Archive: 69 posts

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Ah, I've finally done it. After spending two weeks creating/trashing/rebuilding/reworking a 20 second ending sequence (which I'm still not entirely happy with), I think this level is just about ready to be released to the world. Before that happens, however, I think it needs some thorough testing, and sadly it does not yet have a name... So, this is where you guys come in. Anybody willing to test this level? I'm looking for anyone who can be thorough and picky. My goal for this level is an intense level of polish, but I don't think I can do it without some help. If you choose to test, I'm willing to listen to all complaints and suggestions. My thermo is darn-near maxed out, but I'm not above reworking an entire section if it doesn't work as well as it could. I have it published under lock and key right now, just waiting to be played. Secondly, I am having a terrible time coming up with a name for the level. The premise is that you sneak aboard a spacecraft in order to take it down. I love punny titles, so if you can think of one, I'm all ears. Currently, I am just referring to it as ComphCruiser (it's my take on StarCruiser), but I don't know if that name really works. Let me know. Edit: You guys can give feedback here if/when you test. No need to mess with PMs and the like.

2010-03-07 06:03:00 Author: comphermc Posts: 5338

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Hey Comphermc, I'd be happy to test drive your level for you if you'd like. Hopefully my feedback would be of some help! I'll do my best to break it!

2010-03-07 06:50:00 Author: Duffluc Posts: 402

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Heh, if you really want knit-picking, I'm your guy. Imma go Simon-Cowell all over this level! Any funky corner, I'll note! Any over-stickering, I'll note! Any moment of fear... erm, I'll note!! Besides, I need to sick my boys on something, anyways... :kz:

2010-03-07 07:05:00 Author: Outlaw-Jack Posts: 5757

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Ill take a look at it, although your levels are usually high polish im sure i could find a few smudges

2010-03-07 07:14:00 Author: Littlebigdude805 Posts: 1924

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I've played it already, (amazingly awesome btw) but can you give us the code? Do you pm us or what?

2010-03-07 08:47:00 Author: KQuinn94Z Posts: 1758

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PMs sent to the four of you. Happy hunting/gadding!

2010-03-07 12:34:00 Author: comphermc Posts: 5338

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I'd be glad to test this for you. I remember what a joy it was to test All Mine!. Send me code pl0x.

2010-03-07 12:56:00 Author: iGotFancyPants Posts: 1355

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Ill definitely try out your level and give you some feed back lookin forward to it

2010-03-07 13:01:00 Author: Boondocks44 Posts: 13

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Now, just a question before I send you the code, Boondocks... do you promise to leave feedback!? Last time I did beta testing, I never heard back from a few people.

2010-03-07 13:05:00 Author: comphermc Posts: 5338

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I'll gladly play ANYTHING by you & Be assured, I'll give you feedback!

2010-03-07 13:33:00 Author: Nurolight Posts: 918

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I'll gladly play ANYTHING by you Great! I can finally release that bomb-survival level! --- Codes sent to the both of you.

2010-03-07 13:55:00 Author: comphermc Posts: 5338

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Alrighty, just played the monster, and let me say, it was definitely one of the best level's I've ever played. The atmosphere was just perfect. The gameplay was great but really easy (that might be the only setback). I think everything went according to plan, so I'll be playing again to try and break some stuff. Also, the ending was very well executed, but it felt a bit abrupt. Maybe a change in songs near the end can help in making it feel like you aren't still in the previous area (the cruiser). Very well done, comph! I started a level like this yesterday, it'll be hard to compete

2010-03-07 14:02:00 Author: iGotFancyPants Posts: 1355

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Thanks, F.Pants. I completely forgot to change the music for the ending... you are absolutely right. I will get on that right now!

2010-03-07 14:11:00 Author: comphermc Posts: 5338

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Do you still need testers? Honestly i'm fine if you don't need any more.

2010-03-07 14:13:00 Author: Doopz Posts: 5592

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You are always welcome to shoot a key/combo my way for testing.

2010-03-07 14:13:00 Author: jwwphotos Posts: 11383

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Id like to test it, looked great when i saw it before.

2010-03-07 14:42:00 Author: Jrange378 Posts: 573

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I must say, its awesome! had the chance to play it a couple of days ago and loved every second. Its a well stickered, and playable little beauty

2010-03-07 19:50:00 Author: GruntosUK Posts: 1754

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I'd love to get back in there and see how much you've done And learn a thing or two while playing and dying and all that good stuff :3

2010-03-07 19:54:00 Author: claptonfann Posts: 228

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Keldur and I play tested earlier and were unable to break out of the level! Boo! We had a few ideas... such as jumping on the invisible wall near the metal arm and then getting on top of the arm. Keldur was able to get on the claw portion, but that was it. We were able to completely skip the flipping platforms section by doing so though. After that, we tried running down the tube where the little robot shoots out of. Again, we made it, but hit a wall and were unable to go any further, which was very disappointing! I really wanted to send you a pic of me getting out of the level... oh well. Other than that, we weren't able to break much of anything else and afterwards we got into a disagreement while comparing this to Starcrusier, which Keldur decided to settle via a slapping match. Good times!

2010-03-07 19:57:00 Author: mrsupercomputer Posts: 1335

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I said as much in my PSN to you, but this level is fantastic. The stickering is simply sublime. I tried and tried to break it and/or break out of it, as Keldur and MrSC had, but was unable to find any real bugs. The gameplay was indeed very easy, but if you know me at all, you'll know that's just fine by me. I had a great time in there... visually one of the most satisfying plays I've had since taking the shrink-wrap off the game. The story is excellent and the humor rivals any level I've played. I know you're looking for critique here to try and improve it, but I dunno what to tell you... I found it very near flawless. OK here's one nitpick... the cut-scene magic mouth animation with the ship's captain... I found the segues a bit too fast, I missed a few words - the same with the opening sequence (I was so enthralled with the little ship boarding the cruiser - and wondering if it was going to fly all the way in - that I didn't get a chance to read all the text). But really, these are trivial gripes. I can't say that I'd really recommend a change to either one - just trying to give you something more than awestruck reverent gushing!

2010-03-07 20:14:00 Author: v0rtex Posts: 1878

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can i plz test ill leave feedback my psn is gareth2689

2010-03-07 21:46:00 Author: gareth Posts: 81

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You guys can give feedback here if/when you test. Well, you did say to be "very, very picky", so here's part one of my list... First magic mouth text, you're using 'sackboy' as a proper noun, so it should be capitalized. Actually, there's several other minor grammar issues, but I shan't list them unless you care that much. Camera pan at start of level is either too fast or shouldn't be there. I think you can use a double-mouth transition to make it a cut rather than a pan. Still beats teleporation by death tho'. Skipping the cutscene, and holding left at the start of the level causes the "Come On" to fail, and the level stays dark. Dissolving grate seems unrealistic. Maybe just have it make a 'clang' noise (or whatever noise it should make depending on material) when it hits the ground. With the stickers with what looks like "Aperture Laboratories" on them, the font is too small to read. Actually, there's a few other places where this is true, such as the '9681' on the USS-CMP sticker. Walking up the first ramp, rather than jumping, doesn't trigger the "Dang!..." text. First switch you have to pull, you can actually access without moving the crate, although it's kinda tricky to do. Perhaps loosen the camera zone by the viewport, as the platform on the right you have to land on is difficult to see. There's a few other camera zones which are a bit tight. Dialogue "I would just run a virus scan...". Would "I would *so* run a virus scan..." be funnier? Hanging hook seems to serve no obvious purpose, unless that's intentionally a red herring. You can easily jump from the crate to the section on the right hand side without swinging on the hook. Seems unrealistic that you can grab the yellow/black stripy section above the hanging hook. When the crate falls, and the scanning robot starts scanning, it still says "Scan negative..." even if you're directly in its line of sight. At this point, if you backtrack, and trigger the previous checkpoint, there's no way to complete the level. ...part two to follow. I said you'd regret it.

2010-03-07 23:23:00 Author: Aya042 Posts: 2870

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I think I have issued the code to enough testers for now. Based on the direction of the feedback thus far, I place this level to be released either tomorrow or early Tuesday. Thanks for all the input thus far, guys. I will be tweaking it all day tomorrow, hopefully making some more changes for the better. If you find anything else, just let me know. Edit: Aya snuck in there. I haven't read it yet, but it looks thorough. Wow, good stuff, Aya. No regrets! I will get on those as soon as possible. I knew about the "shortcut" to the first grabby switch, but those others are pretty new. How did you trigger the box to fall without getting up on the ledge? It should emit a DM blocker to prevent backtracking. Did you just land on the edge and then jump back down? But, yeah, that hook makes very little sense. Basically it's to accomodate the younger players (I had my little brother test and that jump is a bit high).

2010-03-07 23:30:00 Author: comphermc Posts: 5338

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Well, since you already have all the testers you need, I guess I could help you come up with a name. One of the things I do is come up with a basic name with simple words, then look in a thesaurus for more fancy, sophisticated words that will make your level sound interesting. I don't have any yet, but Ill come back to edit this post later. EDIT: Hectic Heist RocketShip Ransack (wow, coming up with one was harder than I thought. btw, can you tell I like alliterations?)

2010-03-07 23:43:00 Author: X-FROGBOY-X Posts: 1800

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how about " SPACE HIJACKER"

2010-03-07 23:49:00 Author: geddez12 Posts: 338

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"Overload"?

2010-03-08 00:02:00 Author: Nurolight Posts: 918

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How did you trigger the box to fall without getting up on the ledge? It should emit a DM blocker to prevent backtracking. Did you just land on the edge and then jump back down? Pretty much, and I didn't even jump back down that quickly. I don't see any evidence of a DM blocker, although perhaps you fixed it in a later version which you've yet to republish? I still have a few more things to check after that point in the level, since I wasn't checking quite so thoroughly after that point, so I was going to leave that for a later post. But a few other things which I did notice were... The level was a little too dark in places, most notably on the alien planet right at the end. Item #11 on my first list also applies to a section on the alien planet too. Perhaps cover it with some foliage which looks like it could support sackboy's weight. Kinda like the way rtm conceals grabbable bits in SS. The spiral staircase around the 'warp core' bit can be a little tricky to navigate through. Generally speaking, however, it's totally covered in awesome sauce, although maybe that's just from my POV, cos I'm a bit of a sci-fi geek.

2010-03-08 00:05:00 Author: Aya042 Posts: 2870

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I'll test, if you still need testers.

2010-03-08 00:21:00 Author: applepod124 Posts: 163

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Hey comph. You've got an absolutely amazing level here on your hands. I'll try to be as critical as humanly possible but you've made that pretty hard. Ill try to get 'major' things that should be fixed out of the way first. The first thing I noticed was that you can stop the level's music from playing by skipping the cut scene at the start of the level, and then moving underneath the vent you come out of and jumping( go as far left as you can and then jump, and you'll see what i mean). How I discovered this i don't know but it's there, and it sorta messes up the atmosphere for half the level if it happens, so its a biggie Secondly, like Aya said you can break the level if you backtrack to the last checkpoint when the robot searches for you. Aside from these the level was problem free. I too found that if you move into the scanning robot's field of vision nothing happens, which was disappointing. I was hoping it would shoot me or something . Another area I thought could use a tweak is where the big purple robot scans for you. If you activate him, he sweeps back and forth until you die. I know that death is the punishment for being spotted, but you can run back and forth between his lasers for as long as you want without getting hit. I thought that maybe if I avoided him for long enough he would revert back to his safe mode, which would reward the player for fixing their mistake. If you don't want that to happen might i suggest making it impossible to dodge the lasers? Might give people the wrong impression, I dunno. I honestly have no idea where you could find the room, but I would have liked to see more hidden bubble caches. I found one behind the crate section, and there's another one you can only access with 2 players, but it would be cool if there were even more! I'm a pretty competitive player (rank 1 so far, i don't think its possible to get a higher score than i did on your level on single player, I think i found everything ) and i love finding bubbles. it also would also add length to the level as it's fairly short. I thought that there were a couple of places that could use some more sound effects. Some of the switches have activation sounds, while others don't. They should probably be consistent. Some more ambient noise in the background would also be welcome. Visuals.... Hmmmm, the visuals... I don't think there's a single sticker, object, or vertex out of place. They're perfect! I thought that maybe the very end of the level could use a tad more lighting, and a little more visuals (especially when you run behind the rock wall, there's just blackness) but even then the screen is sparkling with detail. As far as game play goes, the level is very well designed with great backtracking and some neat sections. I thought it was quite easy, but that's not a criticism as much as it is just how your level plays. The level doesn't do anything too out of the ordinary with the game play. The use of swings, boxes, and jumps were all well done but nothing really stood out. There's nothing wrong with standard platforming, and unique elements are hard to come by, I just thought i should comment on it. Note that I'm speaking only about game play. The level itself stands out as an amazing experience and incredible journey. Umm... besides that, your level is good No seriously, it was a blast and I loved every minute of it. All those comment's up there are minor things that I think would polish the level to perfection, but its pretty close to perfect already. The visuals were great, the level was fun and humorous, and the cut scenes, (especially the one with the crashing ship) were jaw dropping. I had no issues whatsoever with knowing where to go, what to do, etc. That keeps the level at a fast and fun pace, where no area outstays its welcome. The first time I played through it, I played it as I would any other level, and it was an absolute blast. I had to actually go back, replay it and FIND things to criticize. You really have to search if you want to find anything even remotely negative about this level, and players generally don't do that. Sadly I'm strapped for names for your level, my level naming skills are terrible. I'm sure you will come up with something though!Your level is ready to go, I say Great work, and I hope my feedback helps

2010-03-08 00:48:00 Author: Duffluc Posts: 402

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Wow, great feedback, you two. I think you guys make some really solid points, and I think I can fix many of those issues you mentioned. Sadly, I'm going to have to work some magic to add anything else to it. I'm not saying it's impossible, it's just going to be tough*. As it is, I cannot place a single collected object or piece of material into the level without it overheating (this includes point bubbles). That said, Duffluc, there is one thing that you have yet to find, methinks. It's a pretty hidden secret, and finding it is not very intuitive. I know there aren't many secrets, but I feel like I've hidden them well. I will see if I can find a few more places to hide them. I will be in touch when I publish the next build. *I think I might have to replace all of those boxes scattered about with something a little more thermo-friendly. --- Side note: The cutscene with the captain was actually temporary. I'm not sure I want to replace them entirely, because it's undeniably charming. I think I will at least polish them up a bit. Thanks again, guys. --- Also, sorry, I really like the name 'Overload.' It's short, simple, and easy to remember - which I find desirable in a name. Thanks again... keep the ideas coming!

2010-03-08 01:52:00 Author: comphermc Posts: 5338

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Guess I'm a little late, but I can't wait to see it! I don't know how you could possibly beat "All Mine," although I think you of all people would be able to pull it off!

2010-03-08 01:58:00 Author: piggabling Posts: 2979

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That said, Duffluc, there is one thing that you have yet to find, methinks. It's a pretty hidden secret, and finding it is not very intuitive. I know there aren't many secrets, but I feel like I've hidden them well. Oooh I better get working on that. The ones i found were very well hidden, its true. If i wasn't trying so hard to find ways out of the level i doubt I would have found the one behind the crates.

2010-03-08 02:06:00 Author: Duffluc Posts: 402

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What do you guys think of this for a level name? "The Spacial Sacking" It continues my collection of punny titles that I'm a fan of. --- Duffluc - I really want to give you a hint, but I'm not sure you would find it as rewarding. As a concession, I'll tell you that it was inspired by a secret in StarCruiser, albeit a bit more extreme.

2010-03-08 02:14:00 Author: comphermc Posts: 5338

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Wow... really awesome stuff there comph!! My eyes were a bit busy on eye candy the first time through and attempting to break thing, but the good news was I while I saw tons and tons of candy, I saw no breaks! I think the one series of speech bubbles like was mentioned earlier is a bit fast. I'm also not sure about the speech in the first bubble. Left me guessing a bit like I missed a bubble for some reason. No biggie, just my initial feelings. In the final segment in the water, the music felt a bit out of place again.. no biggie as the 2nd time I didn't really think about it. I did find the first time that the ships rocket motor killed me. I didn't try it the 2nd time as I had a pretty good score going there, but looked like you might have changed that. Awesome level with some amazing stickering work. I will try it again after you make any last minute changes for a last go through... just keep us posted! Awesome work!

2010-03-08 02:16:00 Author: jwwphotos Posts: 11383

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If I give you my feedback you have to promise not to be "lazy" like when you didn't fix the All Mine introduction level escape ...

2010-03-08 06:00:00 Author: Incinerator22 Posts: 3251

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"The Spacial Sacking" Well, "sacking" is a verb meaning "to pillage or loot after capture; to plunder" if that's what you're going for, although "spacial" is more commonly spelled "spatial".

2010-03-08 15:06:00 Author: Aya042 Posts: 2870

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Yeah, I understood that, but I thought is might make more sense for it to be spacial, due to it being in space. Haha. Still working on it, though.

2010-03-08 15:31:00 Author: comphermc Posts: 5338

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Well as I stated before, the early section has so real jittery camera zones. I know this is always a bit of an issue, but to me it was very obvious when I was just running around where I was supposed to go, it's not like I was just jumping all over the place trying to mess with them. If you are looking for extreme polish, then this is something that really detracts from that for me. Typically I'd prescribe some simple logic control to isolate cameras as you progress, but as that is not an option, you are probably stuck with tuning the areas and also increasing the follow slightly in a couple of less important cameras will make the transitions between them smoother. In the section underneath the robot-y guard thing, I mentioned yesterday that the jumps seem a little obtuse. It's not obvious that you are supposed to, and the timing is such that if you try to planeshift into the gap (as you do in the previous part of this dynamic), you don't have time to realise what is going on before you die. It certainly feels like a cheap death as there is not sufficient visual cues, coupled with a timing requirement and inconsistency within the level. Ironically the jump actually makes the section easier, but leads to what feels like cheapness. Also in that section the doors close for a moment when you die. Would it be possible to override the motion of the doors using a perm? You can also be detected by the robot above when you are in the tunnel below, which makes him looks silly again, disabling this via perm would be a clean solution. Both of these could be achieved by dissolving a single magnetic key, costing you no thermo (potentially saving some in fact). The generator room may have some similar camera issues to the initial scene, I would have to check again to be sure though. On the section that breaks, the reset seems slightly odd. As you have actually activated the door, then respawn right near to it, there is no logical reason why you would want to go back across, it makes more sense to either respawn on the right hand side of the breaking thing that resets, or have the switch actually open the door, like it's supposed to . I know I'm generally a fan of things that reset, like this, but in this case it seems like you have a resetting mechanic, just for the sake of having a resetting mechanic. Also, after he says "woah", there should be a second magic mouth saying "Well, I guess there is only one way to go now..."

2010-03-08 15:48:00 Author: rtm223 Posts: 6497

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I'll test, if you still need testers. I think I have issued the code to enough testers for now. .....................................

2010-03-08 15:59:00 Author: Doopz Posts: 5592

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Yeah, I understood that, but I thought is might make more sense for it to be spacial, due to it being in space. Well, they both have exactly the same meaning - they both derive from the Latin 'spatium' meaning 'space'. Thing about that particular word (in either spelling) is that it's almost never used in the sense of 'outer space'. It's more commonly used in a more abstract way, like 'spatial awareness'. You'd more likely use the adjective 'cosmic' meaning "of or relating to the regions of the universe distinct from the Earth". I'm not sure that 'sacking' is that apt despite its obvious punnyness, since you don't actually seem to do much looting, unless you meant it in the sense of "sacking a quarterback". Otherwise it's more like 'sabotage', although it's never clearly explained what sackboy's "formidable task" actually is. Perhaps knowing more about the character's motivation would make it easier for others to come up with a suitable name. If you don't mind losing the pun, something like "Interstellar Infiltration" retains the alliteration. However, based on the somewhat abrupt ending, it seems as if this is just the first part in a series of levels, in which case, you might want to consider the overall plot for the remaining levels, use that as basis for naming the series, and just call this "part 1". Anyways - the title is not nearly as important as whether the level works or not. I noticed some camera zone issues when playing two-player which weren't apparent in single player mode, so I'll have another play through in a half hour or so.

2010-03-08 16:54:00 Author: Aya042 Posts: 2870

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However, based on the somewhat abrupt ending, it seems as if this is just the first part in a series of levels, in which case, you might want to consider the overall plot for the remaining levels, use that as basis for naming the series, and just call this "part 1" Overload: Expedition 101 Followed by Overload: Sublunary World (101)? =P

2010-03-08 17:19:00 Author: Nurolight Posts: 918

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Thanks, you two. I haven't been at my PS3 since yesterday afternoon, but I will get on these slew of changes in a little while. You make good points, Aya, about the names. I had realized after posting that name that I was referring to the wrong type of 'Space' but I was hoping I'd be able to finagle it (and no one would notice). I don't think that's the case, so I'll keep trying. As for the backstory - the original plot was that the captain was leading some evil force to completely wipe out some unnamed planet (ala the climax of Avatar). Sackboy's role, then, was as a secretive force to take down the USS-CMP before it arrived at [unnamed planet]. The original plan was for a climactic battle with the captain (to be designed later) that would end with him escaping and shooting down his own craft (the USS-CMP). Sackboy would then escape in some sort of pod and crash on the planet that the captain was heading towards anyways. Finally, there would have been a cliffhanger where the you see the captain on the planet, in hopes of completing his mission. End level. Now, as you can probably tell, all of that would not have fit, but I think the main idea remains, albeit with much less emphasis on the captain. I leave it open for the series to continue, but I wanted it to be completely self-contained, in the event that I don't feel like making it a series. Alliteration is good. If anyone can pull alliteration and punniness, you will win the internets for the day.

2010-03-08 17:41:00 Author: comphermc Posts: 5338

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Can I play test too? I saw this level in its walking steps, and Its awesome. (I Know Im late...)

2010-03-08 17:47:00 Author: Deviantgeek Posts: 386

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Played this the other day with you comph, didn't give full feedback because those ingame speech bubbles dont accept enough text so I'm gonna give you complete feedback now. Firstly, great visuals, really feeds off the original StarCruiser yet has a special "twist" to it. Gameplay is good but easy, and some areas tend to be a little scenery-based instead of gameplay based (there still being plenty of gameplay elements in there). It does have more gameplay than the original StarCruiser though, and I think that's a good thing. A bit rough round the edges - some mag keys are still visible (don't know if you intended this but the odd mag key on its own sort of sticks out like a sore thumb). In the tunnel you can activate the checkpoint above, which would take you back nearly to the start of the level (I think). Apart from these little niggles, excellent level - it was good to see how you developed the mechanical arm/platform sections - I learned loads just sitting there watching. The arm above the loading dock sign now seems to work fine. Shame you didn't use my piston traps though . Nice job.

2010-03-08 18:01:00 Author: Holguin86 Posts: 875

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Thanks for the feedback. Most of the things you mentioned have been fixed already, so that's good news. To everyone else, I won't be taking on any new testers, but it should be done either today or tomorrow. So, you won't have to wait very long!

2010-03-08 19:18:00 Author: comphermc Posts: 5338

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That's the best news I've heard all day! Yay!

2010-03-08 19:26:00 Author: Morgana25 Posts: 5983

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What about, Starlight Excursion?

2010-03-08 19:28:00 Author: Kern Posts: 5078

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In the section underneath the robot-y guard thing, I mentioned yesterday that the jumps seem a little obtuse. It's not obvious that you are supposed to, and the timing is such that if you try to planeshift into the gap (as you do in the previous part of this dynamic), you don't have time to realise what is going on before you die. It certainly feels like a cheap death as there is not sufficient visual cues, coupled with a timing requirement and inconsistency within the level. Ironically the jump actually makes the section easier, but leads to what feels like cheapness. This is very true! That's something I noticed when I played it with you. It confused me a little that I couldn't plane shift back into the little alcove. The step (that makes you have to jump) isn't very visible so is a bit misleading!

2010-03-08 19:28:00 Author: jackofcourse Posts: 1494

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...part two to follow. I said you'd regret it. As promised, here's the second and final part of my list, which pretty much carries on from where part one ends... During the sequence where you see the captain speaking on the viewsceen, there's an invisible wall preventing you from continuing. I've always thought invisible walls to be an unrealistic, and kinda cheap way to stop the player from progressing, so I'd either replace it with a physical obstacle, like a door, or just allow the player to bypass the captain's speech if they want. In the area where you have to avoid the enemy with the vertical beams which fire plasma balls, it sometimes feels as if the sensor angle doesn't quite match the beam angle, meaning that sometimes the plasma balls are fired even if you don't quite touch the beam. I think this came up already, but in the area with the giant grabby hand, you can jump on top of the invisible wall surrounding the gap. Why not remove the invisible wall, and just let the player fall to their death if they're stupid enough to jump down the hole? As rtm already pointed out, resetting the switch to the reactor chamber door (which you ultimately can't get to) seems contrived. Would it possible to have a checkpoint near the switch which is impossible to bypass to prevent the player respawing in a place which necessitates the reset? When pulling the override lever, it's not clear that it actually opened two doors, and not just the one which is in view. In getting to the switch which overloads the 'warp core', the low lighting makes it difficult to tell that the platform is not contiguous, and you have to jump to reach the switch. With more than one player, the 'warp core' is not visible from the switch unless all players are at the switch. The switch which opens the elevator seems a little contrived. Just having the elevator automatically open when the alarm starts would save a bit of thermo. In the area where you have to hide in the holes while the thing goes past, it's not clear that the searchlights on the enemy above aren't important, since the light beams extend into the tunnel below. Maybe tweak the lights so that they're short enough not to extend into the tunnel - after all, light shouldn't pass through solid objects anyway. Same place, as rtm pointed out, having to jump to switch between layers is slightly annoying - can you make them level so that you merely need to push forward or back on the stick to switch layers, like you can with the enemy directly above? If you pull to the left when falling down the hole into the ship, sometimes the door of the ship kills you when it closes. I already mentioned this, but the planet is a little too dark, making it difficult to see where you have to go. The escape ship's thruster can still kill you after you crash. Is that deliberate? Surely if the thruster was active, the ship would still be moving? The music should perhaps cut in a little earlier - seems to wait until you get out of the water. Again, I already mentioned this, but the grabbable part you need to shimmy across could look more like something that you could realistically hang on to. The large number of lights towards the end kills the refresh rate somewhat. That's about it for now. I'm off out to get drunk. Enjoy. Edit: as for point #11, I was trying to see if you could avoid landing in the escape ship, but I didn't have time to test whether it was possible if you pulled right instead of left.

2010-03-08 19:53:00 Author: Aya042 Posts: 2870

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Yikes, lots of stuff to address. I may not be able to tackle all of them... Looks like I have a busy day, huh?

2010-03-08 20:04:00 Author: comphermc Posts: 5338

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As promised, here's the second and final part of my list, which pretty much carries on from where part one ends... During the sequence where you see the captain speaking on the viewsceen, there's an invisible wall preventing you from continuing. I've always thought invisible walls to be an unrealistic, and kinda cheap way to stop the player from progressing, so I'd either replace it with a physical obstacle, like a door, or just allow the player to bypass the captain's speech if they want. In the area where you have to avoid the enemy with the vertical beams which fire plasma balls, it sometimes feels as if the sensor angle doesn't quite match the beam angle, meaning that sometimes the plasma balls are fired even if you don't quite touch the beam. I think this came up already, but in the area with the giant grabby hand, you can jump on top of the invisible wall surrounding the gap. Why not remove the invisible wall, and just let the player fall to their death if they're stupid enough to jump down the hole? As rtm already pointed out, resetting the switch to the reactor chamber door (which you ultimately can't get to) seems contrived. Would it possible to have a checkpoint near the switch which is impossible to bypass to prevent the player respawing in a place which necessitates the reset? When pulling the override lever, it's not clear that it actually opened two doors, and not just the one which is in view. In getting to the switch which overloads the 'warp core', the low lighting makes it difficult to tell that the platform is not contiguous, and you have to jump to reach the switch. With more than one player, the 'warp core' is not visible from the switch unless all players are at the switch. The switch which opens the elevator seems a little contrived. Just having the elevator automatically open when the alarm starts would save a bit of thermo. In the area where you have to hide in the holes while the thing goes past, it's not clear that the searchlights on the enemy above aren't important, since the light beams extend into the tunnel below. Maybe tweak the lights so that they're short enough not to extend into the tunnel - after all, light shouldn't pass through solid objects anyway. Same place, as rtm pointed out, having to jump to switch between layers is slightly annoying - can you make them level so that you merely need to push forward or back on the stick to switch layers, like you can with the enemy directly above? If you pull to the left when falling down the hole into the ship, sometimes the door of the ship kills you when it closes. I already mentioned this, but the planet is a little too dark, making it difficult to see where you have to go. The escape ship's thruster can still kill you after you crash. Is that deliberate? Surely if the thruster was active, the ship would still be moving? The music should perhaps cut in a little earlier - seems to wait until you get out of the water. Again, I already mentioned this, but the grabbable part you need to shimmy across could look more like something that you could realistically hang on to. The large number of lights towards the end kills the refresh rate somewhat. That's about it for now. I'm off out to get drunk. Enjoy. Edit: as for point #11, I was trying to see if you could avoid landing in the escape ship, but I didn't have time to test whether it was possible if you pulled right instead of left. Can I count on that sort of feedback on my level Aya? Or was that just a red bull adventure?

2010-03-08 20:20:00 Author: KQuinn94Z Posts: 1758

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I had a nose about a few weeks ago, and left very impressed. Its all about the bouncy jump platforms for me! Looking forward to playing the finished level now. : ) As for the name, I'm trying but to no avail. I actually quite like 'U.S.S. Comphermc" as a title, its original and personal. That might not help you much on the Cool Pages though.

2010-03-08 21:47:00 Author: julesyjules Posts: 1156

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USS-CMP could turn out to be short for USS-CoMPhermc and be important to the story ...

2010-03-08 23:02:00 Author: Holguin86 Posts: 875

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Alright, guys. I've been hacking away for hours, and I just updated the level. I wasn't able to address all of the issues, but around to many of them. Mrsupercompuer stopped by and showed me some details that were completely unnecessary. Upon deleting them, I was able to squeeze in some more level, mostly in the form of bubbles and a new hidden secret. I'm going to do some more optimizing and try to have this baby wrapped up for tomorrow. Any additional testing is appreciated, but not demanded. The biggest change in this update is the collapsible bit. It now resets at a checkpoint on the right hand side. I spent ages working out how to demit the dang thing so it goes to the side you are on, and then rtm comes along and shows me how to do it without demitting. I can get a few more bits of level out of it now... I just have to go and do it...

2010-03-09 01:41:00 Author: comphermc Posts: 5338

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Wow cool. Nice to have friends huh? So do you want us to go ahead and try again or wait till the last bit is complete as well. I can do both.. no biggie.

2010-03-09 02:17:00 Author: jwwphotos Posts: 11383

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Would anyone be against me calling it ComphCruiser? I was leaning away from it because it's kinda silly, but I'm okay with that. I just got done implementing the new demitter-less reset of the logic/swing/breaky thing, and it works great... aside from some unrelated finagles. Thanks rtm!

2010-03-09 06:00:00 Author: comphermc Posts: 5338

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Hmmm... I don't mind, but I think there might be a better name. Just not sure what it would be offhand.

2010-03-09 06:12:00 Author: jwwphotos Posts: 11383

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Cosmic Carnage (or as a subtitle, as in: ComphCruiser: Cosmic Carnage) ?? Intergalactic Infiltration (whoa - there's a mouthful) ? Deep Space Destruction ? Virtuous Vessel Vandal ? (jeez Danny, alliterate much?)

2010-03-09 06:37:00 Author: v0rtex Posts: 1878

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Im likey V0rtex's ComphCruiser: Cosmic Carnage!!

2010-03-09 08:33:00 Author: Nurolight Posts: 918

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Can I count on that sort of feedback on my level Aya? I guess if you ask. I've done detailed feedback for levels before, but so many times there's been no acknowledgement from the author, meaning I don't even know if they bothered to read it, or even really wanted it. So these days I won't waste my time unless: They ask for it. It's someone I know isn't gonna vanish from LBP overnight. It's someone who I believe actually wants constructive criticism, rather than an ego massage.

2010-03-09 11:08:00 Author: Aya042 Posts: 2870

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More (this is hard!): ComphCruiser: Interstellar Invasion (Or Interstellar Intervention) Breach ComphCruiser: Course Correction <----(Totally ripped from Dead Space, but I've never played it, so I don't care!) Breach and Betrayal <---- (Kinda helps provide a bit of backstory without having to explain anything...I think)

2010-03-09 12:30:00 Author: comphermc Posts: 5338

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Breach and Betrayal <---- (Kinda helps provide a bit of backstory without having to explain anything...I think) Well the betrayal certainly leaves some questions to be answered. Were you the bretayer, or the betrayee? Would the events seen here be you betraying your former captain, or gaining revenge for past betrayals against you, by him. Or has the lady bot simply been cheating on the manbot, and that's the betrayal in question? Might explain the need for a virus scan after all....

2010-03-09 12:55:00 Author: rtm223 Posts: 6497

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ComphCruiser: Interstellar Invasion (Or Interstellar Intervention) Or, based solely on the plot of the level: "Interstellar Infiltration" or "Starship Sabotage", or maybe "Sackotage" if you want a 'sack' in there somewhere.

2010-03-09 13:11:00 Author: Aya042 Posts: 2870

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Or, based solely on the plot of the level: "Interstellar Infiltration" or "Starship Sabotage", or maybe "Sackotage" if you want a 'sack' in there somewhere. Heheh - I thought about suggesting "sackotage" too... great minds...

2010-03-09 15:09:00 Author: v0rtex Posts: 1878

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Hmmm... just tossing some words out. This sometimes helps me... other times not so much.. lol! Destruction Destroy Stellar Terminate Space Galaxy Celestial Mission Critical Target Objective Eliminate Countdown Galactic Detonation From this... Critical Countdown Mission of Destruction Stellar Destruction Galactic Detonation Celestial Termination At least what I have so far...

2010-03-09 15:29:00 Author: jwwphotos Posts: 11383

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Interstellar Infiltration Interestingly, that is the title of the level currently, lol. I had forgotten which word I put on my list, apparently. Fixed a bunch of stuff, and there are very few things left to fix. I expect a release tonight fo' sho'. MrSC helped me make a new captain, so I've got to work him into the level in place of the temporary one.

2010-03-09 16:13:00 Author: comphermc Posts: 5338

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awww - no more inky captain. He was pretty funny. I'm sure the new one will be cool though.

2010-03-09 16:48:00 Author: Morgana25 Posts: 5983

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STARLIGHT EXCURSION! STARLIGHT EXCURSION!!!!!!!! small caps.

2010-03-09 19:13:00 Author: Kern Posts: 5078

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Alright, guys, the level is done. Yay! I am going to upload some pics, type up my thread, and then publish it. And so, I'm very excited to say... Locked.

2010-03-09 22:06:00 Author: comphermc Posts: 5338

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