Archive: 17 posts

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I've been a lurker on here on and off for a while but finally decided to join up. Just finished Mukashi Mukashi pt4 (It means once upon a time in Japanese.) and published it. I know someone posted my levels here before in the recommended creations section so thanks to whoever you are. Author: Sosaku Region: Japan If you haven't played any of the previous levels I'd recommend starting at the beginning. There is a simple story and characters that run through them and they gradually ramp up in pace and difficulty. If you find the first level a little dull atleast try the 2nd. The first level is more of an introductory level to introduce the style and universe. Anyway... Mukashi Mukashi pt4 http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/6299/aphoto23.jpg http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/3971/aphoto22.jpg http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/997/aphoto19.jpg http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/346/aphoto21.jpg Mukashi Mukashi pt3 http://i40.tinypic.com/33vcbx4.jpg http://i42.tinypic.com/qno6yu.jpg http://i42.tinypic.com/2u6iwwj.jpg Mukashi Mukashi pt2 http://i41.tinypic.com/2pselc2.jpg http://i42.tinypic.com/24mgh14.jpg http://i43.tinypic.com/14tlag9.jpg http://i39.tinypic.com/2utklxs.jpg Hope you like them.

2009-02-22 12:25:00 Author: Sosaku Posts: 146

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Hey Sosaku, I'm just new here too but warm welcomes all round I played yur levels from Part 1 - part 3 but 4 wasn't loading for me... probably just my connection.. (-_-") Here's a breakdown based on yur levels 1-3 Pros: From what I played I can tell you've got a keen eye for imagery and style, nothing looked out of place and the lighting and decorations just set the scene for each level!! Your platforming mechanics are quite clever too, and I can definitely see huge improvements in each level. For me part 3 was the best. Jumping from boat to boat, across the serene glassy river. Swinging around at the docks. And pushing big crates of goods for the weight puzzle. Everything worked like magic and nothing was out of context. Also visually Part 3 was really stunning, especially climbing up the waterfalls. Cons: I have no idea what happened to the boss. I pulled the 2 levers, and the sponge lifted me out.. but I didn't see an end to the boss. I went back down afterwards but it had just vanished... Maybe an idea is to have 1 switch as a trick switch that opens up the gaps in the floor. And the other switch to kill the boss. Also one thing I think your levels lack is personality and character. You have an abundance of style... but I think you could seriously add some drama with some entertaining character dialogue. -perhaps a sinister villain -an insanely old grandmaster/sensei -the part where you rescue the girl from the burning hut, she could point you onward, or give you a clue/tip about the enemy I'll give part 4 a shot next time I'm playing. I think you have what I lack, yur levels have a lot of momentum and fun platforming. The level I'm working on now has so much dialog and characters theres little room for a good action sequence. Actually just thinking back now... you should watch Seven Samurai. Its really long (3hrs 30 mins) but probably the best samurai movie and has some brilliant characters!

2009-02-22 17:09:00 Author: Pitcard Posts: 779

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I highly enjoy your levels man Been playing through them all now and they're really beautiful.

2009-02-22 18:07:00 Author: Morrinn3 Posts: 493

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Thanks for the feedback. I wanted to keep the story and dialogue down to a minimum. The story and characters really came after the setting. It's basically just to give you a reason to go from A to B. As for the boss. The idea was that you pull the switches which makes holes in the ground which floods the chamber and kills the boss. The problem is I couldn't get the camera to look low enough so that you could see the boss being killed by the rising gas. I messed around for ages with that boss trying to find a way to kill it. Just jumping on points on its limbs was too easy and fast. I wanted something a little more puzzley. Admitadley Boss' aren't my strong point but atleast it looked cool and added a nice climax to the level. I've seen Seven Samurai countless times. It's my favourite film. Actually it was watching that film in college that first got me interested in Japanese culture and what led me to come to Japan where I've lived for about 5 years now. I'm a huge Kurosawa fan. Another excellent samurai film worth checking out is one called Harakiri. It's not Kurosawa but it does star Tatsuya Nakadai a Kurosawa regular. Very intense and grim samurai flick. Anyway thanks again for the feedback. Don't get me started on classic samurai films or I could be here all night.

2009-02-23 11:39:00 Author: Sosaku Posts: 146

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Well you certainly mastered the setting, and action flow. I just thought maybe it'd be more compelling with a bitta drama. Oh I played part 4 and liked what you did with the big monkey idol I just saw seven samurai recently and was really impressed, but i've been into japanese and Asian culture for years. I'll definitely check Harakiri out. I've some manga-ish style drawings in my album if you're interested! I'd like to do a manga if I have the time. What part of the world are you from originally btw?

2009-02-23 22:46:00 Author: Pitcard Posts: 779

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Ah a fellow ninja... you already know I have the same fascinations as you. These levels do not disappoint. As soon as I saw the bamboo reeds I knew I was in for a treat - they're nice and relaxing, elegantly styled and built, and fun to play. I was trying to think about how to do a bamboo forest for the samurai level I've been trying to make for months (all I have is an ox cart, two complex NPC's, and a boss... and that was 2 months ago lol), and I only hope I can do the culture and theme as much a justice as it is here. The irregular shaped clouds, made of grey gas are done so right. Darting between the red planks that later raise, with autoshifting made my character seem very skilled. I love the little mechanics all around, and the inclusion of period fitting artwork and kanji. All in all, a very nice looking, immersing, and fun level with lots of well built architecture and carefully carved terrain. The 2nd episode feels much more alive, and is a fitting progression to set the stage with a calm episode and then introduce some villainry and tragedy in the next. I love the feeling of scaling roofs and dropping onto a warrior's head like I'm playing Tenchu - that made me stop and switch to my cyan samurai costume lol The architecture and design in this environment is so great. The falling timber, the rocket smoke that puffs through the environment... this place really feels like it was brutally seiged and is in dire need of help. Using the insect sound on the warriors is a good touch, gives them a Ninja Scroll demon feel. The platforming with the way you used the messiah sponge on winches and pistons to make them stand out from the typical sponge swing, is a nice touch and makes the whole thing very fun. The ship design, and the environment design in ep 3 is only showing even more aesthetic greatness... ship design is usually pretty laughable in levels, and these are all done great with a good foundation, and each one has a nice platforming challenge on each. I like the design of this tower area too - you picked all the materials for all these levels that I would - it's great lol your lighting is always perfect, the music choice always fits too. I'm really liking the dialogue the enemies spew in this episode too "know your limits boy" - now I feel like I'm playing through Lone Wolf and Cub. Oh man, this rolling river, after the already cool boat drop, and box moving segment is fantastic. Beautiful cherry blossom trees - wonderful shaping on the branches, you kept them skinny and organic, and gave the blossoms a multitude of sizes to make them look natural. WOW @ coming up through this torrential water fall. What a great boss design... a good, unconventional way to fight him and escape too... falling in and finding it unexpectedly was a great set up. Hearing the death, brain-pop noise on escape was a nice touch. Nice firework display... a just reward lol Ok episode 4... another beautiful set, and a different background again... I like how you've managed to create in a way that lets these feudal themes fit with all the natural backgrounds in the game. So far all I can say to change here is to detach your score bubbles so that they're not causing a pause of slowdown when collected. If you need them to float or stay in place on a slope, attach them to invisible pieces of dark matter instead of the ground or background. The wheel puzzle here is great - nicely done. I like the concept of this spike room, and got lucky going through it the first time, almost to the end, but the plane shifting here will automatically throw you under the spikes even if you weren't trying to go under - not sure what a good fix for that would be. I like how this is taking a turn for the supernatural a little more... the story is nice enough, and the dialogue is good so far. I like the wheel section around the idol here, gives me flashbacks to my favorite story level with the DJ Krush - Song 2 track playing. The elevator is a great transition, but short... still better than a short walk. The labyrinthine danger in this next area is very cool. It does feel like a trial of skill, and I forgot to mention that I really like the design of these enemies. Another great episode... I think I like 3 the best, like others have said, but I love them all, hearted them all, and will look forward to more. If you're interested, add me on PSN, I'd love to show you the thing's I've made for unmade level. I think you'd appreciate them conceptually, and mechanically even though they're not yet utilized.

2009-02-24 00:33:00 Author: Unknown User

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Wow thanks for all the feedback. I was wondering what was causing the slow down on level 4. I'll experiment with the bubbles a bit to see if I can get rid of it. Thanks for the tip. Level 3 is probably my favourite as well. To be honest I thought 4 wound up being a little bit too long and a little too disjointed. Too many area types I think makes it hard to get into the flow of a level. Also the ending is a bit of an anti-climax. There was originally going to be something else at the end but I'd already maxed out my thermometer. I'll have to save it for the beginning of pt5 instead. If and when I actually get round to starting it. Sure add me on PSN and if I'm online I can ahve a look at your objects etc. I'm running out of ideas myself. Oh and I'm from the UK originally.

2009-02-24 05:10:00 Author: Sosaku Posts: 146

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Hey Sosaku - glad to see you on here (I'm new too). I sent you a message on PSN a little while back (my PSN ID: stackford) about a tiny gap I found in part 3, now I can let you know about stuff like that on here! At work at the mo - but I've been looking forward to part 4 and will play it as soon as I get home.

2009-02-24 12:27:00 Author: Boogaloo Posts: 254

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Played all of the Mukashi series two nights ago, from 1 to 4 in one go. They are all great, and there's a clear sense that the quality is even improving with every part. Pt 3 is my favourite because it manages to deliver a sizeable chunk of solid gameplay in a beautiful setting of great variety. I would like it to be more brightly lit in places but perhaps that's just me, and it's not a serious issue. Pt 4 is looking even better to me but it actually felt shorter, and the building with the spiked platforms moving up and down managed to kill all of us the first time, a party of four with three moderately seasoned players. Certainly a combination of lack of skill on our part and jump direction / layer switching being messed with by the camera which is constantly tracking all players on-screen. Anyway, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I can't wait to see where you will be taking this next. Thanks for the fun!

2009-02-24 14:23:00 Author: tameturtle Posts: 150

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Hey Stackford! Yep I fixed that bit after you messaged me about it and republished it. A few people have mentioned the difficulty of those spikes. I'll probably just slow them down so they're easier to get through. I think the tricky bit and what kills most people is when you come down the other side and have to jump down a layer. If you do it too early you land on top of the spikes below and it crushes you against the ceiling. Just started on part 5 but it'll be a long way off. I'm literally just getting a feel for the look and feel of it. I also want it to be a big finale as it'll probably be the last in the Mukashi series. If it ends on pt4 I think it'll be a bit anti-climactic.

2009-02-24 16:10:00 Author: Sosaku Posts: 146

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Bump! Starting to get some good ideas for the final level. They are just ideas though. Actually pulling them off might be tricky.

2009-02-28 05:57:00 Author: Sosaku Posts: 146

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Cool, lookin forward to playin this. If ye need any ideas for a boss or whatever just ask, people are always up for sharing their genius here Oh you should check out my new level. Its my first proper platform adventure. Animal Zoo. and since i'm finally finished that, I'm thinkin of making a music loop mixing level. where the player can trigger music loops and change the flow of the song by themselves. I'm thinkin Melodies from Mars type gaming music^^

2009-02-28 15:08:00 Author: Pitcard Posts: 779

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Yeah I'll have to give your zoo level a try. I tried making a music sequencer level a while ago too. It was basically lots of loops that you could turn on or off to create the sound you wanted then a switch (a movable block.) that you could move to change the tempo of the music. It actually worked ok but it started to get very annoying after being in the level for more than a minute as you were just hearing the same loop 4 or 5 second loop played over and over again. I was thinking of returning to the idea and making the loops 4 bars instead of just one and actually making it so that people can program the sequences themselves. Let me know how it goes.

2009-03-01 03:02:00 Author: Sosaku Posts: 146

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Great stuff, these! Good gameplay, very nice graphics, really adds up to an atmospheric story. I only have a few remarks: In part 2, the level description mentions "dealy ninjas", which, while it sounds scary all the same, should probably be "deadly ninjas". And in part 3 I managed to get stuck behind the very first boxes you come across.

2009-03-08 20:31:00 Author: Rogar Posts: 2284

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Thanks. I thought I fixed those boxes a while ago because someone else had a problem with them. You should be able to get back over them if you get stuck though. You just have to make sure you hold the jump button all the way down. I also finally got round to checking out NinjaMic's Japanese themed stuff. Some interesting ideas. The weeping statues could be used to great effect in an atmospheric level. The giant Samurai was also pretty cool. I liked the fireball type effect his sword had. I'm working on a pt5 which will hopefully be a climatic end to the series since pt4 was never really properly fleshed out. Just waiting for the Cornish Yarg update. There are somethings I want to do with the lighting.

2009-03-25 10:26:00 Author: Sosaku Posts: 146

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I was looking for levels made by Japanese people, and happened across your series. I wasn't expecting much, but hopped into pt 3. I thought it was fabulous. It looked great throughout, and a lot of creative things were going on with obstacles and presentation. I've since played through all four parts and enjoyed all four parts. I'm anxiously waiting on part 5.

2009-07-01 23:30:00 Author: tashi Posts: 60

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The architecture in this series is simply awesome. Your bamboo forest was pretty freakin' cool, also. I'd say that the breezy pace and decent platforming in these levels doesn't really even need the story you've put in there. Simply moving through the space is nice on its own, and you change gears pretty frequently, which keeps the jumping fresh. Your boat designs are absolutely great, as well. If I can jack one to replace my mean little rowboat in Lone Ninja, I'm totally doing it, without shame. Thanks for making so many of your designs shareable - at the very least, it will challenge me to try and do better. I would agree with a previous poster on the insectoid boss in round 3 - it's a shame he doesn't die on screen. I imagine NinjaMicWZ would probably be better suited of your respondents to walk you through the switches you'd need to spruce him up. Barring that, you're more than welcome to ask me...but I wouldn't get you all that far.

2009-07-03 02:34:00 Author: coyote_blue Posts: 422

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