Archive: 28 posts

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All right, I know I'm breaking my rule and not posting this in my "levels I love" thread like I usually do. This level is special though. I have been watching this person's level come together since November 6th. While everyone else had two or three levels out, this person was still working on the first section of their level. And yes, he's a friend who lives 45 minutes away from me, but honest to goodness, if he were a stranger this level would get it's own thread. And this is a disclaimer: THIS IS NOT MY LEVEL. So, please don't post and say "you're just promoting your own level" ... my levels are in the showcase where they belong. Ahem. End disclaimer. The level is called The Seal of Silvraen: Shadows of An Ancient Era PSN: VMethos The beginning of the level is a throwback to an old video game. After this silly section, you enter a temple with an indiana jones feel to it. Then you go through each of the elements. While the first two elements are impressive, the water section is where it's at. This level achieves the only really successful waterfall I've ever seen. Anyway, this level's thermometer is full to the top, to the point where not even another sticker can be added. I playtested this last night with him to try to break things, and it was just a wonderful visual experience. Please support his hard work, because this level is so much better than the Ramps and the Cat Races out there! This level needs a million billion plays! Enjoy! Here are some images that I took last night, if you still don't believe me: http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/haleybrooks/for%20patrick/DSC05009.jpg http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/haleybrooks/for%20patrick/DSC05041.jpg http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/haleybrooks/for%20patrick/DSC05058.jpg and here is a video: -8G9ETWeEJc

2009-01-21 12:31:00 Author: xkappax Posts: 2569

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This level is amazingly beautiful. I played it last night and loved it! See the comments I left over there.

2009-01-22 12:26:00 Author: RangerZero Posts: 3901

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ZOMG. That Nariko costume is teh awesome No seriously, I'll try to check it out.

2009-01-22 12:29:00 Author: Unknown User

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That's my husband's "space nariko" costume. And thanks for the kind words on patrick's (vmethos&apos level. Pretty soon he should be posting more info about this in the "showcase" section, but I just wanted to get this level out to the world SOMEHOW! ^_^

2009-01-22 13:12:00 Author: xkappax Posts: 2569

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This is a good level. The best looking level of it's genre, in my humble opinion.

2009-01-23 18:24:00 Author: Dimo1138 Posts: 179

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All right guys, I took a video for Vmethos. He and I played through it together and I died a lot. I apologize as always for my annoying voice. We're a bunch of goofballs and we talked a lot through the playthrough, so i'm sorry about that too. Hope you like the video and the level.

2009-01-25 14:59:00 Author: xkappax Posts: 2569

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HAHAHA nice level, i enjoyed the commentary as well, it was fun and welcoming. Cheers!

2009-01-25 17:57:00 Author: RAINFIRE Posts: 1101

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I'm glad you guys are liking Vmethos' level. I'm trying to get him to join the forums, so hopefully you'll see stuff about his level in the showcase section soon, too.

2009-01-26 22:47:00 Author: xkappax Posts: 2569

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I played this last night and gave it 5 stars and a heart. I particularly liked the waterfalls and puzzle near the end. Thanks for the recommendation.

2009-01-27 00:09:00 Author: OCK Posts: 1536

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yeah, I saw your comment on his level today when I was online before. It's good to see that his hard work is paying off. I've watched him build that level since the very beginning, and like I said before, when everyone had 3 levels out he was still working on the one. I couldn't stand to see a level that had that much work put into it get like no plays. So thanks, all you guys, because he really worked hard on that level! oh, and you guys should see his wiring and switch work for the puzzles in that level. It's so unbelievably complicated that it'll make your head spin!

2009-01-27 00:20:00 Author: xkappax Posts: 2569

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Great level! And I really loved the waterfall effects. Stunning

2009-01-27 03:37:00 Author: hilightnotes Posts: 1230

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His waterfalls are wonderful. I was struggling with a waterfall in my newest level and just couldn't get it right. He took what I did and made it 100 million times better!

2009-01-27 17:43:00 Author: xkappax Posts: 2569

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Very beautiful level! The water are just amazing!@ And the second to last puzzle very simple yet very very well made looks awesome. Ill be sure to search it up right now! And there will be +heart fro sure,

2009-01-28 16:46:00 Author: scorpio_11 Posts: 18

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Wow, very interesting level. Not what I expected, but mesmerizing in a strange way. Such a weird beginning. I need to ask him if he's around about this - the intro to the level seems to almost deliberately mis-lead you. It sets up expectations for a certain type of level, and then you hit a certain point where the big stuff begins, and it's quite different aesthetically and tonally from everything you've seen up until that point. The 4 elemental areas were really cool. Each one was totally distinct and full of unique touches. I don't even need to mention the water area, as it's been stated before - but it looks stunning. The earthquakes were really cool, and I've never seen anyone manipulate the camera like he does here. I'm still not sure how he did that, but it's works really well. Great level all around, I'm impressed.

2009-01-29 12:50:00 Author: Teebonesy Posts: 1937

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The beginning part was originally supposed to be an homage to pitfall, which is what it essentially is now... but... . It looked GORGEOUS in the beginning. To make the rest of the temple good and thermometer friendly, he had to keep whittling away and whittling away from the beginning, and that's what was left. I believe he's going to make some changes to that part, but I'm not entirely sure. There were little secrets in the beginning part and it's sad what happened to it. The thermometer is definitely the enemy. lol. As far as the shaking camera... I'm not sure of the exact way he wired it, but the camera is on something that moves on a wobble bolt or some other sort of bolt, so when you trip a certain switch, the piece holding the camera moves, thus moving the camera. I'm still trying to get him on these forums, and then you can hear it from the creator himself, cause I'm just an onlooker.

2009-01-29 13:16:00 Author: xkappax Posts: 2569

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I actually like that the beginning doesn't fit the rest. It's mentioned at one point, isn't it? a bit of dialogue referring to the beginning of the journey being like a dream. If anything, I'd even heighten that sense of disparity, rather than pretty it up and try to marry it with everything else - It'd be a great pay-off to see the first of many amazing visuals the level presents that way. Kind of a "stick with me, and you'll be rewarded" type of deal.

2009-01-29 15:09:00 Author: Teebonesy Posts: 1937

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from what I hear, he's not changing a thing, and that's probably a good thing. His level is on the highest rated page now, on page like 5 or 6, so that's pretty awesome. I just know that one of the comments on his level was "please make the last puzzle easier so I can solve it" or something like that. Lol. ^_^ thanks for all the support for VMethos' level!

2009-02-05 18:09:00 Author: xkappax Posts: 2569

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Finally got around to playing this... it was really fun. I love the earthquake section (that was done PERFECTLY), the waterfalls (I use that same sticker for water all the time, but have never seen it used on the sliding glass for waterfalls), the rotating puzzle, and the way you dispatch the boss. I also like how the scorpions "ancient" picture looks like an Pitfall Atari sprite. The looks of the level are alright, and they get the job done and allow it to be expansive. I was playing a Wallace and Grommit level the other day... nothing too good, but it had a giant glass wheel disguised by rocks to simulate going DOWN a waterfall rapid. It was a pretty cool idea.

2009-02-08 09:42:00 Author: Unknown User

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The level would have been prettier, but his thermometer was right at the top. He cannot add another sticker or point bubble. He was actually showing us last night how full the thermometer was. He also showed us some of his switch-work which was extremely impressive. For the boss alone, there was a crazy amount of switches!

2009-02-08 14:20:00 Author: xkappax Posts: 2569

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It's already pretty enough, and I just played through it again the other night with a friend... I noticed alot of lighting effects and details that I didn't the first time through. It really is an amazing level.

2009-02-12 00:26:00 Author: Unknown User

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i reviewed this level before in gamefaqs.. when i played it every area just put me in awe and say wow thats pretty neat... i definitely recommend this to anyone, i gave it a 9.5 out of 10

2009-02-18 06:56:00 Author: graygoose Posts: 371

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Yes, vmethos makes a great level. The only thing is that it takes him so darned long to complete one because of how obsessive compulsive he is about it! He made waterfalls for me in our new level, though, so I really can't complain! They look awesome! (he's very good at water effects)

2009-02-20 18:57:00 Author: xkappax Posts: 2569

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Looks Amazing! I really enjoyed the commentary on the video as well - I though I was alone in talking to the TV and breaking into spontaneous dance! Very cute. I'll try the level tonight for sure - Thanks for the recommendation.

2009-02-20 21:05:00 Author: Morgana25 Posts: 5983

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My friends make fun of me for how I always have to narrate every single video I take. I can't just take a video. If we're at an ice sculpture exhibit, I say "this is an ice sculpture exhibit" lol. pat did a great job on this level, and it's a pleasure for me to recommend it to everyone!

2009-02-20 22:32:00 Author: xkappax Posts: 2569

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The water was done by emiting thin glass slabs with a dark matter track right? I couldn't tell from the video, because of the quality (great vid btw) but after watching this, and playing Magnificent Ruby by Geosautus, I think I've got waterfalls "down pat" as you americans say it. What sticker is it? The wave one? (that NinjaMcWiz was reffering to) I like the asthetics. I wish MM gave us a thermo update! Double it! I think they could have a warning mark on the levels with high thermo usage. You have to do minimalistic (like hate) level design for a long level! You should be able to have a level like Geosautus' War factory overlooking a small village, twice the size! Even he complained on Gamefaqs how he wanted to add more village, but ran out of thermo! I think on the earthquake, however, he should have done it like a) earthquake evasion (shake level with piston) or like I did it (shake a camerazone with a wobble bolt.) EDIT: tell your friend Patrick to make the Crocs out of dissolve and sticker them or something, the sponge gives an ugly edge.

2009-02-21 03:56:00 Author: dkjestrup Posts: 672

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I believe it is the wave sticker (the one in the doodles section) ... The waterfall is on a piston with flipper motion turned on, from what I understand. I know it's definitely on a piston, but my husband put the waterfall section in, and I didn't really see the settings. I also saw a really good waterfall in a level called Maya's temple. You should check it out, because they did it a different way. And, yes, as far as the minimalistic level design, you are correct. Oculynth is a 20 minute long level, but it's all squares. Same with H.A.T.E. ... our newest level, The Crystal Cave in Autumn, is 12 minutes in length and can't have even one more sticker added. Somehow, I'm surprised we got 12 minutes worth of gameplay out of it! Oh, and hopefully... Patrick (VMethos) will be joining these forums very soon, so he can tell you more about his level. I'm just a spectator. ^_^

2009-02-21 05:09:00 Author: xkappax Posts: 2569

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Here I am finally... up late and awake because I was playing Soldner-X and my adrenaline is flowing. Anyhow, thanks everyone for the feedback and praise and everything. Originally the beginning Pitfall section was going to be a much nicer next-gen style updated look but as time went on and my thermometer filled up, I had to keep going back to that part cutting away edges and making it all square just like it was back in the early 80's. ;-) So, the fact that it is very different in appearance to the elemental sections is partially due to that, and partially because this was my first level and that was the very first section I worked on. The waterfalls are actually a rectangle of cardboard stickered from bottom to top with the scribble sticker that has the light and dark streaks of blue on it. The stickers are spaced as evenly as I could manage all the way up and the cardboard is attached with a piston to dark matter up above, set to a fairly fast speed along with the flipper motion in setting. I had to mess around with the min and max length to get it to flip back at just the right time to create the optical illusion that one dark diagonal streak of water is continuously flowing down instead of hopping back up and only travelling down a much smaller distance. I also put a thin piece of glass stickered solid blue in front of the cardboard waterfall to help brighten up the blue color of the water and to give it that sheen that the cardboard would lack. (This is for the majority of the waterfalls, though there are a few, two I believe, that are just thin glass stickered and done in the same manner that are transparent) The earthquake camera, is just a camera hidden in the background attached to a block of stone. The stone is then connected by two pistons to a block of dark matter (on the left and right, stiff setting off). The pistons are off sync from eachother by .1 or .2 seconds and set to a fairly quick (.3 to .5 seconds), but fairly short distanced range of motion. A different piston (located elsewhere offscreen) moves a mag key into range of a mag switch that controls when the offsync camera pistons are on/off.

2009-02-21 09:02:00 Author: VMethos Posts: 6

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Aahhh... That is how you got it so smooth. In Geosautus' level he emitted the glass, and you could see if you strained your eyes. If I make one though, I will make it out of glass so you can see your Sackboy behind it. I've got a couple ideas on how I will do it in my next level, but if I cannot get it I might have to steal your idea, if that is okay with you. And did you see my suggestion? change the crocs to dissolve, as the sponge gives them a soft edge.

2009-02-26 23:53:00 Author: dkjestrup Posts: 672

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