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Clocktower 7

Archive: 11 posts

Edit: whew, finished returning f4f's. Now to close it down.

Attention! No longer returning f4f on this as I've layed the level to rest so I can work on something else. I could certainly go back and fix all the stuff I did wrong here, but I think I've learned a lot already from the feedback given and I want to try new level ideas.

Clocktower 7 was my first real attempt at making a level, and it has a couple of fun things: mechanics, vertical progression, and compartmentalized sections!

It's been a while since I've even played it, so let's take a look. :3


http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/9955/80375316.jpg
Ah, this brings back memories... better keep on going up!

http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/2388/24528019.jpg
Hm... How did this go again? I see I can grab onto that gear... but its not turning...

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/7699/39307173.jpg
Oh yeah... there's a button over there. I'll just go back down and...

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/8875/71947313.jpg
Jump~ jump~ almost there....

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/5757/18450061.jpg
Hah! I was right... the gear's turning now.

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/2698/74022420.jpg
Just jump and grab... whoa, I've missed my exit already! I'll just let it go around again~

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/3043/55784410.jpg
Whew! First level's done. Oh boy, I remember how fun this second one is... Interlocking gears are fun! *jump jump jump*


As the name of the level suggests, there's 7 levels to Clocktower 7, and each has its own puzzle. The puzzles are meant to get harder each time, although its not a strict progression of difficulty. Also, I now realize that I never did fix that problem on level 3 which makes it a tad difficult if you're not good at timing jumps. If you can get past that though, it is really fun. :3

I'd love to hear some feedback on my level. 		2009-06-13 04:51:00

Author:
Jakeb89
Posts: 15

While it's not the prettiest level around it's a great challenge. I had a lot of fun trying to get up it; there's some tricky parts in there.

Looks like you've got mechanics down pretty well; time to add decorations

Don't forget to use the 'F4F' feature - Feedback for Feedback - it gets more people to go to your level since they want feedback on theirs, and it gets you to a lot of awesome levels to get inspiration from 		2009-06-13 07:34:00

Author:
Loius
Posts: 342

While it's not the prettiest level around it's a great challenge. I had a lot of fun trying to get up it; there's some tricky parts in there.

Looks like you've got mechanics down pretty well; time to add decorations

Don't forget to use the 'F4F' feature - Feedback for Feedback - it gets more people to go to your level since they want feedback on theirs, and it gets you to a lot of awesome levels to get inspiration from

Ah, ok, thanks! I'm guessing the F4F is where you're expected to give equal feedback on someone else's level if they give you feedback on yours? I've enabled it now, and I suppose I'll go look at one of your levels. : )		2009-06-13 08:19:00

Author:
Jakeb89
Posts: 15

Yep, it works really well in my experience. 2009-06-13 08:23:00

Author:
Loius
Posts: 342

Hi Jakeb89, alias Tora-kun. I played Clocktower7 and have some feedback for you.

My experience:
First of all, I thought this was a great series of challenges. You don't see too many cog-n-gear levels on LBP. Your level presents a refreshing style, done in a unique manner, which let me know fairly early into the challenges, that I had to have my game-face on for this one. This level also provides a mental challenge as well, which I also happen to like. My favorite part was the gears that had the grabbable sponge, where I had to perfectly time my release to catch the next one on the gear overhead. I also enjoyed finding the little pockets of bubbles when I explored. And the stage (the Clock visuals specifically), which consisted of complimentary materials and color, was cohesive and realistic. I think Clocktower7 has what it takes to be a Very Good level.

Areas requiring attention:
1. Even though I really enjoyed this level, the hard-switching camera angles severely impacted my ability to enjoy it at what I would call a 4-Star experience, which might explain why this level is currently rated a 3.
A.) The angles do add cinematic drama, but the same can be accomplished by setting the camera zones to incorporate the small ledges only (the traingle shaped ledges on either side while making the ascent), with the main camera positioned such that the player is looking straight into the challenge when actually engaging in the challenge.
B.) Changing the camera Tracking slider to about 25% to 30% of Max would be a good setting to start with, which would serve to smooth out the hard switch from one camera zone to another. You will have to play around with this setting though, to get it perfect, which can sometimes be tedious, if not difficult ,to do.

2. Regarding the visuals, the Desert background selected does often draw the eye away from your creation, when on either side of the clock. If you added some trim, in another complimentary material, that occupies at least the front thin layer and front main layer on the sides of the clock, you could maintain the Clocktower look and feel throughout the entire play experience. Using multiple layers for the trim would make it more interesting in style and depth.

As for a rating, I rated it 3-Stars. I really wanted to give this level a 4-Star for it's unique challenges, but the areas requiring attention, that I mention above, had a critical impact on the experience.

I hope you consider the changes I suggested. If you do make these adjustments, I would be willing to play it again for you. Just PM me when they're completed.

Keep up the good work!

I'm looking forward to hearing your comments on my level, Takken (Part 1)-The Beginning. It's my first level, and I'm trying to make it the best it can be, and thoughtful feedback is a big part of that process.

Rick

Rick		2009-06-14 16:02:00

Author:
RickRock_777
Posts: 1567

Alright, I'm playing it while posting here so I'll post everything I find out..



1 - The camera at the beginning. Try to fix it's size so it doesn't move around while jumping through the first blocks.
2- The base material doesn't seem to fit, and I think other materials would fit much better. You should try changing the red metallic material.
3- I got stuck on the area (3) with the cog and the arrow pointing to one of the parts. I didn't have a clue about what to do there. I made my way through it by just randomly jumping until i got to the top, but the arrow definitely didn't make any sense, so I would rather delete it because it's not helping.
4- I don't know why, but the whole stage seems to be 'lagging'. Some cogs make fast spins every now and then, and on the area (5) the elevator took quite a while to arrive and it came by so fast, later.
5- The (6) area is quite a pain in the ***. I got stuck in between cogs two times already and died, and overall jumping through cogs is not fun, when there are other cogs on other layers and you accidentally jump to them.
6- I'm spending WAY TOO much time on the (6) area. I just got stuck in the same place for 3rd time and died. Last life.

I give up on this part. I'm sorry but I'm giving it 2 stars because, as the note says, "Needs Work". You should definitely fix that area and the other stuff I posted as well.		2009-06-14 18:05:00

Author:
Mik2121
Posts: 75

For part 6, you could extend the ceiling to match the cogs; that way players wouldn't auto-switch layers and become Flatboys. It is rather angriest to gain flatness through no fault of one's own 2009-06-14 19:17:00

Author:
Loius
Posts: 342

By the way, I forgot to say it. Could you give me feedback on my stage The Arabian Nights?
It's the second link in my sig! Thanks 		2009-06-16 09:59:00

Author:
Mik2121
Posts: 75

Those were some fantastic puzzley cog platforms. I enjoyed that part very much. However, the final part with the clock got me really annoyed. On top of that, the relaxing elevator song made me even more aggravated. You should make that easier. At least get rid of the bat thing. And it seemed a little bit on the short side. Other than that, that was some very intriguing platforming. If you fixed the difficult parts, I would play it again.

-F4F: JerkBall 		2009-06-17 07:42:00

Author:
navy_flip
Posts: 19

I had some plays of this level last night and wanted to post my feedback. I like the clean visual style of the level in that you haven?t cluttered up every surface with decorations and or stickers. The level is the inside of a clock and I?d expect there to be a clean, aesthetic look with wheels, gears and cogs and this level does good to capture the highlights of this look.

There are some levels that work out better than others with level six being the most frustrating of the seven. I don't think I quite understand the full intent behind level six as there are three switches that presumably stop the three fast spinning cogs but I could never figure out how to get to the upper left switch. I moved to the lower left switch then the right side switch, jumped to the switch handle then up to the upper large cog and then up to the next level.

The second main issue I had was with the camera angle used in the seventh level. It was at an angle that I had a bit of trouble jumping on to the clock arm a few times. Generally I didn?t see the camera angles themselves being too bad but I do agree with some other posters that there are some abrupt transitions between the different zones that are a bit messy.

You have a good distribution of score bubbles through the level such that it makes for a good time trying to get the highest bubble score multiplier. I like the spot where you hid the prize bubble but I think it is a bit too extreme to make the player play all the way to the top to unlock the prize bubble if it is only going to be a cog. It was a nice cog mind you, just that it is a lot of work to get for something that I may not be able to use in many situations.

This is a great level for a first published level so you should be very happy with it. It has a good construction, is clean in appearance, offers some solid platforming levels and generally plays well. It isn?t a beautiful level but as I said before I like the clean, ordered look of it. If you were going to go back to update it I?d recommend removing the bit of dark matter that the bat is connected to in the seventh level.

You can connect a piston from the bat to the ceiling and do not need the dark matter at all and my own preference is to set the piston to invisible but that would be up to you.

I don't remember much about what music was playing so it wasn?t very impactful to me and I also do not remember any sound effects as I played. (Other than the constantly squeaking bat.) Given that you are working your way up through a clock full of rusting gears it?d be logical for the grinding metal or may some groaning wood or some other metal based sounds in the right spots.

If you do have time I?d appreciate your opinions on my latest level, Somethin?s Cookin?.		2009-06-17 16:24:00

Author:
Trindall
Posts: 297

Wow, I forgot to check this thread for a few days and I have a couple of really helpful reviews! Thank you guys so much! I'm going to try to get back to you on your levels as well and try to work on the suggestions you've given. I really appreciate the help.2009-06-19 00:56:00

Author:
Jakeb89
Posts: 15


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