LBPCentral Archive

Home

LBP Showcase / Reviews / Recommendations

Level Showcase

Cool Levels

From Siberia With Love Pt.4: Sabotage (pics) (Pts. 1,2,3 spotlighted)

Archive: 46 posts

I've finally finished and tested the fourth part in my series.

From Siberia With Love Part 4: Sabotage by GruntosUK

I've spent the last month and a bit working on it, and all day today testing and fixing any bugs we could come across. Thanks to Hardsync, Kappa, Blizzard_Cool and TameTurtle for playing and pointing things out.

After finally reaching Dr. Cloths hidden base, you have the chance to disrupt his plans by causing as much damage to his hidden base as possible. Fire up the GPS Intensifier so that HQ can get a fix on your position and then use Airstrikes to destroy the main sections of the base. Find out about WovenEye, Dr. Cloths secret weapon and move yourself one step closer to your goal.

I've added platform, puzzle and paintinator sections to the level, and have pushed the thermo to 95%. Unfortunatly I could fit in a few things I wanted to so I'm going to do a part 5, to add the cool things I could'nt and tie the story off.

Here are some pics.

http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr285/grantosuk/APhoto_17.jpg

http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr285/grantosuk/APhoto_18.jpg

http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr285/grantosuk/APhoto_19.jpg

http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr285/grantosuk/APhoto_20.jpg

http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr285/grantosuk/APhoto_21.jpg

Here is a link to part 3, links to parts 1 and two can be found in here in case you missed them.
https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=t=9442

Video available here, thanks kappa

YouTube - From Siberia With Love, part 4 - Sabotage (LittleBigPlanet), by GruntosUK

I'll do whatever F4F is posted. Thanks and I hope you have fun.

2009-03-21 01:46:00

Author:
GruntosUK

Posts: 1754

I'm DYING to play this. Soon as my wife and her friend go to bed (my wifes friend is a girl and is going to bed in the guest room - GIVE ME A BREAK! THINK CLEAN THOUGHTS!) I'm gonna play this one.

2009-03-21 02:03:00

Author:
CCubbage

Posts: 4430

Will play it!

2009-03-21 02:04:00

Author:
dkjestrup

Posts: 672

Nice! Just finished it, and it fits perfectly into the series. The thing that amazes me about these levels is the amount of engineering you put into them. The flow shows that you truly planned out virtually everything (either that, or you're incredibly fortunate it comes together this nicely).

I found no major items, so here's a few nitpicky things I noted:

At the top of one of the elevators there is a paintinator to the immediate left, then a checkpoint to the left, and a turret - the turret fired and killed me, but I respawned right on top of a plasma. There is room to move the checkpoint a little to the right and back a plane next to the paintinator so this doesn't happen.

To the immediate left of this turret there is a 2-way switch which is not glued down.

Not a huge deal - and I can't even say its wrong - but there are a lot of turrets that you can simply stand back and shoot and they don't shoot you.

An area where you trop down a vent and enter a room with red targets attached to pistons - the paintinator is not glued down.

That's all I found - none if it affected gameplay but are minor fixes.

Great job! 5 star and hearted (when I did it your heart average went from 4 to 5 - at least for now!)

2009-03-21 03:50:00

Author:
CCubbage

Posts: 4430

Thanks for the time to play the level and the rating Ccubbage, I am at 5 stars now, with a complex and beautiful tag. only just above 10 plays though so that could change. I took a look at the things you pointed out.

The thing that amazes me about these levels is the amount of engineering you put into them. The flow shows that you truly planned out virtually everything (either that, or you're incredibly fortunate it comes together this nicely).

A little bit of both, I have it planned in my head and other ideas come as I'm building it. Its actually a head ache to build things into the level that are'nt going to be used until MUCH later on.

At the top of one of the elevators there is a paintinator to the immediate left, then a checkpoint to the left, and a turret - the turret fired and killed me, but I respawned right on top of a plasma. There is room to move the checkpoint a little to the right and back a plane next to the paintinator so this doesn't happen.

Fixed! I can ace the level, I've played it so many times. Its one thing I did'nt notice here

To the immediate left of this turret there is a 2-way switch which is not glued down.

Now glued down.

Not a huge deal - and I can't even say its wrong - but there are a lot of turrets that you can simply stand back and shoot and they don't shoot you.

I don't think theres much I can do here, the proximity's are set so you can get to cover if they do start shooting. I'll take a lot at this though.

An area where you drop down a vent and enter a room with red targets attached to pistons - the paintinator is not glued down.

Now glued down.

Thanks again

2009-03-21 08:17:00

Author:
GruntosUK

Posts: 1754

the level is really really good. I got to beta test it last night after a bunch of unfortunate internet incidents, and after losing moo like 10 times. I think I'm going to go play the proper version now, because it is 7AM and i cannot sleep for some reason.

2009-03-21 11:59:00

Author:
xkappax

Posts: 2569

Great level, just played all 4 levels in the series. I just love the engineering that goes into these levels, it must take quite a lot of planning for it to work flawlessly. I can't wait for part 5.

2009-03-21 17:06:00

Author:
Entity

Posts: 274

I played the whole series for the first time this morning in 2 player with my son. Any compliment I gave this series would sound like hyperbole. What I'll say is that the level design was very impressive, but what I want to say is "BEST LEVEL EVAR!!!". Awesome stuff.

Pros:

Consummate storytelling
Brilliantly complex level design
First rate special effects and sound effects
Polished and clearly well beta tested

Nitpicks:

Episode 1: Visible radio at the end and a couple instances of 'nt rather than n't (wo'nt vs won't).

Episode 2: Possessive "Cloths" should be "Cloth's".

Episode 3: Didn't notice anything

Episode 4: We sort of broke this one. After the third (I think) entrance into the main room, we accidentally went down one of the previous routes (the one with the turning platforms and the swings), and we couldn't go back up. It was right after we opened up the bridge, and it wasn't clear where to go from there.

We tried to go all the way back around, but my son pulled the switch on the elevator and jumped off...which sent the elevator down with us unable to jump into the depth that the elevator shaft was on. I'd just make the elevator work by proximity...and maybe close off previous routes as new ones open.

Bottom line: Amazing work all around. Among my favorite community levels.

2009-03-21 17:11:00

Author:
frizby

Posts: 89

Episode 1: Visible radio at the end and a couple instances of 'nt rather than n't (wo'nt vs won't).

Episode 2: Possessive "Cloths" should be "Cloth's".

My spelling is bad, lol! I know, I must go through and fix all of these. I never have as of yet. Its one of the main things people pick up on.

Episode 4: We sort of broke this one. After the third (I think) entrance into the main room, we accidentally went down one of the previous routes (the one with the turning platforms and the swings), and we couldn't go back up. It was right after we opened up the bridge, and it wasn't clear where to go from there.

We tried to go all the way back around, but my son pulled the switch on the elevator and jumped off...which sent the elevator down with us unable to jump into the depth that the elevator shaft was on. I'd just make the elevator work by proximity...and maybe close off previous routes as new ones open.

You were actually heading in the right direction, you do that part twice, the doors should close behind you blocking access to the parts you don't need to re-visit. Down that lift is almost the end of the level, I'll perhaps stick a magic mouth in there and tell players they are heading in the right direction

As for adding proximitys switches, I could on that part yeah, I don't want the player to be confused when theres no list there though, and backtrack. Or will the fact that the door has dissapeared give a clue? I'd like a bit more feedback on this section if I could

Thanks for the kind words, I'm pleased you and you're son enjoyed it!

2009-03-21 17:22:00

Author:
GruntosUK

Posts: 1754

Great level, Grantos! Played it with you and kappa last night, and played it this morning too.

But I couldn't finish it for two reasons: The first time, I was nearing the end (the part you need to do twice) and as I got the the lift that goes down, I jumped in and accidentally activated the switch without grabbing it, but by just bumping it. But I was not yet properly on the lift, so as it started down, I ended up on the platform and the lift went down without me. So I couldn't actually go anywhere because it never came back up. (I have a custom switch that will make the lift go back up if no one is on it.)

So I had to restart, and then my internet connection died for a minute or so and ... well, anyway. I'll go back and replay it later tonight. But I just wanted to say it's awesome! I did manage to upload a few pics.

2009-03-21 17:30:00

Author:
Unknown User

Thanks for playing Hardsync, and more importantly Beta testing the level through its many stages.

You're the second person thats mentioned that lift problem HardSync, I'll take a look at that now.

2009-03-21 17:33:00

Author:
GruntosUK

Posts: 1754

Glad to know that I was headed in the right direction, and yes, some form of "you're going the right way" would be good.

Glad you're looking at that lift as well. Will give it another run probably tomorrow...tonight I'm hosting Warhawk.

2009-03-21 17:51:00

Author:
frizby

Posts: 89

oh didnt even see you posted your level here lol! im glad you fixed those bugs i mentioned.. cant wait to finally face woven eye! that name sounds so cool!

2009-03-21 17:53:00

Author:
graygoose

Posts: 371

NO WAY! Part 4 in probably the best series of levels on LBP!!! I must play this :O I LOVE your levels man, the way you usually hide your secrets is sweet, and so far i've found all of them in every level ^,^

Can't wait to play this!

2009-03-21 17:57:00

Author:
ThommyTheThird

Posts: 440

Bugs fixed with the lift. Tested and working well. Thanks for feedback

@greygoose. You'll learn more about Woveneye in this part if you find all 7 secrets. Dont expect facing it anytime soon though, got keep the intrest in the levels up

2009-03-21 18:11:00

Author:
GruntosUK

Posts: 1754

Okay, here's the video, as promised:

_tEB3Qo01Kc

I have to apologize for my commentary. lol. Larry and I are weird. WE both really loved the level, though.

2009-03-21 18:35:00

Author:
xkappax

Posts: 2569

Lol! Cool video kappa thanks a lot

Ive added it to the first post

2009-03-21 19:07:00

Author:
GruntosUK

Posts: 1754

Oh, man, kappa, your videos ... sweet.

I love listening to the commentary, you guys make me laugh.

2009-03-21 19:37:00

Author:
Unknown User

Larry and I are a silly lot. Larry changed my darned costume right in the middle of the video to that smurf santa fish thing though!!!!! >_<

I always feel like such an idiot talking to the camera though. At least when larry's there it feels like I'm talking to someone.

I wish I had more time. I would totally do reviews of every level I like. I'm a lot less vulgar than okita.

2009-03-21 19:40:00

Author:
xkappax

Posts: 2569

Hey Grantos, i just played trough it, (in my 2nd run now.. didn't get all secrets first time) And now i've found a secret with a typo. It says: "My first target will the Dam in mexico..." you forgot the word "be" ;P Just had to point that out.. srry...

I love this level once again

And i'm sure #5 will be just as awesome.

EDIT: Aww.. i still miss 1 secret... The one you get a view on from one of the lifts... where your "Ghost signature sticker" is... grrr (edit2: No.. it was Log C i missed

)

EDIT2: YEAH! Found all secrets

I found log C the hardest.. since well, i've found that one last

and.. D was nicely hidden too. Good job ;P

2009-03-21 21:07:00

Author:
ThommyTheThird

Posts: 440

The level looks great. Im going to take a look and come back with some feedback.

2009-03-21 21:21:00

Author:
Siljin

Posts: 76

EDIT: Aww.. i still miss 1 secret... The one you get a view on from one of the lifts... where your "Ghost signature sticker" is... grrr (edit2: No.. it was Log C i missed )

EDIT2: YEAH! Found all secrets I found log C the hardest.. since well, i've found that one last

and.. D was nicely hidden too. Good job ;P

Glad you found them all Thommy, you always comment on the secrets, its a pain thinking of ways to hide them, it always nice when people replay just to find them though, thanks

Appreciate the comments, let me know what you want the feedback on

2009-03-21 21:35:00

Author:
GruntosUK

Posts: 1754

Hey man! This level looks great! Has alot more colour than the first three. I can't wait to play it!

2009-03-21 21:43:00

Author:
olit123

Posts: 1341

Yeah Grantos.. i'm addicted to secrets, and you've hidden them well

So yeah, i'll be sure to find all of em, in all the levels

Btw, if you want.. i could playtest your levels aswell, like xkappax and hardsync XD, but that's up to you.. gtg now though,

2009-03-21 23:08:00

Author:
ThommyTheThird

Posts: 440

Yeah that would be cool thommy ive sent you a freind request over psn.

2009-03-21 23:13:00

Author:
GruntosUK

Posts: 1754

I finally beat part 2, so I then beat 3 and this.

I like the sutle use of VR materials. I hate it that so many levels use it. I thought the materials in this one lended themself better to your create style, with geometrical lines and shapes.

How on earth do you get everything to fit together like that? Do you spend a week planning it on grid paper or something?

Great, great level. 5 stars and Hearted for all of your From Siberia With Love levels. My favourite was number 3>4>1>2. I was stuck on no.2, as the part with the crushers where you have to jump into the background was hard to spot.

2009-03-22 09:20:00

Author:
dkjestrup

Posts: 672

How on earth do you get everything to fit together like that? Do you spend a week planning it on grid paper or something?

It does take planning, but I never draw it out, its all planned in my head. I mostly think of LBP when bored

It is diffficuly planning for lifts and sections the player won't access for a long time, I basically build it in the exact order you play it.

Great, great level. 5 stars and Hearted for all of your From Siberia With Love levels. My favourite was number 3>4>1>2. I was stuck on no.2, as the part with the crushers where you have to jump into the background was hard to spot.

I've had another comment about hard this section was in part 2. I've removed half the blocks and added a magic mouth. The level is so full it took three attempts to do it, the PS3 kept crashing

Thanks for playing them Dkjestrup, glad you enjoyed it.

2009-03-22 10:34:00

Author:
GruntosUK

Posts: 1754

Yeah that part was really hard to spot.. The first time i've played trough part 2, i did it the hard way :O I managed to get a precise timing, and jump across all stompers in 1 go... And that was quite a relief

Then i played it with a friend, and he just went into the holes in the background.. I was completely dumbstruck by that point.. I went nearly insane

2009-03-22 13:23:00

Author:
ThommyTheThird

Posts: 440

Yeah. You have used so much detail that it just appears as another hole in the background.

2009-03-22 20:51:00

Author:
dkjestrup

Posts: 672

Hey I played this level GrantosUK and I've got to say it is absolutely amazing. It is really alot better than the first 2 or 3. The colour and the detail in the level is mind blowing! I'm really looking forward to the next and final level??? Anyway, here are my thought's.

Pro's

- Very colourful and vibrant, usually I think levels with alot of different coloured lights look bad but in this level it goes really well with the snowy background and the materials

- Lots of detail, what I love about this one is that unlike the first levels in the series it has a huge amount of detail. I know it's shorter but you should keep it that way, it isn't as tedious.

-Great puzzles, as always.

-Secrets, like the levels before it, there is a very satisfying amount of secrets

-Funner gameplay, I find the gameplay in this level much more enjoyable than the others.

Con's

- Annoying layer switching, throughout the level there are some area's where sackboy jumps onto things that you don't want him to jump on like the background or the detail at the front. Also, the rotating plus signs are on the back layer so they are harder to jump onto.

That's all I can think of for cons at the moment, keep up the fabulous work!

2009-03-22 21:43:00

Author:
olit123

Posts: 1341

- Very colourful and vibrant, usually I think levels with alot of different coloured lights look bad but in this level it goes really well with the snowy background and the materials

- Lots of detail, what I love about this one is that unlike the first levels in the series it has a huge amount of detail. I know it's shorter but you should keep it that way, it isn't as tedious.

-Great puzzles, as always.

-Secrets, like the levels before it, there is a very satisfying amount of secrets

-Funner gameplay, I find the gameplay in this level much more enjoyable than the others.

This was always the plan Olit, I wanted to build things up slowly by adding more action and details in throughout the series so its builds to a finale. The first two levels were build around abandoned bases building up to he chopper fight in 3, then the glimpse of the base at the end giving an idea of part 4, then obviously once you're finally there is a big change in the series.

I've sort of started part 5, its all planned in my head and i've got a little built of it so far, but it should finish the series well if I can fit it all the thermo! Once I get so far through I'll open the level to anyone who wants to test it here, see if I can iron out all the bugs before release.

- Annoying layer switching, throughout the level there are some area's where sackboy jumps onto things that you don't want him to jump on like the background or the detail at the front. Also, the rotating plus signs are on the back layer so they are harder to jump onto.

I tried to iron out as many of these as possible by redesigning certain parts, I mainly succeeded but obvioulsy some remain. The only way to prevent it is adding hazards so Sackboy avoids the layer if theres a safer one around him but I decided against it.

Thanks for playing and for the feedback.

Thanks for the feedback

2009-03-24 11:43:00

Author:
GruntosUK

Posts: 1754

I played this last night and it's really fun. Visually it's right in line with the rest of your series but I did enjoy a little more color this round. The platforming is challenging in a good way. It did take a little getting used to running through the same sections a few times but it built up the layers complexity. I liked that you'd give us a glance of a new area so when you run back though you know to see if that new area is accessible now. The other thing about these levels I really like is how deep your story is. I'm a big fan of story driven levels and these are some of the best I've played.

Only found 2 of the secrets so I'm going to have to play again - I'm looking forward to it. 5 stars & a heart. Nice work, as always, and thanks for sharing it.

2009-03-24 18:24:00

Author:
Morgana25

Posts: 5983

Last I checked, this level appears on pg 4 of Cool Levels!

As for the secrets, I missed one and I'm going to have to go back and find it.

2009-03-25 07:29:00

Author:
Unknown User

Yep, I saw it there too. Congrats, Gruntos!

2009-03-25 16:48:00

Author:
xkappax

Posts: 2569

The level has now been published 7 days and has just vanished off page 3 of cool levels, I got a total of 2,177 plays and 134 hearts though

Thanks to all who posted comments and helped out along the way, I started part 5 properly this morning after fiddling around with bits and pieces for a few days, thats all deleted and work has begun proper!!

2009-03-28 01:10:00

Author:
GruntosUK

Posts: 1754

Episode 3: Didn't notice anything
Actually, you can get 1000000 points in #3 if you're sad enough.
It's at the part where you fight the helicopter, you can jump over the crates that fall down and go to the left. The brain of the crate will pop, giving you 50 points. If you go back to the chopper the crates will respawn, so you can repeat this for as long as you want and max out your score. Eventually.
Still amazing levels though!

2009-03-28 16:16:00

Author:
ARD

Posts: 4291

I was aware of that 49dra, unfortunatly, thats the only way I could think of doing that section, making sure the player had easy access to the area once they died, and to make sure the crates never respawned once the boss was defeated.

Its actually a fairly complicated set of swtiches and wiring to get it to function this way

2009-03-28 16:19:00

Author:
GruntosUK

Posts: 1754

If you made the crates taller, wouldn't that stop players being able to jump over them?

2009-03-28 17:29:00

Author:
ARD

Posts: 4291

Yeah but they'd still respawn if you died. If someone really wants to spend an hour knocking up a score that way good (or bad really) for them. I'm not going to fix it, theres a maze of wires and switches in that area, and trying to sort through it would be a nightmare

2009-03-28 17:43:00

Author:
GruntosUK

Posts: 1754

Wouldn't a door hooked up to a state switch be easier?
Like the platform in MM's 'Construction Site' with the workman lying on it.

2009-03-28 17:45:00

Author:
ARD

Posts: 4291

The crates are there so you can get access the platform above and hit the rocket launchers on the chopper. To change it now would be too big a workaround.

2009-03-28 18:07:00

Author:
GruntosUK

Posts: 1754

Oh yeah. Well it's not a huge problem. Noone's got 1000000 yet anyway.

2009-03-28 18:08:00

Author:
ARD

Posts: 4291

Someone will though in time, mark my words

2009-03-28 18:10:00

Author:
GruntosUK

Posts: 1754

Wow, you've outdone yourself again, GrantosUK. The best in the series so far IMO! The whole level is brimming with detail and the visuals are awesome... I'd have to go in with a magnifying glass to find any fault with this one, but what's the point?

The part that amazed me the most is the use of LEDs: I haven't seen any other creator that can put them to such good use in such large quantities. The computers with their flashing lights remind me of the Commodore 64 version of Impossible Mission, I was kind of expecting robots with electric rays shooting from their eyes to appear around every corner. Like I said before, the attention to detail you put into something as small and basic as a computer you can't even interact with is what makes this level stand out so much.

One minor nitpick: I found an emitted door about halfway through the level that I could easily knock down/topple over and go back to the previous room. It didn't do the level any harm though, there was no way to break anything by going back there... I did get a paintinator but there were no switches to shoot or enemies to kill with it, so it's not a big issue.

Can't wait for Part 5!

2009-03-29 16:40:00

Author:
sny

Posts: 144

Part 4 (Are you man enough!) Yes I was!

Excellent visuals again your style with these is really nice. Having the same setting every time would lend itself to minimal change but you have managed to keep it fresh and alter things slightly. Love your computer banks, they look great...I do love custom stuff!

The light polarity puzzle was cool.
Died at the gas pit with the turning platform where you have to jump to the swingy thing (tricky) 2nd time was a charm!
The room with the buttons you had to shoot to unlock the secret lift...nice

Not long after this you get a message and you reply
"So I guess I'm off 'the a' dam in Mexico then?
Did you mean 'I'm off 'to a' dam in Mexico then?

I'm not a big fan of backtracking (especially when it's a tricky bit of platforming)

Final thought:

These have really gotten tougher...I spending so much time watching my '6' I don't really explore enough.

Loved it and your prowess at level building humbles me

4 stars a heart and complex tag

2009-03-29 23:03:00

Author:
AJnKnox

Posts: 518

hey man, i played this level... and i played it... then i played it again. this level blew my socks off! this is fantastic! i have to go back and play the others in this series now. very well done! no complaints (except I only found 3 of the secrets) completely bug free, and wow man... wow. I love this level easy 5 stars, and if i didnt heart it, its because i forgot... but i'll likely be hearting all of the series if they are as fantastic as this.. really great job man!

2009-04-18 14:03:00

Author:
TJapan

Posts: 225

LBPCentral Archive Statistics

Posts: 1077139 Threads: 69970 Members: 9661 Archive-Date: 2019-01-19

Datenschutz

Aus dem Archiv wurden alle persönlichen Daten wie Name, Anschrift, Email etc. - aber auch sämtliche Inhalte wie z.B. persönliche Nachrichten - entfernt.
Die Nutzung dieser Webseite erfolgt ohne Speicherung personenbezogener Daten. Es werden keinerlei Cookies, Logs, 3rd-Party-Plugins etc. verwendet.