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Wizard: Chapter 1 - From Within - MmPick'd!

Archive: 59 posts

It is finally here! I've been working on this project for several months now, and I'm glad to finally release it. In celebration, I have made a trailer and captured a series of HD screenshots. I implore you to check it out. You'll have a good time, and I hope to impress you with more than a few things.

It's one player only, so if you go at it with friends, they will have to ride shotgun. This also means that when you get linked into the sublevel, you will get split up, and the intro might break on you. Be warned. I would like to thank hilightnotes for making several pieces of music for the level and Morgana25 for her various support throughout.

LBP.me link: http://lbp.me/v/zwzmvd

Without further ado, enjoy the trailer, which features only in-level footage. SPOILERS WITHIN!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ddgJvc4yas

Controls:



Left Stick : Move
Right stick : Aim
R1 : Fire magic spell
R1 (hold) : Charge spell, which is stronger that the normal spell.
R2 (hold) : Beam of Energy
L2 : Sprint
L1 + Left stick : Roll (in the direction pressed)
L1 + Left Stick + x : Super Roll Jump (press x at the end of a roll)
L2 + x : Long Jump
Δ : Use Health Pickup

Strategies:


Rolling makes you temporarily invulnerable to attacks.
Performing a roll jump will allow you to reach platforms that would otherwise be too high.
Health packs are hidden about the level. Seek them out to keep your inventory full. Using one will refill your health bar to a level dependent upon which difficulty you are on. You can hold as many as six at once.
Sprinting and using spells will decrease your Magic bar. They all have different effects, so keep your eye on it.
Collecting magic orbs will increase the rate at which your magic bar recharges.
The Charge spell requires at least 1/3 of your Magic bar be full. It will take away 1/3. It will also lock onto nearby targets, and can strike multiple enemies at once.
To initiate a Beam of Energy, which is a devastating attack with limited range, you need at least 2/3 of your Magic bar full. It will drain for as long as it is held, and will turn off when you run out.
There are a couple of cheats codes that work in the level. I'm keeping them a secret for now.
Headshots hurt [more]. Avoid taking a shot to the head!


HD pictures for your perusing pleasure:

http://imgur.com/GXaVs.jpg
http://imgur.com/SaWZ3.jpg
http://imgur.com/1j4iQ.jpg
http://imgur.com/sRu9s.jpg
http://imgur.com/XaLKr.jpg
http://imgur.com/DuAsj.jpg
http://imgur.com/X8QoO.jpg


http://lbp.me/v/zwzmvd		2011-04-09 18:21:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

Yay! I'll be playing this ASAP!
And from what I've seen, it looked pretty darn awesome!		2011-04-09 18:25:00

Author:
Chump
Posts: 1712

I played this while it was still locked for testing, and I'll presume nothing changed since then. I loved it when I played it, the lift section is challenging and fun and I like how it stops at certain points until you get it moving again. The cut scene between the two levels is excellent and incredibly fast paced, it must have been fun trying to film that correctly. The second part was just as good, although the part in the library took some time to figure out. The boss was just superb, I liked how the eggs hatched if you went below the area and the baby spiders attack you unless you get out to encourage you not to keep hiding and stuff. Excellent all round as it always was since you first put up the early version of the level a while back. Will definitely make sure to heart it when I go on LBP2 next since I didn't do it before as it was locked. 2011-04-09 18:29:00

Author:
Moonface
Posts: 310

Just when I turned my PS3 off, darn! I've got it queued for later though. I watched a bit of that trailer and, is that sackbot's animation type set to Sackbot?! I hate it when people leave sackbot's animation set to the default sackbot one, it makes a horrible squeaky noise and makes them look really silly when they run. Apart from that, it looks really cool, I think I played a demo or something you made in the beta and I loved that, so my expectations are reeeaaally high. No pressure.2011-04-09 18:51:00

Author:
Doopz
Posts: 5592

Looks awesome! Just fired LBP up, I'll check it out right now.2011-04-09 18:58:00

Author:
Maxi
Posts: 1176

Just when I turned my PS3 off, darn! I've got it queued for later though. I watched a bit of that trailer and, is that sackbot's animation type set to Sackbot?! I hate it when people leave sackbot's animation set to the default sackbot one, it makes a horrible squeaky noise and makes them look really silly when they run. Apart from that, it looks really cool, I think I played a demo or something you made in the beta and I loved that, so my expectations are reeeaaally high. No pressure.

It is, and it's done for a reason. If you change the animation type to sackboy, he doesn't aim his arm (and thus wand) in the direction you press. I'm sorry that it's annoying you... 		2011-04-09 19:18:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

Hi

I am currently playing it right now.

I have just beaten the spider but dont know where to go next :S where do I go to complete the level rofl?? thanks


loved the level so far!!!		2011-04-09 19:23:00

Author:
Unknown User

I encountered a bug in the demo where he dissapered from the lift, but could still use lightning. I presume it's fixed now? Can't wait to play 2011-04-09 19:24:00

Author:
kirbyman62
Posts: 1893

Thanks alot for releasing this, Comph! Been looking forward to playing it. Queued up and ready to go!2011-04-09 19:26:00

Author:
schm0
Posts: 1239

Great to see you back on the road with your own full project
Unfortunately I can only queue it and promise to play it as soon as I will be able.

(C'mon the badge is not that bleached )		2011-04-09 19:50:00

Author:
OmegaSlayer
Posts: 5112

Gave you some awesome feedback on the beta thread of the level right before it got locked to get it here.

It is darn awesome comph! You really putted a great prestation here!
New innovative gameplay with some amazing scenery and great animations.
Awesome fights and a very nice boss.

The most challenging part has to be the elevator. A lot of enemy's coming to attack you and various obstacles on the way up.
The music in this level was plain awesomeness! It sounds so good! I thought it was a music of Mm when I was playing this level the first 15 minutes.
The controls aren't too hard to remember and the combination of jumping and rolling is awesome! I love to roll and then do a roll jump, loved that one.

There also is an awesome menu where you can do various things. Change the difficulty, brightness, how to play and start the game. Just an awesome designed menu that worked excellent.

What else can I say then, People, Play This! You can't miss this, it's to awesome!		2011-04-09 19:51:00

Author:
yoda97yoda
Posts: 121

Judging by the screenshots You've done alot more to this that I last seen. Looks great.2011-04-09 20:34:00

Author:
KQuinn94Z
Posts: 1758

I left some feedback as well.
The only problem I can find is that when you shoot your magic spells at enemies head on, it diffuses their attack.
Thus making it fairly easy to kill them.
Other than that I couldn't find anything wrong. The gameplay and music was superb.
I especially liked the part where the statues shook off their stone coverings.		2011-04-09 21:38:00

Author:
Maxi
Posts: 1176

Superb level. It was great how you added new abilities as you progressed and had clear hints on what to do/where to go. The health system allowing you to save packs until needed was ingenious...this level is so packed with little touches like that it was a joy to experience. The visuals were just great too; my favorite had to be the library, nice layer use. I never did get comfortable with the roll+jump mechanic, the rest of the controls were just great, I'd happily trade jump+roll for a nice easy double jump in the sequel. 2011-04-09 21:42:00

Author:
fullofwin
Posts: 1214

Queued, I'll be on it tonight.2011-04-09 22:24:00

Author:
Unknown User

Re-played it to see the good way to the elevator. Re-enjoyed it 2011-04-09 22:31:00

Author:
Slurm
Posts: 262

What am I doing wrong? Early on, you have to do your first roll-jump. I keep doing it but I don't see anything to jump up on. I know I suck, I rarely play levels, but wanted to check this out. Am I supposed to shoot something? Thanks.2011-04-09 23:37:00

Author:
CYMBOL
Posts: 1230

What am I doing wrong? Early on, you have to do your first roll-jump. I keep doing it but I don't see anything to jump up on. I know I suck, I rarely play levels, but wanted to check this out. Am I supposed to shoot something? Thanks.

You have to jump when he is finishing the roll. I'm not sure what else to say... maybe check the trailer? I do it several times in there.		2011-04-10 01:40:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

....HOLY.....FREAKING....COW....this is not a LBP level...this is a full on...story driven GAME! I loved it from start to finish...the characters, the level design, the power progression...

You have outdone any level that I have played thus far, and I cannot wait to see where you take us next...

No pressure...
Shawn

BTW, thanks for the vid for VioHazard...your opinion and respect means alot...		2011-04-10 05:00:00

Author:
shawneboi
Posts: 221

Nice little sackbot you have here. Shame you need to use the squeaking one! (a LBP2 pet peeve of mine also)
Great controls and spell visuals.

On the elevator I did somehow get stuck behind the bars in the back layer while jumping about. Oh, and I was in the spider pit when I killed the boss so the "-20" thing kept appearing during the next bit. I don't think it affected my points, but distracting visually.
I didn't find the boss very fun, but the rest was pretty good.
The escape scene was fun too, (not sure if it was parodying the clich?, ah doesn't matter, would be funny either way) and that door explosion was great.
If I could suggest any improvements for the sequel (I assume there will be one), I think it would handy to have some sort of shield blast that pushes back opponents, as it is a bit annoying when enemies are right next to you. Or maybe I should learn to run away..

Oh, and that checkpoint font...
Do you have the whole alphabet somewhere?
I tried making a font called "wide awake", but it was a little too troublesome to build, and your one seemed quite similar.

@ everyone else:
"alot" is actually two words!

EDIT:
I dunno, I was in trouble so I mashed the buttons while the elevator was moving up.
But you have the square/pop function, so no biggie.		2011-04-10 08:43:00

Author:
midnight_heist
Posts: 2513

This level is simply amazing as I said in the beta thread but when I were playing it again I got stuck at the elevator part.

I stumbled upon glitch where if you use O button when you are nearly dead (or maybe at zero health) you will spawn with full health and energy.
When I tried to do it again at end of elevator when the green power comes to play I got stuck.

I would like to suggest some kind spell that can only be done when wizard is jumping. Maybe wizard would fall faster with energy effect and create energy waves going to left and right. Kinda like Mario.		2011-04-10 10:23:00

Author:
waD_Delma
Posts: 282

On the elevator I did somehow get stuck behind the bars in the back layer while jumping about.

Weird, how'd you slip back there?


Oh, and I was in the spider pit when I killed the boss so the "-20" thing kept appearing during the next bit. I don't think it affected my points, but distracting visually.

Good to know. I will look into a fix.


Oh, and that checkpoint font...
Do you have the whole alphabet somewhere?
I tried making a font called "wide awake", but it was a little too troublesome to build, and your one seemed quite similar.

I give the font away in this level (http://lbp.me/v/spdkp-), which is copyable. It's based off of this font (http://www.dafont.com/zephyrean-brk.font).


I stumbled upon glitch where if you use O button when you are nearly dead (or maybe at zero health) you will spawn with full health and energy.

I'm not sure what you were doing. The circle button doesn't do anything as far as I know. Spawning will always give you full health, and magic recharges to close to full.


I would like to suggest some kind spell that can only be done when wizard is jumping. Maybe wizard would fall faster with energy effect and create energy waves going to left and right. Kinda like Mario.

See the problem I face is that if I add too many controls, they become clunky and hard to remember. I tried to keep it as simple as possible so that it remained intuitive throughout. L1/L2 handled movement modifiers, and R1/R2 handled attacks. I'm thinking that, at most, I will add in one or two more attacks, and I'm not sure how I could get in the "Drop" attack.

We shall see...		2011-04-10 14:06:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

Thoroughly enjoyed this. A neat idea with good visuals. The cutscene after the elevator was excellent. I did run into a problem with a disappearing enemy. Not sure if that's the level or just the game itself. I struggled with the roll jump too, but I think it's because it was when it was first described in the game and on this page, it said to "Press X after a roll". It seems to me that you can press X at any time during the roll and get the jump. Once I realized that and got the hang of it, it was better, but tricky to get used to. The pacing was good until the elevator, which, while fun, seemed to drag on a bit. Perhaps it was the repetitive nature of the task, or perhaps it's my short attention span, but it seemed that the elevator stopped a time or two too many.

Anyway, if you take anything from my complaints, I hope it's that the level was very good, considering I had to dig down to pacing to find a problem. Looking forward to more.		2011-04-10 15:35:00

Author:
nextlevel88
Posts: 149

i've been having trouble finding stuff on Youtube... so i tried a little experiment. i put in Comphermc and entered. sure enough a stack of his stuff came up, but when i put it on 'Week', there was no videos available. how the hell does youtube work?2011-04-10 16:14:00

Author:
GribbleGrunger
Posts: 3910

i've been having trouble finding stuff on Youtube... so i tried a little experiment. i put in Comphermc and entered. sure enough a stack of his stuff came up, but when i put it on 'Week', there was no videos available. how the hell does youtube work?

Well, my LBPlanatorials account is where I put 95% of all of my Littlebigplanet related videos. You should have better luck searching that.		2011-04-10 19:24:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

Played this and absolutly adored it. It's so well made, if it were longer I'd have no worries paying for it as a retail game.

Also, I'm rather proud of myself for working out the energy beam cheat ^.^

And I was distraut when I saw the dreaded words "Difficulty upgraded to Normal". My health packs! Why do they not fully heal anymore ;_;		2011-04-10 20:31:00

Author:
kirbyman62
Posts: 1893

Well where to start.....

It has been my privilege to see this monster of a series grow and become the epic masterpiece that it is. It's stunning in every sense of the word and precisely tuned as only you can do. It raises the bar on what is possible to do with sackbots and logic to the point where I can believe that it really is magic driving the little guy forward to face his foes.

Everywhere I look I see the logic driving it and it's staggering. I don't think 3/4 of players will appreciate the systems you've put in to make it do what it does so elegantly. But that's really the joy of the level. You can experience it's fun, excitement and challenge without seeing the invisible strings pulling the characters and changing the environment. Anyone who does see it can just pop over to your tutorials (which are epic) where you freely give away the secrets behind the magic. You really are a born teacher comph and to give back to the community through your videos is inspiring and the epitome of the kind of player/creator that makes LBP an awesome game.

I'm biased of course, having seen a lot of the work that went into this, but I think this is a benchmark for what kinds of levels we can expect a year or so down the road from creators. You're just ahead of the curve as usual.

Brilliant level! Congratulations on blowing minds yet again Well done!		2011-04-10 20:44:00

Author:
Morgana25
Posts: 5983

It's already out?!? I played the demo a while back and loved it. This is now on the top of my Q, full review coming tomorrow.2011-04-11 03:12:00

Author:
anoken
Posts: 1654

I'm not sure what you were doing. The circle button doesn't do anything as far as I know. Spawning will always give you full health, and magic recharges to close to full.


Whoops! I meant square button which is used to spawn again from checkpoint.


I'm thinking that, at most, I will add in one or two more attacks, and I'm not sure how I could get in the "Drop" attack.


Could you use down button in D-pad to that? Or R1 when you are jumping and not aiming?		2011-04-11 08:10:00

Author:
waD_Delma
Posts: 282

Or R1 when you are jumping and not aiming?

Wouldn't that mess up switch pulling?

D-Pad sounds good, I was a bit upset to find I couldn't make him smile or anything though, it just doesn't feel right. Of course, the second half has him angry, so I guess it would ruin that.		2011-04-11 10:35:00

Author:
kirbyman62
Posts: 1893

Its excellent Comph. The thing that impressed me most was how complete it feels, everything from the health pack system to the gradual introduction of power-ups to the subtle little arrow hints that show up, it reeks of polish. Loved the statue set piece in the library and the preceding cut-scene, you go into that little cranny, pull the lever and you know exactly what's coming, lol. The only area I thought could have been improved upon was in the variety of gameplay, just a couple of things to break up the jump some/shoot some but it feels a bit nitpicky to ask for that when everything that is there is such a high standard. I'm really looking forward to the next part, so job done there. Off to a flying start with this one!2011-04-11 12:21:00

Author:
julesyjules
Posts: 1156

How dare you make me drool while I'm at work. Adding to queue now. Shoot, I'm starting to feel a little "sick," *cough* *cough* I may have to leave early today.2011-04-11 13:42:00

Author:
biorogue
Posts: 8424

Such a succinct review:

http://content.screencast.com/users/comphermat/folders/Jing/media/ca3db9f6-9392-4bb1-8739-de147c0453a6/2011-04-11_1159.png

Remember, haters gon' hate.		2011-04-11 17:00:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

Such a succinct review:

http://content.screencast.com/users/comphermat/folders/Jing/media/ca3db9f6-9392-4bb1-8739-de147c0453a6/2011-04-11_1159.png
I'm surprised he didn't heart the level! Many times they leave a sad face, and a heart!

Awesome work dude. The Sackbot controls are splendid, and the learning very well planed. You managed to make it entertaining to learn the power ups.
Congrats on the MM pick, and indeed I hearted and left a sad face 		2011-04-11 17:26:00

Author:
poms
Posts: 383

Well, even though I managed to beat Dajdaj for the honour of lowest scoring LBPC member for this level, I still loved every moment playing it. As others have said, its richness and polish were truly impressive - it has everything you?d expect from a ?proper? game. I cannot even begin to understand how you created the logic for all the many, different elements in the level but it all worked exceptionally well. The sackbot logic in particular was some of the smoothest I've seen so far.

The highlight for me was the cutscene ? the dash across the tumbling masonry was exhilarating and, strangely, the young wizard who moments before had been awkwardly falling off platforms left, right and centre, suddenly acquired skill and grace, lol! The scene in the library when the statue stirs and comes to life came a close second though.

I?m really looking forward to the next instalment and, as someone who is hopeless at the fighting elements (method: spam R1 chaotically until health runs out, die, rinse and repeat), I would love to see the wizard doing some other kinds of magic (puzzles, secrets?). Anyway, great job!		2011-04-11 17:45:00

Author:
shropshirelass
Posts: 1455

MM picked already. That was quick.

Contracts.		2011-04-11 18:00:00

Author:
CYMBOL
Posts: 1230

The highlight for me was the cutscene ? the dash across the tumbling masonry was exhilarating and, strangely, the young wizard who moments before had been awkwardly falling off platforms left, right and centre, suddenly acquired skill and grace, lol!

Haha. I love the imagery.


Contracts.

Congrats*

No offense meant, I just thought you'd like to know. 		2011-04-11 18:06:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

Congrats for the well deserved Mm pick Comph!
Great work once again! Looking forward to part 2!



Well, even though I managed to beat Dajdaj for the honour of lowest scoring LBPC member for this level...
:eek: Is it really possible...? lol		2011-04-11 18:46:00

Author:
dajdaj03
Posts: 1486

MM picked already. That was quick.

Contracts.
Sure that was a typo comph?
http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitter_production/profile_images/57889010/awesome_face_normal.jpg
Maybe it was a typo. Or perhaps he meant "contacts"?
(Just joking!) or am I? dundundun		2011-04-11 19:28:00

Author:
midnight_heist
Posts: 2513

Told ya so 2011-04-11 19:44:00

Author:
Morgana25
Posts: 5983

Congrats*

No offense meant, I just thought you'd like to know.

Haha, sorry, typed it from my phone, looks like it got auto corrected! Funny.		2011-04-11 19:47:00

Author:
CYMBOL
Posts: 1230

Hey, do you think you could ever make a level that doesn't crush my drive to create entirely?

This level is one feat of imaginative engineering. The level had a great dungeon feel, wonderfully laid-out platforming sections, a slick introduction method, and one element that set it apart from every level I've played to date; those "stupid little guys" called sackbots. I don't know if it's just me, but you managed to make them pretty smart-looking. I don't know if I've ever seen such a complex array of sackbots in a level. Each one acted flawlessly and really made me feel like I was playing against another human player.

The rest of the level was also far from a "run-of-the-mill" creation. Each room was well designed with little wasted space. Everything was exciting, beautiful, and obviously reflected "Comph" throughout.

I don't really have much criticism for you. The one and only thing that bugged me a bit was that it seemed as though the regular jump was too weak and used too little. I would find myself having to back away in order to do a roll-jump more times than I would've liked. I don't think it's a problem as much as a pet peeve.

Overall, a wonderful level that I will certainly go back to play again.

<3 		2011-04-11 23:07:00

Author:
piggabling
Posts: 2979

Wizard: Chapter 1 - From Within
Score: 9.8/10
Rating: & <3 {:star::star::star::star::star:}
By: Comphermc

Phenomenal stuff. And then some.

Story: 8/10
Not the most in depth story, but enough to keep me interested a bit.

Music Choice/SFX: 9/10
The sequenced music is great, especially when it changes a bit in the 2nd section. However, it got kinda repetitive and stale after a while. But the real beauty in the level is the SFX. Every little thing had a SFX which is great. I feel like lots of creators leave the SFX out, but you, you deserve a cookie.

http://forums.49ers.com/messageboard/images/smilies/cookie.gif

Appearance: 10/10
Very Very nice. I like the castle feeling to it. The lighting is very in depth, and no matter what Gamma setting you have, the lights always look great. The Material choice is perfect, it gives you the feeling of a old rickety castle. The objects you created were quite amazing as well. I really liked a the crumbling effects you had on certain edges; It reminded me of A Cloudy Chance of Teamwork, you did that in there as well.

Concept Workmanship: 9.8/10
Phenomenal concept that is completely original and never broke. Ever. It runs very smoothly. It's created in a way that adds a lot to gameplay. I poke down to a 9.8 because it was kinda frustrating when you had lots of health pickups, but you forget to use one, then you lose all of them on the respawn. Especially on the elevator, it sets you up on a very bad dying streak :kz:

Cutscenes: 10/10
Very nice. I really liked the one near the sublevel change before you enter the library. I have to ask though: How do you get the cutscenes without the black borders?!? I really like how you did that. It had me feeling like I was watching a full movie, unlike most cutscenes in other levels. Great job.

Gameplay: 9.7/10
As said... The concept really makes this level a fun play. The combat is perfect, and looks great as well. By the way, you are very clever. Some of the gameplay sequences had me saying to myself, "He is so clever!!!" lol. But seriously.

I knocked you down a little bit here, because of that elevator part. As said in the Concept Workmanship, I lost all my health pickups and went on a very bad dying streak. Also, the part with the library was a little confusing. It was hard to tell which layer opens that small passage. Other than that, everything was top notch perfect. The boss was well designed and was fun to play through.

Overall: 9.8/10 (not an average)
Awesome stuff. I played the beta for this a while ago and loved it instantly, but with this full version I was like You see, I'm a Harry Potter fan so this was right up my alley. I also noticed that this is Mm Picked! Congrats!! This is your first one right? Well you deserve it. In my opinion you deserved it a long time ago.. But that's beside the point :hero:

You did a great great job on this level, and it will become an instant classic. I gave you a & a <3 but if I was on the rating system I prefer from LBP1... I would give you :star::star::star::star::star:

-Valmassoi		2011-04-12 00:47:00

Author:
anoken
Posts: 1654

Cheers, Val. Great little review. I'm glad you're putting that copy of LBP2 to good use! 2011-04-12 01:44:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

I finally got to play this level last night and good googa mooga I was once again blown away. Like I said in the in-game review, there's nothing that I can say that hasn't already been stated. I was really impressed with how you made it look like the statues came to life. That effect was cool. I haven't finished it yet though. It was getting late and have to get up a 'o dark thirty and was at a difficult area for me. The bad guy runs off and says "try to keep up" or something like that. I leap across, roll/jump to next platform, turn around and need to jump and grab a red curtain? that has an R1 sticker on it. For the life of me I could not reach it and gave up after 25 tries. Will try again this weekend.
Again, great level and thank you for being such a cool creator and offering up some of the best levels in LBP and your awesome tuts. Thank-you for sharing and teaching

Hey, do you think you could ever make a level that doesn't crush my drive to create entirely?
this is my first thought when I enter an incredible level such as this, but then after I wipe the drool away and start getting the feel for the level, inspiration comes and I start wondering if I could do something like that, so thanks for inspiring me to try harder and spend more time in create mode.		2011-04-12 20:20:00

Author:
biorogue
Posts: 8424

I loved when I played, especially how easy the controls were and it got an awesome gameplay that was just perfect2011-04-12 21:48:00

Author:
xkjz3l
Posts: 113

I really, really enjoyed this. It was nice and long to my liking, as well as featuring some cool combat. The new abilities you gained as you traveled through the level were awesome and really helped to serve in spicing things up a bit to keep it all from turning stale. The enemy placement was great and so were the controls (rolling then jumping, lol). I can only imagine that the logic was a bit of a nightmare, haha. The boss was also a good addition. By the end of it, I had both yay'd and hearted this level.

Oh, and btw, I thought the wizard was Harry Potter for a second. Rofl. 		2011-04-12 21:48:00

Author:
Scholarship
Posts: 105

Played this one yesterday and it was awesome.

VISUALS:
The material choices, book shelves, and sackbots are well made. The cinematic sequences are amazing, especially after the elevator part.

SOUND:
Great custom music. It fitted really well in this level.

GAMEPLAY:
The wizard control is really good as players cast spell attacks, roll and jump, and sprint. The boss battle is very intriguing.

OVERALL:
A really magical level with impressive gameplay and stunning cutscenes. A yeah vote and a heart.		2011-04-13 00:52:00

Author:
JustinArt
Posts: 1314

Great level. Really cool use of sackbots. I found a small bug. If you move between the options menu and the main menu fast, the camera change will not be triggered. You could disable the buttons for maybe about 0.5 seconds after a menu page is selected.2011-04-13 00:54:00

Author:
riverad08
Posts: 104

Thanks for the consistent feedback, folks.

I just added another significant patch to the level. Players were able to pop with square during the cinematic scene at the end of the first part, thus breaking the level. I have disabled the pop during this time, so hopefully players won't be stuck there anymore.

Also, I mentioned in the level comments the cheat codes, so I might as well mention them here:

Health: R1, R2, L1, R2, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down
Energy Beam: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, x, o (Konami code, anyone!?)

Enter them at any time during the level, except the elevator at the end.		2011-04-13 01:10:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

A lot of time was obviously spent on this level, it was neat but I can't say I especially enjoyed it myself but then again I've always been into the more arty stuff.

Anyway, I'm not here for that I'm here to mention a few things I ran into in the level.

1) For some reason it took about 4 tries or so to jump down to the layer in front, I checked the controller and it was fully charged and I'm not (usually) reatarded when it comes to these things. It's probably nothing but I don't know what kind of Sackbot stuff you have going on.
2) I died when I sprinted into a barrel which was pretty weird. It was the "squashed" death btw.
3) You can just walk under some of the gaps you're meant to roll through.

1) Is probably a random glitch but 2) and 3) shouldn't be too hard to iron out (:		2011-04-13 13:48:00

Author:
JonnysToyRobot
Posts: 324

I really liked the concept, the visuals, the cutscene, thats all great. Almost at the end of the cutscene you can spot the visual trick you used for the falling bit though. You can see the background still moving while the floor is standing still. Small thing.

The gameplay was a bit hit and miss for me.

The fighting system was odd. You can only dogde things by switching layers and on the elevator you cant even do that. Trouble is, enemies switch layers too, making it difficult to hit, let alone with the charged shot, which wastes mana. The gameplay for the fights quickly became, roll,roll,roll, shoot shoot shoot and repeat. I wish the magician had a double jump or maybe a (midair)roll to spice things up a bit. That way you actually have a chance to avoid being hit a lot of the times.

-the rolljump is also used way too often. Almost every jump needs it, and it takes time to set up. See you have to roll, walk back, roll jump. Repeat 3 times in a row sometimes.
A double jump would have been easier in most of these settings and even more logical then a roll that adds hight to a jump. I liked it as a way to avoid fire though.

-when I walk/shoot the deathanimation stops, and the I explode. Was this intentional?

-the elevator gave no space to dogde things or room to get up on quickly. I had to roll roll roll shoot shoot. Getting up to shoot the pink stuff needed another roll and jump for getting up and getting to the other side. A simple double jump would speed up gameplay a lot. The elevator also felt very repetetive.

-the chase broke on me. I died a few times during the first bit: run jump to the right. roll jump 3 times to get further. I managed to trap the evil sackbot on the platform above the deathpit. Might want to look into that.

-the spiderboss could use some more attacks. All I had to do was avoid goop and spiderwebs, with the spidersweb only slowing me down. (I got hit a few times by the web while I wasn't even in the boss room?) All I had to do to kill the boss was stand next to the pit and switch layers or move a bit and wait till the long lifebar was empty. Maybe let the magician shoot some fireballs down to? Make the spider go up and emerge on the other side? Use beams I have to avoid or jump over? Let the platforms move around?


Don't get me wrong: very good looking level. Awesome sackbot and great controlls. Nice little touches with the statues and the hint system. Great use of a lot of programming tricks. The gameplay could benefit from a double jump or mid air roll and the elevator should have more space to avoid enemies and be a little bit shorter. The boss needs more variaty and the pit of spiders felt unnesicary. Nevertheless, very good! Only lacking in gameplay.		2011-04-15 01:58:00

Author:
Alphagaia
Posts: 64

After stealing as many of comphermc's ideas/logic as I could in building my levels (Don't get mad. He made tutorials. He wanted me to!) I was really excited to play the level.

There are so many components in the level that have me stumped as to how exactly he pulled them off. The depth in the library amazes me still.

I did not seem to have the problems with the elevator most seem to. Then gain, I was enjoying the level and not concerned with my score. I honestly can not tell you how many times I died in that area.

My only small critique concerns the boss' web attack. I spent the majority of the boss fight shaking the webs off. This, of course, could be due to my poor skills concerning the said boss.		2011-04-15 03:13:00

Author:
Unknown User

I found a bug where the music in the last battle wouldn't start playing as I fell same time as the cutscene started. And other in part where is cutscene saying "this should be fun" I rolled just before it and fell to the floor and got stuck middle of enemies.

There is also few ways to make some enemies easier: in that middle boss in that "this should be fun" part you can respawn from checkpoint when the its coming out cutscene starts and get it stay on that platform where it drops. This same way you can get from the webs in final boss easily.

You can kill that library boss without it never attacking if you have full mana and you run beside it when it comes alive and use energy beam.		2011-04-15 06:49:00

Author:
waD_Delma
Posts: 282

I played this level many time and never gave my personal review. First let me say congrats on the Mm picked, now onto the review!

Wizard Chapter 1

Gameplay: The gameplay of this level is outstanding, the use of spells, power ups, and cheat codes gave the levels gameplay a smoth and outgoing expericen from jumping to one platform to another you keep the players at there toes. By making the AI enemys jump and run and have similar powers as you it also balence out the overall power of the gameplay by not making it too hard or easy. Aswell for the advancing tutorial section of the level by learning how to do individual moves while you move on with the level was a smart was of teaching the players with out them have to remember it all in 1 go. What some parts lack is the use of decorations and obstacle difficulty, there are some parts that involve to low of a jump or run and parts a deserve more decorations and stickers but most of the level doesn't have that problem.


Music/ Sound affects: The levels music is very creative along with the sound affects, every jump, run, crack in the wall, or even killing a bug the players can hear it all and is just bueatiful. The music there isn't much to say but just awesome! the way it changes thought the level makes it even better specialy if it doesn't sound like an infinited lop that gets annoying.

Story: Well the story is really nice but never detailed, it never explain whats going on or how you are (yes we know you are a wizer but still) the story needs to show a lot more detail on whats going on where are you, ect...


Visualization: The Levels visual is jaw doping, every part of the level is full with beautiful and creative work specially the use of the stickers in the flags. The boss contains details like I never seen before a perfect conbination that not most creators achieve, specially the purple goo material with the eggs that was very creative. Also the way the rocks breaks everytime i do a move is incredible.


Boss battle: The Boss battle is incredible, specially when you have to run adn jump to chat up to this guys that has the same powers as you. The Boss is very creative along with his moves. The way that he pins you down with his web is very creative and his spit attack aswell. Plus his little friends are not bad too. The only disappointing part was the boss moves, he only has 3 attacks with disappointed me, I was hoping that created a huge spider wave that hurts the player but this can be overlook.


Overall: The level was a very smooth and magnificent level, no wounder it got Mm pick. Im hopeing to see part 2 of this level and to get a look at his new powers.

Overall score 9.8/10		2011-05-02 03:21:00

Author:
Arnald23
Posts: 1843

Ahh I didn't get to finish this amazing level! It was pretty long! Ioved the music though and the platforming elements were so amazing and well done... I think I'm restating my review.. but ya. Awesome awsome!2011-05-02 06:12:00

Author:
Dortr
Posts: 548

Great level. I loved the mechanics with the sackbot. really gave it a unique feel.

I have a question. Did you use a level link and split this into 2 pieces? It seems like you did, and if so how did you get it so that when the player reaches the link it just automatically starts loading the next part?

I've hooked a player sensor to the gate, so that automatically prompts the player to "Continue". Is there a way to even get rid of that, so when the player activates the link it just immediately goes to a black screen and starts loading the next part? Thanks for any help and great work on the level. It's nice when creators actually take their time and make something great.		2011-05-02 19:49:00

Author:
ccapel
Posts: 100

It looks incredible!!! Good job!2011-05-19 23:13:00

Author:
Unknown User

Great level liked the whole harry potter type thing with spells.
The long jump rolling thing i found a bit awkward but i'm not very good at side scrollers anyway. Loved the mechanics used on the sackbots.

Just like your tutorials this level has helped me with some logic for my own games so thanks alot. Keep bringing on the greatness.		2011-05-24 12:58:00

Author:
Lordwarblade
Posts: 761


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