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Lady Masquette and the puzzle garden

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Lady Masquette and the puzzle gardenpickled-punk
Retrieve the lost mask of Lady Masquette from among the hedge maze.
It's my first level.
Also first in a series of story levels.

http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=19282


Feedback would be much appreciated.		2010-02-03 21:07:00

Author:
pickled-punk
Posts: 598

Hiya,

congratulations on completing your first level! I hope you enjoyed making it.

The first thing that attracted me to your level was the name. The name of the lead character was interesting and I like puzzles! I thought the lead character was nicely designed and nicely animated.

Sadly I wasn't able to get past the first section. I tried lots of different ideas but I couldnt get up high. I saw that there was a small square which I assume I should get into the square hole, but I couldnt reach it. I activated the butterfly switch and climbed on everything I could. The cogs weren't turning and I couldnt see a way to make them turn. I'm not sure whether I just failed to solve the puzzle or whether there was a bug here.

Few pointers...
Remember to stick your trees to the floor. I was able to pull it down - in fact I wondered if this was part of the puzzle!
Remember to playtest your levels or ask a friend to give them a go. If I got stuck - maybe others would too.

If you give me a clue or fix this problem, I might be able to go back and have another go. Good luck with this and your levels in the future.		2010-02-03 21:54:00

Author:
TheAdipose
Posts: 533

Oh, a nicely designed character? I'll have to check it out later.

Care to post some pictures?		2010-02-03 22:35:00

Author:
DarkDedede
Posts: 672

Thanks for the tips. I'll use all the pointers to polish up the level soon.

A quick walkthrough of the first section. Use a red and a white butterfly sticker on the cardboard cutout, one gives you prizebubbles, the other sets in motion the big sunflower oval.
As it starts turning, grab on, get on top and jump on the big green square. Push of the light & darkgreen checkered square, and place it in the gap below. This will set in motion the gears (be carefull not to rush and get squashed by the falling triangle). Make your way up over the grinding gears, to the wooden structure.
The rest of the puzzles await: hopefully for your enjoyment.

Great that you liked the Lady Masquette: she will return shortly in the next part of my story (almost done on my moon.)

Thanks a lot.

PS. Meddling Magpie is an awesome level.		2010-02-04 17:52:00

Author:
pickled-punk
Posts: 598

I will try and post a picture of Sackboy and the Lady on my moon.
(Still new to all this stuff! So much to discover in LBP!)		2010-02-04 17:57:00

Author:
pickled-punk
Posts: 598

I will try the Applecarver levels tonight.2010-02-05 16:29:00

Author:
pickled-punk
Posts: 598

Hey just finished your level. I thought it was a great first attempt. I didn't find any of the puzzles too challenging or anything. I cleared it pretty easily in fact. Only having to backtrack once, where i leaped before I looked. It had a flow and an abstract feel to it that first levels are usually devoid of and it makes me think that you will eventually be able to make really great and full conceptual levels if you keep practicing. I don't have too many suggestions at the moment. Just keep practicing. Excellent first go.2010-02-11 20:53:00

Author:
ezBadfish
Posts: 52

Don't forget to name your prizes. 2010-02-12 05:32:00

Author:
DarkDedede
Posts: 672

typing as I play here, i like the puzzle-to-proceed style you have. masquette is actually kinda creepy to me... but then im strange... maybe put her more.... in the way? i had reched the top before i saw that she was down there.

actually a pretty engaging level i forgot to type for a bit there... im at the talking box... which is strangely cute. i like the environment, but i would caution you against using too much of that 3d wood as it evokes memories of the fabled terrible level called ramp. of course that might be just me too though.

your bridge... i like the aesthetics, but i would have used the thin layer to make it more bridge-like... if thats intentional i'm sorry, i don't understand.

anyway, in summary, i really liked the simplicity of the level. it kept me engaged, there wasnt a lot of distraction, and i like the rootgnawer. very cool for a first level (you shoulda seen mine! total rubbish) great job, and keep it up!

if you get a chance, my level "Trap McSack!" could use some feedback. it just underwent a major overhall, and some extra players might catch all the bugs so i can work them out!		2010-02-12 15:28:00

Author:
TJapan
Posts: 225

Thanks for all the feedback. Much appreciated. I will start correcting the level soon.2010-02-13 10:20:00

Author:
pickled-punk
Posts: 598

Oh, a nicely designed character? I'll have to check it out later.

Care to post some pictures?

DarkDedede, thanks for the cool picture of Nidhogger!		2010-02-13 10:22:00

Author:
pickled-punk
Posts: 598

if you get a chance, my level "Trap McSack!" could use some feedback. it just underwent a major overhall, and some extra players might catch all the bugs so i can work them out!

I'll go and try your level right away.		2010-02-13 10:23:00

Author:
pickled-punk
Posts: 598

Hi I'm sorry I played your level a while ago but forgot to come and leave some feedback.

I really enjoyed the puzzles in the level - there were some good ideas there and they were well executed too. Great stuff for a first level.

I think the biggest improvement you could make for your next level would be to try and knit it all together more into a structure rather than having the puzzles/gameplay elements sitting on the flat floor of the level. I suggest you watch the video which the Adipose and Luos Desruc put together showing how they transformed their level the Meddling Magpie. The link to the Adipose's youtube page is in his sig in the first post of this thread and the video is Part 1 of the Meddling Magpie Forest and Logic Creation Tutorial.

Good luck and I look forward to your next level. 		2010-02-17 18:14:00

Author:
shropshirelass
Posts: 1455

I played part of the level, and to put it very short: "You have grrreat potential...."

Pros:
* Interesting puzzles, i liked how some of them were put together (only got to the worm, wasn't able to get farther)
* A good character, i hope to see more
* Use of sticker switches, i don't see people use these much at all
Cons:
* There's not as much a coherent "style" to your level, just placed blocks.
* Lack of checkpoints: adding more checkpoints is definitely a good idea, i ended up quitting after i got flung way back in the level a couple times.		2010-02-19 04:35:00

Author:
RCIX
Posts: 250

@shropshirelass, thanks very much for the comments and encouragment.
I have just published my second level ''Desperados of Tupelo town". It continues the story around Lady Masquette and her missing masks.
Now I will start polishing up the Puzzle Garden-level.

Good tip, the videos of Adipose and Luos-Desruc are fantastic. I will try to create a more interesting structure for my next level.		2010-02-20 09:52:00

Author:
pickled-punk
Posts: 598

@RCIX, thanks for the feedback! I will definately add a few more checkpoints!2010-02-20 16:45:00

Author:
pickled-punk
Posts: 598

Using all your good advice to my advantage, I have just republished my first adventure:

-I added an extra character (Patch the BIG cat), and included some more dialogue to flesh out the backstory better - (thanks to Turfdawg)
-Added an extra little puzzle-task
-Added extra prizes, and gave them names too - (thanks to DarkDedede)
-Fixed the bridge area and stickered the scoreboard - (thanks to TJapan)
-Added some more checkpoints - (thanks to RCIX)
-Some small cosmetic changes (like glueing the trees to the floor, removing the crate-wood etc.) - (thanks to Adipose and TJapan)		2010-02-21 16:28:00

Author:
pickled-punk
Posts: 598

I'll check it out again sometime (maybe tomorrow), sounds even better!2010-02-22 08:40:00

Author:
RCIX
Posts: 250

okay...my feedback.


i enjoyed the level. that's a good start. the puzzles were challenging but fun. i liked your characters. lady masquette was creepy but great and i loved the cat with the fish hanging off its tail.

my only thing i have to say is make the level more...level like. give it a structure instead of just having it on the floor.

but i still enjoyed it. well done!		2010-02-25 18:42:00

Author:
trip090
Posts: 1562

Thanks for the feedback.

My next level will have a more interesting structure... I promise! 		2010-02-25 19:11:00

Author:
pickled-punk
Posts: 598

Hi, I've tried your levels. Firstly I thought that this level was not good, but it became slightly better as long as you processed through the level. The puzzles were good and slightly challenging for me. I think it was just because I was tired, when I tried it. Making your own floor would be great. But I can say, your next level was much better.

3 Stars.		2010-02-27 10:40:00

Author:
ghik16
Posts: 311

Thanks for the feedback!2010-03-05 18:40:00

Author:
pickled-punk
Posts: 598

I have just played your level and here is what I think could be improved...

1. The level was pretty empty and bland(Don't use the background's floor).

2. Some things were pretty unclear because I could not see the object that was meant to be gotten(This could be easily fixed by camera angles or helpful speech bubbles).

3. I advise trying to stay away from story stickers in a level and stick to using custom stickers, I say this because not everybody may have all the stickers needed to complete the level and some will feel unsatisfied with what they just played because of missing those stickers.

Hope this advice helped and I hope to see some of these improvements in the future!		2010-03-07 22:35:00

Author:
singularik
Posts: 130

Just letting you know that I will be giving feedback to you, sorry I've been so busy recently - I'll make sure to get to it ASAP
Sorry...

Had a playthrough and thought there were some really nice ideas present for puzzles, but many of them were easy to ypass by layrer shifting or grabbing things, which was a shame. The visuals were very simple but I felt they improved towards the end with some nice characters and scenery beginning to take shape. Just needs more work on polish and visuals 		2010-03-07 22:43:00

Author:
Coxy224
Posts: 2645

Cool, nice ideas and really good style but to tell you the truth it gets at times kinda repetitive but besides that i put it 5 stars and a heart. Good job!!!2010-03-08 22:11:00

Author:
ferrrch
Posts: 429

This level was pretty fun. The visuals weren't the best, but the puzzles were simple and enjoyable. Overall I think it was a good level.2010-03-08 23:46:00

Author:
RobotCrash
Posts: 121

Thanks for the replies!! I will be reworking the level soon, adding in a new floor etc.2010-03-10 06:24:00

Author:
pickled-punk
Posts: 598

I'm playing this as I type now. I suggest making the sticker switches visible as the beginning of the level looks rather plain so the cardboard butterfly didn't really stand out to me. Jumping on the cogs is rather difficult. I don't know maybe I just suck. Could use some visual cues on where to go next. I ended up backtracking when I pulled a lever to make the block of sponge go up. I thought i was supposed to somehow jump on top of the block. Just finished it now. It's a rather nice level for a first level. Simple gameplay, nothing too over the top. A good way to start out creating.2010-03-20 00:54:00

Author:
MrTran
Posts: 216

Just played through your level and it was pretty good for a first level

One problem was that the cardboard butterfly wasn't very obvious.
There were also a few times where I was unsure of where I was supposed to go.

Overall though I liked it. I'm definately a fan of puzzle type levels.

I'll play through your other level soon.		2010-03-24 00:07:00

Author:
SneakySteve1983
Posts: 121

Great, thanks for the replies!2010-03-28 08:45:00

Author:
pickled-punk
Posts: 598

I think there was only one problem:
Good:
+Fantastic idea
+Own made character
+Great atmosphere
+Name is attracting
+Cool puzzles
Bad:
-Some puzzles are feeling like exactly same
-Few checkpoints
Add few more checkpoints and it'll be very fun! :star::star::star::star: And a heart.
I'd like to see more same kind of work in next part!		2010-04-16 16:14:00

Author:
FreeAim
Posts: 2462

Thanks for the feedback. Glad you liked the atmosphere!

I will post you some feedback on your levels soon.		2010-04-24 10:59:00

Author:
pickled-punk
Posts: 598

I just got done playing this level.

I LOVE the puzzles. There are not enough in most other creator levels, I think.
I like the simplistic look of the level. (The music helps too!)
You use proper punctuation and caps is you dialouge and description.

My only gripe is that the ball on a chain can get stuck in the air if you let go of it too soon. I had to restart.		2010-04-28 23:41:00

Author:
Turbo_Egg_Salad
Posts: 57

Thanks for the feedback, great that you liked the puzzles. I agree: good puzzle levels are too rare in LBP.
Puzzle Rooms from SneakySteve1983 is really good, give it a try if you haven't already. Also very good and challenging: Star Ocean LBP from MrTran.
My newest level, Strange Denizens from Interzone, also contains a lot more puzzles.


By the way, the ball on the winch is supposed to stay up once triggered, but there is another way to pass the obstacles behind it.
(Spoiler: use one of the sponge-figures from the trapped box you fell down in.)		2010-05-02 14:25:00

Author:
pickled-punk
Posts: 598

Republished with a new badge, and some small improvements.2010-05-06 18:18:00

Author:
pickled-punk
Posts: 598

Added a picture.2010-07-15 11:34:00

Author:
pickled-punk
Posts: 598


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