"Small World" Level Entries discussion

Post, download, and discuss custom levels for Return To Wonderland.
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Midnight Synergy
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Post by Midnight Synergy » Sat Feb 07, 2004 5:56 am

Well I've finally completed them all (one of them required me to get a hint from the author to get all the bonus coins, and in one I was so stumped that I looked at the level editor... let me just say it was another of those "press return" levels.... :) .... can't believe I fell for that when I myself used that trick in the "What's in That Hedge?" level :D ).

These levels are a great mix of crazy/wild/imaginative/puzzling/mindbending! Picking winners will be insanely difficult, and I will have try to come up with a rational way of judging their various merits. I'll try to write a comment or two on each level, but obviously not until after the winners are announced. Until then, my mouth is sealed! ;)
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bpurcell
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Post by bpurcell » Sat Feb 07, 2004 6:31 am

Just wanted to add the kudoo's to all the great levels. I've only completed a couple of them so far. Lightning just scares me!

If you notice one level is JUST a bit easier than the rest. That was made by my son Andrew (5 years old). When there were only ten submissions, I felt "what the heck!" I hope you enjoyed ONE easy one in the lot.
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Post by malcdelsol » Sat Feb 07, 2004 12:46 pm

Hi Wonderlanders,

Firstly, how surprised I am by the amount of 'posts' already on this topic . It has just taken me 15 mins to read them all. !!

Secondly, having now completed all of the 'Smallworld Competition' levels, whist I think, getting all of the Bonuses (you do like to hide things) I would also like to add my sincere congratulations to everyone who developed a level.

I have been amazed at the creativeness (or in some cases should I say 'wickedness') of your imaginations.

A great set of levels, I enjoyed them all immensly including the 'easy' one - you have a very talented 5 year-old 'bpurcell'.

Of course I found some of the levels more difficult than others, although not necessarily the same ones as earlier posts have mentioned, whist other levels were so much fun to work out the logic.

As for my favourite 3, well I think I'll leave that difficult task to the Admin people as I am sure we will all probably differ depending upon our individual abilities.

This has been a great competition - many thanks to Midnight Synergy.


Malcdelsol.
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jperleevt
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Post by jperleevt » Sat Feb 07, 2004 1:16 pm

HINT!!!!! On Lighting!!!!!



OK so this one is all about timing.
Start out running to the right way before you see anything on the screen.
Once the 3 boulders pass below you (takes 3 passes through the blue teleporters) Run down and wait on the boulder.
Switch to Loof. OK here comes the timing...

Right when you see the boulder coming from the left (on my screen I don't see it until the square after the converor belt): I have to use two hands for this.....
Press left arrow ; Enter ; Up Arrow ; RUN like heck Right
Run through the blue telporters at least once so the other boulder makes it to the water than run down.

I hope that part makes sense, I'm not sure if everyone sees the same amouny of screen that I do so I tried my best to explain where everything was.

If you need hints for the rest let me know not sure where people are getting stuck.

Jen
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Post by DiscGolfer » Sat Feb 07, 2004 1:44 pm

Congratulations Jen! (and to the many others that have put Lightning "in the bottle"):D

That's a little different from how I do it, but that's what makes Wonderland such a great game.

I haven't stopped to count, but I believe the level can be solved with less than 25 keystrokes. :)

Is it just me, or do you also think that ......... oh, nevermind :wink:
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jperleevt
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Post by jperleevt » Sat Feb 07, 2004 2:01 pm

Yippeeee I had a break through on Cursoe, haven't finished it yet but at least I can get started.
Was wondering is anyone did this:
Push a wooden block into the water right below the lower tree. Does anything happen to you? I won't tell you what....

Jen
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Robbie
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Post by Robbie » Sat Feb 07, 2004 3:02 pm

Ooooh! Interesting Jen :shock: you might be surprised how easy it actually is to complete (see below).

Anyway, as promised I've got some thoughts on all the levels - took long enough - I'm just so thankful we didn't get the 40-60 I was expecting!

I can only add to the sentiments already expressed that these are all fantastic levels. I've had a lot of fun playing (and in some cases even finishing) these levels!

I wouldn't want to be in Pat's shoes when it comes time for judging!

Anyway, here's my thoughts on them all - in file name order...

ADVENTURE25: Adventure Land 2.5 Interlude
… Well… I liked it! What else can I say without being edited & called biased? :D

ASMALLADVEN: A Small Adventure
Completed: I’d have to put this in the same box as ‘JUSTALITTLE: More than meets the eye’ in terms of it’s puzzle factor but takes it a bit further as far as the number of things to do goes. I probably got my biggest satisfaction completing this level. Not too hard but it certainly made me think. Good use of elements with I recall only the boulder 2 squares north of the lower blue teleporter not used (?I think – maybe I missed something) Great use of the teleporters/ice to water & then the added element of having to blow up a couple of boxes. Great level.

CASTAWAY: Stinky Crusoe
Completed (sort of) but not solved: This seems to have proved very popular and for good reason. The island theme was great & accentuated by style & irregular shape. Nice touch starting off in the water & then hitting us with the storyline! The whole thing has a Treasure Island feel. I think most of us were wishing we were on one of those tropical islands. Reminds me of that old ‘Blue Lagoon’ movie… :oops: I haven’t quite cracked it yet but there is an effective short-cut to completion taking less than a minute & picking up only one coin by simply feeding both lower wooden boxes into the red teleporter & hey presto! Not the solution I was hoping to find but does the job till I have some time. Top job!

COINS3: Just 3 Coins
Sooo close… One of 2 levels (along with You Asked For It) that I’m near to cracking. A great puzzler up there with A Small Adventure & More than Meets the Eye. I’m quite fond of this music track for the tight puzzle type levels. As far as level creation techniques go it’s always good to see that tight integration of elements & movement requirements & this level has it down. I’m sure it’s going to give me much satisfaction when I complete it. Highly commendable effort – would definitely like to see more of this!

COINSEARCHERS: Alphabet
Completed: By far the simplest of the levels but by no means disappointing! When you’re faced with levels like Stinky Crusoe, Diversionary, Lightning & Surprise, it’s a breath of fresh air to come back to something like this, complete it, sit back & sigh, and say ‘now that feels much better’. Did anyone else get stuck behind the pink barrier? I did… once. Visually nice, not too messy as false walls can get. Good job!

DIVERSIONARY: Diversionary Tactics
… This has me stumped. Another unforgiving level. Obviously well thought out. Brilliantly crafted in terms of layout & effect with the music, background & style choice & of course the sound effects of the UFO right from the opening credits really set the tones of something out of this world and sets it apart from the other levels in feel. Sinister & intergalactic are 2 words that come to mind – I’m sure the creator of this level is really nice & down to earth… right? UFO’s always up the ante when positioned right as DG would know & this level is no different. It’s going to take some time to work this one out but that only makes it all the more satisfying when I do. Well done!

IT’S A CONTEST: You asked for itJust finished at time of reporting! This level just has fun written all over it. Of course it depends on the mood you’re after but Garden is my fav theme in combo with the clouds background. It just allows for a clean clear level – very soothing after a long day in the office. Varied puzzle elements of a more open nature that the others I’ve mentioned. Great use of elements & nice touch regarding getting access to the top left coin & the added danger of the off & on gates. The top mirror was only useful for decoration but hey, you only have to look at my levels to see plenty of that. I did get shishkebobed a couple of times… One extra good thing I picked up from this level, not intended by the author I’m sure, was the use coins above the blue buttons & having the electric field sound effects – definitely has possibilities for a space (Star Trek) themed level just like the effects from Diversionary. Not relevant to this review but interesting. Anyway, this was a great level!

JAILBREAK:
Completed: This a time when a good sound system comes into its own – full credit to the sound engineers who came up with the effects for coily demolition. It’s quite chaotic out there (I never did get to see that gate in operation – the one with the button out in the open common). I didn’t see the need for the 3 boxes when I first completed the level – at that stage I put Stinky on the yellow button in person while I frantically got Loof out of jail… it just hit me – why not use the boxes? Good thinking 99. I also previously completed without finding the 12th coin. I just did… and that’ll teach me to get complacent about a seemingly ‘simple level’. BIG coily fun points. Loved it!

JUSTALITTLE: More than meets the eye
Completed: Puzzle factor was good on this level as was the clean design – puzzles like this can often bear the resemblance of my daughters room after an afternoon playing with her toys (or my office desk… all the time :oops: ). Not impossible. Certainly challenging – esp. getting the boulder to the blue gate button (finding the hidden passage made all the difference) & then the boulder to the pink button. The rest was a formality. Just one of those satisfying levels – which adds up to fun for me. Top notch.

LAUGHTER: It’s a World of Laughter
Completed: A nice refreshing little level that was fun. Tree placement is always something I watch out for but no problems here as they didn’t hide much & the chompers were only too eager to get themselves blown up on the fast moving electric thingy (you know what I mean!) Puzzles were not too tight (note: this is a good thing, not bad) – not much for the second character to do apart from rushing to the exit. The timing just right – no time for dilly-dallying! That in itself topped off the level – that and the ice & teleporters & false walls. Great job

LIGHTNING: Lightning Strikes
Solved: A wicked level DG. Toasted my thongs! I spent way too much time on this level. I eventually worked out the first half of the level. When you know what to do, laying the boulders & crossing the water isn’t all that hard. Getting down to the next breathing post is not funny at all… absolute timing is essential – this is as tight as it gets! I did actually manage to get through once or twice. And as for getting both characters through in the one sitting… well… One point I won’t forget is to not take note of the last sign & hurry to the exit. I didn’t realise that even though you’ve disappeared into an exit, a UFO will still register you as being on that spot. Didn’t finish it for lack of time but a great level nonetheless.

SIMPLEPLAN: A Simple PlanCompleted: Wasn’t an overly difficult level. I liked the Background/Style/Music combination – it worked very well. My biggest challenge was working out where the green gate button was. I liked the idea of hiding it under a box – I knew it was there somewhere as I could hear it going! Having extra objects near the water spot rendered the middle cannon a non event as the steel box in its line of fire didn’t need touching. Ditching the box to the left of the water would have added to the challenge but still lots of fun!

SPACEFILLING: Space Filling Curve
Completed: and that was a surprise in itself! Obviously a lot of planning went into this & it scores big on the sheer fun factor. After trying a couple of things I found the combination that worked. Sort of like a TV dinner, just set & forget, and enjoy the results Great level.

SURPRISE: Surprise!… Quite a mesmerizing level in terms of its symmetry & movement. Like DGs, a wicked level – same school – maybe had a 5th grade English teacher in common? I saw the KaBooms straight away but when I plucked that first coin… I didn’t see that coming! A nice touch enhanced by the scene & music selection. Reminiscent of BruceBs levels & his preference for the use of Kabooms… one I’ve got on the shelf till I can conjure up some more time. Great work!

Whew! Great job guys.
As Stan Lee would say 'Nuff Said!

Robbie :D
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Post by DiscGolfer » Sat Feb 07, 2004 3:20 pm

Excellent reviews, Robbie! :D
I owe you a pair of thongs. :lol:
Ignoring that sign is essential, eh? :twisted:
After getting through all that stuff safely, and seeing that open gate, one instinctively wants to enter. Resist that temptation, and wait... :lol:
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Post by LinkyNStoof » Sat Feb 07, 2004 8:47 pm

jperleevt wrote: Was wondering is anyone did this:
Push a wooden block into the water right below the lower tree. Does anything happen to you? I won't tell you what....
Oh wow! I never tried that but now that I did, I'm surprised! :o Reminds one of Rollerball, but I guess less dramatic.

Actually, it's kinda annoying. On my own level I had to remove something (though very very minor and doesn't affect the solution) because I noticed weird behaviors with it. I think it has to do with having objects right next to the edge of the level, especially the left edge it seems. I think Midnight Synergy really needs to have its programmers look over the program and find all the places where it behaves weird like that. Not that I mind having little quirks here and there, but not when it gets in the way of level design. Then again, I guess in practice you'd only run into this problem when forced to cram everything into 14x14. :wink:
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Post by eeyore31 » Sat Feb 07, 2004 9:33 pm

ok....after playing these until I can't see straight------sinse they want our opinions, not wanting to hurt feelings....here goes-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------if I had to choose 3, they would be LAUGHTER, JAILBREAK, and A SMALL ADVENTURE.
My reason is simple----they are GREAT to look at, VERY challenging, but able to finish (after many attempts) without getting bored or annoyed or shot at!!!! (personal preference) PLUS---they will be the 3 I will be more apt to play again and again.
ALL of the boards are so much fun, each in its own unique way. I still haven't beaten Surprise, Diversionary, Coins3, or Castaway. I'm sure it's a matter of time(lots of it) :D The only way I got to finish Lightening was to cheat and remove the UFO's----it was either that or lose my sanity.
My hat is off to each and everyone of you. I think we did great!!!
It's going to be hard for Patrick to choose, I am sure........maybe Stinky and Loof will help him. (please forgive my spelling)
Yes, I'm a donkey......
and I'm purple.....
and I am Polly, Minnie's little sister.
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majic1
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Post by majic1 » Sat Feb 07, 2004 11:10 pm

I am so happy! I was finally able to complete Stinky Crusoe! HOORAY! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: It was very frustrating because I really like that level & it was soooooo maddening that I couldn't finish it even after figuring out what to do. I got a score of 6240 - don't know if that's good or bad - but to me it's GOOD just because I finished. Just one hint -- the Kaboom is your friend! I'll be glad to give more if anyone's interested (HA - everyone's probably already figured it out ahead of me!!) My next & BIGGEST challenge will be Lightning - don't know if I'll ever get that one. I'll most likely end up doing what eeyore31 did :twisted: - that is sounding like a better solution all the time!
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majic1
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Post by majic1 » Sun Feb 08, 2004 1:30 am

I NEED hints on Diversionary Tactics! I have a feeling I know what I have to do & I'm hoping I'm NOT RIGHT! Because if I am, I don't believe I'm quick enough!!!
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Post by DiscGolfer » Sun Feb 08, 2004 1:51 am

Lightning Strikes- The Free Stinky Spoiler















Have your finger on the R key as it loads.
Let Stinky run at least three laps before these executing these four keystrokes consecutively and cleanly. I must stress cleanly
1.Hit the "enter" key to switch to Loof just as he is stepping into the blue transporter.
2.Hit the L key to have Loof push the fourth boulder to complete the bridge.
3. Hit the "enter" key to switch back to Stinky.
4. Hit the R key so Stinky can outrun the boulder.
Then you get Stinky off of the treadmill by pushing the "Down" key as he exits the blue teleporter. That gets him onto a conveyor, and to the first safe spot.
How about that "14 X 14" on the floor?
Now you have the next timing fiasco... those instructions will follow, if needed.
Make sure you move Loof before starting this part, and be sure to ignore that message at the very end or Lightning will strike :evil:

BTW- I had the "treadmill" one tile shorter in my original design. If you think this one was tough... :D
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Everyone's a Winner!!

Post by Bearsland » Sun Feb 08, 2004 1:51 am

My first post here on the board.

I managed to finish all your levels and I have to say have had a great couple of days doing so. Congratulations to all those designers who made a level for the competition, you've made an old puzzler very happy.

Anyway, If I had to choose a winner in this competetion, (glad it's not my choice :D ), I would have to choose Diversionary Tactic. What a brilliantly thought out puzzle!!!

~Old Bear :)

PS I added a couple of screenshots of my scores. :wink:
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
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majic1
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Post by majic1 » Sun Feb 08, 2004 2:06 am

WOW! I'm impressed! NOW - How about a HINT on Diversionary Tactics???? (PLEASE!)
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majic1
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Post by majic1 » Sun Feb 08, 2004 2:12 am

I really like Jailbreak, but I just discovered something on going back & trying to improve my score. A lot depends on what the monsters do. If you go really fast, they don't tend to get killed by the cannon quick enough so it's hard to add points to your score for timing. And then sometimes, it's just luck that they happen to be in the right (or wrong) spot at the right time! Other than that, I DO like this level! Fun to play no matter what :D :D
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Post by Bearsland » Sun Feb 08, 2004 2:25 am

majic1 wrote:WOW! I'm impressed! NOW - How about a HINT on Diversionary Tactics???? (PLEASE!)
Without giving to much away and spoiling it...

2 spinning metal boxes can block a UFO

4 boxes on the right, 1 reflector on the left. :wink:

~Old Bear
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Post by DiscGolfer » Sun Feb 08, 2004 2:43 am

Glad you enjoyed 'em Old Bear.
I had tried everything but putting both boxes on the "turntable". I knew it worked with Stinky and one box on it, but I also knew I couldn't get him back off.
Again, the simplest solutions are the most difficult to arrive at.
I must agree, this is a brilliantly crafted level. Has that been said already? :o
I smell a Top Three entry here... :D
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majic1
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Post by majic1 » Sun Feb 08, 2004 3:12 am

Oh GOODY! Now I'm REALLY confused!!! :?
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majic1
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Post by majic1 » Sun Feb 08, 2004 3:36 am

Your hints are NOT helping! Maybe I'm just having a brain-dead day - HELP! I don't think I really like this level. :x But, I REALLY want to solve it!!!
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Post by majic1 » Sun Feb 08, 2004 3:48 am

I'm surprised I haven't heard any comments on, "It's a Contest -You Asked for It" - I thought this was a fun level; not hard, but fun & I had to figure it out (PLUS - NO monsters!!).
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Post by LinkyNStoof » Sun Feb 08, 2004 4:30 am

majic1 wrote:Your hints are NOT helping! Maybe I'm just having a brain-dead day - HELP! I don't think I really like this level. :x But, I REALLY want to solve it!!!
Hi, I'm so sorry you're having so much trouble with my level. :oops: I clearly underestimated its difficulty (I guess everything seems so much easier when you know how it's supposed to work).

Unless you're going for the bonus coins at the upper left, this level does not require tight timing like DiscGolfer's, but it does require some unusual tricks:

SPOILERS

1) Except for the wood block blocking the final rainbow coin, you can't let any other blocks in this level get destroyed until you get that coin. But the problem, as you might've noticed, is: Loof is in a place where to do anything useful, the UFO would fire at one of those wood boxes and destroy them! As the hint included in this level suggested, you somehow need the UFO to not fire at Loof, but at Stinky instead. How would that happen? (And you might ask, how to allow Stinky to survive while the UFO fires at him?)

Well, have you reached the upper right of the level yet? If so, don't just let the spikes destroy those steel boxes. Instead, find a way to push both of them onto that funny-looking "spintable", that thingie that has conveyor belts for the corners and ice as the side. Do that for both blocks and see what happens (oh, and try not to destroy them both in the process). Now move Stinky all the way to the right wall and go all the way down until he's against the wall of the teleport room, where he is lined up with the UFO. Notice what the steel blocks are doing! And now switch to Loof and move him around, and notice what's happening!

2) There's only one reflector in this level and Loof clearly needs to put it at where the red teleport is (the one in the floating platform Loof starts off on), in order to destroy the block blocking the final rainbow coin via the UFO's fire. So you ask, how do you get the reflector to stay right on the teleport? Well, do you remember how in various Wonderland levels, sometimes you need Stinky to go onto a teleport without actually getting teleported? Here you want something similar, but instead of Loof not teleporting, you want the reflector to not get teleported when you move it to the spot. Think about what you need to do to get that done, and then apply the same idea using the available materials here.

I hope this helps. If not I'll give an explicit solution tomorrow.

BTW, to those who've solved the level, let me mention that there are actually 8 bonus coins on that level... :wink:
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Post by DiscGolfer » Sun Feb 08, 2004 5:22 am

LNS,
I had a feeling this was yours :D You didn't disappointment.
There are very few who have a better understanding of Wonderland Physics :wink:
Do a screensaver for us :idea:
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majic1
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Post by majic1 » Sun Feb 08, 2004 5:42 am

As others have commented, I am truly amazed at the levels that have been submitted. I DO NOT KNOW how Midnight Synergy is going to make a decision. If I had my way, everyone who entered would get a prize!
Last edited by majic1 on Sun Feb 08, 2004 10:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by majic1 » Sun Feb 08, 2004 7:33 pm

Thanks for the hints LinkyNStoof - Maybe I'll be able to do this one now!! :oops: :oops:
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majic1
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Post by majic1 » Sun Feb 08, 2004 11:10 pm

FINALLY!!!!! Finally, finally - I finished Diversionary Tactics. Didn't think I'd EVER be able to say that! HOOOOORRRRAAAAY! Even after I finally figured out what to do (after all those hints I had to have!), I kept messing up, over and over and over! Anyway, thanks for all the help - very interesting level!!
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Post by LinkyNStoof » Mon Feb 09, 2004 6:44 am

Having finally finished them all (getting all coins and bonus coins), here are some of my own comments on various levels (excluding mine), separated by different criteria (levels listed in no particular order):

Good puzzles [as in, "how hard did it, um, exercise my brain?" :wink: ]:

A Small Adventure, Stinky Crusoe, Just 3 Coins


Good Visuals [as in, "it looks neat!" 8) ]:

Stinky Crusoe, Surprise, Lightning Strikes, and of course, Space Filling Curve

(though I have to admit I didn't see the 14x14 in Lightning until it was pointed out)

I have a little troubling liking the combination of psychedlic color-cycling on the "Garden" style as used in "It's a Contest" and "Jailbreak".


Good Organization [as in, "doesn't look too much like someone didn't tidy up their room in a week" :wink: ]:

More than Meets the Eyes, It's a Contest, Just 3 Coins, Stinky Crusoe, Laughter, Lightning Strikes, Simple Plan, Surprise

More than Meets the Eyes, in particular, stands out in my mind as the level that has the best balance of variety and tidiness.

I guess I should include CoinSearchers and Space Filling Curve, but it's rather hard to make those look cluttered even if you try :P .

Adventure Land 2.5 is a bit too cluttered, probably because the concept of Adventure Land style levels is hard to cram into a 14x14 level.

A Small Adventure is also leaning towards the cluttered side.


Compactness [as in: "how many different ideas did they cram into the level?" :shock: ]:

Stinky Crusoe, A Small Adventure, It's a Contest, More than Meets the Eyes

Stinky Crusoe probably wins compactness hands down; what's most remarkable to me is that it doesn't look as involved as it seems, but when you try to solve it, you quickly realize there's a lot more to the level than your first impression may suggest. A Small Adventure did pack a lot but as I said in "organization", it shows visually.


Creative New Ideas [as in: "hey, I haven't seen this before!" :o ]:

(warning: this may give away how to solve the level)

Adventure Land 2.5: need I say more? As it turns out I missed the connections between the various objects in the level with the backstory. Now it all makes sense, and that alone made the level much better.

I especially commend Robbie's effort to push the game engine to its limits, in order to explore possible new directions for the game. In that sense, he may be the most creative of us all. :wink: While the end result has its imperfections (and really, part of this is only because the existing game engine is not flexible and versatile enough), it still makes for a pretty interesting level to play, as long as you pretend there are certain things you can't (ie. not supposed to) do that the game engine lets you do anyway.


Stinky Crusoe: "kill the steel box with a gate", "the Kaboom is your friend" (and the convoluted way to get it to become your friend), "don't let that steel block come off the conveyor belt"

Just 3 Coins: the placement of the blue teleport (the one near the cannon) is quite nice--not easy to see unless you're careful

More than Meets the Eyes: the steps needed to activate the pink button is a nice puzzle, although I might've seen it elsewhere. And the use of fake walls, although I'm sure it has occurred in many other levels, still feels particularly fresh on this level

Laughter: although doesn't add a lot to this level, the idea of placing coins on a teleport is interesting; it often requires one to go thru the teleports more than you would otherwise, which can definitely lead to some interesting puzzle ideas

Lightning: the first part, 'Nuff said :wink: (And the 14x14, and hatted cannon are nice touches as well)

Space-Filling Curve: need I say more?

Surprise: the element of surprise is extremely well implemented here


And last but not least, Fun! [as in, "who cares about the other stuff I just said?" :wink: :wink: :lol: ]:

(also partly measured against by the amount of profanity induced :oops: )

A Small Adventure, Just 3 Coins, It's a Contest, More Than Meets the Eyes, Surprise, and of course, Space Filling Curve (sheer fun factor there!)

Stinky Crusoe hurts my brain (and so many places to make a mistake) just a little too much...I guess that must be what my level's like to everyone else, hehe :oops: :wink:

Lightning did have a somewhat high frustration barrier, but wasn't too bad once I got past it

Jailbreak is kinda fun the first time I played it, seeing how all those monsters get killed off randomly one by one.

(the other levels were great fun too, just that the ones I listed here stands out just a tad more for me)
Last edited by LinkyNStoof on Wed Feb 11, 2004 2:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Midnight Synergy
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Post by Midnight Synergy » Mon Feb 09, 2004 4:02 pm

Nice comments, LinkyNStoof! I'll say that two of the winners have been decided (oh, can you handle the suspense?!?!?!), but almost every other level is a contender for 3rd place. I think a third winner is starting to crystalize, but how about everyone jots down their personal Top 3 (no justification necessary) - perhaps 3rd place could be the popular vote? (obviously "we retain the right to ignore all of this and go with our own decision bla bla bla" ;) )

I knew deciding on winning designs would be tough, but I didn't know it would be this tough!! You people are too good for your own good! ;)

Also a comment on one of Linky's earlier remarks:
LinkyNStoof wrote: I think it has to do with having objects right next to the edge of the level, especially the left edge it seems. I think Midnight Synergy really needs to have its programmers look over the program and find all the places where it behaves weird like that. Not that I mind having little quirks here and there, but not when it gets in the way of level design. Then again, I guess in practice you'd only run into this problem when forced to cram everything into 14x14. :wink:
We probably won't do that. Each time a new "visual" level shows up I have gone through the code to find out why this happens, just to satisfy my own curiosity and make sure it doesn't happen again. But I won't change the gameplay code at this point in time. For one, minor changes in object's behaviours could have unforseen effects on other gameobject combinations (and the only way to test this would be to replay every level out there from every perspective). And then of course some of the already posted levels will be guaranteed not to work or work quite differently.

You can usually get around any such problems in the level editing stage (granted, maybe not with a 14x14 size restriction). All the "standard" Wonderland and RTW levels were tested ad nauseum (sp?). And finally, it's kinda fun to come up with new and untested object combinations and even then try to work those into a new level/puzzle concept.

Phew, that was a bit long-winded. :D
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janetgalle
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my top 3

Post by janetgalle » Mon Feb 09, 2004 5:25 pm

my top three picks are:

1. A Small Adventure
2. Just 3 Coins
3. Surprise!

As you can see by my choices, I prefer puzzlers to quick timing and fast fingers. All the entries were awesome.

Thanks and keep 'em coming!!!

JG
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Pat
Rainbow Keeper
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Post by Pat » Mon Feb 09, 2004 5:49 pm

Could only narrow my top picks down to 6. They are, in no particular order:

- A SMALL ADVENTURE
-CASTAWAY (even tho I still can't finish it)
-DIVERSIONARY TACTICS (even tho can't arrange those wooden boxes properly)

-MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
-SURPRISE
-of course, MINE (can't tell!!!)

These selections just "fit" the styles and mental challanges I prefer.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK and many hours of bliss, joy, torture, love, hate & plain old FUN!!!! SUCH A PLEASURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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