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STAR WARS: The Empire Strikes Back: Cloud City: err... Etc!

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STAR WARS: The Empire Strikes Back: Cloud City: err... Etc!julesyjules
The sixth level in the series.

It's a dark hour for the Rebellion! Sensing your friends are in danger, you rush to save them on the gas mining facility Cloud City, an untrained Jedi unaware of the trap that lies ahead.......
all


Hey all

Just published the latest level in the series, no pics yet, i seem to have misplaced my stick. : /

This one's been an absolute trial, I encountered 160 bug and have had to really hold on to my patience (and sanity!!) to get it out. I tried a few new things (for me at least) in this one, it's been a good learning experience if nothing else, heh heh. Its also a Single Player Only level, you can get through in multi but it won't be pretty!

Anyways, there's pushy, grabby, swing shooty things aplenty and i hope you enjoy it. Always happy to listen to criticism, but due to the bug, I'm probably unlikely to tweak this one.

Big big thanks go out to jwwphotos, Ccubbage, Matt_82, Morgana and Grantos for all contributing to playtesting. jww, Ccubbage & Matt in particular went above and beyond the call of duty in testing far too many times, thanks so much guys!		2009-08-19 12:47:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

Oh nice, I saw an LBP-pic of Morgana at the climactic scene of ESB so this will be a treat for sure!!2009-08-19 12:48:00

Author:
Zwollie
Posts: 2173

Oh nice, I saw a pic of Morgana enjoying the climax of ESB so this will be a treat for sure!!

What the????????...... Oooohhhh right..... me and my mind.....

EDIT: on topic.... really looking forward to checking this out julesy.		2009-08-19 12:55:00

Author:
wexfordian
Posts: 1904

What the????????...... Oooohhhh right..... me and my mind.....

Hahaha, you and your dirty mind indeed!!
I changed it a tad to make it less....you know. 		2009-08-19 12:58:00

Author:
Zwollie
Posts: 2173

Holy crap, awesome. *Sprints off to PS3*2009-08-19 13:00:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

Yay! I love your other SW levels! I'm gonna play that right away! 2009-08-19 13:09:00

Author:
Vinceluk
Posts: 12

No problem on testing it over and over and over - this level is FUN! I'm still looking forward to yet another playthrough when I get home tonight.

This level fits perfectly into the quality of the rest of the series, and adds a few very cool boss fights.

As usual, you have the "humor" element nailed down. There's a few moments in there that got a big chuckle out of me - specifically the parts involving the robots.

5 stars and a heart definately. I'll add them when I get home tonight.		2009-08-19 13:24:00

Author:
CCubbage
Posts: 4430

Woot! julesyjules + Star Wars + humour + great fun = wonderful levels.

Can't wait to play it... will post back all my complimen---- I mean, my views, when I play it tonight 		2009-08-19 13:30:00

Author:
MrsSpookyBuz
Posts: 1492

Wow, just played the level and had an absolute BLAST! I go so far as to say this one was better than Dagobah. You mastered the feel of a spaceship type atmosphere, while still maintaining your comical take on the whole series.

The dialogue throughout was spot on and made me smile the whole way through. The little obstacles and challenges sprinkled in were both creative and fun, which is really what littlebigplanet is all about. Your use of lighting has improved with each level, and this one peaks with some of the best lbp lighting I've seen. It seems so fluid (but I actually found your logic at the beginning and saw some of what goes into making it seem so fluid). The whole level just looked fantastic, and I really enjoyed the "clean, yet detailed" look of the whole spaceship. I never got lost, and everything was pretty straightforward, which was nice.

Unfortunately, I had to restart twice, as a result of getting stuck twice at the very beginning (which sort of took away from the experience a little, but I forgot all about it once I was gadding through the level). The two places I got stuck were:


In the beginning, I was able to jump in between the [thrusters?] and get outside the level. I took in the view of some logic, danced about, and then popped myself. When I respawned, R2 was stuck on the ship, and I couldn't dislodge him. It was probably a fluke, but you probably want to make it impossible to get out near your logicz. I saw you put an invisible blocker, but I just jumped over it (haha). Maybe a blatantly tall invisible blocker at the edge?
On the first little lift that has you shoot a little trigger (not sure what they are), the lift went down without sacky, rendering me stuck. There's a pretty simple solution for this if you're interested, as I assume you don't want players to have to restart. Set up a little logical AND gate for if the lift is down below and sackboy is not (mag key on the platform, prox switch up above). If this ever happens, have an emitter fire a paintball at the trigger that makes it go back up. It's not the prettiest, but it's pretty simple logically.


Once I got past these little hiccups, the level was great. I gave it 5 stars, hearted it, and tagged 'brilliant' on it.

Have a good day!

Edit: Haha, you've fixed it already with regards to getting out to the logic... R2 still gets stuck on the ship, though. How high is the brain's strength set to? And I see you've put a timer of the first little lift that goes down? Was this here before as well? If so, then I apologize for the above comment...		2009-08-19 13:39:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

I'm luckier than all of you because I still have Dagobah to play too. DOUBLE THE FUN! I love these SW levels.2009-08-19 14:05:00

Author:
BasketSnake
Posts: 2391

@compherc

You always find a way out of my levels!

I've blocked that now, thanks for that.

The platform issue, i hadn't thought about setting up that kind of logic. With this level though, adding any more mechanics now is a risk i can't take. I've put in some more invis dark matter to try and minimise that issue now, hopefully it'll be enough. Thanks for the comments, makes all the stuff I've had to deal with on this one a bit easier to forget.

I've already garnered 'annoying' as one of my top tags. There's plenty here that WILL annoy the less forgiving players, but I've reached the point on this one where they can just bring it on!		2009-08-19 14:45:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

'Other J', it was my supreme pleasure to help you play test this one! I didn't mind a bit. Even more fun to attempt to play it with you with tons of lag!! LOL!! I actually just got done playing it again since you made it live and offical! ..I guess all the practice helped me snag the top spot for a bit! LOL! I am sure that will change as soon as a few people get home or you play it yourself.

I absolutely love this one. Great mix of puzzles, action, platforming, fun and funny boss fights, charm, humor, lighting, set design err... etc! I am sure I am forgetting something. I think one of your best yet for total feel and immersion set into the floaty city in one of my all time favorite movie series. Dogbah was awesome as well for mood and lighting, but this had an even more huge feel and mix for the sack's "to-do list". Amazing work and so happy you finally got through this one. I know you had to keep going back to earlier backups and make the whole huge list of changes over and over and over and over and over and... ugh!! Cheers to your perseverance as well as you uhh.. preservation!

Pro's Everything!
+Especially loved the package express mini game. Hysterical!
+Humor.. gobs and gobs..
+Awesome lighting
+Awesome intro
+Great puzzles interwoven in the platforming.
+ Cool and funny boss fights!! Very original concepts!
+ Awesome ending..

Cons We have to wait awhile before we see another!
R2 is still a bit 'cheeky', but oh well..

I did notice R2 will get stuck on the ship as comphermc mentioned. I decided I had to get in the ship for a pic. oh well.. Other than that, you worked out all the bugs and got everything back. I did message you about one tiny speech bubble that didn't get back the way you want, but aaaahhh might be too risky to even attempt.

Simply marvelous work!! I am so happy for you!!

Easily 5 stars and a heart!!		2009-08-19 14:57:00

Author:
jwwphotos
Posts: 11383

R2 still gets stuck on the ship, though. How high is the brain's strength set to? And I see you've put a timer of the first little lift that goes down? Was this here before as well? If so, then I apologize for the above comment...

The timer was already there, just for backup. Can you not just grab him when he gets stuck? Poor thing. It might be time for the invis blue matter again. What does the brain strength do? I've completely forgotten what Mr Fry told me.		2009-08-19 17:24:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

I don't remember exactly, but I figure that if the brain strength is too high, he may just wedge himself too hard into the ship, rendering himself stuck. I believe strength is how much the creature will resist changes in motion and tipping over... It might also work to just drop his speed. Waiting half a second longer won't kill anyone.

I would suggest just putting up some invisible DM in the front thin plane where it can't interact with sacky, but it will stop the thin layer parts of R2.		2009-08-19 17:29:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

Well I`ve played this about 20 times and loved it every time. I`ve also PM`d you as much feedback as you`re gonna get so I`ll just say, it`s awesome. Well done mate.2009-08-19 17:48:00

Author:
Matt 82
Posts: 1096

The timer was already there, just for backup. Can you not just grab him when he gets stuck? Poor thing. It might be time for the invis blue matter again. What does the brain strength do? I've completely forgotten what Mr Fry told me.

When he got stuck for me, abeit the 1 out of 30+ times or so I played it, I was not able to coax him out. He was stuck!

It seems brain on follow is simply a speed setting. I don't recall strength, but truthfully haven't messed with a brain on follow so I could be mistaken.		2009-08-19 18:32:00

Author:
jwwphotos
Posts: 11383

Okay, just managed to play this - here's what I thought...

I've been a big fan of this series, and each time another is published I get a feeling of trepidation that somehow I can't enjoy it as much as the last.

I'm wrong.

I absolutely love it. It's a Star Wars parody funfest, it's a wonderfully enjoyable experience, and it's a whole sackful of fun.

Empire Strikes Back is possible my favourite Star Wars film, and this level incorporated so many scenes from the Cloud City section (and so accurately) I could hardly play for open-jawed surprise. Artoo was cool in the films, but the little pepperpot is a cheeky little blighter here. Loved it.

So many details that I thought were great, but the two Darth Vader scenes stole the show for me.

Overall, I can't add much more, other than your scripting and humour honestly made my day. Thank you.

5 C-3PO's, 1 Red-5, and a tag of 'Lando'! Er... I mean 'Brilliant' 		2009-08-19 22:17:00

Author:
MrsSpookyBuz
Posts: 1492

Enjoy it a lot. I like how seemlessly you work the puzzling into the environment. Art direction is great. A very attractive level.

I encountered a few problems. At the start I could jump on the black thing on the door and up on the structure and then out of the area to the right.

Also by the elevator: by returning it up, then killing myself and running to jump over the returning elevator. I don't remember at which but I could get back to the intro scene from one of those two places.

When I was dumb enough to push c3po's head backwards into the pit instead of to the button I had to restart.

After the second Vader fight nothing happened and I had to restart. Some logic problem there?		2009-08-20 03:52:00

Author:
Kipmonlin
Posts: 251

When I was dumb enough to push c3po's head backwards into the pit instead of to the button I had to restart.
d'Oh!

I was just gonna post how frustrated I was and that I must be missing something, because the jumps on the platforms in front of the big fan are impossible.

3PO's head...

On the button...

I'm a freaking idiot.

Must go back and finish this. But not tonight. Too tired, and my hands are too sore from trying SO hard to make those jumps. :blush:

What I did play was fantastic though. Can't wait to see the rest.		2009-08-20 05:26:00

Author:
v0rtex
Posts: 1878

Played through the published version tonight and I have to agree with MrsSpookyBuz. Whenever I find out you've published another one in the series I get a bit nervous because I've just loved the rest of the series and I can't image how you'll be able to keep that great sense of humor going while blending LBP inside jokes with a beloved Sci-Fi Classic. Thank the powers that be you can imagine it because you've done it again! Excellent level with all the humor, style, challenge and beauty I've come to expect from these.

What do I love? Where to begin...

+ opening scene - genius humor and material choices to get the look just perfect
+ amazing lighting and color choices for Cloud City's sky
+ R2 following you and cracking wise - funny and really smart choice
+ use of vases of all things for that 1970's sci-fi plastic set design = genius
+ ships flying in the background while making your way through the city was a nice touch
+ Loved how it got subtly darker as you went so there was no jarring pinky peach ligthing to the black you needed for the vadar showdowns
+ Great humerous moments (dating an ipod, bald with headphones memo, don't smoke)
+ the fans sections (all of them) were magnificient. between the lighting, the movements and the timing required it just clicked wonderfully in those sections.
+ First vadar battle - love the mechanic you used. Great flow - medium difficulty all around great feeling in that challenge.
+ Second battle - more precise strategy required - loved the banter during the battle
+ THE EPIC SCENE on the catwalk = fantastic! Camera is great, scale is great, awesome note to go out on.

5 stars & hearted and if I rave much more my head might explode although I could go on about excellent material choices, great character and ship design, and numero *explode* 		2009-08-20 08:28:00

Author:
Morgana25
Posts: 5983

I encountered a few problems. At the start I could jump on the black thing on the door and up on the structure and then out of the area to the right.

Also by the elevator: by returning it up, then killing myself and running to jump over the returning elevator. I don't remember at which but I could get back to the intro scene from one of those two places.

When I was dumb enough to push c3po's head backwards into the pit instead of to the button I had to restart.

After the second Vader fight nothing happened and I had to restart. Some logic problem there?

The first two i didn't even think about! The level can be broken out of but it requires effort, i don't think it'll happen accidentally. If people wanna do that, thats totally fine with me.

The 3PO thing, i'll put in some kind of safeguard there if i can....

The Darth thing, hmmm, i think it must have been one of those random glitches in logic, it usually works. Sorry you didn't get to the scoreboard..!

@V0rtex - the 3P0 head roll is probably one of those things i could have signposted, but made the decision to let the player work it out. You always run the risk in those situations of losing a few people i guess. I like to just leave the player to their own devices as much as i can but there are negative effects of that!

@MrsSpookyBuzz & Morgana - heh, loving you gals for getting all the geek references, if you haven't watched the movie this level is gonna make NO sense. (laugh) Thanks for the feedback all of you. : )		2009-08-20 09:45:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

So yesterday I played through your Dagobah level and this one. The Dagobah level didn't particularly have a fast pacing to the gameplay but that suited the whole "yoda trials" perfectly. You're REALLY good at making gameplay! It's not hard to tell that you've clearly put a lot of effort into playtesting before you finish it (yes I know there are a few testers). Really awesome level. And this cloud city level is one of the finest levels I've played so far.2009-08-20 19:01:00

Author:
BasketSnake
Posts: 2391

Forecast for today.... cloud, then more cloud.


Awesome!

Although R2 looks like he's having a BIT too much fun with that terminal while thinking about his date with an IPOD.....		2009-08-20 19:04:00

Author:
CCubbage
Posts: 4430

Short and sweet (or short because of lack of time):

This series just keeps getting better!! Very awesome stuff and besides some slight layer issues here and there, I consider it a perfect level!!

Very well done and I can't wait to see your version of the emperor when you reach ROTJ!!

Does this also mean we might get to see the prequel trilogy? I would love to see your take on those chapters!!		2009-08-20 19:52:00

Author:
Zwollie
Posts: 2173

WOW! Best level in the series of some of the best levels in LBP! I have to say julesyjules, you are a comical genius as well as a great creator. This level is really funny and the boss battles are really awesome. You got a heart and 5 stars from me .2009-08-20 20:29:00

Author:
brnxblze
Posts: 1318

Cheers guys!

Brnxblze, those boss battles were probably the hardest thing I've ever had to create. The LBP logic does not come easy to me, i've always avoided anything too complex deliberately, but Cloud City would not be Cloud City without a fight with Darth Vader, so i just had to get on with it and pray. The logic contraptions behind those 2 bosses would make Ccubbage cry into his emitters, its complete & utter chaos.

I'm avoiding logic bosses now for as long as i can, the Force is definitely not with me on this!		2009-08-20 21:16:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

Sorry, Jules, I do not agree that the force is not with you!

*Yoda voice* - "Be watching your future levels, we will."

(NOTE: I'm really sorry. That sounded really funny when I thought it, but now, it's rubbish :blush		2009-08-20 21:23:00

Author:
MrsSpookyBuz
Posts: 1492

I forgot to mention that I think your gameplay is perfectly balanced. It's fun and not too hard and the vader fight at the end of Cloud City was so balanced.2009-08-20 21:28:00

Author:
BasketSnake
Posts: 2391

lol - it's not rubbish - it's hilariously cheesy and silly but not rubbish

I hear you about the logic stuff but after awhile you have to just jump in if you want to get more skills under your belt. My stuff isn't logic heavy but I've tried to push at least one new way of doing something logic wise in my levels - it's slow learning for some of us but when things start to make sense you can get more ambitious in your design.

If you can get a little logic at your disposal I'd be very interested in how you would choose to use it. Could be even more mind blowing than your levels already are.		2009-08-20 21:28:00

Author:
Morgana25
Posts: 5983

Oh shush!

Well I've learnt what doesn't come naturally to me, thats for sure. I probably picked up some little tips that will come in handy for something. It's when you need to have more than one thing triggering something else that triggers something else, i just get mushed brain syndrome. I didn't incur the 160 hour bug for no reason. (laugh)		2009-08-20 21:42:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

Oh shush!

Well I've learnt what doesn't come naturally to me, thats for sure. I probably picked up some little tips that will come in handy for something. It's when you need to have more than one thing triggering something else that triggers something else, i just get mushed brain syndrome. I didn't incur the 160 hour bug for no reason. (laugh)

Hey, we're all learning, matey!

And yeah, that 160 hour bug... *sigh* I absolutely LOVE re-doing pistons and bolts! 		2009-08-20 21:48:00

Author:
MrsSpookyBuz
Posts: 1492

Oh man, oh man, fantastic.

- LOVED the opening scene. It felt like the scene from StarWars but lighter The music choice was fantastic. You picked the perfect position in the song to fool me for a moment that it was actually Star Wars music! And even though I knew it wasn't, it still fit perfectly.
- Loved the beginning when you first enter the building, and you have the reddish lighting. Really sealed the deal on the whole Cloud City thing
- Awesome in general the whole way through xD
- I totally burst out laughing when C3P0 says his little joke when you leave him behind. I won't spoil it for anyone though
- The Darth Vader battles were excellent. Unique boss battles, and totally amazing. Gotta love Darth.
- I couldn't help but grab the little Jawa dude and pull him over the edge with me. That little....

Anyways, completely awesome. I love your Star Wars levels!
5 stars and a heart. 		2009-08-20 22:18:00

Author:
hilightnotes
Posts: 1230

Hey, heads up! The logic for your first little paintinator lift puzzle is broken. I shot the lift to go down and the door just opened up. I assume this is not intended.2009-08-21 02:30:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

Thanks for the post compherc, but i decided to simplify that initial bit rather than have players have any trouble with it. It was a bit dodgy, and it's the first obstacle so its not good to have any frustrations there.

I was also playing through the level with a friend this morning, taking our time and just mucking around and the 160 bug kicked in on the last Darth encounter. I'm guessing that the internal timer actually takes into account the actual play time as well i.e. if you take 159 hours and 55 minutes to make the level, and the playthrough takes around 10 minutes, then it'll kick in and start glitching 5 minutes into the level. Thats the only way i can explain it, as I've gone through several times at a decent pace and there's no sign of it.

Removing the elevator was also a way to shave off a bit of playing time, so it made sense. Thanks though!

@hilightnotes - when i was making the intro and found that section of music, i had to use it cos it reminded me of the Vader Theme!		2009-08-21 02:50:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

Okay - so I just replayed the level with my revelation about 3P0, and it was fantastic. Absolutely amazing both visually and physically. Excellent challenges, extremely well thought out mechanics and absolutely beautiful design and lighting. And of course the tongue-in-cheek approach, while staying true to the story is brilliant.

I was going to leave you a comment to the same, but I rolled back to re-read the comment I had left when I ended in frustration yesterday and you had deleted it. What was the point of that? I really wasn't that negative - just venting a bit. Not like I said anything offensive. But if you can't take my bad, ya don't get my good either. Sorry.

EDIT: For what it's worth, both plays got 5 stars from me. I don't rate levels on my inability to handle the platforming (which is what I had assumed was holding me back the first time).		2009-08-21 03:09:00

Author:
v0rtex
Posts: 1878

Glad you enjoyed it 2nd time V0rtex.

Re - comment - actually i was doing a reply to yours and deleted it by accident, then left a message saying sorry about the delete, which i deleted cos it looked stupid. I've no problem with negative comments at all, I'm glad they took the time!		2009-08-21 03:27:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

Glad you enjoyed it 2nd time V0rtex.

Re - comment - actually i was doing a reply to yours and deleted it by accident, then left a message saying sorry about the delete, which i deleted cos it looked stupid. I've no problem with negative comments at all, I'm glad they took the time!
Oh -right then... I'm off to add a nice comment to your level. Thanks for explaining (I do silly stuff like this all the time). Sorry for my little snit. 		2009-08-21 03:33:00

Author:
v0rtex
Posts: 1878

No worries, glad there's no misunderstanding!

Edit - i deleted another one today, albeit a spam. I'm now officially 'The guy who deletes comments'.		2009-08-21 03:48:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

Thanks for the post compherc, but i decided to simplify that initial bit rather than have players have any trouble with it. It was a bit dodgy, and it's the first obstacle so its not good to have any frustrations there.

Ah, my bad then.

What is this 160 bug? I think I missed an inside joke...		2009-08-21 04:03:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

Ah, my bad then.

What is this 160 bug? I think I missed an inside joke...

https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=t=14941

Total nightmare. Avoid at all costs!		2009-08-21 04:19:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

Been looking out for a new one from you for months Jules! Typically the servers go down the second I go to play it.

Worth the wait though, I have to say. Totally loved it!

We had a bit of a back-to-back Star Wars marathon the weekend before last, so it was really cool to play it while the movies were fresh in my mind. Your recreation of the scenes were spot on! I played it through first with my other half, so there was loads of nodding and grinning going on throughout lol. Loved the Indi reference too!

Every one of your Star Wars levels has had me in stitches and I love all of them, but this one blew my socks off. The Vader sections were totally hilarious. Han popping up in the carbonite.. omg I was literally wetting myself. Vader waving his toothpick about at the end. Brilliant! Loved the whole R2 sequence too, the weather report LOL. Oh and 3PO's head!

Everything else was top notch, some genial boss fights going on, nice varied gameplay and the level looked stunning. Though tbh, with that humour it could've been made out of cardboard and still been fantastic. You're a comedy genius!

Played it through twice now on different accounts, so 2 Hearts and 10 well deserved Stars from me!		2009-08-21 12:07:00

Author:
Kiminski
Posts: 545

So...where I shall start from?...
I got the possibility to get online more or less when you released Dagobah...
At that time (but still now) I had to catch all the wonderful levels that I missed in a month...and I ran into Dagobah.
First of all, I'm not a fan of parody and remakes done with LBP, so I felt the concept a bit "meh" at first, but the level had really good and appropriate visuals, but it didn't manage to appeal to me gameplay wise and I even got frustrated in some section of the level, that in my opinion are a little unfriendly.

Then you released this level and I had played a lot of levels in the meantime, and, just to be honest, not really much was up these days, so I said to myself to start playing the series from the start...and WOW, just wow, I love your stuff.
I played all the levels in a row (avoiding Dagobah) and I really enjoyed them, from the humor, to the visuals (I really like those SouthParkish renditions of the characters)

ince we're speaking about the last level...I loved it and it has really cool mechanics, like the ones with the little bot (in Italy some Star Wars names are really screwed like Darth Vader that is called Dark Fener, losing the original meaning of Vader/Father in Polish).
I don't know what else to say, but I really loved it and I want to apologize since I didn't gave you the support that you really deserved.
So...sorry, and thanks for the publishing of your wonderful series.
I gave all the levels 5 stars, an heart only on Cloud City (since you already have plenty on the other levels ) and an author heart.

Looking forward to your new stuff.
Will you release a "prequel sequel" too???

Actually playing Dagobah!!!		2009-08-21 17:42:00

Author:
OmegaSlayer
Posts: 5112

that was a awsome level 2009-08-21 17:44:00

Author:
Unknown User

julesyjules - Man, I loved this. I love the little lego-south-park character designs. I love the look, the pods flying by in the background out the windows. The darth vader battle was awesome, the first one especially. using the force to freeze him to grab the gun and empty your "clip" before repeating really was cool. It was the most satisfying boss battle I've had in a while.

I wasn't able to finish the level though! Something happened, or I missed something in the final boss battle with Vader. I shot him a thousand times with the paintgun, and then he said something along the lines of "now try this on for size", and then sort of... nothing happens... I can see what look to be bubble shards, and I can hear emitted things disappearing, but nothing else seems to happen, and I can't figure out what to do. Upon leaving the room to the left, I noticed the lights went out. but I couldn't do anything or go anywhere. I tried grabbing Vader, I tried jumping around the right side of the room, because I know Luke gets blown out that window...

I'll have to try it again soon, but I just wanted to let you know that the level up until then was great.		2009-08-21 20:56:00

Author:
Teebonesy
Posts: 1937

You must shot his "logs" back to him 2009-08-21 21:00:00

Author:
OmegaSlayer
Posts: 5112

julesyjules - Man, I loved this. I love the little lego-south-park character designs. I love the look, the pods flying by in the background out the windows. The darth vader battle was awesome, the first one especially. using the force to freeze him to grab the gun and empty your "clip" before repeating really was cool. It was the most satisfying boss battle I've had in a while.

I wasn't able to finish the level though! Something happened, or I missed something in the final boss battle with Vader. I shot him a thousand times with the paintgun, and then he said something along the lines of "now try this on for size", and then sort of... nothing happens... I can see what look to be bubble shards, and I can hear emitted things disappearing, but nothing else seems to happen, and I can't figure out what to do. Upon leaving the room to the left, I noticed the lights went out. but I couldn't do anything or go anywhere. I tried grabbing Vader, I tried jumping around the right side of the room, because I know Luke gets blown out that window...

I'll have to try it again soon, but I just wanted to let you know that the level up until then was great.

Aah cripes, I thought i fixed that this morning! I found an emitter glitch that meant the scene wouldn't play out if you triggered it at a very particular moment, but i went in and tweaked ,playtested it several times and thought i had it licked. Sorry you got all that way to be left hangin, that's a real pain, I'll look into it again, thanks a lot for posting.

Glad you liked what you did see anyhow!

@Kiminski & OmegaSlayer - thanks guys!		2009-08-21 21:28:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

I'll definitely be sure to play through it again.

My first level, A Very Sony Christmas, had, for me at least, a nightmare element. I have a room where a mob is surrounding Santa, who has the last PS3. You have to take him in a lift up to the rafters where the mob shoot and attack him, drag him into an elevator up to the rooftop, where he breaks his leg and gives you the PS3 to load in his sleigh and deliver to little Timmy.

The number of things that went wrong in that segment was limitless. It was one thing after another after another after another. Just when I thought I had it fixed, there was something else that went wrong. I think I eventually got it, but I definitely feel your pain!		2009-08-21 22:15:00

Author:
Teebonesy
Posts: 1937

Like all the levels in this series, I absolutely loved it! The visuals were extremely well done and as always, you do a wonderful job with the lighting. And once again, your dialogue and characters are hilarious.

The highlight of the level for me was the first battle with Vader. I loved Vader's attack and how you incorporated a limited ammo paintinator into the mix. This might be the first time I've one used that wasn't aggravating. I did have a problem where I would occasionally hit the piece of electrified material in the back layer, but it didn't happen enough to distract from the experience.

During the second fight with Vader, it was hard to know if I was doing any damage as well. I wasn't even sure if I was supposed to shoot him or shoot the the objects he was throwing to make them roll back to him. I did here him grunt once or twice while shooting, so I assume that's all I had to do. Anyway, I eventually beat him, it was just a bit confusing as to what was actually hurting him.

As for the final scene... I loved it! Such a great way to handle the moment from the film. Well done!		2009-08-21 23:12:00

Author:
mrsupercomputer
Posts: 1335

Amazing level like usual.

Just as an extra boost of confidence for you, this was the first level I wanted to try from the current community spotlight...:arg:

I'm gonna skip all the positive feedback, because everyone else has covered it haha.

I have a few questions actually.

First of all, I was wondering what method you use for dialogue... I've been having trouble with it lately when I have magic mouths far apart communicating back and forth. The dialogue towards the end always disappears too soon, even when I use that dialogue tool what's his name came up with. You seem to have no problems with this though...

And secondly, (not importantly) towards the end of this level, the room where you swing back and forth on the platform to cross, what are those 2 sets of 3 lights there for? I'm guessing decoration...I thought they were a little out of place though.

Really great level though. Incredible ending. Yay.		2009-08-22 03:55:00

Author:
ApellesJr
Posts: 282

Thanks Apelles - if you're using mouths that are far apart, you just need to make sure any mouths still to come during the conversation are still visible on screen, otherwise you have a 3/4 second time limit before they dissappear. There's only one dialogue box in the level thats completely off-screen to the player, so thats limited to just one mouth.....

and yep, the lights are just there for dressing...		2009-08-22 10:38:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

Ok, I've now played through the series and it's great. I found that some levels I absolutely adored, whilst others were less fantastic (all got 5*s so it's not a bad thing), they are very varied as well, yet keeping common themes. Highlights being the Starwars/LBP crossover references - "we should have hidden on the cool pages planet - no one looks there" - genious I'm a big fan of parody when done well and you have done it very well.

This isn't my favourite - the first one and dagobah are the ones I had most fun with - but as I said it's 5*. New gameplay dynamics yet very strong ties to the rest of the series. Great inventive use of decorations and random obscure story objects (cotton buds and straws for example), I may have to nick some of those ideas at some point

I did have a few issues with the level - I don't know how much of this has come up before, I haven't read anything else, so..

The section where you flip the elctric to be a grabbable ceiling then press the button to get timed platforms on the way down has a really awkward timing issue. If you shoot the thing, climb across, press the button and run back, the lectric roof spins round at exactly the right time to kill you

After the first boss, the lasers, indicating the forcefield, stay on. To me this is a sign that it is still not safe. Minor gripe but could be easily fixed. Also darth's saber broke the first time I touched it. Nice touch giving limited ammo on that boss fight, not many people seem to use that feature.

After that is suffering from the 160 hour bug and killed me several times on my first run through - I have a little device that I made for something else that can probably fix that). I'll rework it into a horizontal platform and send it to you if you're interested?

Second boss fight it took me a while to know what I was supposed to do. I'm a big fan of using a boss's attacks against them, always a fun dynamic. In this case though, you have the paintenator which seemingly hurt darth 2 minutes ago, and now he is invulnerable to it's affects. Took me a while to understand that little bit.


Final gripe - I hugged a littel hoodie dude and he gave me no points. This saddened me.

Great level, don't worry about the gripes, they are all minor and none of it got in the way much.		2009-08-22 18:10:00

Author:
rtm223
Posts: 6497

Fantastic level, as always! Just know that I knocked over the statue w/the glass on the bottom while doing the spotlight beam puzzle I'll try not to do that again! haha...still hearted it (of course). Nice Job...don't know if that really needs fixed, it might just have been me trying too hard to mess stuff up lol 2009-08-23 01:05:00

Author:
miltonTPS
Posts: 126

@rtm - you did the marathon! yeh, the cloud City jawa is a bit stingy ; ) but you can throw him off the platform as revenge.

Tweaked the timed spinner and the lasers would need some extra logic, so I'll have to let them be. And I've put a disclaimer on the level encouraging people to play it through as quickly as possible, the bug only seems to kick in after a certain amount of time...if you whizz through it plays as intended. What a palaver.

When you said you have a fix, which part did you mean...?

@milton - I've also tweaked the statues to make them steadier, thanks for picking up on that you vandal. ; )		2009-08-24 14:00:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

Fix for the jerky platform: I'd use a set-reset, with built in timer so that the platform is controlled by a directional control. Using directional means that the 160 hour bug doesn't apply so you get smooth movement. The built in timer will give it a little pause at either end of the movement. It won't move in quite the same way as a normal piston controlled platform, but will be nicer than the jerky version

I can mock up this device for you probably tomorrow, shouldn't take too long. You can decide then if you want either of them. If you're worried about thermo, it shouldn't make too much of a dent: there's only one moving part and a few mag keys / switches required.		2009-08-24 14:27:00

Author:
rtm223
Posts: 6497

Aah, I didn't realise only certain pistons were affected, i just thought it was kind of random. So if the pistons direction is being controlled by triggers, it won't be affected...is that what you mean....?

It'd be great to look at it, there's a couple of pistons in the level that would benefit, assuming i could squeeze them in at this point.....thanks for that. : )		2009-08-24 16:28:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

Aah, I didn't realise only certain pistons were affected, i just thought it was kind of random. So if the pistons direction is being controlled by triggers, it won't be affected...is that what you mean....?

As far as I can tell, anything that is just naturally on, or triggered by an on/off, one shot or speed input, is affected. Directional controls appear not to be. At least all the directional controls in my logic in setbacks seems unaffected. Pretty much nothing would happen throughout the level otherwise 		2009-08-24 19:48:00

Author:
rtm223
Posts: 6497

I decided to lock this, i was getting a lot of messages from disappointed youngsters about how they couldn't finish, so I bit the bullet and moved everything to a new level and spent a few days rebuilding what was needed. It actually wasn't the logistical nightmare i had expected it to be.

I've published it anew (the rating on the old one was pretty hammered), and if you fancy checking it out, there's a couple of new bits (and most of your suggestions!) put in to keep it fresh for anybody who's already played it. ; ) I kept the old level still locked, I don't like to get rid of it because people took the time to heart and comment, but if you could rate the new one, i'd appreciate it!		2009-08-26 14:50:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

I can't remember whether I posted about this level or not and too busy right now to go checking so I'll be quick.

played this through with Morgana and I thik Aliboy the other night and was really impressed!

I absolutely loved it. Not going to go into much detail but I just thought you should know. This series your doing is one of my favourite in LBP.

I'll definitely be checking it out again.		2009-08-26 15:01:00

Author:
wexfordian
Posts: 1904

I decided to lock this, i was getting a lot of messages from disappointed youngsters about how they couldn't finish, so I bit the bullet and moved everything to a new level and spent a few days rebuilding what was needed. It actually wasn't the logistical nightmare i had expected it to be.

I've published it anew (the rating on the old one was pretty hammered), and if you fancy checking it out, there's a couple of new bits (and most of your suggestions!) put in to keep it fresh for anybody who's already played it. ; ) I kept the old level still locked, I don't like to get rid of it because people took the time to heart and comment, but if you could rate the new one, i'd appreciate it!

Ew, no fun. Glad it wasn't as bad as expected.

I actually sent MM an email on the bug today. I've just finished moving my level for the second time and already my pistons won't work at 0.1, despite me creating in paused mode pretty much constantly.

I think we all need to start kicking up a bit of a stink about it tbh, as they're blatantly not that fussed about getting it fixed. That's for another thread though..		2009-08-26 15:05:00

Author:
Kiminski
Posts: 545

Wow... so sorry to hear that, but congrats on pulling it off!! Your determination to get this finally resolved by pulling it all over to a new level, as well as all the steps you took to attempt fixing the other version has me simply stunned. Incredible devotion to your fans and friends I say!!

I will give it another shot sometime today. Dang.. I had like the 3rd high score that other one too! I hope I can repeat that anomaly!! 		2009-08-26 15:08:00

Author:
jwwphotos
Posts: 11383

I actually sent MM an email on the bug today. I've just finished moving my level for the second time and already my pistons won't work at 0.1, despite me creating in paused mode pretty much constantly.

I think we all need to start kicking up a bit of a stink about it tbh, as they're blatantly not that fussed about getting it fixed. That's for another thread though..

I emailed them and didn't get any joy, I know Spaff reads the forum - any chance of some response from you guys about helping us out with this bug?

You moved it twice? You reckon its the 160 bug or something else? All my pistons are good as gold now, but a part of me was hesitant to spend the time moving it as i didn't actually know if it would resolve itself...

@ jww - aw, thanks dude!

@ wex - likewise : )		2009-08-26 15:35:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

Ew, no fun. Glad it wasn't as bad as expected.

I actually sent MM an email on the bug today. I've just finished moving my level for the second time and already my pistons won't work at 0.1, despite me creating in paused mode pretty much constantly.

I think we all need to start kicking up a bit of a stink about it tbh, as they're blatantly not that fussed about getting it fixed. That's for another thread though..

?!?! Seriously? Was it a copy or a fresh new level that you pulled objects into? I have found the latter works, but a copy simply copies the level time clock and thus never resets. Mm HAS (at least based on the thread that we both had found on LBW) a way to reset the thing and wish that option were made available.

FWIW. I would be more than happy to add my voice to this issue. It cost me about a month of frustration trying to find an earlier version that I could make work and add all the additions. Now I have a version that I would love to further add to based on some recommendations here, but as I've found I can't since it is so close to the 160 mark. I will have to do what jules did and really not looking forward to it and therefore haven't worried with it. ...it just totally bugs me though!!		2009-08-26 15:48:00

Author:
jwwphotos
Posts: 11383

Aye, defo the bug. I captured the level in 3 parts and plonked it into a fresh space about a month ago, as the pistons were dead up to 0.5 and when they did work were juddering all over the shop.

After the move everything was fine for a while, connectors running at 0.1 and everything, but they gradually stopped working again. I didn't let it get to the juddering this time, but they were dead up to 0.4 last week.

Moved again a few days ago and like before all was well, but now I've just noticed they're dead at 0.1 already, so it's going to happen again if I don't hurry up. It's really hacking me off, been building since the beginning of May and I'm really quite sick of it!

@ Jww - Cheers dude, I'll see if I hear anything back from MM and maybe start a petition or something lol. Gawd! Not really my style, but I need to do something.

Anyway, don't want to hijack your thread Jules, really happy you got your level sorted I've chucked another couple of hearts your way. 		2009-08-26 19:01:00

Author:
Kiminski
Posts: 545

Just finished all of your Star Wars levels. I gave all of them 5 stars and a heart. Unfortunately I couldn't get to the end of the X-wing survival level after about 14 tries. I made it to where it stops going up and down, and I blew up the death sponge (I believe), and my ship blew up along with it.

All in all, my favorite by far were the Dagobah level and this one. I loved the humor, and the puzzles were smart, but not annoyingly difficult. Bravo man - I'll be playing these over and over for a long time!

If you feel so inclined, please try my newest level - "Real Myst: Channelwood Age." It's based off of the Myst PC game from 1993. The idea behind it is to just get immersed in the world. Explore everywhere - figure out how things work - that kind of thing. Use the clues if you need them (you probably will if you're not familiar with Myst). I also posted a complete walk through in the level show case. Thanks!		2009-08-27 02:56:00

Author:
Powershifter
Posts: 668

You've published anew, huh!? I guess I need to go play/heart this one as well.

If that lift at the beginning is till deactivated, I'm going to be a sad panda [/sarcasm].		2009-08-27 04:48:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

@Powershifter - Thanks for playing through the whole series, I owe you! (btw the Death Star one is just about getting as high a score as possible, you can't survive the end!)

@ compherc - uh-oh. ; )		2009-08-27 12:18:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

If that lift at the beginning is till deactivated, I'm going to be a sad panda [/sarcasm].

Well, I would be sad panda, except that you gave me some point bubbles for shooting the other side .

Also, I like the little details that have been added. Was that "Meanwhile..." cutscene there before? I didn't remember that from before. Also, the laser turns off when you get Darthy all sticky - nice touch.

Again, 5 stars and hearted.		2009-08-27 21:58:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

Amazing level! It's so funny... I hadn't played all the other ones before-hand but i could pick up straight away and still understand the story. Great game-play and i loved the battles with darth. The way he threw his light-saber was awesome. Also the ending with 'I AM YOUR FATHER' was excellent, really funny and very well made by pushing u to the end of the platform. GREAT!2009-08-28 13:52:00

Author:
ladylyn1
Posts: 836

Jules, could you please unlock the older version so I can un-heart it? Right now it's just an inaccessable level that takes up on eof my precious, and limited hearts.

Thanks.

Matt.		2009-08-30 17:19:00

Author:
Matt 82
Posts: 1096

Jules - Was trying to show my son your new level last night, but we couldn't find it. I know you've been having troubles, but thought you had republished. Did we run into this pseudo-new random-disappearing-levels glitch, or did you take it down for care and feeding?2009-08-30 17:34:00

Author:
v0rtex
Posts: 1878

@ Matt - sure, will do, it'll be on the South Pole. I know what you mean about the hearts limit, a whole bunch of my early hearted levels aren't there any more. : (

@Vortex, its definitely out there, maybe just a random duff search...?		2009-08-30 20:22:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

Ok, I recently played this level twice- once on one player, and once on two player when I was showing Code1337 around your entire series.

Really awesome series I must say. Love humor, and, um, yeah. Not much can be said that hasn't been already.

However, one small thing- when I was playing with code, on the first Vader fight, he leaped into the air and got onto the other side of the lasers with the gun. Not too big since it was probably lag or something, but that's all I noticed.

Still, awesome series- 5 starred all levels, albeit didn't heart any... not that they weren't deserving, I just kinda thought you had enough already... ;_;

I may go back and heart this one though.		2009-08-30 20:26:00

Author:
RockSauron
Posts: 10882

Cheers dude. Now I just need to find the other 2 creators who've locked levels I've hearted as well and I'll be good.2009-08-31 13:44:00

Author:
Matt 82
Posts: 1096

First things first - I loved this level! Funny dialogue, crisp and difficult platforming, and I walked away smiling because it was fun. Exactly what a good level should be. The opening was so well put together and really got my pumped to start playing. I did get humped by R2 about 13 times, but by then I had become numb to his advances. Great job Jules - my favorite of all your levels!

Secondly, regarding this piston issue - I'm experiencing the same issue in my level. This level reached 160 hours and then got all crazy on me, so I had to painstakingly copy it to a new level and reattach everything. My pistons now won't work unless they're .4 or higher, which drives me crazy. I had figured it was because of this 160 issue, but now it sounds like its more widespread. Thanks for sharing your stories on this one.

I'm dying to play Return of the Jedi - Tattoine....Err...Etc.!! There are just so many great concepts that will translate to an LBP level from Rancor to Jaba to the Sarlacc.

Cheers.		2009-09-01 06:29:00

Author:
phife211
Posts: 62

Played your level a few times and I really love it. I had some friends over last night and it was the first one I brought up to show them. We all got a kick out of it... even the boring "Nah, I'll just watch" friend.

Definitely one of my favorites. Love Star Wars. Love parody. Love your level. I applaud you. *golf clap*		2009-09-01 06:41:00

Author:
lilwormy
Posts: 15

@ Phife, thanks for that!

So that's 5 of us here (that i know of) that have had this bug recently. You're having the same trouble Kiminski is by the sounds of it. None of my pistons were flying around at that speed, so i don't know if i just got lucky when i re-built. There's a thread or two about the issue - rtm had it and got round it but i don't know if his method will work when they're that fast.....good luck man, you got my sympathy.

And yeh, Jabba's gonna be a riot to do hopefully! : ) I haven't built a thing yet, but I've been looking forward to doing this one since the start!

@lilworm, heh heh, thanks! : )

EDIT - Sorry RockSauron, i missed your feedback! The Darth thing may have been a multiplay issue, but more than likely just a hole in the logic. Anyways, thanks for playing the series, hopefully you'll enjoy the future ones as much.... : )		2009-09-01 19:37:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

Finally got around to playing this yesterday.

Great work yet again

Loved the way (I think it's R2D2?) follows you around at the start. I was sad to see him go! Some great platforming and visuals as usual.

Just another all round great level to be honest.

5 stars!		2009-09-02 18:58:00

Author:
jackofcourse
Posts: 1494

Crap I forgot to leave feedback! I played this the first time and I thought it was immense, and humorous! I laughed at R2 dating an iPod xD

I noticed no glitch really, what happened?		2009-09-02 21:16:00

Author:
KoRnDawwg
Posts: 1424

Okay I really like your levels, especially this one, and just had to ask...... when's the next one coming? 2009-10-09 23:03:00

Author:
piggabling
Posts: 2979


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