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Welcome to the Arabian Nights!

Archive: 35 posts

Welcome, Sackboy, to the Arabian Nights.

Get ready to jump and climb around this Arabian city, and take care of the many dangers surrounding yourself!.

A brief summary of what this version (Short Version Test) contains:


Five differenciated obstacles areas.
Kinda good visuals (at least I hope you like it)
A more platforming and less action level, overall.


There will be a larger version once the Egypt pack gets released tomorrow, so I can see what stickers I can use and where to take my stage. The larger version is scheduled for Sunday this week, though I will try to make it earlier.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this level. Here is the info so you can find the stage easier:

Name: Arabian Nights
My PSNiD: Mik2121
Icon: A snake (the animal, not the clone of Big Boss) head
Location: Around Egypt


And some pretty pictures:

http://mik2121.com//wp-content/uploads/2009/08/arabianights1.jpg
The beginning!

http://mik2121.com//wp-content/uploads/2009/08/arabianights2.jpg
Jumping around the city!

http://mik2121.com//wp-content/uploads/2009/08/arabianights3.jpg
Not as dangerous as it looks...

http://mik2121.com//wp-content/uploads/2009/08/arabianights4.jpg
Switches are always fun! : )

http://mik2121.com//wp-content/uploads/2009/08/arabianights5.jpg
Wa... wait!.. What's that!??		2009-04-30 05:46:00

Author:
Mik2121
Posts: 75

hmmm, I think ill play this right now, I'LL be back.

EDIT Alright, I just played your level and I would have to say that it is very fun. The visuals are impressive and I can't wait to see what the rest.

It's really hard to give feedback on an incomplete level, but I'm sure that the longer version will be even better. When the full version comes out I'll be sure to give better feedback.		2009-04-30 06:11:00

Author:
sjbluedog24
Posts: 80

Thanks for the 'short' feedback though, sjbluedog!. I will start doing some other areas and leave them around until I get the Egyptian pack and see what would be the best way to connect them and if I should or not change something else.2009-04-30 08:31:00

Author:
Mik2121
Posts: 75

Alright, just gave it a quick run through.

+Every material in the level fits an "Arabian" theme.
+Everything looked neat, the visuals were very good, good job.
+Platforming was fun.
+The little lighting you used was good.

-Needs more detail, what I mean is the buildings look too clean and neat, I'm pretty sure all buildings have a few cracks in them, the stickers should be under "realistic".
-The two platforms at start have a sound of "creaking" or something like that? Yet they're very sturdy, maybe add a spring bolt to them to give them that wobble effect.
-A lot of spots had nothing to do except walk, if you are going to do that, give that section a little more eye candy. The other option is to add some platforming/enemies. I know your not done with the level but this is just a tip/reminder.

Overall, the level is looking pretty good, can't wait to see the final version.		2009-04-30 08:53:00

Author:
Whalio Cappuccino
Posts: 5250

Thanks for the feedback, Whaaaaale. I know it needs more details, that's why I'm waiting for the Egyptian pack (I think I said this in the OP too). I don't wanna use the realistic stickers because I'm going for this look on purpose, kind of simple and clean, though maybe in some really empty areas I might add a couple cracks, but I'm still not sure about that. Even whenever I use the stickers, I won't really fill everything up.

Too many spots with nothing to do except walk? Alright, I will try to make it more fun.. though I thought I didn't have that many empty areas (except the 'obvious' walks in between obstacle areas).

But again, thanks. I will fix those things you said, and yeah, the two platforms with the creaking sound is a bit too bland. I will delete those sounds later.		2009-04-30 09:13:00

Author:
Mik2121
Posts: 75

I'll take a look asap. I'm liking the look from the pics already. If you want to give feedback on any of my levels I'd appreciate it.

My levels are arranged in a + sign around my pic but don't bother with the ones to the left,they're mostly old ones and storage and due to be deleted soon for something new.

My newest levels at the moment are in my sig below.

Cheers.		2009-04-30 11:54:00

Author:
mistervista
Posts: 2210

Well, I liked what I saw. The swingy parts over the spikes etc were good. I'll echo what others have said though in that it`s very short. Almost feels like an introduction level to a proper one. And there are times where it feels you`re not really doing much.

I`m curious as to why the Egypt pack will expand your level. It`s only 10 stickers, most of them part of the same object, and your level isn`t set in Egypt 		2009-04-30 19:10:00

Author:
Matt 82
Posts: 1096

Who said my level isn't set in Egypt? Because I surely didn't say so. It might not look like the most Egypt-like place, but it's actually near that. Basically same 'world' was in Aladdin, and while it won't be with the ancient Egypt gods and whatnot, when I talked about the Egypt pack I still didn't know what stickers were in. Now I know which ones are in, and I might be able to use a couple of them (the hieroglyphics) and stick with the temple and other decorations for the rest of the stuff.

And for the stage being short.. well.. I thought I got the point through when I said "short version test". But yeah, regarding not being much to do sometimes, I will try to fix that.

Thanks for the feedback.		2009-04-30 20:28:00

Author:
Mik2121
Posts: 75

Aladdin is from Bagdhad, but it`s close enough.2009-04-30 20:32:00

Author:
Matt 82
Posts: 1096

Well yeah, Baghdad.. but as you said, close enough. I honestly thought the Egyptian pack would include better stickers, but after seeing the horrible stickers from the Heavenly Sword pack, I shouldn't expect anything better.. (though the ones in the KZ2 pack were quite good.. but seriously, wtf were they thinking with the HS pack? The stickers are the worst ones I've ever seen.. they are practically worthless).

Anyway, as I said there are a couple stickers from this pack that can be used in my stage, for the rest of the things, I guess I will have to keep it like that (I like it 'simple' and 'clean' looking). I will also add lots more obstacles and whatnot, so I'll be waiting for your feedback once the 'extended' version gets published!

Again, thanks for all the feedback and overall comments!.		2009-04-30 21:01:00

Author:
Mik2121
Posts: 75

Yeah I expected more from the sticker packs. Dunno why I buy them tbh. I won`t bother with the Norse one, as I don`t think the Egyptian one is up to much.2009-04-30 21:06:00

Author:
Matt 82
Posts: 1096

And now my credit card won't work, perfect timing ^O^... the fu....

Oh well, I hope by monday it works! I'll try to get my stage almost ready so I only need to place stickers in the end.		2009-05-01 07:11:00

Author:
Mik2121
Posts: 75

Played it last night and liked the look of it a lot and the gameplay was good as far as it goes. I didn't really get any Egyptian feel though, it seems more Persian to me so I wouldn't put anything Egyptian in there if I were you as it may look a bit contradictory.

It may be because it's a short test version as you say and you haven't sorted it yet but I couldn't for the life of me get up the ledge with the bubbles near the finish where the 3 tentacles are. I tried to grab them and use the momentum to get up there but it was impossible.

As for the rest of the level i would advise to just keep building the way you are because the design is great and whatever you do don't use any stickers from the new pack because they would spoil it completely. I just downloaded them and they are total rubbish. The Hieroglyphs in particular are horrendous. I made better ones myself and threw them away becuse they weren't good enough.

Look at the 'Eye of Horus' for instance. It's completely the wrong shape. I don't know what's wrong with MM putting stickers out to buy that are this BAD!!! It's a complete rip-off.

Anyway just forget anything in the pack and finish the level without them. It would be much better to make your own stickers. I can make some for you better than the MM ones if you want. Just drop me a line if so.		2009-05-01 10:12:00

Author:
mistervista
Posts: 2210

Thanks for the feedback, mistervista.

As I said in the other comment, it's not quite an Egyptian stage as it's more of a, well, Bagdad stage, but I thought maybe the Egyptian pack could help. The hieroglyphics sucks? Well, I guess I will end up using just some of the older stickers, though not that much...
Regarding custom made stickers, thanks! But I don't like custom made stickers made with the Eye cam, so I will stick to the stickers provided by Mm.

Oh and the tentacles area shouldn't be difficult at all... even my gf made it! (and she never plays games!!). You just have to grab one, wait for it to go up and just grab a higher part of another tentacle, and keep doing that until you reach the tip of one of them. Anyway, those bubbles are an extra, so you don't really need to get them.

Again, thanks for the feedback!.		2009-05-01 12:16:00

Author:
Mik2121
Posts: 75

I played this level last night, too. The mechanics seem pretty good so far. Looked very "aladdin-ish", and reminded me a bit of the old Aladdin super nintendo game, so that's a plus.

Can't really say much more about it because it's a test version and there isn't much else to say. I'll look forward to your finished version.

Oh, heh heh... and I left you some pictures. ^_^		2009-05-01 15:02:00

Author:
xkappax
Posts: 2569

Just finished playing your level and I thought it was quite a gem. A little barren in places but some solid platforming makes up for it.

Pros:
+Good platforming
+Some great use of stickers
+Combined fantasy with reality beautifully
+A few secrets
+Plenty of variety

Cons:
-Too many unlimited checkpoints
-More decoration needed as right now it is a bit dull to look at
-Incredibly short

I rated it 4 stars and I hope that more gets added to it. Just to put my perspective on the Egyptian pack, I brought it and the costumes are worth the money. The stickers aren't up to much but they're decent and give a slight insight into an egytian world.
But yeah, good costumes, and some decent stickers. I recommend a buy (especially as it's pretty cheap).		2009-05-01 17:11:00

Author:
Coxy224
Posts: 2645

Why would you view unlimited checkpoints as a bad thing? All they do in this case is save you starting again should you die a few times? If you want to get sent back to the start, there is an option to do it yourself in the start menu.2009-05-01 17:36:00

Author:
Matt 82
Posts: 1096

I will buy the Egyptian pack as soon as I get my CC to work again, I have bought every single DLC for LBP so this won't be different, but yeah, the stickers don't really seem to be all that good..

By the way, I just republished my stage with a couple new things, though nothing really important yet. I added a couple more stickers and an extra room with two new 'obstacles', but I republished it to show it to a friend and forgot to keep a copy of the older version, so I thought.. whatever! now everybody can play it as well
So yeah, the newest version has now the scoreboard placed in a very... WTF location, but whatever, I'm doing some new stuff so I will relocate the scoreboard and put it somewhere else.

Regarding what Coxy said..

I don't see how unlimited checkpoints can be bad. I'm one against having some hard obstacles with a 3-lives checkpoint and dying because it's stupidly hard. So I decided to go for unlimited even though my stage isn't really all that hard, but this way I'm sure everybody will be able to finish the stage without restarting, which can get really annoying.

Regarding the decoration, well, I already said I left that for the Egyptian pack but now that I know it.. well.. sucks, I will use the older decorations and whatnot. Also, expect some new 'area' in my stage, not just city!! Though it will fix very well (or so I think!), it shouldn't feel out of place at all..

And yeah, right now it's very short, but I guess that's the "point" of a test, it's just for.. testing the basics. If there were some really big flaws in the design, I would have had to remake it all, so making a short stage was a better idea in my opinion.

Again, thanks for all the feedback! I will keep updating!.		2009-05-01 17:48:00

Author:
Mik2121
Posts: 75

Hey Mik, Just tried out your level and it was very fun!!

The first thing I noticed was how you constructed your level.
Very much in the way Mm advises you to and at first I thought I was playing a creator-template.
That also means I was suprised it was so **** short but now I've read that this seems to be just a "test-level" so its okay.

Aside from maybe adding a few decorations, I really liked the clean look you went for.
The contrast between the background scenery and the purple tentacles works really well that way!!

Nothing bad to say about the gameplay, just good ol' platforming


I gave it 4 stars and I'm looking forward to playing the finished level!!		2009-05-02 03:46:00

Author:
Zwollie
Posts: 2173

Pro tip: Rename your level "Prince of Persia" and watch your number of plays triple.

Joking aside though it was a fun but short level. Now you have the art style down and given it that Persian feeling I hope you do some follow up levels that continue the theme.

I was thinking of doing some Middle Eastern themed levels myself. Though I haven't decided if I'd like them to be modern or in a classic style yet. I was honestly thinking of doing something on Gaza... though I'm not sure getting political in LBP will work all that well. Still anything to raise awareness of important issues.		2009-05-02 08:57:00

Author:
Sosaku
Posts: 146

It looks nothing like Egypt tbh. I know you've said this, but I thought I'd say it too. It looks Israel/Iran, maybe even Indian, if you were to add some brighter colours and onion shaped roofs lol!

It does look nice.

I'd add to more detail though. You say you want to keep it simple, but really, you can keep the same look with more detail, and it will be much more impressive. Look at Mrsupercomputer for example. Extremely simple style, lots of detail.		2009-05-02 10:29:00

Author:
dkjestrup
Posts: 672

It seems like a nice level, and keeps gettiing good reviews i'll be sure to give it a go later!2009-05-02 10:35:00

Author:
Silverleon
Posts: 6707

Thanks for all the comments.

Zwollie, thanks. I try to create everything as 'simple' as possible. I can go for a detailed and complex look, really, but I just noticed it makes the game lag more when playing online with other people, so I decided to make something that can be easily played online with as less lag as possible.

Sosaku, yeah I'm kind of.. floored by the fact that some incredibly CRAPPY stages get +10,000 plays and some of the more complex ones get no plays even though they are better in all ways. But whatever... oh, and good luck with your idea!.

dkjestrup, I never said it WAS in Egypt. I said I would use the Egyptian stickers (before I knew they sucked) just because, well, the stickers from the Temples aren't really all that useful in this stage. And I know it needs more details, I thought I made it quite clear in the first post I made, and then in almost every single reply. But yeah, I will add more details soon!.

Silverleon, thanks! I'll be waiting for your feedback!.


BTW, right now I can't play with the PS3 connected to my TV so I decided to connect it to the computer and might as well stream it via justinTV or ustream. I will set it up and post a link, I wonder if someone might want to join, if just to chat while I do some stuff on the Create mode..		2009-05-02 14:39:00

Author:
Mik2121
Posts: 75

Link to the live streaming. Sorry for the low quality though

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/lbp-create-mode		2009-05-02 14:49:00

Author:
Mik2121
Posts: 75

dkjestrup, I never said it WAS in Egypt.



Name: Arabian Nights
My PSNiD: Mik2121
Icon: A snake (the animal, not the clone of Big Boss) head
Location: Around Egypt

You kinda did.

It doesn`t really matter but I think the reason so many people have mentioned it is that your level has a good style and theme to it, so folk don`t want to see it ruined by dodgy geography that`s all.		2009-05-02 17:52:00

Author:
Matt 82
Posts: 1096

It was located around Egypt in the in-game's map, and that's because actually the Baghdad area is where my player's icon is, so I just placed my stage next to it. I didn't say the stage location was Egypt, as in, it was based in Egypt.

Trust me, I know what I'm doing with me stage, I'm the first one who don't wanna ruin it 		2009-05-03 00:19:00

Author:
Mik2121
Posts: 75

Ah! Haha the penny drops.

I see where the confusion has come from. Anyway, looking forward to the full version as the stuff you have in this one is good.		2009-05-03 18:12:00

Author:
Matt 82
Posts: 1096

I uploaded a newer version of the stage. It has now a bit more content, but it's still a work in progress.

I will start doing 'The Palace' area now 		2009-05-04 13:40:00

Author:
Mik2121
Posts: 75

I played this the other day and thought it was a very nice work in process. As some others have said, it's a bit short and needs a few more decorations throughout, but it appears that you are aware of that. I enjoyed the scenery, the platforming, and the creatures!

I'll definitely keep my eye on this one as you work to improve and add to it. It's looking really good so far!		2009-05-04 14:17:00

Author:
mrsupercomputer
Posts: 1335

Thanks for the comment mrsupercomputer. I updated a new version if you guys wanna check it 2009-06-06 05:54:00

Author:
Mik2121
Posts: 75

Returning the favor

Pros:
+ nice visuals
+ hidden bubbles
+ nice tentacles
+ platforming
+ a puzzle

I see that's it still in development like my! I liked the boxes at the end, lold at still in construction.

Suggestions:
- finish it

4 stars & heart cause I want to know where's it going.		2009-06-21 10:22:00

Author:
blizzard_cool
Posts: 752

Sorry it took so long to get around to returning your f4f.

Good:

I loved the platforming and the environment, shapes and textures were great!

Needs Improvement:

DEAR GOD WHY THE SPRINGIES?! I've never had trouble with springy platforms until your level and I don't know why. The only guess i can come up with is that they are someone mechanically different from all the others I've seen... it's just so hard to actually get a jump rhythm going on them. Every time I saw one I was like, "D: AGAIN?! crap! T_T *spends 5 minutes trying to get jumping correctly*"

I was kinda expecting a giant octopus boss at the end from all the tentacles in the level. I was going to give it a 4, but the springies made it a 3. o3o		2009-06-23 08:05:00

Author:
Jakeb89
Posts: 15

Uhm.. I don't see how the springs (that work, I have never had a problem and neither did my friends) are reason enough to drop one star, but whatever. I would try to fix it, but I can't see how is it broken.. :/2009-06-23 10:15:00

Author:
Mik2121
Posts: 75

Uhm.. I don't see how the springs (that work, I have never had a problem and neither did my friends) are reason enough to drop one star, but whatever. I would try to fix it, but I can't see how is it broken.. :/

Yeah, I don't understand why they gave me so much trouble, but I literally spent about 10 minutes on the first one just getting it to let me jump high enough and was getting very frustrated with each additional one. Frustration = drop a star. Sorry...

I am looking forward to the rest of the level however. I saw that it was still under construction, and I think it will be very good.		2009-06-24 10:26:00

Author:
Jakeb89
Posts: 15

Yeah, I don't understand why they gave me so much trouble, but I literally spent about 10 minutes on the first one just getting it to let me jump high enough and was getting very frustrated with each additional one. Frustration = drop a star. Sorry...

I am looking forward to the rest of the level however. I saw that it was still under construction, and I think it will be very good.

I've been out for a while (had some stuff to do, and then a trip and whatnot), but I will try to fix my stage in the next few days. Thanks for the feedback!.		2009-08-26 16:49:00

Author:
Mik2121
Posts: 75


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