Removing Specimen 3?

[Thumper]

Hi!
I really want to play this game and enjoy, however something is stopping me from being able to. Specimen 3 and its resemblance to a spider makes me completely unable to proceed forward, cause arachnophobia's a real ♥♥♥♥♥. Was hoping someone else maybe felt this way and found a way to remove it? Would so be able to get past room 120, but it's really too bad, even just the still images I've seen of it freak me tf out.

Any help is deeply appreciated!

[Kunkle]

in the game itself has an option to remove the specimens, have you tried using it?

[Thumper]

I do know about this option, however I do have a problem with it. It does not allow me to turn off specimens in a targeted manner, only to cut them all out. Now, this could work great but two problems come to mind. First of all, I'd like to still be able to enjoy that part of the game, just with a different-looking specimen 3, one that does not have the same spider motive, because I think it's kinda tragic to gut the game of one of its monsters. The second problem is that, if I understood correctly, sometimes specimens you've faced before come back. With no warning of who's coming, and no way to know for sure. I can MAYBE deal with specimen 3 if I rush through their rooms and just brute force my way out, but that does not mean I'll never see them again. And if I can maybe deal with a spider I know is coming, getting surprised by one is a fear I cannot overcome, at least not as I am currently. So even a targeted erasure would work, but cheapen the game in my eyes. What I,m looking for is a change to spcimen 3 that lets me enjoy that part of the game like any other, with moderate scares that don't pinpoint a deep phobia of mine

[Treemeat, the almighty idiot]

you can play the original game and change specimen 3's sprite

[SnickerToodles]

What someone else said is true. In the original, free SJSM, all the game's assets are simple 2D sprites which you can easily go into the files to view and modify. Changing them outside the game should cause them to change in the game as well.

The issue is you would need to see the image to replace it with something else, make sure the image you replace it with has the correct dimensions, etc. And find something proper to replace it with at all. It's tricky because 3 is made of multiple segments, and it has a weird movement pattern, so it can't just be any old monster sprite.

Specimen 3's form is really more based on a centipede, so maybe if you edited out the eyes so there's only 0-2 of them, it would freak you out less? That's the only idea I have, I have no clue how you could totally overhaul it. I know staring at something that scares you for a long time in Photoshop isn't exactly viable, so I can try to help if you have any ideas for how to make the sprite less scary for you.

This is all assuming that editing the files does display correctly in-game, I haven't tested it personally.

[Greyline]

I mean, the purpose of the game IS to scare you, after all.

[OPERAINCEPTION]

In case you forgot , you are playing a HORROR game. It is supposed to scare you. Also there is no way as of now to remove one specific specimen from the game. I used to be extremely scared of one specimen in the game at one point but I managed to overcome my fear. I had to just survive one chase against that specimen and all the fear is gone. Basically , my advice for you is to meditate once a day and try to overcome your phobia , if that does not work you should try Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and or Exposure therapy. If those do not work then just try to not be so dang scared anymore and just survive a chase. I also have a phobia (casadastraphobia). It is quite easy to get rid of that phobia and I am trying to get rid of it right now actually. I am also scared of this one enemy in another game right now. I just gotta defeat it and I will not be scared anymore. Also , Specimen 3 is not real and there is no true reason to be afraid of spiders (unless you live in Australia).

[Thumper]

Originally posted by SnickerToodles:

What someone else said is true. In the original, free SJSM, all the game's assets are simple 2D sprites which you can easily go into the files to view and modify. Changing them outside the game should cause them to change in the game as well.

The issue is you would need to see the image to replace it with something else, make sure the image you replace it with has the correct dimensions, etc. And find something proper to replace it with at all. It's tricky because 3 is made of multiple segments, and it has a weird movement pattern, so it can't just be any old monster sprite.

Specimen 3's form is really more based on a centipede, so maybe if you edited out the eyes so there's only 0-2 of them, it would freak you out less? That's the only idea I have, I have no clue how you could totally overhaul it. I know staring at something that scares you for a long time in Photoshop isn't exactly viable, so I can try to help if you have any ideas for how to make the sprite less scary for you.

This is all assuming that editing the files does display correctly in-game, I haven't tested it personally.

That seems like a pretty good idea, thanks! It's mostly just the face that does that to me, you are right that the rest is a lot more centipede-like, and I can tolerate that. I'll try to see if I can't find a new sprite/find a way to change it

Side note, to the people that say: Just don't look at it, don't be scared or you're supposed to be scared, it's a horror game, I think I explained why exactly this one monster is so hard for me to deal with, in good detail too. If you insist on that argument, it's cool, just please refrain from answering again, that's def not the advice I need.

But still thanks to everyone for taking some time out of their day to try and make mine a lil better :D

[Cramped]

I feel that everyone has at least one specimen that they hate dealing with more than any other. Specimen 3 is dangerous in its own way compared to other monsters of its type. It has its weaknesses, like many of the other specimens. This one has 2 big weaknesses - 1. It corners very poorly, making it slow in rooms with lots of corners - 2. If it does hit you, it scurries away a fair distance before it starts chasing you again. If you do manage to get far enough, you do get an axe about half way through, but I don't recommend using it on the monsters, as using it too much will give you the bad ending, if you care about that.

I play Endless Mode a lot, so I'll try and help you.

Sprint in bursts as soon as you enter a room, and figure out if you are being chased and if you are, which one. Almost all specimens have some kind of hint. Learn the audio cues, this can save your life in Endless Mode. If you know what music/noises belong to which specimens, you should be able to figure out if you are being chased almost immediately upon entering a room. In Endless Mode multiple specimens can chase you at once, so knowing their cues is crucial so that you can adapt your play style instantly.

You'll know for certain that Specimen 3 is after you if you see holes in the ceiling. If it didn't bash down a door to get into the room, it will very likely crawl out of the first hole you pass under, so save your stamina until you hear clicking noises. If you hear door bashing, sprint as soon as you enter a room and make a beeline to the exit, that should prevent you from seeing it if it is small enough.

If it is a longer room or in one of the rooms that looks like a chasm, remember that Specimen 3 does not take corners well, slowing down in the process. In the chasm rooms it will always bash the door down. If you are in the chasm room with a fork in the road, this is the most likely area where you will see the specimen if you are too slow in doubling back from a dead end. Do not go too far ahead on either path, go far enough so that you can see if the left path is a dead end. I say check the left path because from what I can remember the left path's dead end always has a table or chair, and is closer than the right path's dead end.

From my experience Specimen 3 is pretty rare in the free version of the game. In my experience with the free version, I was sometimes lucky to see it just once after its introduction. I cannot say with absolute certainty about how often I see it in the paid version, but I think I see the later monsters more often.

I hope that any of this helps, but this goes for any specimen really - never stop moving.

[OPERAINCEPTION]

Originally posted by Spook Lad:

It's a long wait, but maybe wait until BYOM comes out. I'm certain that when it does, people will make mods replacing Specimen 3 with Old Specimen 10, or just outright removing him.

Another solution is turning Specimens off when you hear this theme:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz1xHvUhB-U

Another possible solution is skipping to 250, but that also skips Specimens 4-6, which are some of the most popular ones.

Also, if you want to change his appearance, you would have to use the original, inferior version of the game. If your fear is that bad I have a mod that changes him into the worm thing that used to be Specimen 10. I would suggest playing the original to 250, then returning to the HD Renovation for 250 onward, since Specimen 3 rarely rechases after that point.

May I have the mod that replaces spec3 with the old spec10? I wanna see him again. Please.

[OPERAINCEPTION]

Originally posted by Spook Lad:

Originally posted by catinicule:

May I have the mod that replaces spec3 with the old spec10? I wanna see him again. Please.

Alright, you got discord? If not, I can send it to you on the Spooky's Wiki

I have discord. I do not wanna send my tag here in public though. May I send you a friend request and then send you the tag?

[OPERAINCEPTION]

Originally posted by Spook Lad:

Originally posted by catinicule:

I have discord. I do not wanna send my tag here in public though. May I send you a friend request and then send you the tag?

Yeah

ok

[WalkThrough101]

Originally posted by BleachedSarcasm:

Hi!
I really want to play this game and enjoy, however something is stopping me from being able to. Specimen 3 and its resemblance to a spider makes me completely unable to proceed forward, cause arachnophobia's a real ♥♥♥♥♥. Was hoping someone else maybe felt this way and found a way to remove it? Would so be able to get past room 120, but it's really too bad, even just the still images I've seen of it freak me tf out.

Any help is deeply appreciated!

Well, you can easily just run away without looking at him and get away safely, but... you may want to keep him in to help you fight you phobia. There's this thing called exposure therapy where someone with a phobia/fear is deliberately exposed to their fear in a controlled manner to get them used to it and hopefully lessen their fear of it. Maybe you could use this game to help you with your fear of insects?

After you get the axe you can just smack him btw, and he NOPE's away for a few seconds

Edit: I see you're a Hollow Knight fan, how the hell did you get through Deepnest with arachnophobia? That place is HELL for an arachnophobe!

[MekaDovah]

I remember my first run I had trouble with Specimen 6, so I disabled specimens just before entering his area and re-enabling them afterwards and he basically was never enabled for the entire run. If it works for him, pretty sure it'd work for any of them.

[Thumper]

Originally posted by The Great Warper:

It's more of a centipede.

wow yeah tru i just wont get scared of it lol youre so right

[Thumper]

Originally posted by The Meat Demon:

Originally posted by BleachedSarcasm:

Hi!
I really want to play this game and enjoy, however something is stopping me from being able to. Specimen 3 and its resemblance to a spider makes me completely unable to proceed forward, cause arachnophobia's a real ♥♥♥♥♥. Was hoping someone else maybe felt this way and found a way to remove it? Would so be able to get past room 120, but it's really too bad, even just the still images I've seen of it freak me tf out.

Any help is deeply appreciated!

Well, you can easily just run away without looking at him and get away safely, but... you may want to keep him in to help you fight you phobia. There's this thing called exposure therapy where someone with a phobia/fear is deliberately exposed to their fear in a controlled manner to get them used to it and hopefully lessen their fear of it. Maybe you could use this game to help you with your fear of insects?

After you get the axe you can just smack him btw, and he NOPE's away for a few seconds

Edit: I see you're a Hollow Knight fan, how the hell did you get through Deepnest with arachnophobia? That place is HELL for an arachnophobe!

2D is easier to get thru than 3d and also the hollow knight enemies arent like super duper spidery (what spooks me most is the fur face and legs