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The Tundra Reviews

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The Tundra Reviews
If you have any concerns regarding a level I have reviewed, be you a reader or creator, just shut the fun letter into my mailbox and I'll read it over. I am a very understandable guy, up to a certain point.


Reviews in the Making:

Space Vessel 8212: Centuries Adrift - As made by Celsus

Turtle vs The Volcano - As made by AceMcMann

A Bubbly Garden - As made by Valmassoi

The Waterfall Gardens - As made by Q1q1111q1wer

Football Kick - As made by Thunderbolt444
Zombie Horde: Single Player Beta - As made by Thunderbolt444

Little Big Planet origins (Movie) - As made by AngelGozen

Defend the Castle! (Point'n'Click-Styled Survival) - As made by Hotwlngz

Legion Of The Undead - The Beginning - As made by Chadythebaddy

Halo - As made by Dogcity999

Eventful Chaos - As made by Newbie312

Skid Marks - Race & Track Editor! - As made by Matneee

Finished Reviews:

Halo - As made by Dogcity999 (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=762932&viewfull=1#post762932)

Total Wipeout, & Total Wipeout: The Sweeper - As made by Janes_a (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=763126&viewfull=1#post763126)

Zompocolypse: Life After Z-Day - As made by Ham_Salad (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=765257&viewfull=1#post765257)

Little Big Pyramid: Temple of Tutankhamun - As made by GILUPL (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=766286&viewfull=1#post766286)

Seriously, Buzz Off. - As made by FlamingEmu (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=766630&viewfull=1#post766630)

Darkness Strikes Intro – As made by Infinitiminded (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=768461&viewfull=1#post768461)

Smokin' in the Tub 2011 - As made by WILF2007 (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=769474&viewfull=1#post769474)

A Short Story - As made by JonnysToyRobot (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=770183&viewfull=1#post770183)

MicroChip-in Challenge Golf - As made by FourteenInchGaz (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=770632&viewfull=1#post770632)

A Helping Hand...err...Cursor! - As made by Brnxblze (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=772823&viewfull=1#post772823)

Little Big Robot Wars - As made by Rialrees (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=774269&viewfull=1#post774269)

The Lost (DEMO) - As made by Standby250 (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=776914&viewfull=1#post776914)

Space Blast 3D Beta 0.9 - As made by Steadler69 (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=780266&viewfull=1#post780266)

The Truth of Moose V2 - As made by Trivran (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=783195&viewfull=1#post783195)

(https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=785844&viewfull=1#post785844)King Orca And His EVIL Sandcastle of DOOM! - As made by LordMagicPant (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=785844&viewfull=1#post785844)

The Missing Piece - As made by Shimsok (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=793445&viewfull=1#post793445)

Prius_Eco Adventure - As made by Rhansen2 (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=797212&viewfull=1#post797212)

The Printz Diaries: Prologue (FILM) - As made by Rialrees (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=47693-The-Tundra-Reviews&p=812467&viewfull=1#post812467)

BEFORE POSTING: (I HAVE ALSO ADDED A NEW SECTION HERE)

- Make sure to put your:

PSN:

Name of lvl:

Link to your LBP.me of said lvl:

What you want me to focus on the most: (optional)

What score do you think your level should get: (optional)



I am a fan of all genres and care mostly about the game-play. Looking good won't just do it. (though it helps a lot) But please, request reviews for lvls that you spent more than a day doing or lvls that are worth reviewing.

Sadly, I don't have many friends that play LBP2, so I can't accept multiplayer lvls.... YET!!!

But, If anyone wants to volunteer or if you could invite some friends to play along, that would be great. Just pm me here on LBPC and I'll get on it.

SCORING SYSTEMS:

GAME-PLAY ORIENTED

Aesthetics: 40%
- Theme 15%
- Design 15%
- Mood 10%
- Originality > Gives bonus points
Game-play: 60%
- Flow 15%
- Lvl Design 20%
- Enjoyability 15%
- Re-playability 10%

FILM ORIENTED

Aesthetics: 50%
- Theme 15%
- Design 15%
- Mood 20%
Story: 50%
- Originality 17%
- Writing 17%
- Character(s) 16%
- Replayability > Gives bonus points


If by any chance I left something out, please do not hesitate to tell me.		2011-02-04 17:29:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

PSN:dogcity999
Name: Halo(Yes, I now, very noobish.)
LBP.me: http://lbp.me/v/xbsevb

I am still working on making player have health so don't comment on that, I already know i need that.
Other than that, just comment on everything in general.
THX		2011-02-04 20:34:00

Author:
dogcity999
Posts: 86

PSN: Janes_a

Level name(s) (linked):Total wipeout (not my one from LBP1) and Total wipeout: The sweeper

LBP.me: http://lbp.me/v/w019hw http://lbp.me/v/xdy97y

try to tell me as much as possible of what I can add or improve

and I will end up doing the other 2 levels		2011-02-04 21:39:00

Author:
JayJSE2
Posts: 164

Halo - As made by dogcity999


Aesthetics: Total Points Possible 40%

- Theme:

SO.... The theme was Halo, OBVIOUSLY. And the point was to get to the end. This is a regular point A to point B, non-platforming, vehicle extravaganza. I counted 4 different vehicles, 2 of which the player could actually drive. There wasn't much of a story or true incentive to do anything, but nothing pointed out that there should be....Except the fact that it was Halo. So this category gets 5%, due to it actually having a theme.

- Design:

The enemies and allies didn?t really look like Covenant or Marines, except for the second wave of allies, which looked more like storm troopers. Some of the vehicles didn't look too spectacular, but I assume the main focus in the whole lvl was to show off the 2 vehicles the player could actually drive. First there was a Helicopter, I would say Hornet, but it looked nothing like a Hornet. Then there was the Warthog, perhaps the best looking vehicle in the whole lvl. Besides that, there really wasn't much design to anything in the lvl. Sadly, I must give this a 5% as well.

- Mood:

Based on the game-play, I would say the mood would have to be dull. All I did was run around and shoot bots with a paintinator. Then there were other issues that will be explained in the game-play section. But I'll have to give this a 5% again.

- Originality:

As far as originality goes, let's just say when I searched for Halo, I went into an overload coma.

Game-play: Total Points Possible 60%

- Flow:

First thing I would like to point out is the lack of explanation on controls. I didn't know how to control the vehicles, or knew that at first the first guys were on your team. LOL, I shot 1 of them till he died, that was a "my bad" moment. The first thing was the helicopter, I did not enjoy that. It went out of control and I believe it had problems with the gyroscope. Not to mention the way I had to get out. Then I had problems with the warthog, as I couldn't figure out how to shoot while driving. And then I couldn't get out of the gunner's seat. Later I found out that you could hold down R2 and aim with the left stick by total accident. My entire squad died by the plasma from the... ghosts? And my warthog tipped over, upside-down. I will give it 5%, only because I liked it when the enemies came from the ship, but that too still needs work.

- Lvl Design:

Throughout the entire lvl all there was, was flat ground, and perhaps a 90 degree slope. The placement of where enemies attacked from compared to the mobility of my team kept them from going past the Warthog, and into the fire of the ghosts. Although, if you could implement the drop ship more and perhaps make it into a short scene where it appears and drops them off, it could be interesting. 5%

- Enjoyability:

Based on all this, I didn?t enjoy it to the fullest extent that it could possibly be enjoyed. 5%

- Re-playability:

If I were an average run-of-the-mill player, I would probably not want to play this again. I will give it 0% in this category.

So, the overall score was 30%. It is low, but don't let that get you down. Anyone can make a great lvl, you just have to work at it.
__________________________________________________ _____________________________________
NOW. This is where I attempt to give advice, tips, and ways that could help your lvl.

- Instructions (Players don't know what you're thinking, so they don't always know what to do)


- Terrain (So the ground doesn?t seem so flat. When using the layers I usually follow this pattern: The front most layer is where the player will do the most action. The second is for either design or actions. And, the last layer is for designs. Now I will use the last layer from time to time, but it is mainly if I need it to move the character along. Also, remember that the layer the player plays on the most doesn?t need to be void of anything, you can also use this layer for functional tricks, puzzles, or scenery)


- Cameras (Use these to show emphasis in parts and give hints. Or perhaps to give the player a cool angle that helps in the design of your lvl)


- Perhaps some platforming (It's Halo after all. Maybe he goes inside a building and does some platforming so he can unlock the door to let the Warthog through)


- Costumes (It gives your characters character)


- Lastly, logic (Some people aren?t really all that great at logic, but it helps with the mechanics)

I hope I have been some help to you, and that you become one of the greats, but I have said my words and it's time for me to chill out.		2011-02-05 17:55:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Total Wipeout, & Total Wipeout: The Sweeper as made by Janes_a

Both of your lvls were very short, so I won’t go too much into detail on stuff.

Wipeout
- There were only a few obstacles and nearly all of them could be passed by swimming.
- The music chooser is entirely obsolete. Well, the way you did it. It can be done by a controlinator now and can take up as much room as a 1x1 block.
- Using ice as a means of moving the player along is very clich?. Use doors, elevators, or even make them scale up by platforming.
- Give them a reason to want to go through the lvl. Incentives.
- Use all three layers to their fullest extent. The front layer is for the player. Number two is chosen by you. And number three is for the tree. (Okay, I couldn’t think of a clever way to say the third layer, but here is what it all means: 1. This is the layer where the player will spend most of his playing, use this for interaction and puzzles, basically what the player will interact with. 2. You choose what this layer is going to be used for, either the player, scenery, or both. 3. You can use this for the player as well, but I only use this layer for the player when I need to move him along. Otherwise I use it for scenery. As for the thin layers, those are used to hide stuff, scenery, or allow things to pass through.

Wipeout: The Sweeper
- All I can say is that I wouldn’t make a tie skipping lvl unless you bring something new to the table. Even then, the concept is very obsolete.

I decided to make this review as long as it is, due to the fact that I can’t full heartedly review them. They seem unfinished and like you said, you wanted ways to make it better, which means you yourself don’t believe these lvls are complete. I hope I gave you some sound advice, and hope Wipeout becomes a great series.		2011-02-05 19:53:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

ok I have just republished my Halo level and would like you to tell me what you think. btw, looking for a good falcon or pelican to use.2011-02-06 02:33:00

Author:
dogcity999
Posts: 86

I have played it again.

I can't really say much, except that it isn't very much different, although!!! I did like the idea of the changes. The camera still needs work, and maybe something can be done with the helicopter instead of just flying it for 5 seconds. Loved the layer change with the Warthog, but I could only change between only 2 layers, there was a pesky ghost that I couldn't get with the car. Reread my review from before. It actually still applies. Just leave out what I just wrote.

Tell you what though. I'll tell you what is possible that you could implement. I won't tell you what to do, because I don't just want to say something and you make it. I want you to use your imagination to its fullest.

The Heli-
Do something fun with it. Don't just fly from A to B, make a maze, a drop ship, anything that isn't boring.
Hog-
Make it go through a tunnel, a ramp, anything you can do with a car and expand it.
Enemies-
Don't just use the same enemies throughout the lvl, make different kinds, different weapons, there weren't only grunts in Halo, so try to expand.
Length-
It really needs to be longer. If you can't think of anything, play Halo and get ideas from that. Maybe look up Halo on Youtube, or google. One of the best things to get inspiration from would be the online multiplayer maps. You've been in forge right, that is a great source of inspiration.

Don't just look at what I wrote right here and put it in a lvl all sloppy, actually think about it, and think of variations on the ideas.

Here's another tip. Spend more than a day on lvls that you want to be great. Right now I am currently working on a lvl that looks amazing. I have been at it for a week now I believe (Not counting the 2 weeks that it took to plan it. It was 2 weeks cause I was planning 7 others as well). 2 more sections to go.

I will give you one more chance to make the lvl better. So, I will not look at it again until 1 week from now. If you come up with other ideas for other lvls, try to put them in the Halo lvl, or write them down. Now go, and create. And get back to me in a week. I will not forget.		2011-02-06 03:44:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

would really appreciate a review on my newest / first LBP2 level.

PSN: Ham_salad
Title: Zompocolypse: Life After Z-Day.
Link: http://lbp.me/v/xdb8kq
LBPC Level Thread: http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/sho...fe-After-Z-Day
Your Focus: Ways to Improve the level (Kind of general I know, sorry.)

If you wouldn't mind posting the review in my thread that would be great, otherwise I could just copy it myself.		2011-02-06 21:11:00

Author:
Hamsalad
Posts: 2551

Seeing as how my list for upcoming reviews isn't gonna have any for a week, I don't mind reviewing it.2011-02-07 04:53:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

If you are going to make reviews for a bit longer time, you'll be seing my super special awesome level here in next weekend... or the week after that.2011-02-07 05:50:00

Author:
FreeAim
Posts: 2462

This is kind of fun, so I'll still keep up the reviewing for a while. Although, I may change my style from what I do now to pointing out all the things that I see are wrong or could use some improvement. If anyone is reading this, do you think I should keep my style the same or change it?

And yes Freeaim, I'll be waiting for that level of yours. 		2011-02-07 06:10:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Zompocolypse: Life After Z-Day as made by Ham_Salad

Aesthetics: Total Points Possible 40%

- Theme:
So the theme here is about bunnies. Yes bunnies…. Furry little rabbits that EAT YOUR BRAINS!!! No, really this level is based around a post-apocalyptic zombie paradise. (If you needed me to tell you that, then you must not have read the title of the level) It is an overused concept that’s used around LBP a lot, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. After all, Resident Evil has been at it for quite some time. On this I give 10%, because it isn’t original, but everybody loves them a good zombie level.

- Design:
I liked how the zombies were different throughout the level, instead of recycling the same ones over and over again. Some are used again, but it isn’t over done. I saw a lot of things that could be improved upon, but yet again, that doesn’t make this a bad level. Here’s the list: (The ones that had to do with looks)
1. The lights that flickered weren’t flickering at random. Just attach a randomizer to the light and set the diameters, and it looks like a true flickering light.
2. The camera angle at the beginning made the cobwebs look a little off.
3. The theme that you used for the background seemed too high up for a factory. But if the factory was indeed that high up, then why was a door that led outside so high up?
4. The slime destroy effect looks better than them exploding. Unless of course there is an explanation of as to why they are exploding.
5. In the hallway, after the first elevator, the walls of the offices or rooms in that hallway were really short, and they didn’t have windows.
6. The doors in the hallway were also very small compared to the player.
7. I liked the florescent lights hanging in the hallway, but as you run down on top of the offices, the angle makes the lights look skewed. Also, why were they just hanging in mid-air?
8. The stairs to the basement (which means it wasn’t that high)had no railings or safety precautions on them.
9. Why were the zombies electrified? There was no explanation or hint as to why they were electrified. 10. I didn’t get why there were bounce pads, why they weren’t in some kind of container (If your gonna say they are in a warehouse), or any other explanation as to why they could be activated by the electricity. Also, that last bounce pad needs some kind of border or wall so the player doesn’t have to aim for the hole to the roof.
11. I noticed that there were elevators on the roof of the warehouse. Then I noticed that they didn’t go anywhere underneath them.
12. Why would the glass explode when I broke through it?
13. After I landed down below, after the above floor collapsed, the ground on the “little island”, before the long jump, was loose.
14. Some of the speeches weren’t on long enough.
15. I noticed this after the first elevator, and is very, VERY important. YOU DON’T USE ELEVATORS IN EMERGENCIES SUCH AS A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE OR ESPECIALLY WHEN A BUILDING IS ON FIRE.
16. Why would a soldier give you the only thing he has left in his survival? Also, he said he lost MOST of his men even though I noticed he was the only one like him that survived.
17. (optional) It was pretty interesting when the zombies broke through the doors, but it was kind of strange that they blew up, and no door pieces were there.
18. It was short, very short. But alas, this is a price that must be paid to make levels with good looks. Although, there are level links.
MANNNNNNNNN that was a long list to write, but don’t worry, there are more in the game-play section…..BWAHAHAHAHAAHA!!!
Anyways, even though I noticed all these things, it is only a small point loss causer. So I shall award this a 10%

- Mood:
I liked the mood and vibe this level let off. It was spooky and complimented the theme very well. 8% for Griffindore.

- Originality:
Well, like I said before, zombies are used a lot in LBP so I can’t award originality anything.

Game-play: Total Points Possible 60%

- Flow:
The level’s flow wasn’t bad. More zombies popped up as you went further into the level. And you used different tools to aid the character. Although, it was short, very short. Yes, it was so short I had to say it again. It was a bummer that it couldn’t have been longer or that you didn’t implement any level links. The spawn point for the building on fire was too far away and broke the mood a bit when the player died inside. 10%.

- Lvl Design:
Along with these I also have another, Tada!!! LIST: (though it is a lot shorter than the other)
1. Never, ever, EVER let the player be able to reach the destination before the elevator does. What I mean is that the player shouldn’t be able to jump down from the elevator to the floor below.
2. Rather than using the obsolete LBP switches, use the controlinator. The player doesn’t have to actually have to go inside of the controllinator, but you can set it to receiver and make it to where it activates buttons the player presses when near it. Also attach a player sensor and some way for the player to know what to press.
3. It was kind of weird that the player loses his grappling hook after breaking through the glass. I didn’t see much that the player could use to cheat with, but you can also make things non-grabbable.
4. I was able to climb and jump all the way to the left after the air vent fell down. I went over there to see if there were any prizes or bubbles. There weren’t.
5. I killed the zombies on the last part, but it didn’t say anything about the restarting, congratulating me, or let me go to the scoreboard. Perhaps a small bug happened.
Once again, these are all things that could be fixed or are minor, though they do help in some way. I think 15% is a fitting percentage right?

- Enjoyability:
This level was very well put together and looked as if time and thought was spent on it a great deal. I enjoyed the looks and game-play. If only it wasn’t so short. I ask that you try to make it longer with level links, it helps make good looking levels longer. 10%

- Re-playability:
I might replay it again if I was a run of the mill player. It was great looking and was fun. So… 8%


So, the overall score was 71%. It is an average score but don’t let that get you down. When I give reviews I have how high the bar is in mind. Don’t forget, there are levels out there that put the Mona Lisa to shame. (Not really) But that is no reason to take 71% as a low grade.

This is where I say advice and what not, but most of what I wanted to say was said in the review already.

I give all my reviewees 3 chances in all (counting this one) for me to give them a second chance. The first chance is whenever you choose, and the second is a week after the second chance. I believe your level and all your levels will be up there with the greats, just work at it.		2011-02-07 07:34:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Hi Cryogen , would you review my 2 pyramids? I let you know they are made for skill and smart players. If you are looking for a long various puzzler you will like those pyramids. If you are looking for a small/medium size level with fast action and nice graphic that mean my pyramids are not for you. Try them anyway: LITTLE BIG PYRAMID: TEMPLE OF TUTANKHAMUN (COMPLEX PUZZLER) and LITTLE BIG PYRAMID 2: SECRET OF CLEOPATRA (COMPLEX PUZZLER). There are few problems with 2nd pyramid in LBP2, not my fault, those pyramids are made in LBP. Play 1st part of pyramid and if you will like then you can play 2nd part but that one you have to play in LBP1. I am trying fix all problems in 2nd pyramid but it is very hard because that pyramid (also 1st one) is huge, massive. They take 1 and quarter thermo in LBP2! 1st part working ok in LBP2 but 2nd is full of bugs and it is not possible to finish. I hope Mm will do something with all those problems in patch. My PSN: GILUPL, thank you .2011-02-07 10:43:00

Author:
GILUPL
Posts: 102

I've seen this lvl now and again floating around on these forums. If you don't don't mind telling me. Why haven't you ported your levels to LBP2? I believe I posted somewhere once in a thread you made or in a reviewer's corner, why not use level links? They help a lot.

I will play your levels, and should have a review for it in no time.		2011-02-07 16:34:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

PSN: flamingemu


Name of lvl: Seriously, buzz off.

Link to your LBP.me of said lvl: http://lbp.me/v/x-3k8-

What you want me to focus on the most: (optional)
Gameplay- and visuals <.< >.>
any feedback would be great! thanks!

FYI: I know the voice is hard to hear, but my five year old sister begged to be included in the level 		2011-02-07 17:06:00

Author:
flamingemu
Posts: 1872

This is kind of fun, so I'll still keep up the reviewing for a while. Although, I may change my style from what I do now to pointing out all the things that I see are wrong or could use some improvement. If anyone is reading this, do you think I should keep my style the same or change it?

And yes Freeaim, I'll be waiting for that level of yours.

Wow that is cool. Watching these reviews makes me feel like: ''Jeez, this guy is good!'' These are kind of reviews I need. I'll be watching these reviews. Thank you!		2011-02-07 18:35:00

Author:
FreeAim
Posts: 2462

Thanks man. It's comments like that that make me want to keep going.

I wish I had a camera to film them. :C

YAY! I HAVE A LIST!!! It may be only 3 people long, but the more the merrier. 		2011-02-07 21:10:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

LITTLE BIG PYRAMID: TEMPLE OF TUTANKHAMUN AS MADE BY GILUPL


OK. Before you read this, I would like to point out that due to your level having SOOOOOooo many rooms, to be very efficient and organized; I had to say what I had to say in each room. They are numbered, and because I didn’t want other readers to know how to pass everyone of your rooms, I didn’t go too far into detail. After this list of rooms I will evaluate the level as a whole.


1. Right off the bat, I didn’t like the way you got into this room. And it is a pyramid, why would there be a light? Also, entrances to pyramids usually start from the ground and get deeper underground. Pyramids are supposed to be old, yet these look brand new. Perhaps you should tell the player that he has a camera and could take pictures of the hieroglyphs. That way he doesn’t have to play the memory game.

2. This room has a fun little game I call the memory game. But it could be figured out by trial and error; though that is a problem. It could be my t.v. but the gecko looked red in the shadows and the button indicator looked yellow. The background didn’t have much design, but a lot of repetition. Perhaps using different materials in the background could help. The pistons could be seen on the tops of the walls. Perhaps making the walls go up into a wall could help. After pressing the right switch on the first one and then pressing the wrong switch on the same one, the spikes kept coming. Not sure if this is a problem. Also, I kind of didn’t like the way the spike machine looked, it looked too empty.

3. I liked this room’s obstacle, though it looked recycled from the story. You changed the background, yippee!!! And you also added d?cor to the walls. I had to think though, where were the blocks coming from? I don’t mean the emitters, I mean in a real sense. Also, there really was no need to use all 3 layers for the falling blocks. That’s wasted space for decorations.

4. I’m amazed that the Egyptians invented guns way back then? Not a fan of the scorpion’s looks, but this is LBP, it would be challenging to make a good looking one that attacks. I liked how depending on which stair the player was on, the claw would go there. Background looked plain again.

5. What was the point of there being cups in the first place when only one was used? Why was the background newspaper? I can see why you did that glass in the front, but it hides the letters a bit. Especially the i. Also, again with the lights; if you’re using them for lighting, hide them. Why were there pirate treasure chests? Most pyramid chests are square with gold or something.

6. Not much to say here, except the machine trolley. Not sure how that got there, but I think you were able to pull it off. Hey look at that, you used candles instead of lights this time. Though, it being so sunny didn’t help; and again with the lights on the elevator.

7. The floral decorated background… (-_-) The sounds; what was with the sounds? At first all I could recognize was the water and probably the snake. A hiss, something, water, and wind. Now, the hissing could have been the fire or snake, when you put out a fire it makes the hiss noise. The something sounded like a snake biting down, water, and wind. Speaking of the wind, the problem here wasn’t the sound but the picture. I thought it was a sun. Treasure chest and the guitar; you could have used notes for the guitar. I’m not sure about this, but can the wood last that long? Why was the key red, as opposed to gold?

8. THEM SOME BIG SPIDERS!!! lol. What was the point of the wrong era guillotine changing? Not sure if that kind of metal was used back then. It seemed a pirate theme was going on there. Gun, where did he get it? Background… (-_-).

9. The little mazes were fun. What was the E for? Background… (-_-) There weren’t many decorations here.

10. Loved the background, though it was too repetitive. Maybe some missing blocks or pillars. Too bad the pillars weren’t solid, but stickers. You didn’t really need to hang the spiders; you could have used some dark matter, or made the string invisible. Ah yes the memory game. This is a favorite of yours, no?

11. Another recycled antic from the story. The piston to the door to this level, with the black spider, could be seen. Also, if it was invisible, it looks strange just going up in the air like the walls in the second room. Also, the rim of the wheel was stars. Due to the camera angle, I couldn’t see the spinning arrows very clearly; which brings up the lights again. Wood, electricity, and background again.

12. This was probably my favorite of all the rooms. The machine was fun but you didn’t really get very creative which made me sad. :C Also, the machine looked like a 4th of July toy. Uhmm… Background, lights, few decorations, repetitive, and are those windows up on top?

13. Too bad the mummy coffins weren’t used in any way. Not even one of them was open to foreshadow the mummy chase near the end. What does he mean “The camel”? He came to the pyramid from the sky by a hot air balloon, or at least I think that’s what that was. Besides that farting camel, you can’t really call this area a room. It is a room, but the only puzzle here was pushing two blocks; one on a button and another for a missing step. Was there really a need to hide them? The spiraling steps were pretty neat, but they had no railings or anything to keep the player from falling. Background, few decorations, lighting, and random animals that don’t make sense. The moving lights after you did room 14 had a great effect, too bad it wasn’t dark enough. :C

14. This was an interesting puzzle. This reminded me of “The Mummy” and a lot more other games and movies. But, I personally haven’t seen this on LBP before. I had planned on making a puzzle like this, but you beat me to the punch it seems. Again huh… Lights, background, visible movers, and this time something new… The magically floating swirling wheels… of magical-ness. I’m sure you could have come up with a better way for the player to get higher than that. Please, no pot jokes.

15. Electricity, modern metal infrastructure, springs, wood, windows, and a way that he could have used in the beginning to get in. It would have been nice for a build-up to the mini-boss, rather than just making the player go and fight it.

16. I would figure it would look like a jungle in a room filled with giant carnivorous plants, but after I killed them, it looked very empty besides some slime on top.

17. This puzzle was kind of annoying and easy at the same time. That’s not a good mix. If it’s really easy and annoying, then it doesn’t really seem like a victory, kind of like threading a needle. The wall behind the snakes was just flat gray and the floral pattern made another appearance.

18. Wooden background, few decorations, numbers, letters, and weird reasoning. The first 2 were simple then you get to some weird reasoning. I know what the reasoning is, but if someone can’t get it, that doesn’t mean it’s smart or clever. People don’t all think the same. Also, the last clue for the last section is false, and can confuse people.

19. I’m not a big fan of this room. It is the first time I’ve seen a mummy chase on LBP, but you didn’t get very creative on this one. What I mean is all I did was jump over fire... That’s it. There wasn’t any swinging, no falling anything, no other obstacles, no platform chasing, no quick puzzles, or anything; just a rotting, speed walking, psychotic mummy.

20. So, what was the point of coming to the tomb in the first place? All there was, were two diamonds and bubbles. I was expecting like some great treasure or Tut’s actual coffin. Not some Vegas slot machine. Also, how was he supposed to get out? The ending was him trapped in a room with some gears.


MY GOD MAN!!! That was indeed a very interesting level. I had fun playing it and enjoyed the puzzles. ALTHOUGH, I must say that there were a lot of things I had to point out. Which will impact your score.
OK, here we go.

Aesthetics: Points Possible 40%

- Theme 5%
An overly used theme in LBP, but has things that make it different than others. But not theme wise. I am sorry to say that when it comes to looks on the theme this one has some flaws; repetitiveness, non-follow-through of aspects of theme, and clashing materials. Many of the backgrounds used were just solid materials, with no other materials used that complement it. Non-follow-through of theme is when you don’t follow the guidelines set forth by the community as to possible or not. Take Twilight for example. VAMPIRES DIE IN THE SUN. XD OH YEAH!!! TAKE THAT TWILIGHT!!!

*COUGH*

- Design 5%
Design-wise this level also had some flaws. Some of the scenery didn’t quite match up: backgrounds, props used, and concepts of puzzles. If you read the list then you will notice that I said background A LOT. This was mainly due to the creator using materials as a solid thing. Materials are to be used together and complement each other, to have detail. This creator used a flat wall and 2 or 3 different stickers to decorate it.

- Mood 3%
I saw many possibilities of mood, but the creator didn’t capture them correctly. There were times when the lights should have been dimmed but weren’t; and times when certain angles should and shouldn’t have been used. If only he would start focusing on looks now that he has game-play, it could be a lot more better.

- Originality 5%
Like I said, pyramids and puzzles have been done a lot, BUT!!! I believe this creator is one of the few that have made an entire level dedicated to just the puzzles. So I will give him 5%. It doesn’t seem like much, but that’s because it is still a theme that’s used more than often enough.

Game-play: 60%

- Flow 5%
The game-play flow had some problems. I had to replay the level 3 times due to some glitches: one for the wheel of electricity, one for following the arrow in the beginning, and one for room 14. But your average player could have troubles with some of the reasoning and boredom. By reasoning I mean that some of these puzzles mainly make sense to the person that made them. Take the sound room for example. I didn’t recognize some of those sounds due to them possibly meaning something else. And by boredom, I mean that some of the puzzles were just straight out “Here’s a key, take it here” or “EEK A MUMMY!!! LET’S JUST RUN FROM IT AND JUMP SOME FIRE”. 5%

- Lvl Design 10%
I enjoyed some of the puzzles and the way they were thought out through. Take room 14 for example. A bunch of things have to turn and twist to make something happen. Although, not much thinking was needed in this puzzle. The bouncing thing could only take 1 path. No matter what way you turn it, the bouncing thing can only bounce in one direction, and that direction is predefined and static. Meaning if I try to bounce it this way, nothing happens. I enjoyed the puzzles but others might not, so 10%

- Enjoyability 10%
Yet again, I enjoyed the puzzles but some might not.

- Re-playability 5%
Now you will get points based on a technicality. People will replay this, but more than likely, it will be because of a glitch, or they want to figure out the puzzles.

I would like to add this last statement. Why haven't you ported this level to LBP2 yet? Using level links is a great way to make great looking levels and long game-play possible. Personally, I don't think the thermo should be a reason anymore.

Strange. I thought it would score higher than that. Uhhh... I counted up the tallies, and the level gets a 48%!?!?!?

If you wouldn't mind GILUPL, can you argue any of these scores so I'm sure I didn't make a mistake.

Don't take this the wrong way readers... That feels strange to type... I am confident in my ability to review levels, but I like to give reviewees a chance to state their case.		2011-02-08 00:56:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Thank you for the review but I can't agree with the most what you wrote. First important thing: there is NO glitches and bugs in my pyramids, those levels are made in LBP1 so if you found any glitch that was probably problem with the game. You know why I used so many lights? Some of them I added last time in few chapters. Have you your copy of LBP2? In my pyramids I turned light to maximum and dark to minimum but when somebody play those levels in LBP2 they look TOO dark. I wanted to keep my pyramids dark but I wanted to also make them working in LBP2, I didn't have choice because in some chapters there wasn't visible, you could see only black wall theme and sackboy, not my fault, LBP2 is full of glitches and bugs. Ok that's your opinion and I appreciate that. As you can see you complain the most about graphic, themes... those things are the most important for you in the levels in LBP or even games? Listen... that is LBP game, the game for fun, do levels have to look like real? Why you comeplain about stupid things like paintball gun, electrical, bla bla bla. So 99% levels in LBP are bad, is it? Are you looking for a relastic levels in LBP? Change game man. Why people are using sponge as grass? You mean, I sopposted create pyramid from 1 maybe 2 stone materials for the background (yes I was on holiday in Egypt), no lights, no paintball gun, no jetpack, no gas, no electrical, no other 1000 things. How I sopposted to do gameplay? Soon you will complain in my 2nd pyramid about water and oh my GOD... you will complain about shark (chapter 4). You know what mean BE CREATIVE? I wanted to keep every chapter with different gameplay and with different graphic (theme), there is no enaugh materials in LBP, also those levels are MASSIVE, so don't except best visuals like in some 5min walking levels. I know you wanted to be very critic, I understand that but you really didn't write nothing good about 1st pyramid. You didn't like even chapters: 12 or 19 which are very original. Thanks GOD that some people appreciate VARIOUS gameplay and UNIQUE puzzles and in last 3 reviews I got 5 stars but I did except +/- 4 stars. I will explain you chapter 17 where you had the problem, of course my pyramids are hard and they are for smart players, I didn't create those levels for children anyway. Ok chapter 17: MW, 3E, 69... try turn M up side down and what you will get? "W" is it? 2Z, 5S, 8B... are they look very same? My levels are for people who are looking for the rich gameplay and chalenging. In chapter 7 what sticker you would use as wind? I think that one was best one, yes there are all sounds near to zones for balls with pictures, you can hear snake, fire, water and wind... and you have balls with stickers: cobra, fire, water and wind ( this one could be hard but can be last one if you not sure, is it?). Are you reading HINTS? In chapter 5 I added those glasses so if you can't solve that puzzle by "writing" you can set the letters by using those glasses (3D layer). In chapter 10 (eyes spiders) there is only 6 options if you don't remember colours of eyes, there are also letters on the top of the levers: R (red), B (blue), G (green) and Y (yellow) so if you smart you will have NO problem to solve... ANY puzzle in my pyramids. You have to read hints (red X) with extra Sackboy helpful comment and you must thinking small bit. What did/do you except from the puzzles: put the RED ball to the RED zone? That's not puzzle... that's stupid, all puzzles which are telling you what you have to do are NOT puzzles! I mean pull the lever or stand on switch, if you like level like that, ok no probs. Last thing I will explain you my storyline, yes again I am wrong because I wanted to be original so I chose "Sackboy is talking to the player". I can say that you really doing great job with the reviews, they are long and prof but when I read all those 1... 20 I was thinking my pyramid will get 15% total. Seriously there is nothing nice in that pyramid? Look most levels have poor gameplay, they looks great but usually there is 1 or 2 nice idea or there is standard gameplay push sponge block or catch sponge wheel. Anyway thanks for the review and I can understand that is not your favorite style level but from other side for work and ideas what I have done there giving 48% (2 and half star, is it?), I think that's wrongfull. Sorry, my English is not best, I hope you won't be offened, I just wrote what I'm thinking. Thanks2011-02-08 02:44:00

Author:
GILUPL
Posts: 102

And just that I let you review my review, I shall give you my rebuttal.

GILUPL is blue

I am red



First important thing: there is NO glitches and bugs in my pyramids, those levels are made in LBP1 so if you found any glitch that was probably problem with the game.

First of all, every level in LBP1 or 2 will have a glitch, that may or may not happen very often or maybe 1/1000000.

You know why I used so many lights? Some of them I added last time in few chapters. Have you your copy of LBP2? In my pyramids I turned light to maximum and dark to minimum but when somebody play those levels in LBP2 they look TOO dark. I wanted to keep my pyramids dark but I wanted to also make them working in LBP2, I didn't have choice because in some chapters there wasn't visible, you could see only black wall theme and sackboy, not my fault, LBP2 is full of glitches and bugs.

This here is not an excuse. You should make 1 copy for LBP1 and LBP2. They don't take up a spot on either. It is possible to have 40 lvls, 20 in LBP1 and 20 in LBP. As a matter of fact, I have a copy of LBP2. I played your level on LBP1 though. As to get rid of any discrepancies.

Ok that's your opinion and I appreciate that. As you can see you complain the most about graphic, themes... those things are the most important for you in the levels in LBP or even games? Listen... that is LBP game, the game for fun, do levels have to look like real?

If I thought you could make levels in LBP look like God of War, This game would be AMAZING and I would be psychotic.

Why you comeplain about stupid things like paintball gun, electrical, bla bla bla. So 99% levels in LBP are bad, is it? Are you looking for a relastic levels in LBP? Change game man.

You tell funny jokes man. I never said your level shouldn't have these things for realism. I said you never gave an explanation to any of them. If this was any other level out there in the LBP world, I would say the same thing. There always has to be a reason as to why something is there. And, no, I'm not talking about the reason it's there is to destroy the rocks.

Why people are using sponge as grass? You mean, I sopposted create pyramid from 1 maybe 2 stone materials for the background (yes I was on holiday in Egypt), no lights, no paintball gun, no jetpack, no gas, no electrical, no other 1000 things. How I sopposted to do gameplay? Soon you will complain in my 2nd pyramid about water and oh my GOD... you will complain about shark (chapter 4). You know what mean BE CREATIVE? I wanted to keep every chapter with different gameplay and with different graphic (theme), there is no enaugh materials in LBP, also those levels are MASSIVE, so don't except best visuals like in some 5min walking levels.

Again with those jokes. lol. I see what's going on, there's a camera right? lol. But seriously, I see the problem here. You are twisting my words on accident. lol. I never said that you could only use 1 or 2 materials. I said your walls looked really plain. Like a nighttime sky with no stars. As for the jetpack and what-not, once again you never said why it was there. Also, the plants after the bats could have been killed without the jetpack. All you would have to do is think of a clever way to do it. I have an idea, but you don't seem to like others' opinions.

I know you wanted to be very critic, I understand that but you really didn't write nothing good about 1st pyramid. You didn't like even chapters: 12 or 19 which are very original. Thanks GOD that some people appreciate VARIOUS gameplay and UNIQUE puzzles and in last 3 reviews I got 5 stars but I did except +/- 4 stars. I will explain you chapter 17 where you had the problem, of course my pyramids are hard and they are for smart players, I didn't create those levels for children anyway. Ok chapter 17: MW, 3E, 69... try turn M up side down and what you will get? "W" is it? 2Z, 5S, 8B... are they look very same? My levels are for people who are looking for the rich gameplay and chalenging.

Ok, this here, your little comment here is MEANT to insult me. Luckily I don't stoop as low as this to get my way. Let me explain something. I was able to beat ALL your challenges with no problem. They were actually pretty easy. You do realize what you just did right? It was something I was trying to avoid. Obviously you noticed I never said what reasoning you used in these levels because it's called a SPOILER. I knew what reasoning you used to make these, I just didn't want to let others be SPOILED on the puzzle. Also, E flipped is not a 3, it doesn't exist. MW, nothing changed, 69, nothing changed, E3... WHAT?!?!?! What kind of transformation did E go through to become curved like that. Also, I said I liked room 12. They were my first words in that section. It's just that you didn't do much with it. It's a great machine. You could have used it to climb some steps, or go from ledge to ledge. Also, I am not those reviewers. I put as I see fit.

In chapter 7 what sticker you would use as wind? I think that one was best one, yes there are all sounds near to zones for balls with pictures, you can hear snake, fire, water and wind... and you have balls with stickers: cobra, fire, water and wind ( this one could be hard but can be last one if you not sure, is it?). Are you reading HINTS?

Let's see, clouds make a good picture for wind don't you think? You could have also used lightning with a lightning sound, bomb for an explosion, glass breaking with the chipped wine glass... should I continue? It seems you twisted my words on accident again. No problem. YOU made the level, so of course when you think a sound sounds like something, you as the creator already know what that sound is. Similar to how cartoons work. It isn't a smooth motion of the character, they are still drawn pictures moving really fast, and your brain fills in the spaces.

In chapter 5 I added those glasses so if you can't solve that puzzle by "writing" you can set the letters by using those glasses (3D layer). In chapter 10 (eyes spiders) there is only 6 options if you don't remember colours of eyes, there are also letters on the top of the levers: R (red), B (blue), G (green) and Y (yellow) so if you smart you will have NO problem to solve... ANY puzzle in my pyramids. You have to read hints (red X) with extra Sackboy helpful comment and you must thinking small bit.

I knew what the glass was for, I was just saying that it hinders what some of the letters on the blocks were. You could have put them on the back flat layer. Or maybe on each corresponding flat layer with the blocks. By the way, there are 64 options. Not once did you state in your level that each spider had different eye colors. Also, rather than trying to remember them, I used a handy dandy tool called the camera.

What did/do you except from the puzzles: put the RED ball to the RED zone? That's not puzzle... that's stupid, all puzzles which are telling you what you have to do are NOT puzzles! I mean pull the lever or stand on switch, if you like level like that, ok no probs.

I agree with you on the "Holding the player's hand" aspect. But I have no idea as to why you brought that up. I never said you should... AT ALL.

Last thing I will explain you my storyline, yes again I am wrong because I wanted to be original so I chose "Sackboy is talking to the player". I can say that you really doing great job with the reviews, they are long and prof but when I read all those 1... 20 I was thinking my pyramid will get 15% total.

Thanks, I appreciate the compliment. But, like I said at the beginning of the review, I did it "To be more efficient and organized". It was easier to write the review that way due to your many interesting rooms. It made the process easier, for me and anyone that read it. Instead of jumping from room to room in a standard review, I used this method.

Seriously there is nothing nice in that pyramid? Look most levels have poor gameplay, they looks great but usually there is 1 or 2 nice idea or there is standard gameplay push sponge block or catch sponge wheel. Anyway thanks for the review and I can understand that is not your favorite style level but from other side for work and ideas what I have done there giving 48% (2 and half star, is it?), I think that's wrongfull. Sorry, my English is not best, I hope you won't be offened, I just wrote what I'm thinking. Thanks

I never said that. There were some ideas in that pyramid that were interesting, but you didn't do much with them. It's like you made the level to say you did it first. It doesn't matter who did what first, just who is best at it. If someone steals your idea, and does it better than you, no matter who you are, the person that did it better should get praise in some way. It wouldn't be fair to someone that comes up with the same idea, implements it better, and gets nothing for it.

Lastly, as a final word here. Two things make a stage, looks and game-play. If you focus on just one, your stage only deserves half the praise. I hope you read this rebuttal and comment on it.		2011-02-08 04:31:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

I just can't get it. If people can't stand negative reviews then WHY THE HELL do they ask for them?2011-02-08 05:25:00

Author:
FreeAim
Posts: 2462

Hay so I made this Lvl with heart and stuff. It took me a while and it was really complex. http://lbp.me/v/x73d0t
Darkness Strikes Intro
by InfinitiMinded
a thriller mixed with obstacles a decent plot, and deadly slaves
If able to, be as harsh as possible if you find something wrong I would love to fix all the problems with my lvl Thanks alot		2011-02-08 05:55:00

Author:
InfinitiMinded
Posts: 50

@ freeaim I have no idea. lol.

@ Infinitiminded You have been added to the list and you are after flamingemu.		2011-02-08 06:10:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Seriously, Buzz Off. as made by FLAMINGEMU


Let me start off by saying that the opening voice actually fit it pretty well. I couldn?t make out some of the words, but it added that, ?I?m a cute bug? factor. Rarely do you see a non-story level have voices.


Aesthetics: Total Points Possible 40%



- Theme: 5%
Well, I?m not sure of what theme this one has. I guess? Ok, you?re a blumba (Couldn?t make out the name so I made one up) and you are being attacked by purple blobs. The goal here is to survive the onslaught of the terrible violet menace. You use a purple laser ring to get those nasty goos from getting up-close and personal, and your mighty BEAM OF AWSOME-AWSOME-AWSOME? To keep them from following you. I haven?t played a level where you?re a bug and you have to protect yourself, but the concept has been done before. I can?t really say you brought anything new to the table here, except the bug theme. So I?ll have to award this one 5% for having an original theme, but nothing new to the table. It is a little disappointing to not know what or why the blobs are attacking. Did the blumba take something, is its home under an invasion, or what?


- Design: 5%
The arena was a little small, and the only true decorations were some leaves and the area where the blobs came from. Although the materials used complemented each other very nicely, even though only 2 were used; 4 if you count the blumba?s and the blobs?. A good tip would be a bigger stage to allow more creative power, and the ability to change the stages appearance depending on the circumstances. Also, SUBTITLES. It would be a great idea if you implemented subs for the voice. Also, some people hate seeing the music boxes, like the one on the bottom right.


- Mood: 5%
The music fit perfectly and so did the voice. BUT, one of the best things about mini-games is that you can change the mood to whatever you want. If a lot of blobs start coming out or one is getting very close, you can make the mood gloomy or cautious. Also, the mood and lighting looked a little too cheerful for a blumba being attacked by something that will kill it.

- Originality: 5%
Like I said, bug getting attacked, I haven?t seen this yet.

Game-play: Total Points Possible 60%

- Flow: 5%
Sadly I must inform you of a very pressing matter. Some of the stage?s controls are terrible. Well, not terrible but, not smooth. What I mean isn?t the movement of the blumba, but aiming the BEAM OF AWSOME-AWSOME-AWSOME? I get that it's used for blobs that are following you, but it can also be used as a way to clear a path ahead of you to move through. I have to pull a parallel parking maneuver just to get in the general direction. Then I have to aim it just right to finally shoot those nasty little buggers. The beam is a very handy tool and must be able to be implemented to its fullest for MAXIMUM DESTRUCTION.


- Lvl Design: 5%
As I had stated before about the stage size, it also affects the game-play. With a bigger stage you can integrate better weapons and strategies. Maybe you can give it traps, bombs, or maybe even have upgrades that pop up around the arena. It is also a great idea to make the enemies stronger as play progresses, rather than just having more pop out. It would be better to aim the beam and have either more lives or the lives surround the player completely. That way, the thing that the player is controlling doesn?t look lopsided or uneven. lol. I just now understood what she said. So it's a firefly? If so that is great. Always use every detail to your advantage; whether it helps aesthetically or functionally. Maybe everywhere else is dark and the firefly lights up the area around it. Not only would this be a great look, but also could aid in the difficulty. Maybe a power-up makes the light brighter or bigger. Due to it not having much of a wide variety in game-play I have to give it 5%

- Enjoyability: 5%
The controls aren?t the only thing that would hinder enjoyability, repetitiveness can also be a major game player in ruining a great level. I believe with more work at it, this level can be a very fun mini-game that others will enjoy a lot.

- Re-playability: 3%
Right now it has some re-playability, but loses its flare after a while.


So, the overall score here is a score of 38%. It's low yes, but I believe this mini-game can be very fun if more was added to it. Right now it's vanilla ice-cream, but like this level, vanilla is a base for every other flavor.


This is where I say advice and what not, but most of what I wanted to say was said in the review already.
I give all my reviewees 3 chances in all (counting this one) for me to give them a second chance. The first chance is whenever you choose, and the second is a week after the second chance.		2011-02-08 07:46:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

First of all, every level in LBP1 or 2 will have a glitch, that may or may not happen very often or maybe 1/1000000. - so as you can see that's no my fault.
This here is not an excuse. You should make 1 copy for LBP1 and LBP2. They don't take up a spot on either. It is possible to have 40 lvls, 20 in LBP1 and 20 in LBP. As a matter of fact, I have a copy of LBP2. I played your level on LBP1 though. As to get rid of any discrepancies. - my pyramids are taking 1 and a quarter thermo in LBP2, I'm not going to cut 5 chapters off (yes, I tried do something with those levels n LBP2). I think all those problems (too dark, low thermo, wider ugly gas...) should be fixed by Mm in patch.
You tell funny jokes man. I never said your level shouldn't have these things for realism. I said you never gave an explanation to any of them. If this was any other level out there in the LBP world, I would say the same thing. There always has to be a reason as to why something is there. And, no, I'm not talking about the reason it's there is to destroy the rocks. - really do I have to explain what painball gun or jetpack are doing there? I created my pyramids no like in real life, I created them for fun... for example (in 2nd pyramid) in chapter 4 sackboy talking to player "The shark in the pyramid! Who created this level?". Do you understand jokes? I made my pyramids how I wanted to, no like they "should be", my ideas, my orginality, my creations!
Let's see, clouds make a good picture for wind don't you think? You could have also used lightning with a lightning sound, bomb for an explosion, glass breaking with the chipped wine glass... should I continue? It seems you twisted my words on accident again. No problem. YOU made the level, so of course when you think a sound sounds like something, you as the creator already know what that sound is. Similar to how cartoons work. It isn't a smooth motion of the character, they are still drawn pictures moving really fast, and your brain fills in the spaces. - I could use lightning with a lightning sound, bomb for an explosion? I can tell you what you are telling me... lighting sound in the pyramid? Bomb explosion sound in the pyramid? I used snake, fire, water and wind (sounds)?
I knew what the glass was for, I was just saying that it hinders what some of the letters on the blocks were. You could have put them on the back flat layer. Or maybe on each corresponding flat layer with the blocks. By the way, there are 64 options. Not once did you state in your level that each spider had different eye colors. Also, rather than trying to remember them, I used a handy dandy tool called the camera. - ok, I can agree, I will add more info there so people will know about different eyes colours and 6 options. Thanks.
Thanks, I appreciate the compliment. But, like I said at the beginning of the review, I did it "To be more efficient and organized". It was easier to write the review that way due to your many interesting rooms. It made the process easier, for me and anyone that read it. Instead of jumping from room to room in a standard review, I used this method. - it is no about method, it is about lots of complains, seems like 1st pyramid is a crap? Probably you have the same opinion about 2nd pyramid, so they are bad levels you mean?
Lastly, as a final word here. Two things make a stage, looks and game-play. If you focus on just one, your stage only deserves half the praise. I hope you read this rebuttal and comment on it. - Ok, graphic is not the best but is not that bad... you can don't like my art style or design but... for example: scorpion looks like scorpion, shark looks like shark, ok they don't look exacly like in real life but that my original style. Also remember one important thing... small level always will look better as huge level. When I created my pyramids I wanted to make the biggest adventures ever in LBP1, I wanted to make various gameplay full of original ideas never seen before, unique puzzles, some bosses and some fun like shark in the pyramid. Yes, I know they don't life in the pyramid but who cares... that is LBP... be creative, be original. That's game for fun! That's my opinion, I respect your .
Last tought: you probably know the famous creator POMPS. Have you play his great level The Lost Pharaoh? Will you complain about water and crocodile there... in the pyramid? Ok, his level look much, much better but in my each pyramid you will find twice more gameplay or even more, you will find much more original ideas and various gameplay there. His level has got 5 star so I can see people appreciate medium size levels with nice visuals and few good ideas... but I don't care, I'm glad that some people really apreciated my hard work, in my pyramids the gameplay is MUCH longer and various as in that famous level, what do you think? How you would rate the gameplay in my 1st and 2nd pyramid and how you would rate the gameplay in other good/famous temple levels? Probably their levels look way better but there is not that much gameplay.
Your review are long and good but to be honest the way how you are thinking about levels it is little bit wrongful. Your arguments are not good enough to giving 1st pyramid 2.5 stars for example: you wrote: Why was the key red, as opposed to gold? - do every keys have to be gold? I made red one and I used timber because it is not heavy so you can pull that key much faster. Is not like that I'm not agree with you, you are right with no good backgrounds, too many mixed materials or too many lights. You are right with few more things. I'm only writing my opnion.
You also wrote: I never said that. There were some ideas in that pyramid that were interesting, but you didn't do much with them. It's like you made the level to say you did it first. It doesn't matter who did what first, just who is best at it. If someone steals your idea, and does it better than you, no matter who you are, the person that did it better should get praise in some way. It wouldn't be fair to someone that comes up with the same idea, implements it better, and gets nothing for it. - I can't agree with that, new ideas should be more appreciated, every one can copied. Remember that everything can be done better, man who discovered for exemple: phone, he is appreciated in history, Nokia or other company, they are only making better phones. I know that's not best example but you know what I mean.
Believe or not, I discovered all ideas myself, I have never copied any ideas from other levels, sorry ofcourse I copied from other games (Arkanoid, Donkey Kong and from few more). Look at the chapters: bouncing ball or scarab ball, those ideas could be used for one level! Look at how original I used game glitch in the chapters: mysterious steps and windy room. If you don't mind please play my: BEST CREATED CONNECT FOUR, maybe you will like this one (I hope ) because I can see you don't like my pyramids at all . Sorry also if I wrong understand something what you wrote, you see my English is not best.		2011-02-08 09:54:00

Author:
GILUPL
Posts: 102

My suggestion here is: don't comment on the comment above.2011-02-08 13:25:00

Author:
FreeAim
Posts: 2462

My suggestion here is: don't comment on the comment above.
My suggestions here is: that's not your problem, is it? If you want to be nice for someone please write private message to him, can you?
Do I have to agree with all the reviews? Do I have to write everytime "thank you for the great review and I agree"? Can I be honest, can I write my opinion? Have I write something bad? That's conversation, you know what this mean? Cryogen is writing his arguments, I'm writing my arguments, probably the truth is somewhere in middle. So please wait for the reviews of your levels, then you can write whatever you want to. I can't understand how you can write something like that if you even didn't play my levels? You don't know nothing about it! Don't be offened .		2011-02-08 14:05:00

Author:
GILUPL
Posts: 102

WOW! Your reviews are amazingly long. If you ever get someone you could play with, please PM me. I'd love to request a review for my level when that happens.2011-02-08 18:33:00

Author:
brnxblze
Posts: 1318

@ Freeaim & GILUPL: Now, now, now, I don't want anything on my thread that could get it locked, I have just sent GILUPL a rebuttal on his homepage.

@ brnxblze: I don't mind playing with the creators if you don't mind volunteering. Maybe even bring some of your friends along. But it'll have to wait till after I review Infiniti's.		2011-02-08 18:58:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Hi Cryogen,

Could you please have a look at my level, It's a basic survival level, with a moral. It's not finished 100%, as I'm adding new stuff to it when I can find time to work on it.
I would be pleased for your insight.

PSN - WILF2007
Level - Smokin' in the Tub 2011
Link - http://lbp.me/v/xhtd61
Focus - Does it work? lol

Thanks matey.		2011-02-08 21:50:00

Author:
Unknown User

It is final!!! I am going to put a list of reviews and people in line at the top. Hooray for decisions. CAN I HEAR A HAZZAAAA!!!

*WAVES ARMS IN THE AIR*

This was bound to happen so it isn't a big thing.

WILF2007 I shall have your review up after infiniti's.

Lol, I misread your name at first. :O		2011-02-09 00:17:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

uuuugh Im getting nervous here lol2011-02-09 06:02:00

Author:
InfinitiMinded
Posts: 50

Darkness Strikes Intro ? As made by Infinitiminded


I would like to congratulate Infinitiminded for having the most original theme I have reviewed. I love the concept of the theme and because of this; I will probably review this one as harsh and constructive as I can. Also, I have decided to change my style a bit. I?m still trying to find my groove.

The theme itself is very original, loved it. Although, it saddens me to say, that the story is original, but you weren?t able to truly do it justice. Here?s the scoop on Infiniti?s level:

You are a soldier in the highly trained elite, dubbed D.A.R.K. (I added the periods because groups like this have names that are anagrams). It is your mission to take down the factor controlled by Light Corp. and free the slaves imprisoned inside of its walls. Another team has already infiltrated the infrastructure to map out the area. You must go incognito in order to get close to the main core and disable it. This will be the signal for the other unit to activate the explosives atop the building where the enemy has its artillery cannons. This has been the briefing of the mission codenamed Darkness Strikes. (I added some words of my own to spice it up a bit)

The beginning I did not like. It was just a drop and go start. What I mean is, it just dropped the player in a place and some of the story came up and then the player jumped down and began. There weren?t any camera shots, build-up, or them actually breaking in. I get that it could have started inside already, but Liz (The Informer) said that they were going to break in. I was not a fan of the speech saying very important story builders like they should already be known to the player. In the bubble, Liz said ?Listen up Dark (The group of trained soldiers you are a part of). I, Liz (The informer of the group) am leading? map the area?. This may not seem like a real reason to complain about, but this little information could have been used to make an epic beginning movie, or told non-verbally. By non-verbally I mean giving her a codename that is a hint, using some form of two way communication that pops up and tells her position in the group under her picture, someone else telling you what she does, or maybe even told to you at the end of the mission or beginning of the next mission while they debrief you or are briefing you.
How you got into the building made no sense. Was that an entrance or backdoor? I get the security measures, but what could that section possibly be used for? It's a dead end to the left.

The next room was very good. But, there were some mechanical issues. I could hear the slaves dying (Maybe set the emitter?s lifetime); the elevator looked like a press (Design problem); and there was a slave just standing around while other slaves went inside (Maybe make him doing some work, like a computer or sweeping). Also, I?m not a fan of you just telling the player where to go. Instead of using the grapple, you could have just made it to where the player just grabs on; maybe some kind of hint as to what to do. Although, all of this didn?t make sense to me. Wouldn?t you think the guards would notice a slave getting out of line?

Now I took the elevator, and I am somewhere. I read the dialog and it said I was on the roof of the containment area, but there was nothing below me except the entrance. Ok, I see now. I was in the closet of the containment area (Not sure what that is though). The sliding door looked very sloppy after the unequiper, and the switch you used is very obsolete looking with the theme. I would suggest using holo-area, the controlinator set to receiver, and an indicator. Making the wall to the link disappear is very lazy looking; it makes it look like you didn?t even try on it. Lastly before the level link, the area around the link looks so empty. It looks like a sticker on the wall. There were no decorations around it, or detail added that said you were moving onto a next part.

The first thing I noticed was no music for effect and the awesome look of the section. But I also noticed that you just stuck the spawn point in the wall leaving a ledge. I don't think the arrow atop was needed. The lights overhead were just floating. Once again the switch looked obsolete. There was a big block of light to the right? That rhymed , which kind of took away some of the spookiness of the room. Maybe you could put a wall there that isn?t so bright. I don't get how I fell through, into a vent; maybe a drain, but a vent? No way. And don't you say it was a vent for water that was dried up from not being used .

Now I?m in a room with some kind of machines. As I look up to the left using the camera angle you gave me, I can see a chunk of the wall missing. Now there?s a press looking thing that I didn?t like jumping on (Though I assume it was to get killed) and another elevator. The elevator looked like you could fall off on the left, and you actually could on the right.

Here?s a section that made no sense to me, and could get very annoying. If all those PSlaves now knew you were there, why wouldn?t the building be alerted to your presence by an alarm or something? This is a question that should have been asked near the beginning when the enemies first saw you, but I waited to ask it at this part for some reason. As for the annoying aspect; the first time I was playing the level, I was reading the dialog, and then out of the blue I died. I was zapped and because there were so many and I was confused as to what happened, they reached the spawn point and I kept getting zapped and zapped and zapped some more. I was forced to restart the level and skip the dialog there, rather than risking the endless cycle again. After the swarm, I didn?t have much time to read the speech.

What, no vent? I liked the look of the ceiling after I busted through though. I have no idea as to what was with this room. It reminded me of Left 4 Dead for some reason, but why was that happening? I liked the lights in the hallway.

OMG, this part looked amazing. It had creepy written all over it, but I hate that I was only in there for 3 seconds. I liked the music in the core room, but I think using the gun was a little much. You could have implemented a shutdown virus, planted bombs, or reprogrammed it by the way I mentioned before about the obsolete switch.

Rather than making me hold the switch to make the elevator go up, you could have used the new logic tools.

And that is the whole level. I will say it again, I loved the theme and the possibility of the story, but it didn?t do it for me.


Aesthetics: Total Points Possible 40%

- Theme: 12%
The theme had some great aspects to it. An original theme (I like) and it also combined it with horror. So it was ironic. Follow-through was great, except for the switches, and some story elements, but it was a great theme.

- Design: 10%
You added a lot of design to each and every room in your stage except for probably 1 or 2, kudos. There were a few design flaws, but you pulled through.

- Mood: 8%
You got the mood down, but there were parts where the timing was off.

- Originality: 10%
Very original.

Game-play: Total Points Possible 60%

- Flow: 5%
It flowed great, but I must say, game-play was not this level?s strong suit.

- Lvl Design: 5%
It was great mentally, but all I did throughout the level, was grab, shoot, and run away. Some levels can get away with this, but the main thing I did was walk. And lastly, it was very short.

- Enjoyability: 5%
I enjoyed it at first, but the game-play started to get boring.

- Re-playability: 3%
Besides having to replay because of the endless cycle with the swarm, this level is a kind of ?If it was worked on some more, I might play it. But I?ll heart it.? level.

Overall score, bum dum du DA!!! Red curtains slide left and right, and a bronze 3D percentage with wings flips from behind the bottom of the stage.

A deep voice says? 53%. Paper looking hands pop up from around the borders of the screen and clap with sounds of cheers.		2011-02-09 18:43:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Howdy, can I have a review done of my level? (:

PSN: JonnysToyRobot
Level name: A Short Story
Link! (http://lbp.me/v/w3kgx4)
Focusing on: atmosphere, since that's what I was going for.

Thanks.		2011-02-09 18:56:00

Author:
JonnysToyRobot
Posts: 324

My suggestions here is: that's not your problem, is it? If you want to be nice for someone please write private message to him, can you?
Do I have to agree with all the reviews? Do I have to write everytime "thank you for the great review and I agree"? Can I be honest, can I write my opinion? Have I write something bad? That's conversation, you know what this mean? Cryogen is writing his arguments, I'm writing my arguments, probably the truth is somewhere in middle. So please wait for the reviews of your levels, then you can write whatever you want to. I can't understand how you can write something like that if you even didn't play my levels? You don't know nothing about it! Don't be offened .

I'm not here to fight, but if you don't agree with someone elses review, then why do you even bother? Just let it be, he might have not rated it the best level in universe. It's not a freaking heartbreaker! It's a simple review and even if you don't like it you can take consencration of your OWN mistakes, instead of rating others ratings for not liking your level as much as you did. If you are not prepared for negative feedback then why did you even ask for it?		2011-02-09 18:56:00

Author:
FreeAim
Posts: 2462

Howdy, can I have a review done of my level? (:

PSN: JonnysToyRobot
Level name: A Short Story
Link! (http://lbp.me/v/w3kgx4)
Focusing on: atmosphere, since that's what I was going for.

Thanks. NOOOOOoooooooo... YOU CANNOT HAVE YOUR LEVEL REVIEWED JON!!! Just kidding.

Sure, I will have it reviewed after WILF's level.		2011-02-09 19:17:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

HAND SLAP THANKS SOOOO MUCH YOUR AWESOME. I'm DEFINITELY REMAKING THIS! YOUR AWESOME. I CAN't WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE REMAKE AND PART 2. I'll LET YOU KNOW WHEN ITS READY. It might be a while by the look of this review lol2011-02-09 20:39:00

Author:
InfinitiMinded
Posts: 50

I look forward to reviewing it a second time.

I think I'll make it two separate reviews. I don't want to overwrite the old review, a sort of archive.

Maybe I'll ... I'll wait till I review it again.

@ JON: I just noticed this, but that level has like 25 hearts. Why do you only have 4 hearts as a creator?		2011-02-09 21:50:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Not a clue, maybe it's because it's my only LBP2 level and people only heart the creator if there's more than one.

Or maybe they hate me ):		2011-02-09 22:10:00

Author:
JonnysToyRobot
Posts: 324

Thanks for the reveiw; but I think it was a little harsh:
"Due to it not having much of a wide variety in game-play I have to give it 5%"
scince it is a survival challenge i was AIMING for that; I thought it was a fun, little mini-game that people could just have fun playing. Do you like the LBP1 level tie skipping? Do you like the LBP2 level On burrowed time? then think about how simple they are before you reveiw a survival challenge. But as I have said before, thanks for the feedback; and I'll be sure to take what you said on board 		2011-02-09 22:20:00

Author:
flamingemu
Posts: 1872

I'd like to be judged Mr critic man....

PSN: FourteenInchGaz
Level: MicroChip-in Challenge Golf
Plot: Cardboard man hits ball in hole....

Thank you in anticipation!!		2011-02-10 00:18:00

Author:
FourteenInchGaz
Posts: 110

@ brnxblze: I don't mind playing with the creators if you don't mind volunteering. Maybe even bring some of your friends along. But it'll have to wait till after I review Infiniti's.

I wouldn't mind playing it with you at all. Do you want me to add you on PSN? Then you could remove me after we're done playing. That seems to be the easiest way.		2011-02-10 00:54:00

Author:
brnxblze
Posts: 1318

@ FlamingEmu: You scared me for a second there. I thought I accidentally mixed your review with another. What I mean by wide variety in game-play is that all I did was one thing. Have you played Clockworx 2? It has different things that you can do because of power ups. As far as story levels go, those aren't made all awesome because they wanted players to do something better.

@ Fourteeninchgaz: You will be added to the list.

@ Brnxblze: Ill add you to the list. Add me. When I go to play your level, I'll pm you, probably 2 days in advance. I'm not sure when that'll be though. Uhhh... What's the name of your info anyways? Like psn, level and link.		2011-02-10 02:35:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Smokin? in the Tub-2011 ? As made by WILF2007


OOooooooo? Time for a mini-game. DING! DING!! DING!!!

Well, to answer your question, yes and no. It does work for a bit, but after awhile it gets really repetitive. It's a survival yeah, but the difficulty is supposed to get harder. I guess it did get harder, but it wasn?t really much of a change. Not to mention, there was actually an end to it. Nearly all survivals don't have ends. It's supposed to be how long you can last before you die.

Anywho? This mini also has a unique theme and even a moral. Go figure huh. Rarely do you see levels with morals. SHAME ON YOU LEVELS THAT DON?T TEACH KIDS THE MEANING OF GOOD. So? Here?s the scoop:

You start off on a magnificent shelf. It has a vase, a mug, and even one of those delightful little bars of soap. Huh?! What?s this, an ashtray? I guess I?ll just put my cigarette here for safe keeping. Woops, I slipped. I guess while I?m in here I?ll take a bath. Strange, the water isn?t running. Well whatever, my cigarette is safe. What?s the worst that could happen? OH GOD!!!

I didn?t like the smoke as a border, but I noticed it coming from the cigarette. I could be wrong, but I don't think cigarettes give off that much smoke. It looked like the place was caught on fire or at least was starting to. But it does add a clever pun. Smoke from cigarettes kills. lol. Get it, because the smoke and the gas??? ah forget it? who needs you. .

Rather than having that gas on the tub, you can use invisible plasmafied thin hologram (I.P.Thin.Holos for short ) Not only will it keep players from crossing the holograms, but it?ll also keep the children from exploring the cabinets.

I noticed that there was some tiling going on near the tub, then it went to a repetitious scale blue. Too bad there was no motifs, or nice trimmings. Interesting choice of light. The first 2 times I played this, the tub looked like a sink; until I noticed the toilet and the title; maybe if there was a shower head.

It seems I broke your level as well. When the bounce pad appeared I bounced and to check some stuff, I went back inside the tub. One of the things I look for is accidental replay; and what do you know, that is exactly what happened. I soon had a higher score than intended, and the bounce pad flipped over due to a meteor or something.

There really wasn?t much to comment on besides this. I don't know about you, but I see this as a bad sign. To me this was just an average survival level. Nothing special besides it having a moral.


Aesthetics: Total Points Possible 40%

- Theme 5%
The theme was original, and had a moral (Though I had never heard of it); but it was missing something.

- Design 5%
I couldn?t really say much because of its lack of interior design or it being this theme. It did have some missing things, but I can?t really add points because it doesn?t have any great designs that POP.

- Mood 3%
I ?tHiNk?? the music fit with it, but it added a kind of calmness to it.

- Originality 8%
It was original, and had a moral.

Game-play: Total Points Possible 60%

- Flow 3%
I was having trouble following my character because of two things: 1. The points kept getting in the way. 2. When the eye is separated so far from two things, you have to rely on peripherals. This being said, the character and the obstacles look very similar. The flow was pretty constant throughout, this being a survival, it shouldn?t be that way.

- Lvl Design 8%
It got pretty repetitive, but fun at the same time; for awhile. The same thing kept coming at me; nothing else. It was also pretty short for a survival.

- Enjoyability 7%
It was fun, I?ll give you that, but like I've said a lot. Very repetitive.

- Re-playability 3%
I can see someone replaying this at least 2 times.


To tell the truth, I wasn?t sure how to review this level. There wasn?t much in it, similar to FlamingEmu?s level. As for constructive criticism, some of the stuff I said, and maybe more things that are related to the moral. I am still unsure as to what happens when you smoke in the tub, but maybe you can add obstacles that happen after you smoke in the tub. Maybe the house is now on fire and you need to escape, or someone is on fire and you have to put her out.


Overall score; picture a peaceful house in the suburbs at night. BOOM!!! Michael Bay explosion. The building?s on fire and a percentage comes out of the house in flames.

A deep voice says? 42%

It's low, but that?s only because of its ?run of the mill" survival.		2011-02-10 08:07:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

I have added a new section as an option along with the PSN and others.

What score do you think your level should get:		2011-02-10 08:15:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Smokin? in the Tub-2011 ? As made by WILF2007

OOooooooo? Time for a mini-game. DING! DING!! DING!!!...

Thanks for the look at my level, although it is hard to admit as anyone would agree, I think you're spot on with the review and hope you continue with your reviews. I personally will ask you to review my levels from here on, as you do a sterling job, hopefully officially and unofficially if you would be so kind to.		2011-02-10 16:29:00

Author:
Unknown User

@ Brnxblze: Ill add you to the list. Add me. When I go to play your level, I'll pm you, probably 2 days in advance. I'm not sure when that'll be though. Uhhh... What's the name of your info anyways? Like psn, level and link.

PSN: brnxblze
Level: A Helping Hand...err...Cursor! (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=45013-A-Helping-Hand...err...Cursor!-%28w-pics%29)
LBP.me: http://lbp.me/v/ww9fzm

I'll add you when I get home today.		2011-02-10 17:44:00

Author:
brnxblze
Posts: 1318

A Short Story - As made by JonnysToyRobot


Right off the bat, I noticed this kind of style. It's a fun style to use; I even made a level with black on red. It may be fun to use, but there is a major drawback to it. It makes the background look very empty if not utilized properly. Also, the camera this is this kind of level?s best friend. One of the things I realized about these kinds of levels is that unless you add props to your surroundings, it looks very bland. Here?s the scoop on this level with a nice poem I wrote:

?A Short Story?
Oh, how a heart longs to be with another.
Yet as one gets closer, the other seems to vanish.
He wants her, but he can?t reach her.
So he must prove his love to the one that he wishes to be with.
He casts away all that binds him down, into the depths.
He is now like a lonely raft in an ocean of sorrow.
But he feels that this is not where it must end.
He must go deeper and escape these waters.
He must climb up into the skies,
and yell to the heavens themselves who he wishes to live out his days with.
He yells out her beauty and soul compared to a beautiful tree in the clouds.
With this, she has heard his words of love.
So as long as he and she are happy, they will live forever.
Not even time or space could separate them.

Ok, the poem was terrible, but I don't see you making a poem for your level . The first thing I didn?t like when coming into this level was when I entered I went in between the windmill. There could have loads of stuff that you could have done here: A house, barn, fence, or maybe even starting inside of one of these. There really was no need to make the windmill grabbable, or even a grabbable material. If you used something solid like cardboard, you can add intricate designs and props. I did like the way you used string on the windmill to give it that look. This may not be an issue, but I could hear the motor bolt on the windmill.

I always loved the way bridges looked in these themes; and the way you exaggerated the boards on the bottom is what really makes these bridges come to life. I was a little disappointed that there were no railings though. I didn?t know what was going on with the puff of smoke, I thought it was a gust of wind at first.

This next obstacle is also what I like about these levels. But it would have been nice if it showed that it used to have a shape. Like it was once a bridge and it's all busted now. Another thing that makes these scenes POP is moving parts. Maybe swaying in the wind or falling parts as you move through it. I went back and forth to test out accidental replay, and the camera keeps showing the whole thing. Maybe a onetime switch could help. It wasn?t until I saw the girl at the end of this obstacle disappear, that I realized what the puff of smoke was in the beginning.

I liked the church setting, and the music, but there was no opening or entranceway. I thought it was a rundown church that got old, but there was no broken glass or missing bricks. Of course you probably weren?t going for this. Hmm? I don't think you need the glass to be in a thick layer. I noticed the camera shaking, nice touch, but I also noticed you put it on a timer. I wanted to appreciate the mood with the angle, but it ran out. Maybe a camera with infinite time and it's changed when you reach a new angle. Too bad the designs stopped at the stairs, and that little bump in the middle. I wanted to get down from the couch near the window, so I jumped down. Wouldn?t you know it; I fell all the way down. I jumped thinking it all would break, but the glass broke before I even touched it; and a chunk was left on top.

Now I?m swimming, but the water before killed me. Ok, fine, that water was just to serve as a border. I almost just swam past the raft with the checkpoint. But I think it was activated when I fell. But instead of a raft, maybe a building, where the stilts go all the way down forcing the player to go up. This could be nice mainly to keep the design moving. Swimming in the water looked so bleak and empty. Huh? I was where the next obstacle was and jumped down. I was standing on something between the underwater cave and the checkpoint. It was entirely flat, so I?m guessing this was on accident.

On this next broken thing, the first platforms could be higher so the player can walk under the first step. I like the obstacles, but can?t help but notice the lack of detail. It kind of killed the mood when I got to the pirate sounding music. Also, I?m not a fan of recycled ideas from the story levels unless they bring something new to the table.

When I got to the checkpoint after the windmills, I realized you didn?t make a dock looking thing here. There were wooden struts, but they were attached to the ground. I jumped down on this new church and I lived. The sound was still going after the draw-door came down. I liked the calmness of the tree. This is only a suggestion, but it would have been cool to see the tree or leaves grow when you got there.

I?m on this bridge now, but there isn?t really much of a design or anything added. Maybe more design on the elevator part. Up until the water rose really high, the designs looked really sloppy; even after it. I noticed you used straight and few struts on the ramps and there wasn?t any real design in that room. I think you started getting lazy from here on out. I don't mean that as an insult, it's just it's the best way to describe it.

The alternate endings didn?t really add that ?alternate ending? feel. I won?t say what they are, but they could have been longer. Though, I did like the idea of the bottom alternate ending.

Aesthetics: Points Possible 40%

- Theme 5%
I thought for awhile that this theme was original, but alas, it wasn?t. I had totally forgotten about the LIMBO craze that went around, and I am sad to say not only was that made first, but it was better implemented. They used glitches, which I hate, but some of the designs in those levels weren?t. Although, it did have a unique story (But I?m not sure what it was).

- Design 5%
Many things could have been done with the empty space. And unlike some levels, you could be seen in the black spots. This has a major advantage to it, as you can make things that the player can go inside, and you can still see the player.

- Mood 5%
The mood was captured pretty good, except for the random pirate music and some design flaws.

- Originality 5%
:C It's sad that I forgot about LIMBO, but your level did have an original love story idea.

Game-play: Points Possible 60%

- Flow 10%
The flow was pretty nice.

- Lvl Design 8%
Game-play? It wasn?t terrible, but the placement of some of the game-play elements was random near the end.

- Enjoyability 5%
I enjoyed this level, but some of elements of the game had some problems.

- Re-playability 3%
As is, I could see some people playing this level again. But there really isn?t anything to come back for.

A seed falls into the ground, and a small plant grows. It then starts to grow and grow, into a magnificent tree. But if you look closely at the positioning of the branches, you?ll see something hidden.

46%.

It's low, but it's mainly caused by the ending, and empty space.		2011-02-10 21:50:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Thanks for the review (:

You bought up a lot of points that I can't help but agree with (though I had no idea the windmill was grabable, you tend to lose track of these things when every material looks the same, it used to be that you didn't enter into it, probably the result of some minor edit). I shall grab my touching up brush and give the level a bit of a polish then.

No idea how to make the sound stop ): Could have a good crack at making the leaves grow though.

Where are we... oh yes. Pirate music and all that, I completely agree with you but I really, really did not want to use the same 3/4 cinematic tracks that fill the rest of the level and wanted some kind of contrast.

Oh and the ending, everything after the part where you have to swim up to avoid drowning was added later and I must have been in the wrong mindset when doing it. I'm glad you like the bottom ending, for me it was "they killed her, what can I do to them?"

Thanks again for the review, I'm off to murder my level tester now. Oh and lovely poetry too 		2011-02-10 22:06:00

Author:
JonnysToyRobot
Posts: 324

*Puts a tentative hand up*

I could really do with some constructive criticism!

PSN: rialrees

Name of lvl: Little Big Robot Wars

Link to your LBP.me of said lvl: http://lbp.me/v/xk-qh8

What you want me to focus on the most: (optional)

I suppose I'd like you to review as you already have in your previous posts. I was able to test this level pretty extensively in offline co-op but my tester was my husband >.> so I can't guaruntee much honesty from him lol.

What score do you think your level should get: (optional)

Whatever ye decide, oh great one.

Yes, this is a versus level so please do add me if you need to. Said husband may also come along for the ride. I am based in UK and have a ten month old so evenings GMT are best for me, but I'm sure I can work around it on weekends and such.

many thanks		2011-02-10 23:51:00

Author:
rialrees
Posts: 1015

Wow... giving quite detailed reviews there. I know my levels been played a lot and all, but I'd still appreciate a review from you - if you find the time and all. Would be really helpful to see what could be improved, or noted for the future.

PSN: standby250
Name of Level: The Lost (DEMO)
Link: http://lbp.me/v/wx7kwm

Nothing in particular to focus on - but maybe things you'd like to see, or things which... just don't seem right.
Thanks! I look forward to hearing from you! If you send me a PM when it's finished, it'd be appreciated. Just a tip though, it is strictly one player (due to the level falling apart with more than one player), so you will only be able to play it alone.

2011-02-11 00:58:00

Author:
standby250
Posts: 1113

LMAO, forgot that you helped me make the elevator work. I posted here saying that I updated the level and told you to check it out haha.2011-02-11 02:13:00

Author:
Hamsalad
Posts: 2551

MicroChip-in Challenge Golf - As made by FourteenInchGaz


WHAT?S THAT YA?LL?!?!?! IT SEEMS WE HAVE US HERE A MINI-GAME OF GOLF!!! YEEHA!!!
Ah yes, we have a game of golf to play, and the sun is looking good. Here?s the scoop on this mini:


Bobby: Today?s the day we play golf til the night. When the coyotes howl. (hint, hint)

Chris: I hope we?re not out too late. My wife?s makin prime rib and mashed patatas.

Tex: I can taste the homemade pie now.

John: Let?s just swing some rounds and have fun. I?m not sure how to approach these levels with only one setting. But they?re mini-games so they shouldn?t be as long as main levels. When I first played this level, I thought it was going to be like taking turns or changing spots. I was wrong. You added a nice twist to golf. A sort of mini-golf, but played on a bigger field.

It was interesting, but lost some of my interest after awhile. It started getting REALLY repetitive and it took me awhile to learn how to use the controls. I?m no fan of golf, so you can see how that swayed my interest some. It reminded me of that game where you roll the ball into the different holes for higher scores. I can?t remember what it's called though. I think it was Foosball or something like that. Anyways, because it was hard to aim I found myself holding down the stick in a direction, slowly turning it to find that sweet spot (Which I found 3, but lost after awhile). It soon became a race to see who was the luckiest. Maybe some kind of aiming system could be used and power meter. And add more sounds rather than just a thump on that middle hole. You don't need it to be turned based, but something needs to be done about the randomness of those shots.

I was also thinking that you could change or pick a place to play. What also could make it more fun is moving parts; like a caddy drives by now and again or a moving hole. Maybe even have some holes score differently, depending on their difficulty. OH MY GOD THE MUSIC!!! It fit perfectly? at first. But then it started rotting my brain after the third time I played it. It was like listening to the opening song to Ren and Stimpy over and over again. Maybe have it change when it comes nightfall or have someone make a custom soundtrack.

Speaking of nightfall, if you didn?t get the hint, maybe add a coyote howl or something, and the moon should move too. Design-wise, it didn?t look too great. There was a bush, three cacti, four hills, four holes, the sun, a sign, the moon, stars, and the clubs. A great background theme to use here would be the desert one from the first LBP levels; though you would need to move your stage up in order for you to use your sun.

Your giant golf club at the end was pretty sweet. It even moved back and forth. I couldn?t really think of anything else to say. It was similar to WILF?s level in the mini department.

Aesthetics: Points Possible 40%

- Theme 5%
The theme was pretty original, and had its own twist on golf; but it lacked multiplicity.

- Design 5%
There wasn?t much appeal to the eyes, but a nice little trail was a great add.

- Mood 5%
Mood was captured pretty well, but that song got on my nerves after awhile.

- Originality 5%
I haven?t seen a golf game like this before.

Game-play: Points Possible 60%

- Flow 5%
Flow was very constant. In fact, it never changed. Variety was this level?s week point.

- Lvl Design 5%
Like I said, variety and repetitiveness. It was like a carnival game.

- Enjoyability 5%
I enjoyed it at first, but the controls and repetitiveness got in the way.

- Re-playability 3%
If worked on some more along with more soundtracks, it could be a fun mini-game.


A guy swings his club with all his might and the ball goes flying into the air.It falls towards the ground and hits him in the head.

He sees 38% circling his head.

It isn?t a high score, but that just means it needs to be worked at. So it can be one of those levels that someone might play now and again with friends.		2011-02-11 03:28:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Have you thought about doing this full time? Your meticulous attention to the details along with your exhaustive playtesting before submitting your review is commendable to say the very least! You seem very capable at this, and the humour and frank honesty of your reviews, as well as maintaining your ability to be constructive at the same time shines through. You're aware enough of the notion you are playing folks 'babies' but also realise tough love is the order of the day.... How else are we going to learn!?

Now then. My review (thank you : -)


I'm quite pleased in all honesty! You stated early on that golf isn't your cup of tea (one mans meat and all that) so I'm not here to take you to task on the points you've made, they're all valid and I shall be addressing them as best I can (especially that music.....I know.....I felt your pain too, but excused it based on the fact not many people will play the level as much as I have) and the only thing stopping me doing all the things you've said is my technical limitations as a creator and time. I will try though!

One thing I won't be changing and, in my opinion, is where the level is slightly lost on you is in the controls: its meant to be simple and organic...pick up, play, forget.. Suits me fine! And while I understand your annoyance at the 'randomness', I think there is enough of a skill element to justify its inclusion.

Anyway, that aside, i'd like to say thank your for an impressively well detailed, professional and concise review.....just for a moment there I felt like a (slightly lacking) games designer!		2011-02-11 19:04:00

Author:
FourteenInchGaz
Posts: 110

Full time huh... I mainly haven't decided on full time yet mainly because I'll start college again in August. And I'm not sure if I'll have a lot of time when that happens. That's not for awhile, but I also don't know if anything big will come up.

I'm also looking for a job, which everyone wants experience for (stupid economy). Shoot... If I got paid for doing these reviews I'd be popping them out 5 or 6 a day, maybe more.

But the likeliness of that happening is like... let me do the math...uh...0 -_-

But don't worry folks, I plan on doing these for awhile. Unless something comes up that is.

As a side note: I have been wondering how this website stays up. I mean, there are no ads or monthly fees. If it is being held up by donations, that would be amazing.		2011-02-11 22:23:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

First level.

PSN:steadler69

Name of lvl:Space Blast 3D Beta 0.9

Link to your LBP.me of said lvl:http://lbp.me/v/xkrdvp

What you want me to focus on the most: N/A

What score do you think your level should get: Its my first level, so i will expect the worse.		2011-02-12 13:21:00

Author:
steadler
Posts: 180

What score do you think your level should get: Its my first level, so i will expect the worse.
That's... uh... some good confidence you have there. I believe in you though.

You have been added to the list.		2011-02-12 19:14:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

its because someone else had that as there preset and i just copied and pasted, hope you dont mind.2011-02-12 20:18:00

Author:
steadler
Posts: 180

Oh I see. It bugs me a little. I don't mind that you copied and pasted, but you could have at least deleted everything they said.2011-02-12 22:36:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

A Helping Hand...err...Cursor! - As made by Brnxblze


It seems we have a troublemaker in our midst. It appears this creator wishes the Move for LBP2 to go bankrupt. So, how does it feel to make the company that made one of greatest games lose over a million dollars? Ok, that was a little over exaggeration, but I really wasn?t planning on buying the Move, but this level just convinced me that I don't need it for LBP2. Unless I want that sweet dino-bones costume.

Here?s the scoop on this level:


Sackboy: Oh man, there?s a block that I need on that ledge, and this one on the ground is too heavy. Whatever will I do?
???: HAVE NO FEAR. UNDER? CURSOR MAN IS HERE!!!
Sackboy: Oh gee golly Cursor Man, I?m Sackboy, and can you help me with these heavy blocks?
Cursor Man: WHY YES I CAN BILLY.
Billy?: What? My name isn?t-
Cursor Man: NOT ONLY THAT, BUT I CAN ROTATE IT LEFT AND RIGHT BILLY!!!
Billy?: Why do you keep calling me-
Cursor Man: AND I CAN EVEN LET GO ANYTIME I WANT TOooo- Woops? SEE YOU AROUND BILLY.
Billy?: ? I?m not entirely sure if this level was original. I?m sure you were the first to make a level like this, but this is basically a pre-Move level. I could be wrong, but this level was probably inspired by you wanting a Move-less Move level, or you wanted to prove the makers wrong by making game-play similar to Move, without having to go out and buy anything else. Either way the Move or its levels had something to do with it. That?s why I can?t consider the game-play original. But what could make it even better is if you made it to where it only required 1 player; which is in fact, very doable. All you would have to do is put the controlinator on a holo, set it to receiver, and make it follow and be controlled by the closest player.

After that, just change the controls:
L1 - grab white things
L2/R2 - turn
Right stick - move cursor
If the person with the cursor dies, it goes to the next person. If it's only one person, it goes to him when he spawns back.

Now that I've said what pertains to the whole level, I?ll number each section and talk about each to make it easier on me and readers. Also, I apologize, but I played the level as just the cursor. So there may be some variables in this review.

1. A pretty straight forward training area, but it's best to train players on everything, even if it says it at the bottom. Ok, I didn?t notice the changing controls at the bottom. I thought they were the usual controls; but it wasn?t for awhile till I learned I could rotate them. It wasn?t necessary to tell the player where to put the blocks; it was kind of obvious. Also, ?holding the player?s hand? takes away some of the game-play. I don't know why you chose white as the movable color. You could have made it Neon, or Neon that blinked, or Neon that changed colors when it was selected. It defeats the purpose of spikes and platforms if the player can skip it all in one jump.

2. Instead of making it push it, you could have made it grabbable. You could grab the white before even going over it, and I went around in a circle around it. So I could tell you used a tag sensor. With this I better understand the logic. It would be a whole lot better to use impact sensors, tags, and holograms. The block at the top bothered me for some reason. The floating white seemed really lazy. I could even move it to the right and cheat with it.

3. This area could use a touchup on the platform. You could have had it a bounce pad and made it to where when it's grabbed it's shut off. The arrows might need to be a bit higher, but that?s me; it isn?t really a problem. The things at the top could have been more visible.

4. This is where the reactions were going to start getting really annoying. When I grabbed the white, it went down faster than the cursor, and kept making the bouncy metal noise very rapidly. You don't even have to do what you wanted the player to do. You could just jump on the whites and move the white all the way down. Again I see you held their hand.

5. I was able to grab the white without being near it again.

6. The ramps and the maze looked plain. I just realized you were using some old logic. But I also realized it matched the theme. This could be a coincidence, or you purposely did it. It's not a good thing, nor a bad thing, it's just that there are newer ways to show whether something was activated or not.

7. I wasn?t a sackboy when I played this, so I don't know what happens in this room. I think I know what happens here. The area around the top floor looked plain.

8. I?m surprised you didn?t make an inner border on the middle platform. You know, after holding hands comes kissing? I think they could have figured both parts out. You may want to fix the invisible wall; I was able to move the white all the way to the bottom. I?m not sure about this, but the player could have ridden the white all the way up.

9. I didn?t realize you could move the white till after I looked everywhere. I wasn?t sure if the player had to blow a hole to go inside, or if the player had to roll it all the way to blow the bottom up. If they had to roll it all the way, I?m sure that can get annoying. I?m curious as to why you didn?t use the hamster tubes here. More old logic, but why didn?t you make the switches go horizontal?

10. That?s a pretty big checkpoint gap. The middle area with the red hologram logic was missing some decorations. Here?s where I noticed something odd. When I carry the white, it floated down very slowly. This is a pretty straight forward obstacle. Though, you can just ride it all the way up.

11. I am now after the ?LEAVE? sign by the fire. Arrow wasn?t necessary. I didn?t like this obstacle at all.
I liked the idea; I just didn?t like the reactions. They were like 2x faster than the cursor. Grab ceiling, fall and grab, you know, basic stuff.

12. There were some problems with the controls again. The reactions from the round white were strange. I like the switch idea, but it looked a little lazy.

13. The green indicators disappeared before I even put the white on. I was close to the position but then it disappeared. I liked the idea, but not what you chose to implement with the idea. But since you did this, it would be better if it was on a track.

I really liked the ideas of the game-play, but you didn?t implement them so well.

Aesthetics: Points Possible 40%

- Theme 5%
More could have been done with the theme. It was like a LBP1 level, with LBP2 logic. One of the best things I like about LBP2 now is that people can put moving parts and scenery into their levels without it taking up much thermo or effort; just imagination. (SpongeBob popped into my head when I said that. :C) So yeah, moving parts and inticate details are a must in any level.

- Design 8%
I liked the nice inner borders made of wood. It went perfect with the cardboard, but maybe stretch them further in so the player(s) jumping around could enjoy them. Nice addition with the noises, but the music sometimes overshadowed them. I?m not sure about this, but the background could have used more details.

- Mood 5%
You did pretty nice with the mood. It gave off that puzzle level feeling. Though, you need to fuse the music and game-play together better. The song needs to either change in every room, or you need music that doesn?t have the same beat and sound throughout the entire song. The choice of music usually tells the player the most about theme. With the song you first chose, it was saying your doing the same thing over and over again.

- Originality 5%
Although I stated this isn?t too original, I will give points because this is the only level I've seen that does this; and I?m sure there will be others.

Game-play: Points Possible 60%

- Flow 5%
I can?t really be for certain on the flow. But as I floated around, I imagined other players playing through. I thought of ways they could have trouble or problems. There were a few. Also mentioned before, holding the players? hands takes away some of the game-play. Your basically telling them, ?Since you?re not smart enough to solve this on your own, I?ll tell you exactly what to do.? At least that?s how I see it.

- Lvl Design 5%
Ok. Here?s where I have something to say. There was various game-play, but? YOU COULD HAVE DONE SOOOOOO MANY BETTER THINGS WITH THIS IDEA. While I was playing through, you wouldn?t imagine how many things I came up with. One of the things that you didn?t do, but would add a lot of game-play elements is putting buttons down. When the cursor is activated over a button, something happens. Also, moving things out of the way so they can advance (but you did the opposite). This can be from moving blocks to cause and effect game-play. Cause and effect is when you do something, but causes something else. Let?s say you move a random block left. You moved the block so the player can move further, but you also now made a platform for them. I thought of others, but I don't just want to give creators ideas; I want them to expand on them or come up with them their selves.

- Enjoyability 3%
Enjoyability wasn?t one of the things that came up in my head too often; mainly because I thought of the other ways that could have been done.

- Re-playability 3%
I can probably see people replaying this; either to show someone else or because of the idea. It just needs some touchups and overhauling.

A million blue cursors are everywhere making something out of blocks. They fly and zoom past the camera in a hurried speed. They all suddenly stop. The camera zooms out and what do you see, 1111?

What?!?!?! Then a cursor throws a block and the other pieces fall to the ground into the pattern.

39%

Another low score, but it's only my opinion. It was low because of accumulated things. Aka, the above texts.		2011-02-12 22:44:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Pick me! Pick me! Oh ooh ooh thanks for picking me Ma level scores originality points I hope.

PSN: You get 3 guesses (clue: Begins with 'triv' and ends in 'ran&apos
Name of lvl: The Truth of Moose V2
Link to your LBP.me of said lvl: http://lbp.me/v/r6867r
What you want me to focus on the most: (optional) Well there isn't much gameplay, so I guess mainly aesthetics please.
What score do you think your level should get: (optional) 50. I think I could add in some interactivity, but I only just had that idea...

I'd just like to know what improvements I need to do really, so I can note them down and make a plan.		2011-02-12 23:23:00

Author:
Unknown User

That is a very tough one... Starts with triv, ends in ran... Is it trivialbran... maybe Triviaran... OHHHhhhhhh... It's Trivran. Ok, I see, you separated the... And put it... ok, ok. You got me on that one.

You shall be added. LET IT BE KNOWN!!! *lightning strikes my computer* -_- great, just great. That's perfect.		2011-02-13 01:11:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Little Big Robot Wars - As made by Rialrees


This level will probably be one of my favorite multi-player levels. With some more work, it could even be an Mm pick. Here?s the scoop on this level:

GOOOOOO!!! A buzzer sounds. Shrapnel and the clinging and clanking of machines start to fill the ring.

One?s hit in the back by a ram and another?s being cut in half by two giant blades. Two are at it, head to head, trying to knock the other into an electrified mechanism. Oil and hydraulic fluid gush out from the innards of the mechanical demons? An alarm sounds.

A giant mechanical monster covered in bolts, gears, and cogs storms into the mayhem and demolishes two robots; they didn?t have a chance. Fire shoots out of the beast?s mouth; engulfing any machines caught by these flying flames with the black blaze of death.

All that?s left is one more bot. One more machine left for this fiend?s appetite of destruction.

Ok. I kind of started to get a little carried away with that opening. I even wanted to write more, but I needed to get on with the review.

It's always nice to open a level and find a menu. It adds that ?It's a separate game feeling?. Though, it was a bummer that it had no sounds when changing choices or that you couldn?t choose with the stick. It had a choice between ?PLAY, HOW TO PLAY, and ROBOT INFO?, all of which were very important. But, the ?HOW TO PLAY? never said you could kill Nick Nock (The house-bot) or that you could get points by hitting it in the back; I?m not sure, but can you deactivate Nick Nock as well? While we?re on the subject, I was a little bothered by the music when it was off for a second or two while the camera transitioned. Nice touch with the voice saying the robots? names and their names above them (But after doing it a second time in the same play, some of the words didn?t show). Also, some of the subtitles were on too short.

I do realize that one of the layers was used for the players, but there is still another thin and thick layer that could have been used for more intricate details. The smoke added more to that Steam punk look, but it couldn?t be seen too well (On my t.v. anyways). Just an idea, but maybe steam shoots out a pipe now and again. The silver metal grill sort of didn?t fit the other designs. It was metal, but it wasn?t a little rusted or anything (I think there was a little bit of rust, but that was only 2 small stickers). I think the lights would add more of a DANGER feel if it was darker with some more lighting. I think that?s it for the menu.

I liked the elevator taking you to the game after the selection to play, but why was there a vent on it? It's a cage . Also, there were no sounds of it stopping, a faint sound of moving, no door sounds, and no steam . This isn?t a complaint or anything, but it would have been cool if it went to the ground, like it was landing, after it came to the end. It would be nice if you used that last thin and thick layer for designs. Maybe a bunch of pipes, wires, or some gears turning behind some barbed wire. Sliding door was cool. Now it's on to robot design.

I have to say, your design of these robots was pretty good:

Acaro- I?m not sure what this one?s look was (An acorn?) but it looked like a bug.
- Probably the second worst. He has the booster and is immune to the traps, but it doesn?t have a way
to deactivate the other robots. Here?s the problem with him. If you push the enemy into a trap, you will have to get behind them to either score points or push them into The PIT.

Triton- He had the oceanic look, and had a trident as the main weapon.
- Maybe the second best. He?s got speed and a deactivator.

Sir Ramsalot- He is in the shape of a shield and has a ram.
- Probably the most useless. He?s slow, no deactivator, and has a pushing ram. He has the same problem with Acaro, but is also slower.

Mr. Snips- This one looked like a beetle with metal pincers.
- Probably the best one, so as long as he doesn?t get deactivated. He has speed, a deactivator, and can surround.

Nick Nock- The robot of the house. He looked the most steam punked than anything else in the level.
- He sometimes doesn?t follow orders when players go into the DANGER ZONE, and he is easy to get points off of (So as long as you?re not the one being chased).

Although the robots did look nice, there were some things that hindered game-play and visuals. Let?s start with the choosing room. The metal on the bottom looked kind of barren. All it had was a line of pipes and a metal patch. The background thick layer could have been used for some movement decor behind the fence with proper lighting. The different lights added their own touch of uniqueness. I've been meaning to say this, and now seems like a good time. Lighting; it's what makes up the mood the most in a level (That?s not just directed at you). You did some lighting, but it wasn?t dark enough to emphasize the light. (I keep thinking of Dead Space when I review levels with the steam punk look)

I finally get to this part; stage selection, wider variety of robots, and beginning position. Variety is what makes games seem interesting longer. That?s why games like Halo or Black Ops always come out with new areas. To change the scenes and make more money (But sadly, we don't make money on LBP). So, the next best thing we can do as creators is keep the fans happy. A wider variety of robots keeps the game changing (At max, probably 8). But one of the things I didn?t like is not being able to have more than one kind of robot out there. Some people tend to grow a favorite, and if someone gets it before you, then that can be a letdown. Starting position is very crucial in strategy. It also keeps the players from just turning and deactivating one another. If you could, maybe spawn the robots in the corners or further apart.

Now we?re moving to the field. I was going to complain about the ground, but I can see why it could be just a flat color; so the player doesn?t get distracted. The controls are annoying at first, but you can get used to them. It's similar to the first Resident Evils? controls. Here, you press X to go forward. They were probably the best control decision you could have made in this kind of game-play. The little lights that indicate whether you?re deactivated or you need to charge are a little hard to see. Maybe make them bigger/foggier or have some other way to show it; especially the RED lights on the RED Mr. Snips. Sometimes Nick Nock doesn?t attack you when you go into his DANGER ZONE. I think this is more of a logic problem.

All that?s left is The Pit (But there isn?t much to say). It's a shame that once you fall into The Pit, you can?t play anymore. If there were 4 players and one got knocked into The Pit, it could get boring to him. Maybe The Pit closes after a bit and the players in the pit get scooped to the left to a spawning area where they?ll come out of. OR, once the players are dead, they now control guns or something to mess with the other players.

I think yours is the longest review I've done on a mini-game. It's really fun, but is the most fun with a lot of players. If this level were to make it onto Mm picks (With some more modifications) it could be better than Clockworx 2.

Aesthetics: Points Possible 40%

- Theme 8%
There haven?t been any levels in LBP2 that have been Robot Wars themed, but you got the idea from a show. Though this is true, many levels out there are based on something, so it won?t penalize you much, or anybody else. All in all, your level was an original take on Robot Wars.

- Design 9%
More could have been done with the design, but it's getting there.

- Mood 3%
The concept of the mood was there, but some of the lighting and other aspects kept it from showing the mood all the way.

- Originality 5%
This was a nice multi-player mini-game with a twist on Robot Wars.

Game-play: Points Possible 60%

- Flow 8%
The flow wasn?t bad; maybe some problems with controls at first and others, but not too bad.

- Lvl Design 8%
Some things could have been done to better the game-play.

- Enjoyability 10%
I really enjoyed this one. I enjoyed every test run I had (Where I played); but you have to get used to the controls.

- Re-playability 6%
With a little more work and added ideas, this could possibly be an Mm pick.

I'll now finish the short story:

The last robot tries for a quick escape to the left, but the metal monster is able to follow his movements, drawing ever closer. The ground begins to shake. The sound of hydraulic presses underneath the last robot?s wheels causes the floor to separate. He races back as an enormous gap starts to form inside the ring. The beast stops.

The two robots face one another. The sound of gears grinding and the hum of a worn motor are the only noises heard.

A red light on the ground begins to flash. One blink? Two blinks? Three? A pillar jettisons out of the ground covered in electricity. The final bot seizes this opportunity and rushes to the left; the bigger bot following. Due to the size of the machines, the smaller, more agile mech swerves around the post, behind the giant. With all his battery power and traction wheels? might, he forced the enormous machine into the fiery pits of the chasm below.

And with this, a trophy came down from above, shining and glistening. He had won the 57th place trophy that he had fought for, for these past five minutes. (Oh yes? I made a funny )

Ok, 57% isn't too bad. I just have some problems when it comes to reviewing mini-games.		2011-02-14 00:11:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Wow. Thanks so much for all the attention to detail Cryo!

(And awesome writing skills )

I'll certainly take everything that you've said on board. I won't mention everything you've suggested again, but rest assured I'll keep notes!

I love the idea of outed players controlling gun turrets on the edges of the arena. Will seriously consider that, along with everything else gameplay-wise.

The lighting and design, yes, I can agree with. I wondered if it should be darker, foggier, moodier all in all. Again, I'll try to improve here.

And probably most importantly, the robots themselves.

I'm really grateful of your detailed rundown of your perception of the robot's strengths and weaknesses. I can see that Acaro and Ramsalot need some re-tweaking and adjustments!

Back to the tweak button I go! Thank you again, so much!		2011-02-14 00:28:00

Author:
rialrees
Posts: 1015

Would appreciate it if you could do my level please

PSN: LordMagicPants

Name of lvl: King Orca And His EVIL Sandcastle of DOOM!

http://lbp.me/v/rb5nps		2011-02-14 00:54:00

Author:
LordMagicPants
Posts: 187

Sooooo... Are you a pair of magic pants or is your family name Magic Pants?

jk. I'll add you right now.		2011-02-14 00:56:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

PSN ID: shimsok

NAME OF LEVEL: The Missing Piece

LBP.ME LINK: http://lbp.me/v/x3jd49

What you want me to focus on the most: (optional/whatever you think needs work)		2011-02-14 07:17:00

Author:
Scholarship
Posts: 105

The Lost (DEMO) - As made by Standby250


So was 12 a random age, or did the FCC actually tell you to say that. A thought just got to me? What if you actually put an ESRB rating on it? lol. Here?s the scoop on this level:


When it rains they say the heavens are crying; crying tears from families and loved ones that had lost someone; someone that was brutally murdered by a man that still walks the streets. Spirits stuck in purgatory, never at peace?

My job isn?t easy. But when I find those responsible, families can finally rest. And the spirits of the departed; will no longer be? The Lost. Well, I have yet again tried poetry. I apologize to those that went blind and deaf.

When I first started the level I was like, ?WTF, THIS SUCKS. WHAT A LOAD OF BULL MAN!!!? Even when I actually started playing a little, it wasn?t really doing it for me. I mean, COME ON MAN, IF ONLY WE HAD A WAY FOR IT TO RAIN!!!

AAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEE I TOTALLY JUST GOT YOU, DIDN?T I? Well, all jokes aside, this level was pretty interesting. I personally have never played Heavy Rain, but I have played its significant other a little, Indigo Prophecy; and I have to say, you?re not all that far off - game-play wise. I?m not sure how to tackle a DEMO, but I?ll see.

WAHOO!!! ; A menu. I love menus. They always add that extra kick you know. Since your level is so short, I?ll separate it into sections. So? On with the review:

Main Menu:

Nice camera work. Not a fan of the title though. You could have gone with Blackout, the name of the city (Which really needs a name), the name of the group he works with (NCIS, FBI, NBA), or even maybe an ironic twist with the story. When I see the title (Which looks good) I think about the show ?Lost? with the polar bear. Then again, Heavy Rain sounded like Chubby Rain, and Indigo Prophecy made me think of the Color blue. So don't listen to me This isn?t going to take away points or anything (Except the city, and bureau); I just thought I?d mention that. The custom music, lighting, and scene (Not sure where he was though) added to the mood. There weren?t too many details in the scene. There was a cop car with no doors and only a blue light, a random sign in the mid-left (After some thought, maybe a Motel 1 sign), a square building, and one of the things I really don't like, a layer glitch. Some people like the layer glitch, but I see it as a sort of cheating (But that?s me). Was it necessary to separate controls and credits from play? Just have Play as big as it is, and put the controls and credits in the small font under it. Lastly, using green as the choice and white as the un-chosen can be confusing. Maybe dim the un-chosen and light it up when chosen.
Prologue: The Apartment

The first time I played the level, the girl on the television wasn?t looking down or anything. The next times I played, she had her head faced down. All I could see was her hair. Nice looking living room, but he had nothing in the kitchen. No blender, toaster, sink (though, could be tough to make) dishwasher, oven, dining table, pictures, light switches, or small table . Couldn?t you have chosen a ringing sound rather than the MGS ring? These aren?t big things, but seeing as how aesthetics are the main focus, they help. The lights didn?t look like lights at first; maybe dim them a little, move them, or make them box lights. What kind of lights does he use anyways? Even though they were on, it was really dark. That has to be the best looking couch I have seen on LBP. lol.

I answered the call, and noticed something that you pointed out again. The guy on the phone said she was a doctor and you later use this as a mood changer. Also, I?m pretty sure they have cell phones that they use. Wow, you actually found a use for the moving squares material. I?m not sure, but it kind of looks like there are blinds to the left in the comp room. What was that area behind the computer? It looked like a window, but I wasn?t sure. There is a huge empty area to the right.
Maybe some stickers for the pillows could have made them look less boxy. It would have been better if he went to his closet for his clothes, and a fadeout for the dressing.

OMG? He had no restroom!?!?! Also, I didn?t know that the plugs overseas came in pairs. That was an interesting fact.

I like how when you go off to the left and right too much he goes back. I wonder what it would have looked like if there was a font as well, like ?I need to go to the crime scene?. I like how when I?m all the way over by the door, he presses the car locator and the door opens. I could be wrong, but don't motels have lights outside the doors? You added a lot of detail on the outside: metal sidewalk, barbed wired railings, graffiti, and metal walls. It gives it that nice home style feeling. I did like the details on the windows, and how you placed doors along the top and bottom to show that there is more than one person without a car; but seriously, nice touch with the windows, doors, and car. What I enjoyed the most however was how he backs up for no reason, then takes off at high speed. HAZZA FOR RECKLESS DRIVING!!!

Chapter 1: Outside the Scene

On the chapter screen, you went all out on the R, but made the D look like an O. I like the idea of the password, which is ?scene? for the readers out there. No confirmation sound when I exited out the password screen? I really liked the attention to detail here. You added fences, bricks, windows, doors, outside lights, and garages. All that was missing was yellow tape. Couldn?t he have just shown the guy his badge or rolled down the window? I?m sure the guy would recognize him; anyone could have gone out and bought a siren. Where do I buy a nice alarm like that for outside my house that goes off and blinks red mercilessly? Why is there an ambulance at the scene? Didn?t they already take the people to the hospital?

Chapter 2: Scene of the Crime

I like the idea of the HOD; it's a nice little tool. Oh man, if only there was a way to do black lights. It would be cool so you can find invisible finger prints or other stuff. The sound it makes when switching layers can also be heard when you can?t go forward or backwards anymore. Why weren?t the lights on, but the TV and alarm still had power? Broken windows can also be a sign of forced entry. It is important to state if it was busted from the inside or out. I don't see why the TV being on ISN?T a clue. That can be very important. He says that he ?needs to check around the room more before going into rooms?, yet he was able to go into the kitchen. You gave this one a sink with no faucets AND a fridge with no handles. lol. The living room and hallway look nice. The kitchen looks nice too, but I wish I could go all the way to the left.

That sucks, I can?t go back. Hmm? what layer are the doors on? It isn?t the back thin layer, and it isn?t the back thick layer. If you raise the front thin layer on the stairs, you can hide where the player?s feet are touching (But it might not make too big a difference). I noticed that the stairs had a door on the bottom of it, but I wasn?t able to go to the front layer. Why was the boy?s door cracked? He could have slept on the couch, fell drunk asleep anywhere in the house, or slept in another room. Why did the room turn RED? It gave it that spooky feeling, but didn?t make sense; but I?ll see as an artistic design.

And now we come to the only restroom in the world of ?The Lost?. It didn?t look bad and there was blood on the walls. But there is a big thing I don't get; they usually check the house to see if anyone is inside (Which they should have found him hiding in the restroom) and I believe detectives are assigned to a team. Not to mention that when the power went out, he should have taken out his gun and called in the blackout (Which is why they have cell phones). They also set up a perimeter, in case a perpetrator comes back or if a perpetrator tries to escape. One last thing is that they usually send in a team to gather evidence. BUT, most of this is what they do over here, I?m not certain on the different styles in different countries.


Aesthetics: Points Possible 40%

- Theme 10%
The theme has its ups and downs. Very interesting and visually appealing, but causes it to lose game-play. It is a nice change of pace though. But due to its game-play being very similar to other games, it isn?t an entirely original idea.

- Design 11%
This level is all about visual appeal for now, but could change later in the full game; although, there were some issues I thought were problems. (But that?s me) Also, another thing I forgot to mention, I noticed you didn?t have the lightning and flickers on randomizers. It really adds a more of a randomness to the setting, rather than the lights and lightning following the same beat every 5 seconds.

- Mood 8%
The mood is probably one of the things this level portrays the most. It has that dreary feeling along with suspense. There were some questions I would like to know, but for the most part it captures the vibe.

- Originality 5%
Not much was introduced in the story so far, but that?s mainly due to it being a demo. There are also some other questions about plot errors, but those can probably be answered later. The game-play with the HOD was very similar to using the Move.

Game-play: Points Possible 60%

- Flow 8%
The flow was decent, but very linear. There was no way to lose, and I was hoping to get a taste of the changing endings.

- Lvl Design 9%
This is where the level fails the most. It is original game-play, but like I said in flow, it was very linear. What I mean by linear is that it was just a point and click; similar to an ?I Spy? on crack. BUT, this is a demo, and not everything that is in the game has been introduced. Perhaps later there will be a car chase scene and you have to turn and weave by pressing buttons. If you fail at it, then the suspect gets away and thus changing the story. But I can?t be for certain if this will be in it.

- Enjoyability 5%
A nice change of pace. This game can be very enjoyable, but due to the limited audience, not all can enjoy it.

- Re-playability 3%
This demo has been played a lot, but that can be due to a lot of things. Time(s) it was published, publicity, or maybe even referrals from others. I would probably replay the level, but mainly to see if anything new was added. I personally am expecting this level to be more interesting, but if the only things that will be in the final game are what they have now, it can become very boring and seem like they could have made it into a movie from the start.


I think we?ve finally gotten a good lead on the Champagne Killer. He?s at the Olive Garden on 3rd and Center. We?re not sure which guy he is, but the tip was that he loves a certain year of drink. When all the customers order what kind of wine, we?ll wait for one to say? 1959.
Well, the main reason this level got 59% wasn?t to make that rhyme, but because of the scores; the most influential being the game-play.		2011-02-16 00:19:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Awesome! Cheers for the review - I'll be sure to take some of the things you said into account. Just so you know...
>The sign in the main menu is actually a road sign - you must have them where ever you're from, but anyway, the sign means "Dead End".
>Yeah, it's lacking slightly in terms of some details. But, overall, it was more to built up suspense than anything else - in terms of the red light etc. You can access the bathroom if you go into the bedroom and turn right in the guy's apartment. And as for the place where he lives - it's not so much a motel but a housing estate - we have quite a few of those here in London.
>The reporter wasn't supposed to be looking down. That was due to the update glitching - but is all fixed now!
>The house - well... this detective wasn't armed - British cops often aren't - only some are. Yeah, I know they should have gone in in a team - but if I played totally by the rules, then I wouldn't have been able to do half the stuff I did.

Obviously some things had to Littbigplanet-ised. But I think this is one of those things where you either love it or... you don't.
Thanks for the review nonetheless. It's great to hear someone's opinion on what's good and what's not - and it much appreciated!

2011-02-16 00:42:00

Author:
standby250
Posts: 1113

PSN: rhansen2
Name: Prius_Eco Adventure
lbp.me: LINK (http://lbp.me/v/xhkk-4)
Preferred Score: Probably something fairly high.

It would be awesome if you reviewed this since I've been working on it for about a month and I really want to raise the awareness. Thanks!		2011-02-16 03:56:00

Author:
Sack-Jake
Posts: 1153

Why do people think I don't like their levels? I said I liked all genres.

I guess we have different signs. Ours is red with a white stripe going horizontal in the middle.

It was interesting, but I'm more curious as to what you are going to add.

As for playing by the rules - It adds more of a believable atmosphere. I'm not saying follow everything, but there are certain rules you must follow. I don't know what it's called, but I call it non-follow-through of theme.(Yep, I even have a name for it)		2011-02-16 04:14:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

I'm not just gonna drive a Prius am I?

I'll add it right now.

__________________________________________________ ______________

I have added a new thing. If I have reviewed a level, and you have any problems with them, whether a reader or creator, you can go and shut the fun letter into my in-box and I'll read it. I can be a very understandable guy, to a certain point.		2011-02-16 04:17:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

I'm just wondering, it must take you ages to make a detailed review like those, how long do you think it takes you?2011-02-16 22:58:00

Author:
Unknown User

I'm not entirely sure really. But I'm usually doing something else as well. Drawing, watching a show, thinking of other levels that I'll never finish making. I like to multitask. But some reviews I really get into. I'm not going to say which, but when I get into them, my writer side gets out some. I also really enjoy writing, when I'm in the mood. Since reviews are short, and various, they keep my like for writing interesting to me. If I write something for too long (2-3 months), I tend to get bored of it. Like I have about 10 story novels in the works. But they're just for fun. Ideas jump everywhere in my head, but I don't have the time or attention span to keep up with them all the time. I work on the stories about a week each wait a month, then work on it some more.

Let's see... I have made twenty-something unpublished level idea levels. I also tend to get off topic. 		2011-02-17 03:00:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

No you won't just be driving a Prius lol.
It's just a pretty well-made platformer with mild Prius advertising.		2011-02-17 04:44:00

Author:
Sack-Jake
Posts: 1153

Awesome. Good luck with yournext reviews e.g. Mine 2011-02-17 17:12:00

Author:
Unknown User

Mild, huh? I'm not going to be driving a Prius, hit a wall, and make the infinite checkpoint run out am I? (Sorry, I couldn't resist, lol)2011-02-17 20:40:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Mild, huh? I'm not going to be driving a Prius, hit a wall, and make the infinite checkpoint run out am I? (Sorry, I couldn't resist, lol)

Nope. You never really even drive a Prius.
At one point you get in and activate a 10 second cutscene, but other than that it's all solid platforming.		2011-02-17 21:36:00

Author:
Sack-Jake
Posts: 1153

Yo guys what's up? I noticed I haven't posted a review in a while, but I have a really good reason. I have started production on my new series, Chasm. It was originally called City on a Moon, but the name of the planet was Chasm, so I went with that. ANYWAYS (Getting off topic there), I have spent most of my reviewing time making the main menu of the series, but I am happy to say I have finally finished the menu (And I am astounded by what I made). I'll start the reviews asap, after this post.



And for anyone that's curious, it's called "Chasm Menu". There's a level link to another one of my levels in side it, but that one is just to test level links and some other stuff that might be in Chasm.		2011-02-18 06:10:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Good day to you sir! Nice to see your level's are on the move - I'll be sure to take another look.

I have another for you! I was so thrilled with your honesty in the first review you did for me that I would appreciate you reviewing my latest project (and one which I've been working on for some time now . . .) The Printz Diaries:

PSN: Rialrees

Name of lvl: The Printz Diaries: Prologue (FILM)

Link to your LBP.me of said lvl: http://lbp.me/v/xyws-0

What you want me to focus on the most: Dialogue, visual effect, timing

What score do you think your level should get: 60-70%. It's almost there, but I'm sure there's plenty to improve!

In regards to the improvements you suggested for my Robot Wars level, now that I'm done on this little intro, I'll be hopping back to tweak what I can (specifically robots and lighting.). Don't think I'll have the time to implement a full gameplay remodel, but I may plan a reboot of sorts in the future, and I'm keeping note of your suggestions for this.

Many thanks!		2011-02-18 13:15:00

Author:
rialrees
Posts: 1015

I decided that movies are going to be in a different category. Also, I am still thinking I should put a section of any advice I give that could be helpful to anyone on the OP. I'll call it "How to Survive the Tundra". Tell me what y'all think.2011-02-18 19:58:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Good idea. Dot dot dot. Dot dot. Dot. Dot. Dot dot dot dot. Dot. ............2011-02-18 20:22:00

Author:
Unknown User

Space Blast 3D Beta 0.9 - As made by Steadler69


I don't see the point of a review if it's the last time it's going to be published. But maybe you might change your mind? BWAHAHAHAHAHAAH!!!!???? Here?s the scoop on this level:

We have a mission boys? WE MUST DESTROY THE JACK SCUM!!! But be careful out there, we?ll be fighting in an asteroid field.

The first thing I noticed was the lack of a menu. Not only does a menu make the level as a whole better, but it also gives the creator time to tell the player very important things like: Instructions, what to expect, and one of the biggies? first impressions. If the menu looks great, it tells the player that the creator might have put in the same effort into the whole game. Not to mention it shows some of the talents the creator has.

There were a lot of things I saw that could use some touching up.

Enemies:

During the entire time I was playing, enemies that looked like jacks popped out; but that was really the only enemy that came. It appeared in different sizes and colors, silver and black, and rarely made an appearance after about four minutes. The black ones were the most annoying. They sometimes blended in with the background so much; I didn?t know what was killing me until I died.

There was also a random glowing circle that appeared now and again, but just gave me points. At first I thought it was a bonus ball or something; then it explodes (Which confused the heck out of me).
Another thing that bothered me and took away some of the looks, were the popping out asteroids. Usually the asteroids or anything that comes out from the sides, starts out of the border and makes its way into site, inside the border. I?d be destroying rocks and out of the dark, a giant boulder pops out from nowhere and kills me.

Player and Friends:

The first thing I would like to say here is the fact that the health bar or Helper count doesn?t follow the player while they are flying around. This is very important, especially when you give the player different camera angles. I found myself constantly flying towards the health bar. Also, the camera angles wouldn?t be that bad if the scores that kept popping up didn?t keep getting in the way.

The weapon choices weren?t all that great and had no names. The only good weapon was the pulse gun; it was the only gun that supplied a great firing rate. And since every asteroid, no matter what size, only needed to be hit once; the pulse gun had a lot of power. Also, the guns made no sounds when shot.

I shall dub this guy Helper; mainly due to two reasons. One, at times he can be very useful. And two, most of the time he will get in your way, shoot you, or run into you. Neither of these would be a problem if it wasn?t for the fact that it had friendly fire. Not only does its stream of bullets kill you, but if you run into Helper he obliterates you. He sometimes acts as a shield for enemies as well.

Space, the Final Frontier: (I have no idea where I got that from, but I know I got it from something)

As for everything else, there were a few problems with the area. It was very repetitive and there was a ?sweet spot?. If you went into the bottom right corner, you could stay there forever and blast anything that came towards you. Then the asteroids ran into the borders, and stacked up along the
wall to the left of you. After waiting a few seconds, I just went and destroyed the stack of rocks then returned.

The background also had some problems. You had the star field glass set to like 200%, and it messed up the background horribly. It looked like a stream. Maybe set it to like 4%. The moons and planet in the bottom right corner looked like they were just put in there to fill space. I sometimes ran into the planet, making it spin and making two planets appear. I have no idea as to why you made the background theme the cityscape.

Aesthetics: Points Possible 40%

- Theme 5%
There really wasn?t anything special about the theme. There were no added ideas, except for Helper, and lacked in the design department.

- Design 5%
The playing area looked very empty, and the whole look of the level looked like it was made in LBPone.

- Mood 3%
The lighting was off, and the only thing holding it all together was the music.

- Originality
Helper was original, but him being able to kill you was annoying.

Game-play: Points Possible 60%

- Flow 3%
The flow was very constant. Not much change in game-play.

- Lvl Design 3%
There was one enemy, the same asteroid, and very repetitive.

- Enjoyability 3%
It had that arcade feeling at first, but got boring after awhile.

- Re-playability 0%
All I can say here is that you have some tough competition with Blast Radius and Super Stardust.


OH GOD, THEY?RE RIGHT ON MY TAIL? DON?T WORRY BILL. I?LL HELP YOU GET THAT JACK OFF!!!
BOOM!!! I GOT HIM. Wow? when they explode, they always explode into exactly 22 pieces.

I guess the main reason this level gets 22% is because of all the problems. But they are problems that can easily be fixed. So don't give up.		2011-02-18 21:36:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Very good feedback you are hading out here. I could use some help checking out my level. It is not the shortest in the book, and not super easy. I have made massive edits and alterations so it can have fun as multi or single player. I placed in stickers for certain things, but not sure if anyone has even used them once.

PSN: Celsus

Level: OK Space Accident (LBP2)

URL: http://lbp.me/v/xwhr-j

Focus: On anything and every thing! Would like to know if many of the extra things are even worth the thermo they take like mini like game at start, intro, ending mini game, stickers and all that they do, the not so good ending...and so on.		2011-02-19 04:07:00

Author:
celsus
Posts: 822

Alrighty then. Adding you now.

What's with the stickers? Like do you mean custom stickers?		2011-02-19 07:56:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

hi Cryogen, thanks for the review, is this the lowest scoring level you have done?
lol it was my first every LBP level, im new to the game, and i have taken all your feedback and will work on things to try and improve the things you mentioned.
I really appreciate you taking the time to review the level, i thought it was good, but looking at blast radius, i probarbly should of not even bothered to compete with it lol.
Thanks again, in a few weeks when i have fixed all the problems, i will ask you to review it again.		2011-02-19 11:28:00

Author:
steadler
Posts: 180

Lol. Yeah, Blast Radius is some tough competition, but there is a lot of stuff they could have added. Just make your level unique and bring something new to the table. The more new content, the more people will want to play unique game-play.

I'm not sure about the lowest, I try not to remember the scores. Not due to laziness, but because I don't want to remember what the levels were, I want to remember what they can be.		2011-02-19 20:00:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

So what's the deal with Chasm so far then?2011-02-20 21:22:00

Author:
Unknown User

Right now I'm making things that will be a part of it. So far I've made "Research", "Mining", and "Begin" linked to levels that test out concepts in the levels. "Research" tests out a bot in a setting that won't be in Chasm. And "Mining" tests out my "Submerged Mineral Gatherer" or S.M.G. Those test stages are only mere fractions of the whole series and game-play.2011-02-21 00:20:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

The Truth of Moose V2 - As made by Trivran


Hmm? This level was very interesting. It had a funny point, and very original. The main thing I don't get though is; WHY WASN?T THIS A MOVIE??? Here?s the scoop on this level:

Every day they must live through a tragedy they call life. Many die, for what? So we can test our products? WHY OH WHYYYYYYYY MUST THIS GO ON?!?!?!!!!! Brothers and sisters, I ask that we take to arms and attack? What?... ILLEGAL?!?!?! Uhh? son of a ? Strike that last statement. Brothers and sisters, we must go to the capital and calmly state our case. For we must???. SHUT UP!!!... WHAT? ?..We do? ?..Oh???well?..? Apparently, we have a safe haven for our pals the Moose?.or is it Meese?

This level was very original in its take on the now endangered animal of LBP. But like I stated earlier; WHY WAS THIS NOT A MOVIE???? It had some great qualities to make a fantastic movie. You could have gone with a newscast, documentary, or some random guy on the street asking people questions.

The beginning room looked really nice, but I had no idea as to what I was in. There was a bed and a vending machine. And there was a hole in the roof. I have no idea as to why the barrels were on fire. You could have just made the top section on fire or another way. Why was a moose in a cage when the protest was like 5 feet away?

The rally with five people could have been a lot better. You could have had them behind some tape and a dealer of moose in a car with bodyguards. Then stick some signs in the crowd with more bots and make the signs move. Then when the camera goes right it shows the guy?s car driving by and explode by a rocket or just explode. Then a guy comes from the left and says something like, ?AND THAT?S THE PAIN A MOOSE FEELS!!!?

I noticed that you used detailed cars. What was the point of that? You also had to get in from the sunroof. You could have had a controlinator or just have the players walk there (Making the path much shorter of course)

The cameras kept replaying when I moved back and forth.

The televisions could have had holograms on them and a zoom. I thought the car was pulling a Nightrider on me.

I personally am not a fan of visible music boxes unless they have a reason. They tend to distract players or kill some of the mood. As for the scene of where the box was, I didn?t know that was a church at first. The lighting could have changed to show a sad mood, and the lightning and thunder could have been on a randomizer, rather than LBPone logic, so it isn?t around every four seconds. For a second there, I thought the moose was talking. You could have made different tombstones and tilted them, rather than copy and pasted just one. The shovel needs work. Why were the tombstones on concrete? The music stops when it's finished, maybe put it on repeat. The dock could have been in sections to show planks, and the stilts (Forgot what they were called) could have been on the front and back thin layers.

The boat could have been on a controlinator as well. Also, I could swim all the way to the bottom.

The fence was pretty low for the moose, the legs could have been on the thin layers, and the camera angle was too low. I drowned and went all the way back to the mob.


Aesthetics: Points Possible 40%

- Theme 5%
The theme was very original and funny, but lacked in everything else.

- Design 3%
This level lacked in this area a lot.

- Mood 2%
The only section with mood was the cemetery and farm.

- Originality 5%
Very original, but not a movie; more could have been added to make it better.

Game-play: Points Possible 60%

- Flow 3%
This level had like no flow. It was just going through some magic mouths. I?m telling you, this would be great as a movie. Very short.

- Lvl Design 3%
There was nothing fun in game-play. All I did was press right and jump.

- Enjoyability 2%
I liked the story. But that was pretty much it.

- Re-playability 0%
If worked on more, it can be a funny short film. Maybe even a series.


This level had a great story going, but it was ruined by not being a movie and other factors.
23% is the total.

A low score, but the biggest downfall on a level like this is no game-play. It needs more work on aesthetics too. I think it will be a great series with a lot more work added to it.		2011-02-21 02:54:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

The LBP.ME link for my level has changed. It is now the following: http://lbp.me/v/x3jd492011-02-21 06:48:00

Author:
Scholarship
Posts: 105

I ruined it. I RUINED IT! NOOOO!

Thanks for the review. The bit at the start was very funny. I have taken in all you have had to say, and I wall post my reply to each.

The beginning room looked really nice, but I had no idea as to what I was in. There was a bed and a vending machine. And there was a hole in the roof. I have no idea as to why the barrels were on fire. You could have just made the top section on fire or another way. Why was a moose in a cage when the protest was like 5 feet away?

Thanks for saying it looked nice. I guess my fridge looked like a vending machine (it was see through after all). I should adjust the angle so you don't see the hole in the roof really. I shall make the 'barrels' more like those things you see in movies and I thought it just looked like the top bit. Or, as you said, I could just make the whole thing a movie and cut out the house.

The rally with five people could have been a lot better. You could have had them behind some tape and a dealer of moose in a car with bodyguards. Then stick some signs in the crowd with more bots and make the signs move. Then when the camera goes right it shows the guy?s car driving by and explode by a rocket or just explode. Then a guy comes from the left and says something like, ?AND THAT?S THE PAIN A MOOSE FEELS!!!?

Yeah, those sackbots love to eat my thermo. It started to really lag about that area and the thermo went crazy. Perhaps I should listen to it and..space out.. I did have some signs, but making them move? Perhaps I make them theck and the sackbots hold them. The camera pans right.. the guy is happily driving..boom! Sounds much better than what I already have. Hey! I'm so stupid..I could use copy player 1 for a sackbot's costume. Moose dealer with bodyguards. So I use Jayden glasses, cool black outfits..I'm forming this in my head. Then the protest is behind tape and a few officers..goodbye my thermo friend.

I noticed that you used detailed cars. What was the point of that? You also had to get in from the sunroof. You could have had a controlinator or just have the players walk there (Making the path much shorter of course)

Yes, I used detailed cars. I couldn't be bothered to make my own car for it so I modified a friends. I will either make the whole thing a movie (therefore eliminating the player's need to get in the car) Or I use 4 controlinators, of which 3 are invisible, close the sunroof whole, and etc. etc.

The cameras kept replaying when I moved back and forth.

You what? How?!?! Must be sequencers. I better sort that.

The televisions could have had holograms on them and a zoom. I thought the car was pulling a Nightrider on me.

What's a nightrider?

I personally am not a fan of visible music boxes unless they have a reason. They tend to distract players or kill some of the mood. As for the scene of where the box was, I didn?t know that was a church at first. The lighting could have changed to show a sad mood, and the lightning and thunder could have been on a randomizer, rather than LBPone logic, so it isn?t around every four seconds. For a second there, I thought the moose was talking. You could have made different tombstones and tilted them, rather than copy and pasted just one. The shovel needs work. Why were the tombstones on concrete? The music stops when it's finished, maybe put it on repeat. The dock could have been in sections to show planks, and the stilts (Forgot what they were called) could have been on the front and back thin layers.

Music box visible = accident that I can't change till I get my PS3 back. You say you didn't know it was a church...so I will make it on the thick layer and upgrade the windows. Lighting = sad mood from.. Randomizer. Gotcha. Make work sackbots. I always hated that shovel.. Tombstones will be on grass. Regular tombstone, cross tombstone, broken tombstone when I get back on. I wanted the music to sotp. Perhaps you just idled to long. Make the dock more detailed and in sections. Scrap that, I'm making a cliff drop.

The boat could have been on a controlinator as well. Also, I could swim all the way to the bottom.

Solution to swimming to bottom - either make the players control sackbots or stick some gas in there. I choose gas. Why should the boat be on a controlinator?

The fence was pretty low for the moose, the legs could have been on the thin layers, and the camera angle was too low. I drowned and went all the way back to the mob.

It was a comic moose..but being on the thin layer it could look much better. The fence was pretty low because any higher and sack people would go under. Solution: I smear it down and make it higher. Camera is ok to me.

There you are. All I could think of. You basically redesigned my level..so woohoo.		2011-02-21 11:08:00

Author:
Unknown User

Oh that was a fridge, lol. My mistake.

A "Nightrider" was the name of a show in the 80's. It had a black sports car that talked to the driver. It had that red visor looking thing on the front. Here's a link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo8Qls0HnWo). I always liked that opening theme song.

Gas looks too tacky under water. Just extend the materials the the other side.

You usually don't want music to stop on it's own. Sometimes people like to stop and enjoy the sites. Just put a music box where you want the music to stop and put all the volumes to 0.		2011-02-21 11:29:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Oh yeah! Nightrider..with..with the pink sports car..uh-huh. So I just need a camera on the TV shop. We follow the adventures of Indiana Sack, exploring the filthy streets of trivranville. Stocked with Moose Dealers..you get the point.

Eithere extend the walls..which would be annoying..or stick concrete there.

I guess I will have to write the whole song instead of the first 18 bars.		2011-02-21 15:23:00

Author:
Unknown User

Nah just set it to repeat.2011-02-21 23:46:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

LBP.ME link has been changed again. It is now the following: http://lbp.me/v/x3jd49

I apologize for any inconvenience.		2011-02-22 00:00:00

Author:
Scholarship
Posts: 105

I'm not bothered too much about it, I already have your name of the level on the OP, just send me a pm instead of posting it in the thread.2011-02-22 05:33:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Sorry for the late reply. The stickers are used to short-cuts, unlocking doors, kind of save point (just another short-cut), and a game ender just for laughs. They are all custom made for the level, they were completely space theme. I had some fun with making them more interesting...but I may have gone off target and possibly should change them back. Had to lock the level when I found an overheating issue was causing some weird things, then accidentally ruined the level, used my back-up, fixed it and just published with a finished name.
Space Vessel 8212: Centuries Adrift
http://lbp.me/v/x4vhzh		2011-02-22 07:28:00

Author:
celsus
Posts: 822

Hi, would you please review my level.

PSN:AceMcMann

Turtle vs The Volcano

http://lbp.me/v/xx086c

I would like to know if you think it's an adventure worth continuing.

I think i might get some bonus points for originality.		2011-02-23 02:53:00

Author:
Ace29
Posts: 132

Didn't someone say "Finally a turtle adventure?" in your thread?

I say yes. 25 plays, 18 likes, 4 hearts, no dislikes. Either those are all from friends or you got something good going on.		2011-02-23 02:59:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

King Orca And His EVIL Sandcastle of DOOM! -
As made by LordMagicPants


?Were whalers on the moon, we carry a harpoon, but there ain?t no whales, so we sing our tales, were whalers on the moon.? lol. Here?s the lowdown on this level:


Have you heard the rumor that kids are talking about these days, the one with the giant sandcastle guarded by sharks?

No.

REALLY?!?!

Yep, never heard of it.

Well, whatever. It's a lot of bologna if you ask me. Those kids can take their lies and shove them right up their?

OH WOW, LOOK A GIANT SANDCASTLE MOMMY. On my first look at this unknown town, I notice that the pirate pack would be used a lot. That isn?t a bad thing, but game-play and looks tend to be very similar with the levels in that pack. Good thing you changed the scene. I would say it would have been nice to be in the village longer, but that might be too much of the same thing.

The thing the first light is hanging on might have looked better if it was thin. A thing I noticed with the sticker cutting tool is that it always leaves a bit of an outline. If you look closely, you can see some cardboard on the roofs. A way to fix it is after you cut, enlarge the picture some. The barrels? sides can be seen with no decorations. I wish the mug didn?t have that handle. Another problem with cutting is that it doesn?t make holes in between the nets on the hanging floats. There are holes that I can see the background through. One to the bottom left, one by the spikes (Which I could go on), and the wall to the left looks like it was just placed there to hide the background. Speaking of background, why didn?t you use one? The Pirates one could have worked.

The lights were on even though the sun was out. They didn?t really add anything to the lighting. It would have been cool if the light flickered or went off when you hit it along with the sound already on them.

Swinging on three floats seemed unnecessary. One float might have been fine. Pushing the block seemed so clich?; you could have made him go through a building, window, or some fancy contraption; the ?Unnecessarily Intricate Contraption? (U.I.C. Since you were going with the comedy direction ).

I like the custom characters, but the first guy?s legs made him look like he was sitting down. And their skin wasn?t colored any color, just the color of the cardboard. His can could have been on the thin layer. Their whole bodies could have been on the thin layer or sackbots? but I think they were better off as boards.

I think it would have been better if the jump pads were inside the barrels. That way the player jumps inside and pops out. I think you can get rid of the sound it makes. lol. I thought the one waving the finger was a dude. The emo kid looks like the guy from Gorillaz. I can see the purple tag sensor on the thing covering the hole. Also, there?s a crack where the hole with jump pads is and I could fit through. I looked closer at the sensor and noticed it was from LBP1. Even though the old dudes said it was fake, the sand castle was 2 feet away. Maybe you could have swam, ridden a boat, or went through somewhere to get to the castle. It could have even been a series to get all the way to the castle with the kids.

Another place where an U.I.C. could have been used rather than the jump pad. I like how you fit the random obstacles into the dialog. The angle after King Orca wants something ruins the look and makes the shark by Orca look like a horse. I can?t put my finger on it, but the sharks look like a cartoon character I can?t remember.

The ?going down on a wench and dodging obstacles? (G. Do a Wado ) is a clich? as well. The sharks looked nice. The jellyfish would have been nicer if you could see the electricity (Maybe plasma since lightning can?t be under water) and if the tentacles weren?t so solid. To get rid of the hole on the hole with the jump pads, maybe make it a two door door.

Now we get into deeper platforming. The obstacles seemed too simplistic, and didn?t require much skill. I liked how the platforms popped out though. Maybe hide the pistons on the spiked blocks with the toggle switches. The three layers could have been used here to make the obstacles more intricate. Maybe color the cardboard that exploded like sand.

You tend to stick to only one layer when it comes to platforming. Try to utilize all three or at least two. The puzzles are still pretty simple in logic and skill. The area with the two giant wooden wheels seemed very familiar to the first LBP1 story levels.

The falling platform with the second pair of bouncing platforms is a little low.

The first grabinator was pretty straight forward. It would have been cool if I had to throw the ball at the switches on the wheel, rather than just jumping with it grabbed.

The second grabinator puzzle is what I?m talking about. You make the player think a little and do some platforming as well. More platforming would have been nice.

A pretty straight forward mini-boss. With the new logic, you could have had them follow you, shoot something the player can?t grab then shoot out something they can, or maybe even make one shoot another.

Another miniboss, but this one used LBP2 logic, but its logic wasn?t all that complicated either. I liked the way this one died.

I tried to but stopped. I tried to bring the ball from the last mini-boss fight as far as I could. The furthest I got were the spinning platforms. The bouncers are really annoying sometimes. The spinning platforms are also getting clich?d.

YAY, another puzzle obstacle. Well not a super duper puzzle, but it's cool. To make the awesomeness last longer, maybe use another layer to add another spinning wheel above the one here. So the player has to jump on two.

A jetpack puzzle. How come in this one, you hide the pistons on the spiked blocks and not the others. If it was darker, the lights might have a purpose. I guess it doesn?t matter which way you spin the wheel.

WOW. Could you have also added lightning yo-yos? Jk, but the music and the start seem like they were ripped right from the story. I just noticed you use tag sensors for the Cannon Sharks. Also, it was a bit of a letdown that the first and second stages of the boss fight were pretty much the same as the mini-bosses. I don't know how you would do it (Maybe hologram) but it would have been cool if his expression changed on the last section.

I killed the kids with the bomb, how were they alive?


Aesthetics: Points Possible 40%

- Theme 10%
The theme was very original, well, sort of. Sharks and what not, but original for his own comic take on the theme. A sand castle controlled by sharks. AWSOME!!!

- Design 8%
Many things could have been added to add to the design. The only section that really used all three layers was the beginning and first under water section. Other than that, most of the decorations and game-play were only on the first layer. There could have been clever ways to combine the look and game-play better. It's made out of sand: Water could have melted sections, falling sand pits, sections breaking, or rising sand sections. I liked the characters and the theme.

- Mood 8%
The mood was comical, but the lights had no purpose and there wasn?t enough comical in some sections.

- Originality 5%
Original take on a comic style.

Game-play: Points Possible 60%

- Flow 7%
The flow was good, but too simple. The spring pads were sometimes annoying.

- Lvl Design 10%
Some of the obstacles were like the first levels in story on LBPone. Some were too short (Could make it longer), too simple, and a couple were annoying. Only one layer was used in game-play. I did like the 2 puzzles the most though. I could see a series of this, where you go with the kids to find the mysterious sand castle of King Orca (Orca Castle).

- Enjoyability 8%
It wasn?t that bad. Funny, a little entertaining, and a boss!!! (Even though he was similar to the others)

- Re-playability 3%
This is another of those, ?It's fun but one play is good? (If B.O. Pig)


Orca Jr. :So, did granddad ever get his wish?
Killer: No. He never did. At first the water was rising. More and more. Enough to fill the ocean?
Orca Jr. : That makes no sen?.
Killer: Shoosh! I?m telling the legacy. Even though he was a fish he?
Orca Jr. : What are you talking about? Grandad was a mam?..
Killer: I said shut it! The water was too high and he?
Orca Jr. : HE DROWNED?!?!
Killer: WHAT! NO. He?uhhh??heeee??uhhhhhhh??..got smushed.
Orca Jr. : Smushed?... By what, a shoe?
Killer: NOPE! His ego. Now go to sleep and stop ruining my stories. That?s the 59th one? sheesh. 59% isn?t horrible, all it needs is more invasive game-play and the three layers used more efficiently.		2011-02-23 08:37:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

PSN: valmassoi

Name of lvl: A Bubbly Garden.

Link to your LBP.me of said lvl: http://lbp.me/v/x4q412

What you want me to focus on the most: Trying to keep a combo going throughout a whole area.		2011-02-23 11:40:00

Author:
anoken
Posts: 1654

I would appreciate it if you reviewd my new level!

PSN: q1q1111q1wer

Level name: The Waterfall Gardens

LBP.me link: http://lbp.me/v/x4530d		2011-02-23 13:02:00

Author:
Unknown User

I really like these reviews, Cryogen, but I think what has been lacking so far for any budding creator is perspective.

I know the likelihood of the uber successful coming here for a review is pretty low, so, how would those in the 'MM picked' scale of things score? Without going in to great detail, perhaps you could give a quick overview for comparison?		2011-02-24 09:29:00

Author:
FourteenInchGaz
Posts: 110

Hmm... Good point.

So you want me to show a level that is successful and say why I think it's successful? (Though I can't be absolutely sure)

That might take a while to find a good example. Most, nearly all, of the best levels are more focused onto visuals. Not to mention their seniority on LBP. Also there are the BETA people that got a chance to debut levels before anyone else. (Which I think is unfair) I'm not saying their levels are terrible, but "they could use improvements".

I'll try though.		2011-02-24 20:24:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

G'day Cryogen,

My name is Thunderbolt444 I have 2 levels I would like to be reviewed;

1. Football Kick (http://lbp.me/v/wy-ygr)
2. Zombie Horde: Single Player Beta (http://lbp.me/v/xr7pth)

Only do two levels if you can; I don't want you doing more than you want to.

Thanks for this; it is much appreciated.		2011-02-26 00:44:00

Author:
Unknown User

@ G'day to you too. I'll add you right now.

I've been doing some other things than reviewing lately, but in 2 or so days, I'll have a Nothing To Do Day. So I think I'll write like 4 reviews that day.

No new episodes are coming out.

All my friends will be busy with work or something.

I don't feel like drawing or creating for a while. (A kind of writer's block)

And it'll be the weekend.

yippee........		2011-02-26 01:17:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

OK. Thanks mate.2011-02-26 04:52:00

Author:
Unknown User

PSN: AngelGozen

Name of lvl: Little Big Planet origins (Movie)

Link to your LBP.me of said lvl: In my signature XD aswell as thread if you want O_O

What you want me to focus on the most: nit picking (anything to help this be absolutly perfect)

What score do you think your level should get: a hearted XD		2011-02-26 20:24:00

Author:
Angelgozen
Posts: 286

I thought the origin was in the intro to LBP.

It's not just going to be an empty level is it?		2011-02-26 21:38:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

LOL XD never thought of that XD
Nah it's a real series i'm working on ^_^		2011-02-26 22:27:00

Author:
Angelgozen
Posts: 286

PSN: Hotwlngz - (Spelled Hotw L ngz, but probably not an issue)

Name of lvl: Defend the Castle! (Point'n'Click-Styled Survival)

Link to your LBP.me of said lvl: http://lbp.me/v/xvwk6j

What you want me to focus on the most: The... um... everything ^^

What score do you think your level should get: Whatever makes it worth the weeks of development and play-testing 		2011-02-27 01:08:00

Author:
Unknown User

Hey Cryogen,

Today I updated Football Kick; I think it is way better now. From looks to the gameplay - I think it's awesome!

If you have started writing the review, don't worry, but I have fixed some problems and it is heaps better.

Thanks again mate.		2011-02-27 07:38:00

Author:
Unknown User

Actually, I've played everyone's levels already. I did on Friday. As for starting the reviews..... :C no. Haven't had time. But tomorrow should be the "BlAh DaY". I do have a pretty good idea as to what to talk about in each though.2011-02-27 08:38:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

PSN:chadythebaddy

Level Name:Legion Of The Undead - The Beginning
Link: http://lbp.me/v/x2e7g5
Focus: gameplay mostly and any suggestions would be appreciated		2011-02-27 19:52:00

Author:
Unknown User

The Missing Piece - As made by Shimsok


When I first entered this level, I notice, right off the bat, that you used a character from a story level in LBP1. It is very frowned upon to use story made items, excluding items you can?t make. I assume I begin in a temple, but there is a huge lack in details and d?cor. It's just a solid material for the walls and ground. It's a palace. Maybe add some chandeliers, windows, tables, throne, chairs, suits of armor, or anything that fits the theme of the castle. There?s also only one guy in the whole place. Maybe add some more servants that are cleaning or crying for the lost king.

To be honest, the entire beginning could have been a movie. That way you could tell the story better and when I backtrack, it doesn?t repeat the bubble again. Also, the effects and story needs more depth; and there also needs to be a reason as to why the king couldn?t get out of the cage with magic. You could have even shown the whole kidnapping taking place. Then it goes to the actual game-play.

At the bottom of the stairs, the bottom step was way too close to the arch of stone. The girls that talked about the kidnapping looked like the exact same person. Maybe change every character up differently; Even the monkeys. Just add some stickers or headbands. If the characters are all different, then it adds more character to them.

Why are their houses from the Colonial era? Maybe make huts or something that fits the theme. Also, they need to not be just a sticker on a solid material. It just looks lazy. There?s a light where the guy sells fish that seems to have no purpose. Maybe make him an actual selling hut. And I have no idea as to what all the women were doing.
What?s with the elevator? He could have climbed a tree or inside the cave instead of just going straight up.
The opening to the temple seemed too simple. No elegant details or any creepy ways of saying ?GO AWAY?. The same goes for the obstacles inside the temple. All the platforming was very simplistic and weren?t original. It is an old temple (I think) so I?d suspect some kind of puzzles or obstacles that would make the player think.

It was strange that the blue guy was just standing there. And then you see him and then chase him. It would make sense if the blue guy was sneaking around, but it's his castle. The cage didn?t look like you even tried on it. The dissolve material is pretty much useless in LBP2. It's better to use a destroyer. The bounce pad, glitch, and more level objects pretty much killed my interest. But if the game-play were stretch more, it could have justified a reason for the tree to be another level.

If the monkeys had any kind of clothing, it would show they were more civilized. The rockets made no sense at all. You could have had the monkeys activate traps or something. I?m now lost as to what era I?m in and where I am because of the gun. The rest of the game-play from here on is pretty much like the temple.

The last scene with the king and captor really confused me. Even though the king was a captive, there were no locks, bolts, or chains near him. It seemed like they were working together now, or watching to see something happen to you.

Aesthetics: Points Possible 40%

- Theme 5%
The theme was semi-original; a king getting captured in a temple theme. The main problems were the game-play and d?cor.

- Design 5%
The design lacked quite a lot. You?re getting the idea down, but there isn?t much detail in the scenery. Just slapped on stickers.

- Mood 3%
You?re getting there, but some of the elements seemed placed from either someone telling you, or a quick fix. The pirate music, before the temple where the elevator was, seemed pointless. There was no action and you changed music when you actually got to the action.

- Originality 3%
There have been levels where a person gets captured, but I've never seen one where the king gets captured as the main story.

Game-play: Points Possible 60%

- Flow 3%
The flow was dull. All the obstacles seemed like the same o? same o?.

- Lvl Design 3%
Not very much original game-play.

- Enjoyability 5%
The deliverance of the story needs work. But a bit of an interesting story.

- Re-playability 0%
Needs work.

Total score is 27%. The main reason being the designs.		2011-03-02 03:52:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Prius_Eco Adventure - As made by Rhansen2


So, it seems a competition player has fallen into my lap. MUHAHAHHAHA!!! If this review helps you win? I would like half of the tv. BWAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHH!!!! Here?s the 30 mpg low down on this level:


Bot 1: What?s that?

Bot 2: Huh?

Bot 1: It seems to be a noxious nebulous manifestation of a repercussion from conflagrating a copious of hydrocarbon deposits.

Bot 2: Era? What?!
If you are wondering, I did use a thesaurus for those words. I already knew what those words were, but I couldn?t remember all of them. It just says, ?It seems to be a poisonous cloud effect from burning a lot of fossil fuels.?

Not a fan of the way you started. The elevator was nice, but the escalator and the way you get to the escalator were annoying in a way. The jump from the elevator to the escalator isn?t necessary. You could have made the jump into a path so the player just has to press right, with no jumping, to get to the escalator. I had figured the escalator would push me to the end of the hall but I couldn?t be lazy and had to walk. Visible music.

Rather than the light already being on, you could have it to where it also turns on when the glitter noise sounds. Ever since the story did the whole ?Something pops out with that music playing? that clich? has been popping up in so many levels. It also seemed pointless.

I've noticed that the game-play is really similar to Eve?s levels. I like that you carry around the light. It might have been neat if you had to charge the light; like you had to charge it in the purple light for a few seconds. It seemed pointless to have jump pads on all three layers to press the button. Having the checkpoint AFTER the flower supplier was tedious. The player has to go back just to get the light, rather than getting it on his way; the same goes for the grapple in the beginning. I just realized that there were windmills inside the tree. If you think about it, it makes no sense. Maybe turn them into recyclers or them getting power from the tree. I could jump over the power taker and take the light all the way to the hydro plant?. Hmm?. Maybe you could have had it an actual plant. Where was the water coming from? The race was pointless.

Maybe more panels and windmills? Also, the panels probably should be glowing as well. Not sure as to how you made the windmills, but it looks like a glitch.

The opening to the second part seemed to be in the middle of the design category. It didn?t look bad, but something was strange. lol. What?s with the pipe on the left? You saying Toyota companies are messy.

I thought there was another conveyer belt here. I like the look of the bridge. Not much of an entrance though. It's a Toyota factory after all. I was expecting like some great opening or maybe some kind of security for the gas hog. Maybe a bunch of locks or something.

The first Prius I see here doesn?t really look all that amazing. You could have made it drive in a fixed spot and driving through a hurricane. lol. Too bad you can?t change the trajectory of the wind. So it looks like it goes over the curves on the car.

What are windmills doing inside? They could have been eco-generators or something. The obstacle where you just have to grab the bubble wrap isn?t too exciting. If it was really bigger, made you go from one to another, or went through some sort of obstacle course, that would be awesome. I didn?t like how there?s just a piece of random plasmafied floor. And there wasn?t even another one after it. It's like it was just placed there for no reason.

I drop down and then a random bot tells me some stuff??? Info like that usually has to be eased into. Not just flung onto a player. You could go with the subliminal message. Like you?re going down a long treadmill and it has pictures of it. Or on the same treadmill, you can explain it.

NONSENSE I TELLS YOU, NONSENSE!!! lol. What are solar panels doing inside as well? You could have made this one look cool too. Maybe a giant sunroof opens, up above, and light shines from it onto the car. There?s more to just having in/out movers push you. Use the theme as a building block. They were going in and out, why not make them have a purpose as to why they?re moving in and out or up and down?

I liked the last part before the final link. It really told me I was going to a new section.

Though, as for the last part itself, I didn?t like it that much. It looked great, but it was the same stuff and was like you ripped it straight from the story. The heart part was pretty cool, but reminded me of one of Victoria?s levels. And there were only 3 parts where you actually climbed on the heart (Including the hidden area). It seemed too short. There?s some climbing on the arms, not much different.

Here?s what I was disappointed with the most. Using the Prius like that. It was unique I guess, but I thought the Prius was going to transform or become some super weapon or something. I?m not sure what these are, but they look like arcade machines. They could have been barrels of pollution (Though, that makes no sense if you think about it lol) or maybe taking the power from something else that was eco-friendly. I had no idea as to where I was where the arcade machines were.

Nice choice with the song at the end. I thought that song would never have a purpose. lol.


Aesthetics: Points Possible 40%

- Theme 6%
It was a nice choice to go with for the competition. But it is a theme for a competition, so not much on originality. I?m sure there are others with a similar theme.

- Design 8%
It had some design flaws like some empty spaces and other aesthetics. Though there were too many similarities to story levels though.

- Mood 5%
Some of the mood was conveyed pretty well.

- Originality
Not sure if I should give points here. Too many similarities. There wasn?t really any new game-play.

Game-play: Points Possible 60%

- Flow 5%
The game-play seemed to flow, but it felt the same throughout.

- Lvl Design 5%
Some of the obstacles seemed to be ripped from the story or they weren?t really like ?WOW!!!? You just need to go further with the obstacles.

- Enjoyability 5%
It was somewhat enjoyable. The scenery wasn?t terrible and it at least had a story.

- Re-playability 0%
It didn?t have much originality or that ?WOW!!!? factor. Maybe work on the game-play elements more.

YAY!!! WE BEAT THAT MEAN O? GASHOG. I BELIEVE IT?S TIME FOR A CELEBRATION!!! AND WE MANAGED TO SAVE 34% OF THE OZONE FROM DISSAPEARING!!!

34% isn?t a lot, but the main problem is the game-play.		2011-03-06 00:42:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Thanks for the review. It's sort of refreshing to see something critical and well put-together rather than in-game reviews.
I've learned a lot from building the levels, I think I'm ready to build on the real LBP2 improvements for next time.		2011-03-06 03:29:00

Author:
Sack-Jake
Posts: 1153

I think I might stop writing reviews.... MAYBE.

As you can tell, I haven't been really writing any, but I feel like I'm letting down the community if I quit.

Don't get me wrong, they're fun and I enjoy writing them. It's just I like talking to people directly rather than typing some black and white symbols. SO!!!!!

This may, OR may not be a good idea, but I was thinking of live reviews. Rather than typing out what I want to say, I can just go straight to your level with you, in create or not, and talk about stuff. I'm not sure how this will turn out though. The other player would probably need a mic as well, which limits some people because they all don't have mics. If this idea fails, I'll either just buy some voice recognition software (Which I have been thinking of buying for some time for my stories), or suck it up and keep on typing.

If there are any volunteers as guinea pigs, please speak now, or forever read black and white.

Remember, this is just an experimental idea.

Maybe I'll put a list of things I go over in the live review in the thread.		2011-03-08 11:59:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

I hate to suggest this as I was next up (mini violin in the background ) but still . . .

If your heart isn't in writing reviews anymore then maybe it's time to call it a day, or at least take a break, for your own sanity. It's just like creating in LBP2, or writing a blog, or any creative hobby - if you're not in it, it'll show. And also, it'll really start to tick you off.

So my good sir, I would completely understand if you turned around and said - "you know what? This review malarky is really starting to get on my nerves. I'm gonna take a break."

Whatever your choice, all is well with me. 		2011-03-09 16:40:00

Author:
rialrees
Posts: 1015

Lol, it is the curse of my posts, I have tried getting on three video recording threads, and every time the person stops right at mine. It may be a sign of my levels being cursed. Sorry about that. But I would say a bitter reviewer will say all the things the more kind reviewer would not...so it could be a good sobering thing. Then again your reviews are really in depth and you never seemed to shy away from the needed critiques. It would be a shame for creators to lose the service you provide...but hen again there is no thing that MM provided for people that give great feedback like a feedback crown or such.2011-03-09 17:16:00

Author:
celsus
Posts: 822

I wasn't in it for the fame. I really enjoyed writing reviews. It was fun.

I got the sudden urge to start typing the reviews again after reading those comments, but I won't promise anything.

I'll get on the reviews.

ps. As for the live review thing, that's been scrapped.		2011-03-09 23:12:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

So I don't know if your still writing reviews are not but I will go ahead and post my level.....(:

PSN: Newbie312(i'm not really a newb just the name)
Level Name: Eventful Chaos
LBP.me link: http://lbp.me/v/ybm34e

I want tell me how fun the level is and does it have good replay value. Its a mini-game level and it does take a couple plays for you to get a hang of the controls. Let's hope you like it 		2011-03-11 04:18:00

Author:
Unknown User

Queued up.

I have started up the old pen and paper. Well, RAM and WORD in this case. It's pretty funny how I said I'd start yesterday, and like 5 things came up. You just can't plan these things. So, I will start now ......again.		2011-03-11 04:25:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

If you have the time, I'd love the chance of a review. It's a single-player racing game, with a track editor and CPU controlled opponents.

PSN: matneee

Name of lvl: Skid Marks - Race & Track Editor!

Link to your LBP.me of said lvl: http://lbp.me/v/ytp9pj

What you want me to focus on the most: I'd be interested on opinions of the race Track Editor, but any comments are welcome. I'm here to make improvements, so any feedback is good.

What score do you think your level should get: I have absolutely no Idea and am obviously the worst person to ask for an objective opinion That said, I'm really quite pleased with how it turned out.

http://i2.lbp.me/img/ft/8a22500dd3168601e034be627c1cc1c43b167cd5.jpg

EDIT - Oh, you need to have Accept Community Prizes on to use the level editor, btw.		2011-03-14 01:27:00

Author:
matneee
Posts: 66

Hey looks like you get half of the tv haha.
Thanks helping out, man.		2011-03-16 03:20:00

Author:
Sack-Jake
Posts: 1153

The Printz Diaries: Prologue (FILM) - As made by Rialrees



And so it was said….. LET THERE BE WAFFLES!!!
Then, waffles rained down from the heavens.
There was much rejoicing.

It’s been awhile since I reviewed a level, but I’ve decided to slow down on them to still be able to enjoy writing them and not disappoint the community.

Not only is this the first film I’ve reviewed, but it is also a returning reviewee.

The beginning was very nicely put together, with the words and all that, but it seemed like it was totally unnecessary. The scene quickly changes from one to another, without any real importance towards the first words (title). Plus, it was in total blackness. Maybe it could have been interesting to have the words appear on a billboard, some guy’s TV, or a wall.

The details were pretty good in the beginning of the story. There were some jokes thrown into the background, and even cracks on the walls of named places, very nice. You probably could have used the bottom left corner in the background of “The Factory of a Better Tomorrow”. It has a nice cityscape. In between the buildings, it looked like a street, but I wasn’t completely sure. The music fit really well into the scene. I like how they went to the next scene and then the holo showed up and blinked.Reminiscent of old cartoons.

Now I’m in the new scene. I think your details kind of went a little sour. They looked too simple and not much detail was used. The buildings looked like a stickered piece of solid material, the walls seemed too “square”, and along the roofs and cut out stickers, there’s that small bit of cardboard border. If this was because of thermo, HAVE NO FEAR!!! One thing people do is destroy the last scene and emit a new scene. That way they can save on thermo. It doesn’t need to be “destroyed” as in an explosion, but just destroyed with the destroyer set to anything that doesn’t make a sound.

I like the way the story was told. The story seemed familiar, almost like Shrek, but your story has differences. I won’t go over them because of spoilers and whatnot, but the story seems original. The similarities are more about the comedy aspect rather than the story though.

I love that you incorporated voices into the film. It is always a great addition along with subtitles. It adds more character to the characters and really shows emotions better.

The only other thing I can think of was how short the film was. But then again, it seemed a nice length; It is the opening bit after all.


Aesthetics: 50%

- Theme 8%
The theme was similar to Shrek but it had its own original twist on the fairytale spoofs.

- Design 8%
The beginning and the story sections looked pretty nice. But the area where the three fairies were wasn’t as good as the other two.

- Mood 12%
The mood was captured pretty well.


Story: 50%

- Originality 11%
Although I can’t say twisting a Disney fairytale is original, but I believe you are the first to twist it with more than one on LBP.

- Writing 12%
I can say you got me interested into the plot and story. I’ll wait for the later installments.

- Character(s) 9%
The characters seemed interesting. Although I’m still uncertain towards the main character. I’ll just wait for the later parts.

- Replayability > Gives bonus points
It IS an opening movie… But I’m not really sure anything really brings me back to watch it a second time.


Your total score is… 60% (Although, I didn’t really have much to base that score on)

I apologize for this review being like super, duper, uber, late, but I’ve been having problems with motivation. I like writing them, it’s just that I’ve been lacking the motivation somehow.		2011-03-24 06:45:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

Cheers as always Cryogen - not a worry about the lateness, I've been suffering from the procrastinatino bug a lot myself too!

Regarding the three fairies scene, it is supposed to be somewhat simpler in comparison to the other areas, but on reflection I agree it goes a little to far from one extreme to the other. There's certainly a lot more detail in the actual levels (still in progress) and I've been mucking about with the compression tool and having a blast - so hopefully there'll be significant improvements there.

Thanks very much and great to see you back writing! xxx		2011-03-24 15:13:00

Author:
rialrees
Posts: 1015

Can't wait for the levels.

I still have some procrastinator bugs so I still might be going at a really slow pace. :C		2011-03-24 21:20:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

you never did my movie, is it still baking? ^_^ XD2011-03-29 23:07:00

Author:
Angelgozen
Posts: 286

lol. This isn't TIL and Draden's. Actually, I never made a catch phrase. XD (It's in the freezer?! XD Yes, they are Popsicles)

I'm on a bit of a hiatus. :C I don't like being on hiatus. So many levels left to review. I feel sad now. :C

By the way, I apologize... I never added you to the list. I just did though. Soo... Good news. *Thumbs up*		2011-03-29 23:29:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

i would write lol but you will kick a puppy if i do O_O
and kk XD		2011-03-30 16:48:00

Author:
Angelgozen
Posts: 286

Well, I'll kick the closest puppy.... What is your avatar by the way? 2011-03-30 18:19:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

... an Ewok....not a cute little puppy that i have grown to like seeing as my avatar O_O2011-03-31 12:05:00

Author:
Angelgozen
Posts: 286

Oh... What a cute little Ewok......... WAIT A MINUTE!!!! THAT'S NO EWOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN SEE STRAIGHT THROUGH YOUR TRICKERY!!!!!!!!!

YOU'RE A BABY DRAGON!!!!!!!! OH NOS!!!!!!! DON'T CALL FALKOR ON ME, PLEASE!!!!!!!! (never ending story)		2011-03-31 12:29:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

umm, what happened to the reviews2011-04-12 21:26:00

Author:
dogcity999
Posts: 86

I shot them...

I haven't been really up for them for a while. It was really the writing it down. I'm more of a person to person kind of guy.

BUT, I haven't completely given up on them. When the time is right, I'll be manufacturing them again. Till then, the reviewees might have to wait. :C		2011-04-12 22:35:00

Author:
Devious_Oatmeal
Posts: 1799

i know how you feel...i don't even really like cell phones for that reason XD2011-04-14 23:04:00

Author:
Angelgozen
Posts: 286


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