A Warning to new players - Each room has a "Soft Timer"!

[radar2670]

Edit: Changed Header from "I feel like an idiot" to "A warning to new players - Each room has a "Soft Timer" and added aditional information about the ghost as a warning to new players.

So after doing some reading and watching a few videos on Spelunky I decieded to purchase it. I finished the tutorial and headed of to to go exploring.

I was having a great time jumping around, cracking a whip, cursing a bat and collecting loot. Then it happened,at 2min30sec HE shows up, The ghost. For the new players out there, this guy is instant death on contact. He can pass thru solid walls and track you throughout the room. He does change any gems that pass thru him to Diamonds and some in this thread have said you can dodge him but be warned that there is no way to kill him.

If I had seen or heard anything that indicated that there was a timer, soft or hard, to each room I would have not purchased this. :(

HERE[spelunkyworld.com] is a link to the free version of Spelunky so you may try it before you buy it. I personally ran into a bug with the controls, but some here have said they corrected it by remaping the controls. I have not personally tried it.

Edit:Now that I ran into the ghost I see posts everywhere about him. Wish I had seen these before

Edit: I recently added the link for the free version to help folks better judge if the ghost would be an issue for them.

[Carlz0r]

The ghost isn't really a timer, though, just another obstacle. He actually does more than just get in your way. You can learn to use him to transform gems into diamonds, which are worth a lot more.

[FallenMushroom]

What carlz0r said, its not really a timer, just more of a "If you spend too long, the chances of dying is increased" thing. Its avoidable, and can improve your score with some careful dodges.

[radar2670]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Carlz0r:

The ghost isn't really a timer, though, just another obstacle. He actually does more than just get in your way. You can learn to use him to transform gems into diamonds, which are worth a lot more.

I am glad you feel that way but sadly I do not, I changes the whole dynamic of how you play a level to begin with. That dynamic is not one that I am interested in playing.

[Graypairofsocks]

At least in the classic version of spelunky it turned gems it touched into diamonds.

[Dark Hyperme]

Oprindeligt skrevet af radar2670:

Oprindeligt skrevet af Carlz0r:

The ghost isn't really a timer, though, just another obstacle. He actually does more than just get in your way. You can learn to use him to transform gems into diamonds, which are worth a lot more.

I am glad you feel that way but sadly I do not, I changes the whole dynamic of how you play a level to begin with. That dynamic is not one that I am interested in playing.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but there's rarely a need to spend more than 2 minutes on a level anyway. Also the Ghost isn't a hard time limit. You can avoid it with right tools.

[Birdd]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Graypairofsocks:

At least in the classic version of spelunky it turned gems it touched into diamonds.

It still does. The leaderboards are filled with ghost miners.

[Phazed]

Some people lol

"A flexible timer when you play, game ruined, I want my money back :( "

[Carlz0r]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Graypairofsocks:

At least in the classic version of spelunky it turned gems it touched into diamonds.

It still does. It's a common practice among high ranking players to frequently ghost mine levels to get high scores.

[hintzilla]

if the ghost didn't show up, then you could just collect every single item/jewel/piece of gold in each level. the ghost teaches you to prioritize the way you approach item pickups in each map. also like others have said, at first, the ghost seems like an end to the level, but once you play a bit more and get better, there are a lot of benefits to leading the ghost around a level, and it's definitely not just a timer. you can run around a level as long as you want if you're good enough.

that's the thing with spelunky: it forces YOU to get better at the game, rather than the game giving you better gear/powerups as you progress. at the start, a lot of things seem cheap, but each death in this game should be a learning experience, and if you can stick with the game good enough to get good, you will have a ridiculous amount of fun.

[radar2670]

Oprindeligt skrevet af KorJax:

Some people lol

"A flexible timer when you play, game ruined, I want my money back :( "

Did I ever mentioned I wanted a refund? Did the game information page mention anything about having a set amount of time to finish a level? NO. I said >I< was an idiot for not researching this game further before purchasing it.

This --> "The Ghost is unkillable, and will pursue the Spelunker relentlessly. The only 'strategy' is to simply run away to the safety of the level exit.You have two options at that point: Get to the exit, or die." was taken directly from the wiki, So basically the whole game FOR ME now is rush, rush, rush, and run for the exit before the ghost shows up. Not something I am interested in playing.

[Reveral000]

Thanks for the warning.

[FallenMushroom]

2 and a half minutes is more than enough to get gold and items that you want and get out of there.

[Averagedog]

If they added a no Ghost mode... it would make reaching the city of Gold and even Hell much much easier.

[hintzilla]

Oprindeligt skrevet af radar2670:

This --> "You have two options at that point: Get to the exit, or die. " was taken directly from the wiki, So basically the whole game FOR ME now is rush, rush, rush, and run for the exit before the ghost shows up. Not something I am interested in playing.

Honestly, that is not the case. The ghost isn't just a death sentence, even though it seems like it at first. You can spend as much time as you want in a level when you just learn how to trail the ghost around. That's what this game is all about: learning. If you're an impatient gamer or aren't willing to learn the systems of the game, then your experience with Spelunky will suffer from it.

Just stick with it, really. I think you'll come around on the ghost once you get used to the pacing. Then once you get better, try leading the ghost around the level and collecting diamons like a boss :)

[toroid]

There's a mod for Spelunky classic (the free version) called {LINK FJERNET}Spelunky: Un-Haunted that removes the ghost.

Here's[mossmouth.com] the forum page.