EAB/Lemon Super League 2019 Round 8: Shadow of the Beast II

[john4p]

EAB/Lemon Super League 2019 Round 8: Shadow of the Beast II

Starts: 12:01 June 30th Finishes: 11:59 July 21st

This is it. Known as the hardest Amiga game ever (even though it probably isn't). But it's also an absolute timeless masterpiece with one of the best video game soundtracks of all time, amazing graphics, world and monster design.
While it doesn't have its precursor's multi-layered parallax scrolling the main sprite is as fluidly animated as Turrican now and the gameplay is overall more varied.

Usually I frown upon watching longplays but for this game it is strongly advised to thoroughly watch Laffer's playthrough to know what you must and must not do:

Part 1: [ Show youtube player ]
Part 2: [ Show youtube player ]
Part 3: [ Show youtube player ]

The playthrough has comments by Laffer that make it a really fun watch. This might have been his favorite game.

And here is an explanation by malko on how to beat the boulder-pushing dude at the beginning:



So after you've hit him 5 times don't bother to hit him again*. Run to the edge and wait for him to kill him with one final strike. You must be there or else he won't die.

(*Unless you're already at the edge by then of course.)

Even with unlimited health it's often possible to render this game impossible. Thus for training purposes you are allowed to ask (press A) the first enemy to the right for TEN PINTS (=> unlimited health) in order to learn the logic parts of the game that you must not screw up.

Of course to submit a score you must play sober!


Rules

The in-game score is only used as secondary tie-breaker (see further below - lower score is better).
Your real score is mainly made up from the items and coins that you have in your possession.
They are valued as follows:

Coin: 1,000 pts each (press S to show coins)
Potion: 10,000 pts
Key (Any): 0 pts!
Throwing Axe (or being inside the Goblin Fortress until you pick up the ring): 15,000 points
Ale: 50,000 points
Horn: 50,000 points (coins will be worthless once you pick this up!)
Parchment: 25,000 points
Ring: 100,000 points (the Ale-"upgrade")
Magic Weapon: 200,000 points (Replacement for Ring & Parchment)
Completion (Zelek defeated): additional 250,000 points (consolation for giving up the horn)

Before taking a screenshot press S to show your coins and in-game score (2nd tie-breaker) and then HELP (Page Down for WinUAE users) to pause the game.
DELETE unpauses.

Example: You defeat Zelek, have the magic weapon, one potion in possession and 0 coins left.

=> 250,000 + 200,000 + 10,000 + 0 = 460,000 total score

Primary Tie-Breaker: When there are tied scores we'll examine the health. If there is a clear difference the one with more health will get 1 bonus point (and more if there are more than two equal scores)!

Secondary Tie-Breaker: If there is no clearly visible health difference between two players then the one with the LOWER IN-GAME SCORE wins!

Post a picture of your score here with the score written underneath. Enter as often as you like. Only scores achieved during the round's time frame count.

No cheating of any kind (including score leeching) - this includes save states. No continues/passwords allowed. If you suspect anyone of cheating please let us know in private - anyone found guilty will be banned for the entire season.

Remember, anyone can join in at any time. Have fun and feel free to ask any questions you may have.


Controls

F1-F4: Select Item/Weapon
A: Ask living being that's on screen about anything (type in term)
O: Offer item to living being
S: Show coins and in-game score
HELP/PgDwn: Pause
DEL: Unpause
F10: Kill yourself (when you got stuck)


Downloads

- Disk 1 Disk 2
- WHDLoad-installed


Extras

- Full rules and FAQ (incorporating the Hall of Fame)
- Results and Standings
- Lemon thread
- Live League Ladder


Results:



Live League table:

[john4p]

I think we should reconsider the in-game score as tie-breaker or else there will just be too many ties.

How about the primary tie-breaker will be health.

And only if two players have the same health the secondary tie-breaker will come into play: the one with the LOWER in-game score would then win.
It's a lot harder to get a lower score while staying at full health...

[capehorn]

I'm not too concerned as I think health will break the vast majority of ties. But including score would work as a second tiebreaker if you think it is necessary.

I've just had a quick play and it seems that a full health jug may represent as many as 40 hit points (I went to the section with the caged dog and the wooden key, I had full health and let the bats hit me, it took 40 bats to kill me), so it's a better tiebreaker than it was in SotB.

On the other hand, 29 years after the game's release, you might be the first person ever to find a use for the SotB II scoring system, so on that basis, I support it!

[john4p]

Health will stay the first tie-breaker. Only if we can't tell for sure who has more health then the lower in-game score breaks the tie.

Good that there are more hit points than in Beast I.

Okay, rules are updated!

Originally Posted by capehorn

On the other hand, 29 years after the game's release, you might be the first person ever to find a use for the SotB II scoring system, so on that basis, I support it!

Haha, thanks.

[john4p]

Damn this game really is incredibly difficult. At least the start is.

Went directly for the Ale to get a score:



66,000 (Ale=50k + Potion=10k + Coins=6k)

[john4p]

72,000

[john4p]

Beat Ishran and got the Parchment:



93,000 (50k + 25k + 18k)

[john4p]

Same position but with a potion more:



103,000

[capehorn]

130,000 (10,000 potion + 50,000 ale + 25,000 parchment + 15,000 axe + 30,000 coins)



This would have been worth more, but I forgot to show my coins.

[john4p]

Wow, that's pretty far into the game already.

Didn't know you could drop your weapon.

[capehorn]

If you have four items and try to pick up a fifth you'll drop whichever item is selected. It only really occurs in that one spot, or if you manage to pick up a large number of potions.

Some longplayers drop the parchment there, so they can take an extra potion into the caverns. The parchment will still be there when you resurface.

[john4p]

I see, good to know.

[john4p]

Okay, same score:



130,000

We're going to break ties only at the end of the round (our current scores definitely won't be the highest we can get).

You have more health than I so you'd get 1 bonus point over me in the end.
If our health was equal then I would win because of the lower in-game score.

Gonna focus on getting into the goblin fortress tomorrow until it becomes routine.

[matburton]

This is the first Amiga game I ever played, came with my family's A500.

Have to say I love this game The game is so deeply flawed but the atmosphere is haunting.



That's about as far as I could get as a kid as well I didn't know about the cheat back then.
I never found the goblin lair and I never worked out how to get past the man pushing spikes.
My disks still work fine though!

Anyway: 92,000 (I think)

[capehorn]

Quick tip - when you exit the caverns and it asks you to enter Beast II Disk 1, don't do what I did and enter Lotus II Disk 1. It crashes the game (seriously, I did that today!)

[DamienD]

Originally Posted by capehorn

Quick tip - when you exit the caverns and it asks you to enter Beast II Disk 1, don't do what I did and enter Lotus II Disk 1. It crashes the game (seriously, I did that today!)

Ooops

[john4p]

@matburton: Hope you get motivated by this round to learn how to get further. Watching a playthrough for this game is no shame. It's still challenging when you know what you have to do.

@capehorn:

[capehorn]

460,000, with score 1,330

[john4p]

Phew...congratz.



136,000

The first prisoner was killed so I couldn't escape.

[capehorn]

Originally Posted by john4p

The first prisoner was killed so I couldn't escape.

That happened to me on two occasions before I managed to escape with the ring.