#Solution to defeating The Overcooker: close its door.

[stardestroyer81]

In the world of Override, no piece of technology is safe from the wrath of Charles Feldman's worldwide Y2K bug. You'll be pitted against foes you once considered everyday appliances, from box TVs to computer monitors to...

.. microwaves?

Here's a look at what a typical battle scenario in Override would look like! While similar to the battle screens of the MOTHER series in a few respects, a lot went into making sure Override's battle screen was different enough to be its own thing!

Below, you'll find some more images and a very lengthy explanation regarding the changes I made to make Override's battle screen different from its inspiration!

A large part of Earthbound's charm stems from its whimsically varied battle backgrounds that make use of all kinds of different layer combinations, which result in some pretty sweet looking backdrops (Possible eye strain warning).

Quite a few games that are Earthbound-inspired tend to follow a similar formula: having a battle take place on a multi-colored, psychedelic background. But when it came time for me to figure out what I wanted Override's battle screen to look like, I knew I wanted to make something that stood out from the norm— but how could I?

I decided to start with the boxes that display the characters' stats. Earthbound and Override both have the former's 'rolling HP' mechanic, though instead of the numbers rolling down like a slot machine like they do in EB, I designed the HP counters to look a bit like an LED clock to befit the game's technical theme, which would count down at a fixed speed.

In Earthbound, every character's stat box is the same size, and stays that way through the duration of each battle. In Override, however, the only stat box that is maximized at any given time depends on whose turn it is. In the battle screen above, you'll notice it's Bradley's turn, and Casey and Lauren's stat boxes are noticeably smaller, though they both have distinct color indicators dictating who's HP belongs to who and the HP being at a visible size even when it isn't a character's turn.

With that decided, it was time to figure out what I wanted to do for the actual background. In most Earthbound battles, the background is noticeably cropped by two black bars, which is where the menus and stat boxes are located. I made the decision to stylize this and have a similar border, but instead of being black rectangles straight across, it's more curved, giving the screen a bit of a circular shape.

As for the background, nothing says 'technical' more than a grid background, which is what I went for when drawing Override's background. I feel like the background itself could change for bosses (Maybe like a unique BG for each boss), though that's merely a fun idea. But, unlike said fun idea, I didn't want the BG to be a mere static image.

Thus, I had another idea.

You see how the background in the battle screen above is green? That's because it's Bradley's turn! Depending on whose turn it is in battle, the background color will shift accordingly: blue for Casey, ruby red for Lauren, green for Bradley, purple for MacKenzie and a greyscale version for the opponent.

You can get an idea of how the background would change color-to-color with this gif!

I also think that the grid background itself would scroll diagonally, giving it that classic Earthbound battle background feel without being too on-the-nose, though I couldn't think of a way to replicate that into gif form just yet.

Alright! So, we've got a fully designed HUD and background. What's next? Why, we need an opponent to be fighting, of course! Since the start of Override's lore conception, I've had an inside joke that, since the Y2K was thought to 'put machine against man', that a close encounter with a microwave would be in the cards.

Enter The Overcooker!

It was the perfect idea to test out what a standard enemy would look like on the background I had designed. A microwave spewing fire just sounds like something you would fight in a MOTHER game, so I went ahead and sprited exactly that— and had a lot of fun with it as well! It may have been a bit tough to shade, but its huge flame and its bright green LED eyes makes for a really solid looking sprite, I find.

Well, I've spent enough paragraphs explaining the ins and outs of the design process that went into the battle screen I posted at the start, and while it may have ended up being a bit longer than I planned, it's at the very least insightful! I plan on uploading some more battle screens once I get some more sprites made for them, though I hope you've enjoyed everything this post had to offer!

[stripestheboar]

Day 7 - Salphys (Swapfell)

.... This will have swearing. 

Enjoy.

Pairing: Salphys

Word Count: 2,061

Sans and Alphys weren’t what you would exactly call “chummy” with each other. As Alphys would routinely hand in her report every evening, she always wore this begrudging look about her for whoever saw her. Sans, on the other hand, stayed a stoic as he usually did, receiving the report with a blank expression. Perhaps the occasional condescending comment or maybe even a slight pleased thank would come from him, but other than that, they remained snarky and spiteful around each other as always. Some blamed it on their positions within the Royal Guard; ever since Sans beat Alphys into a demotion and took up her title, the once friends now only looked at each other coldly and spoke shortly; Sans was contemptuous as usual while Alphys remained bitter whilst he was around. They hated each other, as rumor had it, and yet, there were those who knew better. They knew what happened every third Wednesday.

Papyrus, as loyal as he was to his lord, couldn’t help but speak in chuckles and gleed tones about the special date. The monster behind the locked doors seemed to always listen with interest, asking him more questions about Sans and the Royal Guard. As for Undyne, she couldn’t help but smirk knowingly whenever she saw the short pair around. Although Alphys had sworn her to secrecy, it was still something she teased her friend about and occasionally used as blackmail whenever she needed a little leverage from the Guard. Besides these three, no one else knew of their little day together, as it was a day only they knew of, where they met for only a mere two hours before going about their business.

What happens every third Wednesday, you may find yourself asking. Well, it’s not a day many would quite understand. You see, the two monsters had their specific needs and desires; needs and desires that they could only fill with each other, which is why they prefer they kept it to themselves. Should any outsiders find out, the outcome would truly be disastrous.

When that third Wednesday rolls around, the day starts out relatively normal. The brothers start their patrol as usual. Papyrus would, of course, fall asleep at his post as usual, while Sans constantly berated him with swears and threats until their shifts came to an end. Alphys would be doing her usual duties, as well, before she would fill out a report she would soon have to turn into her captain. The clock would strike six, and Sans would already be out the door. This is where the true day begins.

“Mutt,” Sans barked as usual. “I’m leaving. I will be home by nine. Lock the doors and stay inside until further notice.” Papyrus gave a low “m’lord”, focusing on a book as he waved his brother goodbye. And with that, Sans left.

As usual, the River Skeleton was there, waiting for someone to board his boat. He handed a few G over to the hooded skeleton, who took it and brung him to his usual spot in Hotland. The much smaller skeleton said nothing as he left the boat, making his way to a familiar house, shapes like a curled up lizard with the gaping maw as the entrance.

A single knock was all it took. Within seconds, the door casually opened to reveal a blank Alphys, dressed in her usual tank top and shorts.  

“Alphys.”

“Sans.”

Sans entered the house, stiff with his gloved hands folded behind him. He was still in his battle body, but it was really no problem for the either of them. They could do this, even with it on.

“Have you gotten everything?” Sans questioned, standing tall and making sure he was ready for the activities ahead. “Of course. Just what we agreed on. Are you ready?” Alphys asked, securing the latch on the door and beginning to close the blinds. “Absolutely,” he assured her firmly, taking a quick look around the house. She only gave a curt nod, making her way over to him.

The two stopped just short of each other, saying nothing. They stared, eye to eye socket, preparing themselves.

It was time.

Without warning, they both began to scream at the top of their lungs. Alphys wasted no time in grabbing Sans by the lumbar vertebrae, running into the kitchen and hurling him at the wall, causing it to erupt in a cloud of dry wall and debris. Still screaming like a madman, Sans popped his head back out of the dust pile like a gopher. Bundled up in his arms were several neatly tied wheat stalks, freshly harvested from the fertile lands of who gives a fuck. He threw the pieces of hay onto the counter of the kitchen, summoning a large Gaster Blaster to blast them. Sure, it disintegrated a large chunk of the counter, but at least the wheat had been blasted into nicely ground flour. He ran over and scooped up the flour, throwing fistfuls of the powder at Alphys. Luckily, Alphys had a bowl stapled to her still screaming face, catching a most of the powder before ripping the damn thing off with a war cry ripping through her throat and murder in her eyes.  

She threw the glass bowl onto the broken counter, causing some of the inner glass to break inside the container and getting mixed with the flour. The main part of the bowl was still intact, however. Now, any normal coward would carefully pick out each individual glass piece from the powder, while the real pussies just threw the shit away just to be safe. No. That’s not how it’s done. Alphys ran over and mixed that shit together, for you aren’t a true warrior unless you can swallow giant shards of glass without being a little bitch and crying. She added two eggs in there, smashing them in with shells and all, making sure she pounded it into the dust so hard that the mother of those eggs would physically hurt from daring to birth those baby failures.

Now it was time to make the dough. Add water you say? Get the fuck out with that shit.

Alphys pulled out a gallon of bleach, pouring that stuff in like there was no tomorrow. She eagerly grabbed a knife and began stabbing the bowl’s contents, causing them to mix into a foul concoction. It was not yet dough, though. No, that was Sans’ job. She eagerly grabbed the bowl, still screaming all the while, and forced it against Sans’ face. He drank the entire thing; as quickly as the solution entered his mouth, it soon fell onto the dusty ground as a glass-filled, clean smelling dough, now with bits of drywall. He bundled the load up in his arms, his wails never ending as he tossed the dough onto the counter. Now it was time to make it into pasta. Usually a machine is requited, but Alphys refused to have a robot do what she was more than capable of: grabbing a frying pan and repeatedly slamming it onto the dough until it was flat and limp and crunchy. She took out her axe and began furiously hacking at the dough, splitting her counter dozens of times, as well as slicing her pasta into uneven strips. This was where they had to sit back and let the pasta dry, letting it rest, but who the fuck just sits back and waits for something to get ready itself? They pushed their guards to the breaking point, so why the hell should this innocent pasta be any different. Horrifying death cries rang throughout the house as Sans rushed over to the back room and came back out with a hair dryer. Twisting it on its highest setting, then set the device on fire and threw it at the pasta, causing it to bake much faster, as well as burn.  

Once the pasta was all toasty, they thew it into an empty pot. Alphys grabbed the pot, while Sans ran outside, retrieving a fire hose. She turned to fave him, the open pot pointing towards him, and he let loose. The sudden burst of water from the fire hose caused both monsters to shoot back. Alphys was blasted into the wall, her screams gurgling through the water. It wasn’t until they were standing in six inches of water throughout the house that Sans finally shut it off, and by then, the pot was readily filled and put on the stove. Pulling a flame thrower out of her inventory, Alphys blasted the pot at full force, boiling the water within seconds and overcooking the pasta. Sans shoved his arm into the boiling water, grabbing all the pasta and throwing it out at the destroyed counter. Now it was just time for the sauce.

Alphys ran over to the counter and hip-thrusted into it, causing the ground to quake as vegetables (and that lone fucker tomato who thinks he’s a fruit) to fall from the ceiling. Sans already knew what to do. The veggies were his enemies. And so, he went about intimidating his enemies, giving a ferocious death cry at them in the middle of his continuous screaming. The vegetables smashed themselves, splattering against the wall. He took a knife and scraped that shit off the wall, taking a handful and throwing it at the defeated pasta.  

It was done. They had made their monstrosity. With one last war cry into the ceiling, they went quite for the first time in that hour. They took a look at what they hd made, breathing heavily. “Well,” Alphys panted, “that was even better than last time.” Sans gave a small chuckle in response. “Indeed it was,” he sighed, taking a moment to catch his breath after that experience. Alphys grinned and looked up at him. “Dare you to eat it,” she said, expression turning into a rather snarky one. “Ha, trying to assassinate me now, are you?” he teased, taking the pasta and throwing it out. Once that was over with, he looked over himself. He was splattered with sauce and god knows what.  

“Ugh,” he sighed, wiping some of the gunk off. “This was definitely our messiest meeting, as well as our most exuberant.” Alphys crossed her arms, ignoring the gunk on her own body. She watched him for a few seconds, before speaking up again. “So how about you wash up?” she suggested. Sans gave a slight nod, wiping the tomato off of his skull. “Oh, I definitely will. I’ll text the lazybones beforehand so he can start me a bath.” Alphys shook her head at the idea. “No, I meant here.” Sans gave her a passing look, raising the tops of his sockets some, silent for a few seconds.

“Alphys, you know I can’t-“

“C’mon, Sans. You never spend the night.”

“And you know why.”

“Don’t be so uptight. Just this once. No one will know.”

Sans remained silent once again, thinking the offer over. He soon gave a sigh. Fuck it. Why the hell not? He smiled at her and nodded. “Fine. I will take you up on your offer. But just this once.”

“Pfft, Imma drag you here every time you come back,” she grinned, grabbing him by the scarf and pulling him into a kiss. He soon broke it up, however, giving her a sly look. “Every third Wednesday, remember?” he reminded, but Alphys just rolled her eyes. “Fuck it. We’ll make it a weekly thing. Fuck what anyone else says,” she huffed. “Right Sans?”

“That’s captain, to you.”

“Oh shut up,” she laughed, pulling him into another kiss, before pulling away because he tasted like bleach and flour. “Now c’mon, let’s get cleaned up.”

While Sans usually detested anyone who bossed him around, he relented his control as Alphys grabbed him by the hand and pulled him out of the kitchen and into the bathroom, planning to enjoy their night together before they were forced back into their roles by morning. By the next day, everything would be back to normal. They would glare at each other, and many would whisper rumors that Alphys angered him, or that Sans secretly beat her, but no one could really truly know. One day they might, but not now. For now, they would just enjoy their time together every Wednesday.