Archive: 18 posts

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Reposting this because I now have the pics to go with it. I didn't have a camera earlier. http://s601.photobucket.com/albums/tt99/mindphaser74/LBP%20BTR%201/?albumview=slideshow Tribute to the Commadore 64 1984 classic hit Below the Root. This level is the 1st of an extended series I've undertaken. Not my first LBP level though. It is an RPG with platforming elements. You are a nameless citizen of Green-Sky; a village built entirely in a gigantic tree (or grund). You and the villagers seem oblivious to the dissaster unfolding as you go about your day helping the other villagers with various tasks and chores. How the rest of the story unfolds remains for you to discover. Extensively playtested and adored by me and my wife (and so far played by 44 other anonymous people). Need some F4F though because there's always room for improvement. I'm sure it will appeal to a few of you at least. Incase you don't see it on the left: PSN=mindphaser74 Full Level Name = Below the Root - Chapter 1 : Green-Sky Cheers!

2009-03-17 04:58:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349

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looks really nice!

2009-03-17 09:51:00 Author: blizzard_cool Posts: 752

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looks really nice! here is a link to the original 1984 classic! http://www.archive.org/details/C64Gamevideoarchive134-BelowTheRoot This game was way ahead of it's time. This was pre-mario bros stuff (at least for N. America)

2009-03-18 00:43:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349

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bumping this cause no one gave me feedback on this beautiful series I'm already 1/2 way though chapter 2 and it is looking spectacular. Chapter 1 IS spectacular already, IMO, and is there waiting to be played. Please guys... don't make me beg

2009-03-19 16:04:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349

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I played it last night. EPIC - simply epic. Took me an hour to get through it which I didn't mind at all. It's beautifully done and as a player of old school RPG's it really reminded me of that experience. I'm so impressed that not once did I find an awkward area to drag items through or have any difficulty moving freely all around the level. Really top work, in my opinion. This is going to be a hit with older players but I'm thinking you may have to just accept that younger players may not be up to the commitment it takes to finish this level. Nice work - thanks for sharing it. 5 stars & a heart from me (and an uploaded photo - just to prove I finished it!)

2009-03-19 17:48:00 Author: Morgana25 Posts: 5983

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thank you so much, I've been waiting 2 weeks now for some sort of feedback other then "I will play it this weekend" This will be an extended series as I am flooded with ideas for future chapters. Chapter 2 is well on it's way to seeing completion. I will play your levels and provide feedback if you'ld like. Is there a specific level you'ld prefer I play?

2009-03-19 18:23:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349

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Hey dude - just finished your level! Very nice work indeed - I did have a few issues, but the overall quality of the design is fantastic, epic in feel, atmospheric and packed with detail! I loved the little interiors of the tree with the bookshelves and fireplaces, especially the tavern and the shopping parade. Playwise, there's lots to do, and the objectives are fun to complete - not overly taxing, but just the right sort of thing to let you appreciate the design of the level while you're completing them, and some nice little secret areas to boot. There are a few bits that could do with a polish. A lot of your 'complete task' sound effects (in fact all of them) constantly repeat after you've completed the task - which kind of pulls you out of the atmosphere (which you've spent a lot of time creating), fix them so that they only happen once. In my opinion the electric butterflies are a pain - I'd ditch them. They kind of appear out of nowhere in an instant, which looks a bit odd, and it's not fun either running into them, or waiting for them to disappear and clear your path. I got the second jewel before I really needed to - before I'd rescued the boy in fact - and had dragged it all over the place before deciding to go back to the tavern. It breaks the flow of play a bit, so maybe make it impossible to get until you need it. Lastly, getting the key through the hall of springboards is a real pain - it broke the first six times I tried it! A lot of people will give up and poorly rate you for that kind of thing, and given the amount of effort that's clearly gone into this level that would be a crime. Apart from a few easily fixable niggles, this is one of the most epic levels I've thus far played - great fun! Worth five stars and a heart. So I gave them to you, lol. I uploaded a photo too - not at the end, but I'm second on the scoreboard so you know I finished it!

2009-03-19 19:01:00 Author: Boogaloo Posts: 254

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thank you so much, I've been waiting 2 weeks now for some sort of feedback other then "I will play it this weekend" This will be an extended series as I am flooded with ideas for furure chapters. Chapter 2 is well on it's way to seeing completion. I will play try your levels and provide feedback if you'ld like. Is there a specific level you'ld prefer I play? You can play any and all of them if you'd like. In terms of feedback - it's up to you. Although my Tron level is sort of the forgotten child here in he forums. Totally your choice though. Hope you like them. btw - I'm not strictly into the F4F (too much pressure) but I do try to honor the spirit of of it so no worries. Lastly, getting the key through the hall of springboards is a real pain - it broke the first six times I tried it! It broke for me too but bouncing with the key swinging around and around was too cute for me to get frustrated. I uploaded a photo too - not at the end, but I'm second on the scoreboard so you know I finished it! Dang - I was at #2..... guess I'll have to try it again. lol

2009-03-19 19:06:00 Author: Morgana25 Posts: 5983

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Perfect reply Boogaloo, now I can continue to polish this level. I think I agree with you on most of your points. There are a few bits that could do with a polish. A lot of your 'complete task' sound effects (in fact all of them) constantly repeat after you've completed the task - which kind of pulls you out of the atmosphere (which you've spent a lot of time creating), fix them so that they only happen once. I didn't actually notice the repeating. but it did seem to me like there were a lot of task 'complete sounds' throughout the level. I was thinking that it was because of the number of tasks there were to do, quite a few. But I will find a better system. That fix will take up some good time In my opinion the electric butterflies are a pain - I'd ditch them. They kind of appear out of nowhere in an instant, which looks a bit odd, and it's not fun either running into them, or waiting for them to disappear and clear your path. Hehe... you didn't like the Spectral Butterflies eh? You probably won't see them again outside of this level (I've already design a bunch more enemies for chapter 2). What I'll look into doing is replacing them with piston driven butterflies (so you can kind of see them coming). This would allow me to remove some emitters which might provide more therm space to play with. I got the second jewel before I really needed to - before I'd rescued the boy in fact - and had dragged it all over the place before deciding to go back to the tavern. It breaks the flow of play a bit, so maybe make it impossible to get until you need it. I fully agree with you on this one and it is an easy fix Lastly, getting the key through the hall of springboards is a real pain - it broke the first six times I tried it! A lot of people will give up and poorly rate you for that kind of thing, and given the amount of effort that's clearly gone into this level that would be a crime. This is one I don't fully agree with because the design of the jumpers in the Grand Hall are strategically set to varied jumping hieghts for 2 reasons: a) to allow varied jumping heights while playing the score-bubble challenge, and b) so that you CAN get the key through there. Your chances of success are reasonable in my opinion because you don't die from this and you can go back one screen length to get another key. Also, IMO jumping around on jumpers while grabbing a moveable object (like a gem or a key) is kind of fun. Again Boogaloo, I realy appreciated the feedback, and have marked you down to check your work. Do you want feedback at the moment?

2009-03-19 20:31:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349

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You can play any and all of them if you'd like. In terms of feedback - it's up to you. Although my Tron level is sort of the forgotten child here in he forums. Totally your choice though. Hope you like them. btw - I'm not strictly into the F4F (too much pressure) but I do try to honor the spirit of of it so no worries. I have a list I keep of levels to play with my wife on the weekends. It is a short list at the moment, but I will add you and give your levels a try. It broke for me too but bouncing with the key swinging around and around was too cute for me to get frustrated. yes, I too find that cute... such as the ruby on the large jumper earlier in the level. Dang - I was at #2..... guess I'll have to try it again. lol Hint: try to outlast the Grand Hall for high scores, I have each emitter set to go off 50 times, but I've never lasted long enough to see them stop spitting out the score bubbles. Though I came close

2009-03-19 20:39:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349

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You can pick either of mine - I've put photos in the threads so you can play whichever one you like the look of more!

2009-03-19 22:39:00 Author: Boogaloo Posts: 254

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You can pick either of mine - I've put photos in the threads so you can play whichever one you like the look of more! will do tonight after hockey

2009-03-20 00:35:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349

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ok I applied the changes as requested by Boogaloo. I replaced the Spectral Butterflies with those of the piston-driven variety (though I kind of liked the spectral butterflies and think that piston-driven ones are more difficult. Remember that if you stand where an emitted object is supposed to appear, the butterfly for example, then the object WON'T appear. A piston driven one doesn't give you that option of standing where the butterfly is going to be). I fixed a couple of the sound objects that were setting off the "task complete" sound every time you ran past them, hopefully I didn't miss any. I fixed the Medusa Stone Jewel so that you can't get it until the quest has been initiated. I left the key as-is becuse I like the challange and it doesn't pose a threat to either dying or completing the level. And other people seem to enjoy that part too Thanks all for helping me make Chapter 1 a great start to this episodic epic.

2009-03-20 19:19:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349

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Congrats on making the community spotlight!! Somehow, I never saw this thread but I loved the game and can't wait to check out what you did with this level.

2009-04-04 01:29:00 Author: Jaeyden Posts: 564

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Congrats on making the community spotlight!! Somehow, I never saw this thread but I loved the game and can't wait to check out what you did with this level. Thanks, I did not know this. That's awesome. The gextra good news is that chapter 2 is 1-2 days from publish. I would have published it 5 days ago but during the final playtesting I left the PS3 controller alone for a few minutes and my 3 year old son figured out how to delete the level from the my moon screen. Thankfully alot of the objects had been saved but I still had to re-build from scratch. After chapter 2 I'll make a Prologue with Below the Root Origial Music and a Aniated Title before I move on to chapter 3 and beyond. Wow, any perks to being on the spotlight list? After only a month chapter 1 has only about 140 plays and 13 hearts, not the best for a level I myself really enjoy.

2009-04-04 02:13:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349

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Perks are you will probably get more traffic to the level - not a guarantee though. I really enjoyed the level but what you're most likely seeing in the level stats are players that aren't committed to spending a lot of time finishing it. The casual LBP player (and I'm generalizing here) won't spend an hour on a level if it really isn't their type of gameplay. Being an RPG fan I'm comfy with the style you've set up but many players may not be and it will reflect in the stats.

2009-04-04 05:23:00 Author: Morgana25 Posts: 5983

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OK I revisited this level for touchups after the CP-1 was released. -Added global lighting near the end of the level (to help with the transition to chapter 2) -Changed piston-driven butterflies to Spectral Butterflies again (they are better than piston ones) -Added 2 infinite lives checkpoints. 1 by the spider elevator at the tavern, the other in the Grand Hall mini-game -Added a few extra double-life checkpoints -Cleaned up some loose score-bubbles now that they can be glued to surfaces (the unexplainable wind would always knock these down during publish it would seem) -Completely revamped the camera angles and they are MUCH better -Made the Elevator Keeper's elevator more user friendly and easy to get out of. -Made some gameplay elements less "hidden" easier to find. -Made minor adjustments to a variety of other parts of the level. Hopefully these changes will help make Chapter 1 as popular as 2

2009-04-25 18:57:00 Author: mindphaser74 Posts: 349

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Awesome! You included the global lighting =). Looking forward to checking out the level again - I still need to record it so I'll do that today. Nice work!

2009-04-25 19:37:00 Author: DanC Posts: 433

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