Archive: 26 posts

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Wizard's SpireBlackWolfe9653 http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33500A powerful sorcerer holds the land in thrall. At the top of his stone tower, he waits. One lone hero must defeat hideous monsters, evade deadly traps, and, finally, defeat the master of the Wizard's Spire. This one was a beast to make. At one point, the level was so full, I couldn't even add a single sticker! Consequently, I will warn you ahead of time that there are a few things to watch out for, bug-wise. BUG: The fifth (and final) switch to unlock the door to the final boss fight -- in the right circumstances, it can flip itself back to the OFF position. This happens because the winches that are supposed to prevent this from happening can break if the associated wobble bolt is triggered too many times in rapid succession. If this happens, um... Well, sometimes the wobble bolt itself breaks shortly afterwards, which would allow you to flip that switch with impunity. BUG: The second switch used to sometimes not reveal itself after the first two enemies were defeated. The bug seems to have straightened itself out now, but I thought you should know. If this happens, sad to say, there's, um, nothing that can be done. Missing Feature: One of the enemies in the third area (the Sealed Gaze fight) had to be removed because the thermo was so full that when I attempted to fix a misaligned wobble bolt, it wouldn't allow me to put the bolt back into the level after moving it. That is why there is a forlorn, empty spot on one of the beams. Missing Feature: There was not nearly enough thermo to allow me to add Magic Mouths to point out all the switches to unlock the last door. There are five switches total: In the first platforming area, behind a wall after defeating the first two enemies, at the top of the room with the swinging cauldrons, in the room with the Horrific Gaze, and in the room with the booby traps. They open the bars on the door from bottom to top respectively. If a bar is still in place, it's probably the third one, as that's the easiest to pass up. Backtrack Unfriendly Parts: The level was designed so that you could backtrack to hit any switches you missed. Sadly, there are a couple of places where a twist of fate can ruin this. One of these has been remedied, but two remain. (Alchemy lab, and just before the Horrific Gaze fight.) Sorry 'bout those. WARNING: THIS IS A LONG LEVEL. Seriously.

2011-05-28 13:46:00 Author: BlackWolfe Posts: 299

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Interesting, I'll play this once I get my PSP charged.

2011-05-29 00:21:00 Author: Random Posts: 673

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Hopefully, I'll be able to write you some feedback tomorrow. If not, then I'll try and make it by Monday.

2011-05-29 01:04:00 Author: The-Questor Posts: 1328

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I was going to download your level quick before leaving but I couldn't remember the name sadly. It sounds pretty interesting and I'll leave some feedback when *if* I finish it.

2011-05-29 01:59:00 Author: WoodburyRaider Posts: 1651

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Thanks for the feedback on my level, I'm here to return the favour!! First off the bat, the length of the level. Usually I get bored with levels this long, but with yours I felt engaged the whole time and the switches meant I was constantly focused on my goal. It was cleverly done and the length felt right for this level. The varying difficulty of the same enemy was a nice touch and it felt like it was almost evolving throughout the level. I loved how you kept changing it up with different ways to have to kill the enemies, again with the varying difficulty. I had very little problems with the level, the boss fight was odd though as I just grabbed the creatures eye, held on for a bit and it died seemed a bit easy for me but maybe I did something wrong? Either way the ending was very climatic with the tower falling. :star::star::star::star::star: and a <3 way cool, really enjoyable and a clever story to hold things together

2011-06-03 23:14:00 Author: Coxy224 Posts: 2645

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OMG ITS A GAZE MONSTER!!! http://www.zeldauniverse.net/images/games/oot/enemies/octorok.png Ya your Gaze monsters kinda made think of this thing from the legend of zelda games. But its a great level though and I gave it :star::star::star::star::star:s but unfortunately I was unable to finish the level do to the very last switch flying into a wall and magically disappearing.

2011-06-04 21:11:00 Author: aceofthorns Posts: 288

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Yeah, the same for me the swith was eaten by a wall. Was it possesed ? Aside from that I gave it a five stars because this level IS a very good one and you can see that you 've put effort in it. Oh, and you should make the camera zone in the old mans cave a little bigger, if you move to the side it zooms out. And severall pistons, rods,etc were not invisible you should doublecheck on that in you next level.

2011-06-04 21:59:00 Author: nysudyrgh Posts: 5482

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There should only be one visible piston - on the water pump in the alchemy room - and one rod on the zip line in the first section. I've had the switch in question break before. It's supposed to be booby trapped, but apparently the piece of wood it's on is too thin. Might be able to fix it. Coxy- He should have "bled" to indicate you were hurting him, emitted score bubbles, then done a similar SFX->Attack, like the Horrific Gaze, only filling a large chunk of the back layer. Nys, thanks to your comment, I did find one visible piston that shouldn't be. Unfortunately, when attempting to fix the broken switch, I found out I'm at the point where certain edits cause unrelated bugs to appear. The level is going to have to stay as-is.

2011-06-06 09:19:00 Author: BlackWolfe Posts: 299

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Hidy Ho and whatnot, I bare feedback with me exactly a week late. :c The Bads Too Much Brush -As I was playing through your level I noticed a LOT of your aesthetics came from the Brush Tool. It could be simply adjusted by corner editing a little just to give it that extra note of workmanship Laggg -A festering blasphemy to a creator's creation. I'll try and erect my Lag Fighting guide up soon; don't fret! The Goods Lovely Concept -I fell in love with the concept of this level the moment I spawned in it! EPIC Story Line -Well, 'nuff said eh? Epert Logic Skills -Self explenetory statement.... The What What? What? I gave you :star::star::star::star::star: & a <3 Good luck with any future endeavors BlackWolfe.

2011-06-06 20:36:00 Author: The-Questor Posts: 1328

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Not arguing, just explaining: - I used the brush tool in a lot of places because corner editing can fill up thermo. As it is, I used so much thermo I had to delete an enemy because I couldn't fix it. Additionally, the tower needed to be a more-or-less straight vertical structure, which the brush tool made easier. - Everything has player sensors attached to it to minimize lag. I think the sole remaining culprit is the section of the tower that topples in the finale -- you may notice everything vibrating once you reach the halfway point of the chase scene. Not sure I can fix that without courting the gyroscope glitch, sadly.

2011-06-06 20:45:00 Author: BlackWolfe Posts: 299

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Not arguing, just explaining: - I used the brush tool in a lot of places because corner editing can fill up thermo. As it is, I used so much thermo I had to delete an enemy because I couldn't fix it. Additionally, the tower needed to be a more-or-less straight vertical structure, which the brush tool made easier. - Everything has player sensors attached to it to minimize lag. I think the sole remaining culprit is the section of the tower that topples in the finale -- you may notice everything vibrating once you reach the halfway point of the chase scene. Not sure I can fix that without courting the gyroscope glitch, sadly. You do know that once your thermometer is filled you can still corner edit objects? So here's the scoop, I started playing your level pretty late last night and got stuck, right at the beginning. Maybe it was because I was tired or maybe it was from being more accustomed to the athleticism of the PS3 sackboy, I don't know, but the point is I didn't have enough time or sleep to continue your level. It sounds really neat and I'll give it a play, but those dang wobbly branches have always been my weakness.

2011-06-11 23:28:00 Author: WoodburyRaider Posts: 1651

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I've had the editor refuse to allow corner editing because the thermo was too full when I was making Memetic Hazard.

2011-06-12 01:08:00 Author: BlackWolfe Posts: 299

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I've had the editor refuse to allow corner editing because the thermo was too full when I was making Memetic Hazard. Well maybe I had only gotten lucky and used the material changer glitch to gain more thermo and then used the corner editor, I can't really remember. It makes sense that it wouldn't allow you to though.

2011-06-12 01:24:00 Author: WoodburyRaider Posts: 1651

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In any case, I'm getting better at thermo management, I think.

2011-06-12 11:05:00 Author: BlackWolfe Posts: 299

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Congrats on your Nod BlackWolfe! You've proven you got potential, so just keep working hard and you'll get that full spotlight

2011-06-13 05:55:00 Author: anoken Posts: 1654

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Congrats on your Nod BlackWolfe! You've proven you got potential, so just keep working hard and you'll get that full spotlight I won't be satisfied until then. Actually, I won't be satisfied until I run out of ideas. I could be at this a long time.

2011-06-13 07:54:00 Author: BlackWolfe Posts: 299

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Congratz on the nod Blackwolfe. Now show everyone that you are spotlight worthy.

2011-06-13 18:49:00 Author: nysudyrgh Posts: 5482

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Great level buddy!! Very interesting indeed, you are a unique creator. I have a feeling your next level is going to be magnificent. Congratulations on the spotlight nod.

2011-06-13 21:33:00 Author: VelcroJonze Posts: 1305

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Hello. I tried this level but could not for the life of me manage to jump high enough to reach anything on that wobbly branch at the beginning. I always seem to have problems with jumping in levels and I could do with some advice as to why I am so utterly useless when it comes to getting a big enough bounce on the branch. This level sounds great and I am keen to play all the way through it.

2011-06-18 13:36:00 Author: MrObycyek Posts: 50

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I would rework that board if I wasn't afraid of causing the entire level to break -- thermo's that full. Best technique for getting maximum height from springs, sprung bolts, and rubber bands is to do a big jump in place to give it some good momentum, then a tiny hop as it starts its upswing to add a little more, then another big jump just before it finishes its next upswing, and you should get the absolute maximum amount of height out of those springy bits.

2011-06-18 14:19:00 Author: BlackWolfe Posts: 299

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Hello again. I managed to finallyget past that board and managed to get quite far up the tower until I got stuck at the part with the giant squid monster and the lever. I pulled the lever and avoided the green slime that comes down but after that I could not figure out what to do. I decided to quit at that point and start again but lo and behold I could not get past that spring board again! I am truly hopeless when it comes to jumping in this game. I will persevere though and hope to finish this at some point Blackwolfe. Rest assured I will let you know when I do! "Time is precious, but truth is more precious than time." Disraeli.

2011-06-21 15:35:00 Author: MrObycyek Posts: 50

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Yeah, I'd been worried about making that jump so darn far when it's practically the first thing you do in the level. Here we go: the official Wizard's Spire strategy guide. Such as it is. Section One This section is straight platforming. After that one difficult jump to the elastic grabby, there are a couple of things to be aware of. There is an invisible winch that can prevent you from swinging the elastic grabby. It's there to prevent the grabby from getting stuck on a ledge, which used to happen a lot during level testing. Just swing left as hard as you can and you'll get out of range of the player sensor that triggers it. Journal Entry: The first journal entry is to the right of the grab-and-crawl section. Journal entries give backstory and bubble emitters. Door Switch: When you get up to the hallway leading to the next checkpoint, there's a hole leading down a level. Drop down and hit the switch. If you hit the checkpoint first, you can always use "Retry" to get back up, but it's not a difficult platforming section compared to that first couple of jumps. There are a few seven-bubble clusters hidden behind the large rock on the far left of the platform with the switch on it. Section Two There are two Gazes here that must be killed to proceed. To do so, just jump into their eyes, but watch out for the acid spray (Horrible Gas emitter)! The first one can be killed pretty easily by waiting in ambush on the third step of the stairs, then dropping down onto it right when it squirts. The second one's a little trickier. Stay in the foreground layer and on the far right until it's followed you as far as it can. (You have to stay in the foreground layer because if you're in the background, his tentacle can trap you there.) Get to his left and close in to avoid being squirted, then pop him one right after he sprays. Journal Entry: Under the staircase on the far right. Section Three There are four (formerly five, but thermo wouldn't allow me to fix a broken wobble bolt so I had to scrap one) Sealed Gazes here -- so called because their weak points are sealed away inside of them and inaccessible to Sackboy. Fortunately, they're not inaccessible to the horrible gas emitters on the cauldrons. Spill that toxic stuff to kill them off. To avoid horrible burning death, I recommend the following order: 1. Kill the one in the foreground. 2. Kill the one on the far right in the background. 3. Then the one on the far left. 4. The middle one is easiest to take out because it's possible to approach him from behind, so save him for last. Once they're all dead, a grabby on a winch drops down to haul you up to the next level. Depending on how violently you've got your cauldrons swinging, the safest place to be while they calm down is directly under whichever one is spilling. If they're not spilling, you're good to go. Door Switch: At the far right of the upper beam at the top of the room. Journal Entry: At the far left of the same beam, under/behind the stairs up to the next room. Section Four This section's here to give you a bit of a break between the Sealed Gaze and Horrific Gaze fights. It's just some platforming up through two rooms. Journal Entry: There's an open book on the bookshelf above the water-wheel/pump. Section Five This is a simple boss fight. Every seven seconds or so, the Horrific Gaze will roar, then begin spraying acid at you. The background layer where the bookshelves are is safe from that. If you stand for too long on the platform immediately under the Horrific Gaze's eye, one of its defenses kicks in and shoots fire at you. That's too bad, because that platform makes it real easy to get at the Horrific Gaze's eye -- its weakness. While it is possible to hit the switch without getting slimed by the other background-layer defense, it's a matter of pure luck. Or willingness to die for the cause. You know what would be better? If the monster blocking the way up would die for the cause instead! To achieve this, just grab on to his eye and hang on for dear life. Remember to let go and get on one of the bookshelves (or elsewhere in the background layer) to avoid getting killed, and then it's a matter of patience more than anything. Door Switch: Upper right platform. NO JOURNAL ENTRY Section Six Ah, the deathtrap room. Yes, I still fall for some of these traps myself. One of them because it's possible to use it to bypass most of the room if you hit it in just the right spot. Unfortunately, that's tougher than it sounds. DEFINITELY hit the checkpoint. Note the location of stickers in this room. They indicate deathtraps. Right off the bat, we see some "blood" splattered on the background wall of the first set of stairs, and the foreground of the second. Note that it's possible to have Sackboy switch layers automatically if you jump just wrong, thereby squishing him. Once you're past the two sets of stairs and into the room proper, the camera zooms out to show you every trap in the room. They are, from beginning to end: Electrified floor in background layer Launcher to electrified ceiling in foreground layer Booby-trapped grabby (DO NOT GRAB!) Unstable platform over spikes Clamp trap Loose board dropping onto aforementioned unstable platform Spinning switch platform. Note that the platform with the switch on it should be in the upper right hand side of the room, but has been known to break and either end up on the floor or, apparently, embed itself in a wall. Should this happen, you have my sympathies. I literally cannot fix it. Thermo's too high. Stay in the background layer at first and jump over the electrified floor section. Run headlong into the wood supporting the unstable platform to knock it over (This helps prevent accidents). If you're lucky, the grabby will wedge itself on top of the spikes for a little extra security. If not don't sweat it too much. From here, you have two paths. The clamp trap will only trigger if you go left too far -- you can safely land on the right edge of it and use that to hop up to the stationary platform with the misleading Sprung Bolt. Journal Entry: The open black book above the clamp trap. The other path is to hop onto the stationary piece of wood that was holding up the unstable platform. It's narrow, but possible to land on and jump from. There's a third path. It involves getting the launcher at the beginning of the room to catapult you directly to the switch, and is really frustratingly difficult to pull off. I hadn't designed the room for it, but if I had, I would so reward people for pulling it off. It's fun if you can manage it. Anyway, the platform above and to the right of the fake wobble bolt platform is really really loose (it's a standard bolt and a piece of elastic). Use the elastic's springiness to launch you to the top of the electrified-ceiling platform, and from there, go under the switch platform. Door Switch: The switch will flip over to make it possible to jump and grab it. This, by the way, was trickier to rig than you'd think -- without the system of winches and a grabby I have there, invisibly keeping the switch from flipping unless it's being held, the thing would flip on and off depending on which way the platform just spun. I'm very proud of my solution, so it's really too bad that this switch is the thing that breaks most consistently in this level. Section Seven Welcome to the end of the level. If you've hit every door switch, the double-doors here will open, revealing an empty chamber with an elevated floor. Yes, it's an elevator. If you missed a switch, you'll have to go back for it. If a switch broke on the way up (dangit, trap room!) then, um, congratulations? You beat the level early? I hate that this level breaks. I worked on it for about a month. Five to eight hours a day. Anyway, this section is straight platforming, while being chased by Horrible Gas. Journal Entry: The final journal entry is to the right of the entrance from the trap room. If you jump over the bubble cluster to get to it, you can actually combo from the emitter to the bubble clusters before heading up to the double doors. FINAL BOSS The final boss is the Eldritch Gaze in the background layer, not ______ in the foreground. Don't be fooled. That's not to say you should leave _____ alone! If you grab him, he'll start emitting three-bubble clusters. They only have a five second lifespan, so once the floor is about covered, let go, fill up on points, and repeat until you want to get this boss fight over with! To defeat the boss we -- what else? -- go for that big giant eye. This time, we've got to wrestle with it a bit. If you dislodge it far enough, the Gaze will start to take damage. You'll know it's happening when it starts emitting bubbles and "bleeding". When it makes the "Magic Machine Startup" sound, LET GO and get back in the foreground, since _____'s blasts are possible to dodge, whereas the Gaze's blast fills up the entire area under its eye. Keep at this and you'll have that Gaze killed in no time! Then the top half of the tower falls over, depositing you by the scoreboard.

2011-06-21 20:31:00 Author: BlackWolfe Posts: 299

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I was dazzled when the tower fell. Seriously, how did you do that ?

2011-06-21 21:17:00 Author: nysudyrgh Posts: 5482

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Three non-stiff rods link the top half of the chase climb to the place where the chase starts, acting like a single bolt. Originally, it was a bolt, but that kept breaking from the weight of the tower. There's a bit of dissolvable material off camera to the left that's holding the tower in place, and a winch on the right to give it a yank and get it going. FYI, the rods all have to be connected to the exact same pivot point for this to work, or the tower will just wiggle around instead of toppling.

2011-06-21 22:36:00 Author: BlackWolfe Posts: 299

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Hello Blackwolfe. I finally managed to grab that rope! Ha will wonders never cease! If the fate of the world rested on my little big planet jumping skills (highly unlikely to be sure) we would all be doomed. I also managed to make it right through to the end of the level and rated it 5 stars and hearted it. It really was excellent. Keep up the great work. "Circumstances are beyond human control, but our conduct is in our own power." Disraeli.

2011-07-01 16:53:00 Author: MrObycyek Posts: 50

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It's funny. I don't really consider myself an expert when it comes to platforming skills, but I keep sticking these borderline impossible jumps in my levels... Weird.

2011-07-01 22:54:00 Author: BlackWolfe Posts: 299

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