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Frost

Archive: 26 posts

Frost is my newest level, with a HUB system and a unique look.

In Frost, you stumble upon a temple/dungeon, but not just any normal temple. The temple is a frosty temple, covered in ice and snow. I really wanted to come up with a unique look for my level, because I am tired of seeing the same old browns, tans and golds in the temple levels made before. Frost has a blue and white motif, with the goal to make the level "feel" cold. Sackboy must find 3 talismans to escape and get back home.

There is also a race version you unlock when you beat the normal version, so that you can race through the level and try to get the high score!

Feedback is appreciated, and I will do as many as needed.

Edit: btw, PSN username is logan1223		2009-04-08 21:05:00

Author:
cornontheCOD
Posts: 150

Ok, I went ahead and played this. I gotta say, this is definately your best work so far. I really enjoyed it.

From a positive standpoint, I liked the fact that you separated it into 3 areas with separate challenges. Also, your design really gives an epic feel - everything seems big.

Also, I saw a few ideas in here that I thought were implemented really well. When you get on the platform that rolls you to the left (the "up" area), and had to dodge the dropping electrified balls - that was pretty cool. As well, in that area, I really enjoyed the emitted balls that fly up in the air that let you fly up to the next area. In fact, this was definately the coolest mechanic I saw in the whole level.

I also really enjoyed the tower collapse.

Now, there are definately some places here that could use some work:

Plaform on the wheel - when it was moving to the left and you pass by the thin material, I THOUGHT the thin material was a platform I was supposed to jump on. When I did this I fell to my death..... however, since your checkpoint is in the foward layer after that it just kept dumping me to my death over and over. I would suggest either a) remove the thin material from this area so it doesn't pass between the checkpoint and the rolling platform, or b) at least change the camera angle to pan to the left or right so that the player can see that it is simply thin material that you can't jump on.

After getting off the rolling platform, and getting to the checkpoint on the left - it was really hard to tell where to jump here because of the combination of the camera angle and the glass, so I jumped to the left - and fell all the way out of the game to the bottom of the level. I tried again and ended up getting stuck in a "glass triangle". I finally figured out I had to jump straight up. It's not necessarily that this area is hard, but the camera angle and glass make it difficult to tell what to do. I would block the player from jumping to the left, which will force them to jump up and onto the platform in the background.

At the end of this section when I grabbed the talisman and the tower fell it threw me straight down and I died. I think this is because it through me into an angle in the snow that wedged me in. Maybe curve the hard angles in the snow out a little to prevent this.

Next area - the balloon. If you grab this and let go instead of floating all the way up to the top the game is over. I would either a) make the balloon emit as the player enters the area so if they fall back to the bottom the balloon reappears, or b) put about 4 balloons in that area so if the player fails they can try again.

When first entering the level, if you stand to the left you can clearly see the great big lamp. This kind of spoils the immersion here. I would put some material in front of it.

A few subjective comments (take them for what you will )

Aesthetics - there were a lot of straight rectangle shapes throughout. One thing that could help the "look" is to cut some nice angles in the bottom of the rectangle platforms to give it more of an "ice cave" aethetic.

The ending - this seemed to be a story-driven-type level, but there is no ending to the story. I was a little surprised to suddenly be walking over the finish line.

All in all I was very impressed and enjoyed the level. I gave it 4 stars and a heart.		2009-04-08 23:16:00

Author:
CCubbage
Posts: 4430

Ok, I played your level, and got trapped... And was unable to finish...

I really liked tons about the level. Like Ccub, I really loved the upshooting paintball section to have you travel upwards... And I really liked the tethered jetback, so you can go anywhere.

Things that bugged me were some of the ****y camera angles... A few spots when you get to the sides and going up stairs you end up looking at a lot of solid wall... It didn't keep me from progressing, I just ended up looking at a lot of wall.

What did get me though was in the section where you have to push the slider to catch the falling electro rods (the part with the little cart and the paintinator)... I was able to get to the talisman and grab it, and get my reward sound... Then nothing happened. There was no way to get anywhere?I could not get out of that section, and there was no way to know if I was really successful or if it were goofed.

Maybe when you get a talisman you get some kind of indicator as to where to go...		2009-04-09 00:25:00

Author:
dobi6
Posts: 359

i've played a few of your levels and i keep finding really clever features that i would of never thought of xD

i love how you did the jetpack in this level, i had no idea you could carry something around with you like that, and it works really well because it stops you from going into certain areas		2009-04-09 00:45:00

Author:
Dexiro
Posts: 2100

Thanks for the comments, guys. I made some changes that will help make the level better.

Dobi6, the solution to get out of that area is simple: go to the right and walk under the electro-catcher. Is it hard to see that? Maybe I will put a camera angle there.

Also, a big thanks to the creator of Fortress Ironside. It was a big inspiration for me, and the jetpack idea is his. I just used it in my level because I thought it was neat (which it is)

P.S. If I forget to do F4F for you guys, feel free to PM me and bug me about it. I'm forgetful sometimes		2009-04-09 01:51:00

Author:
cornontheCOD
Posts: 150

Dobi6, the solution to get out of that area is simple: go to the right and walk under the electro-catcher. Is it hard to see that? Maybe I will put a camera angle there.

I went all around the area, and there was no way out of the big section. All the blocked areas stay blocked... Does something open up when you grab the talisman?		2009-04-09 04:37:00

Author:
dobi6
Posts: 359

?.....You have to walk under the catcher, where you have been before. When you move the catcher, look what is up and to the left: the talisman. In essence, you travel in a circle to get to the talisman, and keep going in that circle direction (Pretty much true for all 3 sections). I hope I didn't confuse you more 2009-04-09 05:23:00

Author:
cornontheCOD
Posts: 150

The level had some nice, original parts. I liked the part down and right where you have to push that thing to block the electric falling mabobs and shoot the little doohickey into the whole to get to go across. I liked flying up to the top of the tower too using the paintballs. That was VERY cool. The tower falling was pretty good too. I think that certain parts of the level could have used a bit more polish, particularly the things that you have to grab to light up those lights to leave the level. I did like the way you blocked the jet pack so you had to drop it. I've never seen anyone do anything like that, so it was neato.

I think that it could have been longer though.... >_>

But yeah, pretty good level! 		2009-04-09 06:24:00

Author:
qrtda235566
Posts: 3664

?.....You have to walk under the catcher, where you have been before. When you move the catcher, look what is up and to the left: the talisman. In essence, you travel in a circle to get to the talisman, and keep going in that circle direction (Pretty much true for all 3 sections). I hope I didn't confuse you more

As I said, I already got the talisman... I had gone around and gotten it, and it gave me the reward sound... Then nothing...

I will try it again tomorrow - probably to prove that I am a moron for missing something obvious.		2009-04-09 06:51:00

Author:
dobi6
Posts: 359

He's right Dobi..... the thing you push under the things to stop them from falling - you jump on it to the right. I could kind of SEE how someone would miss this, but I only hesitated here for a couple seconds.2009-04-09 12:07:00

Author:
CCubbage
Posts: 4430

Hmm... This seems interesting. I'll try it and let you know what I think.2009-04-09 12:22:00

Author:
SawronZXZ
Posts: 463

I enjoyed playing through this level, it has a variety of challenges and plenty of space to give the level an open, expansive feeling. There were a lot of good visual touches that added to the ambiance though in its entirety it didn?t seem so much as a hidden temple as it felt like four interconnected caverns than anything else.

I did notice that there are large areas of not much decoration on the background. Big sections of wall that looked pretty boring or empty but the upside to this is that I needed to be looking at the level from a set design perspective to notice the lack of ornamentation because I was having enough fun playing that I didn?t initially notice this about the level. I?m not saying that there is no decoration, there are a lot of cool decorations but the level takes up a lot of real estate and there are a few unadorned walls.

I like how you compartmentalized the three different regions though the down area seems to be the one with the least amount of challenge or things to do. I liked the way that you tethered the jet pack and allowed it to be used for travel between the zones but I ran into trouble once with it.

When I flew to the down area I thought that I had reached the level after I flew down the incline. I ran to the end on the right, jumped down and then did all that I needed to do in the lower area. It was then that I realized that I was supposed to have flown the jetpack through the tunnel and then down to the play area but without the jetpack I was completely stuck. I had to restart the level which was frustrating as I did that lower section last.

Something like this could happen in the upper-right area as well if a person released the jetpack before the anchor cleared the top of the angled spot that you use to keep the jetpack up there. Maybe you could put an elevator near each section so that stuck players could get up out of the pit or over the wall and make it back to the hub should they lose their jetpack.

Anyway, on to each section.

The up area was the best section in my opinion with the most challenge and interesting environments. There is the section in the beginning where you jump to grab the ball and the platform falls into place allowing you to jump over to the upper region to the right. At this spot you can bypass the need to do all of this by jumping up onto the curve of the wall and then jumping up again to get onto this raised area. This isn?t a big thing as it doesn?t bypass much of the level and the player only misses out on some score bubbles and a cool descending platform.

The paint ball area is cool but was a bit hard for me to ascend easily. Maybe I was doing it a bit wrong but my sackboy would move up for a bit and then fall back down. I wouldn?t change this area but it did take me a bit to get through. The falling tower was a lot of fun though I did die as well once as I fell down. There was a crevice or something that I fell into that squished me between something. Not a big thing as the checkpoint is right there.

The upper-right area was fun but a bit shorter. I was curious about the balloon area as well as this is something that can break a level should the player not make it up and no more balloons are available. When I took the balloon up and let go there was another balloon immediately behind it but when I went back down to the bottom there were no more balloons spawned.

This could be a problem for a multiplayer play through if there aren?t enough balloons for late comers. Tethering multiple balloons there rather than emitting them may be the easiest solution. The rotating block after the balloon was a great idea, lots of fun. And the snake was a surprise to see and something I?m still trying to figure out. Uh, why is the snake there again? It was funny nonetheless.

The lower area was good in that it offered different challenges though it was pretty short. The only thing about this area that cause me some problems was with the catcher thingy. You push it to the left to catch the falling electrified circles but when I pushed/pulled it to the right a bit I couldn?t put it back to the gap on the left. It looks like there is some glass in the thin front layer that stops just after the gap.

If the catcher platform moves too far to the right it gets off of this glass piece and then will catch on it when you try to slide it back. I couldn?t push the catcher hard enough to get over this small bump and the area was effectively broken. Luckily I had already done what I needed, unluckily I would soon find out that I had no jetpack but the point is still the same. If a player pulled this a bit to the right before pushing it to the left if could cause a level restart.

The ending was funny with the tiny little sack house with a big cave entrance in its backyard and the player wondering why they never noticed it before. Good stuff and a bit off-beat.

The music was a good match for the areas that I played through and the switch when you leave the temple was spot on.

This was a fun level and a good variation on the Aztec, Incan, Egyption et al type of temple. Good work.		2009-04-09 17:11:00

Author:
Trindall
Posts: 297

He's right Dobi..... the thing you push under the things to stop them from falling - you jump on it to the right. I could kind of SEE how someone would miss this, but I only hesitated here for a couple seconds.

Well, I went all over the place.. Eventually I tried to pull this thing to the right (I believe - but who knows, I could be wrong - it seems I am digging me into this hole deeper and deeper), and it just got stuck...

I will play it later when I am at my ps3.		2009-04-09 17:19:00

Author:
dobi6
Posts: 359

ok, the level is updated again. The balloons now keep spawning, there is a tip for when to leave the jetpack, and a tip on how to jump higher in the paintball part.2009-04-09 21:50:00

Author:
cornontheCOD
Posts: 150

I just played it!

Actually quite an enjoyable level to play, I liked how everything was so spacious and massive, and that you could go to one area, tackle the puzzles there, and then fly off to the next.

Lots of big angular shapes here, maybe you could make a few thin layers of dangling icicle that you can just stick onto the edges of platforms, just to help with the ice-cave environment.

My favourite bit was the huge tower that collapses. I also liked the frozen jetpack.

You should have a message appear when you've got the last Talisman, people might not notice that you already have the first one at the very start.

Also it ended very abruptly :S
Maybe you could have had a new chamber open up, full of treasure or ice statues, or you have to bring back a frozen idol. Something a bit more rewarding

Or maybe just have the fact that the temple was right in your back yard more subtle. Maybe you have to dig through a mound of snow before emerging to see your home.
For the digging you could fill the passage with bits of dissolve each with their own grab switch, then just disguise them as snow.		2009-04-10 17:22:00

Author:
Pitcard
Posts: 779

i'm having a bit of a block at the moment so my review will probably suck xD

i thought a lot of the level looked very bland and boring

most of it seemed to consist of that jade stone material, which isn't really easy on the eyes when there's lots of it.
and the icicles were just triangles sticking out of stone, it'd be nice to see like icy deposits across the ceiling with the icicles sticking out.

i thought the tower that collapses was great. It really gave the cave a dilapidated feel and i don't think there was enough of that...for example theres a lot of perfect straight edges and it didn't really feel like the ancient cave i assumed it was.
I think small details like platforms that have worn away, floors crumbling and rugged edges would really add to the atmosphere		2009-04-14 01:03:00

Author:
Dexiro
Posts: 2100

I thought the level had potential. The problems were:

Pick better materials! Very buisy materials, like the aztec materials, are hard on your eyes! Use rough stone bricks or temple stone, still have detail, but are not as in your face.

For making stuff blue, use blue glass/blue stickered glass. It comes across better, and glossy.

Everything is too square!

That is all.		2009-04-14 01:30:00

Author:
dkjestrup
Posts: 672

Just finished a quick play through and I enjoyed it. I thought you accomplished your goal of an icy wasteland and found a lot of the puzzles/obstacles to be very unique and fun. As many other posters have said, the falling tower is very cool and probably my favorite sequence in the level. I also liked your moving platforms and the inventive use of the paint as a kind of elevator. I've experimented with that in create mode a few times, it's pretty cool.

Everyone else has basically summed up my feedback, so I'll share a few bugs that I found:

- In the tower area, I was able to completely bypass the first section by simply jumping up the snow to the right of the swinging, glass, beam.

- In this same area, if you don't do the trick above, but instead head all the way to the left, you can see some dark matter.

- You can kind of exit the level after you ride the lift with the falling ice. If you walk behind the next checkpoint, you'll fall off the platform and you can see more dark matter. It doesn't take you complete out of the level though.

- After flipping the two switches and ride the sponge up the middle, I managed to kind of slingshot myself up onto the dark matter at the top. I then jumped off onto a switch of some kind to the left and then fell back where the "paint jumping" section was. When I returned to the platform with the lights, the sponge was no longer there. I guess it got stuck up top.

Overall, I found it to be a nice level and I appreciated the "openness" of it and being able to choose what obstacle to tackle first. Nice job!		2009-04-14 01:46:00

Author:
mrsupercomputer
Posts: 1335

F4F for playing my LBPGolfNA - Par 5 level.

I really enjoyed this level, particularly the variety of gameplay elements you've packed in here. Very fun and overall quite challenging. Speaking of challenging, before I get any further I should mention that I was unable to get 2 of the 4 talismans so of course did not finish the level... but more on that later. Visually this level is excellent. The combination of the shades of blue, different colored glass, and blue VR material all go together well. Your lighting is good too, but your horrible gas looks... well, horrible. It stands out like it was something that was left undone. It really should be blue or white - personally, I'd think white would look best. In the "up" area, I got past the emitted paintball area (super cool!) and made it up to what I think was the top. I wasn't sure where to go and headed to the right, but unfortunately I fell back down to the beginning of the stage. Because the motorized hanging platform had already been moved to the left, I was officially stuck without being able to get the talisman here. The "up/right" section went just fine - I particularly like the slowly rotating cube as a platforming element. Very nice. The "down" section also got me stuck. I saw the catcher and knew immediately what it was supposed to do... only it didn't do it. It was stuck and wouldn't move. I tried tipping it over and dragging it back and forth but something was stopping it from moving to the left. In an effort to "unlock" it, I ran around and got myself killed in the electric waterfall, ending the level. After reading the other posts here, it sounds like it is supposed to move freely. So, it was broken for me for some reason. Overall I liked this level a lot and will be playing it again soon to get to the end. Rated 4 stars, tagged "Multi-path", hearted.		2009-04-14 08:09:00

Author:
Taffey
Posts: 3187

Nice level.. The falling tower is cool.

A few comments:

- I would prefer a more clear indication of when a talisman has been found and activated. I got confused and almost thought that I maybe had to drag each of them back to the beginning. Why are the talisman movable objects at all, instead of just statues for example?

Since the talismen are the main goal in the level, they should also look better, and have a nice satisfying effect when activated. Currently, they are simply to subtle.

- I don't like the part where I jump upwards on a stream of paint, or whatever it is. I find it gimmicky and not fun to play at all.


F4F: You can check out my level "Save Die Reload!", PSN: "CarlsenJeppe".
Thread: https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=t=9714		2009-04-14 20:12:00

Author:
CarlsenJeppe
Posts: 67

Frost is making a comeback!
It is already my most-played level, and it got those plays in less time than all of my other levels!


Also, I updated the level.

Updates include many visual changes, and text boxes for when you get each talisman. Also, you can no longer cheat in the upper area by jumping up onto the snow		2009-04-18 23:12:00

Author:
cornontheCOD
Posts: 150

Fair play on the update, I'll have to give it another shot so.2009-04-19 21:25:00

Author:
Pitcard
Posts: 779

I just played this and thought it was great. Loads of really cool ideas and mechanisms which I haven't seen anywhere else. A nice layout, and at least one set-piece which made me go "woah".
The ending made me laugh aswell

My only criticism is that it could use a bit more decoration. But it's a big level, so I can see how that might take loads of work (or thermo).

how about throwing a bit of the tinfoil material into the mix?		2009-04-20 01:09:00

Author:
Tig-W
Posts: 106

^ I actually hearted the tinfoil material when I started the level. (Before I start a level I heart all the things that I'm going to use for that level, and unheart all of my old ones.) I guess I just never really thought it would fit anywhere.2009-04-20 01:36:00

Author:
cornontheCOD
Posts: 150

Just finished. I loved the feel of this level.

You managed to pull off an expansive, yet satisfying level.

I'd suggest encouraging the player to go to the cavern right above them first, because I did it last and the cutscene to inform me that I'd lit up all the lights made me miss part of the tower falling, (which was very cool)		2009-04-20 21:14:00

Author:
ApellesJr
Posts: 282

Ok heres my over-belated review.

Pros:

+Cool overall level, i liked the different chambers that had to be completed

+Cool idea with the jetpack, makes for easy transportation and i like the "drop your jetpack here points"


Cons:

-It really blands, but i realize it can hard to spiffy-up an ice level, because i mean, what are you going to add? more ice?

-There is no real story-line but thats not really a problem

-It ends abruptly and i got stuck between the house and the snowman >.<


Overall i thought it was a good level, 5/5 stars		2009-04-23 00:44:00

Author:
King_Tubb
Posts: 435


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