Enemies stacking in v1.1

[FluffyQuack]

For the first time ever, I played through v1.1 of POP2, which was a version released in 1998. From what I've read, it fixes a bug from v1.0 where cutscenes might not play unless you restart the game once, but it introduces a bug where the player sprite isn't drawn correctly when running through an exit door, and it also changes combat in a drastic way.

In v1.0, enemies will try to maintain a certain distance from each other. This is thrown out the window in v1.1 and enemies are completely okay with occupying the same space. This make combat a bit of a nightmare at times: https://clips.twitch.tv/ProtectiveUnusu ... oEaN8G7RzM

Surely this is a bug, right? If this was a conscious decision by whoever made the patch, then they're a true masochist. I was able to beat the game, but some of the fights become very frustrating. So, yeah, I think I'd recommend avoiding v1.1 for anyone who wants to play the game. v1.0 is probably the best choice overall.

[Alberto]

Yes, I also find it odd, but in a way more realistic too.

You can end up in a similar situation in v1.0 if you happen to switch sides with a guard while the second guard is already waiting in queue, they will sandwich you, but it's a lot easier to escape that situation in v1.0 than it is in v1.1. The fighting part was one of the things that put me off PoP2 for a long time, the Prince (Kid) moves some pixels forward while attacking and parring, same for guards, forcing us to switch sides. It's more dynamic but it disrupts the 'Flynn/Rathbone' sequence.

V1.1 makes Level 12 a lot easier, one guard needs to fall into a pressure plate in order to get the last life upgrade, which in v1.0 is tricky to do.

L12Guard.JPG (12.66 KiB) Viewed 297 times

Also in Level 12, another guard can be tricked to fall in order to quickly escape the genie room.

L12GenieRoom.JPG (13.21 KiB) Viewed 297 times

The first time I played v1.1 I got massacred by the skeletons in Level 03 . The first one tried to follow me and fell, then at the bottom of the pit just after drinking the life upgrade, I was faced against two relentless skeletons.

The only really frustrating part for me in v1.1 was Level 13 where you fight somewhere between 12 - 15 guards before reaching the flame.

[FluffyQuack]

Yes, I also find it odd, but in a way more realistic too.

You can end up in a similar situation in v1.0 if you happen to switch sides with a guard while the second guard is already waiting in queue, they will sandwich you, but it's a lot easier to escape that situation in v1.0 than it is in v1.1. The fighting part was one of the things that put me off PoP2 for a long time, the Prince (Kid) moves some pixels forward while attacking and parring, same for guards, forcing us to switch sides. It's more dynamic but it disrupts the 'Flynn/Rathbone' sequence.

V1.1 makes Level 12 a lot easier, one guard needs to fall into a pressure plate in order to get the last life upgrade, which in v1.0 is tricky to do.
L12Guard.JPG

Also in Level 12, another guard can be tricked to fall in order to quickly escape the genie room.
L12GenieRoom.JPG

The first time I played v1.1 I got massacred by the skeletons in Level 03 . The first one tried to follow me and fell, then at the bottom of the pit just after drinking the life upgrade, I was faced against two relentless skeletons.

The only really frustrating part for me in v1.1 was Level 13 where you fight somewhere between 12 - 15 guards before reaching the flame.

Oh wow, I forgot about that guard you need to make fall onto a pressure plate in order to progress. The temple levels in POP2 don't mess around. But yeah, in v1.1 guards are very willing to just move forward and fall to their death. I wonder if that bug also causes them to bunch up. Maybe there's some code that's supposed to prevent them from moving forward that's broken in v1.1.

I struggled quite a lot with fights in levels 11 and 13. Once you get 3 guards on the same tile, you're pretty much dead. v1.1 forces you to be extremely aggressive and kill enemies quickly.

I briefly booted up the Xbox version of POP2 (the last official release of the game from 2003 where it's integrated with Sands of Time), and that doesn't have the glitched animation when exiting levels and it doesn't have enemies that are very eager to bunch up. So that port is based on v1.0, or it's based on a fixed version of v1.1. Either way, I'm leaning towards the whole thing with enemies bunching up to be a bug. It's neat in theory, but it just makes it too likely for the player to get stun-locked. That said, I guess it fits with the general vibe of POP2 being extremely difficult.