All posts by Duel 95

Casting Call: Land Patrol II

This is an official casting call for Land Patrol II! We are looking to cast Voice Actors (VAs) for our new semi-animated web-series. Though this show will be based on the original premise of Land Patrol, the content itself will be quite different – also the title of the new show will not be announced yet.

If you’re a voice actor, a writer, character modeler or mapper, animator or musician, please check out the casting page in the link below:

Casting Call: Land Patrol II (Season 1) | Behind the Voice Actors

We have additionally produced this video to announce the casting call:

Stay tuned,
~duel95.

Nintendo Switch out March 2017!

It’s just after 1am on 21 October 2016 and the Nintendo Switch (Nintendo NX) has been announced for release. We already knew the release date but had no idea what the NX was going to be, apart from a few rumours, leaks and patents. Now we know it’s a cartridge-based console that allows you to “switch” between home console and handheld console.

Take a look for yourself:

Stay tuned,
~duel95.

DMG-001 Field Test

    Nintendo Game BoyOriginal Nintendo Game Boy from 1989 with RCA Audio mod

DMG-001 Field Test
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Train to City (seated):
Ideal conditions, perfect contrast, excellent sound from Samsung earphones.

In a tunnel with lighting:
Conditions less ideal but still very playable.

Basement area of a Building:
Not recommended, terrible interior lighting. Uncomfortable in areas that provide better lighting.

Train back (standing):
Surprisingly very playable due to carriage lighting.

Walking (Night)
Can’t distinguish objects on screen. Rely on audio and muscle memory only.

At Home (Day):
Ideal conditions, though noise from builtin headphone amp is very noticeable.

At Home (Night):
Unplayable, needs backlighting or extra environmental lighting.

Advantages:

  • Durable/rugged design, stronger than a modern smartphone.
  • Relatively compact, only slightly larger than a Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
  • Easy to use, comfortable controller.
  • Excellent battery life
  • Great bass compared to other Game Boy models

Disadvantages:

  • No backlight/frontlight option in original design
  • Cannot play GameBoy Color games (insufficient RAM and colour palette)

Apart from some lighting issues, the DMG-001 is an excellent unit for both GameBoy games and Chiptune music creation.

Backlit GameBoy Pocket

Pokémon Blue on a Backlit GameBoy Pocket
Pokémon Blue on a Backlit GameBoy Pocket

If you have to decide between a backlit DMG (Dot-Matrix GameBoy) or a backlit MGB (GameBoy Pocket), choose the DMG. I got the MGB because it was cheaper on eBay, but it wasn’t technically compatible with Pokémon as opposed to most other (simpler) games – though the description on eBay didn’t mention this.

When playing Pokémon, the backlight would produce an on/off flicker every 1/60 second (1/30 ON, 1/30 OFF).

To fix this issue, I installed a 30Ω resistor and moved the backlight terminals from the 3V source (audio) to the main 5V source. Though the next issue is battery overheating and mild contrast changes, this should hopefully be solved by increasing the resistance on the backlight (by changing the one I just installed or installing a variable resistor).

Good experience though, even if it should’ve been an off-the-shelf product.

Guide to the Cave of Shadows

A complete guide to the Cave of Shadows! This video also briefly explains some of the similarities and differences the HD version has to the original for those who are on the fence about the game.

The video details the enemies on every floor with potential strategies for defeating them. A showcase of the compatible amiibo is also briefly shown at the start of the video with information regarding their functionality. The video goes for about 14 minutes and covers everything you need to know about the Cave of Shadows. If you would like to see the entire live stream, you may find it here.

If you prefer not to watch a video for this content, we have provided a written guide that you can print. Download Guide (PDF).

Stay tuned,
~duel95.

Gouldy’s Stages: A Mild Adventure [SMM]

A follow-up video to the previous level creation live stream. This is a play-through of my new stage, A Mild Adventure. A stage with both an overworld and an underworld in the Super Mario World game. Yoshi is available for additional help however not required to complete the stage. Yoshi can be used to enter secret areas, which are not disclosed in this video.

If you want to try it out for yourself, the code is:
E4F0-000-0190-69CE

Stay tuned,
~duel95.

Gouldy’s Stages: Tracks ‘N’ Stuff [SMM]

As part of the progressive unlocking system that Super Mario Maker uses, this is heavily based on the tracks pack that you get. Incidentally, I made the stage when I obtained the pack. There is a mandatory side quest in this stage that prevents you from passing the stage if not completed. It may seem a bit puzzling if you hadn’t watched this video beforehand, so it’s important to be creative.

If you want to try it out for yourself, the code is:
1320-0000-0056-5BF5

Stay tuned,
~duel95.

Gouldy’s Stages: Coin Bridge Castle [SMM]

After yesterday’s challenge I now present something easier in comparison, well, kind of. In Coin Bridge Castle you must activate a P switch to run along some coins. The coins are placed over molten lava with fireballs shooting from below. The bridge is guarded by Lakitu, dry bones, Bowser Jr and associates. Not only this but sequentially-placed fireball spinners and cannons further increase the difficulty. If you thought that was enough, the time also has a very short expiry.

But don’t worry, it’s quite possible to complete this stage in the first attempt. So give it a go with the code down below.

If you want to try it out for yourself, the code is:
FA42-0000-003B-2664

Stay tuned,
~duel95.