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Dark Side of the Rainbow

Archive: 23 posts

Dark Side of the RainbowmrRadical
Puzzles and platforming collide in a rainbow maze that's beginning to decay... A sequel to the level "She's a rainbow"
My first non-Survivor level in awhile. This a sequel of sorts to my level She's a Rainbow. The concept is that there's a second course built like the first - with a bunch of rooms each done with a different color theme, but the second course has started to... rot a bit. Instead of bright colors, everything's faded and looks a bit moldy.

With the first one, the open-endedness threw a lot of players off, so this is a more straight forward affair. All you need to do is figure out how to get to the next room. Good luck.

This level WILL defeat you.

http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=15837http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=15836
http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=15835http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=15834


I'm willing to do as much F4F as I can. If it gets crazy, expect a slight delay.		2010-04-29 22:21:00

Author:
mr Radical 5601
Posts: 515

There's some superbly innovative game play elements in this level, and it was a blast to play through. It takes a lot of old platforming ideas and makes them new again, and it's great stickering and constantly changing color palette makes for a very interesting visual style. I thought your unique use of the panitinator was a great idea lol. The level is nice and long too, so there's a lot to do. Great job, once again Radical! 2010-04-30 04:12:00

Author:
Duffluc
Posts: 402

Wow, this looks awesomely different from any other level I've played. Will have to give this a go at some point. Just one question: What's the glass for in the thin layer?2010-04-30 06:35:00

Author:
Holguin86
Posts: 875

@duffluc - thanks for the kind words and taking the time to make it all the way through.

@holguin - hope you enjoy it. The only thin layer glass I see in those pictures is a part of the background. Once you're in the level, you'll see what I mean.		2010-04-30 07:28:00

Author:
mr Radical 5601
Posts: 515

I keep getting stuck at the same part and have to restart! Don't give me any hints, though. I want to beat it on my own. Once I beat it I'll give some feedback, for ya!2010-04-30 17:48:00

Author:
Turbo_Egg_Salad
Posts: 57

You're getting stuck as in the level doesn't work, or you're getting stuck as in you don't know where to go next? Also, small hints never hurt anyone...2010-04-30 19:00:00

Author:
mr Radical 5601
Posts: 515

Small hints hurt me! Ouch!2010-05-01 02:56:00

Author:
Turbo_Egg_Salad
Posts: 57

This level is really well done in terms of mechanics and platforming and puzzles.

There are very nice ideas going on in this level. I like the glass cubes maze and the invisible walls and platforms and the red wall platform where you can't see anything except for the shadows illuminated by the light the best.

I was never able to finish it unfortunately. It is really long. I got stuck on the part after I have to switch those 3 cylinders from one side to the other. I got to the part where there's a jet pack and purple smoke. I didn't know what to do in there and I've tried everything. Including maybe transferring all the cylinders from the other room. Though the room before that, when I was trying to transfer one of the cylinder to the other side, it just vanished. I was stuck and didn't know what to do next. Had to quit then cause I was called for dinner. Just curious, how far along was I?

Maybe some type of riddle can help as hint on some parts to let people know what to do? Or make a camera zoom in to the most important part of a puzzle so players know where to start like that part with the paintinator. I spent around 5 minutes trying to figure out what to shoot at then I accidentally shot at the ceiling lol.

The visuals are very simple and very clean. I like your use of toned down colors. None of those very bright yellow or pink or red. They're all mellowed down in some way. Everything is clean and nothing's out of place. However, a few 3d stickers would definitely help in making it look better.

Overall though, this level was very well done and well made. Basic platforming ideas and yet, they were used in new ways that helps them make fresh and at the same time, you added alot of twists to them.

I gave it :star::star::star::star: and a heart! Very well done!		2010-05-01 07:02:00

Author:
Whitemon
Posts: 57

thanks for playing and reviewing. you were super close to the end. only one more room before the boss.

the room with the blue cylinder transfer... it's designed to work so long as all cylinders are moved or destroyed.

as for the purple room,
you need to swim into the small area at the bottom of the room. you'll get a purple ball. using the jetpack, throw it into the area on the top right to hit the switch in the gas.

not quite sure what you mean in terms of 3D sticker... let me know so I might be able to improve things.

come on LBPC community... I'm trying to hit 30 plays by June! Let's make this happen!		2010-05-01 07:39:00

Author:
mr Radical 5601
Posts: 515

Oh no wonder I couldn't get through. I didn't think of doing that.

My suggestion about the stickers weren't really that important. I like your visuals the way they are ( I like really simple and clean).

By 3d stickers, I meant the stickers that are stickers but they give out a 3d image when you stick them. They're still treated as stickers even though they look 3d. Like the flowers, feathers, jewelries, and curtains and stuff.		2010-05-01 07:52:00

Author:
Whitemon
Posts: 57

Made it through last night an wow this one's tricky

I love the decayed, dirty sticker look you have going on in this one and the mottled reds and purples were really beautiful. The paintgun and water design was pretty innovative I think and was challenging but never unfair so I think that part was a real success. Same for the "boss" - really liked that.

There are a few challenges that drove me nuts though - the purple dissolve circle flinging past the gas was a particular frustration for me but I managed to get it in there. lol

The length is really daunting too. I found myself becoming discouraged the longer it went on - the sticker to jump ahead was a nice feature for replays though.

Yea, just a matter of personal taste I guess - I like it but I didn't really have fun playing after awhile.

Still 5 stars - I'm gonna have to dissect those stickers too 		2010-05-04 07:21:00

Author:
Morgana25
Posts: 5983

@Whitemon - ended up not using many of those because there weren't really any that fit in too well with the overall look of the level. Since you can't sticker a decoration to make it look... all faded and dingy, they end up really standing out...

@morganaThe purple room with the ball you need to throw... seems to be a problem. Playing with two players lets you skip the last 4 rooms of the normal progression and take on a much easier chain... but I can't imagine too many people will be able to find a second person to stick around that long. I'll work on something to make that a little easier.
-The length... it ended up being 2/3 the size of the original design. I noticed that it was getting a bit long, and cut a bunch of rooms. I can see how it can get discouraging... I'm going to see if I can't find some way to shrink it down a little further, or at least make everything go a bit faster.
-Glad you liked the stickering. Coming from you, that means a lot. Glad you liked the paintgun in the water too. That actually came from a Survivor challenge I never completed... but it ended up fitting in pretty well here. Glad you made it to the boss as it seems like there aren't too many who have...
5 Stars! Awesome! RADICAL!

Congrats to everyone who made it through! Thanks for the feedback.		2010-05-04 07:54:00

Author:
mr Radical 5601
Posts: 515

I'll put this on my list of ones to play. Glad this one is more straight forward than the original. I typically dislike open ended ones like the first. Just a personal pet peeve. Just not for me. I'll give this one a try.

I have other levels from Showcase I have yet to play, so I'll tackle this one while I'm at it. Just don't know when, lol.		2010-05-04 10:42:00

Author:
Unknown User

I check your own level and original I found the options you have set a trap, only it is too difficult, the part where you have to jump on the ice and when you shine a light tread is complicated because not reached to see almost anything, I found the misfortune of having three glue sticks on the ground and some were stuck between the wood, in fact I could not finish it in the blue where there is a button on the center lever right was stuck between the wall and the wood of the left so could not press the button and did not finish it, I think you should fix these details.

Overall I think we do not have such problems would be much more beloved since your level is long and entertaining, although he has not finished I'm sure I could give more if you make a few arrangements.

F4F: I'd like to check my level and give me your opinion https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=26126-Enchanted-adventure		2010-05-04 12:27:00

Author:
psyntens
Posts: 562

@PSYNTENS - Not quite sure about the glue sticks, but I think I know about the room where you got stuck. That's the puzzle in that room. It's meant to seem like you can't make it to the button, but you can.
Solution:
Bring yourself to the back layer, and jump into the tall section. Once you're in there, jump back onto the light blue platforms. Jump back onto the top of the tall section, and jump down onto the button.

Also, updated the level to include a half-way checkpoint in case things turn out to be too much for one sitting. Also edited the last purple room to guide players into the right solution.		2010-05-04 18:25:00

Author:
mr Radical 5601
Posts: 515

As a fan of your She’s a Rainbow level I was really looking forward to this one and I wasn’t disappointed. I love the idea behind the level of taking the jewel-like colours of She’s a Rainbow and giving them a decayed, mouldering look. It worked really well – the whole level had a great subdued beauty to it.

The platforming was excellent too. There were so many great ideas in there and a nice mix of puzzles and pure platforming. Like everyone else I loved the paintinator puzzle - very innovative and fun.

Confession time now though. Sadly, I couldn’t finish the level. My down fall was the infamous pink/purple gas and jetpack room. I had no problems working out what I needed to do but I simply could not get that ball where it was meant to go. I did spend quite a long time trying because I knew I must be close to the end of the level and I didn’t want to give up after all the effort invested in getting that far. However, I could see that I was just not going to be able to crack it. I suppose I just throw like a girl, lol!

Anyway, a challenging, not to say scary (in a good way!), level but fun to play nonetheless! Oh, and if you’re thinking of trimming out any rooms, guess which one has my vote for first against the wall!

5 stars		2010-05-04 20:30:00

Author:
shropshirelass
Posts: 1455

I loved this level. It's rare to find such a long level, and the 2 stickers are great if you want to put the game down and try again later without having to lose all of your progress. There were some tricky parts, namely the wheel section where you had to run on top to get the ball into the center. The problem I had was that if you fell off the wheel you couldn't stop it; and you could lose all your progress if it kept spinning and the ball ended up on the outer edge. I'd change the wheel to a material you can grab, but maybe I was the only one who had a problem with that area. Also, in one of the earlier rooms with the lights and invisible platforms, the lights don't show the platforms above, which forces you to make blind jumps. I don't know if it would be at all possible to make those platforms easier to spot, but I think it would help. The one thing you really deserve credit for though is such novel puzzles; there were so many mechanisms which I hadn't seen in any other levels and all of your puzzles were unique and interesting. Gave it 5 stars and a heart, it's a great level.

If at all possible, please try my level as well. Link (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=22471-The-Great-Charred-Valley)		2010-05-04 22:39:00

Author:
roflwaffle
Posts: 69

Thanks for playing guys.

Shropshirelass - I made the final room easier to complete again - I decreased the amount of gas blocking the switch and made the opening you need to throw the ball into much bigger. Thanks for the kind words and sorry about the purple room being evil...

Roflwaffle - Great name dude. The spinning puzzle you're talking about is meant to throw players off. There's two ways to complete that one, the hard way - which seems to be the way you did it, and the easy way. To make that much easier, just jump inside of the maze. You can do this just by jumping when standing in front of it. When inside, the curve at the bottom will keep you from getting more momentum than you want and you'll be able to stop very easily.

As for the lights and platforms room - you again took the hard way. The easy way is to just remove the black sticker. Doing that reveals the whole room. The lights are there to make everyone think that jumping in the dark is the only way through. It's fun if you can do it, but much easier without the black.
Glad you liked the variety. I generally try to either come up with brand new stuff, or crazy interpretations of old mechanics with my levels. Will be trying yours asap.		2010-05-05 03:23:00

Author:
mr Radical 5601
Posts: 515

Really interesting level, there were a lot of unique puzzles. I think I liked the glass maze the most, but the combo of paintinator + water was brilliant. The idea of having stickers to save your progress through the level is also pretty interesting. The only puzzle I had trouble figuring out was the one with the button in the middle of the room.

:star::star::star::star::star: and <3'ed.		2010-05-05 03:48:00

Author:
Gilgamesh
Posts: 2536

Shropshirelass - I made the final room easier to complete again - I decreased the amount of gas blocking the switch and made the opening you need to throw the ball into much bigger. Thanks for the kind words and sorry about the purple room being evil...



That's great. I'll definitely give it another go. Although if I fail a second time I won't dare admit to it!

And I expect nothing less than evil from your levels, lol! 		2010-05-05 19:10:00

Author:
shropshirelass
Posts: 1455

Greetings Mr. Radical;

We'll call this report Night 1 of Dark Side of the Rainbow - more to come on another night. I am not the most adept platformer, and had to work hard just to make it to the first "save game" sticker room, which I appreciate you putting in there! Here are my comments, thus far:

-- This level needs an introduction section badly. Perhaps a title and credits, some introductory character who tells you why you are there and what you about to attempt, something which sets up the "quest" or "journey" or "crazy dream" or whatever it is. It doesn't have to be fancy -- an "entrance hall" and greeting "majordomo" would suffice.

-- As others have said, the style and color use of the level are unique and very appealing. There were places where I thought it was a little *too* plain looking, where some "flair" added to the style would have been nice, but I shan't quibble over it. A "dash" of flavor here and there might help, and like a spice, a little would go a long way.

-- I don't believe I'm saying this, but I think you should add some music variety to the level, as you move from section to section. I actually turned my volume off after awhile, so as to avoid listening to yet *another* round of The Temples interactive. That one in particular has few "accompaniment" tracks, so that you can't change it's 'mood' very easily. I'd recommend something with 3 accompaniment tracks and perhaps an appropriate non-interactive or two. Something to change the sound along with the changing room colors / moods.

-- Non-platformer that I am, I seemed to have trouble with your 'green' rooms, and could not figure out (1) the circular maze in flipper-mode, but the hole in the floor seemed to be directing me downwards, anyway, and (2) the room with the loosely bolted green squares and green cylinders piled up on the bottom. This led into the "X2" area, and I didn't spot the single-player path, apparently. I was about ready to quit then, anyway, so I will come back to it fresh, later on.

-- The idea and execution of having a progress 'save point' (sticker) system is very nice, particularly for such a long level. Well done there!

-- It would *never* have occurred to me to remove a sticker to ease my progress through the glass-maze! That's like, cheating! I was gonna say that that section was rather frustrating and left you jumping completely blind...and ask for a more transparent glass there. But if you want players to simply de-sticker it as a valid move, then meh!

More later, when I can come back and finish it!

-- Nanluin

EDIT TO ADD:

-- An idea: I think it would be a beneficial atmosphere and visual effect to add in some 'fake' (not-accessable) rooms around the edges of the level, in order to give a "this never ends" feeling to it; while at the same time, it would fill the empty space around the edges of the level, which is currently visible when you are in one of the rooms along the outermost boundary. The empty space looked particularly odd when you were down in the "water rooms" along the bottom...underneath you, the "building" just stopped (seemed to be suspended in mid-air) with the "bottomless" depths below you.		2010-05-07 06:14:00

Author:
Nanluin
Posts: 98

Night 2 of the journey;

One of the boys and I finished up the level this afternoon, sampling all rooms and what the 2 player bit did as well. Again, a very long, but satisfying journey. Our favorite parts were the vertical "carpet climbs" (vertically oscillating grabbable material) and the blue water room with the cylinder swap game (dark blue / light blue). On the other hand, the "invisible maze" was a little annoying, but unique and the price for failure on any part of it wasn't very high. I also didn't like the ice ramps bit, but ice and I don't get along anyway. The horizontally shifting sets of platforms took me a long time to get up, but I got it. Further comments:

-- Due to the length, I'll recommend some music changes as you progress, just to remove some audio monotony.

-- I still think that an "entrance hall" or other sort of introduction would go a long way toward sucking the player into the mood, theme, and atmosphere, prior to shoving them into their first puzzle. There was enough buildup at the end to form a climax (the "boss fight"), so I don't have a problem with the ending.

-- I am also wondering if some sort of "Intermission" would be a good idea, a cutscene or something. You've already got the sticker 'save point' there, but what about something that also advances your 'story'.

Overall, a "Very Good" level to me, Mr. Radical -- thanks for the tortuous journey!

-- Nanluin		2010-05-08 06:45:00

Author:
Nanluin
Posts: 98

That took me a while to finish! I begun it the other day, but got stuck at the bit with the row of trees. Today I tried again (using the neat sticker shortcut) and I realised what I was missing. Some of the puzzles are really cool, I especially liked the bits like in the final scene where you have to use the paintinator while jumping out of the water.

I'll definitely be replaying it with my brother to do the x2 section. I rated :star::star::star::star::star:		2010-05-08 19:04:00

Author:
Otune
Posts: 131


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