, 1792; and Master's Keep, 1944).mp3 djpretzel - Praying for Time (Clock Tower, 1691 and Prayer, 1476).mp3 Please pay attention to the spaces and punctuation. Your artist name and mix title can be whatever capitalization you want but the stage names must be full and capitalized properly (as listed in the brackets). Properly formatted file names make it much easier for me to tag everything properly, which ensures good, consistent metadata on all the files that will be distributed to voters. You must adhere to this file name standard. If you don't, I will seriously consider disqualifying you, and I don't think anyone wants to be disqualified just because they couldn't name their file properly. Voting Rules and Guidelines Voting is conducted publicly in the Public Voting forum. Every week, a thread will be created for the most recently completed round of remixing. Specific rules will vary from round to round, so be sure to check the main post of each thread for instructions. Things to keep in mind when voting: The most important thing to consider when voting is how well the remix incorporates and arranges both themes. Production and enjoyability should also be considered, but this is primarily an arrangement competition. If you can't hear both themes in the remix, don't vote for it. Everyone is allowed (and encouraged) to vote, including both competitors and non-competitors. Due to the forum's poll mechanic, you are required to choose a remix to vote for in each pairing in the main brackets. If you participated in the round, feel free to vote for yourself. In the Dracula bracket, you will need to choose a first, second, and third-place choice. Do not vote for yourself. Voters will earn points equal to a first-place vote just for voting. Do not post reviews in the voting thread. Compile your reviews for each round into a single post in this thread. Post only once in each voting thread. Everyone must adhere to the Competitions Code of Conduct. Violations may result in your votes or entries being disqualified. Schedule Signups close: January 7 Remixing begins: Alucard Bracket Round 1: January 13 Soma Bracket Round 1: January 20 Simon Bracket Round 1: January 27 Alucard Bracket Round 2: February 3 Soma Bracket Round 2: February 10 Simon Bracket Round 3: February 17 Dracula (losers') Bracket Round 1: February 17 Hero Finals: March 9 Dracula Bracket Round 2: March 9 Final Battle: March 30 (3-week mixing period) Epilogue: March 30 (3-week mixing period) Conclusion Castlevania was originally released on September 26, 1986, making this coming year its 30th anniversary. I'd like to release a compliation OCR-I on that date if at all possible. So if you make something you like, or that you could like with some extra time to polish it, hang onto it, and I'll ask for submissions following the end of the compo. Art Art supplied by Chernabogue! Get your signature banners here. Aren't you stealing DarkeSword's format just so we can make more Castlevania music for you to listen to? Yep, pretty much.

Still looks ambiguous to me. Are those movements on autopilot after having selected an option from a menu, or are they controlled directly via attack buttons and joystick movement? I thought X-Com: Enemy Unknown was an action game at first because it had combat like this in the trailer.