Len'en Project by JynX? (First 3 games updated)

[Shizzo]

Well, if you really saw one, you might try to check your history of visited websites and find that video. Otherwise, for now it seems to be not possible to double lives.

Edit: Cancel that, it was that video already posted here.  Dang it! 

[Necrotek]

I won't state it with 100% guarantee but as much as I can see, a lot of his "level design" is directly linked to difficulty level, in sense that difficulty index is used a parameter to produce an attack. So, most of patterns look the way they look not because JynX made some particular attack for particular difficulty to look in such manner but because it was automatically generated in that way.
Well, on the other hand, I didn't play much games of this genre to know if it's common to do stuff like this,



^ Example of what can happen just by leveling difficulty index up.

[gtbot]

Well, on the other hand, I didn't play much games of this genre to know if it's common to do stuff like this,

I believe ZUN handles his game in the same manner, as well as a couple of Danmakufu scripters. Not sure beyond that, though.

[Shizzo]

Yeeah Zun does the same thing.  If I remember correctly it's a bullet density index which varies between difficulties.   'ultra mode' patches, as far as I know, are just hacks which increase such numbers skyhigh.

[BlueDigitalDragon]

So I just watched that new replay/video of ABEX on youtube..holy fuck man. I think it IS possible to beat it, including the other stuff afterwards. There were a couple cheap deaths there, and that final spell, fucking hell! You did a great job though, I'd like to see someone top that non-TAS.

[KaiserKnuckle]

Holy cow, that is terrifying. I would enjoy seeing more stuff like that, heh...

[Karisa]

I won't state it with 100% guarantee but as much as I can see, a lot of his "level design" is directly linked to difficulty level, in sense that difficulty index is used a parameter to produce an attack. So, most of patterns look the way they look not because JynX made some particular attack for particular difficulty to look in such manner but because it was automatically generated in that way.

I haven't tried it with these games (or played them at all for that matter), but for official Touhou games, I think they're only sort of linked to the difficulty value. You can sort of tell which attacks are formula-based by setting the game to invalid difficulties (if it doesn't just crash), like with UFO "Extra", TD "Overdrive", and DDC Cirno's spell. Sometimes the higher difficulty levels add a new type of obstacle instead, or change around the pattern (e.g. Minoriko's Lunatic final spell has another type of lasers, and Ichirin's fists are more irregular on Hard/Lunatic).

I think the PC-98 games use a more direct formula though-- there are a lot of recurring patterns in LLS/MS, like single aimed bullets becoming pairs of bullets (aimed at you at different speeds) on Hard and 3-way spreads on Lunatic, and enemies that don't fire anything firing randomly timed aimed bullets on Lunatic.

A difficulty-based formula would explain this "Absurdly Extra", anyway, considering how Extra already had two other difficulties so the formula would need to exist regardless.

[Arcorann]

Crashes whenever I try to start a game, after character select. Any ideas?

Also and unlike CtC, that timer is kind of real.

Why do you say "unlike CtC"? The timer is very real in CtC.

[Necrotek]

Do you happen to use a 64 bit version of operating system?

[Validon98]

I won't state it with 100% guarantee but as much as I can see, a lot of his "level design" is directly linked to difficulty level, in sense that difficulty index is used a parameter to produce an attack. So, most of patterns look the way they look not because JynX made some particular attack for particular difficulty to look in such manner but because it was automatically generated in that way.
Well, on the other hand, I didn't play much games of this genre to know if it's common to do stuff like this,



^ Example of what can happen just by leveling difficulty index up.

...What the hell. That's... okay then. I fear the normal game being played at the index of Absurdly Extra now. On the other hand, given that hacking that is possible, I wonder if a 1cc of "Absurdly Extra" main game is possible. It's like a built in Ultra Lunatic!

Also, that makes me wonder: If it's possible to hack that in, is it possible to also change out the text into English, or is that another can of worms entirely (similar with Marine Benefit, I feel like both Len'en and Marine Benefit won't get English patches just because no one has tried using programs that might work like what was used to change the text in LoT and LoT2).

[Necrotek]

It seems to be easy to make a patch to use ABEX difficulty for normal story mode. If there is anyone interested in that, I can give it a try.

About hacking, it is possible to make a translation, I have plans for that after RSS (well, no promises, let me deal with RSS first  and I'll see :V). Actually, I did an attempt last year with Flan but soon after he suddently disappered so I decided to save it till better times The game stuff is stored in a quite easy-to-edit form so it looks to be not that complicated for translation.

[?q]

Why do you say "unlike CtC"? The timer is very real in CtC.

Outside Practice Mode, I never came close to the deadline in CtC.  It helps that you gain a reasonable amount of Hakurei during the fight, which stalls the timer.  It also helps that Monochrome Reimu is not bomb-immune, so you can speed the fight up substantially.
To contrast, you need about 3000 Soul going into Stage 6 to comfortably make it to the end without running out.  Without using Yaorochi's team - I don't - that takes most of the game to achieve.

[Arcorann]

Do you happen to use a 64 bit version of operating system?

Yes, Windows 8.1 x64. Is there a known issue?

[Necrotek]

Very likely it's the reason. I tried to run this game on three laptops, all of them with Windows 8.1, but one of them was using x64 version while two others - x86. The game crashed at the very beginning of a stage only on laptop with x64 OS, other two worked fine. So, the chances are quite high that the game isn't in good terms with x64 OSs.

[Validon98]

The game stuff is stored in a quite easy-to-edit form so it looks to be not that complicated for translation.

Ah, is it like easily edited via hex editor? *takes a quick look at it in Notepad++*
...Wow, I uh... can't find any strings besides the one for replays. This is kind of different from Marine Benefit or Labyrinth of Touhou where the strings were RIGHT THERE in the hex and easily edited that way.

[Necrotek]

Ah, is it like easily edited via hex editor? *takes a quick look at it in Notepad++*
...Wow, I uh... can't find any strings besides the one for replays. This is kind of different from Marine Benefit or Labyrinth of Touhou where the strings were RIGHT THERE in the hex and easily edited that way.

Ah, well, it is "easy" after the data file is extracted, data file is encrypted (which is a simple XOR with key). Probably I should have defined "easy" when was writing that, sorry.

[Validon98]

It's fine, it's fine, I've just uh... never been good with decrypting files like that, because I have no idea how to go about doing it. :V
But if that's the case, I suppose it's easy? I don't know the relative ease of decryption techniques. :V

[Kaze_Senshi]

Very likely it's the reason. I tried to run this game on three laptops, all of them with Windows 8.1, but one of them was using x64 version while two others - x86. The game crashed at the very beginning of a stage only on laptop with x64 OS, other two worked fine. So, the chances are quite high that the game isn't in good terms with x64 OSs.

I am using a Windows 7 64-bit and the game runs perfectly here.

[Necrotek]

Hm, then it might be that issue happens only for Windows 8/8.1 x64 or my guess is just completely wrong.

[Validon98]

I think somehow I just realized something about why Tsubakura is unlocked after beating the Extra stage as Yabusame in Evanescent Existence. At the end of the dialogue, Yabusame demands Tsurubami to explain what was going on, and that's shown in the form of seeing "Tsubakura" go through the main game, then the real Tsubakura going through the Extra stage. Tsubakura's story is really just a flashback from Tsurubami. :V

...I have no idea why I'm even sharing this, but I thought it was kinda neat?

[Uruwi]

Hm, then it might be that issue happens only for Windows 8/8.1 x64 or my guess is just completely wrong.

As I posted before, I'm on Windows 7 x64 and I get problems with framerate.

[TresserT]

Just randomly realized that Eternal Dance Engine sounds really similar to Necrofantasia. And Septette for Dead Princess would mix well with Mow Down. No idea where that came from

But wait, there's more! M-Theory sounds JUST like Heian Alien

[Necrotek]

Does anyone happen to have demo version of first two games? It seems Jynx deleted it and I can't find it anywhere nor I saved a copy. There is some stuff I wanted to check and I didn't expect the demo  to be deleted before that.

[Uruwi]

Does anyone happen to have demo version of first two games? It seems Jynx deleted it and I can't find it anywhere nor I saved a copy. There is some stuff I wanted to check and I didn't expect the demo  to be deleted before that.

I think he posted updated links somewhere.

[Necrotek]

I think he posted updated links somewhere.

I rechecked all news on his website/blog and didn't find it. There are valid links only for patches and updated versions of first two games (and both full and demo of last game), nothing for demos and original versions of first games. Did you see it on his blog, twitter or somewhere else?

[Shane William]

When I opened "Options", nothing shown up (except those two white lines) and so did the spellcards' names while i was playing

Does anyone know what the problem is ?  :ohdear:

[Necrotek]

It seems it couldn't find fonts in the system which the game uses.

[Necrotek]

Probably some people who played latest Len'en game might thought that Unreal difficulty wasn't that unreal like it sounds and could be more challenging. "No way, that's absurd!". Yes, it is! It's Absurdly Extra mode for main story 

So, like the name implies, this patch enables to play main story with Absurdly Extra's difficulty index. There were some tweaks done for attacks and spellcards (initially some attacks became broken easy, some attacks became broken impossible (even worse than original Absurdly Extra provides), some attacks became broken to crash the game so numerous fixes were applied to resolve these issues) but I tried to keep alterations to minimum so it's quite close to what ABEX difficulty would be.

Thanks a lot to gtbot for testing this modification and video preview! Hopefully, we managed to get rid of all (most) issues it has.

In order to play ABEX story, put the patch into game's folder and run it. It will create a separate executable file to play this mode. In addition to that, it will offer to enable practice for this difficulty for all stages if you'd like. To select ABEX difficulty, choose invisible option between Unreal and Easy difficulties.

The patch can be downloaded here. In case if someone would like to see some preview, check this compilation video.

Have fun! :3

[Shane William]

It seems it couldn't find fonts in the system which the game uses.

So, do you know what the fonts are ?

[Necrotek]

If I didn't miss any, it uses MS UI Gothic, Meiryo, MS Mincho and HGPｺﾞｼｯｸE.