Dirk Valentine and the Fortress of Steam
A platforming adventure game has just been released from Nitrome: Dirk Valentine and the Fortress of Steam! Dirk Valentine uses similar mechanics as Nitrome's own Frost Bite. Move Dirk with the [arrow] keys and aim with the mouse. Press the left mouse button to fire the ricocheting chain gun. The slightly more serious tone and steampunk setting is a departure from Nitrome's usual fare, but the high quality of artwork, music and overall design remains the same.
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Game of the week
FWEEE... I just actually suggested this game *laughs* this is a fun game I'm already 11 levels in. And parts of it are tough, as the darkness of the screen and the hidden walls and that but all in all it is fun.
I just was writing a review for half an hour, clicked "SUBMIT" then "DONE" and I've seen review but it was from JohnB. What would happen to my review, Jay?
I'm quite impressed by this one. I've been disappointed with Nitrome's latest churnings out, but this is quite fun! I've got to level 22, and taking a break since it's pretty hard keep moving up and down columns... Great review too!
Combining your weapon with the bridge builder is really cool. What an all around useful tool! Charming steampunk vibe.
i need some help on level 23 of Dirk Valentine....
cant seem to figure it out.....??
bleh. i'm stuck at the first big boss.
Anyone got past level 23?
I really am stuck on that one... I just don't have any idea what to do after 1st moving block...
Any hint please?
I beat 23, I assume you're stuck on the last part.
Ok, so when the block comes DOWN after bringing it up, shoot into the inset teleporter. Then after the chain solidifies, jump up to it from the alcove you're in.
Ah, after first moving block, sorry
As the moving block you're on approaches the point where it pushes you off, shot into the teleporter, and another chain will grab the moving block in front of you...if that makes sense.
Finally a game that combines ricocheting bullets and british stereotypes
this game is one of Nitrome's best!!!
This must be the best game Nitrome made in quite a long time! I'm still in level 6, but I'm enjoying every second of it!
This game is actually quite fun. The loveable harpoon gun from "Frostbite" has a reappearance (plus a cool chain combo), and the controls are pretty smooth. And would you believe it, there are health refills, in the form of our favourite imperial beverage. Seems like my prayers have been answered.
One thing I don't like is that like in the abominable "Headcase", leaps of faith are required to get full points in some levels. Another revenant from "Headcase" is retractable blocks. This time they don't slide back into their initial position, though. That's nice, because like this you can't get trapped between them and a wall as easily; it also sucks, because now, if you need a moving block to get somewhere and you miss it, you have to start the level over again. Oh yes, and there are cannons again... they are indestructible this time, but you can smash the bullets.
I'm only a couple of levels in, but I'm already wondering when the difficulty curve will rise and just how frustrating the game will be before you beat the last level... I bet my green forage cap that the final levels are full of cannons, and maybe gas pipes.
My favourite part of this game has got to be the little "Hrp!" he grunts as he jumps. Out of all the different secret agent archetypes out there, the romanticized, unflappable British-style one has got to be my favourite.
(since they generally fight supervillains and mad scientists, rather than cover up government screw-ups)
This game is quite good, no?
It reminded me of Frost Bite too.
I usually hold some disdain for Nitrome games because they're awfully sluggish and have weird controls. This one is alright though.
But really, game devs: everyone loves a Wilhelm, but you're ruining the novelty. Get a different death sound.
Neko, if you're having trouble with the first boss,
you don't even have to go down to where he is. If you're a good shot (or patient), you can stand on that ledge above the boss area (after you get the boss message and can see him moving around down there) and shoot downward. You can hit his weak spots from there (the white moving target things) and he can't touch you. It just takes a bit longer.
Regarding The teleporters: Am I the only one to had to think...with portals? :) I have the feeling "Portal-influenced puzzles" are the new "free-roaming enviroment".
That being said, this is a really great game...but I do have a question: Does anyone know what Dirk says when he dies? I think it's "Blackheart!", but I can't tell.
-zug
When you die, do not click 'Try Again', but go back to the level menu and start from Level 1 again. You will have retained your old score, and you can build on that.
(In fact, you can go to any level and you will have your old score. But if you click on 'Try Again' your score will be reset to zero.)
Is this meant to happen?
Because you can build up a HUGE score using this method.
Level 23 seems to be buggy(?) for me -
the "jack" for my chain gun, which should start moving the second moving block does not seem to work. to be more specific - I'm talking about the one that pushes you off the first moving block if you don't jump.
any ideas? or maybe I'm just doing it wrong?
@ ninjahh
Was the same for me. Just try and shoot the jack again and again - seems to work only if you are close. At least that seemed to be the solution for me.
The boss at the end is a little bit disappointing.
Bad show, old chap... Yeah, it is a great game. I'm on level 13 or 14! And I just started playing today!
ninjaah:
You need to jump and then shoot at the teleporter while you're coming back down. You can also jump on the static block, then jump back off it, fire your cannon at the teleporter and land on the static block again.
I just completed the game, and in spite of problems like the one ninjaah mentions, this is one of the best Nitrome games I've played, mainly because Nitro manages to avoid the zig zag difficulty curve we've come to expect when we play their games. Steampunk is definitely a scenario they can expand on, so this time, I really hope for a part 2.
Maybe I have to try something else but I found it hard to navigate and shoot. Using the arrow keys, and the mouse- they are both on the right hand side! I either have to switch from one to the other with my right hand, or I have to use my left hand all the way over on the right side to the arrow keys, and that's really awkward. I don't get it, maybe I'm missing something terribly obvious, but it seems really awkward altogether to me.
I think this game is one of Nitrome's best, by far.
Great solid play-mechanics, flawless art direction and a really nice difficulty curve.
I was totally going to throw in the towel around level 4-5 until I realized I didn't have to use the ARROW KEYS to move, but could use A,S,D,W. Then all of a sudden, the game became infinitely more playable.
Can't wait to finish it and hope for a sequel.
You can use w,a,s,d to control the character Caya.
And Dirk says "Bad Show". That's MP3 compression for you.
Oh, cool! Thank you!
i am sooo stuck on level 9 plz help?
I'm stuck at the beginning of level sixteenth...
Any help?
Thanks
P.S. Wonderful game!
P.P.S. Sorry for my terrible english...
i need help on 9, as embarrassing as that is! i don't really understand what to do when you get to the bullets that are all shooting at you in rows one after another. i jumped around there but didnt make it!
nitrome needs to fix the bug on 23
can somebody help me on level 11
I completed this game too. Usually I think 'oh no, not another crappy Nitrome game' but this one was one of the best ever. I loved the combination of platform building with the chain gun. It really made it creative and varied.
I especially liked the spelunking levels :)
The short levels helped too, so that dying repeatedly wasn't too much of a chore.
I got stuck on two sections near the end, level 23 I think:
One is the horizontal moving block where you shoot a second block as you come to the end. The second block just doesn't work. Possibly bugged? I solved it by standing on the edge of the second block and shooting downwards / backwards to activate it. It did seem a bit of a hack.
Two was the vertical rising block you stand on, right at the end of level 23. Some people have said its bugged. No. Just clever design. Stand on it, make it rise, then jump off into the alcove, then shoot down to make it fall again. *Then* shoot into your own alcove to make the horizontal chain that forms your way out.
I nearly said the boss battles were a bit lame. I couldn't survive when I entered the boss pits so I just stood outside shooting in.
Now I realise I have to congratulate Nitrome for providing an alternative for people like me who are not rapid trigger reaction folks (or on laptops). The boss levels are extra short so you can go for the face to face boss duel if you want.
9/10 for this one.
It's the Wilhelm Scream! One of the three-ish dying enemy screams is the Wilhelm scream! I laughed my ass off when I heard it.
Yay, beat it! Great game, just the right difficulty for a casual game.
I need help on level 22 can anyone help me because when i ride the first moving block towards the electrc machine then it is impossible to jump onto the metal block that goes up???
HOW DO I GET PAST THE BIG GAP IN LEVEL 9!!!!!!
For a good deal of the game, I was confused and thought that you originally had to bounce the chain off of the floor to make a bridge; later on, I discovered that you could just aim at your landing point, and the starting point would anchor itself to whatever unarmoured floor you were standing on. That's a lot more helpful.
A slightly more advanced trick:
Bombs can break one section of chain; though this would seem like a problem, you can make a chain bridge and walk under it to protect yourself, or fire in a way that makes one chain bridge over the other. If the first one breaks, you'll get caught by the lower one.
can someone help me with lvl 21, like how to "climb up between walls"
Wow. I'd been disappointed with some of Nitrome's latest games. But this one's amazing! From the pixel art to the music and the game play, everything's just so good! And it's nice to see a Nitrome game that's a bit different. So, yeah, great game. And great review! :)
Oh yeah, and has anyone else noticed
the advert for Skywire 2 that says it's coming soon?!?!
I nearly passed out with excitement! I can't wait! Maybe Nitrome heard my outcries...
I'm struggling with level 23 - can anyone help?
I've made it through the part where you free little safari guys from the cage, jump over the 4 moving blocks, and get to where theres another chain-moving-block.
I figured that you need to get into the alcove, otherwise when you make the chain platform the chain-moving-block makes it go away, and you fall.
However, I can't seem to get across the chain platform from once I'm on it because the moving block is in the way.
What should I do?
help with level 16 please? I nearly got it one time, miraculously I got past BOTH sets of walls, and got killed AFTER releasing the prisoners. I just wanted to scream. It must have taken well over an hour, I didn't count time. Surely one doesn't have to jump up and precision-fire down to those spots like that? I never used the glowing button on the first set of walls- I must be doing it wrong. It's driving me nuts.
someone help me with lvl 21
@ lala: I would, but you remind me of a guy named lalaland who posted questions in the "Aquanaut" thread without ever saying "please" or "thank you". Well, I am a pedant and a childish and vengeful one at that, so you will have to wait for somebody else to answer your questions this time.
Luckily, most people are not as narrow-minded as I am, so you probably won't have to wait for too long.
I've always been a Nitrome fan- I can usually tell whether a game is made by them just by looking at one screencap- but I didn't expect them to come up with a game based on historic events like this.
...Europe WAS involved in a war in 1897, right?
please help me on level 11...i cant get up to where those electricity balls are coming out
about level 11-
Get up onto that moving platform, just under where the electricity balls end. Shoot a rebounding shot from the left pillar to the right pillar that is above you. It will form a chain, jump onto it when the platform goes near. The electricity ball will run down that chain, but you just jump. Then go up and defeat the machine by shooting at it's head. Jump every time the ball comes. It's easy, it's just a little bit of a trick thinking of that rebound shot the first time.
Now someone please help with level 16 *grin*
help! i can't figure out how to get past level9.
Level 23 has been modified to solve the bug.
It was a scrolling issue, so a short easy bit at the beginning has been added to give the scrolling engine a kick up the bum and make sure there is another teleporter for the winch teleporter to communicate with (only small parts of the map are rendered at any one time so the computer doesn't cry). Plus the distance between those trouble teleporters has been made a little shorter.
You need to clear the cache on your browser to see the new level if you have already played it:
Firefox: Go to the menu bar, Tools > Clear Private Data, uncheck all items apart from cache and press Clear Private Data Now.
Internet Explorer: Goto Tools > Delete Browsing History, click on the Delete Files button next to Temporary Internet Files.
Wow, that is some cool news, st33d. Good to see a patch go online so promptly and with such precise instructions. If you are a member of/associated with Nitrome, please accept my compliments on the speedy update and the game overall.
@Soniclover: I can't think of any historic events or a war in Europe that the game could be directly based on. The only historic thing in it seems to be Queen Victoria, and she doesn't exactly play a lead role. Dirigibles at the time couldn't even be moved around reliably (that took another three years of development). The scenario is simply steampunk, with some widely exaggerated technology of the late 19th century (and that is a good thing).
Hey wait, doesn't clearing the cache mean I'll have to play the whole game over again? (sorry for double posting)
Well, there was this "Great War in England in 1897": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_War_in_England_in_1897
As for level 9:
1st machine- stand below the platform & just shoot up at it.
2nd machine- stand on the block & shoot rebound shots.
Stand there & shoot at the bottom arrow for the moving platform. It comes to you, you stand on it, and shoot at the upper arrow. You go upwards, but make sure you are ready to jump off to your left at the first opportunity before you are crushed.
Stand there and aim at the bottom arrow in the wall to the left. It will bring the block over to the left, blocking the missles. You can then destroy the machine to your left, or not, because it only earns you a cup of tea. There is a cross there too. I don't bother though because at that point I haven't lost any strength, and it is too hard to get to.
Go up, and to cross that platform, you shoot at the missles coming at you, and drop down. Or, you can stand next to the block and shoot at the button right above you. It will bring the block up. Then you can shoot a button bringing the block to your right, blocking the missles so you can cross. Cross over & down.
Pile a bunch of shots down in the drop because there is machines and soldiers down there too. Shoot the button directly in front of you to the right and it will take the platform down, ride it down. Free the prisoners, shoot the button up and to your left and Bob's your Uncle, you're done.
Come on- people here have beat level 16- won't anybody share, pretty please? What are those glowing buttons for, on the right of those walls? There's one at the top of each of those stupid parallel walls. I shoot them and nothing happens. Surely, I'm not supposed to try to do this crazy precision shooting, especially the second one with the missles coming down. The camera angle changes everything around and makes it mostly luck. It's driving me nuts! --Thanks in advance-
Oh wait, I finally got level 16- mostly luck, I never said I was a great player-
i have been checking here for two days to see if anyone gives info. about level 16- pleeease how do you get past the the two walls.?:(
thanks
About level 16- the way I got past those walls-
I found out which button would give me two bars to jump on. Jump onto the top one. Then jump up, and shoot downwards to the button that would give me two bars with more height. With the second set I had to time it with the missles, too. It wasn't skill really, just luck. There are those glowing buttons at the top of one of each of those sets of walls, but I didn't figure out how to use it. It was perfectly annoying, and I'm sure my way wasn't the correct way.
Caya, the glowing buttons at the top just tell you that your way ends there; if there were even more teleporters to shoot at, you'd have to do more guessing as to which one to fire at.
after my previous plea for help for level 16 i went back to the game and as if by magic finished the level without any problems!! the trick must be to ask for help and you get your answer from the great computer in the sky via this site!!! :)
please someone help me im stuck on level 21, i cant do it...its hard...id do anythin 2 get past tht lvl!!! plz!!!
For 21, all you need to know should be explained at the beginning of the level. It is just long, tedious, and boring but not difficult. Just shoot at the wall as you jump on and you will get it eventually.
yo Groogokk, lala and lalaland are the same person...ME you are so impaired and i'll never say please or thank you
Groogokk: Clearing the cache won't affect the game. It is easier for Flash developers to use a device called a Flash Object than to use browser cookies. This is a special file that is saved in the Documents and Settings folder on your computer.
So, if I wanted to erase my progress in a game I would go to:
C:
Documents and Settings
user name
Application Data
Macromedia\Flash Player
#SharedObjects
and somewhere in there is a folder that represents where I played that Flash game. Erase that folder and you erase your game data.
Thank you for that information, st33d.
Hi :)
I really like this game and have been ok so far, however i can't get past level 17. I mean not even the v. first bit-and i feel really stupid :(
Anyway if youh no the level could you comment- I would appreciate it! :D
To get you started, help:
Get on the platform with the gas pipe on the right side, and when it goes down, jump off to the left, so you land behind a steam tank. Shoot the tank, then head right.
hi:D
I just can't pass level 14, because of the two platforms with the blue things in front of them and the bombs coming out of the other side. I just need help on that part and that level.... PLEASE HELP
hi:D
i need help passing level 14
hi:D
i need help passing level 14
i hate level 21
for the first boss go to the edge of the first platform he goes in a circle hit him
i hate level 21 to
hi. i need help with level 12. thanks!
It's a great game, but there is one thing I can't believe.
How the heck did they get all this technology in 1897??????
I cant get past level 21! please help. i know what to do but I keep dying anyway
Paulinator I can not past level 21 too
Quite a nifty game. Count me with those who enjoy the steampunk atmospherics.
Does anyone else feel bad when they have to shoot the bad guys? They may be minions of evil and all, but they're just so cute, sitting there eating lunch, all quiet and oblivious... and then - pow! - a chain comes flying out of nowhere.
groogokk, can you help me with lvl 17, i really appreciate it
i figured out the first part of level 16! so happy =]
ok here's how you do it:
1. shoot at the very first teleporter on your right after killing the enemy
2. jump onto the second chain you made
3. this part is the trickiest and time your shots carefully. what i do would be to put my cursor directly on the teleport i used before. shoot at the 2nd lowest on your right just as it disappears off the screen.
4. now, repeat step 3, but aim at one one above it.
5. voila! your at the top now [=
now to figure out the rest...
i figured out the first part of level 16! so happy =]
ok here's how you do it:
1. shoot at the very first teleporter on your right after killing the enemy
2. jump onto the second chain you made
3. this part is the trickiest and time your shots carefully. what i do would be to put my cursor directly on the teleport i used before. shoot at the 2nd lowest on your right just as it disappears off the screen.
4. now, repeat step 3, but aim at one one above it.
5. voila! your at the top now [=
now to figure out the rest...
sorry about the spelling errors before, i was kind of excited from solving it =]
I hate level 21 also, it took all the game energy from me.
arrrrrg i can do level 11, but why is my timing so bad?!?
i've clicked "try again" like a million times
and also:
I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL SKYWIRE TWO COMES OUT!
I may be useless at number one, but i liked just playing and failing!
sorry about double post but:
I DID IT!!!
It tensed (?) all the life out of me (?!?) but I got to the end...
*sighs*
phew!
I totally agree- I hate killing the enemies! All of nitrome's games have cute enemies, with big pleading eyes and a pitiful scream when you beat the hell out of them! Aww.
ok... i never play online games but this one rocks
how the heck do you get past those walls in lvl 16??
please help! is it just jumping and shooting at the right time?
HELP!
Please help me with level 15! I can't get the block to move in the right direction!!
to anonymous on April 8th,
Yeah it's got something to do with the jumping and aiming.
You must do both at once!! Completing that was so frustrating I lost count of how many times I tried.
p.s. sorry for doing a double post earlier on!!
ok level 21:
sorry it's so wordy (-.-")
well to start off,
shoot at the right hand side of the wall and climb onto the chain.
now this is easy peasy: find a way to time your jump and aim the cursor slightly above on the same wall. be careful though - somewhere near the top left hand side of the wall, the green gas comes out. time your jumps when it finishes.
eg. jump, shoot, jump, shoot. etc (dont do both at once though!)
take that teacup and shoot at the other wall. walk onto that chain, and basically aim slightly down on any side of the wall. dont bother about jumping- just keep shootinng a few more times. if you can see the flying cannon guy, you're on the right track
when you think that's the last chain, go to the lowest point of the chain. look for the moving platform. time your jump so that you land on it. now, go the the very left, so when that floating guy shoots, you won't get hurt.
ok, once you're past that little section of wall and the cannon guy fires one at you, shoot him down and make a chain on the next wall. try to aim at the bottom right hand corner. jump onto it when you're near
TRICKY PART! if anything goes wrong and you start to fall, dont make a chain. Instead, swerve to the very left of the walls until you hit the platform again.
here, continue making chains like you did in the very first part. collect the medals if you like and go up ahead
now you might see those gas things again. time yourself to get past three of them. up again are two cannons. dodge them if necessary, though dont shoot the missiles or you'll lose the chain you're standing on.
once at the top, shoot the two baddies running around and somehow aim at the ceiling above the prisoners so that it ricochets to hit the lock. then, run to the exit!
huzzah! level completed!
note: that's to anyone that wants it :)
im doing 22 now :D
@ Zug:
i thought it was 'man down!'
=3
how do you get past lvl 23?!?!?!?!
how do u get past level 9 can you tell me plz.
Hi. :]
I can't get past level 12!
Like, at the end.
I don't get what you do.
Someone help me.
Please?
This is really one of the best free games ever, I love the steampunk setting!
when he dies i think he says "oh wacko" or something. just wanted to clear that up =)
what does he say when you get the teacup?
Here's what I did for the end of 23
stand on the block and shoot the chain so the block is pulled up. jump to the ledge on the left. Then, shoot back down to the portal that was just uncovered by the block so it's pulled down to where it started. Shoot the portal directly next to you and then you'll have a bridge to the exit!
um mm I've done the first part of level eleven but I can't get past the part where there is the moving platform and a shooty thing??
i've been stuck at level 23 for the past 2 days.
the very first part, when you link onto the first block which pulls you into the portal for the second block. i keep waiting til the last second to shoot the second, but by the time i jump onto the stable block, the moving one is out of reach.
can anyone please tell me how to get past the very opening of the level?
thanks!
I've completed the game!
(I actually did this a long time ago)
Queen Victoria is rescued and the fortress is blown up. But he encounters another problem!
Can anyone help with level 11? I have a tip for the beginning of it:
At the beginning, go to the very right of the platform that you are on(as far as you can go), and shoot up/diagonally left and then climb up the chain.
To climb up the chain, jump up it
Then jump from the chain to the moving platform.
Note: It may take a few gos...
Nice art, premise and some good puzzles, but it has some real balance design issues. There are levels that if you don't make a critical jump you have to commit suicide because there is no other way to reset the jump. That's a sign of just plain bad game design.
I passed the whole game without any spoilers! I'm so proud :D
This is by far my favourite game by Nitrome.
And there's going to be a sequel!
Dirk Valentine and the Martian Underworld!
If some of you are mostly interested in the story part, this is what I retained *word for word*:
With the Baron vanquished, Dirk and Victoria escaped, leaving the Navy to destory the Fortress.
The Queen led Britain to victory... *forget the rest.*
And the last part, word for word:
And Dirk? He had a small problem, in Dirk Valentine and the Martian Underworld!!!!!!!! you have no idea how excited I am! EEEEP!
Although it would be nice if Nitrome could have a female lead character in a game..
Does anyone know how to get through Dirk Valentine level 9? After hopping over the box where the 4 rows of guns fire missiles over the top you are left with a long drop and no easy way out.
Cheers!
i cannot beat level 10! props to caya for posting that level 9 spoiler- couldn't have done it without you :)
Hi,
Stuck on level 11. Over on the right hand side right at the top, after the combination moving up and down platforms. I can't get up to the very top to tackle the electric machine, even using the chain to make an extra step up .
Help please. Thanks in advance.
Steve
Interesting. Certainly the high Nitrome quality I would expect. But is it possible that the name of the protagonist is borrowed from Thaddeus Valentine, one of the characters from Philip Reeve's steampunk novel, Mortal Engines?
after just few hours of playing I found it really fun and interesting and i'm now attempting level 14
What the heck? A sequel is coming out? Sorry about language, but I agree with Pauline. It would be nice to have a female lead character...
I can't do level 10! help!
Help for level 18? I can't get past that armoured steam machine (Just before the explorers) without getting hit, and I can't get past that electric machine
I think this game deserves a sequel, as well as all the nitrome platformers with a solid story deserve.
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