Archive: 23 posts

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Just played this level. It is not supposed to be a challenge or anything, but it is very beautiful to look at and fun to play. This is from the same guy that made fantasy forest, so you know this guy knows what he is doing when it comes to aesthetics and atmosphere. Awesome level, check it out.

2009-02-21 20:07:00 Author: srsx2006 Posts: 6

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wait, nattura has a new level?! I'm so there! Thanks for the heads up!

2009-02-21 21:47:00 Author: xkappax Posts: 2569

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i'll try it tonight...... i don't know the creator........

2009-02-21 21:48:00 Author: misterwonderloo Posts: 164

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Im sorry. the level is called the Lost Tomb of Anubis.

2009-02-21 23:03:00 Author: srsx2006 Posts: 6

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That level was over-the-top holy moly amazing! We ended up playing it twice. That nattura is AWESOME!

2009-02-22 01:46:00 Author: xkappax Posts: 2569

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I played it just last night and I agree this newest level was visually amazing. I can't wait to see what he/she does next.

2009-02-28 02:15:00 Author: Shalatii Posts: 103

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That level was over-the-top holy moly amazing! We ended up playing it twice. That nattura is AWESOME! The same guy who told me that Idol of Palancthar looked like crap because I didn't hide all the switches? He and his levels can bite me... I wouldn't sell him a heart.

2009-03-01 03:18:00 Author: Thegide Posts: 1465

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The level is a visual masterpiece and unlike anything else I have played before. The same guy who told me that Idol of Palancthar looked like crap because I didn't hide all the switches? He and his levels can bite me... I wouldn't sell him a heart. Well that's not cool at all. I commented on all three of his levels and he did not bother to repay the courtesy on even one of my levels so this guy may very well fit into the ECS category, especially given what he said about your level. However I always judge things objectively, even if the creator is a ****, and for that reason the lvl earned a heart. Lead by example

2009-03-01 04:35:00 Author: OCK Posts: 1536

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He's always been super nice to me. What's ECS?

2009-03-01 18:11:00 Author: xkappax Posts: 2569

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Whatever guys LOLOL So now rating is about returning favors or we only give hearts if we like the creator? Give me break. Just heart and rate according the quality of the level. You received a displeasing comment? Delete it, move on. Or maybe you want to help/encourage keep the immaturity of the userbase into place? ---- Back on topic, I played Naturra's level and whatever the ******* he might be, it's incredible work. This guy is having a real good sense of scenery and looks. One of the best looking levels I've ever played. .

2009-03-01 18:35:00 Author: RangerZero Posts: 3901

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I was talking to him for a little while the other day, and he was telling me some other projects he was doing. If the one comes through, it'll probably end up being amazing!

2009-03-01 18:46:00 Author: xkappax Posts: 2569

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This level was jaw-droppingly beautiful!! Such great athmosphere and use of layers.

2009-03-01 18:48:00 Author: Zwollie Posts: 2173

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I can feel the passion emanating from this level. It defines everything I was trying to convey in my "pushing the envelope" thread about artistic merit that no one understands. I had goosebumps the entire time I played this. ...but seriously, Thegide... what an ahole. I'm pretty proud of my work, and I think that my False Idols series is better than everything else (I said it, sue me. That's how I feel.), but I don't act like a punk to people to placate my own ego, and don't expect anybody to do anything in a certain way for it to look good or be good. This level is a complete package, but if you separate the aspects there's plenty to critique... there's no complex machinery operating any of the mechanics (of which there are very little) or ground breaking mechanics and the spiked ceiling section is amateur compared to one like the crushing room in Torn By Darkness. There's no writing to speak of, the ending is anti-climactic, and if this level wasn't filled with fog and darkness the detail and texture pallet would expose itself as simple and limited. It's a mask of lighting and shadow, and underneath there is no intricacy or ornate detail. The part where the floor collapses and the rocks crumble down with you... if he really knew what he was doing, he would have a plank of dissolve material cut thin to invisible, to guide the player down to safety at the bottom, to then dissolve by a sensor switch and allow the rocks to crash down behind them... instead of risking a 1 in 2 chance of the player being killed cheaply, or having to suicide when pinned under the rocks. That shows inexperience and laziness... Does any of this detract from the level overall? No. Not really. Do the carvings and shaping of the silhouettes still look fantastic without a pixel-for-pixel surface display of hand-crafted detail? Absolutely. If I demanded dialogue, a boss, puzzles, challenge, or other aspects, could I make a point to dislike it? Yes. Would I? No. It's not about minor nuisances and nitpicking when you play a level. He should be careful that his critical eye doesn't get turned around him, as no one's work is perfect.

2009-03-02 06:29:00 Author: Unknown User

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I'm absolutely enthusiastic about this level, but I'm with you on almost all points, Ninja. However, I disagree on two points: one being the "simple and limited" detail palette. There are tons of PS-Eye-generated custom stickers everywhere, even though they are very hard to perceive due to the high amounts of fog and darkness. Still, I think we all agree that the hazy atmosphere is quite captivating and ultimately obscuring this limited detail question into a non-issue anyway. The other point is your assessment of nattura's character - we have heard only one account yet, and as they say, in dubio pro reo. (I don't know nattura, in case you wonder. ) I think you're perfectly right regarding the gameplay in this level. Nattura's "Akemi Gardens" has some similar sore spots, as does his "Fantasy Forest", which is easily the worst offender in this regard. But in all his levels, the overall aesthetics and the originality of some of the gameplay elements more than make up for it. "Must play" for sure.

2009-03-02 13:16:00 Author: tameturtle Posts: 150

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Probably the most moody level I've played. Played through it alone, then I had to show it to two friends.

2009-03-02 16:01:00 Author: BasketSnake Posts: 2391

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I certainly do not want people to make assumptions of character based on my own personal experience with him. But let this be a lesson to all of us, that you watch what you say to people... you never know who's listening. I'm sure Nattura's work lives up to its praise, but like Ninja said, nobody's work is perfect, including Mm's.

2009-03-02 21:21:00 Author: Thegide Posts: 1465

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I'm absolutely enthusiastic about this level, but I'm with you on almost all points, Ninja. However, I disagree on two points: one being the "simple and limited" detail palette. There are tons of PS-Eye-generated custom stickers everywhere, even though they are very hard to perceive due to the high amounts of fog and darkness. Still, I think we all agree that the hazy atmosphere is quite captivating and ultimately obscuring this limited detail question into a non-issue anyway. The other point is your assessment of nattura's character - we have heard only one account yet, and as they say, in dubio pro reo. (I don't know nattura, in case you wonder. ) I think you're perfectly right regarding the gameplay in this level. Nattura's "Akemi Gardens" has some similar sore spots, as does his "Fantasy Forest", which is easily the worst offender in this regard. But in all his levels, the overall aesthetics and the originality of some of the gameplay elements more than make up for it. "Must play" for sure. I love the sticker use... it does add detail, and is the real lynchpin for me in that level. Especially in the final room before the scoreboard. The lighting and shadow does enhance it... but, when I think intricate carving and detail, I think the ornate line work in something like ROBO RAMPAGE X - the levels are entirely geometric and have only a few texture, but by the time you get to the boss, you've at least 30 examples of what could be confused for Celtic artwork. Finely etched, infinitely looping and connective line work. It's raw detail, and not mood lighting, uneven surfaces and a few cracks. As much as I love handdrawn sticker art, and selective hieroglyphic scans, if you were to reference one and carve some ancient sanscrit out with your own hand I would definitely call it excruciatingly detailed. Like I said, I love the level, but I'm just saying, that you have to look at someone's project for what they are trying to do and only picking it apart to show that any level can be nitpicked. In Thegide's levels, he wants to show how something was done, or how it's initiated, and if you let one preference or minor nuisance categorize an entire level as "ugly" or "bad" - that's just wrong. It would be like saying Fantasy Forest is ugly because of the visible LED lights, and ask "since when does a forest have electricity?"... but that that is part of the aesthetic theme - bulbous, glowing orbs, and a moment of disbelief is required.

2009-03-02 22:23:00 Author: Unknown User

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I'm absolutely with you on that. I think it would be downright foolish to condemn a level because the creator chose to show some switches. (For one thing, it's a very elegant and certainly the simplest way to give the player a hint how to proceed.) However, I think that it would be just as foolish to condemn somebody solely on the grounds of a quote told out of context, and in somewhat emotional fashion.

2009-03-03 00:06:00 Author: tameturtle Posts: 150

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I didn't condemn him. I have him and all his levels hearted, and rated 5 stars.. I even left him a comment to tell him how great they are. "ugly" in any context is very harsh, and I know the level is not ugly. Thegide was one of the first people to really nail MM's level of polish, and emulate their style properly. You could slap a hundred switches all over a quality environment design, and the design itself is still quality - there's just switches on it. It's like a pair of designer jeans with the tag still on it... sometimes you want people to know how much something cost, and it's still the same pair of jeans either way. Point bubbles, and big yellow 2 way/three way switches, and red button switches are no more in accord with immersion and polish than visible switches of any other kind kind... anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong. The only level a 2/3 way switch, or a big red button belongs in, is a modern, industrial, or futuristic theme... visible checkpoints too. He could easily do what Mikey flies does and hide his checkpoints completely - or mask his red buttons with thin layers and stickering - or pick a more creative mag switch set up in a more aesthetically sensible statue movement, a weight mechanism, an invisible grab switch... anything. The whole topic of visible switches should never enter into the conversation when talking about aesthetics. In or out of context... it was hypocritical. There's so many ways to tear apart a level, but you don't ever really need to.

2009-03-03 01:18:00 Author: Unknown User

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cool discussion people. im now interested in looking into this level.

2009-03-03 06:41:00 Author: graygoose Posts: 371

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He left me a comment once. I don't quite remember what he said but I know it ****** me off enough to play his level at the time (the one about the Japanese girl). Still, I hearted and recommended his Fantasy Forest and this level because they are really beautiful levels. Oh well, life is too short to worry about petty things like that.

2009-03-05 07:22:00 Author: Jaeyden Posts: 564

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lol @ Jaeyden I would have blasted him for using a story object instead of having the talent and skill to make his own Geisha Girl.

2009-03-06 20:06:00 Author: Unknown User

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very artistic levels, he's got some mad level designing skills... i enjoyed and hearted all of them. i could tell the one where you had to rescue the jap girl is his first creation because of all random stuff put in it.. nevertheless you could already see the quality put in it, much more ofcourse on his present levels.

2009-03-07 06:31:00 Author: graygoose Posts: 371

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