Aw hell yeah. The randomtext 1st place winner actually said my level at first as well :p
I'm short on time right now so I'll post my judgings later today. Well done everybody!
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4th Last Legacy LDC
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Karyete - Moderator
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LL Level Designer Contest Winner LL LDC #4: Ruins/Temple- Thumbs Up given: 273 times
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Re: 4th Last Legacy LDC
by Supershroom » March 2nd, 2016, 11:52 pm
hello
congratz to meee, another bronze for mah collection
congratz to meee, another bronze for mah collection
Doram - Forest Temple: show
GAMEPLAY: 16.5 The major problem in this level actually is the boss enemies having so much HP and the boss battles being very basic at the same time, at least if you haven’t equipped the bonus gear. Especially the last oversized mage is very tedious and annoying with only a basic scimitar, and even with Frozen Tome and Elf Sword it’s the same thing over and over – continuously switching sides with him, and ramming his projectiles back into his face. A far better solution would be to have more obstacles like spikes floating around in the room, while reducing the enemies’ HP. Besides, I would also have found it a little bit better if the exit was outside again.
The maze part was also quite dull, just going from one door to another. Your Treasure Hunt made this better by still adding a good amount of platforming and gameplay between the doors. The other puzzles really caught my attention, though, especially the gravity one. It was very useful having two different modes regarding the hints. I first played this with strong hints a few days ago, and then replayed it with gentle hints, and it was enough reminders to get through it.
GRAPHICS: 13 Similarly, many of the temple rooms are also very blunt, with quite everything covered by gravel tiles. Hardly any furnitures or other items from the Building set are present. The entrance area of the temple was damn marvellous, as the banner shows, but the inside didn’t match it at all. The cave section was well decorated and well formed, yet a bit cramped.
OTHER: 4.5 Major probs for all the triggerwork on the different hint modes, as well as very good writing (+2), no in-game or alternate music was a pity though (-0.5).
TOTAL: 34 There was far more potential in this. Maybe it also was due to your time being limited in general, but next time, you should aim at going the extra mile further. You’re definitely capable of it.
The maze part was also quite dull, just going from one door to another. Your Treasure Hunt made this better by still adding a good amount of platforming and gameplay between the doors. The other puzzles really caught my attention, though, especially the gravity one. It was very useful having two different modes regarding the hints. I first played this with strong hints a few days ago, and then replayed it with gentle hints, and it was enough reminders to get through it.
GRAPHICS: 13 Similarly, many of the temple rooms are also very blunt, with quite everything covered by gravel tiles. Hardly any furnitures or other items from the Building set are present. The entrance area of the temple was damn marvellous, as the banner shows, but the inside didn’t match it at all. The cave section was well decorated and well formed, yet a bit cramped.
OTHER: 4.5 Major probs for all the triggerwork on the different hint modes, as well as very good writing (+2), no in-game or alternate music was a pity though (-0.5).
TOTAL: 34 There was far more potential in this. Maybe it also was due to your time being limited in general, but next time, you should aim at going the extra mile further. You’re definitely capable of it.
Harmless - The End!: show
GAMEPLAY: 17 The definite highlight of this plot-based entry was the plot itself, you’ve managed indeed to make me laugh a bit at times. Already at the beginning, where you have the knight as the “executor” closing in for the final blow, until the end of Part 1, where you die tragicomically and then continue as the Next Generation in Part 2. The enemy variation was good, yet they could have been stronger, as often enough one kick suffices to kill them instantly. It was okay-ish as a story-telling level.
For Part 2, the long walk was very long indeed, yet bearable. Next was the Battle Arena thing, and there it was quite confusing that your tactic always needs to be “super-offensive”, whenever you choose “defense” you’ll quickly land in rooms of doom. The Cave section, while lacking platforming or combatting, had some very mysterious darkness atmosphere to it, which I liked. But unfortunately, the next battle etc. wasn’t even initiated at the last checkpoint, due to the unfinishedness.
GRAPHICS: 11 It feels bland at many places, with a certain lack of tile variation in the buildings or lack of background tiles where you could use them well, and also lack of items from the Vegetation and Building sets. In the Prologue there are instances where you’ve used them quite well (e.g. the orange flags), but often enough it’s some grey-in-grey, or with untidy separations of different background tiles. When you have a stronger colour change, it’s often recommended to put some item stuff in between (e.g. pillars). At the long run, you definitely should have used background dirt tiles, maybe even to create some walls full of them. The cave of course hasn’t much to offer since your time ran out, but the idea of hiding many Delta orbs behind Ice was clever.
OTHER: 4 The plots and triggerworks definitely earn you high bonuses, yet the fact that the game froze regularily on the “Martlet Guard” cutscene (probably due to malfunctioning “Change Time” triggers) gives a -1, technically. The musics were quite okay.
OVERALL: 32 Yeah, too bad that you didn’t manage to complete this fully. Your understandings of advanced triggers and clever cutscenes is quite well-developped. Now for the next time you just should try spicing up the scenery further if you manage it, similarly like you would do it in SM63.
For Part 2, the long walk was very long indeed, yet bearable. Next was the Battle Arena thing, and there it was quite confusing that your tactic always needs to be “super-offensive”, whenever you choose “defense” you’ll quickly land in rooms of doom. The Cave section, while lacking platforming or combatting, had some very mysterious darkness atmosphere to it, which I liked. But unfortunately, the next battle etc. wasn’t even initiated at the last checkpoint, due to the unfinishedness.
GRAPHICS: 11 It feels bland at many places, with a certain lack of tile variation in the buildings or lack of background tiles where you could use them well, and also lack of items from the Vegetation and Building sets. In the Prologue there are instances where you’ve used them quite well (e.g. the orange flags), but often enough it’s some grey-in-grey, or with untidy separations of different background tiles. When you have a stronger colour change, it’s often recommended to put some item stuff in between (e.g. pillars). At the long run, you definitely should have used background dirt tiles, maybe even to create some walls full of them. The cave of course hasn’t much to offer since your time ran out, but the idea of hiding many Delta orbs behind Ice was clever.
OTHER: 4 The plots and triggerworks definitely earn you high bonuses, yet the fact that the game froze regularily on the “Martlet Guard” cutscene (probably due to malfunctioning “Change Time” triggers) gives a -1, technically. The musics were quite okay.
OVERALL: 32 Yeah, too bad that you didn’t manage to complete this fully. Your understandings of advanced triggers and clever cutscenes is quite well-developped. Now for the next time you just should try spicing up the scenery further if you manage it, similarly like you would do it in SM63.
Karyete - Carmine Temple: show
GAMEPLAY: 21.5 Wow, this was a fantastic journey. There are a few slight annoyances that made it a little bit inconvenient sometimes, but the positive stuff definitely overweighs, and therefore not many points are lost by those. The level’s overall structure is damn good, and the special use of long-raged weapons is very clever.
You could have added more platforming aspects instead of long walls to climb up, both in the temple and in the very first desert area. Next, when it comes to the rotatable blocks, it would be better to have electricity / lever switches that you would just have to smash once instead of standing on them, or have the game not being in Cinema Mode at all during rotation. A slightly better amount of hints would serve this well (you know, I’ve talked about that one clue being potentially unclear). Overall, this stands as an awesome puzzle level, which only needs a few more aspects of platforming or combatting to round it up.
Last, Purpura Hall. The puzzle leading to it is fantastic (I already guessed it would have to do something with the unvisited area in the Block Room). That was in fact the epic conclusion that also fulfilled platforming aspects, yet the fact that there was no second checkpoint in it made it quite annoying (particularily when there were the sudden cutscenes which provoked deaths out of confusion).
GRAPHICS: 16 Most structures are very clean and solid. However, the foreground cave blocks in the desert, with their green shimmering, are a bit too garish. Some areas of the Carmine Temple could use more strong tiles like from the 244 – 261 group. As well as there could be a bit less sparse background tiling at some places. The block constructions really caught my attention also from an aesthetic aspect.
OTHER: 5 Yes, this deserves a perfect score for so many creative mechanics and the alternate musics being chosen very well. Even if I was to find slight bugs or further nuisances, it would be neglegible due to this awesomeness presentated.
TOTAL: 42.5 Yeah, I guess you win this without problems. The slight annoyances mentioned can’t stop this from being a fantastic work. If you manage to fix the things mentioned above and make this even a bit more convenient to play, it can count to the best LL levels of all time, probably.
And by the way, be a bit more modest with player objectives such as “take no damage through all the way”. Sometimes this already fails on the cutscene when meeting the first golden grock. But of course I can’t deduct points for that.
You could have added more platforming aspects instead of long walls to climb up, both in the temple and in the very first desert area. Next, when it comes to the rotatable blocks, it would be better to have electricity / lever switches that you would just have to smash once instead of standing on them, or have the game not being in Cinema Mode at all during rotation. A slightly better amount of hints would serve this well (you know, I’ve talked about that one clue being potentially unclear). Overall, this stands as an awesome puzzle level, which only needs a few more aspects of platforming or combatting to round it up.
Last, Purpura Hall. The puzzle leading to it is fantastic (I already guessed it would have to do something with the unvisited area in the Block Room). That was in fact the epic conclusion that also fulfilled platforming aspects, yet the fact that there was no second checkpoint in it made it quite annoying (particularily when there were the sudden cutscenes which provoked deaths out of confusion).
GRAPHICS: 16 Most structures are very clean and solid. However, the foreground cave blocks in the desert, with their green shimmering, are a bit too garish. Some areas of the Carmine Temple could use more strong tiles like from the 244 – 261 group. As well as there could be a bit less sparse background tiling at some places. The block constructions really caught my attention also from an aesthetic aspect.
OTHER: 5 Yes, this deserves a perfect score for so many creative mechanics and the alternate musics being chosen very well. Even if I was to find slight bugs or further nuisances, it would be neglegible due to this awesomeness presentated.
TOTAL: 42.5 Yeah, I guess you win this without problems. The slight annoyances mentioned can’t stop this from being a fantastic work. If you manage to fix the things mentioned above and make this even a bit more convenient to play, it can count to the best LL levels of all time, probably.
And by the way, be a bit more modest with player objectives such as “take no damage through all the way”. Sometimes this already fails on the cutscene when meeting the first golden grock. But of course I can’t deduct points for that.
Oranjui - Gloam Gorge: show
GAMEPLAY: 12 Of course, the high degree of incompleteness also made some sections of this level impossible to be passed through. In fact, it was three sections that I tested out separately. A major note is that only relying on kicking can be quickly inconvenient, especially if your kick is not powered up or the enemies don’t have low HP. Having to kick into an enemy 5+ times to defeat it can be annoying, especially if you meet a stronger one like a thorn mage, which you are simply constrained to defeat because you can’t defend its projectiles.
On the middle area I’ve tested, there are many many spikes and enemies, and given the very low level of self-defense, even the large amount of hearts sometimes doesn’t make up to reach all switches, at least for an average player like me. Could be tuned down a little sometimes.
GRAPHICS: 14 Where the graphics are done, they are superb, mostly. The colour effects to produce an autumnish atmosphere are ingenious. There are also many flat, unfinished areas of course. But even then the curves and landscape structures in these sections are great. The block usage is just as good. This could easily reach an 18 or higher if it was fully executed.
OTHER: 1 Yeah … incomplete is incomplete, also technically as it doesn’t really fit the theme yet (-3). The music choice is good and highly diversified for all the areas which are there or which still have to come, so +1 for that.
OVERALL: 27 Please, please finish this. It looks incredibly promising thus far, especially for graphics.
On the middle area I’ve tested, there are many many spikes and enemies, and given the very low level of self-defense, even the large amount of hearts sometimes doesn’t make up to reach all switches, at least for an average player like me. Could be tuned down a little sometimes.
GRAPHICS: 14 Where the graphics are done, they are superb, mostly. The colour effects to produce an autumnish atmosphere are ingenious. There are also many flat, unfinished areas of course. But even then the curves and landscape structures in these sections are great. The block usage is just as good. This could easily reach an 18 or higher if it was fully executed.
OTHER: 1 Yeah … incomplete is incomplete, also technically as it doesn’t really fit the theme yet (-3). The music choice is good and highly diversified for all the areas which are there or which still have to come, so +1 for that.
OVERALL: 27 Please, please finish this. It looks incredibly promising thus far, especially for graphics.
Thank you, FF.
Nan's sig! From the previous Secret Santa event!: show
Rating standards: show
1 star: (0 - 5.75 in LDC) These levels need a lot of work. They're totally un-elaborated, and/or inherently flawed due to things like cutoff or enemy spam, or they're untested and there are too many bugs gameplay-wise, in short: Many many things went wrong in such a level.
2 stars: (6 - 9.75) These levels are not terrible, but poor. They're too short, lack scenery or they have errors and/or bugs but it's still barely enjoyable. Again, spend more effort and try to do better. (if it's your first level that I rate two stars, it's not bad. There's a long way you can still go)
3 stars: (10 - 12.75) These levels are about mediocre. They may be still a little bit short, the gameplay is fine but not very original and graphics are also solid, but not breath-taking. Try to keep improving!
4 stars: (13 - 15) These levels are nice, but not the best. Effort has been put into them, there can some professionality be seen in gameplay and graphics, they're a nice experience to play, but there are still things you can do to make it even better. Try to go the extra mile!
5 stars: (15.25 - 20) These are really great levels, those which, as said, I would give more than 15 in an LDC. These suffice many high requirements, and it already goes into subtleties if you want to make them better. These levels are successful all around. Bravo.
These are just general principles I try to follow when rating. Sometimes I don't leave a further comment when rating, most times I do, if you have questions about it, feel free to ask further.
2 stars: (6 - 9.75) These levels are not terrible, but poor. They're too short, lack scenery or they have errors and/or bugs but it's still barely enjoyable. Again, spend more effort and try to do better. (if it's your first level that I rate two stars, it's not bad. There's a long way you can still go)
3 stars: (10 - 12.75) These levels are about mediocre. They may be still a little bit short, the gameplay is fine but not very original and graphics are also solid, but not breath-taking. Try to keep improving!
4 stars: (13 - 15) These levels are nice, but not the best. Effort has been put into them, there can some professionality be seen in gameplay and graphics, they're a nice experience to play, but there are still things you can do to make it even better. Try to go the extra mile!
5 stars: (15.25 - 20) These are really great levels, those which, as said, I would give more than 15 in an LDC. These suffice many high requirements, and it already goes into subtleties if you want to make them better. These levels are successful all around. Bravo.
These are just general principles I try to follow when rating. Sometimes I don't leave a further comment when rating, most times I do, if you have questions about it, feel free to ask further.
Look at this!: show
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A showcase of the 25 best levels of 2011, including such fantastic levels as Niveau Victorieux Galaxy, Plastic Beach, Dimension Infinity, Realm of the Heavens/Parallel Spires, and more!
My Level Collection: http://runouw.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=47186
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Supershroom - Our local SM63 Spielberg
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Re: 4th Last Legacy LDC
by Harmless » March 3rd, 2016, 12:43 am
pop
(sorry if I write something that happens to rub you the wrong way, that's not at all my intention)
Again with the google docs!! For Posterity!!!!!! (copied and hid by Doram)
Supershroom: Cross the Old Temple
Gameplay
Now I'll be completely honest with you, I actually didn't get angry at any point during the level, except for one point. Yet even with that in mind, some parts of the level still felt decently frustrating, or I would at least be imagining for anyone else who is not a 'veteran' of LL. Let's take it step by step, since I have a decent amount of things to say for every transition (most of them anyway). I'll be referring from the beginning of the level all the way to the end via transitions in the level designer.
First Transition: Interesting opening sequence. I can say I liked it, and- Wait, that building roof could actually be stood on? I actually just noticed that as I was typing this out, the front tiles looked too much like back layer tiles. I don't think anyone would have bothered to look up there, to be completely honest. Granted, the only thing the player is missing out on is five squares and two enemies, but still. Even then, this point will be very important later in the judging.
Second Transition: Okay, interesting place for a respawn point. I guess if you were hit by spikes or that knight in the first transition I understand. But the second transition has a problem - the quadruple carousel spikes over the grey switch is basically impossible to pass without getting hit at least once coming back up (unless you're very good with your timing on the left ledge). Personally, I say there's too many spikes on it and the spikes reach too far out to be avoided. I also really don't like the idea of 'thwomps' in the level, they serve more as an annoying insta-kill and do nothing but irritate the player as opposed to provide an actual challenge. Also, is it just me or do those ground spikes blend in with the background/scenery too well? Could be just me, but either way, the major problems are the rotating spikes above the grey switch and the thwomps, which the latter will also be a very apparent issue later in the judging.
Third Transition, top half: The platforms above the lava in this room are kinda cheap, the player can't really react to them without getting hit by the lava first.
Third Transition, bottom half: Ah, the first room of the temple. It's surprisingly not too bad, though the 'gate' in this room is very hard to move through. I kinda wished that instead of having it bob up and down you just had it sit open. Often times I'd jump over the gate and try to roll/slide, and as it comes up I end up crouching instead and get crushed. While I'm sure I could've just short hopped and ran over it, having it bob up and down still feels unnecessary.
Fourth Transition, top half: Wait, this room existed?
Fourth Transition, bottom half: Oh, those electrical switches actually don't do anything. Those bothered me a lot for whatever reason since they just sat there with no purpose, but I'm sure it's not a big deal. This room was okayish, the dark mage did kill me a few times, but mostly because I was a bit hasty with that jump over the bottomless pit. The bottomless pit is a little annoying, granted.
Fifth Transition, top half: Oh, that's the room linking the bonus room. Though I just tested the jump up to the first platform, and it's actually impossible to make.
Fifth Transition, bottom half: That's an oddly shaped miniboss room. The miniboss itself was a little dragged out due to how much health it had (and the fact it floated up high, meaning you could only hit it with its own projectiles and maybe a few sword swings). Otherwise it wasn't the worst thing in the world.
Sixth Transition, top half: AAAHHH. I don't even want to talk about this room. Considering how much trial and error it actually took me just to get to the thunder mage at the end (and then get knocked off by the thunder mage's attack and have to restart that entire section and the section before it all over again)... yeah. I just don't even want to talk about it. The worst part is, the sign before this room made it seem like a timed challenge, when it was actually a "you have to be EXACTLY precise with your timings or else you dun goof" challenge. If you look at the second enemy you have to defeat until you can proceed and land on the platform as it catches up to you, you'll notice you have no safe ground after you defeat the enemy (with the exception of the required platform). That's a MAJOR problem. Sometimes the enemy would float behind a wall, making it impossible to land on the platform on time, or sometimes I'd kill it too early and I would miss the platform entirely (was especially frustrating the first time it happened to me since I could not have seen it coming). Probably the worst offense, aside from all of these ridiculously precise moments, is that there is no checkpoint right before the platform, meaning I have to play an entire section just as long (and obnoxious) as this one. Speaking of that one...
Sixth Transition, bottom half: Yikes, did I get salty here. Granted, I got salty for a very good reason - I died way too many times on both this part and the above transition, more than I really should have. This and the room above this one is brutal. Not challenging, not difficult, but straight up brutal. My first death was walking right into a bottomless pit because I thought the background was solid foreground. My second death was getting impaled by rotating spikes that would appear out of nowhere from the ground (until I finally realized they were rotating spikes partially hidden by the foreground tiles). My third death was getting sniped by that turret that happens to shoot at you even when you're reading the sign in the middle of the level. Yeah, that is not good turret placement. In case if you couldn't tell, my biggest qualm with this transition and the one above it is that it was not executed/playtested very well. There are way too many unforgiving moments to where I died over twenty times trying to reach the key. That is not an exaggeration. I actually counted. You can see why I would get at least salty over this part of the level.
Seventh Transition: Wow, you actually fooled me into thinking it was over by that point. You also nearly got me killed by having me almost walk into yet another bottomless pit when I saw the checkpoint ahead of me. Thank goodness I grabbed the ledge first, but seriously, don't scare me like that please. I expected more enemies in this transition, but overall it was pretty good. Suddenly, everything felt fair for a change.
Eighth Transition: Got thwomp'd, didn't enjoy it. Miniboss felt dragged out again. The carousel spikes were pretty annoying and were very hard to avoid. Thankfully I only died a few times here.
Ninth Transition, top half: The room was very interestingly layed out. Being completely honest with you here though, the thorn staff made the enemies too easy. The room was very well executed though - not because I didn't die, but because I could actually make reasonable jumps on the platforms (minus the two moving up and down through the ground spikes, those were a bit too strict on the timing), I could react to most of the spikes, the darkness provided a reasonable challenge to navigate the room, and the room in general wasn't too unforgiving with mistakes.
Ninth Transition, bottom half: The problem with this room was that some of the sand background tiles looked too much like foreground tiles... again. Fell right into a bottomless pit due to a graphical confusion. Needless to say I wasn't happy about it. The jump itself isn't hard, but the pit is pretty deceiving otherwise. The rest of the room was alright, the sand mushrooms were almost too well concealed though to the point where I actually died on them because they blended in so well with the background.
Tenth Transition, top half: meh
Tenth Transition, bottom half: thorn staff op pls nerf, basic halberd also made it rather easy to reflect the projectiles
Eleventh Transition: Oh, it's over. That was... actually a little abrupt to be completely honest. And a bit anticlimatic.
Overall: I'm not saying the entire level was bad. If anything you have some pretty strong combat and platforming elements in some parts, and they shined when appropriate (First and Ninth transition, top half especially). Creativity was also apparent, the very idea of looking for a key (which is not in LL's toolkit) was spot on. But when you make such a large level, it's crucial that you test every single nook and cranny, and make sure that some parts of the level don't feel too brutal (sixth transition is a prime example). Some of the recurring elements in general felt like filler space for 'difficulty' or longer play time (the thwomps and minibosses for example).
Be careful with your usage of carousel spikes in the level too. I would even say there were too many carousel spikes and you should've offered the player more health/cyan shields at an earlier time in the level. Some graphical details even hampered your gameplay due to concealing both safe ground and occasional enemies/spike locations. Overall: 13/25
Scenery
Those buildings on the outside of the temple looked really nice. Your usage of color boxes was also rather impressive, even going to the smallest detail with checkering entire walls with slight brightness changes. Vegetation was very apparent, and evenly spaced between front and back layers. The inside temples were also rather well decorated, and felt like ruins. Blocks placed as background supported this especially.
There were some things that just felt off though. The contrasting transitions six and the bottom half of Transition nine were very... abrupt and odd changes. I wasn't sure what suddenly made the change to sandy/pyramid temple like decorations when earlier you were demonstrating an old semi-worn down green temple (come to think of it, the temple itself actually doesn't look very 'old' if you count out the green color). Not to mention that during these sandy areas, the background tiles wouldn't connect with other background tiles and would show bits of the back layer past the back tiles (I'm sure this wasn't intentional, but a graphical error nonetheless).
With regards to graphical decoration, some of the stone pillars felt too warped in the sense that they weren't worn, but just really weirdly bent. Some of the items were also placed on the incorrect layer, some doors were placed on the front layer for example.
Otherwise, the level was quite appealing to the eye. Overall: 15/20
Misc.
Positive:
+ Pretty good triggerwork overall. Most of it functioned correctly and the level operated smoothly. (+1)
+ Above average playtime. (+0.25)
+ Music selection is okay. I'll be honest, "Charge!" at the beginning of the level isn't very fitting, but meh, the rest of the songs worked. (+0)
Negative:
- Some of the triggers with camera effects could've lasted longer, the cameras would reset too fast and I wouldn't get to see what the cameras panned to. (-0.25)
- Two Dark Beasts spawned on top of eachother in Transition nine, not sure if that was intentional. (-0.25)
- Lava color doesn't fit. The lava itself doesn't really fit, to be completely honest. Yes, it's better than a bottomless pit, but I still think spikes would've been way more fitting (as weird as it is for me to say that). (-0.25)
- Ninth transition had default lava color instead of that greenish lava. (-0.15)
- Halberd felt more like an optional route instead of the required route, confusing me in terms of level direction. (-0.35)
- This just bugged me as a very minor detail, but the music doesn't change when you decide to exit the temple (after entering it for the first time). (-0)
Overall: 3/5
Total: 31/50 (or a 12.4/20 if you want to think of it that way)
I don't think this level is necessarily bad, or that none of these ideas would theoretically work, I just think this level needs a lot more playtesting and balancing, especially if you plan for the player to go on a long time without a checkpoint.
frozenfurr: lol no entry
bad/50 would not play again
Doram: Forest Temple
Gameplay
I might as well tell you now. This level made an incredible first impression on me, but felt a bit disappointing towards the end. Let's go through the level from start to finish.
At the beginning, I was incredibly impressed. You actually took the time to make an options menu of sorts, whether or not we wanted to turn off plot, or get hints to make the level easier. For the record, I tried completing this level without any hints at all, I only had the plot option on.
After walking a bit and entering the forest temple, I wasn't entirely sure what you meant at first with the opening text until I tried touching the walls of the rooms. I actually liked the mechanic, oddly enough. I also solved the puzzle in like... five minutes or something around that. Stop laughing at me.
It was a really clever puzzle though, I'll give you that.
After doing the first puzzle, I thought the signs were just to get me off track until I noticed the levers. Still managed to remember what was on the signs. The second puzzle was pretty good.
The third puzzle was weird. I wasn't actually aware that I could use Delta until I held Shift down on complete accident. Would’ve helped to make the mechanics more clear. Either way, the puzzle was alright, the first thunder mage took a long time to defeat though.
The fourth puzzle (aka fight with the green dark beast) was really clever. I mean sure, you just used standard enemy mechanics but it was still an interesting fight. It took a little too long, granted, but was interesting.
The fifth puzzle(?) with the cave entrances was not too bad. It didn't take much time for me to finish at all.
The sixth puzzle was a very good concept, but I think a smaller room would've done the puzzle more justice. There were very few switches as well, getting to the end wasn't very difficult at all. (I took the green switch, went left and took the red switch at the top, went right and took the golden switch, jumped to the exit. Blue switch was completely unnecessary.) Not much brainpower was really needed for this puzzle, and I think you could've done more with it.
And then, the final boss. I spent like eleven tries trying to beat this guy. And the only reason I couldn't beat him was because he had so much freaking health. I don't think you realize it, but 200 HP for a given enemy is a LOT. It doesn't mean they have exactly 200 HP, if anything it means they have way more than 200 HP. All of my fights with that freaking guy dragged on for more than five minutes too.
After going into the level designer and reducing his HP to like 10 or something (just so I could see what happened afterwards), I beat him and was pretty disappointed. Just an end portal? No big plot point or cutscene where the hero actually finds something in the temple? Laaame. I could probably fit this on other, but the final boss just felt really underwhelming after beating it, hence making my point in gameplay. Also, I kinda expected a few more puzzle elements for the final boss (or even puzzles appearing during certain phases).
To conclude, the first few puzzles I really liked and I thought were very clever and well executed. But as the level went on, the puzzles became much more straightforward and the final boss was just poorly executed. Given more time to polish the level, I think this could've been very successful. As it stands right now, it feels unfinished for me. Overall: 16.25/25
Scenery
Although some of the scenery would hide the wolf enemies at the beginning, it was still rather pretty to look at. The forest temple entrance was especially well decorated, I loved how it sort of curved and made an open hole for the temple itself. Going into the temple, though, the only noteworthy points of decoration is the cave puzzle, the puzzle before the final boss, and the final boss room. The cave was pretty well decorated, the fog effects in the fifth puzzle were very well done, and the final boss room had some pretty awesome looking pillars. Everything else just felt... bland. I expected more on the inside considering we have a ruins theme running and an old temple to work with. The colors were also very monochrome and didn't have much variety. Overall: 12/20
Misc.
Positive:
+ No seriously, kudos on the option menu at the beginning. I probably would've never thought of that. (+1)
+ That explosion effect was sooo gooooooood ; u ; (+0.75)
+ There's actually a pretty fair amount of secrets in this level despite it being a little short (lengthwise) (+0.5)
Negative:
- Most of the secrets are pretty obscure, to be fair. (-0.25)
- The options menu is a little bit glitchy, sometimes I would try to turn off gentle hints and the game would turn off plot instead. (-0.15)
- The final boss glitched somehow during one of my attempts, the mage teleported in during the second phase with the guards. (-0.25)
- Plot was kinda weak overall (hero didn't even find anything at the end, rip). (-0.25)
- Plot screen text would work better as dialogue boxes so players don't accidentally skip it. (-0.15)
- The spike ceiling in the second puzzle wouldn't activate if I were to die and redo the second puzzle. (-0)
Overall: 4.2/5
Total: 32.45/50 (12.98/20)
It needs a lot of polishing towards the end. Otherwise, I really love the concept and the work you've put in so far. Keep it up!
hamless: what is this i don't even
not even finished, bad/50 would dump in recycle bin
Karyete: Carmine Temple
Gameplay
Y'know, I want to make a joke that I ended up seeing red after I played this level, but being completely honest with you the level was genuinely difficult and fun to play. Now granted, there are some rooms and points of interest that I would like to go over because those particular areas did not feel very well executed.
First off - The red fire hazards themselves are pretty unnecessary. When you put a red object on top of a red wallpaper it's generally really hard to notice. In this level, the fire didn't just perfectly blend in with the level, it also took away two points of health per contact. That's basically saying that the player can't make even one mistake upon touching what would be a near invisible hazard. There's already enough going on in the level trying to deplete your health from bottomless pits to enemy knights and ghosts... yeah, I really don't like the red fire hazards.
The last room of the Carmine Temple itself (the one with the three golden grocks) was incredibly ambiguous and not very well executed. If you went up, you could actually teleport past the block by climbing up to the top ledge and sliding after squeezing under it. Due to the ridiculous darkness setting in the room, it was near impossible to proceed because I could not find the switch (the switch itself was also behind a pillar, which made it practically impossible to find).
Speaking of switches, the switches themselves also felt kinda camouflaged throughout the level (with the exception of the two in the room where you rotate the blue and yellow platforms). I think the problem is you colored everything too dark, and as a result it becomes hard to see them. Set their brightness higher so players can notice them easier.
But even then, the level was fun! Like I'm not going to lie, even if I died a lot on Purpura hall and HATED THAT INVISIBLE BLOCK ROOM'S GUTS ;-; I still quite enjoyed it. The level pace was solid and consistent, and the level itself would make a great speedrunning level (or if you feel like going on Easy mode you can do that too). The Squares also add another element of ever so slightly more precision that I enjoyed. Probably the best part about the level was that you recycled elements with a twist - If you were to reuse the golden grock targets you would put them in different locations, or add new weapons to complete the puzzle, or add new objects to make the player think more, or even then you'd just give us a completely different puzzle/mechanic. The level constantly felt fresh and clever to me, and that is something very hard to achieve in a speedrunning-like level where you want them to play it multiple times.
The item drops and secrets were also really well placed, you really made me look for them and they didn't feel obscure. If there was one thing I wished you added more it would be health drops, considering there's only like... two or three in the level. Definitely needs a couple more hearts here and there, otherwise the level feels a little too unforgiving on getting hit by obscure fire or running into a spike wall (no really, even some of the spike walls felt concealed which was kind of annoying).
The challenges themselves seem pretty reasonable.
As for Purpura hall... I died a lot, but nothing felt entirely cheap except for one thing, and that was the invisible blocks. Don't get me wrong, I love the concept and it was creative, but those blocks are not only too small but it feels like it's too easy to lose perception of where they are. Even if you made them one block wider I feel like it would've been a lot more fair and still decently difficult at the same time. The last block in that part especially got me too many times. But if you put that aside, everything in Purpura hall felt playtested - Challenging, yet not frustrating. And even though I died a lot I can safely say it was a fun experience.
You have something really good here in terms of gameplay. It needs a few fixes/changes, but otherwise I think you're definitely on the right track. Overall: 21.25/25
Scenery
That desert clearly had the word "Effort" spelt all over it. Even with a collapsing bridge and everything. Dang. There's not much else to say other than - Really freaking good job.
On the other hand, while the Carmine Temple itself is pretty well decorated, the monochrome colors and everything being red was kind of an eye sore. Purpura Hall somewhat less so, the additional blue colors worked better in its favor. There's not much else to say of note, because everything in the desert literally looks fantastic while the temple leaves more contrast to be desired in practically all areas (even with the blue and yellow platform room). Overall: 14/20.
Misc.
+ That Delta puzzle was really well thought out. Kudos. (+0.5)
+ Every single large square was well placed. The fact that there's a lot also means that the player is guaranteed to find a few and at the same time miss a few. I like it. (+0.25)
- The music is... eh. I'm not a big fan of Spider Dance for the temple specifically, something a little less grand than this Spider Dance version would've worked (something like Carmine's theme Bad Surface from UNIEL). Stronger Monsters I didn't listen to because that would literally be musical spoilers for my end (as I have not finished Undertale). Switching the music several times during the level also offsets the pace of the level, which is crucial for the level having that speedrun, constant pace feeling. I recommend just finding one track for all areas of the level except Purpura Hall (and then one more for Purpura Hall itself). (-0.5)
Overall: 3.25/5
Total: 38.5/50 (15.4/20)
Don't let that 15.4 deceive you. I think this level has great strengths, but also some poor fallacies that, if fixed, could easily make this my favorite level of all time.
OJ (Gloam Gorge)
Well... okay, I'm very sorry. I tried, I tried, and I just could not come up with a proper score for this level. Mostly because you were really freaking ambitious and ended up having to stop halfway through your level (which sucks). But! I will say, from what I have played, I can tell already you have something really good going. I encourage you to keep working on your level, so much in fact that I will give you my thoughts even if I can't give you a proper score.
The beginning is great, the dialogue is witty and it captured my interest rather well. The NPC at the beginning should have some sort of trigger skip so he doesn't say the same thing twice (because clicking on him again on accident would have the player try to skip all of his dialogue, which would take a couple more seconds). Another thing to mention is that at the beginning, the ceilings for the buildings would work better off as back tiles, since they're cluttered and hard to navigate.
After the opening transition, the water and the vertical transition don't go very well hand in hand. I think you shold remove the vertical transition (unless if there's some really specific reason for it to be there that I'm not aware of). The platforming in general is alright, I think this level does suffer from spike spam. You can avoid this by focusing on optimal spike placement instead of the number of spikes per transition. Also do keep in mind that spikes take away two health. The abundance of health pickups in the transition before the castle/temple/ruins/whatever that was (before Track 3: Premonitions) made up for that, though.
The music I commend you for, from what I've listened to it seems like you're designing off what you hear in the music (or I could be completely wrong, don't listen to me lol). Even if you weren't, it certainly feels that way. All of the places feel alive from what I have seen so far, even if some areas are underdeveloped in decoration or unfinished in graphics.
The building before Gloam Thicket had a nice concept but it was really hard to figure out what to do. But this probably resulted from being unfinished.
Some of the platforming throughout the level as a whole should probably be tested again, as I had to move my start position a few times because some jumps/passages felt impossible. But again, this probably resulted from the level being unfinished.
tl;dr I'm sorry I couldn't give you a proper review, although the primary reason was for the level being rather unfinished to the point where I just couldn't give a full judging. Even then, what you do have in the level is rather good so far. I look forward to seeing it finished.
Overall Rankings:
1st: Karyete (38.5/50 or 15.4/20)
2nd: Doram (32.45/50 or 12.98/20)
3rd: Supershroom (31/50 or 12.4/20)
???: Oranj (???)
(sorry if I write something that happens to rub you the wrong way, that's not at all my intention)
Again with the google docs!! For Posterity!!!!!! (copied and hid by Doram)
Supershroom: Cross the Old Temple
Gameplay
Now I'll be completely honest with you, I actually didn't get angry at any point during the level, except for one point. Yet even with that in mind, some parts of the level still felt decently frustrating, or I would at least be imagining for anyone else who is not a 'veteran' of LL. Let's take it step by step, since I have a decent amount of things to say for every transition (most of them anyway). I'll be referring from the beginning of the level all the way to the end via transitions in the level designer.
First Transition: Interesting opening sequence. I can say I liked it, and- Wait, that building roof could actually be stood on? I actually just noticed that as I was typing this out, the front tiles looked too much like back layer tiles. I don't think anyone would have bothered to look up there, to be completely honest. Granted, the only thing the player is missing out on is five squares and two enemies, but still. Even then, this point will be very important later in the judging.
Second Transition: Okay, interesting place for a respawn point. I guess if you were hit by spikes or that knight in the first transition I understand. But the second transition has a problem - the quadruple carousel spikes over the grey switch is basically impossible to pass without getting hit at least once coming back up (unless you're very good with your timing on the left ledge). Personally, I say there's too many spikes on it and the spikes reach too far out to be avoided. I also really don't like the idea of 'thwomps' in the level, they serve more as an annoying insta-kill and do nothing but irritate the player as opposed to provide an actual challenge. Also, is it just me or do those ground spikes blend in with the background/scenery too well? Could be just me, but either way, the major problems are the rotating spikes above the grey switch and the thwomps, which the latter will also be a very apparent issue later in the judging.
Third Transition, top half: The platforms above the lava in this room are kinda cheap, the player can't really react to them without getting hit by the lava first.
Third Transition, bottom half: Ah, the first room of the temple. It's surprisingly not too bad, though the 'gate' in this room is very hard to move through. I kinda wished that instead of having it bob up and down you just had it sit open. Often times I'd jump over the gate and try to roll/slide, and as it comes up I end up crouching instead and get crushed. While I'm sure I could've just short hopped and ran over it, having it bob up and down still feels unnecessary.
Fourth Transition, top half: Wait, this room existed?
Fourth Transition, bottom half: Oh, those electrical switches actually don't do anything. Those bothered me a lot for whatever reason since they just sat there with no purpose, but I'm sure it's not a big deal. This room was okayish, the dark mage did kill me a few times, but mostly because I was a bit hasty with that jump over the bottomless pit. The bottomless pit is a little annoying, granted.
Fifth Transition, top half: Oh, that's the room linking the bonus room. Though I just tested the jump up to the first platform, and it's actually impossible to make.
Fifth Transition, bottom half: That's an oddly shaped miniboss room. The miniboss itself was a little dragged out due to how much health it had (and the fact it floated up high, meaning you could only hit it with its own projectiles and maybe a few sword swings). Otherwise it wasn't the worst thing in the world.
Sixth Transition, top half: AAAHHH. I don't even want to talk about this room. Considering how much trial and error it actually took me just to get to the thunder mage at the end (and then get knocked off by the thunder mage's attack and have to restart that entire section and the section before it all over again)... yeah. I just don't even want to talk about it. The worst part is, the sign before this room made it seem like a timed challenge, when it was actually a "you have to be EXACTLY precise with your timings or else you dun goof" challenge. If you look at the second enemy you have to defeat until you can proceed and land on the platform as it catches up to you, you'll notice you have no safe ground after you defeat the enemy (with the exception of the required platform). That's a MAJOR problem. Sometimes the enemy would float behind a wall, making it impossible to land on the platform on time, or sometimes I'd kill it too early and I would miss the platform entirely (was especially frustrating the first time it happened to me since I could not have seen it coming). Probably the worst offense, aside from all of these ridiculously precise moments, is that there is no checkpoint right before the platform, meaning I have to play an entire section just as long (and obnoxious) as this one. Speaking of that one...
Sixth Transition, bottom half: Yikes, did I get salty here. Granted, I got salty for a very good reason - I died way too many times on both this part and the above transition, more than I really should have. This and the room above this one is brutal. Not challenging, not difficult, but straight up brutal. My first death was walking right into a bottomless pit because I thought the background was solid foreground. My second death was getting impaled by rotating spikes that would appear out of nowhere from the ground (until I finally realized they were rotating spikes partially hidden by the foreground tiles). My third death was getting sniped by that turret that happens to shoot at you even when you're reading the sign in the middle of the level. Yeah, that is not good turret placement. In case if you couldn't tell, my biggest qualm with this transition and the one above it is that it was not executed/playtested very well. There are way too many unforgiving moments to where I died over twenty times trying to reach the key. That is not an exaggeration. I actually counted. You can see why I would get at least salty over this part of the level.
Seventh Transition: Wow, you actually fooled me into thinking it was over by that point. You also nearly got me killed by having me almost walk into yet another bottomless pit when I saw the checkpoint ahead of me. Thank goodness I grabbed the ledge first, but seriously, don't scare me like that please. I expected more enemies in this transition, but overall it was pretty good. Suddenly, everything felt fair for a change.
Eighth Transition: Got thwomp'd, didn't enjoy it. Miniboss felt dragged out again. The carousel spikes were pretty annoying and were very hard to avoid. Thankfully I only died a few times here.
Ninth Transition, top half: The room was very interestingly layed out. Being completely honest with you here though, the thorn staff made the enemies too easy. The room was very well executed though - not because I didn't die, but because I could actually make reasonable jumps on the platforms (minus the two moving up and down through the ground spikes, those were a bit too strict on the timing), I could react to most of the spikes, the darkness provided a reasonable challenge to navigate the room, and the room in general wasn't too unforgiving with mistakes.
Ninth Transition, bottom half: The problem with this room was that some of the sand background tiles looked too much like foreground tiles... again. Fell right into a bottomless pit due to a graphical confusion. Needless to say I wasn't happy about it. The jump itself isn't hard, but the pit is pretty deceiving otherwise. The rest of the room was alright, the sand mushrooms were almost too well concealed though to the point where I actually died on them because they blended in so well with the background.
Tenth Transition, top half: meh
Tenth Transition, bottom half: thorn staff op pls nerf, basic halberd also made it rather easy to reflect the projectiles
Eleventh Transition: Oh, it's over. That was... actually a little abrupt to be completely honest. And a bit anticlimatic.
Overall: I'm not saying the entire level was bad. If anything you have some pretty strong combat and platforming elements in some parts, and they shined when appropriate (First and Ninth transition, top half especially). Creativity was also apparent, the very idea of looking for a key (which is not in LL's toolkit) was spot on. But when you make such a large level, it's crucial that you test every single nook and cranny, and make sure that some parts of the level don't feel too brutal (sixth transition is a prime example). Some of the recurring elements in general felt like filler space for 'difficulty' or longer play time (the thwomps and minibosses for example).
Be careful with your usage of carousel spikes in the level too. I would even say there were too many carousel spikes and you should've offered the player more health/cyan shields at an earlier time in the level. Some graphical details even hampered your gameplay due to concealing both safe ground and occasional enemies/spike locations. Overall: 13/25
Scenery
Those buildings on the outside of the temple looked really nice. Your usage of color boxes was also rather impressive, even going to the smallest detail with checkering entire walls with slight brightness changes. Vegetation was very apparent, and evenly spaced between front and back layers. The inside temples were also rather well decorated, and felt like ruins. Blocks placed as background supported this especially.
There were some things that just felt off though. The contrasting transitions six and the bottom half of Transition nine were very... abrupt and odd changes. I wasn't sure what suddenly made the change to sandy/pyramid temple like decorations when earlier you were demonstrating an old semi-worn down green temple (come to think of it, the temple itself actually doesn't look very 'old' if you count out the green color). Not to mention that during these sandy areas, the background tiles wouldn't connect with other background tiles and would show bits of the back layer past the back tiles (I'm sure this wasn't intentional, but a graphical error nonetheless).
With regards to graphical decoration, some of the stone pillars felt too warped in the sense that they weren't worn, but just really weirdly bent. Some of the items were also placed on the incorrect layer, some doors were placed on the front layer for example.
Otherwise, the level was quite appealing to the eye. Overall: 15/20
Misc.
Positive:
+ Pretty good triggerwork overall. Most of it functioned correctly and the level operated smoothly. (+1)
+ Above average playtime. (+0.25)
+ Music selection is okay. I'll be honest, "Charge!" at the beginning of the level isn't very fitting, but meh, the rest of the songs worked. (+0)
Negative:
- Some of the triggers with camera effects could've lasted longer, the cameras would reset too fast and I wouldn't get to see what the cameras panned to. (-0.25)
- Two Dark Beasts spawned on top of eachother in Transition nine, not sure if that was intentional. (-0.25)
- Lava color doesn't fit. The lava itself doesn't really fit, to be completely honest. Yes, it's better than a bottomless pit, but I still think spikes would've been way more fitting (as weird as it is for me to say that). (-0.25)
- Ninth transition had default lava color instead of that greenish lava. (-0.15)
- Halberd felt more like an optional route instead of the required route, confusing me in terms of level direction. (-0.35)
- This just bugged me as a very minor detail, but the music doesn't change when you decide to exit the temple (after entering it for the first time). (-0)
Overall: 3/5
Total: 31/50 (or a 12.4/20 if you want to think of it that way)
I don't think this level is necessarily bad, or that none of these ideas would theoretically work, I just think this level needs a lot more playtesting and balancing, especially if you plan for the player to go on a long time without a checkpoint.
frozenfurr: lol no entry
bad/50 would not play again
Doram: Forest Temple
Gameplay
I might as well tell you now. This level made an incredible first impression on me, but felt a bit disappointing towards the end. Let's go through the level from start to finish.
At the beginning, I was incredibly impressed. You actually took the time to make an options menu of sorts, whether or not we wanted to turn off plot, or get hints to make the level easier. For the record, I tried completing this level without any hints at all, I only had the plot option on.
After walking a bit and entering the forest temple, I wasn't entirely sure what you meant at first with the opening text until I tried touching the walls of the rooms. I actually liked the mechanic, oddly enough. I also solved the puzzle in like... five minutes or something around that. Stop laughing at me.
It was a really clever puzzle though, I'll give you that.After doing the first puzzle, I thought the signs were just to get me off track until I noticed the levers. Still managed to remember what was on the signs. The second puzzle was pretty good.
The third puzzle was weird. I wasn't actually aware that I could use Delta until I held Shift down on complete accident. Would’ve helped to make the mechanics more clear. Either way, the puzzle was alright, the first thunder mage took a long time to defeat though.
The fourth puzzle (aka fight with the green dark beast) was really clever. I mean sure, you just used standard enemy mechanics but it was still an interesting fight. It took a little too long, granted, but was interesting.
The fifth puzzle(?) with the cave entrances was not too bad. It didn't take much time for me to finish at all.
The sixth puzzle was a very good concept, but I think a smaller room would've done the puzzle more justice. There were very few switches as well, getting to the end wasn't very difficult at all. (I took the green switch, went left and took the red switch at the top, went right and took the golden switch, jumped to the exit. Blue switch was completely unnecessary.) Not much brainpower was really needed for this puzzle, and I think you could've done more with it.
And then, the final boss. I spent like eleven tries trying to beat this guy. And the only reason I couldn't beat him was because he had so much freaking health. I don't think you realize it, but 200 HP for a given enemy is a LOT. It doesn't mean they have exactly 200 HP, if anything it means they have way more than 200 HP. All of my fights with that freaking guy dragged on for more than five minutes too.
After going into the level designer and reducing his HP to like 10 or something (just so I could see what happened afterwards), I beat him and was pretty disappointed. Just an end portal? No big plot point or cutscene where the hero actually finds something in the temple? Laaame. I could probably fit this on other, but the final boss just felt really underwhelming after beating it, hence making my point in gameplay. Also, I kinda expected a few more puzzle elements for the final boss (or even puzzles appearing during certain phases).
To conclude, the first few puzzles I really liked and I thought were very clever and well executed. But as the level went on, the puzzles became much more straightforward and the final boss was just poorly executed. Given more time to polish the level, I think this could've been very successful. As it stands right now, it feels unfinished for me. Overall: 16.25/25
Scenery
Although some of the scenery would hide the wolf enemies at the beginning, it was still rather pretty to look at. The forest temple entrance was especially well decorated, I loved how it sort of curved and made an open hole for the temple itself. Going into the temple, though, the only noteworthy points of decoration is the cave puzzle, the puzzle before the final boss, and the final boss room. The cave was pretty well decorated, the fog effects in the fifth puzzle were very well done, and the final boss room had some pretty awesome looking pillars. Everything else just felt... bland. I expected more on the inside considering we have a ruins theme running and an old temple to work with. The colors were also very monochrome and didn't have much variety. Overall: 12/20
Misc.
Positive:
+ No seriously, kudos on the option menu at the beginning. I probably would've never thought of that. (+1)
+ That explosion effect was sooo gooooooood ; u ; (+0.75)
+ There's actually a pretty fair amount of secrets in this level despite it being a little short (lengthwise) (+0.5)
Negative:
- Most of the secrets are pretty obscure, to be fair. (-0.25)
- The options menu is a little bit glitchy, sometimes I would try to turn off gentle hints and the game would turn off plot instead. (-0.15)
- The final boss glitched somehow during one of my attempts, the mage teleported in during the second phase with the guards. (-0.25)
- Plot was kinda weak overall (hero didn't even find anything at the end, rip). (-0.25)
- Plot screen text would work better as dialogue boxes so players don't accidentally skip it. (-0.15)
- The spike ceiling in the second puzzle wouldn't activate if I were to die and redo the second puzzle. (-0)
Overall: 4.2/5
Total: 32.45/50 (12.98/20)
It needs a lot of polishing towards the end. Otherwise, I really love the concept and the work you've put in so far. Keep it up!
hamless: what is this i don't even
not even finished, bad/50 would dump in recycle bin
Karyete: Carmine Temple
Gameplay
Y'know, I want to make a joke that I ended up seeing red after I played this level, but being completely honest with you the level was genuinely difficult and fun to play. Now granted, there are some rooms and points of interest that I would like to go over because those particular areas did not feel very well executed.
First off - The red fire hazards themselves are pretty unnecessary. When you put a red object on top of a red wallpaper it's generally really hard to notice. In this level, the fire didn't just perfectly blend in with the level, it also took away two points of health per contact. That's basically saying that the player can't make even one mistake upon touching what would be a near invisible hazard. There's already enough going on in the level trying to deplete your health from bottomless pits to enemy knights and ghosts... yeah, I really don't like the red fire hazards.
The last room of the Carmine Temple itself (the one with the three golden grocks) was incredibly ambiguous and not very well executed. If you went up, you could actually teleport past the block by climbing up to the top ledge and sliding after squeezing under it. Due to the ridiculous darkness setting in the room, it was near impossible to proceed because I could not find the switch (the switch itself was also behind a pillar, which made it practically impossible to find).
Speaking of switches, the switches themselves also felt kinda camouflaged throughout the level (with the exception of the two in the room where you rotate the blue and yellow platforms). I think the problem is you colored everything too dark, and as a result it becomes hard to see them. Set their brightness higher so players can notice them easier.
But even then, the level was fun! Like I'm not going to lie, even if I died a lot on Purpura hall and HATED THAT INVISIBLE BLOCK ROOM'S GUTS ;-; I still quite enjoyed it. The level pace was solid and consistent, and the level itself would make a great speedrunning level (or if you feel like going on Easy mode you can do that too). The Squares also add another element of ever so slightly more precision that I enjoyed. Probably the best part about the level was that you recycled elements with a twist - If you were to reuse the golden grock targets you would put them in different locations, or add new weapons to complete the puzzle, or add new objects to make the player think more, or even then you'd just give us a completely different puzzle/mechanic. The level constantly felt fresh and clever to me, and that is something very hard to achieve in a speedrunning-like level where you want them to play it multiple times.
The item drops and secrets were also really well placed, you really made me look for them and they didn't feel obscure. If there was one thing I wished you added more it would be health drops, considering there's only like... two or three in the level. Definitely needs a couple more hearts here and there, otherwise the level feels a little too unforgiving on getting hit by obscure fire or running into a spike wall (no really, even some of the spike walls felt concealed which was kind of annoying).
The challenges themselves seem pretty reasonable.
As for Purpura hall... I died a lot, but nothing felt entirely cheap except for one thing, and that was the invisible blocks. Don't get me wrong, I love the concept and it was creative, but those blocks are not only too small but it feels like it's too easy to lose perception of where they are. Even if you made them one block wider I feel like it would've been a lot more fair and still decently difficult at the same time. The last block in that part especially got me too many times. But if you put that aside, everything in Purpura hall felt playtested - Challenging, yet not frustrating. And even though I died a lot I can safely say it was a fun experience.
You have something really good here in terms of gameplay. It needs a few fixes/changes, but otherwise I think you're definitely on the right track. Overall: 21.25/25
Scenery
That desert clearly had the word "Effort" spelt all over it. Even with a collapsing bridge and everything. Dang. There's not much else to say other than - Really freaking good job.
On the other hand, while the Carmine Temple itself is pretty well decorated, the monochrome colors and everything being red was kind of an eye sore. Purpura Hall somewhat less so, the additional blue colors worked better in its favor. There's not much else to say of note, because everything in the desert literally looks fantastic while the temple leaves more contrast to be desired in practically all areas (even with the blue and yellow platform room). Overall: 14/20.
Misc.
+ That Delta puzzle was really well thought out. Kudos. (+0.5)
+ Every single large square was well placed. The fact that there's a lot also means that the player is guaranteed to find a few and at the same time miss a few. I like it. (+0.25)
- The music is... eh. I'm not a big fan of Spider Dance for the temple specifically, something a little less grand than this Spider Dance version would've worked (something like Carmine's theme Bad Surface from UNIEL). Stronger Monsters I didn't listen to because that would literally be musical spoilers for my end (as I have not finished Undertale). Switching the music several times during the level also offsets the pace of the level, which is crucial for the level having that speedrun, constant pace feeling. I recommend just finding one track for all areas of the level except Purpura Hall (and then one more for Purpura Hall itself). (-0.5)
Overall: 3.25/5
Total: 38.5/50 (15.4/20)
Don't let that 15.4 deceive you. I think this level has great strengths, but also some poor fallacies that, if fixed, could easily make this my favorite level of all time.
OJ (Gloam Gorge)
Well... okay, I'm very sorry. I tried, I tried, and I just could not come up with a proper score for this level. Mostly because you were really freaking ambitious and ended up having to stop halfway through your level (which sucks). But! I will say, from what I have played, I can tell already you have something really good going. I encourage you to keep working on your level, so much in fact that I will give you my thoughts even if I can't give you a proper score.
The beginning is great, the dialogue is witty and it captured my interest rather well. The NPC at the beginning should have some sort of trigger skip so he doesn't say the same thing twice (because clicking on him again on accident would have the player try to skip all of his dialogue, which would take a couple more seconds). Another thing to mention is that at the beginning, the ceilings for the buildings would work better off as back tiles, since they're cluttered and hard to navigate.
After the opening transition, the water and the vertical transition don't go very well hand in hand. I think you shold remove the vertical transition (unless if there's some really specific reason for it to be there that I'm not aware of). The platforming in general is alright, I think this level does suffer from spike spam. You can avoid this by focusing on optimal spike placement instead of the number of spikes per transition. Also do keep in mind that spikes take away two health. The abundance of health pickups in the transition before the castle/temple/ruins/whatever that was (before Track 3: Premonitions) made up for that, though.
The music I commend you for, from what I've listened to it seems like you're designing off what you hear in the music (or I could be completely wrong, don't listen to me lol). Even if you weren't, it certainly feels that way. All of the places feel alive from what I have seen so far, even if some areas are underdeveloped in decoration or unfinished in graphics.
The building before Gloam Thicket had a nice concept but it was really hard to figure out what to do. But this probably resulted from being unfinished.
Some of the platforming throughout the level as a whole should probably be tested again, as I had to move my start position a few times because some jumps/passages felt impossible. But again, this probably resulted from the level being unfinished.
tl;dr I'm sorry I couldn't give you a proper review, although the primary reason was for the level being rather unfinished to the point where I just couldn't give a full judging. Even then, what you do have in the level is rather good so far. I look forward to seeing it finished.
Overall Rankings:
1st: Karyete (38.5/50 or 15.4/20)
2nd: Doram (32.45/50 or 12.98/20)
3rd: Supershroom (31/50 or 12.4/20)
???: Oranj (???)
~ Tesla Bromonovich
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Harmless - Is it lunch time yet?
- Posts: 2793
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Re: 4th Last Legacy LDC
by Raiyuuni » March 3rd, 2016, 5:49 am
Here's my judgings.
Copied for posterity by Doram
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cross the Old Temple!
Supershroom
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gameplay
Ladies and gentlemen, he’s done it again. This entry is nothing short of being the lengthiest, as a single level, in the contest. There’s plenty of ground to cover, slashing foes and plundering their spoils on the way. Unfortunately, playing as the bane of all critters is not entirely a privilege. It’s a classic and steady adventure, and most of the journey runs smoothly. The final checkpoint stands out with ease, for its being intricate and tricky next to other rooms. For most parts, however, the innate sense of danger in Shroom’s creations is a characteristic that doesn’t stand out here as well as it should. It could be because we don’t risk having to reload the whole level over again with a single mistake, but this also warrants setting up a steeper difficulty curve safely. A ban on magic only accounts for the tip of the iceberg.
Graphics
This temple’s intended atmosphere was nice as it is, but it leaned slightly too close to resembling a regular dungeon. The aesthetics certainly have no mistakes, but the scenery was a bit too tidy. Here’s where the traps and obstacles made the level shine.
Other
[+0.75] The original Last Legacy soundtrack is always welcome.
[+0.25] Good work with the enemy dialogue.
[0] At the room prior to the one where you get the key, a sign was placed within a turret’s range. It is possible to avoid damage, however.
[-0.125] At the final checkpoint, the purple wizard on the top can (and will) run away. He might lead you into the turrets’ range, where you are hopelessly slaughtered as Cinema Mode turns off and the camera is flung away, without any time to react for the incoming spells.
Gameplay
21,5/25
Graphics
14,5/20
Other
3,875/5
Final Score: 39,875/50
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forest Temple
Doram
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gameplay
As much of a relatively short-lived experience as this level may seem to be, we shouldn’t take it lightly. Were all entries represented by books, this would be the pocket Bible that can only be read under a microscope. While it is common for a well-tailored LL level to feature triggers aplenty, Doram’s puzzle raised the bar on that matter. Right off the bat, the player is presented options on the game’s pacing with the ability to enable hints. This generosity in distinct approaches to the level’s gameplay, however, also implies more rough edges will have to be fine tuned along the way. However, small as the package might have been, this entry’s gameplay was not exempt from being affected by some minor issues. e.g. While all regular rooms and enemies but the gravity chamber are nearly harmless, both the Dark Beast and Big Big Mage are a bit too sturdy to fight with without the secret stash, which is not mentioned with subtle hints and outright handed away with strong hints. Even then, with everything in mind, Forest Temple was still an amazing stage.
Graphics
Time constraints strike yet again. While the forest, the temple’s outside and the main hall were arguably on par with CH3 previews, most subsequent rooms, while flawless (or almost so), strayed dangerously close toward a dungeon-y atmosphere. Needless to say, the final room had really refreshing design. It wrapped up the stage nicely.
Other
[+0.25] Good plot narration.
[0] There’s no songs at all.
[0] This jump was a bit too harsh.
[-0.125] Did the turrets really have to be hidden inside the final arena, as in behind the pillars?
Gameplay
20/25
Graphics
16/20
Other
3,125/5
Final Score: 39,125/50
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The End
Harmless
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gameplay
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one. First off, The End was the contest’s only two-level entry, resulting in transitions of otherworldly size and a lot of ground to cover. Not only that, it was by far the closest to having a full-blown storyline of its own. Sadly, it also falls behind exactly for that. The rooms were the emptiest (mainly in Part 2); the battles, the most one-sided. Nevertheless, I still have to tip my hat to this project. As ambitious as it might have been, it was the little bits that set it apart from all others. The triggered tile transformations; an achievement system; a boss battle system; the countless NPC speeches; the Martlet guard at the door in Part 1; heck, even the Delta mines’ concept. It’s thanks to every last tiny detail hidden in this series that I’m convinced that this is not the end The End deserves.
Graphics
The fated paragraph. Despite all aforementioned sparkles of awesomeness, I can tell there’s been lots of struggling with the deadline as it was. The prologue’s castle rooms seem to have been assembled fairly quickly - even though the first room was something else. The same goes for Part 2’s plains and the mine - nigh immeasurable, yet so akin to Terraria. All in all, it was still enough to deliver the story skillfully.
Other
[+0.5] The delta mine, although not exactly in shambles, was a really fresh concept. And yes, it was necessary to emphasize this.
[+0.25] Good work with picking the music!
[+0.25] Your NPC speeches were awesome.
[-0.125] Be mindful of your item drops. The game is already too generous as it is.
Gameplay
16,5/25
Graphics
11/20
Other
3,875/5
Final Score: 31,375/50
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine Temple
Karyete
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gameplay
Here’s a stage built to last. Carmine Temple had some awesome puzzles, well-made level design and the best difficulty setup out of all entries, with Purpura Hall as the jewel on the crown. The regular ending, albeit considerably easier, didn’t struggle with pacing either. Truth be told, I don’t recall seeing a puzzle require two different staves before. Pair that with all the side quests, lots of buttons and a good atmosphere setting and you’ve set up one hell of a level.
Graphics
Both the desert and the temple looked really nice. Props for the little bits of unique decoration on them as well. Still, here’s a couple of tips for the future: please be really careful with both your darkness and world color effects; going overboard with these is definitely not good. And again, but not as important, watch out for solid and foreground tiles with too similar shades.
Other
[+1] Outstanding music selection. Spider Dance didn’t work out as well as a quieter track would for the Carmine Sanctuary, though.
[0] The final Large Square was beyond reach.
[-0.125] Once again, a turret was paired with untimely camera panning.
Gameplay
22,5/25
Graphics
16,5/20
Other
3,875/5
Final Score: 42,875/50
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gloam Gorge
Oranjui
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
“A bit of a lighter take on the contest theme.” ~ Oranjui, @ Level Vault.
Gameplay
Oh boy, that was quite a trip while it lasted. Even with most of the stage being toward the easy side, the songs helped settle the atmosphere well. Except for that first Large Square, that is. Took me a while, but I got there. Despite the occasional unorthodox platform behavior, and the eight switch hunt that seemed to be a stretch at first, it all worked out well in the end. And I really hope that in the event that this level is pushed a little closer toward completion, that one chest gets an actual drop (as we’re likely to be already carrying random weapons by this point). Now, for the rest, I guess you already know the drill.
Graphics
The entire first transition was spot on. Albeit peaceful, it was still lively. Strangely enough, while the switch hunt had more critters and hazards, it still seemed relatively barren. The dark room (slightly too much so, even) and the subsequent hero grinder zone threw the scenery back on track, until, well, the deadline happened.
Other
[+1] Fantastic song lineup.
[0] Falling through the horizontal splitter and into the water renders the rescue platform unusable.
Gameplay
17/25
Graphics
13,5/20
Other
4/5
Final Score: 34,5/50
Copied for posterity by Doram
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cross the Old Temple!
Supershroom
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gameplay
Ladies and gentlemen, he’s done it again. This entry is nothing short of being the lengthiest, as a single level, in the contest. There’s plenty of ground to cover, slashing foes and plundering their spoils on the way. Unfortunately, playing as the bane of all critters is not entirely a privilege. It’s a classic and steady adventure, and most of the journey runs smoothly. The final checkpoint stands out with ease, for its being intricate and tricky next to other rooms. For most parts, however, the innate sense of danger in Shroom’s creations is a characteristic that doesn’t stand out here as well as it should. It could be because we don’t risk having to reload the whole level over again with a single mistake, but this also warrants setting up a steeper difficulty curve safely. A ban on magic only accounts for the tip of the iceberg.
Graphics
This temple’s intended atmosphere was nice as it is, but it leaned slightly too close to resembling a regular dungeon. The aesthetics certainly have no mistakes, but the scenery was a bit too tidy. Here’s where the traps and obstacles made the level shine.
Other
[+0.75] The original Last Legacy soundtrack is always welcome.
[+0.25] Good work with the enemy dialogue.
[0] At the room prior to the one where you get the key, a sign was placed within a turret’s range. It is possible to avoid damage, however.
[-0.125] At the final checkpoint, the purple wizard on the top can (and will) run away. He might lead you into the turrets’ range, where you are hopelessly slaughtered as Cinema Mode turns off and the camera is flung away, without any time to react for the incoming spells.
Gameplay
21,5/25
Graphics
14,5/20
Other
3,875/5
Final Score: 39,875/50
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forest Temple
Doram
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gameplay
As much of a relatively short-lived experience as this level may seem to be, we shouldn’t take it lightly. Were all entries represented by books, this would be the pocket Bible that can only be read under a microscope. While it is common for a well-tailored LL level to feature triggers aplenty, Doram’s puzzle raised the bar on that matter. Right off the bat, the player is presented options on the game’s pacing with the ability to enable hints. This generosity in distinct approaches to the level’s gameplay, however, also implies more rough edges will have to be fine tuned along the way. However, small as the package might have been, this entry’s gameplay was not exempt from being affected by some minor issues. e.g. While all regular rooms and enemies but the gravity chamber are nearly harmless, both the Dark Beast and Big Big Mage are a bit too sturdy to fight with without the secret stash, which is not mentioned with subtle hints and outright handed away with strong hints. Even then, with everything in mind, Forest Temple was still an amazing stage.
Graphics
Time constraints strike yet again. While the forest, the temple’s outside and the main hall were arguably on par with CH3 previews, most subsequent rooms, while flawless (or almost so), strayed dangerously close toward a dungeon-y atmosphere. Needless to say, the final room had really refreshing design. It wrapped up the stage nicely.
Other
[+0.25] Good plot narration.
[0] There’s no songs at all.
[0] This jump was a bit too harsh.
[-0.125] Did the turrets really have to be hidden inside the final arena, as in behind the pillars?
Gameplay
20/25
Graphics
16/20
Other
3,125/5
Final Score: 39,125/50
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The End
Harmless
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gameplay
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one. First off, The End was the contest’s only two-level entry, resulting in transitions of otherworldly size and a lot of ground to cover. Not only that, it was by far the closest to having a full-blown storyline of its own. Sadly, it also falls behind exactly for that. The rooms were the emptiest (mainly in Part 2); the battles, the most one-sided. Nevertheless, I still have to tip my hat to this project. As ambitious as it might have been, it was the little bits that set it apart from all others. The triggered tile transformations; an achievement system; a boss battle system; the countless NPC speeches; the Martlet guard at the door in Part 1; heck, even the Delta mines’ concept. It’s thanks to every last tiny detail hidden in this series that I’m convinced that this is not the end The End deserves.
Graphics
The fated paragraph. Despite all aforementioned sparkles of awesomeness, I can tell there’s been lots of struggling with the deadline as it was. The prologue’s castle rooms seem to have been assembled fairly quickly - even though the first room was something else. The same goes for Part 2’s plains and the mine - nigh immeasurable, yet so akin to Terraria. All in all, it was still enough to deliver the story skillfully.
Other
[+0.5] The delta mine, although not exactly in shambles, was a really fresh concept. And yes, it was necessary to emphasize this.
[+0.25] Good work with picking the music!
[+0.25] Your NPC speeches were awesome.
[-0.125] Be mindful of your item drops. The game is already too generous as it is.
Gameplay
16,5/25
Graphics
11/20
Other
3,875/5
Final Score: 31,375/50
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmine Temple
Karyete
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gameplay
Here’s a stage built to last. Carmine Temple had some awesome puzzles, well-made level design and the best difficulty setup out of all entries, with Purpura Hall as the jewel on the crown. The regular ending, albeit considerably easier, didn’t struggle with pacing either. Truth be told, I don’t recall seeing a puzzle require two different staves before. Pair that with all the side quests, lots of buttons and a good atmosphere setting and you’ve set up one hell of a level.
Graphics
Both the desert and the temple looked really nice. Props for the little bits of unique decoration on them as well. Still, here’s a couple of tips for the future: please be really careful with both your darkness and world color effects; going overboard with these is definitely not good. And again, but not as important, watch out for solid and foreground tiles with too similar shades.
Other
[+1] Outstanding music selection. Spider Dance didn’t work out as well as a quieter track would for the Carmine Sanctuary, though.
[0] The final Large Square was beyond reach.
[-0.125] Once again, a turret was paired with untimely camera panning.
Gameplay
22,5/25
Graphics
16,5/20
Other
3,875/5
Final Score: 42,875/50
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gloam Gorge
Oranjui
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
“A bit of a lighter take on the contest theme.” ~ Oranjui, @ Level Vault.
Gameplay
Oh boy, that was quite a trip while it lasted. Even with most of the stage being toward the easy side, the songs helped settle the atmosphere well. Except for that first Large Square, that is. Took me a while, but I got there. Despite the occasional unorthodox platform behavior, and the eight switch hunt that seemed to be a stretch at first, it all worked out well in the end. And I really hope that in the event that this level is pushed a little closer toward completion, that one chest gets an actual drop (as we’re likely to be already carrying random weapons by this point). Now, for the rest, I guess you already know the drill.
Graphics
The entire first transition was spot on. Albeit peaceful, it was still lively. Strangely enough, while the switch hunt had more critters and hazards, it still seemed relatively barren. The dark room (slightly too much so, even) and the subsequent hero grinder zone threw the scenery back on track, until, well, the deadline happened.
Other
[+1] Fantastic song lineup.
[0] Falling through the horizontal splitter and into the water renders the rescue platform unusable.
Gameplay
17/25
Graphics
13,5/20
Other
4/5
Final Score: 34,5/50
-
Raiyuuni - Chillin' on the West Pole!
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Runouwian Fighter - Thumbs Up given: 0 times
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Re: 4th Last Legacy LDC
by Karyete » March 3rd, 2016, 8:09 am
Here you go.
Also Harmless, Stronger Monsters isn't a spoiler, just sayin'
Copied for posterity by Doram
CROSS THE OLD TEMPLE by Supershroom
GAMEPLAY: 16.5/25
The outside areas were probably my favourites, since they had some danger to them but were fleshed out and not too claustrophobic. I couldn't just rush through it, but at the same time I didn't come to a standstill over and over again.
That was probably my main concern with the level; there are simply way too many parts where there's almost no room for error. At the part where I had to get the key, I died more times than I care to admit before even reaching the moving platform section - either the moving spikes knocked me into the spike pit below, or the rapid-fire turrets did, consuming most (if not all) of my HP. I was stuck at this one puzzle for about 15 minutes because of all the high-damage obstacles that I could barely avoid. The actual puzzle was neat and clever, although I wish my progress was saved after I got the key, but I can look past that. There are a lot of other sections that were done well, but very frustrating parts can overshadow that.
I like the use of the LL thwomp - it wasn't overused to death, and they were positioned well so that I would have to focus on avoiding them, but I could also slide underneath if I was feeling risky. I also enjoyed the use of the Basic Halberd - even if the bonus room isn't possible complete, I like that you need to backtrack a little with the Halberd.
GRAPHICS: 15/20
Again, the outside areas stole the spotlight for me. Lots of nicely placed foliage, everything looked natural, and the buildings fit nicely and didn't stick out too much. There was nothing majorly wrong with the inside areas, but it felt a little bland, and some areas were a bit empty. The yellow rooms (like the key section I referenced earlier) had some awesome backgrounds though.
Cutscenes were straightforward and to the point, so not much to comment on there.
OTHER: 3.5/5
(+0.5) LL thwomps were a nice touch and the triggers to control them were great.
(+0.5) Halberd puzzle was cool.
(-0) Slight nitpick, but respawning in the last room plays the wrong music.
TOTAL: 35/50
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOREST TEMPLE by Doram
GAMEPLAY: 19/25
Right off the bat, I have to give you credit for the customisation at the start. Being able to turn off plot, and adjust the hints to your liking, is awesome.
The first puzzle is...odd. Even after beating it (using gentle hints, don't smite me) I'm still not sure exactly what I was meant to do. My educated guess was to go around and activate all the different triggers. I'm not complaining, it was just a tad vague.
The hints within the first puzzle for the second one were cool. They were snippets of information that I felt like I had to remember, and sure enough, the very next room required me to know that information.
The miniboss could have been more exciting, it wasn't anything more than 'wait for him to shoot or wait for him to get in melee range'. For a puzzle-based level I was kind of hoping for a puzzle to be incorporated within the boss battle. The gravity puzzle was probably my favourite - even if it wasn't extraordinarily difficult (speaking for myself, gravity puzzles vary from person-to-person) it was still fun to try and figure out. I don't really have much to say about the cave puzzle, it was slightly confusing but the hints seemed to guide me well enough.
The final boss was...well, a bit disappointing. Despite it being a bit more complex than the miniboss, it still didn't have a single puzzle element in it. The final wave consisted of me running around spamming my weaponry like a madman, while he kept teleporting a small distance away and barely attacking.
GRAPHICS: 15/20
The beginning path was gorgeous to look at, and while the cave section wasn't the most exciting in terms of gameplay, it also looked great. The temple areas could have been decorated a little more, they weren't very exciting to look at and were completely empty in many areas. The miniboss room was completely empty - there's absolutely nothing to look at in there.
Serious bonus points for the temple entrance - I stood there for a couple of seconds to take it all in.
OTHER: 3.25/5
(+0.5) Some very well-hidden secret items scattered throughout the level.
(+0.5) Good use of triggers for hints and plot toggling.
(-0.25) Lack of any music is a bit disappointing.
TOTAL: 38.25/50
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE END by Harmless
PART 1
GAMEPLAY: 15/25
Relatively simple gameplay here, although that isn't a bad thing. It kind of felt like a beat-em-up with me just ploughing through waves of enemies, which felt pretty good. Platforming-wise, it was solid but not very exciting.
However, with all the items at my disposal, combined with the frailty of most enemies, it felt pretty easy. There was very little risk - I ended up becoming strong enough to breeze through the rooms.
The story got me intrigued, even if there wasn't much to it. The beginning with my 'conscience' and the executioner was pretty neat, and the ending was also interesting. However, when I fell I grabbed onto the ledge and pulled myself up, which is what I thought I was meant to do. Once I killed all the enemies and nothing happened, I got a bit confused.
GRAPHICS: 13/20
While there was some colour variation in the background, the tiles didn't blend together very well and looked a bit out of place. The outside area looked nice and decorated, so no faults there. The rooms had some decor in them, but looked a little bit bare (particularly the walls).
OTHER: 3.25/5
(+0.5) Cutscenes and dialog were amusing and done well.
(+0.25) Hidden items and achievements are neat.
TOTAL: 31.25/50
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE END by Harmless
PART 2
GAMEPLAY: 9/25
It's a shame this part wasn't finished / glitched out, since the battle system was pretty cool. Unfortunately the game froze at the second cutscene, so I had to mess around with the triggers to even get past that point.
Once I actually got to the battle system I was impressed. Both options were viable, and the way the enemy attacked was neat. The in-battle dialogue was amusing as well. I had a blast while fighting - I just wish there was more!
The rest of the level was quite lackluster. The long, empty path at the start had nothing to offer, which is weird. It was clear the cave section wasn't finished - there were a couple of dead ends where I couldn't go back (including one where the platform to lift you back up had no collision) and to go all the way back. I thought those log entries were secrets - once I got near the end of the cave, only then was I told they were fundamental to continue, so I had to try and backtrack to find them - which wasn't possible, since there was no way back up.
GRAPHICS: 7.5/20
The majority of the cave was completely bare. The aesthetics that were there were OK, but it was totally bare for nearly all of it. The battle grids looked OK, but they could have looked better and less basic. The outside area looked decent, but other than the small broken-up bit, it was all very flat. Some background hills would've fit nicely there.
OTHER: 3/5
(+1) First battle grid functioned well and was cleverly done.
(-0.5) Cutscene freezing was annoying.
TOTAL: 19.5/50
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GLOAM GORGE by Oranjui
GAMEPLAY: 12/25
The one thing that killed this level for me was the lack of respawn or halfway points. Going around and trying to find all the buttons (and narrowing down the ones I haven't pressed) takes a long time. I got 6 at one point and because I died my progress got reset back to 0, which is horribly frustrating. The concept of the puzzle was really cool, but having to navigate this twisting and turning landscape filled with enemies and spikes isn't a quick and easy task, and some sort of halfway point would really help. Since there was nothing much after that other than a short cave, this was the main piece of the level.
The structure of the level was great. It was hard to navigate quickly (rightfully so) and at no point did it look unnatural or weird. Spikes weren't overused to death (at least, not in the first puzzle) but still carefully positioned to be a difficult obstacle. Some direction on where to go would've been appreciated at times. Unfortunately, the level had nothing else to offer after this puzzle.
GRAPHICS: 12/20
The first area looks fantastic. My favourite bit is just before you reach the button puzzle, where roots and dirt are hanging above you. There are some creative uses of scenery, but other parts look very bland and empty. The castle structure with holes in it doesn't look very attractive either. The actual ground is creatively put together, particularly in the beginning section.
I think the area with the button puzzle could have done with some more background tiles, since it looks a little empty in a lot of places. The cave section after that was pretty well made, but the Gloam Thicket has very little to it.
OTHER: 3.25/5
(+0.5) Excellent alternative music choices.
(+0.25) Using the iron ball to crush enemies was surprisingly satisfying.
TOTAL: 27.25/50
Also Harmless, Stronger Monsters isn't a spoiler, just sayin'
Copied for posterity by Doram
CROSS THE OLD TEMPLE by Supershroom
GAMEPLAY: 16.5/25
The outside areas were probably my favourites, since they had some danger to them but were fleshed out and not too claustrophobic. I couldn't just rush through it, but at the same time I didn't come to a standstill over and over again.
That was probably my main concern with the level; there are simply way too many parts where there's almost no room for error. At the part where I had to get the key, I died more times than I care to admit before even reaching the moving platform section - either the moving spikes knocked me into the spike pit below, or the rapid-fire turrets did, consuming most (if not all) of my HP. I was stuck at this one puzzle for about 15 minutes because of all the high-damage obstacles that I could barely avoid. The actual puzzle was neat and clever, although I wish my progress was saved after I got the key, but I can look past that. There are a lot of other sections that were done well, but very frustrating parts can overshadow that.
I like the use of the LL thwomp - it wasn't overused to death, and they were positioned well so that I would have to focus on avoiding them, but I could also slide underneath if I was feeling risky. I also enjoyed the use of the Basic Halberd - even if the bonus room isn't possible complete, I like that you need to backtrack a little with the Halberd.
GRAPHICS: 15/20
Again, the outside areas stole the spotlight for me. Lots of nicely placed foliage, everything looked natural, and the buildings fit nicely and didn't stick out too much. There was nothing majorly wrong with the inside areas, but it felt a little bland, and some areas were a bit empty. The yellow rooms (like the key section I referenced earlier) had some awesome backgrounds though.
Cutscenes were straightforward and to the point, so not much to comment on there.
OTHER: 3.5/5
(+0.5) LL thwomps were a nice touch and the triggers to control them were great.
(+0.5) Halberd puzzle was cool.
(-0) Slight nitpick, but respawning in the last room plays the wrong music.
TOTAL: 35/50
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOREST TEMPLE by Doram
GAMEPLAY: 19/25
Right off the bat, I have to give you credit for the customisation at the start. Being able to turn off plot, and adjust the hints to your liking, is awesome.
The first puzzle is...odd. Even after beating it (using gentle hints, don't smite me) I'm still not sure exactly what I was meant to do. My educated guess was to go around and activate all the different triggers. I'm not complaining, it was just a tad vague.
The hints within the first puzzle for the second one were cool. They were snippets of information that I felt like I had to remember, and sure enough, the very next room required me to know that information.
The miniboss could have been more exciting, it wasn't anything more than 'wait for him to shoot or wait for him to get in melee range'. For a puzzle-based level I was kind of hoping for a puzzle to be incorporated within the boss battle. The gravity puzzle was probably my favourite - even if it wasn't extraordinarily difficult (speaking for myself, gravity puzzles vary from person-to-person) it was still fun to try and figure out. I don't really have much to say about the cave puzzle, it was slightly confusing but the hints seemed to guide me well enough.
The final boss was...well, a bit disappointing. Despite it being a bit more complex than the miniboss, it still didn't have a single puzzle element in it. The final wave consisted of me running around spamming my weaponry like a madman, while he kept teleporting a small distance away and barely attacking.
GRAPHICS: 15/20
The beginning path was gorgeous to look at, and while the cave section wasn't the most exciting in terms of gameplay, it also looked great. The temple areas could have been decorated a little more, they weren't very exciting to look at and were completely empty in many areas. The miniboss room was completely empty - there's absolutely nothing to look at in there.
Serious bonus points for the temple entrance - I stood there for a couple of seconds to take it all in.
OTHER: 3.25/5
(+0.5) Some very well-hidden secret items scattered throughout the level.
(+0.5) Good use of triggers for hints and plot toggling.
(-0.25) Lack of any music is a bit disappointing.
TOTAL: 38.25/50
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE END by Harmless
PART 1
GAMEPLAY: 15/25
Relatively simple gameplay here, although that isn't a bad thing. It kind of felt like a beat-em-up with me just ploughing through waves of enemies, which felt pretty good. Platforming-wise, it was solid but not very exciting.
However, with all the items at my disposal, combined with the frailty of most enemies, it felt pretty easy. There was very little risk - I ended up becoming strong enough to breeze through the rooms.
The story got me intrigued, even if there wasn't much to it. The beginning with my 'conscience' and the executioner was pretty neat, and the ending was also interesting. However, when I fell I grabbed onto the ledge and pulled myself up, which is what I thought I was meant to do. Once I killed all the enemies and nothing happened, I got a bit confused.
GRAPHICS: 13/20
While there was some colour variation in the background, the tiles didn't blend together very well and looked a bit out of place. The outside area looked nice and decorated, so no faults there. The rooms had some decor in them, but looked a little bit bare (particularly the walls).
OTHER: 3.25/5
(+0.5) Cutscenes and dialog were amusing and done well.
(+0.25) Hidden items and achievements are neat.
TOTAL: 31.25/50
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE END by Harmless
PART 2
GAMEPLAY: 9/25
It's a shame this part wasn't finished / glitched out, since the battle system was pretty cool. Unfortunately the game froze at the second cutscene, so I had to mess around with the triggers to even get past that point.
Once I actually got to the battle system I was impressed. Both options were viable, and the way the enemy attacked was neat. The in-battle dialogue was amusing as well. I had a blast while fighting - I just wish there was more!
The rest of the level was quite lackluster. The long, empty path at the start had nothing to offer, which is weird. It was clear the cave section wasn't finished - there were a couple of dead ends where I couldn't go back (including one where the platform to lift you back up had no collision) and to go all the way back. I thought those log entries were secrets - once I got near the end of the cave, only then was I told they were fundamental to continue, so I had to try and backtrack to find them - which wasn't possible, since there was no way back up.
GRAPHICS: 7.5/20
The majority of the cave was completely bare. The aesthetics that were there were OK, but it was totally bare for nearly all of it. The battle grids looked OK, but they could have looked better and less basic. The outside area looked decent, but other than the small broken-up bit, it was all very flat. Some background hills would've fit nicely there.
OTHER: 3/5
(+1) First battle grid functioned well and was cleverly done.
(-0.5) Cutscene freezing was annoying.
TOTAL: 19.5/50
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GLOAM GORGE by Oranjui
GAMEPLAY: 12/25
The one thing that killed this level for me was the lack of respawn or halfway points. Going around and trying to find all the buttons (and narrowing down the ones I haven't pressed) takes a long time. I got 6 at one point and because I died my progress got reset back to 0, which is horribly frustrating. The concept of the puzzle was really cool, but having to navigate this twisting and turning landscape filled with enemies and spikes isn't a quick and easy task, and some sort of halfway point would really help. Since there was nothing much after that other than a short cave, this was the main piece of the level.
The structure of the level was great. It was hard to navigate quickly (rightfully so) and at no point did it look unnatural or weird. Spikes weren't overused to death (at least, not in the first puzzle) but still carefully positioned to be a difficult obstacle. Some direction on where to go would've been appreciated at times. Unfortunately, the level had nothing else to offer after this puzzle.
GRAPHICS: 12/20
The first area looks fantastic. My favourite bit is just before you reach the button puzzle, where roots and dirt are hanging above you. There are some creative uses of scenery, but other parts look very bland and empty. The castle structure with holes in it doesn't look very attractive either. The actual ground is creatively put together, particularly in the beginning section.
I think the area with the button puzzle could have done with some more background tiles, since it looks a little empty in a lot of places. The cave section after that was pretty well made, but the Gloam Thicket has very little to it.
OTHER: 3.25/5
(+0.5) Excellent alternative music choices.
(+0.25) Using the iron ball to crush enemies was surprisingly satisfying.
TOTAL: 27.25/50
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Karyete - Moderator
- Posts: 1745
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- Location: Yes
LL Level Designer Contest Winner LL LDC #4: Ruins/Temple- Thumbs Up given: 273 times
- Thumbs Up received: 148 times
Re: 4th Last Legacy LDC
by Raiyuuni » March 3rd, 2016, 10:59 am
What's more, that was pretty much the song of this level.
And, Kary, here's a little tidbit about Shroom's platform sector: apart from its having a very generous time limit, there's a way to skip two sentries entirely (but you have to do an arguably tricky jump immediately after):
Having an alternative, relatively laidback route to solving an intricate platforming path (even if this is an unaccounted solution) can help a lot in the event that sector goes overboard.
And, Kary, here's a little tidbit about Shroom's platform sector: apart from its having a very generous time limit, there's a way to skip two sentries entirely (but you have to do an arguably tricky jump immediately after):
Spoiler: show
Having an alternative, relatively laidback route to solving an intricate platforming path (even if this is an unaccounted solution) can help a lot in the event that sector goes overboard.
-
Raiyuuni - Chillin' on the West Pole!
- Posts: 584
- Joined: May 22nd, 2011, 5:49 am
- Location: Dimension XXI
Runouwian Fighter - Thumbs Up given: 0 times
- Thumbs Up received: 64 times
Re: 4th Last Legacy LDC
by Doram » March 3rd, 2016, 1:09 pm
Nice. I'm working my way up to that 1st place medal. Next time....
I had a lot of fun, and enjoyed the hell out of the whole process. Thanks for all the compliments on my level, and let's see where I can go from here! (Keep an eye out for this duel level, for example...
It's gonna be a doosie...) gg all.
I had a lot of fun, and enjoyed the hell out of the whole process. Thanks for all the compliments on my level, and let's see where I can go from here! (Keep an eye out for this duel level, for example...
It's gonna be a doosie...) gg all.Martin Luther King Jr. wrote:Man must evolve, for all human conflict, a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation.
The foundation of such a method is love.
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Doram - Global Moderator
- Posts: 1524
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- Location: Wherever I'm needed.
Cookie l.m: "For fixing the stuff I break, and for being the best Forum Dad. XOXO <3"- Thumbs Up given: 153 times
- Thumbs Up received: 471 times
Re: 4th Last Legacy LDC
by Supershroom » March 3rd, 2016, 1:13 pm
Ugh, the duel level ... I try to keep it up, I promise, but I fear I'll have to climb the same hill like when I already made the LLLDC level ...
3rd place is lovely and all for a level which is bugged and messed up due to mistaken submission deadline.
SHROOMEDIT: Ganking all of the Google Docs to protect them
DORAMEDIT: THANK YOU!
3rd place is lovely and all for a level which is bugged and messed up due to mistaken submission deadline.
SHROOMEDIT: Ganking all of the Google Docs to protect them
DORAMEDIT: THANK YOU!
Raiyuuni's judgings: show
Cross the Old Temple!
Gameplay: 21.25
Ladies and gentlemen, he’s done it again. This entry is nothing short of being the lengthiest, as a single level, in the contest. There’s plenty of ground to cover, slashing foes and plundering their spoils on the way. Unfortunately, playing as the bane of all critters is not entirely a privilege. It’s a classic and steady adventure, and most of the journey runs smoothly. The final checkpoint stands out with ease, for its being intricate and tricky next to other rooms. For most parts, however, the innate sense of danger in Shroom’s creations is a characteristic that doesn’t stand out here as well as it should. It could be because we don’t risk having to reload the whole level over again with a single mistake, but this also warrants setting up a steeper difficulty curve safely. A ban on magic only accounts for the tip of the iceberg.
Graphics: 14.25
This temple’s intended atmosphere was nice as it is, but it leaned slightly too close to resembling a regular dungeon. The aesthetics certainly have no mistakes, but the scenery was a bit too tidy. Here’s where the traps and obstacles made the level shine.
Other
[+0.75] The original Last Legacy soundtrack is always welcome.
[+0.25] Good work with the enemy dialogue.
[0] At the room prior to the one where you get the key, a sign was placed within a turret’s range. It is possible to avoid damage, however.
[-0.125] At the final checkpoint, the purple wizard on the top can (and will) run away. He might lead you into the turrets’ range, where you are hopelessly slaughtered as Cinema Mode turns off and the camera is flung away, without any time to react for the incoming spells.
Final Score: 39,875/50
Forest Temple
Gameplay: 20
As much of a relatively short-lived experience as this level may seem to be, we shouldn’t take it lightly. Were all entries represented by books, this would be the pocket Bible that can only be read under a microscope. While it is common for a well-tailored LL level to feature triggers aplenty, Doram’s puzzle raised the bar on that matter. Right off the bat, the player is presented options on the game’s pacing with the ability to enable hints. This generosity in distinct approaches to the level’s gameplay, however, also implies more rough edges will have to be fine tuned along the way. However, small as the package might have been, this entry’s gameplay was not exempt from being affected by some minor issues. e.g. While all regular rooms and enemies but the gravity chamber are nearly harmless, both the Dark Beast and Big Big Mage are a bit too sturdy to fight with without the secret stash, which is not mentioned with subtle hints and outright handed away with strong hints. Even then, with everything in mind, Forest Temple was still an amazing stage.
Graphics - 16
Time constraints strike yet again. While the forest, the temple’s outside and the main hall were arguably on par with CH3 previews, most subsequent rooms, while flawless (or almost so), strayed dangerously close toward a dungeon-y atmosphere. Needless to say, the final room had really refreshing design. It wrapped up the stage nicely.
Other
[+0.25] Good plot narration.
[0] There’s no songs at all.
[0] This jump was a bit too harsh.
[-0.125] Did the turrets really have to be hidden inside the final arena, as in behind the pillars?
Final Score: 39,125/50
The End!
Gameplay: 16.5
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one. First off, The End was the contest’s only two-level entry, resulting in transitions of otherworldly size and a lot of ground to cover. Not only that, it was by far the closest to having a full-blown storyline of its own. Sadly, it also falls behind exactly for that. The rooms were the emptiest (mainly in Part 2); the battles, the most one-sided. Nevertheless, I still have to tip my hat to this project. As ambitious as it might have been, it was the little bits that set it apart from all others. The triggered tile transformations; an achievement system; a boss battle system; the countless NPC speeches; the Martlet guard at the door in Part 1; heck, even the Delta mines’ concept. It’s thanks to every last tiny detail hidden in this series that I’m convinced that this is not the end The End deserves.
Graphics: 11
The fated paragraph. Despite all aforementioned sparkles of awesomeness, I can tell there’s been lots of struggling with the deadline as it was. The prologue’s castle rooms seem to have been assembled fairly quickly - even though the first room was something else. The same goes for Part 2’s plains and the mine - nigh immeasurable, yet so akin to Terraria. All in all, it was still enough to deliver the story skillfully.
Other
[+0.5] The delta mine, although not exactly in shambles, was a really fresh concept. And yes, it was necessary to emphasize this.
[+0.25] Good work with picking the music!
[+0.25] Your NPC speeches were awesome.
[-0.125] Be mindful of your item drops. The game is already too generous as it is.
Final Score: 31,375/50
Carmine Temple
Gameplay: 22.5
Here’s a stage built to last. Carmine Temple had some awesome puzzles, well-made level design and the best difficulty setup out of all entries, with Purpura Hall as the jewel on the crown. The regular ending, albeit considerably easier, didn’t struggle with pacing either. Truth be told, I don’t recall seeing a puzzle require two different staves before. Pair that with all the side quests, lots of buttons and a good atmosphere setting and you’ve set up one hell of a level.
Graphics: 16.5
Both the desert and the temple looked really nice. Props for the little bits of unique decoration on them as well. Still, here’s a couple of tips for the future: please be really careful with both your darkness and world color effects; going overboard with these is definitely not good. And again, but not as important, watch out for solid and foreground tiles with too similar shades.
Other
[+1] Outstanding music selection. Spider Dance didn’t work out as well as a quieter track would for the Carmine Sanctuary, though.
[0] The final Large Square was beyond reach.
[-0.125] Once again, a turret was paired with untimely camera panning.
Final Score: 42,875/50
Gloam Gorge
Gameplay: 17
Oh boy, that was quite a trip while it lasted. Even with most of the stage being toward the easy side, the songs helped settle the atmosphere well. Except for that first Large Square, that is. Took me a while, but I got there. Despite the occasional unorthodox platform behavior, and the eight switch hunt that seemed to be a stretch at first, it all worked out well in the end. And I really hope that in the event that this level is pushed a little closer toward completion, that one chest gets an actual drop (as we’re likely to be already carrying random weapons by this point). Now, for the rest, I guess you already know the drill.
Graphics: 13.5
The entire first transition was spot on. Albeit peaceful, it was still lively. Strangely enough, while the switch hunt had more critters and hazards, it still seemed relatively barren. The dark room (slightly too much so, even) and the subsequent hero grinder zone threw the scenery back on track, until, well, the deadline happened.
Other
[+1] Fantastic song lineup.
[0] Falling through the horizontal splitter and into the water renders the rescue platform unusable.
Final Score: 34.5/50
Gameplay: 21.25
Ladies and gentlemen, he’s done it again. This entry is nothing short of being the lengthiest, as a single level, in the contest. There’s plenty of ground to cover, slashing foes and plundering their spoils on the way. Unfortunately, playing as the bane of all critters is not entirely a privilege. It’s a classic and steady adventure, and most of the journey runs smoothly. The final checkpoint stands out with ease, for its being intricate and tricky next to other rooms. For most parts, however, the innate sense of danger in Shroom’s creations is a characteristic that doesn’t stand out here as well as it should. It could be because we don’t risk having to reload the whole level over again with a single mistake, but this also warrants setting up a steeper difficulty curve safely. A ban on magic only accounts for the tip of the iceberg.
Graphics: 14.25
This temple’s intended atmosphere was nice as it is, but it leaned slightly too close to resembling a regular dungeon. The aesthetics certainly have no mistakes, but the scenery was a bit too tidy. Here’s where the traps and obstacles made the level shine.
Other
[+0.75] The original Last Legacy soundtrack is always welcome.
[+0.25] Good work with the enemy dialogue.
[0] At the room prior to the one where you get the key, a sign was placed within a turret’s range. It is possible to avoid damage, however.
[-0.125] At the final checkpoint, the purple wizard on the top can (and will) run away. He might lead you into the turrets’ range, where you are hopelessly slaughtered as Cinema Mode turns off and the camera is flung away, without any time to react for the incoming spells.
Final Score: 39,875/50
Forest Temple
Gameplay: 20
As much of a relatively short-lived experience as this level may seem to be, we shouldn’t take it lightly. Were all entries represented by books, this would be the pocket Bible that can only be read under a microscope. While it is common for a well-tailored LL level to feature triggers aplenty, Doram’s puzzle raised the bar on that matter. Right off the bat, the player is presented options on the game’s pacing with the ability to enable hints. This generosity in distinct approaches to the level’s gameplay, however, also implies more rough edges will have to be fine tuned along the way. However, small as the package might have been, this entry’s gameplay was not exempt from being affected by some minor issues. e.g. While all regular rooms and enemies but the gravity chamber are nearly harmless, both the Dark Beast and Big Big Mage are a bit too sturdy to fight with without the secret stash, which is not mentioned with subtle hints and outright handed away with strong hints. Even then, with everything in mind, Forest Temple was still an amazing stage.
Graphics - 16
Time constraints strike yet again. While the forest, the temple’s outside and the main hall were arguably on par with CH3 previews, most subsequent rooms, while flawless (or almost so), strayed dangerously close toward a dungeon-y atmosphere. Needless to say, the final room had really refreshing design. It wrapped up the stage nicely.
Other
[+0.25] Good plot narration.
[0] There’s no songs at all.
[0] This jump was a bit too harsh.
[-0.125] Did the turrets really have to be hidden inside the final arena, as in behind the pillars?
Final Score: 39,125/50
The End!
Gameplay: 16.5
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one. First off, The End was the contest’s only two-level entry, resulting in transitions of otherworldly size and a lot of ground to cover. Not only that, it was by far the closest to having a full-blown storyline of its own. Sadly, it also falls behind exactly for that. The rooms were the emptiest (mainly in Part 2); the battles, the most one-sided. Nevertheless, I still have to tip my hat to this project. As ambitious as it might have been, it was the little bits that set it apart from all others. The triggered tile transformations; an achievement system; a boss battle system; the countless NPC speeches; the Martlet guard at the door in Part 1; heck, even the Delta mines’ concept. It’s thanks to every last tiny detail hidden in this series that I’m convinced that this is not the end The End deserves.
Graphics: 11
The fated paragraph. Despite all aforementioned sparkles of awesomeness, I can tell there’s been lots of struggling with the deadline as it was. The prologue’s castle rooms seem to have been assembled fairly quickly - even though the first room was something else. The same goes for Part 2’s plains and the mine - nigh immeasurable, yet so akin to Terraria. All in all, it was still enough to deliver the story skillfully.
Other
[+0.5] The delta mine, although not exactly in shambles, was a really fresh concept. And yes, it was necessary to emphasize this.
[+0.25] Good work with picking the music!
[+0.25] Your NPC speeches were awesome.
[-0.125] Be mindful of your item drops. The game is already too generous as it is.
Final Score: 31,375/50
Carmine Temple
Gameplay: 22.5
Here’s a stage built to last. Carmine Temple had some awesome puzzles, well-made level design and the best difficulty setup out of all entries, with Purpura Hall as the jewel on the crown. The regular ending, albeit considerably easier, didn’t struggle with pacing either. Truth be told, I don’t recall seeing a puzzle require two different staves before. Pair that with all the side quests, lots of buttons and a good atmosphere setting and you’ve set up one hell of a level.
Graphics: 16.5
Both the desert and the temple looked really nice. Props for the little bits of unique decoration on them as well. Still, here’s a couple of tips for the future: please be really careful with both your darkness and world color effects; going overboard with these is definitely not good. And again, but not as important, watch out for solid and foreground tiles with too similar shades.
Other
[+1] Outstanding music selection. Spider Dance didn’t work out as well as a quieter track would for the Carmine Sanctuary, though.
[0] The final Large Square was beyond reach.
[-0.125] Once again, a turret was paired with untimely camera panning.
Final Score: 42,875/50
Gloam Gorge
Gameplay: 17
Oh boy, that was quite a trip while it lasted. Even with most of the stage being toward the easy side, the songs helped settle the atmosphere well. Except for that first Large Square, that is. Took me a while, but I got there. Despite the occasional unorthodox platform behavior, and the eight switch hunt that seemed to be a stretch at first, it all worked out well in the end. And I really hope that in the event that this level is pushed a little closer toward completion, that one chest gets an actual drop (as we’re likely to be already carrying random weapons by this point). Now, for the rest, I guess you already know the drill.
Graphics: 13.5
The entire first transition was spot on. Albeit peaceful, it was still lively. Strangely enough, while the switch hunt had more critters and hazards, it still seemed relatively barren. The dark room (slightly too much so, even) and the subsequent hero grinder zone threw the scenery back on track, until, well, the deadline happened.
Other
[+1] Fantastic song lineup.
[0] Falling through the horizontal splitter and into the water renders the rescue platform unusable.
Final Score: 34.5/50
Karyete's judging: show
CROSS THE OLD TEMPLE by Supershroom
GAMEPLAY: 16.5/25
The outside areas were probably my favourites, since they had some danger to them but were fleshed out and not too claustrophobic. I couldn't just rush through it, but at the same time I didn't come to a standstill over and over again.
That was probably my main concern with the level; there are simply way too many parts where there's almost no room for error. At the part where I had to get the key, I died more times than I care to admit before even reaching the moving platform section - either the moving spikes knocked me into the spike pit below, or the rapid-fire turrets did, consuming most (if not all) of my HP. I was stuck at this one puzzle for about 15 minutes because of all the high-damage obstacles that I could barely avoid. The actual puzzle was neat and clever, although I wish my progress was saved after I got the key, but I can look past that. There are a lot of other sections that were done well, but very frustrating parts can overshadow that.
I like the use of the LL thwomp - it wasn't overused to death, and they were positioned well so that I would have to focus on avoiding them, but I could also slide underneath if I was feeling risky. I also enjoyed the use of the Basic Halberd - even if the bonus room isn't possible complete, I like that you need to backtrack a little with the Halberd.
GRAPHICS: 15/20
Again, the outside areas stole the spotlight for me. Lots of nicely placed foliage, everything looked natural, and the buildings fit nicely and didn't stick out too much. There was nothing majorly wrong with the inside areas, but it felt a little bland, and some areas were a bit empty. The yellow rooms (like the key section I referenced earlier) had some awesome backgrounds though.
Cutscenes were straightforward and to the point, so not much to comment on there.
OTHER: 3.5/5
(+0.5) LL thwomps were a nice touch and the triggers to control them were great.
(+0.5) Halberd puzzle was cool.
(-0) Slight nitpick, but respawning in the last room plays the wrong music.
TOTAL: 35/50
FOREST TEMPLE by Doram
GAMEPLAY: 19/25
Right off the bat, I have to give you credit for the customisation at the start. Being able to turn off plot, and adjust the hints to your liking, is awesome.
The first puzzle is...odd. Even after beating it (using gentle hints, don't smite me) I'm still not sure exactly what I was meant to do. My educated guess was to go around and activate all the different triggers. I'm not complaining, it was just a tad vague.
The hints within the first puzzle for the second one were cool. They were snippets of information that I felt like I had to remember, and sure enough, the very next room required me to know that information.
The miniboss could have been more exciting, it wasn't anything more than 'wait for him to shoot or wait for him to get in melee range'. For a puzzle-based level I was kind of hoping for a puzzle to be incorporated within the boss battle. The gravity puzzle was probably my favourite - even if it wasn't extraordinarily difficult (speaking for myself, gravity puzzles vary from person-to-person) it was still fun to try and figure out. I don't really have much to say about the cave puzzle, it was slightly confusing but the hints seemed to guide me well enough.
The final boss was...well, a bit disappointing. Despite it being a bit more complex than the miniboss, it still didn't have a single puzzle element in it. The final wave consisted of me running around spamming my weaponry like a madman, while he kept teleporting a small distance away and barely attacking.
GRAPHICS: 15/20
The beginning path was gorgeous to look at, and while the cave section wasn't the most exciting in terms of gameplay, it also looked great. The temple areas could have been decorated a little more, they weren't very exciting to look at and were completely empty in many areas. The miniboss room was completely empty - there's absolutely nothing to look at in there.
Serious bonus points for the temple entrance - I stood there for a couple of seconds to take it all in.
OTHER: 3.25/5
(+0.5) Some very well-hidden secret items scattered throughout the level.
(+0.5) Good use of triggers for hints and plot toggling.
(-0.25) Lack of any music is a bit disappointing.
TOTAL: 38.25/50
THE END by Harmless
PART 1
GAMEPLAY: 15/25
Relatively simple gameplay here, although that isn't a bad thing. It kind of felt like a beat-em-up with me just ploughing through waves of enemies, which felt pretty good. Platforming-wise, it was solid but not very exciting.
However, with all the items at my disposal, combined with the frailty of most enemies, it felt pretty easy. There was very little risk - I ended up becoming strong enough to breeze through the rooms.
The story got me intrigued, even if there wasn't much to it. The beginning with my 'conscience' and the executioner was pretty neat, and the ending was also interesting. However, when I fell I grabbed onto the ledge and pulled myself up, which is what I thought I was meant to do. Once I killed all the enemies and nothing happened, I got a bit confused.
GRAPHICS: 13/20
While there was some colour variation in the background, the tiles didn't blend together very well and looked a bit out of place. The outside area looked nice and decorated, so no faults there. The rooms had some decor in them, but looked a little bit bare (particularly the walls).
OTHER: 3.25/5
(+0.5) Cutscenes and dialog were amusing and done well.
(+0.25) Hidden items and achievements are neat.
TOTAL: 31.25/50
THE END by Harmless
PART 2
GAMEPLAY: 9/25
It's a shame this part wasn't finished / glitched out, since the battle system was pretty cool. Unfortunately the game froze at the second cutscene, so I had to mess around with the triggers to even get past that point.
Once I actually got to the battle system I was impressed. Both options were viable, and the way the enemy attacked was neat. The in-battle dialogue was amusing as well. I had a blast while fighting - I just wish there was more!
The rest of the level was quite lackluster. The long, empty path at the start had nothing to offer, which is weird. It was clear the cave section wasn't finished - there were a couple of dead ends where I couldn't go back (including one where the platform to lift you back up had no collision) and to go all the way back. I thought those log entries were secrets - once I got near the end of the cave, only then was I told they were fundamental to continue, so I had to try and backtrack to find them - which wasn't possible, since there was no way back up.
GRAPHICS: 7.5/20
The majority of the cave was completely bare. The aesthetics that were there were OK, but it was totally bare for nearly all of it. The battle grids looked OK, but they could have looked better and less basic. The outside area looked decent, but other than the small broken-up bit, it was all very flat. Some background hills would've fit nicely there.
OTHER: 3/5
(+1) First battle grid functioned well and was cleverly done.
(-0.5) Cutscene freezing was annoying.
TOTAL: 19.5/50
GLOAM GORGE by Oranjui
GAMEPLAY: 12/25
The one thing that killed this level for me was the lack of respawn or halfway points. Going around and trying to find all the buttons (and narrowing down the ones I haven't pressed) takes a long time. I got 6 at one point and because I died my progress got reset back to 0, which is horribly frustrating. The concept of the puzzle was really cool, but having to navigate this twisting and turning landscape filled with enemies and spikes isn't a quick and easy task, and some sort of halfway point would really help. Since there was nothing much after that other than a short cave, this was the main piece of the level.
The structure of the level was great. It was hard to navigate quickly (rightfully so) and at no point did it look unnatural or weird. Spikes weren't overused to death (at least, not in the first puzzle) but still carefully positioned to be a difficult obstacle. Some direction on where to go would've been appreciated at times. Unfortunately, the level had nothing else to offer after this puzzle.
GRAPHICS: 12/20
The first area looks fantastic. My favourite bit is just before you reach the button puzzle, where roots and dirt are hanging above you. There are some creative uses of scenery, but other parts look very bland and empty. The castle structure with holes in it doesn't look very attractive either. The actual ground is creatively put together, particularly in the beginning section.
I think the area with the button puzzle could have done with some more background tiles, since it looks a little empty in a lot of places. The cave section after that was pretty well made, but the Gloam Thicket has very little to it.
OTHER: 3.25/5
(+0.5) Excellent alternative music choices.
(+0.25) Using the iron ball to crush enemies was surprisingly satisfying.
TOTAL: 27.25/50
GAMEPLAY: 16.5/25
The outside areas were probably my favourites, since they had some danger to them but were fleshed out and not too claustrophobic. I couldn't just rush through it, but at the same time I didn't come to a standstill over and over again.
That was probably my main concern with the level; there are simply way too many parts where there's almost no room for error. At the part where I had to get the key, I died more times than I care to admit before even reaching the moving platform section - either the moving spikes knocked me into the spike pit below, or the rapid-fire turrets did, consuming most (if not all) of my HP. I was stuck at this one puzzle for about 15 minutes because of all the high-damage obstacles that I could barely avoid. The actual puzzle was neat and clever, although I wish my progress was saved after I got the key, but I can look past that. There are a lot of other sections that were done well, but very frustrating parts can overshadow that.
I like the use of the LL thwomp - it wasn't overused to death, and they were positioned well so that I would have to focus on avoiding them, but I could also slide underneath if I was feeling risky. I also enjoyed the use of the Basic Halberd - even if the bonus room isn't possible complete, I like that you need to backtrack a little with the Halberd.
GRAPHICS: 15/20
Again, the outside areas stole the spotlight for me. Lots of nicely placed foliage, everything looked natural, and the buildings fit nicely and didn't stick out too much. There was nothing majorly wrong with the inside areas, but it felt a little bland, and some areas were a bit empty. The yellow rooms (like the key section I referenced earlier) had some awesome backgrounds though.
Cutscenes were straightforward and to the point, so not much to comment on there.
OTHER: 3.5/5
(+0.5) LL thwomps were a nice touch and the triggers to control them were great.
(+0.5) Halberd puzzle was cool.
(-0) Slight nitpick, but respawning in the last room plays the wrong music.
TOTAL: 35/50
FOREST TEMPLE by Doram
GAMEPLAY: 19/25
Right off the bat, I have to give you credit for the customisation at the start. Being able to turn off plot, and adjust the hints to your liking, is awesome.
The first puzzle is...odd. Even after beating it (using gentle hints, don't smite me) I'm still not sure exactly what I was meant to do. My educated guess was to go around and activate all the different triggers. I'm not complaining, it was just a tad vague.
The hints within the first puzzle for the second one were cool. They were snippets of information that I felt like I had to remember, and sure enough, the very next room required me to know that information.
The miniboss could have been more exciting, it wasn't anything more than 'wait for him to shoot or wait for him to get in melee range'. For a puzzle-based level I was kind of hoping for a puzzle to be incorporated within the boss battle. The gravity puzzle was probably my favourite - even if it wasn't extraordinarily difficult (speaking for myself, gravity puzzles vary from person-to-person) it was still fun to try and figure out. I don't really have much to say about the cave puzzle, it was slightly confusing but the hints seemed to guide me well enough.
The final boss was...well, a bit disappointing. Despite it being a bit more complex than the miniboss, it still didn't have a single puzzle element in it. The final wave consisted of me running around spamming my weaponry like a madman, while he kept teleporting a small distance away and barely attacking.
GRAPHICS: 15/20
The beginning path was gorgeous to look at, and while the cave section wasn't the most exciting in terms of gameplay, it also looked great. The temple areas could have been decorated a little more, they weren't very exciting to look at and were completely empty in many areas. The miniboss room was completely empty - there's absolutely nothing to look at in there.
Serious bonus points for the temple entrance - I stood there for a couple of seconds to take it all in.
OTHER: 3.25/5
(+0.5) Some very well-hidden secret items scattered throughout the level.
(+0.5) Good use of triggers for hints and plot toggling.
(-0.25) Lack of any music is a bit disappointing.
TOTAL: 38.25/50
THE END by Harmless
PART 1
GAMEPLAY: 15/25
Relatively simple gameplay here, although that isn't a bad thing. It kind of felt like a beat-em-up with me just ploughing through waves of enemies, which felt pretty good. Platforming-wise, it was solid but not very exciting.
However, with all the items at my disposal, combined with the frailty of most enemies, it felt pretty easy. There was very little risk - I ended up becoming strong enough to breeze through the rooms.
The story got me intrigued, even if there wasn't much to it. The beginning with my 'conscience' and the executioner was pretty neat, and the ending was also interesting. However, when I fell I grabbed onto the ledge and pulled myself up, which is what I thought I was meant to do. Once I killed all the enemies and nothing happened, I got a bit confused.
GRAPHICS: 13/20
While there was some colour variation in the background, the tiles didn't blend together very well and looked a bit out of place. The outside area looked nice and decorated, so no faults there. The rooms had some decor in them, but looked a little bit bare (particularly the walls).
OTHER: 3.25/5
(+0.5) Cutscenes and dialog were amusing and done well.
(+0.25) Hidden items and achievements are neat.
TOTAL: 31.25/50
THE END by Harmless
PART 2
GAMEPLAY: 9/25
It's a shame this part wasn't finished / glitched out, since the battle system was pretty cool. Unfortunately the game froze at the second cutscene, so I had to mess around with the triggers to even get past that point.
Once I actually got to the battle system I was impressed. Both options were viable, and the way the enemy attacked was neat. The in-battle dialogue was amusing as well. I had a blast while fighting - I just wish there was more!
The rest of the level was quite lackluster. The long, empty path at the start had nothing to offer, which is weird. It was clear the cave section wasn't finished - there were a couple of dead ends where I couldn't go back (including one where the platform to lift you back up had no collision) and to go all the way back. I thought those log entries were secrets - once I got near the end of the cave, only then was I told they were fundamental to continue, so I had to try and backtrack to find them - which wasn't possible, since there was no way back up.
GRAPHICS: 7.5/20
The majority of the cave was completely bare. The aesthetics that were there were OK, but it was totally bare for nearly all of it. The battle grids looked OK, but they could have looked better and less basic. The outside area looked decent, but other than the small broken-up bit, it was all very flat. Some background hills would've fit nicely there.
OTHER: 3/5
(+1) First battle grid functioned well and was cleverly done.
(-0.5) Cutscene freezing was annoying.
TOTAL: 19.5/50
GLOAM GORGE by Oranjui
GAMEPLAY: 12/25
The one thing that killed this level for me was the lack of respawn or halfway points. Going around and trying to find all the buttons (and narrowing down the ones I haven't pressed) takes a long time. I got 6 at one point and because I died my progress got reset back to 0, which is horribly frustrating. The concept of the puzzle was really cool, but having to navigate this twisting and turning landscape filled with enemies and spikes isn't a quick and easy task, and some sort of halfway point would really help. Since there was nothing much after that other than a short cave, this was the main piece of the level.
The structure of the level was great. It was hard to navigate quickly (rightfully so) and at no point did it look unnatural or weird. Spikes weren't overused to death (at least, not in the first puzzle) but still carefully positioned to be a difficult obstacle. Some direction on where to go would've been appreciated at times. Unfortunately, the level had nothing else to offer after this puzzle.
GRAPHICS: 12/20
The first area looks fantastic. My favourite bit is just before you reach the button puzzle, where roots and dirt are hanging above you. There are some creative uses of scenery, but other parts look very bland and empty. The castle structure with holes in it doesn't look very attractive either. The actual ground is creatively put together, particularly in the beginning section.
I think the area with the button puzzle could have done with some more background tiles, since it looks a little empty in a lot of places. The cave section after that was pretty well made, but the Gloam Thicket has very little to it.
OTHER: 3.25/5
(+0.5) Excellent alternative music choices.
(+0.25) Using the iron ball to crush enemies was surprisingly satisfying.
TOTAL: 27.25/50
Harmless' judgings: show
Supershroom: Cross the Old Temple
Gameplay
Now I'll be completely honest with you, I actually didn't get angry at any point during the level, except for one point. Yet even with that in mind, some parts of the level still felt decently frustrating, or I would at least be imagining for anyone else who is not a 'veteran' of LL. Let's take it step by step, since I have a decent amount of things to say for every transition (most of them anyway). I'll be referring from the beginning of the level all the way to the end via transitions in the level designer.
First Transition: Interesting opening sequence. I can say I liked it, and- Wait, that building roof could actually be stood on? I actually just noticed that as I was typing this out, the front tiles looked too much like back layer tiles. I don't think anyone would have bothered to look up there, to be completely honest. Granted, the only thing the player is missing out on is five squares and two enemies, but still. Even then, this point will be very important later in the judging.
Second Transition: Okay, interesting place for a respawn point. I guess if you were hit by spikes or that knight in the first transition I understand. But the second transition has a problem - the quadruple carousel spikes over the grey switch is basically impossible to pass without getting hit at least once coming back up (unless you're very good with your timing on the left ledge). Personally, I say there's too many spikes on it and the spikes reach too far out to be avoided. I also really don't like the idea of 'thwomps' in the level, they serve more as an annoying insta-kill and do nothing but irritate the player as opposed to provide an actual challenge. Also, is it just me or do those ground spikes blend in with the background/scenery too well? Could be just me, but either way, the major problems are the rotating spikes above the grey switch and the thwomps, which the latter will also be a very apparent issue later in the judging.
Third Transition, top half: The platforms above the lava in this room are kinda cheap, the player can't really react to them without getting hit by the lava first.
Third Transition, bottom half: Ah, the first room of the temple. It's surprisingly not too bad, though the 'gate' in this room is very hard to move through. I kinda wished that instead of having it bob up and down you just had it sit open. Often times I'd jump over the gate and try to roll/slide, and as it comes up I end up crouching instead and get crushed. While I'm sure I could've just short hopped and ran over it, having it bob up and down still feels unnecessary.
Fourth Transition, top half: Wait, this room existed?
Fourth Transition, bottom half: Oh, those electrical switches actually don't do anything. Those bothered me a lot for whatever reason since they just sat there with no purpose, but I'm sure it's not a big deal. This room was okayish, the dark mage did kill me a few times, but mostly because I was a bit hasty with that jump over the bottomless pit. The bottomless pit is a little annoying, granted.
Fifth Transition, top half: Oh, that's the room linking the bonus room. Though I just tested the jump up to the first platform, and it's actually impossible to make.
Fifth Transition, bottom half: That's an oddly shaped miniboss room. The miniboss itself was a little dragged out due to how much health it had (and the fact it floated up high, meaning you could only hit it with its own projectiles and maybe a few sword swings). Otherwise it wasn't the worst thing in the world.
Sixth Transition, top half: AAAHHH. I don't even want to talk about this room. Considering how much trial and error it actually took me just to get to the thunder mage at the end (and then get knocked off by the thunder mage's attack and have to restart that entire section and the section before it all over again)... yeah. I just don't even want to talk about it. The worst part is, the sign before this room made it seem like a timed challenge, when it was actually a "you have to be EXACTLY precise with your timings or else you dun goof" challenge. If you look at the second enemy you have to defeat until you can proceed and land on the platform as it catches up to you, you'll notice you have no safe ground after you defeat the enemy (with the exception of the required platform). That's a MAJOR problem. Sometimes the enemy would float behind a wall, making it impossible to land on the platform on time, or sometimes I'd kill it too early and I would miss the platform entirely (was especially frustrating the first time it happened to me since I could not have seen it coming). Probably the worst offense, aside from all of these ridiculously precise moments, is that there is no checkpoint right before the platform, meaning I have to play an entire section just as long (and obnoxious) as this one. Speaking of that one...
Sixth Transition, bottom half: Yikes, did I get salty here. Granted, I got salty for a very good reason - I died way too many times on both this part and the above transition, more than I really should have. This and the room above this one is brutal. Not challenging, not difficult, but straight up brutal. My first death was walking right into a bottomless pit because I thought the background was solid foreground. My second death was getting impaled by rotating spikes that would appear out of nowhere from the ground (until I finally realized they were rotating spikes partially hidden by the foreground tiles). My third death was getting sniped by that turret that happens to shoot at you even when you're reading the sign in the middle of the level. Yeah, that is not good turret placement. In case if you couldn't tell, my biggest qualm with this transition and the one above it is that it was not executed/playtested very well. There are way too many unforgiving moments to where I died over twenty times trying to reach the key. That is not an exaggeration. I actually counted. You can see why I would get at least salty over this part of the level.
Seventh Transition: Wow, you actually fooled me into thinking it was over by that point. You also nearly got me killed by having me almost walk into yet another bottomless pit when I saw the checkpoint ahead of me. Thank goodness I grabbed the ledge first, but seriously, don't scare me like that please. I expected more enemies in this transition, but overall it was pretty good. Suddenly, everything felt fair for a change.
Eighth Transition: Got thwomp'd, didn't enjoy it. Miniboss felt dragged out again. The carousel spikes were pretty annoying and were very hard to avoid. Thankfully I only died a few times here.
Ninth Transition, top half: The room was very interestingly layed out. Being completely honest with you here though, the thorn staff made the enemies too easy. The room was very well executed though - not because I didn't die, but because I could actually make reasonable jumps on the platforms (minus the two moving up and down through the ground spikes, those were a bit too strict on the timing), I could react to most of the spikes, the darkness provided a reasonable challenge to navigate the room, and the room in general wasn't too unforgiving with mistakes.
Ninth Transition, bottom half: The problem with this room was that some of the sand background tiles looked too much like foreground tiles... again. Fell right into a bottomless pit due to a graphical confusion. Needless to say I wasn't happy about it. The jump itself isn't hard, but the pit is pretty deceiving otherwise. The rest of the room was alright, the sand mushrooms were almost too well concealed though to the point where I actually died on them because they blended in so well with the background.
Tenth Transition, top half: meh
Tenth Transition, bottom half: thorn staff op pls nerf, basic halberd also made it rather easy to reflect the projectiles
Eleventh Transition: Oh, it's over. That was... actually a little abrupt to be completely honest. And a bit anticlimatic.
Overall: I'm not saying the entire level was bad. If anything you have some pretty strong combat and platforming elements in some parts, and they shined when appropriate (First and Ninth transition, top half especially). Creativity was also apparent, the very idea of looking for a key (which is not in LL's toolkit) was spot on. But when you make such a large level, it's crucial that you test every single nook and cranny, and make sure that some parts of the level don't feel too brutal (sixth transition is a prime example). Some of the recurring elements in general felt like filler space for 'difficulty' or longer play time (the thwomps and minibosses for example).
Be careful with your usage of carousel spikes in the level too. I would even say there were too many carousel spikes and you should've offered the player more health/cyan shields at an earlier time in the level. Some graphical details even hampered your gameplay due to concealing both safe ground and occasional enemies/spike locations. Overall: 13/25
Scenery
Those buildings on the outside of the temple looked really nice. Your usage of color boxes was also rather impressive, even going to the smallest detail with checkering entire walls with slight brightness changes. Vegetation was very apparent, and evenly spaced between front and back layers. The inside temples were also rather well decorated, and felt like ruins. Blocks placed as background supported this especially.
There were some things that just felt off though. The contrasting transitions six and the bottom half of Transition nine were very... abrupt and odd changes. I wasn't sure what suddenly made the change to sandy/pyramid temple like decorations when earlier you were demonstrating an old semi-worn down green temple (come to think of it, the temple itself actually doesn't look very 'old' if you count out the green color). Not to mention that during these sandy areas, the background tiles wouldn't connect with other background tiles and would show bits of the back layer past the back tiles (I'm sure this wasn't intentional, but a graphical error nonetheless).
With regards to graphical decoration, some of the stone pillars felt too warped in the sense that they weren't worn, but just really weirdly bent. Some of the items were also placed on the incorrect layer, some doors were placed on the front layer for example.
Otherwise, the level was quite appealing to the eye. Overall: 15/20
Other
+ Pretty good triggerwork overall. Most of it functioned correctly and the level operated smoothly. (+1)
+ Above average playtime. (+0.25)
+ Music selection is okay. I'll be honest, "Charge!" at the beginning of the level isn't very fitting, but meh, the rest of the songs worked. (+0)
- Some of the triggers with camera effects could've lasted longer, the cameras would reset too fast and I wouldn't get to see what the cameras panned to. (-0.25)
- Two Dark Beasts spawned on top of eachother in Transition nine, not sure if that was intentional. (-0.25)
- Lava color doesn't fit. The lava itself doesn't really fit, to be completely honest. Yes, it's better than a bottomless pit, but I still think spikes would've been way more fitting (as weird as it is for me to say that). (-0.25)
- Ninth transition had default lava color instead of that greenish lava. (-0.15)
- Halberd felt more like an optional route instead of the required route, confusing me in terms of level direction. (-0.35)
- This just bugged me as a very minor detail, but the music doesn't change when you decide to exit the temple (after entering it for the first time). (-0)
Overall: 3/5
Total: 31/50 (or a 12.4/20 if you want to think of it that way)
I don't think this level is necessarily bad, or that none of these ideas would theoretically work, I just think this level needs a lot more playtesting and balancing, especially if you plan for the player to go on a long time without a checkpoint.
Doram: Forest Temple
Gameplay
I might as well tell you now. This level made an incredible first impression on me, but felt a bit disappointing towards the end. Let's go through the level from start to finish.
At the beginning, I was incredibly impressed. You actually took the time to make an options menu of sorts, whether or not we wanted to turn off plot, or get hints to make the level easier. For the record, I tried completing this level without any hints at all, I only had the plot option on.
After walking a bit and entering the forest temple, I wasn't entirely sure what you meant at first with the opening text until I tried touching the walls of the rooms. I actually liked the mechanic, oddly enough. I also solved the puzzle in like... five minutes or something around that. Stop laughing at me. It was a really clever puzzle though, I'll give you that.
After doing the first puzzle, I thought the signs were just to get me off track until I noticed the levers. Still managed to remember what was on the signs. The second puzzle was pretty good.
The third puzzle was weird. I wasn't actually aware that I could use Delta until I held Shift down on complete accident. Would’ve helped to make the mechanics more clear. Either way, the puzzle was alright, the first thunder mage took a long time to defeat though.
The fourth puzzle (aka fight with the green dark beast) was really clever. I mean sure, you just used standard enemy mechanics but it was still an interesting fight. It took a little too long, granted, but was interesting.
The fifth puzzle(?) with the cave entrances was not too bad. It didn't take much time for me to finish at all.
The sixth puzzle was a very good concept, but I think a smaller room would've done the puzzle more justice. There were very few switches as well, getting to the end wasn't very difficult at all. (I took the green switch, went left and took the red switch at the top, went right and took the golden switch, jumped to the exit. Blue switch was completely unnecessary.) Not much brainpower was really needed for this puzzle, and I think you could've done more with it.
And then, the final boss. I spent like eleven tries trying to beat this guy. And the only reason I couldn't beat him was because he had so much freaking health. I don't think you realize it, but 200 HP for a given enemy is a LOT. It doesn't mean they have exactly 200 HP, if anything it means they have way more than 200 HP. All of my fights with that freaking guy dragged on for more than five minutes too.
After going into the level designer and reducing his HP to like 10 or something (just so I could see what happened afterwards), I beat him and was pretty disappointed. Just an end portal? No big plot point or cutscene where the hero actually finds something in the temple? Laaame. I could probably fit this on other, but the final boss just felt really underwhelming after beating it, hence making my point in gameplay. Also, I kinda expected a few more puzzle elements for the final boss (or even puzzles appearing during certain phases).
To conclude, the first few puzzles I really liked and I thought were very clever and well executed. But as the level went on, the puzzles became much more straightforward and the final boss was just poorly executed. Given more time to polish the level, I think this could've been very successful. As it stands right now, it feels unfinished for me.
Overall: 16.25/25
Scenery
Although some of the scenery would hide the wolf enemies at the beginning, it was still rather pretty to look at. The forest temple entrance was especially well decorated, I loved how it sort of curved and made an open hole for the temple itself. Going into the temple, though, the only noteworthy points of decoration is the cave puzzle, the puzzle before the final boss, and the final boss room. The cave was pretty well decorated, the fog effects in the fifth puzzle were very well done, and the final boss room had some pretty awesome looking pillars. Everything else just felt... bland. I expected more on the inside considering we have a ruins theme running and an old temple to work with. The colors were also very monochrome and didn't have much variety. Overall: 12/20
Misc.
+ No seriously, kudos on the option menu at the beginning. I probably would've never thought of that. (+1)
+ That explosion effect was sooo gooooooood ; u ; (+0.75)
+ There's actually a pretty fair amount of secrets in this level despite it being a little short (lengthwise) (+0.5)
- Most of the secrets are pretty obscure, to be fair. (-0.25)
- The options menu is a little bit glitchy, sometimes I would try to turn off gentle hints and the game would turn off plot instead. (-0.15)
- The final boss glitched somehow during one of my attempts, the mage teleported in during the second phase with the guards. (-0.25)
- Plot was kinda weak overall (hero didn't even find anything at the end, rip). (-0.25)
- Plot screen text would work better as dialogue boxes so players don't accidentally skip it. (-0.15)
- The spike ceiling in the second puzzle wouldn't activate if I were to die and redo the second puzzle. (-0)
Overall: 4.2/5
Total: 32.45/50 (12.98/20)
It needs a lot of polishing towards the end. Otherwise, I really love the concept and the work you've put in so far. Keep it up!
Karyete: Carmine Temple
Gameplay
Y'know, I want to make a joke that I ended up seeing red after I played this level, but being completely honest with you the level was genuinely difficult and fun to play. Now granted, there are some rooms and points of interest that I would like to go over because those particular areas did not feel very well executed.
First off - The red fire hazards themselves are pretty unnecessary. When you put a red object on top of a red wallpaper it's generally really hard to notice. In this level, the fire didn't just perfectly blend in with the level, it also took away two points of health per contact. That's basically saying that the player can't make even one mistake upon touching what would be a near invisible hazard. There's already enough going on in the level trying to deplete your health from bottomless pits to enemy knights and ghosts... yeah, I really don't like the red fire hazards.
The last room of the Carmine Temple itself (the one with the three golden grocks) was incredibly ambiguous and not very well executed. If you went up, you could actually teleport past the block by climbing up to the top ledge and sliding after squeezing under it. Due to the ridiculous darkness setting in the room, it was near impossible to proceed because I could not find the switch (the switch itself was also behind a pillar, which made it practically impossible to find).
Speaking of switches, the switches themselves also felt kinda camouflaged throughout the level (with the exception of the two in the room where you rotate the blue and yellow platforms). I think the problem is you colored everything too dark, and as a result it becomes hard to see them. Set their brightness higher so players can notice them easier.
But even then, the level was fun! Like I'm not going to lie, even if I died a lot on Purpura hall and HATED THAT INVISIBLE BLOCK ROOM'S GUTS ;-; I still quite enjoyed it. The level pace was solid and consistent, and the level itself would make a great speedrunning level (or if you feel like going on Easy mode you can do that too). The Squares also add another element of ever so slightly more precision that I enjoyed. Probably the best part about the level was that you recycled elements with a twist - If you were to reuse the golden grock targets you would put them in different locations, or add new weapons to complete the puzzle, or add new objects to make the player think more, or even then you'd just give us a completely different puzzle/mechanic. The level constantly felt fresh and clever to me, and that is something very hard to achieve in a speedrunning-like level where you want them to play it multiple times.
The item drops and secrets were also really well placed, you really made me look for them and they didn't feel obscure. If there was one thing I wished you added more it would be health drops, considering there's only like... two or three in the level. Definitely needs a couple more hearts here and there, otherwise the level feels a little too unforgiving on getting hit by obscure fire or running into a spike wall (no really, even some of the spike walls felt concealed which was kind of annoying).
The challenges themselves seem pretty reasonable.
As for Purpura hall... I died a lot, but nothing felt entirely cheap except for one thing, and that was the invisible blocks. Don't get me wrong, I love the concept and it was creative, but those blocks are not only too small but it feels like it's too easy to lose perception of where they are. Even if you made them one block wider I feel like it would've been a lot more fair and still decently difficult at the same time. The last block in that part especially got me too many times. But if you put that aside, everything in Purpura hall felt playtested - Challenging, yet not frustrating. And even though I died a lot I can safely say it was a fun experience.
You have something really good here in terms of gameplay. It needs a few fixes/changes, but otherwise I think you're definitely on the right track. Overall: 21.25/25
Scenery
That desert clearly had the word "Effort" spelt all over it. Even with a collapsing bridge and everything. Dang. There's not much else to say other than - Really freaking good job.
On the other hand, while the Carmine Temple itself is pretty well decorated, the monochrome colors and everything being red was kind of an eye sore. Purpura Hall somewhat less so, the additional blue colors worked better in its favor. There's not much else to say of note, because everything in the desert literally looks fantastic while the temple leaves more contrast to be desired in practically all areas (even with the blue and yellow platform room). Overall: 14/20.
Other
+ That Delta puzzle was really well thought out. Kudos. (+0.5)
+ Every single large square was well placed. The fact that there's a lot also means that the player is guaranteed to find a few and at the same time miss a few. I like it. (+0.25)
- The music is... eh. I'm not a big fan of Spider Dance for the temple specifically, something a little less grand than this Spider Dance version would've worked (something like Carmine's theme Bad Surface from UNIEL). Stronger Monsters I didn't listen to because that would literally be musical spoilers for my end (as I have not finished Undertale). Switching the music several times during the level also offsets the pace of the level, which is crucial for the level having that speedrun, constant pace feeling. I recommend just finding one track for all areas of the level except Purpura Hall (and then one more for Purpura Hall itself). (-0.5)
Overall: 3.25/5
Total: 38.5/50 (15.4/20)
Don't let that 15.4 deceive you. I think this level has great strengths, but also some poor fallacies that, if fixed, could easily make this my favorite level of all time.
OJ (Gloam Gorge)
Well... okay, I'm very sorry. I tried, I tried, and I just could not come up with a proper score for this level. Mostly because you were really freaking ambitious and ended up having to stop halfway through your level (which sucks). But! I will say, from what I have played, I can tell already you have something really good going. I encourage you to keep working on your level, so much in fact that I will give you my thoughts even if I can't give you a proper score.
The beginning is great, the dialogue is witty and it captured my interest rather well. The NPC at the beginning should have some sort of trigger skip so he doesn't say the same thing twice (because clicking on him again on accident would have the player try to skip all of his dialogue, which would take a couple more seconds). Another thing to mention is that at the beginning, the ceilings for the buildings would work better off as back tiles, since they're cluttered and hard to navigate.
After the opening transition, the water and the vertical transition don't go very well hand in hand. I think you shold remove the vertical transition (unless if there's some really specific reason for it to be there that I'm not aware of). The platforming in general is alright, I think this level does suffer from spike spam. You can avoid this by focusing on optimal spike placement instead of the number of spikes per transition. Also do keep in mind that spikes take away two health. The abundance of health pickups in the transition before the castle/temple/ruins/whatever that was (before Track 3: Premonitions) made up for that, though.
The music I commend you for, from what I've listened to it seems like you're designing off what you hear in the music (or I could be completely wrong, don't listen to me lol). Even if you weren't, it certainly feels that way. All of the places feel alive from what I have seen so far, even if some areas are underdeveloped in decoration or unfinished in graphics.
The building before Gloam Thicket had a nice concept but it was really hard to figure out what to do. But this probably resulted from being unfinished.
Some of the platforming throughout the level as a whole should probably be tested again, as I had to move my start position a few times because some jumps/passages felt impossible. But again, this probably resulted from the level being unfinished.
tl;dr I'm sorry I couldn't give you a proper review, although the primary reason was for the level being rather unfinished to the point where I just couldn't give a full judging. Even then, what you do have in the level is rather good so far. I look forward to seeing it finished.
Overall Rankings:
1st: Karyete (38.5/50 or 15.4/20)
2nd: Doram (32.45/50 or 12.98/20)
3rd: Supershroom (31/50 or 12.4/20)
???: Oranj (???)
Gameplay
Now I'll be completely honest with you, I actually didn't get angry at any point during the level, except for one point. Yet even with that in mind, some parts of the level still felt decently frustrating, or I would at least be imagining for anyone else who is not a 'veteran' of LL. Let's take it step by step, since I have a decent amount of things to say for every transition (most of them anyway). I'll be referring from the beginning of the level all the way to the end via transitions in the level designer.
First Transition: Interesting opening sequence. I can say I liked it, and- Wait, that building roof could actually be stood on? I actually just noticed that as I was typing this out, the front tiles looked too much like back layer tiles. I don't think anyone would have bothered to look up there, to be completely honest. Granted, the only thing the player is missing out on is five squares and two enemies, but still. Even then, this point will be very important later in the judging.
Second Transition: Okay, interesting place for a respawn point. I guess if you were hit by spikes or that knight in the first transition I understand. But the second transition has a problem - the quadruple carousel spikes over the grey switch is basically impossible to pass without getting hit at least once coming back up (unless you're very good with your timing on the left ledge). Personally, I say there's too many spikes on it and the spikes reach too far out to be avoided. I also really don't like the idea of 'thwomps' in the level, they serve more as an annoying insta-kill and do nothing but irritate the player as opposed to provide an actual challenge. Also, is it just me or do those ground spikes blend in with the background/scenery too well? Could be just me, but either way, the major problems are the rotating spikes above the grey switch and the thwomps, which the latter will also be a very apparent issue later in the judging.
Third Transition, top half: The platforms above the lava in this room are kinda cheap, the player can't really react to them without getting hit by the lava first.
Third Transition, bottom half: Ah, the first room of the temple. It's surprisingly not too bad, though the 'gate' in this room is very hard to move through. I kinda wished that instead of having it bob up and down you just had it sit open. Often times I'd jump over the gate and try to roll/slide, and as it comes up I end up crouching instead and get crushed. While I'm sure I could've just short hopped and ran over it, having it bob up and down still feels unnecessary.
Fourth Transition, top half: Wait, this room existed?
Fourth Transition, bottom half: Oh, those electrical switches actually don't do anything. Those bothered me a lot for whatever reason since they just sat there with no purpose, but I'm sure it's not a big deal. This room was okayish, the dark mage did kill me a few times, but mostly because I was a bit hasty with that jump over the bottomless pit. The bottomless pit is a little annoying, granted.
Fifth Transition, top half: Oh, that's the room linking the bonus room. Though I just tested the jump up to the first platform, and it's actually impossible to make.
Fifth Transition, bottom half: That's an oddly shaped miniboss room. The miniboss itself was a little dragged out due to how much health it had (and the fact it floated up high, meaning you could only hit it with its own projectiles and maybe a few sword swings). Otherwise it wasn't the worst thing in the world.
Sixth Transition, top half: AAAHHH. I don't even want to talk about this room. Considering how much trial and error it actually took me just to get to the thunder mage at the end (and then get knocked off by the thunder mage's attack and have to restart that entire section and the section before it all over again)... yeah. I just don't even want to talk about it. The worst part is, the sign before this room made it seem like a timed challenge, when it was actually a "you have to be EXACTLY precise with your timings or else you dun goof" challenge. If you look at the second enemy you have to defeat until you can proceed and land on the platform as it catches up to you, you'll notice you have no safe ground after you defeat the enemy (with the exception of the required platform). That's a MAJOR problem. Sometimes the enemy would float behind a wall, making it impossible to land on the platform on time, or sometimes I'd kill it too early and I would miss the platform entirely (was especially frustrating the first time it happened to me since I could not have seen it coming). Probably the worst offense, aside from all of these ridiculously precise moments, is that there is no checkpoint right before the platform, meaning I have to play an entire section just as long (and obnoxious) as this one. Speaking of that one...
Sixth Transition, bottom half: Yikes, did I get salty here. Granted, I got salty for a very good reason - I died way too many times on both this part and the above transition, more than I really should have. This and the room above this one is brutal. Not challenging, not difficult, but straight up brutal. My first death was walking right into a bottomless pit because I thought the background was solid foreground. My second death was getting impaled by rotating spikes that would appear out of nowhere from the ground (until I finally realized they were rotating spikes partially hidden by the foreground tiles). My third death was getting sniped by that turret that happens to shoot at you even when you're reading the sign in the middle of the level. Yeah, that is not good turret placement. In case if you couldn't tell, my biggest qualm with this transition and the one above it is that it was not executed/playtested very well. There are way too many unforgiving moments to where I died over twenty times trying to reach the key. That is not an exaggeration. I actually counted. You can see why I would get at least salty over this part of the level.
Seventh Transition: Wow, you actually fooled me into thinking it was over by that point. You also nearly got me killed by having me almost walk into yet another bottomless pit when I saw the checkpoint ahead of me. Thank goodness I grabbed the ledge first, but seriously, don't scare me like that please. I expected more enemies in this transition, but overall it was pretty good. Suddenly, everything felt fair for a change.
Eighth Transition: Got thwomp'd, didn't enjoy it. Miniboss felt dragged out again. The carousel spikes were pretty annoying and were very hard to avoid. Thankfully I only died a few times here.
Ninth Transition, top half: The room was very interestingly layed out. Being completely honest with you here though, the thorn staff made the enemies too easy. The room was very well executed though - not because I didn't die, but because I could actually make reasonable jumps on the platforms (minus the two moving up and down through the ground spikes, those were a bit too strict on the timing), I could react to most of the spikes, the darkness provided a reasonable challenge to navigate the room, and the room in general wasn't too unforgiving with mistakes.
Ninth Transition, bottom half: The problem with this room was that some of the sand background tiles looked too much like foreground tiles... again. Fell right into a bottomless pit due to a graphical confusion. Needless to say I wasn't happy about it. The jump itself isn't hard, but the pit is pretty deceiving otherwise. The rest of the room was alright, the sand mushrooms were almost too well concealed though to the point where I actually died on them because they blended in so well with the background.
Tenth Transition, top half: meh
Tenth Transition, bottom half: thorn staff op pls nerf, basic halberd also made it rather easy to reflect the projectiles
Eleventh Transition: Oh, it's over. That was... actually a little abrupt to be completely honest. And a bit anticlimatic.
Overall: I'm not saying the entire level was bad. If anything you have some pretty strong combat and platforming elements in some parts, and they shined when appropriate (First and Ninth transition, top half especially). Creativity was also apparent, the very idea of looking for a key (which is not in LL's toolkit) was spot on. But when you make such a large level, it's crucial that you test every single nook and cranny, and make sure that some parts of the level don't feel too brutal (sixth transition is a prime example). Some of the recurring elements in general felt like filler space for 'difficulty' or longer play time (the thwomps and minibosses for example).
Be careful with your usage of carousel spikes in the level too. I would even say there were too many carousel spikes and you should've offered the player more health/cyan shields at an earlier time in the level. Some graphical details even hampered your gameplay due to concealing both safe ground and occasional enemies/spike locations. Overall: 13/25
Scenery
Those buildings on the outside of the temple looked really nice. Your usage of color boxes was also rather impressive, even going to the smallest detail with checkering entire walls with slight brightness changes. Vegetation was very apparent, and evenly spaced between front and back layers. The inside temples were also rather well decorated, and felt like ruins. Blocks placed as background supported this especially.
There were some things that just felt off though. The contrasting transitions six and the bottom half of Transition nine were very... abrupt and odd changes. I wasn't sure what suddenly made the change to sandy/pyramid temple like decorations when earlier you were demonstrating an old semi-worn down green temple (come to think of it, the temple itself actually doesn't look very 'old' if you count out the green color). Not to mention that during these sandy areas, the background tiles wouldn't connect with other background tiles and would show bits of the back layer past the back tiles (I'm sure this wasn't intentional, but a graphical error nonetheless).
With regards to graphical decoration, some of the stone pillars felt too warped in the sense that they weren't worn, but just really weirdly bent. Some of the items were also placed on the incorrect layer, some doors were placed on the front layer for example.
Otherwise, the level was quite appealing to the eye. Overall: 15/20
Other
+ Pretty good triggerwork overall. Most of it functioned correctly and the level operated smoothly. (+1)
+ Above average playtime. (+0.25)
+ Music selection is okay. I'll be honest, "Charge!" at the beginning of the level isn't very fitting, but meh, the rest of the songs worked. (+0)
- Some of the triggers with camera effects could've lasted longer, the cameras would reset too fast and I wouldn't get to see what the cameras panned to. (-0.25)
- Two Dark Beasts spawned on top of eachother in Transition nine, not sure if that was intentional. (-0.25)
- Lava color doesn't fit. The lava itself doesn't really fit, to be completely honest. Yes, it's better than a bottomless pit, but I still think spikes would've been way more fitting (as weird as it is for me to say that). (-0.25)
- Ninth transition had default lava color instead of that greenish lava. (-0.15)
- Halberd felt more like an optional route instead of the required route, confusing me in terms of level direction. (-0.35)
- This just bugged me as a very minor detail, but the music doesn't change when you decide to exit the temple (after entering it for the first time). (-0)
Overall: 3/5
Total: 31/50 (or a 12.4/20 if you want to think of it that way)
I don't think this level is necessarily bad, or that none of these ideas would theoretically work, I just think this level needs a lot more playtesting and balancing, especially if you plan for the player to go on a long time without a checkpoint.
Doram: Forest Temple
Gameplay
I might as well tell you now. This level made an incredible first impression on me, but felt a bit disappointing towards the end. Let's go through the level from start to finish.
At the beginning, I was incredibly impressed. You actually took the time to make an options menu of sorts, whether or not we wanted to turn off plot, or get hints to make the level easier. For the record, I tried completing this level without any hints at all, I only had the plot option on.
After walking a bit and entering the forest temple, I wasn't entirely sure what you meant at first with the opening text until I tried touching the walls of the rooms. I actually liked the mechanic, oddly enough. I also solved the puzzle in like... five minutes or something around that. Stop laughing at me.
It was a really clever puzzle though, I'll give you that.After doing the first puzzle, I thought the signs were just to get me off track until I noticed the levers. Still managed to remember what was on the signs. The second puzzle was pretty good.
The third puzzle was weird. I wasn't actually aware that I could use Delta until I held Shift down on complete accident. Would’ve helped to make the mechanics more clear. Either way, the puzzle was alright, the first thunder mage took a long time to defeat though.
The fourth puzzle (aka fight with the green dark beast) was really clever. I mean sure, you just used standard enemy mechanics but it was still an interesting fight. It took a little too long, granted, but was interesting.
The fifth puzzle(?) with the cave entrances was not too bad. It didn't take much time for me to finish at all.
The sixth puzzle was a very good concept, but I think a smaller room would've done the puzzle more justice. There were very few switches as well, getting to the end wasn't very difficult at all. (I took the green switch, went left and took the red switch at the top, went right and took the golden switch, jumped to the exit. Blue switch was completely unnecessary.) Not much brainpower was really needed for this puzzle, and I think you could've done more with it.
And then, the final boss. I spent like eleven tries trying to beat this guy. And the only reason I couldn't beat him was because he had so much freaking health. I don't think you realize it, but 200 HP for a given enemy is a LOT. It doesn't mean they have exactly 200 HP, if anything it means they have way more than 200 HP. All of my fights with that freaking guy dragged on for more than five minutes too.
After going into the level designer and reducing his HP to like 10 or something (just so I could see what happened afterwards), I beat him and was pretty disappointed. Just an end portal? No big plot point or cutscene where the hero actually finds something in the temple? Laaame. I could probably fit this on other, but the final boss just felt really underwhelming after beating it, hence making my point in gameplay. Also, I kinda expected a few more puzzle elements for the final boss (or even puzzles appearing during certain phases).
To conclude, the first few puzzles I really liked and I thought were very clever and well executed. But as the level went on, the puzzles became much more straightforward and the final boss was just poorly executed. Given more time to polish the level, I think this could've been very successful. As it stands right now, it feels unfinished for me.
Overall: 16.25/25
Scenery
Although some of the scenery would hide the wolf enemies at the beginning, it was still rather pretty to look at. The forest temple entrance was especially well decorated, I loved how it sort of curved and made an open hole for the temple itself. Going into the temple, though, the only noteworthy points of decoration is the cave puzzle, the puzzle before the final boss, and the final boss room. The cave was pretty well decorated, the fog effects in the fifth puzzle were very well done, and the final boss room had some pretty awesome looking pillars. Everything else just felt... bland. I expected more on the inside considering we have a ruins theme running and an old temple to work with. The colors were also very monochrome and didn't have much variety. Overall: 12/20
Misc.
+ No seriously, kudos on the option menu at the beginning. I probably would've never thought of that. (+1)
+ That explosion effect was sooo gooooooood ; u ; (+0.75)
+ There's actually a pretty fair amount of secrets in this level despite it being a little short (lengthwise) (+0.5)
- Most of the secrets are pretty obscure, to be fair. (-0.25)
- The options menu is a little bit glitchy, sometimes I would try to turn off gentle hints and the game would turn off plot instead. (-0.15)
- The final boss glitched somehow during one of my attempts, the mage teleported in during the second phase with the guards. (-0.25)
- Plot was kinda weak overall (hero didn't even find anything at the end, rip). (-0.25)
- Plot screen text would work better as dialogue boxes so players don't accidentally skip it. (-0.15)
- The spike ceiling in the second puzzle wouldn't activate if I were to die and redo the second puzzle. (-0)
Overall: 4.2/5
Total: 32.45/50 (12.98/20)
It needs a lot of polishing towards the end. Otherwise, I really love the concept and the work you've put in so far. Keep it up!
Karyete: Carmine Temple
Gameplay
Y'know, I want to make a joke that I ended up seeing red after I played this level, but being completely honest with you the level was genuinely difficult and fun to play. Now granted, there are some rooms and points of interest that I would like to go over because those particular areas did not feel very well executed.
First off - The red fire hazards themselves are pretty unnecessary. When you put a red object on top of a red wallpaper it's generally really hard to notice. In this level, the fire didn't just perfectly blend in with the level, it also took away two points of health per contact. That's basically saying that the player can't make even one mistake upon touching what would be a near invisible hazard. There's already enough going on in the level trying to deplete your health from bottomless pits to enemy knights and ghosts... yeah, I really don't like the red fire hazards.
The last room of the Carmine Temple itself (the one with the three golden grocks) was incredibly ambiguous and not very well executed. If you went up, you could actually teleport past the block by climbing up to the top ledge and sliding after squeezing under it. Due to the ridiculous darkness setting in the room, it was near impossible to proceed because I could not find the switch (the switch itself was also behind a pillar, which made it practically impossible to find).
Speaking of switches, the switches themselves also felt kinda camouflaged throughout the level (with the exception of the two in the room where you rotate the blue and yellow platforms). I think the problem is you colored everything too dark, and as a result it becomes hard to see them. Set their brightness higher so players can notice them easier.
But even then, the level was fun! Like I'm not going to lie, even if I died a lot on Purpura hall and HATED THAT INVISIBLE BLOCK ROOM'S GUTS ;-; I still quite enjoyed it. The level pace was solid and consistent, and the level itself would make a great speedrunning level (or if you feel like going on Easy mode you can do that too). The Squares also add another element of ever so slightly more precision that I enjoyed. Probably the best part about the level was that you recycled elements with a twist - If you were to reuse the golden grock targets you would put them in different locations, or add new weapons to complete the puzzle, or add new objects to make the player think more, or even then you'd just give us a completely different puzzle/mechanic. The level constantly felt fresh and clever to me, and that is something very hard to achieve in a speedrunning-like level where you want them to play it multiple times.
The item drops and secrets were also really well placed, you really made me look for them and they didn't feel obscure. If there was one thing I wished you added more it would be health drops, considering there's only like... two or three in the level. Definitely needs a couple more hearts here and there, otherwise the level feels a little too unforgiving on getting hit by obscure fire or running into a spike wall (no really, even some of the spike walls felt concealed which was kind of annoying).
The challenges themselves seem pretty reasonable.
As for Purpura hall... I died a lot, but nothing felt entirely cheap except for one thing, and that was the invisible blocks. Don't get me wrong, I love the concept and it was creative, but those blocks are not only too small but it feels like it's too easy to lose perception of where they are. Even if you made them one block wider I feel like it would've been a lot more fair and still decently difficult at the same time. The last block in that part especially got me too many times. But if you put that aside, everything in Purpura hall felt playtested - Challenging, yet not frustrating. And even though I died a lot I can safely say it was a fun experience.
You have something really good here in terms of gameplay. It needs a few fixes/changes, but otherwise I think you're definitely on the right track. Overall: 21.25/25
Scenery
That desert clearly had the word "Effort" spelt all over it. Even with a collapsing bridge and everything. Dang. There's not much else to say other than - Really freaking good job.
On the other hand, while the Carmine Temple itself is pretty well decorated, the monochrome colors and everything being red was kind of an eye sore. Purpura Hall somewhat less so, the additional blue colors worked better in its favor. There's not much else to say of note, because everything in the desert literally looks fantastic while the temple leaves more contrast to be desired in practically all areas (even with the blue and yellow platform room). Overall: 14/20.
Other
+ That Delta puzzle was really well thought out. Kudos. (+0.5)
+ Every single large square was well placed. The fact that there's a lot also means that the player is guaranteed to find a few and at the same time miss a few. I like it. (+0.25)
- The music is... eh. I'm not a big fan of Spider Dance for the temple specifically, something a little less grand than this Spider Dance version would've worked (something like Carmine's theme Bad Surface from UNIEL). Stronger Monsters I didn't listen to because that would literally be musical spoilers for my end (as I have not finished Undertale). Switching the music several times during the level also offsets the pace of the level, which is crucial for the level having that speedrun, constant pace feeling. I recommend just finding one track for all areas of the level except Purpura Hall (and then one more for Purpura Hall itself). (-0.5)
Overall: 3.25/5
Total: 38.5/50 (15.4/20)
Don't let that 15.4 deceive you. I think this level has great strengths, but also some poor fallacies that, if fixed, could easily make this my favorite level of all time.
OJ (Gloam Gorge)
Well... okay, I'm very sorry. I tried, I tried, and I just could not come up with a proper score for this level. Mostly because you were really freaking ambitious and ended up having to stop halfway through your level (which sucks). But! I will say, from what I have played, I can tell already you have something really good going. I encourage you to keep working on your level, so much in fact that I will give you my thoughts even if I can't give you a proper score.
The beginning is great, the dialogue is witty and it captured my interest rather well. The NPC at the beginning should have some sort of trigger skip so he doesn't say the same thing twice (because clicking on him again on accident would have the player try to skip all of his dialogue, which would take a couple more seconds). Another thing to mention is that at the beginning, the ceilings for the buildings would work better off as back tiles, since they're cluttered and hard to navigate.
After the opening transition, the water and the vertical transition don't go very well hand in hand. I think you shold remove the vertical transition (unless if there's some really specific reason for it to be there that I'm not aware of). The platforming in general is alright, I think this level does suffer from spike spam. You can avoid this by focusing on optimal spike placement instead of the number of spikes per transition. Also do keep in mind that spikes take away two health. The abundance of health pickups in the transition before the castle/temple/ruins/whatever that was (before Track 3: Premonitions) made up for that, though.
The music I commend you for, from what I've listened to it seems like you're designing off what you hear in the music (or I could be completely wrong, don't listen to me lol). Even if you weren't, it certainly feels that way. All of the places feel alive from what I have seen so far, even if some areas are underdeveloped in decoration or unfinished in graphics.
The building before Gloam Thicket had a nice concept but it was really hard to figure out what to do. But this probably resulted from being unfinished.
Some of the platforming throughout the level as a whole should probably be tested again, as I had to move my start position a few times because some jumps/passages felt impossible. But again, this probably resulted from the level being unfinished.
tl;dr I'm sorry I couldn't give you a proper review, although the primary reason was for the level being rather unfinished to the point where I just couldn't give a full judging. Even then, what you do have in the level is rather good so far. I look forward to seeing it finished.
Overall Rankings:
1st: Karyete (38.5/50 or 15.4/20)
2nd: Doram (32.45/50 or 12.98/20)
3rd: Supershroom (31/50 or 12.4/20)
???: Oranj (???)
FrozenFire's judgings: show
Supershroom - Platforming Adventure: Cross the old Temple
Gameplay: 16/25
Good pilot level. It was pleasing to see smooth concepts being executed there; it was interesting. Though the usual Shroom and the frustration that comes with it is still to be seen. You used a good amount of checkpoints in beginning areas but I really missed them in the harder ones. Plus, it still feels like the layout isn’t obvious enough, despite the amount of arrows and instruction signs. There’s just too much stuff mashed there, and it’s something that’s easy to get carried away with in LL. The oh-so-called “thwomps” were a considerable touch, but I expected them to be explored better. They’re just there.
Scenery: 13/20
I saw contrasts everywhere, good and bad. Sometimes you do a solid job on the looks and it turns out to work- other times you simply pull off something that doesn’t fit well and ends up ruining the entire mood, like the random buildings that appeared out of nowhere in outer areas, and clashed with the entire natural environment. It was hard to figure out what was solid and what wasn’t, if it actually matters or if it’s just a random piece of detail. Good attention to details, regardless. Though I suppose the only thing that really caught my attention there was the work in the third transition, otherwise not memorising.
Miscellaneous: 2.25/5
-0.5: That last section was actually pretty confusing. I had literally no idea of where to go.
-0.25: The, uh, “thwomps” look a little bit clunky. I’m sure you could make them work out better.
TOTAL: 32.25/50
Karyete - Carmine Temple
Gameplay: 22/25
It’s really hard to get bored by this level. There’s such a big variety of elements and concepts there, it’s interesting and fun. Really liked the puzzles in particular (going to reserve a bonus just for that in the Miscellaneous section), and the little secrets you added were also a nice touch. There was consistence, and I enjoyed it a lot.
I just wish it could be more immersive though. The atmosphere just had so much potential, I wanted you to develop it more. But that’s really just a tiny detail.
Scenery: 18/20
Dude, that was some top-notch sh*t. The entire scenery of all areas were crafted masterfully, and everything fits just right. Just didn’t give you a full 20 because I’m a bad person AND because the greenish tiles in the desert areas weren’t exactly the cherry of the pie.
Miscellaneous: 4/5
+0.75: A round of applause for few of the most innovating and clever puzzles I’ve ever seen.
+0.5: I didn’t realize I was actually a masochist until I found Purpura Hall. It spanked me hard, but the Set Post Filter and the setup for the entire area felt WAY TOO good.
-0.0: In the section with the moving spikey pillar, it is possible to make the jump to the other side without having to press the switch/killing the grock.
-0.25: Okay, not gonna lie: I’m actually really disappointed with your alt. music choices for the desert and the temple. They had a completely different feeling from what I was experiencing. Purpura Hall is alright, though.
TOTAL: 44/50
Harmless - The End
Gameplay: 10/25
I saw a lot of gameplay flaws there. First of all, the player gets a little overpowered with that Amethyst Blade and the extra items. The first level isn’t a challenge at all. Secondly, the cave part is boring. There’s just no point other than jumping and walking, sometimes killing an enemy or two.
Also, the story does feel incomplete. The concept initally looked interesting; but whether it may be by the fact that the series itself is incomplete or not, it just didn’t catch on some essential parts and I ended being confused. I couldn’t have any experience or presence any atmosphere there. It’s bland.
I’m definitely interested in those strange buildings you did out of the main level, though. Looking forward to see you finish this level sometime.
Scenery: 9/20
There was a lot of space for improvement there. The areas felt pretty dull generally. The forest area was just a straight up grassy environment with trees and rocks. The building areas looked a bit awkward, and the mines were just “meh”. I even admit it felt a little bit lazy. It lacked creativity and effort, and I’m sure you can do better than that.
Miscellaneous: 3/5
+0.5: Nice writing.
-0.5: The game crashes two times in the second level, one when the dialogue with the guard in the mine entrance, and other with the dialogue after you complete the bookcase puzzle.
TOTAL: 22/50
Gameplay: 16/25
Good pilot level. It was pleasing to see smooth concepts being executed there; it was interesting. Though the usual Shroom and the frustration that comes with it is still to be seen. You used a good amount of checkpoints in beginning areas but I really missed them in the harder ones. Plus, it still feels like the layout isn’t obvious enough, despite the amount of arrows and instruction signs. There’s just too much stuff mashed there, and it’s something that’s easy to get carried away with in LL. The oh-so-called “thwomps” were a considerable touch, but I expected them to be explored better. They’re just there.
Scenery: 13/20
I saw contrasts everywhere, good and bad. Sometimes you do a solid job on the looks and it turns out to work- other times you simply pull off something that doesn’t fit well and ends up ruining the entire mood, like the random buildings that appeared out of nowhere in outer areas, and clashed with the entire natural environment. It was hard to figure out what was solid and what wasn’t, if it actually matters or if it’s just a random piece of detail. Good attention to details, regardless. Though I suppose the only thing that really caught my attention there was the work in the third transition, otherwise not memorising.
Miscellaneous: 2.25/5
-0.5: That last section was actually pretty confusing. I had literally no idea of where to go.
-0.25: The, uh, “thwomps” look a little bit clunky. I’m sure you could make them work out better.
TOTAL: 32.25/50
Karyete - Carmine Temple
Gameplay: 22/25
It’s really hard to get bored by this level. There’s such a big variety of elements and concepts there, it’s interesting and fun. Really liked the puzzles in particular (going to reserve a bonus just for that in the Miscellaneous section), and the little secrets you added were also a nice touch. There was consistence, and I enjoyed it a lot.
I just wish it could be more immersive though. The atmosphere just had so much potential, I wanted you to develop it more. But that’s really just a tiny detail.
Scenery: 18/20
Dude, that was some top-notch sh*t. The entire scenery of all areas were crafted masterfully, and everything fits just right. Just didn’t give you a full 20 because I’m a bad person AND because the greenish tiles in the desert areas weren’t exactly the cherry of the pie.
Miscellaneous: 4/5
+0.75: A round of applause for few of the most innovating and clever puzzles I’ve ever seen.
+0.5: I didn’t realize I was actually a masochist until I found Purpura Hall. It spanked me hard, but the Set Post Filter and the setup for the entire area felt WAY TOO good.
-0.0: In the section with the moving spikey pillar, it is possible to make the jump to the other side without having to press the switch/killing the grock.
-0.25: Okay, not gonna lie: I’m actually really disappointed with your alt. music choices for the desert and the temple. They had a completely different feeling from what I was experiencing. Purpura Hall is alright, though.
TOTAL: 44/50
Harmless - The End
Gameplay: 10/25
I saw a lot of gameplay flaws there. First of all, the player gets a little overpowered with that Amethyst Blade and the extra items. The first level isn’t a challenge at all. Secondly, the cave part is boring. There’s just no point other than jumping and walking, sometimes killing an enemy or two.
Also, the story does feel incomplete. The concept initally looked interesting; but whether it may be by the fact that the series itself is incomplete or not, it just didn’t catch on some essential parts and I ended being confused. I couldn’t have any experience or presence any atmosphere there. It’s bland.
I’m definitely interested in those strange buildings you did out of the main level, though. Looking forward to see you finish this level sometime.
Scenery: 9/20
There was a lot of space for improvement there. The areas felt pretty dull generally. The forest area was just a straight up grassy environment with trees and rocks. The building areas looked a bit awkward, and the mines were just “meh”. I even admit it felt a little bit lazy. It lacked creativity and effort, and I’m sure you can do better than that.
Miscellaneous: 3/5
+0.5: Nice writing.
-0.5: The game crashes two times in the second level, one when the dialogue with the guard in the mine entrance, and other with the dialogue after you complete the bookcase puzzle.
TOTAL: 22/50
Last edited by Supershroom on March 4th, 2016, 12:12 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Thank you, FF.
Nan's sig! From the previous Secret Santa event!: show
Rating standards: show
1 star: (0 - 5.75 in LDC) These levels need a lot of work. They're totally un-elaborated, and/or inherently flawed due to things like cutoff or enemy spam, or they're untested and there are too many bugs gameplay-wise, in short: Many many things went wrong in such a level.
2 stars: (6 - 9.75) These levels are not terrible, but poor. They're too short, lack scenery or they have errors and/or bugs but it's still barely enjoyable. Again, spend more effort and try to do better. (if it's your first level that I rate two stars, it's not bad. There's a long way you can still go)
3 stars: (10 - 12.75) These levels are about mediocre. They may be still a little bit short, the gameplay is fine but not very original and graphics are also solid, but not breath-taking. Try to keep improving!
4 stars: (13 - 15) These levels are nice, but not the best. Effort has been put into them, there can some professionality be seen in gameplay and graphics, they're a nice experience to play, but there are still things you can do to make it even better. Try to go the extra mile!
5 stars: (15.25 - 20) These are really great levels, those which, as said, I would give more than 15 in an LDC. These suffice many high requirements, and it already goes into subtleties if you want to make them better. These levels are successful all around. Bravo.
These are just general principles I try to follow when rating. Sometimes I don't leave a further comment when rating, most times I do, if you have questions about it, feel free to ask further.
2 stars: (6 - 9.75) These levels are not terrible, but poor. They're too short, lack scenery or they have errors and/or bugs but it's still barely enjoyable. Again, spend more effort and try to do better. (if it's your first level that I rate two stars, it's not bad. There's a long way you can still go)
3 stars: (10 - 12.75) These levels are about mediocre. They may be still a little bit short, the gameplay is fine but not very original and graphics are also solid, but not breath-taking. Try to keep improving!
4 stars: (13 - 15) These levels are nice, but not the best. Effort has been put into them, there can some professionality be seen in gameplay and graphics, they're a nice experience to play, but there are still things you can do to make it even better. Try to go the extra mile!
5 stars: (15.25 - 20) These are really great levels, those which, as said, I would give more than 15 in an LDC. These suffice many high requirements, and it already goes into subtleties if you want to make them better. These levels are successful all around. Bravo.
These are just general principles I try to follow when rating. Sometimes I don't leave a further comment when rating, most times I do, if you have questions about it, feel free to ask further.
Look at this!: show
My total SM63 level experience: 2803 levels.
Total coins collected in these: 306800
The WITBLO11 Tribute
A showcase of the 25 best levels of 2011, including such fantastic levels as Niveau Victorieux Galaxy, Plastic Beach, Dimension Infinity, Realm of the Heavens/Parallel Spires, and more!
My Level Collection: http://runouw.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=47186
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Total coins collected in these: 306800
A showcase of the 25 best levels of 2011, including such fantastic levels as Niveau Victorieux Galaxy, Plastic Beach, Dimension Infinity, Realm of the Heavens/Parallel Spires, and more!
My Level Collection: http://runouw.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=47186
Other Important Links:
Last Legacy Level Designer tutorial
Eternal SM63 Medal Table
Eternal SM63 Score Table (all LDC scores available)
Top 10 Lists for LDC's (highest averages in a single judging criterion)
Runouw Votes Eternal Table
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Supershroom - Our local SM63 Spielberg
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Re: 4th Last Legacy LDC
by Harmless » March 3rd, 2016, 4:20 pm
Karyete wrote:Also Harmless, Stronger Monsters isn't a spoiler, just sayin'
actually it kind of is since I haven't gotten to that point in the game where I hear it yet
~ Tesla Bromonovich
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Harmless - Is it lunch time yet?
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