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Once Upon A Time

Archive: 21 posts

Once Upon A TimeCoxy224
http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/littlebiggallery/images/3275/4_A_Photo.jpgSackboy has just come back from a hunt for food when he finds his beloved swamp is in danger! Travel to the castle and find the dragon to save your home.
all
It's about time I released my new level. It's been under work for around a month or so I think and I think it's looking pretty good now. Enough space left on the thermo to include any potential suggestions too.

Here are some very poor quality images from the level itself:
http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/littlebiggallery/images/3275/medium/1_A_Photo_2.jpg

http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/littlebiggallery/images/3275/medium/1_A_Photo_3.jpg

http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/littlebiggallery/images/3275/medium/1_A_Photo_1.jpg

Thanks for this go mainly to Morgana who has nagged me throughout to keep me going ( ) but also to the many people who went and tested it (Matt_82, MrsSpookyBuz[z], KillzoneQuinn, Gravel and others (Sorry, I forgot who else helped!))
And also thanks to anyone who plays it.

F4F's are pretty much unlimited seeing as I have to go through the showcase anyway, so fire away with feedback!
Thanks for reading		2009-09-05 17:20:00

Author:
Coxy224
Posts: 2645

I liked this quite alot when I tested it for you. But I will play it again to see what you have done to improve it. I'll play it later today.
For f4f I would love if you checked out my Teamwo2k! [2 Player Only]
I'll get feedback for this up don't you worry.		2009-09-05 17:25:00

Author:
KQuinn94Z
Posts: 1758

lol shrek?? sounds almost exactly like it. very clever ill play it later when i get the chance.2009-09-05 17:34:00

Author:
Littlebigdude805
Posts: 1924

Reviewing now,
F4F level - Mining Mayhem		2009-09-05 19:03:00

Author:
Dhawken
Posts: 96

Before I start the review, I would just like to ask why you have the MM logo at the start? Do you work for them?

Toilet and that sign remind me of Shrek! Im sure is based on shrek really!
Good introduction to the level and how its starts the story

Nice "obstacle", the elastic and switch, although once the first is done, the others do themselves, I understand that you would have to let go of them and so would have to kill yourself, but maybe this could be done another way so that all 3 have to be activated by the player

Lol, theres shrek again, I think you may get more plays if it actually had shrek in the title (BTW I dont know how well known you are so you may get loads of plays anyway)
Like the idea of having to go back as it makes it longer
The thing you carry back the idols in could look nicer

I like how the speech bubbles tell the story, ie. "The castle loomed closer but the bridge was far from stable" this sounds much better than "BE CARFUL ON THE BRIDGE"

Weird bug on the bridge. The 4th part from the start slowly floated away then returned and disolved?!?! This left the 2 either side of it floating??!?!?

Visuals could be better, ie, the torches could have the bottom made of wood instead of it all being fire

Good boss - it looked good and I like it having 2 parts to it

Also liked having to run back through the castle whilst it was collapsing

And a nice ending with the story finsihing,

Overall 3 stars as it had a good story, but was let down by the visuals

Hope this review is helpful,

Could you review my Mining Mayhem as part of the F4F
Thanks
DHakwen		2009-09-05 19:32:00

Author:
Dhawken
Posts: 96

The level is good but it should need some polish.
I saw some pieces of dark matter here and there, for example.
Anyway I rated it 4 stars and "Good"		2009-09-05 20:09:00

Author:
OmegaSlayer
Posts: 5112

Good level. Heres my points


Pros:
- Good introduction
- Nice use of materials
- Great visuals in places
- FROGS!!!
- Nice little story with good gameplay


Cons:
- I broke out of the level at the first idol. (Top one) I jumped down and went past the gas that is supposed to kill me. I think the gas is only 2 layers thick...
-Patchy visuals at times
-The Boss was too easy. Maybe change the flame things to plasma balls that fire more often.

Anyway I gave it
:star::star::star::star:

I think I forgot to heart but I will.

It would be cool if you returned favour for my teamwo2k level.

Thanks,
killzonequinn07		2009-09-05 22:02:00

Author:
KQuinn94Z
Posts: 1758

hi coxy. just played this through a couple times.

i really enjoyed the castle. nice visuals and game play. the cracks of fire in the walls were a nice touch. i also liked the rotating fire obstacles, and the obstacle where you grab and slide back and forth to the bottom.

i think if you add that kind of detail to the very beginning and throughout the swamp part of the level (more different materials, vines, leaves, seaweed) it would add more interest. i'd also suggest adding such details to the piston obstacles that are on your way to the lower idol. they look very blocky.

i think more sound effects throughout the level would add some more polish. maybe thundering rocks when the castle is coming down, creaking metal for the rotating fire obstacles, sound effects when a switch is pulled. also, more sound effects on the boss would be nice too, like an occasional growl during the battle.

minor detail, but i thought it was odd that the lower idol fell from the sky. maybe you could set the player sensor switch to trigger the emitter sooner so it is already there on the ground when the player gets to it.

nice fun level overall. gave it four stars:star::star::star::star: and a pretty.

thanks.		2009-09-05 22:59:00

Author:
pennydog
Posts: 74

Just got done with this - nice level!

One thing that seemed a bit odd was the "broken bridge". Since it had no movement at all but was attached by ropes, it seemed it should have moved a bit when you walked on it.

Also, the final boss seemed sort of inactive. A lot of pauses while I was fighting him where he was doing nothing.

But, nice platforming, nice use of materials. I gave it a 4 star and a heart.		2009-09-06 05:22:00

Author:
CCubbage
Posts: 4430

Ah yes...I see my level is done.
You're just gonna go play it 		2009-09-06 16:34:00

Author:
ARD
Posts: 4291

Hey Coxy, I just gave this a play through and had a lot of fun! I enjoyed the opening sequence and the inclusion of Shrek made me chuckle. The visuals were pretty good for the most part, but there were a few areas that felt a bit rushed. For example, when you retrieve the first idol, you have to put it on the lift, and it carries it back across the chasm. That was cool, but when the side dissolves, the winch is style attached... to nothing. It just seemed a bit odd and pulled me out of the level.

The boss fight was cool, but I had a similar experience to CCubbage. There seemed to be a lot of moments where the boss wouldn't be active at all. I though it must of broke, but then, after a while, it would start back up again.

Overall though, I had fun with it!		2009-09-06 17:17:00

Author:
mrsupercomputer
Posts: 1335

You played this. As I know. And I...urgh...this is too confusing.

I played this, as you know. Um, yeah. I really liked it. Shrek ftw, no? Yeah.

Although the bit where you drag the idol thing (golden sackboy-shaped statues? where have I seen those before? ) past the fiery crushy things was a bit frustrating. That's why I invited you actually, cos we kept failing.
I think the things are too close together, but meh.

:star::star::star::star::star: + heart 		2009-09-06 17:24:00

Author:
ARD
Posts: 4291

Hello Coxy224!

Visuals, atmosphere story and gameplay are great!
The dragon could be more agressive.
Anyway a good level!

4x:star:		2009-09-06 21:48:00

Author:
JOE-1404
Posts: 9

Hi Coxy,
I just finished playing your level and I was very entertained. You had some awesome platforming action and a nice story. I liked the overall design of the level, specially the lighting. I had lots of fun!
Even though the platforming was cool to me, I believe some of the jumps may be hard for some people. That may hurt your rating with the novice player. I also wanted you to know that the dragon really didn't do anything. I was standing on the second layer and the fireballs couldn't touch me there. That might be something you want to fix. Other than that, it was pretty good and I had fun.
:star::star::star::star: & Pretty

When you get a chance, please review any of my F4F levels.
thanks!		2009-09-06 22:18:00

Author:
javi haguse
Posts: 744

Just finished playing the final version and it's cute I got the Shrek vibe right away. The MM in front still baffles me but it's minor. I like a lot about this level:

+ great greens in the swamp - nice contrast
+ The shack looks great
+ The elastic button pressing sponge is neat
+ Good challenge on the second idol hunt
+ Dragon is just the right shade of pinky purple - it's important. lol
+ cool that the castle starts to come undone
+ Love the story book page

Couple of things that could use some tweaking:
- General polish of some of the shapes, edges, and deorations. Nothing terrible mind you but if you want to go that extra step it would be good.
- The second idol hunt - it's hard to see the front plane is available. My friend I played with had tried earlier and got stuck. I myself had a hard time seeing it the first run through. Perhaps a light or sign or decoration in the front or even a camera angle change after the first idol is completed to help the player see it's an option.
- The lift on the second idol hunt is too fast at the top. Very easy to get flung down or pop just over the edge. Either make it very fast to fling up and left or slow it down.
- Dragon - it's unclear where to hit her. The head is obvious but the hands less so. I know you had some difficulty with her dissolving but perhaps emiting a pair of closed eyes when she's defeated would help? It was sort of anticlimatic.

Overall a fun and cute level though. I enjoyed it. I gave it 4 stars & hearted it.		2009-09-06 22:41:00

Author:
Morgana25
Posts: 5983

Before I start the review, I would just like to ask why you have the MM logo at the start? Do you work for them?
Nope, I don't ? but judging by the pictures uploaded the Mm Logo?s gone down pretty well. I?d made it and I really wanted it in a few of my levels somewhere.

Toilet and that sign remind me of Shrek! Im sure is based on shrek really!
Yeah it is very much based on shrek, but I liked the title and my overall level may have disappointed many shrek fans (it's not true to the story, just loosely based on it).

Weird bug on the bridge. The 4th part from the start slowly floated away then returned and disolved?!?! This left the 2 either side of it floating??!?!?
This came up a couple of times for me whilst play testing, but I have no idea how to fix it yet. Thanks for pointing it out though.

Just got done with this - nice level!

One thing that seemed a bit odd was the "broken bridge". Since it had no movement at all but was attached by ropes, it seemed it should have moved a bit when you walked on it.

Also, the final boss seemed sort of inactive. A lot of pauses while I was fighting him where he was doing nothing.

Yeah, I've had more complaints that the bridge was too hard ? even without movement. So I took away that to maybe get a better rating from more casual players.
The final boss does seem to stop sometimes, but I haven?t a clue how to stop it

Thanks to everyone who's tried it and suggested things. It was on Page 4 of cool levels last I checked and had around 1,500 plays with 60 or so hearts so it's doing pretty well.

I've been slowly getting my way through F4F too, sorry if yours hasn't come yet - it's just with school in the way 		2009-09-10 17:21:00

Author:
Coxy224
Posts: 2645

Just a quick update, with my 7 days almost up:
Around 3,000 plays
80 or so hearts on the level
19 Creator Hearts
Page 3 of Cool levels


I'm pretty impressed, thanks for the support guys 		2009-09-11 21:50:00

Author:
Coxy224
Posts: 2645

Hiya Coxy,
Played this over and over a few days ago and then again yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it every time. I though the visuals were fabulous in most places, where - as others have said - the odd spot was a tad sparse. I was a bit disappointed that, having gone to the screen left of where you first drop down, there was nothing. Not even point bubbles! You could put some there especially for people like me who like to explore every explorable inch.

People have already mentioned some of the probs in the idol sections, so i'll just add this - when you bring the second idol back and that front plane drops down to the next section of the level, one of the idols drops down there with it sort of negating the fact that you had to take them to the ogre in the first place. I know that's minor but it just seemed a little scrappy (like something I would do *lol*). Maybe it could dissolve? Not a big deal, though.

I would've liked more detail on the ogre's face. The house and swamp had so much detail that it almost looked like you'd forgotten about finishing him off. You've got the 'skillz'. The eyes lighting up looked very effective.

It took a while for me to figure out the button at that first elasticised grab, but I think it's good to have something tricky like that. I didn't have too many problems with the broken bridge when playing by myself but online with others it became a little difficult. Will check out your new option sometime soon.

The dragon looked wonderful and all the gameplay leading to it was terrific - lots of variety and challenging without getting annoying. Yes, I agree with some others that the dragon's movement was a little stilted but more of the issue for me was the fact that it was too easy to kill. I could stand in the back plane shooting paint and nothing hit me. Or was I just lucky? And the hands didn't change like the head did, no matter how many times I painted them.

All the rest was excellente! (that's pronounced excellentay)
I gave it 5 stars, tagged Beautiful, and I THINK I hearted it... can't remember, sorry, but will do so if I haven't.		2009-09-15 02:25:00

Author:
BabyDoll1970
Posts: 1567

The lvl looks nice. the atmosphere is set up right. the dragon looks cool.
I love the gameplay. It makeห the lvl really fun to play.

I think your lvl needs to be re-touched in some places that still look lacking of polishing. For example, the poison platforms on the way down to get the green sack, and the grinding pistons.

overall
:star::star::star::star: Pretty!!!

F4F 		2009-09-16 20:02:00

Author:
SiXth
Posts: 59

I now have a video review thanks to the very kind PB and K show
Show them some support because they're great gadders!

YouTube - PB and K Show- Episode 2: OnceUponATime		2009-09-26 10:33:00

Author:
Coxy224
Posts: 2645

Hello my friend !

As a F4F member I have played your level and as a bonus your halloween town level as well

First on the main subject, namely "once upon a time".

It started off really well like a fairy tale (loved the beginning letter of the page like in the story books with a big square around it and all) and the swamp house was very well designed (a lot like shrek in the movies).

However I felt the quality did drop down a bit from here as the attention to detail diminshed a bit and got replaced by some all too standard platforming scenes.

The spider web like part was a bit frustrating to me because it was a lot of trail and error as there seemed only one good way to pass through this part. (I tried 2 different routes 10 times but none of them worked). Maybe this part could use some fine tuning or be made a bit easier.

I liked the part where you had to bring the two idols to the shrek like head but felt the head was lacking some more detail (like posted above).

When you approached the castle the quality of the level seemed to go up again, as we are faced with a beautiful dragon boss battle.
The artwork here is very nice so kudos for that !

One small thing however: even when defeating the dragon and things start to collapse the dragon is moving and living like nothing happened. This just doesn't seem to right, let him dissapear or let the player fall down a bit to show a defeated dragon and then let him finish the level.

Overall, this level is worth playing and I feel it deserves 3.5 stars , only pity this is not possible in the rating system so I gave it 3 stars and rating cute.

BONUS: I also played your halloween town level inspired by tim burton's nightmare before christmas and I must say this was very good. It didn't have much contraptions but I felt this was more of a relaxing and visually attractive level and it worked very good like that. I recognised some cool things from the movies and the graveyard was beautifully made. 4 stars for this one !

Feedback for feedback, pick one of my subject levels to your likings.		2009-09-26 12:43:00

Author:
nightwing
Posts: 422


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