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Lone Ninja Series

Archive: 21 posts


Edit 12 Dec 2009: This thread is for Lone Ninja Episodes 1, 2 and 3. Click the linky under my PSN if you'd like to leave a message on the other three, specifically.

Lone Ninja Episode 1: The Holy Sword Kaminarito is predominantly a medium-difficulty platformer. The intent of the series is to slowly add machines and effects that simulate "ninja action" in a mildly goofy, mildly anime-inspired environment. Episode 1, which starts out with the player as a trainee, focuses a lot more on the goofy part.

I understand that, for the most part, Sackboy doesn't talk, and MM made a conscious decision NOT to give the player word balloons in conversations. This doesn't stop me from trying it anyway.

Lone Ninja Episode 2: Lessons of the Thunder God introduces some basic gameplay mechanics, and has puzzles.

Lone Ninja Episode 3: Race to Ninja Village is a very short level with lots of violence and an actual plotline.

All these levels are a thousand years old now, but I'll appreciate any feedback you have. Thanks!

There is a place to use a sticker grappling hook in this level, but it does not stop the player from finishing. I love the sticker switch feature, and it's a shame that it conflicts with most hardcores' desires to turn off community objects.
2009-06-19 04:17:00

Author:
coyote_blue
Posts: 422


I personally don't enjoy turning prized back on, so I can see where people are coming from, but I will give it a whirl...2009-06-19 04:23:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338


I'm cool with _removing_ the stickers, if there is some way to create the "point at target" effect without the Paintinator. There are parts where I use paint on purpose already.

But, I use the grappling hook to activate lifts, pull objects down, and the upcoming Episode 4 will have a sticker switch trigger an emitter that throws a grappling hook into a guy's noggin. But why add the nifty g-hook kills if I could just make enemies shootable?

I suppose I could also just use a Story Sticker, but none of them are very Ninja.
2009-06-19 05:11:00

Author:
coyote_blue
Posts: 422


Hi coyote_blue. Here's my thoughts on your level...

I thought this was a great introduction to the series. It was varied, well presented, and the difficulty was quite tricky in places but not frustrating. Some good original ideas too.

PROS
+ Nice visuals
+ Challenging gameplay
+ Great 'horizontal knife destroyer' contraption!
+ Good introduction to the series

CONS
- Maybe too difficult for some younger players

OVERALL
A good, satisfying introduction to a series that made me want to play the sequels. Well done.

Rated 4*, Tagged with 'Brilliant' and Hearted.
2009-06-19 22:28:00

Author:
MrsSpookyBuz
Posts: 1492


I played this before you even posted it here. 5 stars and hearted. I thought the story was well done. the oni sisters were awesome. i chuckled at Cross Clash! I thoroughly enjoyed it and have every intention of showing it off.

If you feel like giving some feedback in return my level is Lost Ages: chapter one

@deftmute
2009-06-21 05:50:00

Author:
Deftmute
Posts: 730


Wow, I didn't know you posted here. These levels are great! Very nice story with fun gameplay. I showed them to a friend and he said "I feel like hugging the creator" from how good the story is. I posted this on the level but is it possible for you to unlock the 4th part? For some reason my game isn't acknowledging any keys I get, it's not even showing the little gold sackboy that shows up when you finish the level. It's really weird...2009-06-21 06:27:00

Author:
brnxblze
Posts: 1318


Played all 4 last night and thought they were great. Some of the materials were a bit strange at times but the overall effect, gameplay, sense of humor, plot and ninja ability system you put in there more than overcame any concerns I had for mere material usage. You have moments of brilliance in some of these levels too - some I can recall offhand would be the bamboo forest, the burned out village, the top of the mountain, the cute cut scene when you get the sword and a few others I can't recall at the moment.

I though difficulty was just about right. Not too easy - not too hard. Excellent storytelling as well.

The only thing I would suggest is when making future levels pay special attention to what your making things from and if the textues and colors work together as a whole. Most of your levels in this series are good in terms of this but I did find areas where it was a bit much. Just my own artistic opinion though.

I gave most of them 4 stars and the village one 5 stars - hearted them all an they earned you a creator heart from me to. Thanks for making my sackboy feel like a real Lone Ninja!
2009-06-22 20:41:00

Author:
Morgana25
Posts: 5983


Morgana - this is something I would like to hear more about. I've learned some painful lessons about thermo - my levels are shorter BECAUSE I frequently refuse to make it as easy as "jump on dude's head." So if there's some choice I can make that will make the thing easier to build, that makes future episodes better. No ego here - I have fun building and playing good levels. So I really appreciate the feedback.

Everyone else - I will work for the feedback. In order.

PS: And btw - can I get some help with basic forum sig banners and what not? I'd like to someday be taken seriously.

PPS: brnxblze - the lock is there because I currently don't actually LIKE Episode X, and it will be superceded eventually. It's the first level I ever made, and the boss has never worked right.

The new Ep 4 will incorporate some of the "moments" of Ep X - stabbing folk through shoji panels, sneaking up behind patsies, and some version of the Final Atomic Buster - and it will be fully unlocked.
2009-06-23 02:35:00

Author:
coyote_blue
Posts: 422


Hello coyote_blue,

I had a chance to play all your levels yesterday! Great ideas!

In episode 1,
The minty fresh breath area, interesting analogy! LOL! The Ninja's, had a hard time trying to pop the brains. I just kept tipping them over. The funny thing is that it never killed me. It was more like bowling!! LOL I loved the sword slicing through the ladies, that was cool. The grab/rock area was a little difficult for me. I kept falling off the sides and had to keep redoing it. Thank goodness they were there and not timed! On the area where the bridge is out, with the rolling circles, you need a double save point there (it would be good to have a minimum of a double save point at every area for multiple players). If there more than one player playing at a time, there's not many chances for them. The second to last snow drift platform going up was loose in the race area. All in all, I liked the level alot! It was fun! I gave you 5 stars for no major glitches, and interesting story line.

Episode 2,
I loved the itroduction tutorial at the beginning! Great ideas, well exicuted! Granted, need double save points for multiple player parties. I liked the challenges more on this level. No major problems, you got another 5 stars!

Episode 3
The sword at the beginning of the level, you could use an emmiter to release the sword rather than the large flower/square motif. Plus, the illusion is lost with the piston showing. Chicken dude was funny, he looked half plucked!! Hard the first time, but figured out the pattern. Loved the ninja village even though it was... oh toasty! I know this sounds horrible, but I thought it was cute when the little dude fell over after I passed him. Another 5 stars!

Episode 4
Loved the row boat!! Needs a splash sound when entering water, just like when we exit. The final boss guy, we killed him and got stuck, the flaming walls never disapated. It did the second time we tried the whole level. So I'm not really sure what went wrong. They looked great though, great detail! I gave it 5 stars as well!
2009-07-21 02:20:00

Author:
MaximovSephiroth
Posts: 36


Episode 3 - The piston is showing?! Ah, crap.

Episode 4 - That boss has been a pain ever since I invented him. Originally, he was a big goofy thing attached to a breakaway piston. You had to flip up to a couple switches, turn his shields off, then grab him for the finisher. I've tried to fix him - he currently has a hit point meter, the grab move is completely controlled by winches (so long as you don't let go), you have to use multiple weapons (Lone Ninja-themed) to fight him. But something always ends up glitching, and the freakin' sword move is currently it.

Though now that you've got me grumbling about it in my head again, I just had a brainwave. Too bad it left Cool Levels years ago, so no one but my friends are gonna play the new-and-improved...till I make Episode 5, anyway.
2009-07-21 14:52:00

Author:
coyote_blue
Posts: 422


I played all of these today, and had a pretty good time chopping people to bits and using my Shinobi-Tenchu style specials... the zantetsuken-style attacks and over the top sense of humor are really what sets these apart. I'm a junkie for stuff like this... what the deuce indeed.

Was Critical Beatdown a reference to the Ultramagnetic MC's album by any chance?
2009-07-22 05:35:00

Author:
Unknown User


Yes. I grew up when Public Enemy was still complaining about censorship and airplay on the radio. I heard Kool Keith rap about cooking brains, and it was pretty bizarre for the time, so I never forgot that.

Of course, it's still pretty bizarre for a rapper to leave his clubs/money/girls/weaponry, and now you've got a dozen or so well-known trueschool and "nerdschool" acts, but...alas, Mos Def, why hast thou gone insane?

Anyway. Lone Ninja originally talked a lot more music-reference trash, got lost in personal asides that ended in maniacal laughter, so on...then I watched someone play and skip every word balloon. Since then, I keep it to one or two expository conversations, hints, quips that appear out of camera angle that don't stop the player, and so on. I think I'm gonna change the Boston Market crack at the end of 3 to something more accessible to the UK...there probably aren't that many AMERICANS left who know you can buy readymade rotisserie chicken there.

I'm glad you appreciate the niche I'm trying to fill, here. I play a lot of genius levels based on Ninja Training, some of which I have difficulty even completing...but then I asked one day, "Is there a ninja anywhere on LBP who actually sneaks up on people to do horrible things to them? Who even attempts to execute Hayabusa Ryu's Spinning Teleport Piledriver?" (I always thought he said "Cheddar Cheese Attack!" in Dead or Alive 3, and I never saw the real Japanese text.)

It seems to me that more technically-oriented folk could really help me improve the series. I'm happy with the overall effect, but my levels are very short, and my more ambitious effects reach a bit farther than they grasp. I just last night figured out how to get Sakunaga to reliably die, and without using a sword that breaks 15% of the time (LN throws a shuriken now).
2009-07-22 14:32:00

Author:
coyote_blue
Posts: 422


I have a complaint to make, Coyote_Blue! In the second part of the story, there is a place where I most drag some sponge to some letters.. The letters is supposed to read "Kaminarito" right? I read it as "Kaminaut?", which is a difference.. It might be that I just couldn't see it right with the light settings, but could you please look into it?

The rest of the series is very nice though, I like how Sackboy always scream something random when he kills an enemy xD.
2009-12-12 21:51:00

Author:
Risumm
Posts: 77


Sounds Fun. I'll Make Sure I Check It Out Next Time I'm on. I'll Post With My Review Later2009-12-12 22:09:00

Author:
jaws-27
Posts: 15


@ Risumm: My original intent was to make the Kaminaritou puzzle all handwritten. Once I realized that the photo stickers weren't turning out how I wanted, it became the MS Word font pic monstrosity it is now.

Ri, U, I, and Ko are very similar. You'll note that I and Ri only differ in right stroke length; I and Ko are 90 degrees apart, but the same strokes; U is like Ri, but the initial stroke is higher.

Double-O is spelled O-U in Kana. I know that several forms of romaji use a straight line over the O, or a circonflex, but I like the JPI version, which just spells everything out, character for character. As it is, I had to look up other Legendary Sword names to make sure the suffix was To-U and not just To.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Japanese_Hiragana_kyokashotai_RI.png Ri
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Japanese_Hiragana_kyokashotai_small_U.png U
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Japanese_Hiragana_kyokashotai_small_I.png I
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Japanese_Hiragana_kyokashotai_KO.png Ko
2009-12-13 01:42:00

Author:
coyote_blue
Posts: 422


@ Risumm: My original intent was to make the Kaminaritou puzzle all handwritten. Once I realized that the photo stickers weren't turning out how I wanted, it became the MS Word font pic monstrosity it is now.

Ri, U, I, and Ko are very similar. You'll note that I and Ri only differ in right stroke length; I and Ko are 90 degrees apart, but the same strokes; U is like Ri, but the initial stroke is higher.

Double-O is spelled O-U in Kana. I know that several forms of romaji use a straight line over the O, or a circonflex, but I like the JPI version, which just spells everything out, character for character. As it is, I had to look up other Legendary Sword names to make sure the suffix was To-U and not just To.

I am very aware of the last part. I just did it in the correct "roman" way, with the ?. But I can't agree with you on the U/Ri thing. I don't find them matching at all, except for the point where they end.
2009-12-13 10:20:00

Author:
Risumm
Posts: 77


is there going to be another?2009-12-13 10:33:00

Author:
Kern
Posts: 5078


Review:

Level 1: + Good Visuals
+ Good Storyline
+ Good Gameplay
- Ninjas Had To Many Stickers
[4 Stars]

Level 2:
+ Visuals Good
+ Good Story
- Too Short
- Not A lot of Gameplay
[3 Stars]

Level 3:
+ Bamboo Forest Great
+ Bamboo Platforms Cool
- Bamboo Platform Strings Weren't Appealing
- Boss Section Glitched. The Top Hoist Broke & Couldn't shoot his Head. Couldn't Be Bothered Playing Again & Left Out The other Levels as I Didn't No Story
[2 Stars]
2009-12-13 12:09:00

Author:
jaws-27
Posts: 15


Level 1: Ninjas Had To Many Stickers

Don't know what that means. If it's the Angry Demon Samurai, I like them the way they are, and other people do too. Can't please everyone, I suppose.


Level 2: - Too Short
- Not A lot of Gameplay

Short's a valid critique, but too short? When I go back and get rid of the emitter rain effect, both 2 and 3 will probably be longer. "Too short" implies you're comparing them to something, or you're paying for it, and expect exactly X minutes of gameplay. Since the only thing you can compare my stuff to is Ninja Training levels (which are great, but I don't think they're the same thing) or Shinobi Moon (Bigger scale maybe, but about the same length), and you didn't pay for it, I submit that my levels are all about 7 scenes long, and that's however long it needs to be.


Level 3:
+ Bamboo Forest Great
+ Bamboo Platforms Cool
- Bamboo Platform Strings Weren't Appealing
- Boss Section Glitched. The Top Hoist Broke & Couldn't shoot his Head. Couldn't Be Bothered Playing Again & Left Out The other Levels as I Didn't No Story


Well, Dang. If the Boss is glitched, I'll fix it this morning. He's given me problems before, so that doesn't surprise me. EDIT: I have fixed it already, and will be republishing LN 2 and 3 soon with fixes. The hoists were mounted to sponge, which makes them easier to break. The Big Tree now has green metal leaves...should be harder to break. I haven't gotten rid of the strings, but I invis'ed some of the other rods.

As for the stories, if you didn't get the story from the word balloons, you're not going to get it anywhere. The Shinto myth doesn't really get explained for those who don't know it until Episode 6, and it's not required to know why Lone Ninja is doing what he does.

If there's genuinely some confusion about my WRITING, please tell me, and I will definitely try to fix it. If you're just saying you didn't like the story, that's certainly your call, too.

I don't know if you meant the last bit about leaving out the others because of the story, or if it was just a kiss-off, but it's the most troubling comment, in my opinion, and I'd like more clarification if you'd like to provide it.

I'll zip by your Savannah level today.

@ Risumm:
No offense meant, mate. I've had a bunch of conversations about this with other Japanese or Japanophile players, and it just helps to lay everything out. (Especially if someone who DOESN'T know what we're talking about tries to follow this conversation.)

It's lighting, and my handwriting. I didn't pick up my pen between strokes...which I meant not to do, but I can see that causes difficulty. I'm replacing my handwriting with fonts, because I'm sure there are Japanese players who secretly hate my penmanship.

@Kernel:
Sort of. Lone Ninjas 1 through 3 clearly need a redo, as 4-6 are definitely much better, and I'm still catching HEAT rounds for that LN3 boss.

If there IS a new level, it may or may not be Lone Ninja Zero.
2009-12-13 14:43:00

Author:
coyote_blue
Posts: 422


....
@ Risumm:
No offense meant, mate. I've had a bunch of conversations about this with other Japanese or Japanophile players, and it just helps to lay everything out. (Especially if someone who DOESN'T know what we're talking about tries to follow this conversation.)

It's lighting, and my handwriting. I didn't pick up my pen between strokes...which I meant not to do, but I can see that causes difficulty. I'm replacing my handwriting with fonts, because I'm sure there are Japanese players who secretly hate my penmanship.....

I'm learning japanese, so I for the most part know what I'm talking about.
But knowing that it's because you didn't lift your pen, this clears out alot.. It's much alike the Ki - My sensei told me that the most common writing of this letter is to start with the two horizontal lines, make the start of the last line, lift the pen a little, jump about 1cm, then do the rest of the letter.

Sorry for having doubted you, it seems it's just a matter of visibility then
2009-12-13 16:30:00

Author:
Risumm
Posts: 77


Not at all. I learned the kana years ago, and I'm proud to say that my handwriting is now as bad as many real Japanese because of it.
You'll see a lot of people abuse Ri (there are now computer fonts that depict Ri as all one brushstroke) and Sa (it looks like Chi backwards, if you don't pick up your pen). Not a good habit to get into while you've got a sensei watching you...

As for the level, though, I DID take my handwritten characters out. Somebody might get stumped by my handwriting, especially if they don't know any Japanese at all.
2009-12-13 16:49:00

Author:
coyote_blue
Posts: 422


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