Archive: 7 posts

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First of all I'm new here, so hello! I just recently made a stage, called Mission Improbable, and its difficulty is pumped to the max. It has a dramatic atmosphere with some unique ideas I pulled together. There's some strange contraptions in it, and you can collect lots of them in prize bubbles... (they are hidden in tricky places though) There's even a neat encounter near the end of the stage. Has anyone played donkey kong 64? If so, remember that spinning ice maze in Crystal Caves? Well, my map has that, on steroids. But this map is extremely difficult and it will take numerous tries to get the hang of it! Good luck!

2009-01-09 06:43:00 Author: Solaris1110 Posts: 3

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Hello Solaris and and welcome to the LBPcentral forums! As far as you level is concerned, it certainly IS very hard. As such, you should have AT LEAST double-life checkpoints in all of the places where you put regular ones. I've tried it more than ten times now and I keep dying fairly quickly; it gets quite annoying to play the same part over and over. In general, people who are casually playing LBP will give a level one shot before moving on. That is, if they can't get through the level without restarting, they will just move on without finishing. That isn't always true, and the best levels are ones that hold a player's attention enough that they are willing to restart from the beginning, perhaps even multiple times. Very difficult levels are often cast aside by players who can't finish (which will probably be most in your case) and the ratings may suffer because of this. What do these "best levels" have you ask? Well, many of them have a gripping story in which the player may want to see what happens next. Most great levels have detailed scenery and a persistent theme to serve as eye candy (people will always appreciate a truly beautiful level). The reason why having a story or theme is important is because it gives your level a reason to exist. Instead of having a series of unrelated obstacles that serve no purpose, they are forged together in light of the related theme and seem to have relevance in the world; and people will be motivated to complete the level. I'm getting a little ahead of myself here, but this is my point: your level lacks the sort of cohesion that a theme provides. You seem to have a good grasp of the fundamentals of level building; you just need to take it to the next level. Taking the time to make your level look polished will pay off in the end. I recommend you take a look at the "community spotlight" list for an idea of what I'm talking about. Keep in mind also that it is very hard to judge difficulty when you are making a level. Since you know all the tricks, it's difficult to think how other people (who know nothing about it) will approach your challenges. I had this problem with my level, and many people thought it was too hard. Anyway, put some time into refining your level a bit and you may find that people will more readily accept your challenges, however hard they may be. Good luck and I hope to see more from you soon!

2009-01-10 04:00:00 Author: Unknown User

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Thanks alot for the insight. I guess I went too far when I thought people would enjoy a break from the influx of so many easy games these days. =P Actually, I might try making it much easier and then, after beating the stage, you'll unlock a harder version... And if you beat that one too, you'll unlock the super hard one that I have published. Of course, I'll be making it more lively and polished as well.

2009-01-10 09:39:00 Author: Solaris1110 Posts: 3

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Well I could be proven wrong, but in my short experience so far most people aren't looking for the most ridiculous challenges. I love a good challenge and I think I'm pretty decent at this game by now, but there is a limit of difficulty that even I am willing to accept. Like I said earlier, it's probably harder than you think, even if you you can get through it yourself. The best way to know for sure is to have someone else test it. If you want any second opinions for your next level or even for this one, I'd be happy to help out. That plan you have sounds like a good idea, escalating the difficulty as they get to each new level. So, let me know and I'll certainly give your levels another go!

2009-01-10 15:24:00 Author: Unknown User

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Well I could be proven wrong, but in my short experience so far most people aren't looking for the most ridiculous challenges. I love a good challenge and I think I'm pretty decent at this game by now, but there is a limit of difficulty that even I am willing to accept. Like I said earlier, it's probably harder than you think, even if you you can get through it yourself. The best way to know for sure is to have someone else test it. If you want any second opinions for your next level or even for this one, I'd be happy to help out. That plan you have sounds like a good idea, escalating the difficulty as they get to each new level. So, let me know and I'll certainly give your levels another go! I'm going to give this one a shot in a little bit, but I agree with ZepOfLed on this one. The rules of thumb seem to be: 1. Just about everyone will play through an easy game (even if it is boring many times). It will then get high scores if, even though being easy, it is beautiful. Creating a truly beautiful game takes an artists touch. Not all of us are artists. 2. People will play through a difficult game if it is either a) immensily fun (classic arcade games, for instance) or b) has a hook that is so incredibly satisfying that you don't mind getting frustrated and trying over and over again (the serpent in Azure Palace). Unfortunatey, very few of us can build something that intriguing. Nobody WANTS to play a hard game just because it is hard. They play it because it is satisfying. The best bet is to not build something that is THAT hard unless you can guarranty the payoff is extraordinary. That being said, I'm going to go ahead and play it and see if I can provide any objective information. Edit: OK, I tried it and I definately think the wrong elements were used to increase difficulty level. Couple of suggestions: Jumping puzzles are not necessarily bad in themselves, however I think the uneven cloud bouncing around on a string is probably unfair. I'm a pretty decent gamer, but I died immediately trying to perform this jump. After the last cloud you need to jump on a turning wheel below which is surrounded by electricity. However, there is no camara angle so you can actually SEE what you are aiming for. You may have gotton used to this jump while you were building the game, but it is virtually impossible for a player to know where to jump to. That's as far as I got. I tried twice. I beat Azure Palace entirely in 2 shots. Here's a suggestion: Do some playtesting of your level with a friend. Don't give them any clues, just hand them the controller and watch what happens. Take notes. Try to make adjustments so your friend thinks the game is fair. A great game, whether it is easy or hard, is ALWAYS fair.

2009-01-10 16:24:00 Author: CCubbage Posts: 4430

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Alright I finished most of the stuff, now to publish.... (which is hard to do with a "competitive" connection)

2009-01-14 05:11:00 Author: Solaris1110 Posts: 3

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Hey just played your level on easy but have yet to complete it. I was really enjoying the challenge up untill i got the the bit with the giant electrified swirly thing and I didnt know what to do once I ran past it and died, which was a bummer as I was beginning to feel like I was really doing well! I guessed that you had to jump on the spinny thing and it shoots you over? not sure but eirther way i tried with my 1 remaining life and failed Pros -Once I realised there was a pattern to the things you have to time your jumps through I thought they were really well implemented -I loved the part with the rotating electric maze - a bit different to other mazes I've seen and quite challenging Cons -The level is quite unforgiving and I agree with previous posters on the double life checkpoints. -A bit of a clue with what direction to go in after maze is completed, i was flying round for ages before i realised I had to drop down -I think it would be best if the maze starts spinning when you get inside as on my first attempt I couldnt find the entrance! -I've never been a fan of point bubbles on string but thats just me lol, i would attach them to the background, just think it looks better. Please let me know when you update your level, i will be keen to play it!

2009-01-14 10:01:00 Author: turnipeater Posts: 83

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