The Coop   Members

If its from some old game system like SNES, Genesis, NES, etc. You can reduce the color palette to 256 colors (or 16 depending on the system). Also, if its a size reduction, use nearest neighbor interpolation instead of bicubic or bilinear. Gifs only go up to 256 colors, and for something like re-sizing, I'd personally stay away from "Nearest Neighbor". My reasoning is, that while Bicubic and Bilinear may make an image or a sprite blurry, Nearest Neighbor actually throws out pixel data. This makes reconstruction a lot harder, because at least some (if not a lot) of what you're working on just essentially vanished. At least with Bilinear and Bicubic, you can go in, clean up the image and redraw areas with the pencil tool so they're clearer... and you'd have a fuzzy guide remaining for what and where things are.

If the sharpening tool doesn't do the job, you may simply have to go in and sharpen it yourself using the pencil tool so you can adjust it pixel by pixel.

You've never played Alien Hominid I take it? That would be the main character, holding his gun. Here's the image I shrunk down and cleaned up... a lot. And yes, this is official art. The game originally started out as a single level Flash game, but it was later made into a full blown game for consoles that retained it's Flash-based graphics... I added in the second antenna on the little guy. Accidentally forgot it the first time, so here's the slightly updated one... LT: No problem. As far as video games, never touch the stuff.

Any thoughts on my Alien Hominid avatar, LT? Good? Bad? Needs work? afk? LT: Seems set.

I made another one, just because I was playing it a couple days ago... LT: I can't even tell what it is, per se, but sure. Probably just because I've never played it. Some alien holding a...jar. Let's assume of olive oil. Is this even a ripped sprite in the first place?

Konami's evil. It was said a number of times in the past within the hallowed walls of this thread, but I'm being reminded of it again. Why? Because the final (?) form of Dracula in Castlevania: Curse of Darkness is just not fair. I've gotten to the point of actually taking no damage from his first form. I've had to replay this battle so many times, that it's gotten to that level. But as soon as I get warped away into the void and Dracula takes on that monstrous form, I just can't beat him. Long range attacks, up close and personal attacks... it'll like all the blocking that I learned how to do just became useless. Thanks to some of the battles that led up to this point (especially against a certain Belmont and Saint Germain), I had gotten pretty good at getting the perfect block so they get knocked back a bit (opening them up for a hammering). But this block seems like it does nothing to stop Dracula from pummeling you when he's up close. While I've gotten a bit better at dodging the long range beam and fireball shots, I'm just getting my ass kicked once he zooms in and starts swinging and leaving behind those damned blood trails. There's got to be something I'm missing. Most final forms have a pattern or set up that allows you to get in there and hit him repeatedly with at least some regularity, while also giving you the chance to get away afterwards. But in this game, I just can't seem find it.

I totally remember that fight, Coop. Did you ever beat her? I didn't, but then it wasn't my game, so I had limited time to try it out. I did, but it's the type of battle that luck needs to be on your side. Demona doesn't seem to have a pattern that I could make out as far as where she appears as she darts around, so I think you need a little good fortune to comer out on top. Granted, it'd been a while since I played, so I'm likely a bit rusty at this game, but I don't recall ever having an easy battle against her.

How many remember the cartoon "Gargoyles"? How many know that it spawned a video game on the Genesis? Well it did, and there's a final boss in it that's a pain. In the final level, you come up against Demona. However, this isn't a normal Demona... it's a super powered version thanks to the Eye of Odin. She really doesn't have that many attacks, but she's a hard little wench to hit. She's darting all around the screen in seemingly random paths, and while she's doing this, there are fire rocks hitting the platform that you need to stand on to hit her. This fire covers much of the platform when the rocks hit, and you have to dodge it. As you dodge it, Demona seems to have a nasty habit of streaking by and hitting you at that exact moment. The fun part of this, is that there are areas where, if you fall into them, you're dead right there. So besides Demona zipping around slashing at you, and fire rocks covering the one platform you can stand on, you have instant death waiting for you on both sides of that platform besides. This part wouldn't be that hard if it weren't for the fact that Demona's movements are damn fast. Your chances to hit her are limited thanks to her speed, and this makes all the swipings, fire and such result in a long, sometimes tedious, and frustrating battle.

OH! Ooooohhhhh... this is bad. Okay. So while I was at a local flea, I decided to pick up a copy of the original Darkstalkers game for the PS1. I'd heard various things about it, ranging from it being programmed by Psygnosis (published by Capcom), to it's being a better port of Darkstalkers than the Saturn version of Nightwarriors was of that arcade game. So, since it was damn near in mint condition, I figured what the hell and grabbed it for a whopping $7. Ho-ly shit. This game, is hard. I don't mean "you just have yet to learn the moves"-hard, I mean "GAH! MAKE IT STOP!"-hard. On one star, this game will kick your ass. On eight stars? Just give it up. The difficulty level of this game is ramped way up compared to Nightwarriors and Vampire Savior (Darkstlkers 3 for PS1 folk). I tried the game on four stars. After three hours, I got to Pyron, the final boss. I couldn't beat him. I honestly couldn't beat him. I'm rather good with Jon Talbain and Morrigan. I can beat both Saturn games quite handsomely on four stars of difficulty. But the PS1 Darkstalkers is just insane. Pyron moves so quickly from one attack to another, I was starting to think he was stopping one attack before it was actually over so he could do the next one. Jump in the air? Get knocked down. Stay on the ground? Get pummeled. It was a no-win situation. I don't know if the rumors regarding Psygnosis' programming the game are true, but whether they're responsible or not, the PS1 Darkstalkers game is a test of will and endurance... topped by an ego crippling encounter with the final boss. I think I'll go play Vampire savior on my Saturn on eight stars of difficulty. It's easier

Fare thee well, VGF. May Flock of Seagulls sing thee to thy rest.

Not yet apparently.

It's all an early April Fool's joke. He'll pop up in the chatroom, type in bold letters the word "GOTCHA!", and then split.

So much for a two hour show. After hanging around for the first hour and a half, I just checked and everyone's still there. GO TO BED PEOPLE!

Yeah, he really should. I sent him a small package too. Via email and PM. So hurry up, Mr. Oji! I tried to send it to him via E-mail, but I got an undeliverable error returned.

Send it over, so I can check it out. Check your PMs Larry.

Hey Larry, any chance of squeezing in a final remix from me? Something brand new with an appropriately fitting title for the final VGF?

... Sorry.

- Cakewalk Music Creator 2002 - Whatever free MP3 maker I can find (Audacity/CDex) - My imagination That's all I have, and none of it's warez

LT: Good job on the Quake logos, Matt, and what I guess is a bomb icon from Serious Sam. How am I supposed to use the DarkStalkers ones if they're one big image? Most of them, you can't even tell what they are, so they're no good. But can I get the OLD Frankenstein and the NEW Anakaris out of that group? EDIT: Made a few updates to the three Quake Avatars so that they were a bit clearer (especially the Quake 3 one, which also needed to be centered), and the Serious Sam logo. Not sure if the SS logo is clear enough yet though. Also took out the two Darkstalkers ones you mentioned Larry... LT: Any possibility to make the Quake ones 32x32 rather than 31x32? Not a big deal if you're like "fuck it", as they're within the size limit anyway, but lemme know. The rest are bueno. Thanks a lot, bro. Edit 2: Made the Quake and Quake 3 avatars 32x32. LT: U a hero!

Wow. This game's final bosses are a pain. I've been playing Shining the Holy Ark again for a while now, and I finally reached the end. It's been a few years since I last played and won, and I'd forgotten how this final section is a bitch. It's one of those endings were you don't fight a boss, but rather two bosses... one of whom has helpers. First, you fight Rilix who summons a pair of very large armored Evil Vampires to her side. Besides her pounding on you with top level Freeze spells and various attacks like Poison Claw and such, you also have to contend with her large helpers... who have all sorts of attacks and magic of their own. Once (if?) you manage to make it through all this, you win right? Wrong. I won't say who or what is the final boss (I won't ruin the fun), or even what you have to beat on the thing. But know that it's big, powerful, and not only does it do plenty of damage with it's attacks, it has one spell that can bring the game to a fast end... Soul Steal. If it hits, that character dies right on the spot. So you go from being pummeled by three different powerful monsters, to being killed instantly by one. Granted, there are spells and such that can bring characters back to life, but magic points run out, and so do items. Having tried several times to win, I think I'll be doing some leveling up before I try again. Edit: Damned spelling again...

I'm currently stuck in Burnout 3: Take Down. Now while it's true that there are no "bosses" persé, there is a final race... or at least, a second to final race. I have everything done but two events in the USA section. I've unlocked most of the cars, earned all the money-based ones from the crash events, and overall, I've done well in the game. But this final part is just... almost cheating. The second to last event is Grand Prix race of four tracks in a row, and holy hell is it hard. You're stuck with the Formula 1 car, which is quite fast. Sadly, it's also extremely squirrelly in the rear, and it steers like a brick once you get going. It's so light, that as you gain speed, you're almost floating just off the ground, making maneuvering a real pain. No only that, but the course is littered with traffic (moreso than usual), and the other cars seem to have this uncanny ability to stick to the road like they have super glue on their tires... despite having the same type of car you do. It's the type of thing that makes racing games feel cheap, and it's a shame this game resorts to this kind of bullshittery right at the end of an otherwise great and very fun game. I've been trying to beat this damned race for a week now, and the best I've done is fourth place over all. I'm almost scared to see what the final event will be, if this is what they're throwing at me right before it.

Last weekend, I got in the mood the play through Clive Barker's Undying again. It'd been a while, so I figured what the hell. I played through and made good progress, making it to the final boss of the game without any real trouble from the other bosses. And that's when I was reminded of what a pain in the ass the game's final boss was. I won't say it's name, as that would wreck some of the surprise. However, it's big, it's worm-like, and it has a weak point that I still don't know exactly where it is. Besides having very large tentacles in the water that can swat you dead in two hits, you have to blow off a few things from it's body. This part's very easy, as it only takes a few blasts of dynamite. However, what follows is both simple, and seemingly impossible. Now it's gut opens up and tries to suck you in. A quick shot from the gun and that's done. Then it leans down, and... something opens on it's head. Here's the hard part. You're supposed to hit it somewhere, but I've never figured out where though. So while you're trying to hit that mysterious weak point, you've still got tentacles trying to swat you, and the gut that tries to suck you in if you don't hit the weak point after a certain amount of time. Now, I've beaten the boss, and I've seen the ending. But, I still have no clue where it's weak point is. As such, it turns into an endurance test to see how long you can go before you either win, or run out of health and healing items. So much of it's easy, but it's that last bit of info that winds up making it tough. Something tells me though, if I ever do learn where that spot is, it'll be like the final boss in [i}Quake where it becomes so easy to win, it's sad

I've mentioned a few bosses from the Serious Sam series of games, but I have a new one that I think deserves mentioning. At the end of Serious Sam 2, you go through the usual deal... namely, massive numbers of enemies that just keep coming in never ending, mind numbingly numerous waves. If you get through all that, you fight the final boss. Basically, it's a really big pyramid called the Mental institution building. There's one weak spot, and it slowly rolls forward. Yes, it can crush you, and yes the weak spot comes and goes. So what does this final boss do? Well, it's protected by various suicide planes, fighter planes and bombers that drop bombs (duh). These all come out in good sized squadrons that will keep you blasting away in hopes of keeping them from turning you into a bloody stain on the grass. But, the building also attacks, with nifty little cannon balls, fireballs and such. What attacks you, depends on how much health the building has left, and it does get harder as you go along. It's beatable, but it took quite a few tries before a found a "safe spot" that enabled me to get through the beginning parts without too much damage. Granted, I think that safe spot is a glitch and not an intentional place to hide, but it works. Definitely a tough boss. Edit: Caught a few typos.

To continue my tale from earlier, Wings of Wor has a second boss in it that's a real pain in the ass. It's the end boss which, like so many of the game's other bosses, is a mass of flesh that's less than pleasant looking. Its attack is very straight forward. It sits there, and ejects over two dozen of these little egg-like orbs that slowly drift towards you. As they move, they gain a bit of speed. If you dodge it, the thing comes back around and tries to hit you again. If you blow one up (which takes quite a few shots), it's instantly replaced. How's that for service? To hurt this thing, you have to hit an eye that's in the center of an opening. The opening is narrow, which makes hitting it a pain already. But, with all the eggs floating around blocking shots, and the fact that the eye only opens for about two seconds before it closes again, this makes for a frustrating battle. There will be times where you don't hit the damn thing for a good minute or so, and even then it's just one or two hits. It's a not a battle so much as it is a dodging exercise. It also takes a decent number of hits before it dies, so you better sit down and get comfy, because this battle won't end quickly. One of the few shmups that has bosses in it that just drive me up a wall. Edit: Fixed typos.

Taking a break from my finals work, I was sitting down and playing some shmups (they're good for quick game playing sessions while you wait for something to render). I popped in a game called Wings of Wor. It's a rather odd shmup, in that most of the bosses are large, ugly, and at times a bit disgusting looking bio-masses with heads. Some are tough, some are pretty easy. But there are two in this game that are quite nasty... and not because they look like mounds of guts. For now though, I'll focus on the boss for Stage 4. I don't know this thing's name. In truth, I'm not sure it was given one... even in the instructions manual. What I do know is that it's ugly, and it has a series of rather mean spirited attacks. The first one is that it attacks you with what look like red blood cells. They drift pretty slowly, with some coming up from the bottom, and some coming down from above. They're indestructible, and they become more numerous as you damage this thing. But as these things drift about, it unleashes what's both an attack, and the only time you can hurt him. This mass of corpse-like flesh, hurls it's heart around the screen. That heart is the only spot to hit him that'll do any degree of damage. It circles around the screen at a good clip, making it a hazard before it goes back behind the "body" so you can't hit it any more. It'll swing around in a steady pattern, but the problem comes from those damned red blood cells that have no real pattern. They come out steadily, and often you find yourself too busy dodging them to try and focus on hurting the heart. All of this makes for a boss that can take forever to kill. And if you run out of guys, you have to try and beat him with considerably less power as, if I recall correctly, you get sent back to the beginning of the level (resulting in considerably less power the next time you get to the boss). It's just two attacks, but they add up to one big pain in the ass.