Archive: 16 posts

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Thegide presents... The Idol Of Palancthar PSN: Thegide Here we have my first "real" level. Many of you missed seeing this because at the time of its launch, I was a brand spanking new LBPC member and hadn't gotten involved in the community yet. I'm relaunching this level on the coattails of Asteroid! Pinball in an effort to reset the bad tags it gained through its first weeks of release due to difficulty balancing issues. It's proving to be far more successful this time around, garnering higher heart-play ratios and better tags. IMO, it's not very difficult, and the story is kept to a minimum which makes it friendly for younger audiences. Despite being my first real level, it's incredibly polished. I'm not really looking for feedback at this point, just some plays. So please, give it a run, you won't be disappointed! Synopsis: Legends of the lost ruins of Palancthar foretell of a golden idol within its lost chambers. Will you brave the perils and uncover the secrets of the ruins? Screencaps: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3129/3134080930_abeee400f6.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3263/3133259495_943fc295a9.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3102/3133259965_d242c7f129.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3105/3134082524_047d9c8f70.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3248/3133260853_8292e1f4f1.jpg

2009-03-12 14:23:00 Author: Thegide Posts: 1465

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I've played this several times in recent days. If you haven't played this level yet, it's absolutely GORGEOUS. Unbelievably well constructed.

2009-03-12 14:35:00 Author: CCubbage Posts: 4430

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wow dude this looks amazing.....

2009-03-12 17:50:00 Author: Hamsalad Posts: 2551

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Yeah, this level is pretty good, I love how you have loads of secret places all over it. All I would say is that the boss fight is quite enjoyable but could be made better using that idea. Also, there's just a few visible magic mouths and such around the place.

2009-03-12 19:43:00 Author: olit123 Posts: 1341

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Yeah, this level is pretty good, I love how you have loads of secret places all over it. All I would say is that the boss fight is quite enjoyable but could be made better using that idea. Also, there's just a few visible magic mouths and such around the place. The magic mouths are intentionally visible. Prox switches are kept visible to guide the player. I didn't do this in shadow moses, but for this level it fits. The boss fight was the first multistage bot I built, so it's fairly basic. It's nowhere near as complex as Metal Gear Zero in it's programming. I'd actually say the programming for this is horrendous and could have been implemented so much better. This level, to me, is an absolute relic because it shows me how far I've come as a developer, but yet the level is still great. If I can think of it, sometime I'll post photos of my boss logic switches and you can see how insane I've become. The progression from this to shadow moses to pinball is quite drastic. I can barely even edit pinball at this point because my play surface is almost completely obscured by wires.

2009-03-12 19:48:00 Author: Thegide Posts: 1465

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This level is amazingly awesome. It really is one of my favorite user-created level. It's also accessible to alot of people I think in matters of difficulty. I don't know, it just feels polished and nice, it's almost like it was coming from a pack of "unreleased MM levels". .

2009-03-12 22:41:00 Author: RangerZero Posts: 3901

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I like the level, I just haven't ever finished it lol I should really try to though, will give it another attempt now.

2009-03-13 06:06:00 Author: dkjestrup Posts: 672

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Good stuff Gide. I think I played the old version at some point. Highs: The trials were really cool Polished platforming Depth Lows: I honestly didn't enjoy the final boss, but mostly because I couldn't figure out how to dodge the burning monkey poop if I missed him (probably not burning monkey poop, but that's what I like to think). Conceptually he was pretty cool. It was just a bit frustrating. Mine carts. LBP has too many mine carts, and they almost never work as intended. I ended up being dragged behind yours after accidentally nudging it. Overall, I gave it a well earned 4 and thought it was great!

2009-03-16 14:13:00 Author: frizby Posts: 89

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The magic mouths are intentionally visible. Prox switches are kept visible to guide the player. I didn't do this in shadow moses, but for this level it fits. I really don't think it does. It's hard not to think, "what's this microchip looking thing doing here".

2009-03-16 14:15:00 Author: frizby Posts: 89

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I tryied this level, and i think it is awesome! The grapich was great, many funny platform sections, a very good atmosphere and great soundtracks I enjoyied all the level, but there are some little things that you can fix: i loved how you made the temple, all the ancient stuff, the bridges,when you enter in the temple, the speechbubble says that the temple is very ancient, but why are there many lights and leds? Try to use candles, or hide the lights 2nd thing: there is a section where you find the speaking statue, then there is the "spiky trap", and you must go in the trapdoor. But i'm italian, so i'm a little slow to read the english: after i read the texts, it was too late and i couldn't go in the trapdoor, so i did retry Then, the last thing: in the bos part, when you're versus the statue, there is a red sponge that goes down from the roof, and you must grab it to activate the catapult. If you hold R1 to grab, the sponge goes up, and you can avoid the "boss attacks", then when it goes down you repress R1 and you win very easily Try to use a red button switch that goes down, you press it one time, and it regoes up Overall, the level was great, you did a great work 5 stars

2009-03-16 14:51:00 Author: Dante95 Posts: 504

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looks extremely professional and I will play as soon as I can get my kid away from the big screen. Expect a review from me as I need to contribute to this site more often obviously because I never get any feedback from most of you (I've learned that members won't generally respond to level threads unless pics are included so I'll be doing that more often)... your pics look awesome and I can't resist... is it the kids bedtime yet? PS I'm a mod on another LBP site so if I like your level I'll spread the word over there.

2009-03-16 17:47:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349

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That's fantastic mindphaser, thanks! I haven't strayed too far from LBPC to promote, but more exposure is the best thing an author can hope for. Don't feel obligated to leave me extensive feedback here... I put this up for the enjoyment of others who probably missed it when it was launched back in early December. I know it's far from perfect, but for my first level I'm pretty satisfied. I'd be happy to check out your stuff later tonight too. Weekend was busy and I didn't get around to playing much.

2009-03-16 19:35:00 Author: Thegide Posts: 1465

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Finally finished it! 5 stars and Hearted. The only part I didn't like was the boss... EDIT: I would like to add that this makes me feel sad about my first level lol. It has a very MM like style, which I like. If only the boss... That is what really annoys me though, thinking "well, it might not be perfrect, but it is better than 95% of first levels (which is true, considering H4h and Rocket Sleds) but compared to some it gets owned. Although, I feel I learned a HUGE amount when I made it, and feel my latest level is a competitor for Community Spotlight. Again, well done, polished yet organic, brilliant

2009-03-17 04:18:00 Author: dkjestrup Posts: 672

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I played this level tonight and it gives me a new level of polish to aspire to! It's one of the best set up, nicely built, thoughtful and fun levels I've ever played. Your material usage is inspiring and the lighting is so subtle and superb. (BTW - how do you get that blue block to glow so beautifully without a visible spotlight?) The multiple paths and the secret little nooks are fun to hunt out too. I thought the boss was really unique. Nice pattern to follow, easy enough to figure out and rather than pop his brain or splatter him in pastel paint, I love that you have a real object smack him to defeat him. EDIT: I forgot to mention that while I usually don't like exposed sensors the feel of them on this level reminds me of how they appear on the MM levels. I think your intent was to explain/educate players how things could be done. I really respect that and think it's a very generous gesture to us aspiring creators out here. It's a beautiful level with fun and engaging platforming and puzzles. It's the total package in my opinion. Nicely done. 5 stars and a heart.

2009-03-17 07:28:00 Author: Morgana25 Posts: 5983

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Finally finished it! 5 stars and Hearted. The only part I didn't like was the boss... EDIT: I would like to add that this makes me feel sad about my first level lol. It has a very MM like style, which I like. If only the boss... That is what really annoys me though, thinking "well, it might not be perfrect, but it is better than 95% of first levels (which is true, considering H4h and Rocket Sleds) but compared to some it gets owned. Although, I feel I learned a HUGE amount when I made it, and feel my latest level is a competitor for Community Spotlight. Again, well done, polished yet organic, brilliant You're absolutely right in your thinking. Even this level of mine I've seen shadowed by other, better firsts. But, that's ok, as long as you learn where you can improve. For my boss, the real issue is that I didn't have the skills or experience I have now. It felt appropriate at the time to use the monkey to complete the story by becoming the boss, and this is obviously less epic than some sort of screen-filling monster, but it fit. Regarding the mechanics of it, well, it was my first attempt at boss building, and first attempt at AI. It's a very crude machine. Some people really like this boss, others think it's the low-point of the level (which inspired me to rebuilt it once already). One thing I learned from it though was how room planning and layout are vital to a boss fight. At the point when I finished off the level, I was out of physical space to build. I'd covered the level area end to end, and was folding back on my previous architecture. (This is why the scoreboard area is so anti-climactic!) So, it was very cramped to work in, and I think the overall fight could have been much better had it been planned better. Your material usage is inspiring and the lighting is so subtle and superb. (BTW - how do you get that blue block to glow so beautifully without a visible spotlight?) The ambient lighting in the level is low. So much of this level is lit artificially, so I think electrified objects really tend to stand out. I forgot to mention that while I usually don't like exposed sensors the feel of them on this level reminds me of how they appear on the MM levels. I think your intent was to explain/educate players how things could be done. I really respect that and think it's a very generous gesture to us aspiring creators out here. When I created this level, I set out to capture the look and feel of the Mm levels, not just build a pretty level. And, I've been told I was highly successful in doing so. When "Idol" was released, most levels were still very crude in their visual presentation (that's changed a lot since then). Originally, I had left almost all of the sensors and switches exposed like in the story levels, but have toned this down in the rerelease since a lot of people decided to hate on me for doing so. I also tried to capture the light-hearted feel of the Mm levels, despite this being a dark and dangerous temple, which is reflected in my choice of music, lighting, and other visual artifacts along the way. Anyways, you guys are TOO kind. I'm pretty critical of my work which is why I work so hard to deliver fun, great levels. It's really nice to see that people really do appreciate the work that goes into these creations. I really struggled to get my levels played in the beginning, and it's a real honor to see them enjoyed by so many now.

2009-03-17 15:31:00 Author: Thegide Posts: 1465

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I know what you mean by level planning. In my first level, I only had one puzzle in my head, and I created without the grid. What happened, was everything I did was a spur of the moment thing, which is never good. I feel planning is vital in this respect. I know you cannot change it, but the "soul of the ****ed" or something could come out of the monkey and fight you lol.

2009-03-17 20:57:00 Author: dkjestrup Posts: 672

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