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Spotlighted! Chroma Stone Chronicles: Part 2 - Pyrra's Gem by: Morgana25

Archive: 27 posts


level: Chroma Stone Chronicles: Part 2 - Pyrra's Gem
by: Morgana25
location: Western USA

Here's a trailer/teaser for all three current levels. Thanks Again Cog!

YouTube - LBP Level ~ The Chroma Stone Chronicles by Morgana25 [Trailer] [HD]


YouTube - ChromaStone 2 - Pyrra's Gem

A lot of the atmosphere of this level comes from the lighting - the photos don't do it justice - check the video for the full effect.

http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu15/Morgana25_photos/APhoto_59.jpg

http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu15/Morgana25_photos/APhoto_60.jpg

http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu15/Morgana25_photos/APhoto_61.jpg

http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu15/Morgana25_photos/APhoto_62.jpg

http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu15/Morgana25_photos/APhoto_64.jpg

http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu15/Morgana25_photos/APhoto_65.jpg

http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu15/Morgana25_photos/APhoto_66.jpg

http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu15/Morgana25_photos/APhoto_67.jpg

This is the second of a series of levels I'm working on. Finished series will have 4 levels with the Fairies and 1 final battle against Abyssia. Each fairy has a color/material theme to the level. It's pretty easy gameplay I think. My goal was to make them look as lush and pretty as possible. Also - I wanted to try to work on how to make a "boss" character. I'm still learning a lot but I'm happy enough with the levels so far.


This is a "red" level. Very firey. The end boss isn't exactly what I was going for but it's more challenging than the first one. There's a trick to avoiding the fire but you don't need to know it to defeat him. The lighting was the most fun on this level. Also really enjoyed setting up the volcano.

Hope the community likes it. As always - feedback is appreciated.

Thanks
2009-02-21 05:18:00

Author:
Morgana25
Posts: 5983


I liked this level more than the last one. Maybe its because is more challenging, and i like more the theme of this one (volcano like)

There's no really enemies in this level (i think only the boss), but you will find a lot of obstacles, some needing precise jumps. However, isn't fustrating, like i said before, it's more challenging.

Really good level design, the obstacles are very well distributed, and the difficult is constant, making a very cool experience. There's a lot of bubbles to get and make some good combos xD I almost took the first position in the score board

Loved the visuals, with all those fire, red light and smoke. The landscape is very irregular and there some small volcanos emitting some gas. The models are superb.

The boss is more challenging too, maybe is a indicative that the series will become harder in the last chapters After him there's a cool eruption, that takes you out of the cave/volcano.

I found a bug in the beginning, where theres the evil fairy and you jump down to the hole with a checkpoint. If you go left, you will fall and be trapped xD

Really loved it! 5 stars and heart!
2009-02-22 14:08:00

Author:
Unknown User


Thanks - I'll check out the running to the left issue. Didn't see that while testing but anything is possible.

You are correct. The hole has been fixed. Shouldn't be a problem anymore. Thanks again for pointing it out.
2009-02-22 17:45:00

Author:
Morgana25
Posts: 5983


Awesome level, again! Heres some feedback:

The Pros:
+The visuals where great, but for some reason not as good as the first ones.
+The lighting was great! It made me feel like I was actually in a volcanic area!
+Yet again the characters are great! I love your detail with those stickers!
+I love how every (fairy?) has a gaurdian, that you must defeat. Reminds me of some old games.
+The boss was cool, yet sooo easy. I just stood to the right side and shot his face. Nothing touched me, not even a rock. You might want to fix that. Make him shoot plasma balls, and close in the sides so you can't cheat.
+Fun platforming.

The Cons:
-It was really short, and there was only one path, not like the last level. It made me sad. But you probably took up a lot of thermo.
-There was some lag. It was probably from all the lighting and fire.
-Boss was too easy, as I stated above.

But, yet again, it was an overall great level.
5 stars and hearted!
I can't wait for the next one!
2009-02-22 19:17:00

Author:
Kog
Posts: 2358


Yea - the boss is pretty easy if you pick a good place to stand. I tested it with a few friends and the 13 year old got burned immediately. The 20 something figured it out pretty fast. I think if I go too much harder I'll end up with the "annoying" tag the first level is stuck with.

The thermo is maxed. I need to work on getting simpler shapes on some of my stuff. Thanks for the feedback - much appreciated and I'll try to get the lag down in the explosives area and the drop area... I think those are the lag points... can you confirm?


EDIT: I took out a few of the shapes on the back wall in that area to reduce the lag. Should be much smoother now. Thanks for pointing that out.
2009-02-22 19:48:00

Author:
Morgana25
Posts: 5983


Judging 100% from the video, the level looks great, but is really short. I liked that the level had a real flow, like when you were using the switches, there was no backtracking.

Also, in the video, the boss didn't look to good. It looked like a stand and shoot affair. I recall your last level didn't have the best boss either. Maybe give the boss more forms? You can use a rotating wheel with magnetic keys to control what the boss does!
2009-02-27 04:50:00

Author:
dkjestrup
Posts: 672


Yes - boss isn't the most challenging. I'm still learning how to use more complex logic gates and what switches can do. I'm not logically minded so my levels tend to be pretty but pretty simple. Thermo is limiting me too. I'm a messy level maker - I tend to stray from original simpler designs if it looks good which increases the shape complexity and so on and so on.... hopefully I'll get better at it. Probably not for the last three levels of the series as I'm already working on two of them.

Thanks for the feedback though.
2009-02-27 07:00:00

Author:
Morgana25
Posts: 5983


The thermometer is really a problem. >.<
To avoid the complex shape thing, i make some minors ones and glue them. Making those big shapes in the grid makes easier to glue too.
2009-02-27 23:36:00

Author:
Unknown User


Yeah, definately use the grid and corner editor while creating. It makes everything smoother and uses less thermo.

Also, my PS3 is broken, but when I get it back I can create some examples of what you could do for bosses if you want.

The trick with bosses is:

- have a pattern
- preferably have multiple forms to show progression, each harder, or at least appearing that way
- use a wheel with magnetic keys/switches to effect pattern of attack, followed by a cool down phase where you can attack.

Those would be the simplest pieces of advice
2009-02-28 01:00:00

Author:
dkjestrup
Posts: 672


I found this level by accident while playing online the other night. I really enjoyed it. The boss was a little easy, but overall, this was really well done. I played the other one too, and liked that as well! keep up the good work!2009-02-28 04:10:00

Author:
xkappax
Posts: 2569


I found this level by accident while playing online the other night. I really enjoyed it. The boss was a little easy, but overall, this was really well done. I played the other one too, and liked that as well! keep up the good work!

Thanks

I had the next level all finished and was in playtesting mode when the dreaded failed to load bug reared it's ugly head. The level is toast - so I have to start over. I'm hoping to make it better than the original but I need to mourn Chroma Stone Chronicles: Part 3 Cerrulean's Gem for a few days before I get back to rebuilding it. Luckily I have a few of the characters in my objects so it's from scratch with four exceptions Oh well - I had fun building it once - should be fun again.
2009-02-28 04:38:00

Author:
Morgana25
Posts: 5983


OH man, i'm sorry to hear that! I keep like a thousand back ups of my levels, because honestly, I think if I got that "failed to load level" thing, I would explode into tiny pieces. I'm very sorry to hear that it's happened to you.

I'll look forward to seeing what you do with the 3rd one, the first two were quite enjoyable, as I've said before.
2009-03-03 17:44:00

Author:
xkappax
Posts: 2569


Yes, that can strike at any time.... as a start, publish your level locked as you're developing. If it gets corrupted, you can copy it back from your online published levels.2009-03-03 19:34:00

Author:
CCubbage
Posts: 4430


Yes, that can strike at any time.... as a start, publish your level locked as you're developing. If it gets corrupted, you can copy it back from your online published levels.

I have all my other levels published locked on the moon but I hadn't gotten to that one yet.. Murphy's Law! The only problem is I'm running out of slots on the moon with all the backups. I guess I need to make some choices about which levels should stay and which can go.
2009-03-03 19:49:00

Author:
Morgana25
Posts: 5983


Just played through part one and 2 there and I have to say well done on both! Your character design is top notch and you creatde two beautiful looking levels. The boss on the second was extremely easy but thats my only real complaint. 5 stars and a heart on both!2009-03-03 20:05:00

Author:
wexfordian
Posts: 1904


Thanks

Coming from the Wizard of Odd & the Matrix that's high praise indeed. I know the second boss isn't challenging at all but with a maxed thermo and not a lot of space because I designed myself in a box at that point - I couldn't think of what else to do. lol

Glad you liked it though.
2009-03-03 20:45:00

Author:
Morgana25
Posts: 5983


Sorry for double posting but just wanted to say congrats on getting spotlighted Great level you have there.2009-03-09 10:47:00

Author:
wexfordian
Posts: 1904


Hey Morgana,

of the two Chromastone levels this was my favourite - probably because I enjoy fiery themes!

The use of the title/logo and the temply bit with the fairy at the beginning is a fantastic way to use a motif to bind the design of the series together, and the use of dramatic lighting instantly sets this level apart from its predecessor - the feeling of being in the same series but in a different chapter was dead on, very well executed.

Much of what I said about part one can be repeated here - but I'll spare you that, lol - suffice is to say that the polish and visual flair apparent in the first part has been seamlessly executed in the second, and again helps to unify the series. A standout design motif was the gold and fiery veining in the volcano walls (it would be nice to have a gold material without borders).

I also appreciated the extra edge of difficulty here too.

The sudden implementation of the paintinator seemed a little incongruous at first - but I'm not going to complain about having fun blasting a dragon (or was it a dinosaur? Nevertheless, well built). The set piece of the rising lava at the end was very, very impressive - it looked fantastic, and was a great end to the level (big finishes are something that I have difficulty with).

There are a couple of gaps in the level, the first is at the witch at the beginning - I jumped up to where she is, and managed to get past her and went into a kind of little space that leads nowhere. A bit of invisible antimatter - or perhaps poison gas would prevent that.

The second gap is right at the very end. After the rising magma section, I grabbed the cushion and swung left, towards the arrows - thinking that you might have sneakily hidden some extra score bubbles. I let go of the cushion and landed in that area, and the cushion didn't come back down. To cut a long story short - I ended up falling back down the volcano, walking to the right and jumping onto a giant orange spotlight!

I'd suggest having the cushion set to 'direction' operated by a grab switch, and maybe have some poison gas or fire hazard emitted after the ascent.

I greatly enjoyed both in the series, and look forward to the next chapter. Nice work!
2009-03-09 15:17:00

Author:
Boogaloo
Posts: 254


There are a couple of gaps in the level, the first is at the witch at the beginning - I jumped up to where she is, and managed to get past her and went into a kind of little space that leads nowhere. A bit of invisible antimatter - or perhaps poison gas would prevent that.

The second gap is right at the very end. After the rising magma section, I grabbed the cushion and swung left, towards the arrows - thinking that you might have sneakily hidden some extra score bubbles. I let go of the cushion and landed in that area, and the cushion didn't come back down. To cut a long story short - I ended up falling back down the volcano, walking to the right and jumping onto a giant orange spotlight!



Thanks for the great feedback. I'll take a look at the two areas. The Witch one I think I can fix easy. The volcano one is a bit trickier for me. The sponge is set for direction but it can get caught on the edge of the cliff. If it happens you can just jump out of the top side of the volcano to get out. I'll see if I can figure out how to get those tweaks in with the thermo close to maxed too.

EDIT: ok gas has been added to the witch area so no more wandering around in no man's land now. Also I wasn't able to get the gas to emit right on the volcano so I just plugged up the holes. It's practically impossible to fall through that area now. Shouldn't be an issue anymore. If anyone finds a way - let me know.
2009-03-14 05:27:00

Author:
Morgana25
Posts: 5983


level: Chroma Stone Chronicles: Part 2 - Pyrra's Gem
by: Morgana25
location: Western USA


This is a "red" level. Very firey. The end boss isn't exactly what I was going for but it's more challenging than the first one. There's a trick to avoiding the fire but you don't need to know it to defeat him. The lighting was the most fun on this level. Also really enjoyed setting up the volcano.


THE GOOD:

1st let me say I really like your Level Text Titles! They convinced me I had to get the MSG pack. (love the neon)

The visuals you provide are excellent as is the story.
I like a good story myself as it pulls you in and gives you purpose for your actions.

Part 1:
Really liked the 3 layer system (grab, switch, push) to get the walls to drop.

Part2:
Loved that you turned up the difficulty (tricky but not hard)
I liked the switchbacks (the way the path was laid out where the switches were)


THE BAD (If you can call it that):

I have to agree with much of what I have read here. I do wish it was longer but I do understand about the Thermo situation, as I am having the same problem myself right now.

Yes the bosses in both part 1 and 2 are a bit remedial but I understand the learning curve on that as well. They are better than my first boss!


OVERALL: Very Good! BOTH: 4 Stars and Hearted
2009-03-15 19:14:00

Author:
AJnKnox
Posts: 518


I played both 1 and 2, and I enjoyed them quite a bit. It was really interesting to see a clearly female perspective on creation. Where I lean more toward unnecessary complexity in my level design and have little interest in developing characters, you go exactly the opposite way. Your characters (especially the first fairy) are striking. I also loved the whimsical look of your enemies.

I also thought it was clear how you've developed as a builder. The special effects in part 2 were very cool.

Any criticism I could offer would be based on my perspective, where I enjoy deeper platforming, but that doesn't seem to be what you're going for, and there's nothing wrong with that. Variety is a good thing!

Enjoyed them both...left comments...4* the first 5* the second.

THANK YOU for playing Little LOST!
2009-03-19 18:19:00

Author:
frizby
Posts: 89


Just played, along with your other two, not much to say, but imo the best level in the series!2009-03-20 05:53:00

Author:
dkjestrup
Posts: 672


Cool - glad you liked it. 2009-03-20 06:09:00

Author:
Morgana25
Posts: 5983


Same problem - didn't want to leave the title!!!

Again, the colours to suit the appropriate gem were genius and beautiful.

Can't wait to play the third...

Icey
2009-06-14 22:15:00

Author:
IceMaiden
Posts: 1057


I like this level even more than level one. It's cool to see you become more comfortable with various tools as you progress. The timed lighting effects on the pillar jumps is very cool. The volcano eruption is also pretty boss.

Liked having to pick up the over-cute heart I just blasted out of the boss. A bit of cognitive surrealism there. Is it possible to give it a fiery core that won't kill the player to carry it?

Having played them in a row, I'm unclear in remembering, but I think it's here: I had to pop myself after falling into the orange sponge. I hit right in the middle, and got completely buried, no saving throw, no hope of resurrection. I fell on attempt number 2 and tried to land off center, no problems.

And now is a good time to note: That evil witch boss had better be EPIC. I'm tired of her popping out of nooks and crannies to mock me. Crazy woman! Doesn't she know who I be?
2009-07-02 05:37:00

Author:
coyote_blue
Posts: 422


Just played all four levels in this series,and I have to say this was our favourite, despite it not being difficult. It was just fun, everything worked really well in co-op, and it looked great. Didn't hesitate in giving it :star::star::star::star::star:

Great work.
2009-07-19 17:42:00

Author:
LieutenantFatman
Posts: 465


I love the whole feel to this level. Very light hearted & fun. Nothing frustrating. The steam coming from the mini volcanos is a nice touch. I like how you get spurted out of the volcano! Nice! Didn't find any flaws with the level. Everything was well polished. Great sequel to the previous. Will play part 3 and 4 soon!

:star::star::star::star::star:, 'beautiful' tag & hearted
2009-08-07 00:11:00

Author:
MrTran
Posts: 216


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