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Dante's Temple

Archive: 15 posts

Travel Across the Ocean, and into the heart of a volcano to search for treasure in a hidden ancient temple!

Okay, this is not really new.... but I've never showcased it before so it is new here. This was the my first experiment developing a level in LittleBigPlanet - created within a week of the release.

Thought I'd see what everyone thinks!

It has a unique scoring system... virtually all the points are hidden in different areas within the volcano.

Don't be too brutal - I've learned a lot since then.

2009-01-30 02:50:00

Author:
CCubbage

Posts: 4430

Hey Cuz,
"Call me Ishmael" cause I wanna kill me a whale! My patients and that slow moving whale do not go well together. When I finally got in the volcano (I even sucked at walking on clouds) I put my spear gun away and starting enjoying a solid platformer with some thinkin' thrown in there. The level looks really good as all your levels do, glad you said it was your first since this is more of a 'that was neat' level, compared to the 'OMG that was way COOL' of splat invaders saga.

I'll go back at some point to find the other tricks but first I'm taking my prize of a whale to my moon, attaching some rockets to it and watch go go really really fast for a bit

2009-01-30 03:37:00

Author:
Ozwald_the_cat

Posts: 45

Hey Cuz,
"Call me Ishmael" cause I wanna kill me a whale! My patients and that slow moving whale do not go well together. When I finally got in the volcano (I even sucked at walking on clouds) I put my spear gun away and starting enjoying a solid platformer with some thinkin' thrown in there. The level looks really good as all your levels do, glad you said it was your first since this is more of a 'that was neat' level, compared to the 'OMG that was way COOL' of splat invaders saga.

I'll go back at some point to find the other tricks but first I'm taking my prize of a whale to my moon, attaching some rockets to it and watch go go really really fast for a bit

Yes, I had a laugh putting this level up. It's a pretty decent level, but definately it was a learning experience. Maybe at some point I'll make a "Dante's Temple Extreme" that features a whale with a rocket attached.

Funny thing - On the Splat Invaders Saga I've had an entire week of "OMG!!!" comments, and then all of the sudden tonight I've got a little string of "yeah, I had a little fun...(yawn).".

So, just for a laugh I put this level up.

Here's something I wrote about this game on the "Azure Palace" thread back on 12/16 (on the subject of moderation and the good grief tool):

"I put a nice long beginning and a cute cartoonish whale at the beginning of Dante's Temple so that kids would possibly fall asleep before anything interesting happens that they could get scared by...."

2009-01-30 03:57:00

Author:
CCubbage

Posts: 4430

Hey man,

just played through this level and thought it was really good! I liked the whale - nicely designed, though it would be better if it waited for you at the pier (and went back there if you fall off), and I even managed to overcome the clouds (they are tough). When I tried to jump on the lift (lol at the sign) i missed it completely, but no harm done.

There were some really nicely lit areas, but also some pretty dark ones. The walls with cracks that showed the fiery bits behind looked great (I think I missed some score-bubbles in the cracks)

But some good platforming sections, and the economical material choices gave the level a good templey atmosphere (some of these old temples are surprisingly flammable though, lol).

The music choices were great - especially the change in the last section as you leave the temple.

Great fun! I'm gunning through the Splat levels at the moment, feedback forthcoming.

P.S. How did you make the plank bridges at the beginning??? I can't seem to make one that people can't fall through - even though I set the string between the planks at 0 length! It's driving me nuts...

2009-02-27 18:00:00

Author:
Boogaloo

Posts: 254

Hey man,

just played through this level and thought it was really good! I liked the whale - nicely designed, though it would be better if it waited for you at the pier (and went back there if you fall off), and I even managed to overcome the clouds (they are tough). When I tried to jump on the lift (lol at the sign) i missed it completely, but no harm done.

There were some really nicely lit areas, but also some pretty dark ones. The walls with cracks that showed the fiery bits behind looked great (I think I missed some score-bubbles in the cracks)

But some good platforming sections, and the economical material choices gave the level a good templey atmosphere (some of these old temples are surprisingly flammable though, lol).

The music choices were great - especially the change in the last section as you leave the temple.

Great fun! I'm gunning through the Splat levels at the moment, feedback forthcoming.

P.S. How did you make the plank bridges at the beginning??? I can't seem to make one that people can't fall through - even though I set the string between the planks at 0 length! It's driving me nuts...
I'm glad you liked it. This was definately my "learning" level. I authored this one several days after the release of LBP (I wasn't in the beta).

The whale - the simple reason the whale doesn't wait for you is because I simply didn't know how... and I wasn't part of this community yet so I didn't even have any idea there were a lot of other options available.... (in fact, I had only played through part of the tutorials at the time) you'll also notice that although the level is pretty, there is really practically NOTHING complex in it at all. In fact, there is not a single piece of logic happening that you can't see.

With the plank bridges, I have no idea how I did it, really. All I did was take the separate pieces of wood, attach strings between them, and hang it - and it worked. It never occurred to me there would be a problem with people falling through. Maybe it's complicated and I just "accidentally" got it right... heh.

2009-02-27 18:50:00

Author:
CCubbage

Posts: 4430

Time for my review :kz:

Well, since you did not state what I should review (or I have blatantly read it over) I picked this one at random (but after hearing so much about your splat saga I will try those, too).

Well the first thing that got to me was, that it is too dark. Why the hell did you turn the darkness meter so high. I am using a really beamer to throw the picture on the wall with like 3 meters in diameter and couldn't see what I was doing, once I was in the volcane. Turn that up, would make the level a lot more enjoyable. But let's start from the beginning.

I like your visual style. It is neat, fits togehter, really nice, this is how it should be done. But once I had to walk on the clouds I felt like cursing. I spend so much time just dangling around, it was really a pain and no fun. I was really glad once I was over that. But it got progressivly better from there. The ride into the volcano with the lift looked really nice, using the fire as background wall looks so **** good - if only I did know.

You presented some challenging and really nice platforming after that, which I will moste definately have another look at since it does kind of fit what I am currently working on. Again the visual design was absolutely spot on. At times it was kind of hard and you should put up double-life checkpoints but it worked for me.

But what hit me like a hammer was ... well ... the end. I was really enjoying myself and it was making fun and I got into the mood, could not wait to see Dante's Temple when suddenly the music changed and I walked out of a vulcano(!) into a nice little village with the scoreboard. Don't do that to me! That is like ... like taking away the toy from child and saying something like "So little boy you played enough for today. Go to bed!".

Not was it just anti-climatic, lacked a proper explanation, no it broke and ended the level just when it felt full and fun. It came way too early and this feeling alone should tell you that you did a great job in entertaining.

Since this is - how I read here - your first level you propably already know. But do not ever do this to me again.

Conclusion: Definately worth playing, should be less dark though, nice design and a heck of an impressive level for a first one.

2009-03-23 14:01:00

Author:
Fjonan

Posts: 359

I really enjoyed reading this. Thanks for taking the time.

I picked this one at random (but after hearing so much about your splat saga I will try those, too).

The Splat Invaders levels are definately my "Big Productions". I still think this level is great for what it is - and actually had a decent following of players trying to get the high score for a while, but by todays standards it's certainly lacking in a few areas.

Well the first thing that got to me was, that it is too dark. Why the hell did you turn the darkness meter so high.

Honestly, it doesn't look very dark on my TV. Since the level was supposed to take place predominantly underground, having the darkness up a bit seemed appropriate. I MAY go back and use the environment control in this level when it's released. I would LOVE to have the whole beginning sunny and the ending darker.

It's a little difficult to gauge this problem, however, since it looks crystal clear on my TV all the way through - and I have the brighness on my TV adjusted exactly to manufacturers specs. Of course, it also may depend on the type of TV - mine is a DLP so it has a really nice contrast.

You presented some challenging and really nice platforming after that, which I will moste definately have another look at since it does kind of fit what I am currently working on. Again the visual design was absolutely spot on. At times it was kind of hard and you should put up double-life checkpoints but it worked for me.

I may do that - I actually test the difficulty of my levels against my 7-year-old. If he can get through it, I figure it's easy enough.

But what hit me like a hammer was ... well ... the end. I was really enjoying myself and it was making fun and I got into the mood, could not wait to see Dante's Temple when suddenly the music changed and I walked out of a vulcano(!) into a nice little village with the scoreboard. Don't do that to me! That is like ... like taking away the toy from child and saying something like "So little boy you played enough for today. Go to bed!".

The earlier levels in LBP were definately a little more anti-climactic. I'm not sure we as creators really appreciated the tools for a while. This level, in particular, was released a week after LBP was released so the concept had not occurred to me (and I was NOT part of the beta).

The entire time you are inside the volcano you're in Dante's Temple. The point of the level is finding all the treasure. I spent a lot of time designing it to find all the secrets. If you want to truly enjoy this level as a complete experience, try to get into the top 10. If you look at the scores up there, some of these guys REALLY worked at it.

2009-03-23 14:34:00

Author:
CCubbage

Posts: 4430

Ah yes, good old Dante's temple.

I haven't played it recently, but I do remember it vividly. I remember pulling my hair out trying to run across the clouds for the super secret entrance (ok I guess it's not so secret), the spiders, the bubbles hidden behind the walls.

Guess I'll have to play through this again for old times sake. This level is loads of fun. I had no idea this was your first level, it's pretty good.

2009-03-23 15:13:00

Author:
Thegide

Posts: 1465

Wait, the cloud walking was NOT the main way? As soon as I saw that lonely bird hanging from the sky I grabbed immideately.

About the darkness: I have read quite a lot things about the darkness in levels and it seems there is quite a lot difference between the TVs and projectors (they are called Beamer in Germany, that is why I got confused, don't ask me why they do that) and that is why I keep my hands off the darkness setting.

Maybe you can try this one for a day-to-night setting. YouTube - LBP - Night to Morning to Noon to Sunset to Night trick

another edit: About the ending. With anti-climatic I meant ... it did not follow the "curve" you have when playing, expectations. For me I was waiting for some kind of "and now you are in the temple" kind of thing, some story or informatin arch telling me where I am etc.

But you are right the "have a big bang at the end" thing is overrated these days.

2009-03-23 15:59:00

Author:
Fjonan

Posts: 359

Wait, the cloud walking was NOT the main way? As soon as I saw that lonely bird hanging from the sky I grabbed immideately.

There's actually 2 ways you can go. You can ride the whale to shore and ride on gondolas up the mountain, or you can walk the clouds. OR you can do both and get all the points.

About the darkness: I have read quite a lot things about the darkness in levels and it seems there is quite a lot difference between the TVs and projectors (they are called Beamer in Germany, that is why I got confused, don't ask me why they do that) and that is why I keep my hands off the darkness setting. Maybe you can try this one for a day-to-night setting.

I could definately use light objects to add light. I used this technique ENTIRELY in Splat Invaders II (in fact, in that level darkness is turned on COMPLETELY and light is turned off). I'd be interested in knowing if Splat II gives you issues.

(and in all honesty, it would help tremendously if members that have light issues with their TV/Projectors gave specific areas where they had problems. Creators in LBP simply can't test all the TV scenarios.... although I would think movies with darkness and other video games such as survival horror games would also have problems).

About the ending. With anti-climatic I meant ... it did not follow the "curve" you have when playing, expectations. For me I was waiting for some kind of "and now you are in the temple" kind of thing, some story or informatin arch telling me where I am etc

As soon as you fall into the volcano there is a magic mouth that says "Here lies Dante's Temple..." or something like that.

2009-03-23 16:26:00

Author:
CCubbage

Posts: 4430

Yeah I got that info but ... how do I put this ... there is this curve of story telling, that goes up from the beginning, having a climax and going down again and than finish. Your level felt like a ... coitus interruptus

if you know what I mean .... it's strictly a metphor, nothing else. I liked your level but not THAT much.

2009-03-23 16:29:00

Author:
Fjonan

Posts: 359

I totally understand - there was no moment that gave you a proper conclusion. Maybe I'll throw a magic mouth when exiting the cave that says "Congratulations! You survived!" XD

I think if you play Splat Invaders Saga you would probably see what I'm actually capable of. The thread has been on the "most recently popular" threads on this site for 2 solid months and the level was featured on IGN level lovers.

Although this level is definately fun - but definately an early example of a LBP level when there was a LOT of stuff we thought was amazing.

2009-03-23 16:44:00

Author:
CCubbage

Posts: 4430

I gave this old level another go this evening to give you a little more feedback. It's obvious that you, and others, have come a long way in building levels... but this one still holds its own against many levels out there. I noticed you mentioned there wasn't any hidden logic and I was just thinking that as I played. It was a simplified level but still quite fun. It had some great visuals and made me think of some of the Mario dungeon levels. I really was impressed with the clouds which played just right.

I share some frustration at the lack of conclusion. When I exited the temple again this evening I remember I felt slightly let down... as though I must have missed something.

All in all, a good level that shows you can get pretty far without using every material or every logic trick in the book. Nice Job!

2009-03-31 03:42:00

Author:
larryjoe701

Posts: 68

I gave this old level another go this evening to give you a little more feedback. It's obvious that you, and others, have come a long way in building levels... but this one still holds its own against many levels out there. I noticed you mentioned there wasn't any hidden logic and I was just thinking that as I played. It was a simplified level but still quite fun. It had some great visuals and made me think of some of the Mario dungeon levels. I really was impressed with the clouds which played just right.

I share some frustration at the lack of conclusion. When I exited the temple again this evening I remember I felt slightly let down... as though I must have missed something.

All in all, a good level that shows you can get pretty far without using every material or every logic trick in the book. Nice Job!
Yeah, I totally agree about the exit.... to tell you the truth, at the time I had no IDEA what LBP could do. I bought the game for my son without any intention of even building a game with it.... and I built this level without playing anything except the story mode and maybe a couple community levels (you can see the "Garden 1.1" influence...), AND after only going through a few of the tutorials - I didn't even know you could MAKE a boss in the game.

But it's fun to look back and see how far everything has come. This is actually the only level I've made that my son likes to play (everything else I've done is far beyond him).

The player at the top of the leaderboard is a Ukranian named Olexiy who worked on finding EVERY SINGLE POINT BUBBLE in the entire level and getting them just right to get the max x score. He said he spent about 10 hours on this one level - so one player really made it worth making!

2009-03-31 04:08:00

Author:
CCubbage

Posts: 4430

See those kind of players are the reason I do not compete with the top score anymore

2009-03-31 06:58:00

Author:
Fjonan

Posts: 359

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