Post by Yal in Hi, just wanted to ask about the game's endings

Heart Of Ruin: Final Columbus » Community

Viewing post in Hi, just wanted to ask about the game's endings

I thought my e-mail address was visible on my profile, but it appears I was wrong. Thanks for alerting me to this, I will look into it. But I like general questions being asked at the corresponding itchio communities like this, though... easier to find if someone else has the same questions and stuff, and less risk that it gets lost in all my other mail.

If I remember correctly, the only thing that affects the game ending is your Lore completion percentage - if you get all 50, you get the good ending, and there should be one bad and one neutral ending. (Note that the final lore is on the table during the fight with Smith after Heart of The City and that you have a limited time to scan it). All other optional stuff should be more or less self-contained.

Hobcramwork7 years ago

I see. I assume that I got the neutral ending, as I had collected roughly 42 Lore before facing Smith a second time.

Having said that, is it possible for Mario to learn how to wall-run? I ask because there's a certain (optional, if I'm not mistaken) segment where there's no other way to go up the narrow space between 2 walls (and a Whirr floats up and down above me).

Yal7 years ago(+1)

Nope, the wallrun is just mentioned to explain how Cain can reach certain places without being able to fly.

There's a bunch of tricks, though:

Flapping rapidly makes the vertical distance you can cover greater.
One area has invisible blocks you can trigger by jumping into them from above (it's an outdoors area so it might not be the place you're in).
Some areas has fake walls, so there might be an alternate path. All of these are indicated in some way if you're on a lookout for details in the environment.
There should be an easter egg that gives you infinite wing flaps, but it was added pretty late in development, is very obscure to find, and isn't required for anything.

There also used to be a bug where if you get hit by an enemy instantly after jumping, the momentum of the knockback and the momentum of the jump would stack together and you'd be sent flying very far.

Hobcramwork7 years ago (1 edit)

Note: I didn't want to specify the locations as I didn't want to spoil the game and such :p

Ah yes, that does explain how he gets through impossible places without the items Mario buys :D

I had figured out the wing flapping after a long time of trying to get to the top of the first room with the Fungi brain, while the invisible blocks were triggered by accident. I've only found one place with a fake wall, and 2 places with a fake floor (all within the last area of the game). I've yet to find such a thing, and probably wouldn't bother (unless it helps with the Water Tower later on, which is where I was stuck at; I'm referring to the rearranged surroundings, and the hidden door in the wall) :p

I can assure you that the high jump bug is still around within the game :D

There is one area that you can get locked in if you haven't unlocked the wings (dungeon in the desert), and another area further down (the one with giant snakes) that locks you within the same screen with no hope of getting out :s

Yal7 years ago(+1)

Hmm... I was pretty sure there's a blockade early on in the desert that you can't pass without being able to do the wing flaps. Maybe I've messed it up... you're referring to the desert west of the truck, right?

It's pretty unlikely I'll ever fix things like this since Game Maker 8 is discontinued and doesn't run properly in Windows 10, and the engine uses functionality deprecated in Game Maker Studio, but thanks for pointing them out anyway! I'll make sure to have a look on them if I ever get around to making a 'finished' version.

The fake walls and stuff are in other places as well, anyway. I don't remember everything by heart anymore since I haven't touched the game actively in like 2 years, but from the top of my head, written in riddle form to reduce spoilers:

The grass is green, but not all green is grass, might be something new where you've already been.
The longest road is mostly flat, but there's something above your hat.
An arrow of barrels, hard to see, still guides you to a mystery.
Near the canal, your feet may burn; still there's a reason to not instantly return.
In the sky, all's not what it looks; moreso than usual, think outside the box.

There's some other places I can remember, but I don't remember WHERE they are, so I can't really offer hints for those yet :P

Hobcramwork7 years ago

Yes, the blockade is there, but once you have the Key gun, you can get through it (if the player is curious enough) and move on past all the enemies to 2 places (if you go in and fall down without the wings, you can't get back to the entrance).

If I'm lucky, I might find the infinite wing flaps power up, but right now, I'm about stumped as to where to find the remaining lore, and Teal (if he can be found...) :s (including the remaining gun upgrade locations; I've only found 4 so far).

Yes, you did mention this on the GameJolt website, but you did mention (on this game's Itch.io page) that 95% of the intended content has already been put into the game, so we can work with that.

I got all the lore from the Canals, after some wall checking with the trusty Chain Core (& some experimenting); there was a fake floor in the tower, but that went nowhere ;)

Goodness, all these riddles will give me a headache XD

Yal7 years ago(+1)

I'm pretty sure the only stuff available in the Water Tower after it's destroyed is the Lore that was inside it while it was whole, to make sure you can't permanently miss any. The fake floor you found probably lead to one of those spots.

And as for the key-gun-passable-blockade... derp. This is what happens when you keep adding new areas at random places in the old areas, I guess :P

Knowing me, the reason the blockade is Keygun-based is because the upgrade station in that dungeon is for the Keygun, to ensure you have it in order to enter. And if that's the case, it being unescapable is unintentional.

The missing 5% is a secret area, a secret final boss and an ending tied to that, btw.

As for the stuff that actually is finished: every gun has a secret upgrade, some has two (one gun has two tiers of upgrades, another has two alternate upgrade paths, and another has two complimentary upgrades that can be obtained in any order). There used to be a secret developers' level hidden at one place, I'm not sure it's still accessible and it had some of the most frustrating level design I've ever made so it's probably for the better if it isn't :P And to make things even more confusing, there's a bunch of "fake" areas you can see but aren't meant to access, just to explain how everyone else gets around. (I had plans to let you play as other characters later to let you see the story unfold from a different perspective, but ended up scrapping the idea because it was too much work. The sequence where you play as Emily and all cutscenes you see from someone else's perspective than Mario's are remnants from this)

Hobcramwork7 years ago (1 edit)

Ah, I see. Well, thank goodness Metroid had taught me to look everywhere (i.e. check every room) before triggering the water tower incident.

Ah yes, that was what I was referring to. My habit of always saving at each Save point led to me restarting the game at least twice, mostly due to getting stuck in two places in the desert XD

Oh. You may or may not have mentioned that in the game's update file. Found two secrets in it as well, plus interesting details on what went on behind the scenes. I've yet to meet those 2 extra characters, and will avoid some areas if they're too rage-inducing :p

Ah yes, I read up on one user's comments on a certain block, and you explained that other characters have weapons that can help them get through them (although one small area can be accessed without said weapon, but you can't get back out from there :p).

On a side note, after comparing the background of one of your screenshots with the background of the area I was in, I looked around and found the Forgotten Drain area. Needless to say, that one jar was not worth it after repeated tries (and being unable to reach a ledge sealed the deal :p).

Hobcramwork7 years ago

Bug report: Once I found Canal Jungilara, I started looking around for more Lore, only to come to a dead end (thunder blocks). When I tried to exit, the door took me to a different location which I couldn't get out of.

That Desert Hornet upgrade is really something else; I thought it was bugged, or something, till I figured out what that statement meant XD

The only upgrades I haven't found yet are those for the ATG Laser and the CryoSphere. Can I ask you about these two places in further detail through e-mail, along with the general whereabouts of the remaining Lore? I have only found 44 so far (not including the last one after facing off with Smith a second and third time) ?

Hobcramwork4 years ago(+1)

Hi Yal, long time no see! :D

I've started the game up from the beginning a few days ago, and Mario is now at level 28 (yay to fighting all the tiny birds in the first room of the Thermal Power Plant, the Bubble Whirrs and Bubbles in the Water Tower and underground tunnel/cave!). I found a secret room in the underground tunnel after the shopkeeper, and will return to it once I have gotten the wings (I fought off two blue Setniles before finding my way forward blocked due to high blocks).

If anything, I'll be combing each room a few times as I play through the game, just in case I missed any lore or upgrades, especially before I face off with Smith near the end :D

Yal4 years ago (1 edit) (+2)

Nothing like a good ol' 3-year-break to get over the frustration with inescapable areas, huh? Better luck this time! :3

Most of the super-secret areas were added after I'd already ran out of lore to place (I decided to limit myself to 50 for a reason... which I've now forgotten) so most of them only house the gun upgrades (and powerups/money), the majority of all lore is on the critical path or in "regular-secret" areas. But combing the game for all the secrets hopefully feels worth it regardless~

Hobcramwork4 years ago(+1)

Oh, hi Yal! Long time no see! :D

Ah, I see; I was hoping this secret room would yield a few more Lore, but I got the ATG Laser upgrade instead. Looks like some riddle-solving is needed fully complete the game :p

I very much look forward to a remake of this game in the future, should you ever decide to do it, since I want to rescue as many people from Columbus City as much as possible (& face off against the mysterious AI boss that the Columbus scientists were protecting their weapons from, as well as uncover what 'Final Columbus' really means) :D

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Arko.Jr1 year ago

cześć Jestem z Polski

Arko.Jr335 days ago

Hi Yal

Could you help me in the game gun 10 summer, because I have trouble finding a weapon to break the green and blue blocks. I'm currently in Western Flat, after entering the room downstairs where I'm talking to someone there, I can't go back upstairs because the shotgun isn't enough. When, after the fight, the firewall "A" opens, which I go through, and after entering the room, the computer asks for an ID that I don't have and I don't know where to get it. In this room, my shotgun is also not enough to get to the top

What should I do, what am I doing wrong

I am asking you for help

Arko.Jr1 year ago

Hello, I'm from Poland. I'm currently playing Heart of ruins final Columbus. So far I have acquired 8 weapons and 48 knowledge.

However, I don't know how to destroy the block with blue lightning. I also don't know how to solve the puzzles for which I have hints. I solved one with the letters "a" "b" "y" but I don't know if it's correct because they keep flashing alternately.

I would like to ask you to help me in this game, for which I will be very grateful. I know you've probably forgotten about this game, but I hope you'll remember something

Regards

My email is arko.jr@gmail.co

Yal1 year ago(+1)

The "a" "b" "y" puzzle is intended to flash all the letters at the same time when it's active, but there's a bug where they get out of sync if they go offscreen. If all of them are active you've solved the puzzle. (It's actually lower-case alpha, beta and gamma greek letters)

The blue lightning blocks are currently not breakable. They're intended as alternate paths for a second playable character that I never had time adding to the game.

There are some unfinished paths but there's 5 hidden easter egg characters, 10 hidden weapon upgrades (one for each weapon, Handgun and Fairy Pistol have two each), 50 total Lore and 2 alternate outfits to unlock.

Arko.Jr1 year ago

Hi Thanks for the quick reply. You write that there are 10 upgraded weapons. I currently have 8. I can't find Crio anywhere. Does it even exist? I will also ask how I can get permanent flapping of the wings and where, because I have a problem getting to the top in the land of ice. I also have a problem with gaining knowledge 22 because it is surrounded by blocks in the canal and I don't know what to do. Apart from the one and 50, which I know is during the fight with Smith, I've obtained all of them. I've been back to different places several times and I can't find the shopkeeper. He stands by the truck all the time but is inactive. Is this the end of his "career"? xzy I can still buy anything because I already have over 30,000 money

Best regards and thank you again for your help and answer

Yal1 year ago(+1)

It might be impossible to collect that Lore if you didn't do it the first time you took the girls through the Canal (and didn't obtain the alternate upgrade path for the rocket launcher, which is a missable event that happens the first time you go through the canal)

The shopkeeper should still be interactible when he shows up near the truck at the end, he's supposed to give you hints about the second upgrade for the Handgun. I'll have to look into this.

Arko.Jr1 year ago

Thanks for the info and willingness to help. Just tell me how to achieve permanent wing flapping and where. I liked this game very much because I think I've become a maniac about it even though I've played other games that aren't as good as this one. I'll probably have to play it again even though I have other responsibilities waiting for me

Best regards and thanks for creating a really good game

Take care and good luck with continuing your good games

Yal1 year ago(+1)

Meeting all the easter egg characters (references to my older games) gives you the Dracula outfit and infinite flight, if I remember correctly. There's a riddle with 5 clues that I posted previously.

Arko.Jr1 year ago

Hello. I've just reached the very top, above the gun upgrade, and there's a winged figure who didn't give me anything. He mentions Vanesa, who I also visited earlier, but she didn't give me anything either. Can you tell me how many eggs there are with these characters? I will be very grateful

Regards

Yal1 year ago(+1)

5 in total (Sunshine, Raccoon, Vanessa, Baron and Nadia)

Arko.Jr1 year ago

Hello. Could you tell me how to get the remaining 3 eggs because I'm having trouble finding them. I don't want to spoil the fun of the game, so I'm just asking for tips because I've gone back to every place I've been to and I really don't know how to find them anymore.

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itch.io

Viewing post in Hi, just wanted to ask about the game's endings