Quest for the Five Elements (RTW level pack - 158/195 levels released, NEW: "False Prophecy")

[Tech Warrior]

Just completed Glitch Gridlock (#150), what a monster, but what a beauty, definitely a 9.5/10 and I am more than convinced that I have done it as intended.

Thanks!!!

Wonderful job - your puzzle-solving skills never cease to amaze me. If your last move was: racing the chomper to the conveyor button, then you most definitely completed the puzzle as intended.

Now it is time for a break I guess, since I am not ready yet to release #151, which is proving a monster to complete.

[Amnon]

Yes, this was my last move, except it was not a race, just a gentle walk.

Now I wish it was time for a break, but not yet because I still have #140 ahead.

[Amnon]

Five weeks of hard work later, the Stinker foursome have safely exited the Fireball Frenzy (#140).

They got the gold star because they took all the bonus coins, but they left four coins behind. Of these:
One coin they could take, but it would require an extra half an hour or so of risky playing, so I preferred to head for the exit.
One coin, they could take, but that would thwart my strategy and prevent them from exiting.
And two coins, I still have no clue how to get...

As a result of not taking these coins, I regret that I might have missed reading an important message behind the exit gate.

Throughout playing, I have not used the editor or the template level.

If the various labels have any meaning and were not just meant to confuse, then I am pretty sure that how I played was not the intended way.

[Tech Warrior]

Five weeks of hard work later, the Stinker foursome have safely exited the Fireball Frenzy (#140).

They got the gold star because they took all the bonus coins, but they left four coins behind. Of these:
One coin they could take, but it would require an extra half an hour or so of risky playing, so I preferred to head for the exit.
One coin, they could take, but that would thwart my strategy and prevent them from exiting.
And two coins, I still have no clue how to get...

As a result of not taking these coins, I regret that I might have missed reading an important message behind the exit gate.

Throughout playing, I have not used the editor or the template level.

If the various labels have any meaning and were not just meant to confuse, then I am pretty sure that how I played was not the intended way.

First, AMAZING JOB on this level. It is probably the hardest overall that will come from me.

Now, of course I am entirely curious on your solution. A level of this scale was bound to have some open ends, and I would want to get those cleaned up if possible. Of course I have taken a small break from the series production as I needed one, but I'll be getting back to it soon.

Feel free to send me a PM outlining the general steps of your solution, the coins you could have taken but didn't, and the coins you haven't figured out how to get (I would also want to know exactly which exit(s) you used for the stinkers, and what areas maybe you didn't visit or need to visit).

[Tech Warrior]

WE'RE BACK!

After a much-needed hiatus from the project, as I was getting completely burned out, it's time to head into the final streak of level releases as we approach Quest for the Five Elements' full release. It will not be coming by the end of this month, in case you haven't assumed that. A likely final release window is within the first quarter of 2022, but as always - take it with a grain of salt, because quality > quantity, although in this case you get both.

I am still working on revisions for Lv140 - this will be released later once I have completed another round of testing with Amnon's help.

NOTE: Lv151 is not ready, but several of the levels after it have been ready for months. This will therefore be the first time I release levels out of order, because I'm tired of waiting to get it finished, since it is proving one of the most difficult levels I've ever had to make from a design perspective. With that, we're skipping it for now and moving to 152. For those of you waiting for the full release, this will have no impact on you of course.

Lv152 - "Catching Up" (4/10) - A mostly dialogue-focused level, there is a small and relatively easy puzzle to solve before you get to the conversation. After several worlds dealing with an onslaught of trauma, separation, and deep internal struggles thanks to the shadow stinkers, finally the team is coming together to catch up on everything. But the dialogue is not all that light-hearted, as you'll soon see.

Download Notes:

Extract the level into your 'WD15 - Into the 5th Dimension' folder.

Enjoy!

[Amnon]

OK, level #152 done, thanks for the fun.

[Tech Warrior]

Very good, I guess we'll keep moving along with #153.

This is a familiar type of level from me, with a twist...

Lv153 - "A Cruise on the River" (7.5/10)

Can you find the fastest path??

Download Notes:

Extract the level into your 'WD15 - Into the 5th Dimension' folder.

Enjoy!

[Amnon]

There is a very nasty bug affecting level #153: whenever I switch characters too fast, the position is lost, I find myself in space or in the wrong place and must restart. I restarted like that 100's of times, making this level very difficult. Finally I made it, after many hours, but with this bug and having to worry about it all the time I would rate this 7.5/10.

[Tech Warrior]

There is a very nasty bug affecting level #153: whenever I switch characters too fast, the position is lost, I find myself in space or in the wrong place and must restart. I restarted like that 100's of times, making this level very difficult. Finally I made it, after many hours, but with this bug and having to worry about it all the time I would rate this 7.5/10.

I know about this bug, however I didn't figure it would impact gameplay too far beyond initially discovering it so long as you respect the bug's mechanic. It is nonetheless one of the bugs I expect will be addressed in the C+ remake of RTW so that its annoying properties will cease to exist.

[Amnon]

I know about this bug, however I didn't figure it would impact gameplay too far beyond initially discovering it so long as you respect the bug's mechanic.

It is just that I am used to have close cooperation between characters and quick fingers are my second nature, so the habit kept creeping in...

[Tech Warrior]

Finally. FINALLY - the sole level responsible for my hiatus is here, and yes, it's a pretty big one.

This is the Sun Castle - one of the largest levels in this quest, one of its most important locations, and probably the most unique Wonderland level I have ever constructed. That's because it is not a Wonderland level at all. "Sun Castle" is a complex assortment of riddles and word games which you need to decipher in order to unlock the exit. It requires a completely separate set of cognitive skills, but once you solve the riddles, executing the level is not very hard (still takes a hot minute because of the level's sheer size).

Enjoy this one-of-a-kind, which was by far the most difficult to design, having spent almost a full year developing it from its initial conception. Also featuring some of the most intense decorating in any level to date, this is easily one of my favorites to share. In the Sun Castle, you will always discover something new.

Lv151 - "Sun Castle" (9.5/10)

Download Notes:

!! NEW CUSTOM MODELS !! Make sure to add - the map is ruined without them!

Extract the level into your 'WD15 - Into the 5th Dimension' folder. Extract 'fireisle2lite' into your CustomModels folder.

Enjoy!

[Amnon]

Thank you, I downloaded level #151 and intend to start playing it in earnest next week,
but I did see that my computer is not coping with the sheer number of elements, so character-movement
is slow and broken. If this level anywhere depends on fast, real-time movement then I would only be able
to complete it on a faster computer, which at the moment I don't have.

[Tech Warrior]

Thank you, I downloaded level #151 and intend to start playing it in earnest next week,
but I did see that my computer is not coping with the sheer number of elements, so character-movement
is slow and broken. If this level anywhere depends on fast, real-time movement then I would only be able
to complete it on a faster computer, which at the moment I don't have.

Not to worry - most of the solve process will be through visual/textual analysis of the riddles. After which, you can take your time to execute. Indeed, the level lags a bit on my laptop as well. (In fact, an earlier version included another layer of pyramids at the top, but that resulted in loss of information and a MAV, which is why they were replaced with large boxes)

I look forward to your solve process on this one!

[Amnon]

I tried again. Moving the characters is rough, I cannot control them properly, sometimes they won't start and when I keep the arrow key pressed they go too far and do not respond in time to my lifting the key.

It is not possible to play like this unless I obtain a faster computer. I need to be able to concentrate on the game rather than on moving the characters.

I know you invested so much time and effort on this, but I think that the visual effects must be sacrificed in order to make it playable. Obviously the current version can remain for those who have a computer that can take it.

[Tech Warrior]

Duly noted - I will need to search through the custom models archive to find some more basic models that will be able to cover up the entire top section (none of it is allowed to be visible). Once done, I will update the download with a 'lite' version denoted to be more resource-friendly.

Depending on how long this takes to find, I may go ahead and upload Lv154 later, since this is already done and ready to go.

[Tech Warrior]

Okay, here it is - found this lovely model, which I would say does an even better job at covering up the top section - almost annoyingly so.

This should run much better!

Download Notes:

Extract the level into your 'WD15 - Into the 5th Dimension' folder. Extract 'fireisle2lite' into your CustomModels folder.

Enjoy!

[Amnon]

Amazing, I can now move smoothly now!

It is just the model I was needing for my own 6th level ("Amnon06 - The End of Time"),
which is currently broken with the later RTW editions: http://pcpuzzle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=11047

Thanks so much - I will start playing next week.

[Tech Warrior]

From everyone in Taurus Vango, we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays however you celebrate.

This next level was extremely fun to make, and hopefully even more so to play. Directly inspired by Lv108 "Exploring the Big City," now it's Taurus Vango's turn at a downtown exploratory level. It's not necessarily much harder, but it's definitely bigger, more involved, and more task-oriented, with the signs playing a big role in your exploration of the city's tasks.

I've been excited about this level also because it introduces Switchgates - a mechanism that functions like diamond buttons in the Wonderland Adventures games! If you don't know what those are because you never played WA, well, you will. These mechanisms will also play a role in more levels throughout the rest of the series!

Lv154 - "Downtown Taurus Vango" (9.5/10) - Easily another favorite of mine. This world has a lot of those.

Download Notes:

Extract the level into your 'WD15 - Into the 5th Dimension' folder. Extract the 'fireisle' folder into your CustomModels directory if you didn't yet get it from the initial world download.

Enjoy!!

[Amnon]

Completed level #151, great level, but I can't see how it can be done without using CTRL-X on the top section to watch one's step. Perhaps a "Watch your step, go no further" label is needed...
I collected all coins and stopped the conveyor on my own, but still needed to peek at the editor for one final hint about something that blocked me at the very end.

Some of the labels were very helpful, others, including the tokens, I still cannot decipher.

Thanks a lot for this level!

[Tech Warrior]

Thanks for playing!! And a slight oversight on my part - I didn't realize one could get the death penalty up top. Oops - going to fix that now.

I'm really glad you were able to crack everything with what you were given. This was the biggest challenge for me when building this level and what required the most testing.

Some of the labels were very helpful, others, including the tokens, I still cannot decipher.

About the tokens and other various labels: they will be needed later, and you have more to find.

[Amnon]

Just completed level #154 ("Downtown Taurus Vango").

It is certainly not 8.5/10 in difficulty - more like 9.5/10, and it is not really possible to complete without CTRL-X,
firstly because of invisible elements, but mostly because of a misleading label.

Anyway, it was great fun indeed and quite amazing.

Thanks!!!

[Tech Warrior]

Thank you.

Of course I would like to prevent the need to use CTRL-X if at all possible. I know about the invisible elements - these should be helped by the labels, but which one is a bit misleading? Perhaps I can fix it.

Also, would you say that #151 "Sun Castle" is on the same scale of difficulty (currently at 9.5)? It is difficult for me to rate since it's a different type of puzzle.

[Amnon]

Once the problems in both are fixed, I suppose both levels are on a par

The problem with the hidden element is that: the red button inside the house cannot be seen even when stepped on and one cannot see the red gate opening either, so how would one guess about it?

The problem with the label is: it suggests that ALL gates must be closed, but of course the green and yellow cannot be simultaneously closed, so one then assumes that the label refers only to the gates in that particular area and would never try to step on the square blue button before the pink timer is activated, which is naturally the first thing to do.

[Tech Warrior]

Once the problems in both are fixed, I suppose both levels are on a par

The problem with the hidden element is that: the red button inside the house cannot be seen even when stepped on and one cannot see the red gate opening either, so how would one guess about it?

The problem with the label is: it suggests that ALL gates must be closed, but of course the green and yellow cannot be simultaneously closed, so one then assumes that the label refers only to the gates in that particular area and would never try to step on the square blue button before the pink timer is activated, which is naturally the first thing to do.

Okay, thanks - in fact having known about the hidden element, I never consciously realized there was no way to see it... now I can adjust accordingly as with the label.

Meanwhile #155 is still not done, because I have reached an impasse... it is becoming a tough challenge to work on but should be done soon.

[Tech Warrior]

OKAY, the following levels have now been updated:

Lv130 - "Lava Lakes" - Tweaked to make a certain puzzle easier to figure out, and also removed a couple flames to reduce accidental death chances on the canvas due to the level's long length.

Lv151 - "Sun Castle" - Updated with Amnon's notes to prevent accidental death (puzzle remains the same). Additionally, the 'lite' version has now replaced the main level, with the original no longer being available due to both its overwhelming graphics and the file size (it was over 1.5mb).

Lv154 - "Downtown Taurus Vango" - Updated with Amnon's notes. The level should no longer require Alt+X.

Level posts have been updated, but you can also get them in the ZIP provided in this post. They will be updated in the main ZIP on the first post after World 15's final release. Furthermore, Lv155 is now complete, however I am in the testing phase to ensure it is polished and ready for release. It will be out soon so we can continue.

Download Notes:

Replace Lv130 in your 'WD13 - Purgatory' folder. Add 'fireisle' and 'fireisle2lite' to your Custom Models folder if you don't yet have them. Replace Lv151 and Lv154 to your 'WD15 - Into the 5th Dimension' folder.

[Tech Warrior]

FINALLY - a level I did not expect to cause such a large delay in the series release because its concept was originally small, but it has since blossomed into a diverse beast of a puzzle. In case anyone has underestimated the time/effort that goes into each one of these levels, well, here you go.

Upon successfully solving it, you'll no doubt understand why it was so difficult to design. I almost gave up what I wanted to accomplish here - I'm glad I didn't. I have never designed a level quite like this one...

This level is a full marathon that blends all the themes of this world so far: classic Wonderland puzzles, light use of glitches, exploration, a switchgate puzzle utilizing my newly introduced switchgate mechanism, and an integrated non-Wonderland logic puzzle, all combined into one! Additionally, the level boasts some characteristic psychological properties that should make the solve a very unique experience. The team has arrived at Taurus Vango's mythical Zodiac Gate - can they get across it??

I considered labeling this a 10/10 difficulty for gold score, but I suppose Amnon can clarify if it really is that brutal...

Lv155 - "Fake Exits" (9.5/10) - Enjoy this psychological thriller as the gang approaches the Tabernacle.

Download Notes:

Extract the level into your 'WD15 - Into the 5th Dimension' folder. Extract the 'fireisle' folder into your CustomModels directory if you didn't yet get it from the initial world download.

Enjoy!!

[Amnon]

OK, I got to the zodiac signs in level #155 and felt that there is not enough information, especially because other than one zodiac-sign, nowhere does it say that any of them are initially locked!

I really didn't want to use the editor or CTRL-X, so I wrote a small C program to check for possible sequences and it gave me 505,980 different ones!

So more information is needed for solving this puzzle.

Here is my program, see for yourself:

Code: Select all

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

#define ARIES	0
#define TAURUS	1
#define	GEMINI	2
#define	CANCER	3
#define	LEO	4
#define	VIRGO	5
#define	LIBRA	6
#define	SCORPIO	7
#define	SAGITTARIUS	8
#define	CAPRICORN	9
#define	AQUARIUS	10
#define PISCES		11

char *names[12] =
{
	"Aries", "Taurus", "Gemini", "Cancer", "Leo", "Virgo", "Libra",
	"Scorpion", "Sagittarius", "Capricorn", "Aquarius", "Pisces"
};

int position[12] = {-1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1};
int what[11] = {-1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1};
int next_must_be_capricorn = -1;

int
main(int na, char *argv[])
{
	int i, s, locker, p = 0;
	int sol = 1;

	while(1)
	{
		for(i = what[p]+1 ; i < 12 ; i++)
		if(position[i] == -1)
		{
			if(i != ARIES && p > 0 && what[p-1] == GEMINI)
				continue;
			if(next_must_be_capricorn == p && i != CAPRICORN)
				continue;
			switch(i)
			{
			case GEMINI:
				if(p == 10)
					continue;
				break;
			case ARIES:
				if(p == 0 || what[p-1] != GEMINI)
					continue;
				break;
			case CAPRICORN:
				s = position[SAGITTARIUS];
				if(s == -1 || s == p-1 ||
					what[p-1] == VIRGO ||
					what[p-1] == CANCER)
					continue;
				break;
			case LIBRA:
				if(position[CAPRICORN] >= 0 &&
					position[SAGITTARIUS] <
							position[CAPRICORN])
					continue;
				break;
			case LEO:
				if(position[PISCES] < 0 ||
					position[AQUARIUS] > position[PISCES])
					break;
				locker = PISCES;
				could_be_saved_by_capricorn:
				if(position[SAGITTARIUS] < locker || p == 10 ||
						position[CAPRICORN] >= 0)
					continue;
				next_must_be_capricorn = p+1;
				break;
			case SCORPIO:
				if(position[AQUARIUS] < 0 ||
					position[CAPRICORN] >
							position[AQUARIUS])
					break;
				locker = AQUARIUS;
				goto could_be_saved_by_capricorn;
			case CANCER:
				if(position[TAURUS] >= 0 &&
					p != position[TAURUS]+4)
					continue;
				if(position[GEMINI] >= 0)
					continue;
				break;
			case TAURUS:
				if(position[CANCER] >= 0 &&
					p != position[TAURUS]+4)
					continue;
				break;
			case VIRGO:
				if(position[AQUARIUS] >= 0)
					continue;
				break;
			case PISCES:
			case SAGITTARIUS:
			case AQUARIUS:
				break;
			}
			if(what[p] >= 0)
				position[what[p]] = -1;
			what[p] = i;
			position[i] = p;
			break;
		}
		if(i == 12)
		{
			if(what[p] >= 0)
				position[what[p]] = -1;
			what[p] = -1;
			if(--p < 0)
				exit(0);
			if(next_must_be_capricorn > p)
				next_must_be_capricorn = -1;
			continue;
		}
		if(p < 10)
		{
			p++;
			what[p] = -1;
			continue;
		}
		printf("%7d: ", sol++);
		for(i = 0 ; i < 10 ; i++)
			printf("%s, ", names[what[i]]);
		printf("%s\n", names[what[10]]);
	}
}

[Tech Warrior]

I see, thank you - I now understand what is missing.

I am sending you a PM now with an alternative wording.

[Tech Warrior]

With Amnon's help, the logic puzzle's instructions have been revised to be more narrowly defined, and they now allow only one possible correct solution.

The post for Lv155 has been updated with the new revised instructions!!

[Tech Warrior]

After the cryptic puzzle insanity of Lv155, it's time for a break... right?? False - things are just getting started.

Finally, the gang has reached the fabled Tabernacle. What does this mean for them? What strange puzzles will they encounter? Where is this "oracle," and what information can she provide regarding the team's quest for the soul element??

So many questions, but so few answers. Let's hope we get some soon.

Lv156 - "The Tabernacle" (7.5/10) - The cryptic word and logic puzzles are just beginning, as you'll be encountering some very new types of levels in the latter half of this world. But pay attention to what else you might find - you might need it later.

Download Notes:

Extract the level into your 'WD15 - Into the 5th Dimension' folder.

Enjoy!!