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The Wizard of Time and Space (with photos)

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The Wizard of Time and Space (with photos)Elvenbane
Being the wizard's apprentice won't normally get you a spot on cool pages...but what happens when an opportunity to be a hero presents itself? Borrow the wizard's powers to control time and space and make your way through this puzzle/platformer.
all
This is my most ambitous level so far...I was inspired by the logic-pack to up my game and add some puzzle elements. I'd really appreciate any sort of feedback...does the level play ok in multiplayer, does the dialog make sense, are the puzzles understandable, and most important...is it fun?

Happy New Year LBPC!		2009-12-31 20:42:00

Author:
fullofwin
Posts: 1214

I remember a short film at Uni called The Wizard of Speed and Time, by Mike Jittlov.

Your title reminded me of that, how funny!.


BoomerET		2009-12-31 21:38:00

Author:
BoomerET
Posts: 41

Looks great, I'll try having a look soon 2010-01-01 00:16:00

Author:
Oddmania
Posts: 1305

I played this as soon as I saw the thread.

First off, I have to say I'm a pretty big Elvenbane fan. EB's Natural History series is absolutely great - particularly the last one, and Jabberwocky is masterfully done.

That being said, while I really enjoyed this level and would absolutely love seeing this continued into a series, some criticisms to keep in mind for whatever you produce next (whether the follow up to this or something else entirely).

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1) Your real strength as a creator is that you do excellent, excellent sticker-work. That might sound trivial, but equate it to painting - except with the added challenge of painting almost exclusively with pre-render'd images. It's what you do that makes your levels stand out. I mean this as a huge compliment - your visuals are often highly satisfying simply on the back of this fact alone.

Conversely, having played through your whole profile before a couple times, I will say that it's when you don't take full advantage of this that sometimes your output doesn't reach the level it so often does.

There's a couple places where this is relevant in your most recent piece. Given your level of skill, the opening room of the level is really a bit of a letdown. Now it's quickly redeemed when you make your way up to the telescope (great telescope btw), but certainly if there was a place that was important to wow us a bit it's in the opening - that's our first impression, and arguably the one that has the greatest extra importance.
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2) There is one gameplay element in the level that just, honestly, was not fun. This is the sprung-bolt leaves you have to climb up early on.

Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a challenge ... if it serves its purpose. Challenge can add a great level of excitement to levels at certain notes, or add an extra competitive element depending on the type of level.

That being said, failing a jump, falling off, and just having to start the climb again from the bottom isn't really exciting. It's simply tedious. Again, I'm a huge fan of your work, so I say this with all due respect, but this one, admittedly very small, portion of the level has a slight reek of poor game-design fundamentals.

Challenges need to be made to add excitement, competition, and/or provide intellectual stimulation, or not be made at all.

The interesting thing is though, that this very game-play element could easily be made more fun if the challenge it presented actually meant something. If you made the trip up the tower a race, for example. Suddenly "Oh ****, I fell off again ... and again ... ugh" would become "Aaah! I have to make it! I'm making it! Noooo .... wait, I can do it! ... must ... get ... top 5 ... score"

It seems like a subtle difference, but it has a huge effect regarding whether or not the player is having fun.
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3) Score bubbles can also be very fun. Snakes on a Dame is a great example of how to use score bubbles in a fun way. (I know, I know - it's a cliche' level to reference, but its referenced so much for a reason). It encourages you to run through an area at a more dangerous (and thus exciting) pace to encur the bonus.

Hidden score bubbles in moderation can also be fun, as it also lends to that "hehe ... no one will be able to get a score as high as me" sensation.

When score bubbles are NOT fun are when they're just sitting there, slightly out of the way, so I have to go and pick them up to get the best score I can. It turns it into a chore. There are some "chore" score-bubbles in this level. It really kills all the fun of high-score getting.
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4) "Put the things in the color coded places" is really, really old. I'm sure there's a more creative way to create a puzzle to keep us swimming back and forth in the water down there.
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5) Really small, technical thing. At the end of the level where the Wizard appears, the shape of his body and the cliff really suggest running up him and seeing if there's a secret up there.

Sometimes, where you jump up there to look, you can spot a block of dissolve material floating in the air in the corner.
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Anyways, those are my criticisms. It's a critique of love though as I really am a big fan of your work, and I can't wait to see if you continue this series.

:star::star::star::star: and a heart.

It would be 5, but it doesn't quite have the polish of alot of your other work. That being said ... it's still by far the best level I played all day.		2010-01-01 01:53:00

Author:
Jagrevi
Posts: 1154

Jagrevi,

Thanks so much for such a detailed review. I agree with all your criticisms...the sprung-bolt leaves happen to be one of my favorite parts, but I fully realize it's because I know exactly how to ascend them; I can't appreciate the frustration of falling off repeatedly.

I had a lot of trouble trying to create the first room in the wizard's tower...nothing I did looked right. I eventually decided to just throw in the tiger for a bit of color and move on. Since the initial impression of the level is so important this is definitely an area I'd like to revisit.

I've always been crap when it comes to score bubble placement...I didn't want them where you'd have to run through them anyway. I tried to group them in such a way that you can get a multiplier, like doing the perfect jump/arc...and I actually thought the sprung-bolt leaf bubble placement was good! I'll have to check out Snakes on a Dame...I'm not familliar with it and I definitely need score bubble help.

The underwater color puzzle is rather weak I agree, that was the last thing I added, before PoTC the water was glass and you had to climb over the waterfall. I decided to change it out for water because it looked nicer. After the upper section I needed to come up with something to do, I like what the hats do underwater but the color puzzle is meh but harmless.

I'll take care of that bit of dark matter at the end...making sure the player never sees behind
the curtain is tricky there's no telling where they'll try to go!

Anyway, thanks again for the great input...gives me lots to think about. Not sure any major rework will happen (it's painful tearing apart a "finished" level) and I don't plan to make this a series. I wanted to try something new in this level, I'm pretty happy with the result...I feel my other levels are rather lacking in the game play department but it's nice to hear that you like them.		2010-01-01 02:57:00

Author:
fullofwin
Posts: 1214

Drop dead incredible level! Beautiful detail and all those special bits that make a level pop. This one has it with all the fun and cool puzzles.

I loved all the scenery bits.. and the magicians hat was amazing. Cool cool cool stuff.

I have to agree with Jagrevi though, those leaves are pretty darn tricky for being so early in the level. I think they are amazing and loved the way they work and look, but wow.. that small sequence took me longer than the rest of the level!!

I can understand his point on the water puzzle, but I still had fun looking around. Maybe if there were some secret areas to add to the fun of the exploration. That coupled with a secrets map at the end could add to the fun if there was any thermo left.

Still I was pretty blown away from simply the graphics. Incredible work and a treat to ring in the New Year playing this one last night. Thanks so much!

5 stars and a heart!		2010-01-01 20:21:00

Author:
jwwphotos
Posts: 11383

jwwphotos,

So glad you liked it! I made some changes today, the entire starting room was swapped out...still not perfect but I think I can live with it now. It was also pointed out by mistervista that the bubblers didn't give you any air if you grabbed the top of the hat, that's fixed now. Several thermos are just below where they produce the overheat warning, so other than bug fixes (and maybe some stickers/small details) I probably have to call this one done...shame that some leaves put up more of a fight than a dragon! 		2010-01-02 00:40:00

Author:
fullofwin
Posts: 1214

What a superb level. I don't know anyone who can top you for visual design/artistry. I just spent my time running from one thing to the next saying ?Wow, just look at that!?. It's hard to single out only a few of the awesome details but the suits of armour were amazing (even if I did get squished an embarrassing number of times!), as were the telescope and the chandeliers and stained glass in the throne room. The characters were all stunning too ? the imp being my favourite. You make fantastic scenery as well, both above and below water - really gorgeous stuff. The whole thing was a visual treat.

I enjoyed the puzzles and didn?t mind the leaves even if, as you say, they did present more of a challenge than the poor old dragon.

I agree with Jagrevi, though, about the score bubble placement ? that was for me the weakest part of the level. It's a bit of a bore to have to make a diversion only to pick up three bubbles. Also some of your arcs of bubbles had fewer than five bubbles in them. There would be more of an incentive to try and jump perfectly if there were a reward for doing so, i.e. a multiplier. With four or fewer bubbles the end result is the same if you manage to get them all in one go or in ones and twos. However, it certainly doesn?t spoil the level in any way, just a nitpick really.

Thank you for a fun and very beautiful level. Five stars and a heart!		2010-01-02 15:22:00

Author:
shropshirelass
Posts: 1455

I removed most of the "chore bubbles" lol. For score/replay you can now pick up a sticker at the end that activates a sticker switch at the begining to play the entire level as a race. I posted a decent score if anyone wants to take a shot at #1...I messed up a few places.

shropshirelass, thanks for the review and the photo upload to the level, shame you can't capture lights. Don't look too close at the imp, he's just 2 ovals and some stickers, his feet are flowers!

Sprung-bolt leaf tip: Stay on the dark green part, the tip is a lighter green and doesn't handle the weight...jump from stem to middle and you should go right up.		2010-01-02 18:37:00

Author:
fullofwin
Posts: 1214

Man this level must not get buried under the "page 2 wall of doom".

This is what I call a level full of win. What's even funnier? It's made by Fullofwin. You clearly wear your name. Needless to repeat previous guys's feedback but I must repeat that your visuals are splendid. My favorite part is those little islands with the rainbow. Honestly, my jaw dropped. You can push such great visuals that it's near discouraging for other creators! lol

On the negative side, I didn't feel that the whole level was "solid" sometimes. Sometimes you grab a hat, it disappear, sometimes it doesn't. We ('cause I played with 2 peeps) didn't get stuck or anything but it wasn't always super intuitive. I have a hard time expressing what I mean here, you know when you play and you get that flow going on? Anyhow, your visuals are compensating for any possible lack in gameplay I think.

Oh yeah, little thing of note. That last wizard near the end, I jump up there to get the bubble but when I drop down I got stuck between him and the rocks. Not a big bug of course but it can easily be fixed so I thought I'd tell you.

I will replay this tomorrow in order to rate it in-game.

:star::star::star::star::star: + heart

2010-01-03 09:27:00

Author:
RangerZero
Posts: 3901

Thanks RangerZero! The hats you may need to use more than once stick around, the single-shot hats dissappear...I thought it would be less confusing that way.

The level now has over 100 plays, 4 stars, and the rubbish tag appears to have been knocked out of the top 3 so I deem the level a success.

I think I found the spot between the cliff and the wizard's sleeve where you got stuck, should be fixed now...I hate getting trapped on silly stuff!		2010-01-03 19:19:00

Author:
fullofwin
Posts: 1214

Hey, just wanted to tell you I played it again and in solo this time + without being extremely tired at 4 in the morning.

Results: It's WAY MORE enjoyable. I love it.

.		2010-01-04 00:23:00

Author:
RangerZero
Posts: 3901

I really, really enjoyed this level. For me, visuals are king, which makes you the supreme overlord? Anyways, I love the attention to detail and the gameplay wasn't half bad. I had read your tip on traversing the sprung leaves, so I didn't really have any problems. The dragon = epic. The puzzles were nothing crazy but I enjoyed them a bunch. You've yet again shown that you deserve that creator heart I bestowed on you many months ago.

Needless to say, 5 stars and a heart.		2010-01-05 03:02:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

Thanks comphermc! After running through All Mine! a few times I'm going to have to re-think my level building...

I'm happy you liked my dragon...people might be expecting a more traditional boss battle so I was a little worried the ending would be a let-down! 		2010-01-05 14:09:00

Author:
fullofwin
Posts: 1214

Played this last night.... very cool! Great scenery, some nice challenges. I personnaly liked the placing of the keys underwater. I've seen the mechanic done on dry land many times, but struggling with air and the fact that you had to find the keys scattered around... it wasn't as obvious, and I like the way it was implemented.

About the leaves... I didn't have a problem with them personally, however I definately think they could be made more fun if you were going to use the concept in a future level. Maybe use logic to have the leaves push you up when you jump?

Nice job!		2010-01-05 14:43:00

Author:
CCubbage
Posts: 4430

I had another go at the level in order to try out your race. Both times I tried, the time ran out WAY before the end gate (in fact during the colour matching puzzle). I know I'm only an average player (and, as it was a couple days since I last played, I probably got the swinging light and glass block puzzle done in the wrong order) but I think you may have underestimated how much time someone less familiar with the level than you needs to get through it! I may be wrong but I thought I'd post this to see if anyone else had had the same experience.

It doesn't really matter though as I think your level stands up fine without the race element.		2010-01-06 00:18:00

Author:
shropshirelass
Posts: 1455

Thanks for attempting the race, you may have been the first to do so! I wasn't sure how tough to make it...I thought I'd given plenty of time. I set the time based on how long it look me to do most platforming sections twice...I could finish with about 25% left. The color puzzle takes me less than 2 hats of air...but spending a little longer here should still give you plenty of time. I saved my race gate so it would be easy to emit a new one with a longer time if I did make it near impossible to finish.2010-01-06 03:36:00

Author:
fullofwin
Posts: 1214

I played the level yesterday, and it's quite charming visually. You really are talented with stickers, and you really made things look believably whole. I see a lot of sticker in lesser levels that you can easily pick out the individual stickers on objects. Here, in this level, every sticker blends nicely.

The theme in the level was lighthearted often, but puzzling sometimes. I liked the opening room a lot. It made me think of fantasia with it's text, and materials. Coming outside, the telescope was very charming, and the imp character was good as well. The platforms seemed a little jungle-like to me, which seemed a bit weird.

Some parts of the level seemed a bit jungle-like, which I didn't quite understand. I don't if that was the intention, but if not, maybe some deeper green would help.

The gameplay was made interesting with the hats, and was generally good. However, when you're supposed to swing on the lamp to get across the bridge, the block that gets generated from the hat was getting stuck at some points, because parts of the bridge were slightly higher than others. Although the player can get the block out by pulling it from the other side, it was slightly annoying.

Despite the small problems, it's a really good level

:star::star::star::star:		2010-01-06 05:52:00

Author:
TheLawnStink
Posts: 98

im going to try this out soon and will leave a review tomorrow looks good 2010-01-09 01:50:00

Author:
Unknown User

one of the best graphic out, a must try!!!!2010-01-09 11:06:00

Author:
POLLOePILLA
Posts: 47

dude looks realy awsome im gonne try it when im home
wow must remember alot of thing to do at home maybe i must write it down 		2010-01-09 12:01:00

Author:
Smelling-Cowboy
Posts: 668

Greeat level, the scenery is stunning, I love how you put the castle in the background, behind the bridge. Even though puzzles are quite simple, they're clever and well-made.

Oh, and I also liked the story, I was suprised to see at the end that it wasn't a series, just one level. You managed to put a really great story in one level, good job.

And the Queen's boobs... I HAD to take a picture, haha !		2010-01-09 13:13:00

Author:
Oddmania
Posts: 1305

And the Queen's boobs... I HAD to take a picture, haha !

Oh no...without Jaeyden's creative editing I hope! I wonder if a level can be moderated for a picture that's been uploaded? Anyway, thanks for playing, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.

I would have liked to have moved the castle farther into the background but I haven't decided how I feel about the extra layer glitch and have resisted using it thus far, so it's nice to hear that you thought it worked just using the normal back/thin layer.		2010-01-09 16:16:00

Author:
fullofwin
Posts: 1214

Heres my review as promised First of all i was blown away with the amount of detail in the level. even at the entrance i couldnt resist taking a picture beside the spider the whole level just makes you pause to take in the wonderful landscape. the part were you grab the telescope and see the dragon attacking the village was really well done! the challanges were also alot of fun, but the jumping leaves part was frustrating lol but it just takes practice and only took me 5 mins so didnt bother me. i also spent alot of time laughing at your (rather saucy) queen! lol overall best level ive played in weeks. 5 stars and a heart well earned and hope you make a part 2!2010-01-10 00:01:00

Author:
Unknown User


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