LBP Showcase / Reviews / Recommendations #1
BELOW THE ROOT - Chapter 3 : Temple Grund (SPOTLIGHTED W/PICS!)
Archive: 18 posts
| BELOW THE ROOT - Chapter 3 : Temple Grund ** Sorry for having 2 level threads created in 24 hours, it's just the way things happened this time around ** * VIDEO SOON! * The journey to Temple Grund was long and arduous, but you've finally arrived at the foot of the fabled home of the monks. They are your last hope for discovering the truth behind the disaster unfolding in Grund Forest. Getting to Master Monk Morgana won't be easy though; the temple isn't open to just anyone and the fact that it is burning to the ground complicates matters even further. Will this be the END TIME that many of the treetop citizens have been predicting? Will the forest REALLY burn to the ground? FEATURES: - Gorgeous visuals and cutscenes - Hidden points everywhere - Heavy on atmosphere - Epic END sequence useing timeline switch - A mix of puzzles and platforming and point bubble mini-games (small races - no race gates though, they don't suit my series IMO) - Fully-mixed music track - Varied environments - Not too long, but not too short either - Engaging continued storyline - Follow the path of the Crimson or Azure Butterflies (or both!) SOME PICS TO WET YOUR APPETITE: **NOTE** the pics were taken with incorrect global lighting settings, I had been experimenting and forgot to revert back to the global lighting I originally had. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=494&pictureid=4232 - The Level Entrance! http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=494&pictureid=4233 - Visiting Ramos! http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=494&pictureid=4235 - The MAGIC Waterfall! http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=494&pictureid=4234 - The unbeaten path! http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=494&pictureid=4237 - Even the amphibians have been infected! http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=494&pictureid=4238 - Temple Bridge! http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=494&pictureid=4240 - Temple Entrance http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=494&pictureid=4239 - Hand-crafted elevator shafts! http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=494&pictureid=4242 - Steps from Hell! http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=494&pictureid=4251 - Path of the Crimson Butterfly! http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=494&pictureid=4252 - Path of the Azure Butterfly! http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=494&pictureid=4263 - Temple from a distance! http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=494&pictureid=4257 - HOT HOT HOT! http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=494&pictureid=4258 - Master Monk Morgana's Chambers! http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=494&pictureid=4260 - An EPIC Fall! OTHER PICS : PAGE 1: http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/album.php?albumid=494 PAGE 2: http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/album.php?albumid=494&page=2 I hope most of you have more fun playing the chapter than I had creating it! | 2009-06-06 19:22:00 Author: mindphaser74  Posts: 349 |
| Just played this one. I REALLY liked it. These levels are getting better and better. It's full of eye candy, and very fun to play. I didn't run into any bugs on this one. The only thing that's a tad bothersome is all the lag. I know it's not your fault, and it's not too distracting. I wish MM would fix this. I ran into the same problem with my last level. When you make a level as visually stunning as this one. I guess you just have to deal with it. Great work!!! could you check out my Mountain Marathon. Thanks. | 2009-06-07 13:03:00 Author: smasher  Posts: 641 |
| Just played this one. I REALLY liked it. These levels are getting better and better. It's full of eye candy, and very fun to play. I didn't run into any bugs on this one. The only thing that's a tad bothersome is all the lag. I know it's not your fault, and it's not too distracting. I wish MM would fix this. I ran into the same problem with my last level. When you make a level as visually stunning as this one. I guess you just have to deal with it. Great work!!! could you check out my Mountain Marathon. Thanks. I think if I had do do things a little different in order to combat lag, I'm not sure what I would have to do. It is possable that the lagg is coming from either the tree top (where the firey tree is actually glass to improve the fire effect), or it might be because of the more detailed material I used for the temple. I'm just not too sure here. Really the details aren't any ore intense from other levels in the series IMO so I'll have to run some tests because this is the first time I've run into this. Thanks a lot smasher I think you're the first and only one to play this level and its been published now for over 24 hours. It's been a slow weekend here at LBPC I guess. Bad time to publish. Hope the blood and stuff on the level doesn't turn anyone off the series though  | 2009-06-07 17:17:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349 |
| Hi there Mindphaser74, I just started to play through your series. I'll post my impressions/feedback for the whole lot here if you don't mind. First off, as a whole let me say that your levels are beautiful. I think it probably goes without saying, but there you have it anyway. The art is a real strong point. On to the specifics: I started off with the prologue. Again, everything is beautiful. Especially the logo. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4292 I found that I had a really hard time with the roots here. I'm not sure what eventually triggered the ball to come down but I was just about to give up when it did. The player needs a little more direction here on what they are supposed to do to move forward. The combination of roots and crystals in general, are great for the atmosphere, but I felt like I was fighting with the planes. This is partially the fault of media molecule's plane algorithm. At the same time, it is the responsibility of the level creator to make it work for them. Moving forward I'd suggest you make some of these things on thin layers and test passages to make sure sackboy can move through them in both directions just by pushing the analog stick left or right. If the automatic plane movements block this, then you should probably move things around to allow sackboy a path that doesn't involve fighting the plane changes. All in all, I was a little surprised by the prologue. I was expecting a bit more story and it was mostly minigames to free the lift. At the end you grab the crystal for that one character, which I'm assuming is an important plot point. You are really going for a rpg style feel for this one, so I think you should just go for it. Don't be afraid to give us some character development and backstory. If people don't like it, well those aren't the individuals you are creating your level for anyway! Chapter 1: Green-Sky This chapter really has that 'starting town' rpg feel. If one looks at rpgs, they tend to use this as an opportunity to slowly introduce concepts and gameplay mechanics. As I haven't played further in the series, I don't know how much of the gameplay is repeated. Things like the butterfly lifts, coins, flower bed bouncers, etc are all really good mechanics. They look really natural in the level. This can be a bad thing if they don't stand out. (There were a few flower bed bouncers that took me a while to realize they were there.) A lot of these things that are in the level but aren't properly introduced with instructions. I might add an additional magic mouth to some of the chores that describes the mechanism that chore introduces to help the player learn the ropes, especially if these things will be repeated throughout the series! My other big comment, and this is the same as the prologue, is give us more background and more character development! If you're going to do a rpg/platformer don't just give us the town, give us the background story and memorable characters too! I didn't get a feel for who this character was or his personality in this opening chapter. (Is he the same guy that you played in the prologue?) In a rpg the starting town tends to give the player a lot of information about the character so the player can step into the character's shoes. I didn't get this from the level. You don't want to go overboard with too much explanation (show is always better than tell) but I think you err too much on the side of caution and don't give enough information to the player. Here are a few more specific suggestions: http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4293 I use the same method for my npcs. I costume sackboy, I create a sticker, then I sticker and use the corner editor and shrink. However, I use thin layers rather than the thick ones because of the side profiles, as you can see in the above picture. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4294 I thought the web looked really cool here. The last jump was fairly challenging. I got it after a few tries, but it may be too hard for some people. The one part of this area that I didn't like was the first spider being on a flip out piston. This caused the spider to teleport down, electrifying my sackboy a couple times. (Once when I was on my way back through the stage!) If you want the spider to jump down fast and then retreat up slowly you should use a strong winch, weak piston combination. They work really well. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4295 It's a nitpick, but the top of the elevator is probably unnecessary here. I didn't fully test it, but can it crush the object you are dragging? http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4296 This arrow remained pointing towards the boss spider after I finished him off. The wasn't a fan of the whole trek back up the tree. Some arrows pointing the correct path would make a big difference. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4297 I got killed by the gas my first time jumping on the above button. All in all the stage is really beautiful and well constructed. There were lots of extra point bubbles to grab. To be honest, I hated the great hall. It looked cool, but I felt if I didn't sit there playing it for a hour, I wouldn't be able to get a good score. After I had spent a bunch of time already grabbing the side point bubbles this was a real disappointment. I stuck with it and grabbed the #2 score  Having massive points in one spot that completely overwhlems the points found in the rest of the level is a pet peeve of mine so take this comment with a grain of salt.That said, there were a few spots, the great hall being one of them, where the way forward was unclear. A fist sticker doesn't intuitively tell me that grabbing that wall will dissolve it. In other areas there were things to grab that were completely covered by stickers so you couldn't see the sponge. Most of the areas were really nice to look at and that made up for the difficulties. I gave both levels 4 stars, beautiful tags and hearts. The only thing that really detracted from the experience was some of the difficulties in identifying where to go and what to do. If you do another town level, I think you can make it more appealing to most players by giving it a more open layout. This one was a little difficult to navigate. Also, if you made more of the chores optional quests for extra points that would have been really good (and keeping with the rpg theme too). Combine that with giving us some more backstory and more distinctive characters and you'll have a really awesome level that will appeal to a broad group of players. I'll post stuff on chapters 2 and 3 when I play them! | 2009-06-07 22:13:00 Author: dcf  Posts: 468 |
| Hi there Mindphaser74, I just started to play through your series. I'll post my impressions/feedback for the whole lot here if you don't mind. First off, as a whole let me say that your levels are beautiful. I think it probably goes without saying, but there you have it anyway. The art is a real strong point. On to the specifics: I started off with the prologue. Again, everything is beautiful. Especially the logo. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4292 I found that I had a really hard time with the roots here. I'm not sure what eventually triggered the ball to come down but I was just about to give up when it did. The player needs a little more direction here on what they are supposed to do to move forward. The combination of roots and crystals in general, are great for the atmosphere, but I felt like I was fighting with the planes. This is partially the fault of media molecule's plane algorithm. At the same time, it is the responsibility of the level creator to make it work for them. Moving forward I'd suggest you make some of these things on thin layers and test passages to make sure sackboy can move through them in both directions just by pushing the analog stick left or right. If the automatic plane movements block this, then you should probably move things around to allow sackboy a path that doesn't involve fighting the plane changes. All in all, I was a little surprised by the prologue. I was expecting a bit more story and it was mostly minigames to free the lift. At the end you grab the crystal for that one character, which I'm assuming is an important plot point. You are really going for a rpg style feel for this one, so I think you should just go for it. Don't be afraid to give us some character development and backstory. If people don't like it, well those aren't the individuals you are creating your level for anyway! Chapter 1: Green-Sky This chapter really has that 'starting town' rpg feel. If one looks at rpgs, they tend to use this as an opportunity to slowly introduce concepts and gameplay mechanics. As I haven't played further in the series, I don't know how much of the gameplay is repeated. Things like the butterfly lifts, coins, flower bed bouncers, etc are all really good mechanics. They look really natural in the level. This can be a bad thing if they don't stand out. (There were a few flower bed bouncers that took me a while to realize they were there.) A lot of these things that are in the level but aren't properly introduced with instructions. I might add an additional magic mouth to some of the chores that describes the mechanism that chore introduces to help the player learn the ropes, especially if these things will be repeated throughout the series! My other big comment, and this is the same as the prologue, is give us more background and more character development! If you're going to do a rpg/platformer don't just give us the town, give us the background story and memorable characters too! I didn't get a feel for who this character was or his personality in this opening chapter. (Is he the same guy that you played in the prologue?) In a rpg the starting town tends to give the player a lot of information about the character so the player can step into the character's shoes. I didn't get this from the level. You don't want to go overboard with too much explanation (show is always better than tell) but I think you err too much on the side of caution and don't give enough information to the player. Here are a few more specific suggestions: http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4293 I use the same method for my npcs. I costume sackboy, I create a sticker, then I sticker and use the corner editor and shrink. However, I use thin layers rather than the thick ones because of the side profiles, as you can see in the above picture. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4294 I thought the web looked really cool here. The last jump was fairly challenging. I got it after a few tries, but it may be too hard for some people. The one part of this area that I didn't like was the first spider being on a flip out piston. This caused the spider to teleport down, electrifying my sackboy a couple times. (Once when I was on my way back through the stage!) If you want the spider to jump down fast and then retreat up slowly you should use a strong winch, weak piston combination. They work really well. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4295 It's a nitpick, but the top of the elevator is probably unnecessary here. I didn't fully test it, but can it crush the object you are dragging? http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4296 This arrow remained pointing towards the boss spider after I finished him off. The wasn't a fan of the whole trek back up the tree. Some arrows pointing the correct path would make a big difference. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4297 I got killed by the gas my first time jumping on the above button. All in all the stage is really beautiful and well constructed. There were lots of extra point bubbles to grab. To be honest, I hated the great hall. It looked cool, but I felt if I didn't sit there playing it for a hour, I wouldn't be able to get a good score. After I had spent a bunch of time already grabbing the side point bubbles this was a real disappointment. I stuck with it and grabbed the #2 score Having massive points in one spot that completely overwhlems the points found in the rest of the level is a pet peeve of mine so take this comment with a grain of salt.That said, there were a few spots, the great hall being one of them, where the way forward was unclear. A fist sticker doesn't intuitively tell me that grabbing that wall will dissolve it. In other areas there were things to grab that were completely covered by stickers so you couldn't see the sponge. Most of the areas were really nice to look at and that made up for the difficulties. I gave both levels 4 stars, beautiful tags and hearts. The only thing that really detracted from the experience was some of the difficulties in identifying where to go and what to do. If you do another town level, I think you can make it more appealing to most players by giving it a more open layout. This one was a little difficult to navigate. Also, if you made more of the chores optional quests for extra points that would have been really good (and keeping with the rpg theme too). Combine that with giving us some more backstory and more distinctive characters and you'll have a really awesome level that will appeal to a broad group of players. I'll post stuff on chapters 2 and 3 when I play them! Yeah but ya gotta admit its better than some of the others out there  Thanks for your interest in my series dcf. I don't think we've met before?Anyways, you had some good points there I'd never concidered. Definately not all of them but some were great! Such as single-layering my story characters. I originally wanted people to be able to drag them around for different things (such as the big event in Chapter 3) but that's not needed everywhere right? Thanks Chapter 1 originally was an open layout but it bugged too many people who didn't like backtracking. So to satisfy both types I took out alot of the backtracking but left the tree-climb for those who like that sort of thing. The Great Hall is pure awesomeness IMHO But I should probably shorten the visit there I you suggest, which would give me more therm to help the rest of the level out. Especially where direction arrows (put in the last minute) and I couln't find a better way to deal with a couple of them without any therm left  So this will help.As for storyline, I don't know what to say about your suggestions. Too much text bugs ALOT of people (haven't you heard?)  But you know I'm trying to have fun myself while I make these levels and I don't enjoy lengthy storytelling. So I'm STRECHING the storyline out. Which is why this series is going to be 10-12 levels I hope.The Prequel was made after Chapter 1 and wasn't intended to be anything but a way of showing people what to expect in EARLY and LATER levels in the series. When I was done chapter 1 I knew that the next 3 levels were all going to be ABOVEGROUND. So to show that my talents weren't restricted to tree levels, I gave a taste of things to come by making Sewing Seeds. And I threw in a secret plot hint in that level just to give it a little more connection. YOU SAID: "That said, there were a few spots, the great hall being one of them, where the way forward was unclear. A fist sticker doesn't intuitively tell me that grabbing that wall will dissolve it. In other areas there were things to grab that were completely covered by stickers so you couldn't see the sponge. Most of the areas were really nice to look at and that made up for the difficulties." ---This is where I'm thinking you're maybe just trying to be an **** (except for that last bit but I bet thats to cover your *** if I get offended). It is obvious as obvious gets. I'm a little offended at this but you are allowed you opinion. But I don't agree, hopefully we'll get some other feedback on this.  And you said you got killed by the gas on that button, I believe you but it has never happened to me and my wife and we've played the level dozens of times. You must just have bad luck. Keep a positive attitude to help with that And the big spider killing you... that's supposed to happen. It is what makes it a "dangerous obstacle" And in closing my response to your review of my series so far I have this to say; Thank you but not a BIG thank you. It seems that I must rub you the wrong way even though we've never met. The only reason I think this is because so many others love my series. But maybe I'm wrong... I hope :blush: PS Was there anything you liked about my levels? How about telling us some of those things (if there were any). That would be cool.  And do you want me to review your level? I almost forgot to ask you if you could put the reviews in the threads they pertain to, there is a thread for each level. This would help me out. Thanks | 2009-06-07 23:17:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349 |
| Once again I am impressed! Another solid addition to your series the visuals were excellent and the tower was lovely. A bit different in the way that the level this time around is more linear, but I guess that's because it's an event right? The playability was fine, although ascending those steps was a bit of trouble. Anyway you could make them a bit easier. Also One really annoying thing in this level was the LAG! It really hampered the experience. I know that's it not your fault too! I really hope MM fixes that soon. All and All I really liked it! Can't wait for the next! 5 Stars/ Brilliant/ Hearted! I eagerly await for your feedback on my levels. | 2009-06-08 00:50:00 Author: Noroibito  Posts: 211 |
| Once again I am impressed! Another solid addition to your series the visuals were excellent and the tower was lovely. A bit different in the way that the level this time around is more linear, but I guess that's because it's an event right? The playability was fine, although ascending those steps was a bit of trouble. Anyway you could make them a bit easier. Also One really annoying thing in this level was the LAG! It really hampered the experience. I know that's it not your fault too! I really hope MM fixes that soon. All and All I really liked it! Can't wait for the next! 5 Stars/ Brilliant/ Hearted! I eagerly await for your feedback on my levels. Thanks. I'm hoping to get more feedback on the stairs area because I'm not sure if it is too tough, you might be right with that one. And yeah the lag sucks I still think I may have a solution but I can't get into the game today to try it. TTYL Noroibito I still have the 2 levels you want checked on my list Tomorrow when no one else is around. | 2009-06-08 00:55:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349 |
| Yeah but ya gotta admit its better than some of the others out there Most definitely! I wouldn't have hearted it otherwise!!!! Thanks for your interest in my series dcf. I don't think we've met before?Anyways, you had some good points there I'd never concidered. Definately not all of them but some were great! That's cool, everyone has different preferences and the most important thing is that you are happy with your level! Such as single-layering my story characters. I originally wanted people to be able to drag them around for different things (such as the big event in Chapter 3) but that's not needed everywhere right? Thanks You're welcome! Chapter 1 originally was an open layout but it bugged too many people who didn't like backtracking. So to satisfy both types I took out alot of the backtracking but left the tree-climb for those who like that sort of thing. Cool. The Great Hall is pure awesomeness IMHO But I should probably shorten the visit there I you suggest, which would give me more therm to help the rest of the level out. Especially where direction arrows (put in the last minute) and I couln't find a better way to deal with a couple of them without any therm left So this will help.Well, I agree that it is a pretty awesome room. I just didn't enjoy spending 30 minutes there thinking I needed to finish all 100 emitters before the next room would open. I eventually realized you could exit the left by grabbing the wall, which dissolved it. As for storyline, I don't know what to say about your suggestions. Too much text bugs ALOT of people (haven't you heard?) But you know I'm trying to have fun myself while I make these levels and I don't enjoy lengthy storytelling. So I'm STRECHING the storyline out. Which is why this series is going to be 10-12 levels I hope.Glad to hear it's going to be ongoing I'm not suggesting lots of text or anything like that. Those sorts of things where you tell instead of show definitely annoy people. I am just point out that these initial town stages in rpgs are typically used to really introduce the world/characters. I think you erred too light in this regard but that's just my opinion. The important thing is that you're happy with it! The Prequel was made after Chapter 1 and wasn't intended to be anything but a way of showing people what to expect in EARLY and LATER levels in the series. When I was done chapter 1 I knew that the next 3 levels were all going to be ABOVEGROUND. So to show that my talents weren't restricted to tree levels, I gave a taste of things to come by making Sewing Seeds. And I threw in a secret plot hint in that level just to give it a little more connection. Good to know! YOU SAID: "That said, there were a few spots, the great hall being one of them, where the way forward was unclear. A fist sticker doesn't intuitively tell me that grabbing that wall will dissolve it. In other areas there were things to grab that were completely covered by stickers so you couldn't see the sponge. Most of the areas were really nice to look at and that made up for the difficulties." ---This is where I'm thinking you're maybe just trying to be an **** (except for that last bit but I bet thats to cover your *** if I get offended). It is obvious as obvious gets. I'm a little offended at this but you are allowed you opinion. But I don't agree, hopefully we'll get some other feedback on this. I'm really not trying to be an ****. I really didn't get that you could dissolve that block by grabbing it for a long time!!! I tried the one shaped like a key pretty early and nothing happened. I didn't try the other one for a long time after that. And you said you got killed by the gas on that button, I believe you but it has never happened to me and my wife and we've played the level dozens of times. You must just have bad luck. Keep a positive attitude to help with that I seem to get crushed and gased by things that ignore others sometimes. It happens And the big spider killing you... that's supposed to happen. It is what makes it a "dangerous obstacle" Well, I agree with this. However, that's why I suggested the piston chain combo. This way it can still drop quickly. However, sackboy would have some chance to move out of the way. Currently, it teleports onto sackboy. And in closing my response to your review of my series so far I have this to say; Thank you but not a BIG thank you. It seems that I must rub you the wrong way even though we've never met. The only reason I think this is because so many others love my series. But maybe I'm wrong... I hope :blush: I'm sorry that I came off that way. It really wasn't intended. I don't think anything I said was particularly harsh. I generally assume that people who ask for feedback are looking to improve their levels, so I do try to give some suggestions. I'm sorry if I phrased these in a manner that caused you to think I was attacking your level. I really like that you are going for that epic rpg opening with this level. You do a very good job of recreating that atmosphere in LBP. I did have some problems in several areas. Maybe it's just me. I definitely missed some jump spring flower beds and spent a long time searching until I figured it out. I also had some difficulty figuring out which doors you were supposed to grab to dissolve and which ones you needed to go do something elsewhere to pass. PS Was there anything you liked about my levels? How about telling us some of those things (if there were any). That would be cool. Yes, I enjoyed the level. As I said, it does a good job of recreating that opening rpg atmosphere. I have now played chapters 2 and 3 and I will say that I enjoyed them more than chapter 1 and the prologue. This makes perfect sense because most creators improve with each level they make. And do you want me to review your level? Well it would be nice, but if you think I'm an ****, please don't bother. I almost forgot to ask you if you could put the reviews in the threads they pertain to, there is a thread for each level. This would help me out. Thanks Sure thing. Here's the stuff for Chapter 3. The others are posted in their respective threads: First off, so we don't get this one off on the wrong foot, I thought the level was great, I gave it 5 stars, I hearted it and I hearted you. I tagged the level great. I think at this point your level design is really top notch. Everything still looks fantastic, but navigating the levels is really clear. This isn't to say its simplistic. The places that are meant to be puzzles are puzzles. The places that are meant to be platforming give a good platforming challenge. However, unlike my comments for earlier levels I always felt like I knew where I was going. The waterfall graphic and reversing it was awesome! So was the invisible elevator at the bottom. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4308 I started to hit some slowdown at this screen. I know a previous poster mentioned this as well. The slowdown for me was very isolated to only a couple spots. I figured you'd want those pointed out. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4309 In this area, I got a little bit confused but I saw the button on the tables when I went back a second time. I liked the lights that you used near the buttons later on. Once I knew to look for these buttons it was fine and I was able to find the rest without trouble. I really liked the LEDs you used later on to help point out the buttons. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4310 These areas were awesome! I really liked how you would hit each button and the next compartment would get revealed and finally the bottom would appear. Nicely done! http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4311 The top of the climb looks really cool. However, this is also where I began encountering the second bit of slowdown. It continued when I went out the right door. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4312 I wasn't able to finish the level. I couldn't figure out what to do when I got here. Can you help me out? | 2009-06-08 01:24:00 Author: dcf Posts: 468 |
| Here's the stuff for Chapter 3. The others are posted in their respective threads: First off, so we don't get this one off on the wrong foot, I thought the level was great, I gave it 5 stars, I hearted it and I hearted you. I tagged the level great. I think at this point your level design is really top notch. Everything still looks fantastic, but navigating the levels is really clear. This isn't to say its simplistic. The places that are meant to be puzzles are puzzles. The places that are meant to be platforming give a good platforming challenge. However, unlike my comments for earlier levels I always felt like I knew where I was going. The waterfall graphic and reversing it was awesome! So was the invisible elevator at the bottom. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4308 I started to hit some slowdown at this screen. I know a previous poster mentioned this as well. The slowdown for me was very isolated to only a couple spots. I figured you'd want those pointed out. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4309 In this area, I got a little bit confused but I saw the button on the tables when I went back a second time. I liked the lights that you used near the buttons later on. Once I knew to look for these buttons it was fine and I was able to find the rest without trouble. I really liked the LEDs you used later on to help point out the buttons. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4310 These areas were awesome! I really liked how you would hit each button and the next compartment would get revealed and finally the bottom would appear. Nicely done! http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4311 The top of the climb looks really cool. However, this is also where I began encountering the second bit of slowdown. It continued when I went out the right door. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=477&pictureid=4312 I wasn't able to finish the level. I couldn't figure out what to do when I got here. Can you help me out? Well I should probably apologize for forgetting that chapter 1 really was quite an unconventional LBP level design. I did respect and appreciate and even like most of your responses, but as I don't know you I had to let you know that I wouldn't put up with unnecessary trashing of my levels. But in retrospect I guess you were doing your job. So I'm sorry too. As for Chapter 3, the place you got stuck seems like it still might not be 100% bug-free. When the tree falls it is supposed to hit a sensor to open the dissolve walls and free you and Morgana from the wreckage. I thought it was working 100% because I tried it about 20 times in a row without problems. The problem is that the tree falls slightly different each time, always lands on the same side, but sometimes misses that switch. This was a problem I thought I had completely fixed before I published. So I'm glad you discovered that it still isn't 100%. I think it just needs a bigger radius on the switch. You are a good tester because you have a knack for finding trouble areas. BTW that was right at the end of the level pretty much. All you missed was some story and a cute little level exit. I will check your level for you but I do have a tendency to be too nice with my reviews and maybe not give the critisism that sometimes should be given. But if you want some praise and general opinions, count me in! | 2009-06-08 02:28:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349 |
| Hi mindphaser74. My wife, Lady_Luck__777 and I played Chapter 3 last night. Whoop, we have the first 2 player high score...well actually, the only 2 Player high score. So, here's my take on the experience. What I liked: 1. Incredible visuals! 2. Your stage was awesome, with a lot of attention to detail--I like that in a level! 3. The Lighting was perfect, and the camera angles and cutscenes enhanced the drama. 4. A great mix of challenges--easy, medium and difficult 5. This level definitely catered to the explorer in me, with numerous hidden areas and rewards, and the 2 butterfly paths, both of which we took in order to see the entire level. 6. Our nemesis was the moving interlocking steps. Even though the timing for the jumps had to be close to perfect, it was eventually doable, and I enjoy when a level challenges my gaming skills in such a manner. 7. The rooms located on either side of the butterfly ascent were very interesting, especially when trying to determine how to get to the rooms connected below them. I won't give away any secrets here, to those who may read this later, but this puzzle was done very well. 8. The ending was also done very well. I expected it would end like most other levels, but you seem to find a way to continually challenge the mind by throwing in your unique twists. Bravo! Well Done! Since we played under my wife's account, I will be going back to heart and rate this level, as well as heart you as a Creator. I also plan to finish checking out all of this series. Some Suggestions: 1. I really have only one, that impacts multi-player only. The camera setting used for the moving interlocking steps challenge made it very difficult to climb the second series of steps. Would it be possible to zoom out a bit more, to accommodate players getting seperated? I most definitely recommend everyone play this level! Looking forward to your comments on my level Takken. It's totally different when compared to this level, so your perspective should be very insightful. Rick | 2009-06-08 13:54:00 Author: RickRock_777  Posts: 1567 |
| Hi mindphaser, Pesky husband beat me here.. and covered most of what I had to say.I played this level last night as a single player and didn't get far. The wooden pivoting arch bridges were my nemesis. So I enlisted help. What I did find, as a single player was awesome visuals and feeling. I was taking it easy enjoying the visuals and admiring the scenery and was lulled into a false sense of security and got zapped by the frog..lol Made me jump. I really enjoyed the story, puzzlers and secrets. As a two person play, I think RickRock_777 pretty much summed it up. There were three things that did distract for us. One was the lag. There's really nothing that can be done for that because that would entail removing something and I really can not think of anything that I would remove. The second was after the arch bridges. As I landed, he was just jumping, the text popped up. It froze him in the air and then dropped him like a rock. You really don't want to know what he said to his sackboy at that point. The third was the camera on the steps, which he already mentioned. Overall we really enjoyed the entire level very much. To really appreciate this level I suggest players take your time and soak in all it has to offer! | 2009-06-08 16:04:00 Author: Lady_Luck__777  Posts: 3458 |
| Hi mindphaser74. My wife, Lady_Luck__777 and I played Chapter 3 last night. Whoop, we have the first 2 player high score...well actually, the only 2 Player high score. So, here's my take on the experience. What I liked: 1. Incredible visuals! 2. Your stage was awesome, with a lot of attention to detail--I like that in a level! 3. The Lighting was perfect, and the camera angles and cutscenes enhanced the drama. 4. A great mix of challenges--easy, medium and difficult 5. This level definitely catered to the explorer in me, with numerous hidden areas and rewards, and the 2 butterfly paths, both of which we took in order to see the entire level. 6. Our nemesis was the moving interlocking steps. Even though the timing for the jumps had to be close to perfect, it was eventually doable, and I enjoy when a level challenges my gaming skills in such a manner. 7. The rooms located on either side of the butterfly ascent were very interesting, especially when trying to determine how to get to the rooms connected below them. I won't give away any secrets here, to those who may read this later, but this puzzle was done very well. 8. The ending was also done very well. I expected it would end like most other levels, but you seem to find a way to continually challenge the mind by throwing in your unique twists. Bravo! Well Done! Since we played under my wife's account, I will be going back to heart and rate this level, as well as heart you as a Creator. I also plan to finish checking out all of this series. Some Suggestions: 1. I really have only one, that impacts multi-player only. The camera setting used for the moving interlocking steps challenge made it very difficult to climb the second series of steps. Would it be possible to zoom out a bit more, to accommodate players getting seperated? I most definitely recommend everyone play this level! Looking forward to your comments on my level Takken. It's totally different when compared to this level, so your perspective should be very insightful. Rick I am so greatful that you and others are starting to try this level. I've been waiting for feedback for a couple of days; have had some but it's nice to get more to help me improve. What happened with the camera angles and the moving steps is that my wife didn't like the original angles. I changed them but wasn't sure how the new ones would be recieved by players. But now I know. I will try other angles with a fix sometime today. I will try your Takken level today (have about 6 levels to check out at the moment so it might not be till later this afternoon that you get your review. Thanks for taking some time to help me out RickRock | 2009-06-08 16:05:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349 |
| Hi mindphaser, Pesky husband beat me here.. and covered most of what I had to say.I played this level last night as a single player and didn't get far. The wooden pivoting arch bridges were my nemesis. So I enlisted help. What I did find, as a single player was awesome visuals and feeling. I was taking it easy enjoying the visuals and admiring the scenery and was lulled into a false sense of security and got zapped by the frog..lol Made me jump. I really enjoyed the story, puzzlers and secrets. As a two person play, I think RickRock_777 pretty much summed it up. There were three things that did distract for us. One was the lag. There's really nothing that can be done for that because that would entail removing something and I really can not think of anything that I would remove. The second was after the arch bridges. As I landed, he was just jumping, the text popped up. It froze him in the air and then dropped him like a rock. You really don't want to know what he said to his sackboy at that point. The third was the camera on the steps, which he already mentioned. Overall we really enjoyed the entire level very much. To really appreciate this level I suggest players take your time and soak in all it has to offer! Thank you too LL777. This is valuable feedback that allows me to make some changes today before too many more come across the problems. To fix the text part after the pivoting bridges, I could easily move the character over somewhat. The lag MIGHT be fixable. I think it lags because I applied the fire attribute to GLASS material. I did this because the firey effects and aura are amplified when applied to glass. BUT... I think it maybe causes lag, so today I'm going to change the firey glass to firey wood and that might help (won't look as good, but might help). Using less latticed stone material might help too. And I just mentioned to your husband that the camera angles on the stairs have been toying with me for a while now. I will try some different techniques here though. Thank you LL777 and your husband, that's so cool that you both are creators. I tried to get my wife doing this stuff but it's not her strong point (though she has many others O_o) Feel free to PM me in the future when you want more LBP stuff checked out. You husband too. Thanks again guys, TTYL | 2009-06-08 16:18:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349 |
| Heres my feedback as promised Mindphaser. + You can definetly tell its one of your levels, excellent visuals in your style. + The lighting is exceptional as always + Nice waterfall. + Liked how you reversed the waterfall, and the effect of you rising up it was great. + I always like the exploration feel in your levels, with hidden point bubbles everywhere. + Great lizard enemy. + The platforming section after the lizard looked VERY impressive. + Like you revealed the rooms in the temple + Liked the chandelier ride, did that a few times, I'm greedy for points + Excellent ending where the temple collapses. - Very laggy for me on top of the waterfall, it made the platforming there hard. But theres little you can do about it. - I had trouble with the note puzzle, not the order, that was esay enough, the timing was'nt quite enough and I was starting the think it was the wrong order, it worked after about 5 goes however. - Stairs section was laggy as well making the section hard. Another excellent level Mindphaser. I love the way you use lighting effects, it makes everything appear magical and very very pleasing to the eye. The only real problems I had was with lag, which cannot be helped without removing anything, which would detract from the overall polish of the level. What you could do is make the sections a little easier to counter-act the lag in places. A worthy addition to the series, bring on part 4 *****, beautiful and hearted EDIT: Seemed my rating bumped you from 3 to 4 stars , and I got second highest score | 2009-06-08 19:15:00 Author: GruntosUK  Posts: 1754 |
| Played it last night and loved it - and not because I have something in common with a certain monk First impression - it's stunning. You lighting is so beautiful and complex. I love that you have blended lights producing incredible color combinations and they are so vivid and bright. Very fairy tale like - really sets the mood. I enjoyed the story of the deities too. Clever way to introduce an errand but it's a brief one so the pace is faster than most of the others in the series. Should play much more comfortably for average/mainstream players. Waterfall area is nice - especially liked the anti-grav water. LOL - great image going up to. I so so love little secret areas and tucked away bubbles in crannies not usually explored and you have a ton of them here. I'd like to think I found most of them but I'm sure you've got even more in there than I managed. (Love the Chandeliers for this reason too) Great platforming throughout - nice pace, good challenge and it had a bouncy kind of flow to it. The half moon shaped platforms kicked my butt good though. Took me awhile to sort of get the timing of those. I think they are your hardest element. The end sequence is impressive too. It was hard to tell what was going on at first because there isn't anything stationary to relate to. Could you emit some "debris" to help give the impression of movement a little earlier? Gave it 5 stars and hearted it - just loved it! Thanks for sharing it! | 2009-06-09 01:14:00 Author: Morgana25  Posts: 5983 |
| Thats cool I'm glad you liked it. I hope it didn't offend, though I don't see how it could. When I juggle things around I'll see if I can't emit some falling debri up there. That was the original intention but the therm got chewed up pretty fast towards the end. Thanks again for letting me use your name. It's the least I could do to thank you for all the kind words and support you gave throughout the series. Cheers Morgana | 2009-06-09 03:49:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349 |
| Hey Mindphaser, Just played your level and here are my thoughts while they are still fresh in my mind!! + Let me start off by saying that the visuals are amazing, a very enchanting atmosphere you created. You use your materials very well and it's all very polished and treated with care. You are without a doubt the greatest guy I know when it comes to lighting a level!! + I loved the waterfall in the beginning, it has a more "cartoony" look than most I've seen. The reversed waterfall was great and when you actually got pushed up...I was amazed!! + Your chameleon character was awesome, I kinda wished you would have inserted more of those. + The mechanics with the rotating bridges was very impressive to say the least!! + The tree breaking down was very nice. + I absolutely LOVED your floating monks at the scoreboard!! I have no idea why you created them to freak out when you grab on but I thought it was hilarious!! +/- The note puzzle was a great idea but the only problem I had with that one is that I could not really hear the higher notes with the music playing at the same time. - The only "problem" I had with the level was the lag. I know you can't really fix it without completely destroying your level but it was kinda hard to make precise jumps because of that. Overall, I consider it a little masterpiece and I'm really looking forward to the next chapter. Tagged it "brilliant", gave it 5 stars and hearted it. Well done, Mindphaser!! | 2009-06-09 20:38:00 Author: Zwollie  Posts: 2173 |
| Hey Mindphaser, Just played your level and here are my thoughts while they are still fresh in my mind!! + Let me start off by saying that the visuals are amazing, a very enchanting atmosphere you created. You use your materials very well and it's all very polished and treated with care. You are without a doubt the greatest guy I know when it comes to lighting a level!! So happy you got around to playing it Z. One thing I've never mentioned was that when I decided to do the Root series I had my mind made up to try to make it look as natural and magical as I could. I knew right away that to do this I'd have to get used to effectively using lights (as well as other things). So every light I place I put alot of thought into. + I loved the waterfall in the beginning, it has a more "cartoony" look than most I've seen. The reversed waterfall was great and when you actually got pushed up...I was amazed!! The waterfall looks more cartoony than the one I used in Sewing Seeds because I had to use dissolve material w/stickers to make the reversing effect work. Although maybe there's another way I could have done it, but this was the only way I kew how. I thought that the cartoony looked actually worked ok in this instance because it complimented the scenery of that area. + Your chameleon character was awesome, I kinda wished you would have inserted more of those. Grantos thought it was I lizard too. I actually have a lizard variation of it that I never used but the one in the level is actually a Frog. But it was a frog converted from a lizard so maybe that's why it still looks a bit like a lizard. + I absolutely LOVED your floating monks at the scoreboard!! I have no idea why you inserted them to freak out when you grab on but I thought it was hilarious!! Well these guys were actually the other 3 monks who had escaped before the collapse of the temple. Morgana tells you to meet them in the tree ahead while she retrieves potions from the fallen tree. When you meet them (and grab them), they "jump for joy" (so to speak) with you in hand. I thought it was hilarious. Morgana, the 3 monks, and the potions all are to play big parts in the next chapter and beyond. It's a surprise though. +/- The note puzzle was a great idea but the only problem I had with that one is that I could not really hear the higher notes with the music playing at the same time. OK I'll turn the tunnes down here. Suprised I didn't think to do that earlier, good catch Z. - The only "problem" I had with the level was the lag. I know you can't really fix it without completely destroying your level but it was kinda hard to make precise jumps because of that. Yeah some people say that the lag is MM's fault and that they are working on a fix for this. I'm not comvinced though that I can't fix it myself with this level. My guess is that it is either the waterfall or just some of the materials I used. I ever had this problem with other levels. It could also just be because I've packed too much detail in. But really the detail is about the same as other chapters. I will say this though; that I kept getting the warning that I was using too many user created objects??? I never had this warning with all my other levels. Overall, I consider it a little masterpiece and I'm really looking forward to the next chapter. Tagged it brilliant, gave it 5 stars and hearted it. Well done, Mindphaser!! Thanks for the kind words and helpful advise Z. This level was more difficult for me to make so I'm extra glad it is liked so much. TTYL | 2009-06-09 21:05:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349 |
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