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FALSE IDOLS III: Epiphany -Video, Spotlighted

Archive: 46 posts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbliONe1QDY

The 3rd installment in my series of poetic journeys through the metaphysical realm is finally published (and hopefully finished lol)

Episode 0 was a cinematic prequel... I was a pretty, glorified boss fight... II was a dicey platformer... this is a little bit of it all, with a little bit more observational puzzle elements to it.

'nuff said. No camera or cool stuff like that, sorry.

It's already been knocked down from 5 stars to a nice comfortable 4 stars since I published it 20 minutes ago, so I know it was all worth it.

WARNING: Some of the posts in this thread contain spoilers and hints, so if you want to figure things out on your own, please don't read ahead. Below is a strategy guide for some of the puzzles in spoiler captions. Click if you absolutely need them, but please try it without them first -

At the volcano, jump up and to the right, then grab the large ruby. When it falls down, push it off into the volcano to trigger a cut scene telling you to head right.
At the large pit with a beam of light, and a dead end, drop down into the pit and wait. It's set to require all players, so everyone must go in.
When you visit the sun, just jump off to the right and drop back down to the ground. It tells you to "guide my ways", so walk through the light and it will start to follow you. Take it back to where you started, right by the volcano.
At the sunlight processing machine, wait for it to load up a few white logs, then drop down and grab one and start rolling with it in the direction it's going. The refined sunshine each have 3 charges before they explode. It does not reset if you let go, so remember which one's you grabbed and which charge they were on last. Since they explode after 4 seconds when held, you'll need to swing to another one or two quickly, and drop to the ground by the next checkpoint.
On the ground below the machine, you'll see that the way is blocked for the logs to roll through and some flowers to the left. Grab the flowers and jerk them around to break open the blockage, then take the elevator up to jump onto and grab a log as low and as close to the new opening as possible... you'll have 4 seconds and 3 charges to get up and close enough to swing yourself into the hole.
After coming through the hole, near the red gas and elevator, jump up onto the round enclosure above the checkpoint, and head right behind the wall. Hit the switch there and head back to the left, jump up again and go up through the cavern.
At the reflective shield wall, sticker the wall with the orange-red fiery explosion sticker 100 times to destroy it.
At the stalactite section, run and jump off the upper ledge as it's breaking, and grab the tip of the next stalactite on it's ruby tip. Get to the right and swing yourself over onto the swaying platform... here you'll see a point that looks like you can't land on it. Go ahead and jump on it, but be ready to jump repeatedly to keep your foothold on the rubble. Clear the rubble out from underfoot and jump to the left.		2009-06-07 12:59:00

Author:
Unknown User

Oh snap! I didn't even know you had the third one developed - I'm definately on this one this morning. One of my favorite series!2009-06-07 13:37:00

Author:
CCubbage
Posts: 4430

I actually built 75% of a 3rd (4th technically) episode back in December, but the light sourcing and design was way too taxing on the PS3 to play without any serious framerate issues (it made episode I look like the Flash)... so I scrapped it and left it alone.

This came out completely different when it started it a few weeks ago... slacked on it alot, but put in a good three or four marathons of good idea building when I felt up to it. I think I'm alot happier with this theme and how things turned out than what this episode would have originally been. I'll still attempt to use the material from the lost episode eventually... it'll be like Resident Evil 1.5, when Capcom scrapped RE2 at 75% finished, and rebuilt it as a new game from the ground up heh

Definitely though, let me know how you like it, since you're familiar with the series.		2009-06-07 14:48:00

Author:
Unknown User

Just got done with this. OMG!!! This level is absolutely amazing! Great puzzles, really deep dialogue, beautiful graphics, challenging gameplay - this is definately one of my favorite levels, and a fantastic continuation of the series.

There is no doubt this is not designed for the general LittleBigPlanet audience - they would probably totally get stuck, but this is not a "con" because I think simplicity ruins a lot of levels for me. It took me quite a bit of time to get through it, but I loved every minute of it.

Nice job!		2009-06-07 16:13:00

Author:
CCubbage
Posts: 4430

I played the rest of the series a couple weeks back. As always the graphics are incredible. The opening is impressively detailed. The volcano and sun are absolutely majestic.

I wasn't able to figure out what to do after the sun. I guess I'll need to give it another shot later. I couldn't go left but whenever I went right I fell. After doing this a few times I noticed that a beam of light was following me, so I'm starting to think I'm supposed to fall. I'll need to give it another shot later and see if I can't get further.

As with all the others, I gave it 5 stars and artistic.		2009-06-08 03:32:00

Author:
dcf
Posts: 468

Had a go at this earlier with Cabbage. It`s amazing.

I had a bit of a hard time working out what was going on at times, but I think that was because Cabbage had already played it, so he was heading for the solutions to puzzles before I even realised there was a puzzle to solve at all.

I will definitely be having another go at this on my own as it was stunning.		2009-06-08 03:55:00

Author:
Matt 82
Posts: 1096

Thanks, Ccub. It's definitely a thinking/patient/skilled player's level... but I want this game to be played the same way unpopular classics like this are -

MnxQ97vKXZs

Almost all the dialogue in the level tells you what to do, dcf... it's metaphor that's meant to be as puzzling as the environment, but -

"Guide wisely my ways to grace the gates of gold with a glorious gaze" - you did it right, and yes the light is supposed to follow you back to the left

Feel free to ask anything else, but I know you'll have more fun figuring it out, and having an "epiphany" heh.

..and yeah I know what you mean, Matt. I've played a bunch of great levels where it's like that, and they're definitely better when you can take your time and figure it out by yourself.

Thanks for playing though... I hope you guy come back to it, and give it the once over again.		2009-06-08 06:11:00

Author:
Unknown User

THAT'S why I liked this level so much, I'm a huge fan of Heart of Darkness! That was a fantastic game.

I totally agree with this philosophy. One of the things I liked most about this level was wandering around thinking "what do I do next?". Grabbing a rock or a branch and getting the reaction gave me a lot of satisfaction. And every puzzle made sense.

In thinking about this.... one thing that could easily be done at the beginning of this level is say, artistically, that not all is what it seems and will require some experimenting. (but say it in a way that fits in with the level).

One thing that was pretty obscure and many players may not get it is the sticker on the eye. It's not that its a bad puzzle, necessarily - but its a mechanic that they are not used to using in this context. It doesn't look at ALL like something you would put a sticker on AND they are not used to having to sticker something more than once without a reaction. After wandering around a bit and having nothing else I could do I figured it out... so its up to you whether I represent your target audience. (not saying you should take the puzzle out, but maybe be a tad more direct with the clue or have stickering it once produce the result).		2009-06-08 13:41:00

Author:
CCubbage
Posts: 4430

THAT'S why I liked this level so much, I'm a huge fan of Heart of Darkness! That was a fantastic game.

I totally agree with this philosophy. One of the things I liked most about this level was wandering around thinking "what do I do next?". Grabbing a rock or a branch and getting the reaction gave me a lot of satisfaction. And every puzzle made sense.

In thinking about this.... one thing that could easily be done at the beginning of this level is say, artistically, that not all is what it seems and will require some experimenting. (but say it in a way that fits in with the level).

Nice, man. Heart of Darkness is one of my absolute favorite games... I also love the PS1 Oddworld's and Out of this World/Flashback etc as the same type of games, but HoD was just jaw droppingly gorgeous, completely inventive and outside the box thinking from beginning to end, and took alot of skill in some parts (at least on hard mode)... it was short, but there was no filler whatsoever, so it was just one awesome thing after another for a few solid hours.

I might just do that, right after the landing somewhere... I'll have to think about where it would fit in best.		2009-06-08 13:55:00

Author:
Unknown User

You just named my 4 favorite games from that time period.

Ah... Flashback... that game contained one of my favorite video game moments. Remember the part where there was a bomb and you had to make your way through the level as fast as you could to disarm it before it exploded? Awesome stuff!

You know... it's frustrating. Some of my favorite moments in video games had either a difficult part that made my heart pound, or had puzzles where I had to figure something out. These are the things 15 years later that I still remember. But these are the types of play mechanics that are frowned upon in LBP.

Many players hit one little puzzle and they get fed up and exit. Not too long ago when Wex released his Mind of a H4Hr level I saw several irritated comments from peope who couldn't figure out his puzzle section. THERE ARE 5 PIECES TO THE PUZZLE. Man... imagine if they hit a 20 piece jigsaw puzzle. Their brains would start to bleed.		2009-06-08 14:18:00

Author:
CCubbage
Posts: 4430

This post contains SPOILERS to puzzles.

I just tried it again and have to say that while it`s beautiful, it`s also beyond me.

At the part with the cogs etc I have no idea what I`m to do. I'm also pretty sure that if I hadn`t seen Cabbage throw the rock into the volcano I would`ve been stuck there too. That part wasn`t helped by the rocks being hidden by the foreground after i`d pulled them down.

From a technical point, I`ve found (and this happened with Cabbage last night too) that in one or two cases, holding onto the sponges as they go round the machinery causes them to not make it into the next cup simply due to the weight resulting in them breaking. Both times I`ve played it I`ve simply fallen down. The other complaint I had was that with the harsh light I found it hard to see my Sackboy at times, especially at the part where the light follows you.

Other than my inability to work out what`s going on, I enjoyed it. It really is something special to look at and incredibly well made.		2009-06-08 14:50:00

Author:
Matt 82
Posts: 1096

Yeah, Ccub, I remember all that. Since the ICO pack is coming soon, it made me remember how when that game came out and how everyone was blown away by it... I was too, but at the same time I was like "this is just like a 3D version of games like Heart of Darkness and Out of This World" - of course, no one saw it that way except me, if they even knew those games at all heh



From a technical point, I`ve found (and this happened with Cabbage last night too) that in one or two cases, holding onto the sponges as they go round the machinery causes them to not make it into the next cup simply due to the weight resulting in them breaking.

Yeah, you can affect their path. They won't break from weight, but you can redirect them with your momentum so much so that it won't roll into the cup - if you stay still or pull the opposite direction, they won't roll with it, but if you pull the same direction, they fall in line. If they pass their next cup, they crush, which stops them from blocking the mechanism that feeds and delivers new ones and throwing the whole cycle off.

If you fall on course, that's fine... down is where you're supposed to go. I tried a little bit of stuff to block shortcuts, but I figured it would be easier if people could do it either way.

They aren't breaking when you just hang, either. They buzz and flash when you hold them for a reason.

"Thrice gently held shall I recite thy rites with a devil's spell in vengeful tongue"

Each one has 3 charges to expire when grabbed, before they implode and take you with it. The intent in that section is to swing and toss yourself as they move, and be as quick as possible, and drop to safety and use the same method to continue on to the next section.


The other complaint I had was that with the harsh light I found it hard to see my Sackboy at times, especially at the part where the light follows you

I know. It's a giant ray of sunshine and I was trying to make it like if you stared at the sun. Upon returning to the ground, vision is spotty and hazy as if you were staring into the sun. Being somewhat blinded by the light and having to guide it back, makes the same section more challenging than it was before. This turns repetitive backtracking into a fresher trip the 2nd time around, and difficulty should increase the further into a level you get.


Other than my inability to work out what`s going on, I enjoyed it. It really is something special to look at and incredibly well made.

I'm glad you still liked it even though some of it was frustrating. At least I know the looks and mechanics will shine. Thanks for the feedback, and I swung a camera angle zone a little tilted by the ruby's so you can see them behind the foreground a little easier after they fall, where you said.

Do you have a level you want me to check out?		2009-06-08 15:15:00

Author:
Unknown User

I have the level in my sig. Like I say, F4F isn`t required, but check it out if you fancy it.2009-06-08 15:44:00

Author:
Matt 82
Posts: 1096

Best opening sequence ever!!!!2009-06-09 14:15:00

Author:
deboerdave
Posts: 384

Best opening sequence ever!!!!

lol thanks, man. I figure, even if people can't get past the first part of the level, the intro will still blow their minds.		2009-06-09 14:37:00

Author:
Unknown User

I'm also pretty sure that if I hadn`t seen Cabbage throw the rock into the volcano I would`ve been stuck there too. That part wasn`t helped by the rocks being hidden by the foreground after i`d pulled them down.
Ahh, spoiler!
I've tried it a few times, but didn't get past that part either, will certainly give it another spin, but from what i've seen so far this level looks really cool.

misty.		2009-06-09 17:13:00

Author:
Mother-Misty
Posts: 574

The intro is awesome! And the rest of the level's not too shabby either. The visuals are very well done and unlike the previous entries in the series, I didn't notice any slowdown. As I said, the intro looks amazing and is followed by a great looking volcano, trip to the sun, and then into the beautiful cog/gun chamber like area. All of it looked fantastic.

As for the gameplay, I found the puzzles to be uber creative, but they did take me a long while to figure out. I didn't have much trouble with the volcano, but I would recommend removing the foreground layer so that it doesn't obstruct the rock. The sun probably took me the longest to figure out, but once I did, I found it to be very cool, although the light was a bit spastic.

Overall, I thought this was a very beautiful and inventive level, but like Cubbage said, a lot of the general audience are gonna get stuck, but that just makes me feel better about beating it! 		2009-06-09 18:58:00

Author:
mrsupercomputer
Posts: 1335

Played through it two nights ago and got to the ground with the sun bit and it didn't work (Silverleon/Yarudark & I were in there together so I think it might have been a 2x issue) We played through again last night and it worked just fine.

Fanastic level! Seriously cool in every conceivable way! Looks good, plays great, Has phenomenal lighting effects and some tough puzzles to work out but they are SO satisfying when you work them out on your own! Most of the first section was really straightforward and I knew pretty much where I had to go and what needed to get done, then the ground opens up and it's the fist day of school all over again. Where to go, what am I doing, why are these things blowing up? But the awesome part was by just playing around for a little while and checking out everything - It's so clear what to do - you've got it right in front of the player but they have to pay attention. Really excellent job on that aspect of your design. Found it really rewarding when we finished it!

Lovely poetry too - very helpful and subtle way to nudge players. Very old school.
5 stars & hearted! Thanks for sharing it!		2009-06-09 23:25:00

Author:
Morgana25
Posts: 5983

Thanks mothermisty, mrsuper, and morgana...

...and no worries, mother. Alot of the comments I've gotten on the level have been asking how to do certain parts. I just message people with what to do, and I ended up changing the description to say that if anyone get's stumped to send me a message and I'll give them a tip. I don't think that will help much, and people will just glaze over it, but for a few players who want to finish it, it should help. Maybe I'll edit the first post with a step-by-step guide in seperate spoiler brackets.

...and I'm glad you managed to make it through mrsupercomputer. There's so few names on the single player scoreboard lol - that's what I was hoping for though, that anyone who did get through would feel like they earned it. One side effect I thought about was that since I put so much time into the looks and mechanics, that it would force players to slow down a little and really start to look around and see what's going on and maybe appreciate it. Thanks for all the compliments. The light is a wee bit jerky, but it's about as tight as it can get to be able to follow the player dead center even when he jumps around or dips down low and move fast enough to keep up without passing you, or jerking back and forth ALOT when standing still. It actually is only possible at all because of the creator kit giving us angled sensor switches.

...and thanks to you too, Morgana. You seem like you really enjoyed it, and kind of validated in my mind that the clues aren't obscure to the point of being unsolveable by saying the answers are right in front of the players face the whole time. I like that. Also, finally, someone who likes the dialogue lol

Thanks for playing it a second time too. For the first half a day I had it up, there was a bug that I hadn't found in create mode, where if the player took too long to bring the light over and get to the part, the door wouldn't move. I edited the level and republished like 50 times thinking I'd fixed it. I kept thinking the mag key that the light triggers wasn't the right radius, or that the follow system was going off track and dipping down, so I added a second set of pistons for satbility, increased the radius... then tried putting the switch in the sky so that it would trigger there. Still kept failing for others (never me unless I purposefully lollygagged for 20 minutes)... I started thinking the dissolve key wasn't dissolving... so I attached explosives to them to make sure they would disappear lol... still nothing. Then I changed it from being triggered by a mag switch, to a giant, red button in the sky attached to a block of dark matter. It looked totally ghetto. Finally, I realized that somehow the mass was expanding on the moving slab itself, and that I just had to shrink it a fraction of a centimeter and reposition it. That's all that was really hard about building this level was the kind of bugs that happen due to the sometimes unreliable physics. I had to re-align the trajectory and key positioning for that asteroid crash at least 40 times, whenever I added something new to the level.

Anyway, I'm rambling lol... thanks. I'll get you guys back soon.		2009-06-10 01:27:00

Author:
Unknown User

Played this one today and gave it five stars. The machine with the sun block was very impressive.2009-06-10 01:37:00

Author:
Deftmute
Posts: 730

Played this a few times, it really takes me outta the sack world and puts me into something outta any world, It really does have a unique feel, the ground is all torn up, it feels split up and alive with volcanic activity, and at the same time some ancient race must of built all this awesome machinery that lingers below.

Master level here which leaves me wanting more of a taste into this planet/meteor, knowing how it became what it is. Its good when you can make someone make things up in their head/imagination like you have done with this level.


When I play a level I use top quality head phones, and heard a great mix of sounds especially under the volcano. Top job you need to keep the series going.		2009-06-10 02:49:00

Author:
clarkdef
Posts: 138

I don't know where to start with this one?

Amazing level. Perplexing puzzles. Awesome visuals. Confounding mechanisms. Bewitching prose. Mind bending setting. A true successor to the rest of the series.

It's a level where you HAVE to trust the author. Trust that with enough persistence and the slight clues of word, you will find your way.

I get it. Why? Because I'm on the score board. Me and only a handful of other people. Bold statement....like OIL Devilishly difficult, so much more satisfying when completed. BRAVO Ninja! Bravo.		2009-06-10 03:21:00

Author:
Jaeyden
Posts: 564

I beat it, though I don't know what I did to get past the sun other than leap to my death a few times

The other puzzles were cool, and the graphics were very nice. 5-starred.		2009-06-10 07:28:00

Author:
Loius
Posts: 342

Wowsers, this is fantastic. I haven't managed to finish it yet, i got stuck on one of the sun puzzles but gave up knowing its something i would come back to. Visually its *AMAZE*, the lighting is just wonderful, and you really don't know what's coming around the next corner, and i love levels like that. The puzzles, or at least the ones i managed to solve, were nice and unobvious, its a great level for those who like scratching their brains and pondering a solution. Lovely stuff!!2009-06-10 18:05:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

Is it okay if I give my shortest review ever?

"EXQUISITE"


There, done and done.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go find my jaw.		2009-06-10 18:18:00

Author:
Zwollie
Posts: 2173

You know... I'm actually starting to feel smart. I played this for Ninja as a beta and solved the entire thing fairly quickly.

I think the interesting thing about this level to keep in mind is (and this is where the brilliant part comes in) if you read the clues and look around a bit EVERY puzzle makes absolute 100% sense.

I think the problem many players would run into with this level is that they may not truly understand how much thought went into the dialog and puzzles, so they may not totally trust it. I think players in LBP are pre-disposed to quickly reading text and closing it immediately instead of REALLY reading it and understanding the meaning.		2009-06-10 18:36:00

Author:
CCubbage
Posts: 4430

You know... I'm actually starting to feel smart. I played this for Ninja as a beta and solved the entire thing fairly quickly.

Oh, rub it in why dont'cha. 		2009-06-10 18:55:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

I played the whole False Idols series the other day. After having seen the start of this one so often I figured I might as well play through them all now that it was released.

Amazing stuff really. The visuals are tops, and you definitely do have to read those speech bubbles carefully. The only drawback is that there are some slowdowns sometimes because of all the special fx, but as long as you're playing alone it's not too bad.

The start of False Idols III should go down in LBP history as one of the most epic level intros ever made.

Can we expect to see a number IV sometime soon? 		2009-06-10 18:57:00

Author:
Gilgamesh
Posts: 2536

The lag is a feature in these games - it adds drama! It just wouldn't seem right if the sands in the hourglass were sifting at normal speed. Think of it as slow-mo effects in a major motion picture.2009-06-10 18:59:00

Author:
CCubbage
Posts: 4430

I just finished this one. I gotta say this post will have some (SPOILERS) so if you haven't played this don't read my post. First off. I gotta say I just loved your level. It's totally different than anything I've yet played on lbp. I applaud you for doing something different. Keep it up! Now for my feedback. This level actually took me three tries to complete. The first two times it broke on me, and I just want to give you a heads up on the things I experienced. The first time I played, I found the sun, so I took the light back to the gate. Nothing happened. I must have went back and fourth 3 to 4 times, so I finally gave up. At the time I thought, ok, it's not my day for a puzzle level. so I tried it today, and I figured, well, I'll try that thing with the light one more time, and lo and behold it worked. I'm not sure what happened the first time, but I wanted to let you know. This time when I was down in the machine, I pulled that branch, and it opened the tunnel, but something happened to the wheels up top. When the grabby thing gets transferred from one wheel to the next, something happened to the timing, because it was crushing every one of them. Other than them two things everything went very smoothly. I don't have any cons, as I really enjoyed every aspect of your level. I just wanted to give you a heads up on them issues. AWESOME WORK!!!!!2009-06-11 02:13:00

Author:
smasher
Posts: 641

I just got done playing the level, finally. I took a couple of hints of Ninja but I got there in the end.

I don't know what I can add to what others already have??

The intro was beaufitul, really well executed and it the set the fire for what was to follow perfectly. The design and visuals of the level were top notch, I loved the volcano and the beam of light that follows you. I really enjoyed the dialogue, the hints it provided were subtle enough, but still made you read them to pick out what was needed (even though I completely missed one hint!!).

You definetly have a flair for creating large, complex and impressive looking machinery. I played the level a couple of times with you whilst you were building them, and was impressed then, but to see them in the context of level and story was really something.

I suppose you can guess I gave you *****, a heart and a beautiful tag.

Great work 		2009-06-11 09:59:00

Author:
GruntosUK
Posts: 1754

Your levels are the only ones that make me feel like I'm watching a song be sung. The lyrics (Can't really call it dialogue) are beautiful, as are the visuals.

I got stumped and had to quit but I'm after taking a sneak peak as to what my next step should be so I'm looking forward to seeing the rest tonight.

Thank you for sharing these beautiful levels...		2009-06-11 10:33:00

Author:
wexfordian
Posts: 1904

Aah, came back to this today and finished (and glad i did too, some of the latter stages are stunning)

Great, great level. Has a vibe all its own.		2009-06-11 14:47:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

Thanks so much everybody, I was actually worried about posting this level here at first, because I'd been gone so long, and I was sure someone would have something bad to say about it, especially with the puzzles. Sometimes you want to be anonymous, you know?

My friends, Jaeyden, clarkdef, Gruntos and Ccub, really supported me as I was starting and struggling to finish this project. If clarkdef hadn't told me not to give up on it, it probably would have stopped at about 25% in.

Thanks Gil... I think the intro is the only reason it's on cool pages, cause no one's figuring it out lol. I have ideas for the next one's, but I've got to wait a bit before I sink into it again... and that synopsis is music to my ears, wex.

I just got back in today, and I'll try and catch up on everybody I couldn't get to yesterday. I started on your Star Wars levels, julesy, but only finished 2. I want to play the whole thing first.

I'll keep trying to figure that out with the wheel, smasher, but the ground-open bug was fixed probably a few hours after you played it. Sorry for the inconvenience, but thanks for bothering to retry. I thought I had it dialed in, but it takes about 15 minutes to start sliding slowly out of time when the ground is open, and I can't figure out why yet... I watched it for about an hour yesterday, but there's no grinding, no collision, they're all set to stop and start by the same switch on delivery... same speed etc I'll brainstorm on it.

EDIT: I shrunk the top wheel a hair, rolled it like a centimeter to the right in it's rotation, and added one single blue key at a collision point that I think was causing the logs to push the top wheel to the left. It may still occur, but again, I've been watching it for a good while here and trying to skip it out of alignment, and all seems to be secure.		2009-06-11 21:55:00

Author:
Unknown User

This level is perfect.

That is the first time I have ever written that on these boards and it may be the last time lol. This was my first thought upon finishing the level and I stand by my statement.

The intro alone is worth five stars and a heart. The combination of lighting, music, the cinematic camera angle, the meteor falling to earth, there is no other word for it but epic. I have not played the game in over a month and to come back and see something like this was truly inspiring, thank you.

The writing was powerful and magical. As a poet I truly appreciated the amount of work you put into this aspect, especially since all the writing also serves as clues to solving the puzzles. This is artistry shattering it's chrysalis and rising on infinite wings.

I loved the puzzles man. I have to admit, I was stuck at the sun puzzle and I became so anxious to see the rest of your magnificent creation that I messaged Ccubbage on PSN for some help lol. I thought the sun I made in 218 was pretty cool but your sun is glorious and puts any other I have seen to shame, bar none. The use of lighting here is ingenious and the puzzle is masterful. Your volcanoe was brilliant too!

The complexity of the "sun switch" room with all those chain reactions and moving parts was godly. That whole sequence is one of the most memorable things I have ever seen in LBP.

The Eye puzzle at the end? Sublime. You are the very definition of creative.

I could say a lot more but I think I have said it all: the level is perfect. A part of me wants to say I understand why it only has 3 stars based on the core LBP audience but at the same time a 3 star rating on a level like this is an affront to everything that is great about this game.

You are truly one of the greatest creators this game has ever seen and I kindly request you let me know when he next in the series is ready to play Thank you for the amazing journey.		2009-06-12 23:15:00

Author:
OCK
Posts: 1536

I got another chance to play the level earlier today and I beat it. Last time I played I got up to the sun and had to quit (with a pretty good idea of what to do next). This time I managed to get to the wall. I should have been able to figure that one out and I felt pretty stupid when I looked it up. Everything else was crystal clear with the clues. Well done!

I'm still astonished over the beginning. How do you do the flare effects?		2009-06-14 04:56:00

Author:
dcf
Posts: 468

Thanks dcf. I'm not sure I could really explain the effect... it's less complicated than it looks, it just took me a long time to get it right because there's alot of lighting, custom stickers and GLS's involved..


This level is perfect.

That is the first time I have ever written that on these boards and it may be the last time lol. This was my first thought upon finishing the level and I stand by my statement.

The intro alone is worth five stars and a heart. The combination of lighting, music, the cinematic camera angle, the meteor falling to earth, there is no other word for it but epic. I have not played the game in over a month and to come back and see something like this was truly inspiring, thank you.

The writing was powerful and magical. As a poet I truly appreciated the amount of work you put into this aspect, especially since all the writing also serves as clues to solving the puzzles. This is artistry shattering it's chrysalis and rising on infinite wings.

I loved the puzzles man. I have to admit, I was stuck at the sun puzzle and I became so anxious to see the rest of your magnificent creation that I messaged Ccubbage on PSN for some help lol. I thought the sun I made in 218 was pretty cool but your sun is glorious and puts any other I have seen to shame, bar none. The use of lighting here is ingenious and the puzzle is masterful. Your volcanoe was brilliant too!

The complexity of the "sun switch" room with all those chain reactions and moving parts was godly. That whole sequence is one of the most memorable things I have ever seen in LBP.

The Eye puzzle at the end? Sublime. You are the very definition of creative.

I could say a lot more but I think I have said it all: the level is perfect. A part of me wants to say I understand why it only has 3 stars based on the core LBP audience but at the same time a 3 star rating on a level like this is an affront to everything that is great about this game.

You are truly one of the greatest creators this game has ever seen and I kindly request you let me know when he next in the series is ready to play Thank you for the amazing journey.

Thank you, OCK. You made my week - actually, you just validated the entire time I've been on LBP, feeling underrated and unrecognized. I am absolutely floored that I got you to come back to LBP for even a minute without regretting it, because you and I walked the same path many times in this game and on these boards, and I know how it is. I figured you'd like it, but I can't thank you enough for having the guts to come here and tell it exactly how it is.

Thanks for what you said in the spotlight thread too. I know why you said it. Regardless of the situation, the feedback I've gotten in here from friends, and some of the best creators on here, tells me more than enough.

btw, man... come back. You don't even have to post levels here on the chopping block, but I'd love it if you made some more, and made the servers a better place. I'm sue I speak for anyone that knows you, that we could use another level like Legion, OOA, and 218.		2009-06-14 05:35:00

Author:
Unknown User

Hey I dig these levels... where the first and second shone this one is brighter and tighter. As stated (?) somewhere... by me (?) these levels are like stumbling around in someone elses semi-familiar dreamworld... nothing quite makes sense... yet you understand it all on some subconscious level... I really think you've tapped into some archetypal pathos on these levels... III especially... The eggshell for dried cracked earth perfect (one of my favorites) and the gassy red venting super heated down drafts... I could see dirt devils after a while just whipping away.

I dont like stupidly hard levels that are hard for the sake of being hard... I enjoy the mystery you give the player, the uncertainty, the challenge... on all these points, as well as visually, I think you have outperformed your previous high watermarks...

I like your levels. Loved the second... and was Ga-ga over the third... hear me out now... 2x I lost the sunlight following me... I knew what I needed to do instinctively but lost it ... anyway...for I don't know for what reason perhaps I lept out of the range of your player following device... idk... had to backtrack through the caver twice... It took it's toll... I was all sort of stoked when I got to the machinery... made it easily to the elevator with the red gas, triggered the checkpoint... but I never saw the switch... now its late 3:30 am... but I've been in tune w/lvl so far, idk... I'll check it out again to feel stupid I suppose... I just didn't see it... so anyway I came here and looked at your hints... (and boy do I hate games where you basically have to buy the walkthrough guide to finish the game...never one to do that...) and I read, "sticker the eye 100x" and I'm sitting here thinking you've finally lost it... Now granted, I haven't experienced it yet, so it may fit in completely with everything that has come before... but why? man... (I'll be sure to apologize if the experience outweighs my trepidation... I'm man enough for that...)

true to my word, here I am: Ok. the switch is there! duh. The thing is the materials of this level blend so splendidly well, and the machinery so abstract... I just didn't see it for what it was... additionally it's a rather unconditional jump.

Stickering 100x was cool... it was clear I was doing damage... no bother at all... nuff said.

Ok... Dude that last jump is so unfair.... (lol) I had the number two score behind you but couldn't land that sucker till all debris was off... Aaaaarrrrggghhh

The end machination was very cool. Brilliant level NinjaMicWZ

In short, just wanted to thank you for some of the most intense visuals I've scene of an ethereal nature... and keep doing what you're doing because I like 'em... even if I don't always understand them... and to go from a couple hundred plays to thousands is a richly deserved reward for these highly unique and original levels...		2009-06-14 09:04:00

Author:
Gravel
Posts: 1308

Thanks, Gravel. I did outun the light once myself with a couple perfectly timed leaps, but I didn't think anybody else would ever pull it off, so I left it as is. I will probably give the radius an increase, just enough to follow you uphill, but not enough to continue following when you drop down into the machine (I want it to almost immediately reset and position itself over the volcano and appear to begin it's "feed" into the machine).

I actually used to have a few thousand plays on all the episodes combined, but had recently relaunched them all, so as to wipe the scores clean (there was a time where I had way too many point bubbles in parts I and II, and the top score was unattainable), and make the comments section look a little more orderly after all the edits and republishes I did since they were released back around November/December. I pretty much threw away the heart/play count on them, yeah, but oh well... I still got them in the first place, right?

The funny thing is, since those first 3 never landed on cool pages, they've maintained their "acceptable" star rating, but the new one was trashed by the time it got to page 4. No matter.

...and yeah, when that material came out with the monster pack, I was thrilled. I knew it would be perfect, and immediately changed it out on what I had already started building. It really directed the whole look of the project from that point on.

Thanks for taking the time to give me your thoughts, and your player's perspective.... especially since you played all of them 		2009-06-14 10:24:00

Author:
Unknown User

I absolutely love this series.

The lighting effects were THE best I've ever seen.

It was awsomely beautiful.

This series is a complete triumph.

5 stars and hearts for all of them - and for you!!

Icey		2009-06-14 21:18:00

Author:
IceMaiden
Posts: 1057

I know the better half has just posted on this but I had to post to scream to the world how gorgeous this is.

The use of ligthing in this level is inspired!!

I really felt the heat from the depths of the earth (and burned my face on it several times).

After getting to the point just over the volcano mouth, I was astounded and just had to get into my devil outfit for a re-make of "Dant?'s Inferno" - absolutely superb moment and one that will stick in my memory for a long time to come.

Oh yes... when I rose into the spirit of the sun, I literally stood on the invisible platform for about 2 minutes.. not because I was reading all the text (which I was anyway) but because I was fascinated by the ingenuinty and visual cream being poured into my eye sockets (eww does that sound gross?)

A seriously, seriously cool level and, in my opinion, the best of the series.

A very big congratulations!

Rhy		2009-06-14 21:35:00

Author:
Rhyfelwr
Posts: 606

Hi ninjamicwz!

Thanks for helping me through this level man! Some feedback for you...

+ intro is awesome! It's one of those intro's where you just know that you probably will rate the level 5 stars
+ puzzles are ingenious!! It's a pitty the one under the volcano is not at the beginning of the level, that's really impressive man, my jaws dropped when i saw that one, i think i just watched that one for about 10 minutes
(the one at the end is really impressive as well)
+ I usually don't like text bubbles, but what you put in them is beautiful, a joy to read!
+ I love the mysterious & mature atmosphere in this level, it's so different then anything out there, i really wanted to finish this one, because i wanted to know how the rest of the level looked like.

some cons (hard to find )
- some framerate issue's at the part before the sun with the moving rocks.
(which can be really frustrating!) i've the feeling gas is pretty heavy on the engine, maybe mm needs to optimize that (like they did with the glued bubbles)
- died a couple times before you go up to the sun, that part can be confusing (you have to jump down, right?)
- the part with the red lights (at the beginning) is my least favourite

I can understand that several people will no like this level because it's really challenging, but in a fun way! Solving these puzzles gives you a pretty good feeling :-)
I hearted it, gave you 5 stars and an ingenious tag, wanted to heart you as well, but i already did that. Looking forward to more!

cheers,
misty.		2009-06-15 19:32:00

Author:
Mother-Misty
Posts: 574

I really enjoy the artistry of your level, but like Matt82 in this thread had mentioned, it was a bit beyond me. I got stuck at the volcano. I thought I had to stand at the edge and trigger some kind of event. lol! Still, there's no denying that you really took full advantage of what LBP has to offer.

I also am a Heart of Darkness fan and I''m certainly a HUGE fan of the Oddworld games. ! I used to play those games with my father. SCRABS 4 LIFE!!


However, I feel even when they're not verbally giving hints there was always some kind of visual cue to alert the player. I didn't really get that from this level, but then again maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough.

Again, it had great level design that's for certain!		2009-06-16 02:06:00

Author:
pantspantspants
Posts: 189

Best opening sequence ever!!!!
Absolutely, and the point when you exit the cave and stand by near the volcano
is the most visually impressive shot I've seen in LBP.

I haven't finished the level yet (I quit at the red gas pit) but I have to make a quite disappointing cons.
I tell it here to Ninja, but is something that is valid for many other creators.

Sometimes you should keep in mind that a great part of the userbase is not Native English speaking.
I understand quite well English, but from a "student" point of view, not as an "English/USA" resident point of view.

Although absolutely cool, Ninja's texts can be, for a non English people, cool storywise but voided from the hints.

I'm ashamed to complain about this, but in some levels I get stucked in some points just because the hint is hidden in the texts.

I'm sure that you guys can solve this problem, maybe with a lever at the beginning of the level to chose the language...I don't know but I'm sure you're skilled enough to find a solution to make some levels enjoyable for everyone.		2009-07-13 07:39:00

Author:
OmegaSlayer
Posts: 5112

Definitely... I only speak one language myself, and it would be really difficult for me to rhyme eloquently and articulately in context and provide clues in another tongue, but I was raised by immigrants, and grew up in London, so I'm always 100% for diversity and respect of cultures and the right to speak and express in one's language. MM should definitely provide a language filter for all text - the rhyme scheme and musicality of it might get lost in translation, but the meaning would still be there.2009-07-13 08:13:00

Author:
Unknown User

Wow, Ninja, this level is very impressive! A true masterpiece from the first second of the level. Your introduction section is absolutely jawdropping and the level is full of innovative concept! All is very beautifull (as always) and the gameplay is great. Moreover, your mecanism are very clever and function very well with gameplay.
Your master of the lightings is also clearly visible.
I think this level is the best one of your already awesome series of "False Idols", and gave it :star::star::star::star::star: and a deserves heart (actually, i would have give it two hearts, but, the game didn't allow me to do this!)!

Btw, i also played your Free at last level but didn't find a way already to finish it. Since i want not use the hint sticker, i will finish it myself ASAP and and will live some comments on the thread. It is also a great and beautifull level full of ingeniosity.		2009-07-23 09:24:00

Author:
Takelow
Posts: 1355


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