Lightbringer - (Spotlighted/MM Community Pick)

Lightbringer by Trindall
A prophecy from an age long past told of a Hero that would cleanse the land of a dark evil. Yet the Hero never came and the evil scoured the land. You find yourself in this dead kingdom, can you bring light back to the land?


Title: LightBringer
Author: Trindall
Level Description: “A prophecy from an age long past told of a Hero that would cleanse the land of a dark evil. Yet the Hero never came and the evil scoured the land. You find yourself in this dead kingdom, can you bring light back to the land?”

Update: Selected for the Sony Blog's LittleBigPlanet: Sack it to me community pick

Introduction
I've wanted to try my hand at a level that didn't move, shift or rotate. A level where I can pull the view back and give the player wider, more open environments.

This level is the culmination of ideas, themes and images raised in other games, books and movies and puts the player into the role of an unknowing hero that is destined to defeat an ancient evil.

There is a great deal of depth to the back-story and psychology of the antagonist for those wanting to look for it though it. (Both implicitly and explicitly explored in the level.) But I've worked hard to make the level accessible and fun for those wanting depth as well for those simply wanting a straightforward level.

Pictures
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/926/aphoto44.jpg

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/3353/aphoto48.jpg

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/2965/aphoto54.jpg

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/479/aphoto69.jpg

Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ychm5b5b-zU
I appreciate your time and focus on this level. I'd be happy to hear back in regards to any complaints, issues or comments regarding the level and I'm also happy to help others out as I am able.

Cool, I like the pics.
Good looking stuff...and wonderful experience on your levels.
I'm expecting a lot.

This level was lots of fun and full of epicness. I liked the way you used gas so effectively as obstacles and how we used the light to clear paths. The environment itself looked really good as well. Your use of the lighting tool throughout the level was very well done, especially after the boss fight (his death was so cool). I also liked how large the areas in your level were, I like long levels.

One thing I think you could do is add some decorations. But the main thing you need to do is put in some sound effects. The level is way too quiet without the sounds.

:star::star::star::star::star: and a heart. If you could try Hectic Hallways, that'd be swell

So I just played this one and it's very impressive technically. Great puzzling stuff. Everything seems to work well.

The environment is so austere I didn't really enjoy spending time here, but the gameplay was so good it kept me going.

The dramatic ending was awesome but so short it felt underwhelming. I didn't feel rewarded after a somewhat lengthy adventure.

I think three players had completed and everyone had under 1000 points maybe a few more points to separate us would be good. I did die a lot so I suppose we can get better a high score!

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Originally Posted by RickTheRipper

One thing I think you could do is add some decorations. But the main thing you need to do is put in some sound effects. The level is way too quiet without the sounds.

:star::star::star::star::star: and a heart. If you could try Hectic Hallways, that'd be swell

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There are a bit of SFX in the level but they are all supporting/background type items. Breaking stone and eerie wind are fairly common and there are quite a few variations on the Nemesis pain/growl/snarl type sounds.

I'll head back to see if some more sounds will work out in various spots though I did intend the level to be a bit more introspective. The life of the land has been leeched away a long time ago it is meant to be a lonely, empty feeling.

Thanks for the comments on level, I'll get on Hectic Hallways for some feedback a bit later this evening.

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Originally Posted by Kipmonlin

The environment is so austere I didn't really enjoy spending time here, but the gameplay was so good it kept me going.

The dramatic ending was awesome but so short it felt underwhelming. I didn't feel rewarded after a somewhat lengthy adventure.

I think three players had completed and everyone had under 1000 points maybe a few more points to separate us would be good. I did die a lot so I suppose we can get better a high score!

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'Austere' is one of the feelings I was looking to convey through the level design, 'desolate', 'empty' and 'haunted' to name a few others.

I agree that it won't appeal players looking for more life and visual energy but I'm hoping that it doesn't come off too badly in those cases.

I was a bit stumped on how to deliver an ending that would fit the story of the level yet feel more rewarding and don't think I've gotten it just right.

Endings are a hard thing to do right in many cases but as light is an integral role in the level both literally and symbolically I went with the light breaking through the crumbled keep to show that the darkness has been lifted and light is coming back to shine on the land once again.

Yes, points where something I had originally thought to not use at all as bubble-catching didn't feel in the spirit that I was trying to create. I did go with rewarding the player for passing the light on from point to point and for digging into the level's backstory.

This lets those who ace the level get the highest score to show their achievement but also keeps the focus more so on the images and events. I think it is a trade-off that some will not enjoy.

Thank you for taking the time to play the level.

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Originally Posted by OmegaSlayer

Cool, I like the pics.
Good looking stuff...and wonderful experience on your levels.
I'm expecting a lot.

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I look forward to hearing what you think of the level.

Cheers.

Hi Trindall! You were kind enough to leave feedback for my level, and here I am reviewing yours...

What a beautiful, involving, engrossing level you've built!

In fact, I was surprised I continued playing it after watching your fantastic ocean shore scene right at the beginning. What did I do? I tried to jump in it, and got gassed! lol

Anyway... you seem to have spent a lot of time with your panoramic camera angles, and the great majority of them were great. You used some good tricks, too. Nothing too 'in your face', but more subtle, more understated, almost modest.

Some of the black gas parts and design reminded me of ICO (that's a plus, by the way), and your music choice was spot on.

I found it quite tricky in places, but in a challenging way, and I loved the atmosphere.

Overall, I'm very pleased to have played this great offering of yours.

I rated 5*, hearted and tagged with 'Beautiful'.

Hi . I've played your level and here is my feedback

Pros :
Like MrsSB I spent quite a while looking at the waves lapping up on the shore at the start. That was very effective and I have no idea how you did it.

Great design throughout

Wonderful atmosphere and sound effects

Excellent puzzles and mechanisms

Cons :

A few problems with plane shifting , mostly minor but the worst one was at the boss fight. In conjunction with the checkpoint being placed very badly it made it really awkward every time I got killed ( which was a lot ) because I spent ages just trying to get around the rocks and back to the boss area and when I finally managed it I invariably died straight away again. That made it very annoying.

Lack of music. I didn't hear any music at all so unless you've added it since I played it I would suggest the 'Daniel Pemberton' track 'Rainbow Warrior' would be perfect for the atmosphere you're trying to project. Alternatively 'Tricky business' or 'New Delhi Dawn' would be good choices too. If you've already added music ignore this.

Overall :

Brilliant level with some very clever innovative ideas which totally baffle me and presented very well. Apart from the awkward boss bit I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to your future levels.

one of the light "keys" didn't work the first time I tried it (the one with the red, yellow, blue rotating pieces)

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Originally Posted by ZipCity

one of the light "keys" didn't work the first time I tried it (the one with the red, yellow, blue rotating pieces)

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I think that's just a matter of getting them in the right order and in the right place using the 2 switches.

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Originally Posted by mistervista

A few problems with plane shifting , mostly minor but the worst one was at the boss fight. In conjunction with the checkpoint being placed very badly it made it really awkward every time I got killed ( which was a lot ) because I spent ages just trying to get around the rocks and back to the boss area and when I finally managed it I invariably died straight away again. That made it very annoying.

Lack of music. I didn't hear any music at all so unless you've added it since I played it I would suggest the 'Daniel Pemberton' track 'Rainbow Warrior' would be perfect for the atmosphere you're trying to project. Alternatively 'Tricky business' or 'New Delhi Dawn' would be good choices too. If you've already added music ignore this.

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I appreciate the good comments especially on the matters that didn't work out so great.

I elevate the final checkpoint to avoid it getting blocked by falling debris but I have had to jump over the rubble to get back to the action and it is a bit too wonky. I'll look to move it closer in, in a spot that will be clear yet out of the main fray.

I do have music in the level, three different tracks that I've gotten some positive comments on it from MrsSpookyBuz in an earlier post. I do play/create on my computer monitor and wear headphones and as such I think I hear the sound louder than others may.

Current the music that is there is down two or three notches from full volume but I can raise it back to full volume. My original take on the music was that I wanted to accompany the level rather than overpower it which is why I toned it back just a hair.

I'm glad that people are liking the ocean waves I put in. Building the level linearly put this as the very first thing I made for the level. It is completely unnecessary in the overall picture and chews up a little bit of thermo that may be better used elsewhere but I've worked to keep it through the different fat cutting sessions I've had to do on this level.

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Originally Posted by MrsSpookyBuz

In fact, I was surprised I continued playing it after watching your fantastic ocean shore scene right at the beginning. What did I do? I tried to jump in it, and got gassed! lol

Anyway... you seem to have spent a lot of time with your panoramic camera angles, and the great majority of them were great. You used some good tricks, too. Nothing too 'in your face', but more subtle, more understated, almost modest.

Some of the black gas parts and design reminded me of ICO (that's a plus, by the way), and your music choice was spot on.

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Thank you for taking the time to play the level. I’m glad that the play was enjoyable. The gas on the ocean wave is a must as I figured the first impulse the most players will have will be to jump out onto the waves.

The three separate waves with all of their pieces use up enough thermo that I didn’t want to extend it any further and as such I can’t let the player see much more than they already do or they’ll see the end of the level.

One of the five or six different intentions/objectives I had going into this level was that I wanted to make a level that occupied the same spiritual environment as the Ico/SOTC levels without doing a rip-off of the same games. I’ve used visual elements from both of those levels to try and invoke this type of connection because I think it will help set the theme/setting better for the player.

There are also themes, images and elements in the level from a couple other sources though some of them are fairly obscure.

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Originally Posted by ZipCity

one of the light "keys" didn't work the first time I tried it (the one with the red, yellow, blue rotating pieces)

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What mistervista has said is correct, when you get all three pieces aligned properly and the blue lights lit the puzzle will complete and you can progress.

Can you explain a bit about what you saw so I can check if it is a bug or not? The solution to the puzzle is straightforward from the current starting point unless you start mixing up the different prism. I can PM you more information if you want.

looks good btw can you tell me what F4F means? :-/

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Originally Posted by Delirium

looks good btw can you tell me what F4F means? :-/

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F4F is a system implemented in this forum meaning "Feedback 4 Feedback".

Levels that have this prefix on their post are a part of this feedback system.

The person posting that thread is committing themselves to give feedback to players who post feedback on their level. Usually a poster will include in their feedback post if they are looking for feedback a level of their own.

It is a very good tit for tat method the promotes a lot of feedback from various members and it helps out players who are new to the site or may not know many people.

F4F works both ways, if you are looking for feedback on your level you can easily go to other F4F posts and post feedback on them to solicit feedback on your own levels.

I hope this helps out.

Cheers.

oh thanks. wish i knew that befor i just posted my level on here just now -_-

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Originally Posted by Delirium

oh thanks. wish i knew that befor i just posted my level on here just now -_-

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You may edit your original level posting to change it into or or out of the F4F. Open up your level post and click on the 'Edit' button in the lower right of the post.

Select the 'Go Advanced' option to enter the details page. From here you can change the level prefix to be yes or no for F4F.

Once you set this parameter then save the level post and it will update to reflect. If you have further questions I'll be happy to help but PMs would be better than in this level thread.

There is also a sticky at the top of this forum that may answer your questions.

Good luck on your level.

I meant I got the three prisms in the right order, with all 3 blue lights on, but for whatever reason, they didn't merge and reflect the light. When I restarted the level and did the exact same thing, it worked

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Originally Posted by ZipCity

I meant I got the three prisms in the right order, with all 3 blue lights on, but for whatever reason, they didn't merge and reflect the light. When I restarted the level and did the exact same thing, it worked

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That's what's happened to me twice.
The first time while rotating the prysm I had the blue one hitting the red one and twisting it a bit out of his place.
The second time it didn't just work.

I suppose it has to make disappear the darkness on the upper floor...

Anyway I didn't have the time to play it a third time, but the artstyle is very particular and the concept is cool even if not 100% original.
The coolest stuff is the gas/darkness that has form of claws and really moves in an awesome way.

Visually it's a lot better than your previous levels, that perhaps were more fun platforming wise.

You must wait until I play it again, for now I rated it 4 stars, 2 times and no tag...I'm sorry.

Very original, I really enjoyed playing it. Definitely your best level to date.

I thought your use of black gas, just in general, was pretty awesome and well done. There was some gas in a few places there didn't need to be though, I got killed by little pockets in corners that weren't visible a few times through the level.

One thing I felt lacking was the hero's incentive to drive away the dark. Sure they're dumped on some strange island and really have nothing else to do, but isn't there someone to save, some threat by the darkness? The darkness is inhabiting a seemingly uninhabited land minding it's own business, not even bothering you to begin with. If there are inhabitants that you're working to save, I'd like to meet them, or at least know that they exist.

I thought you used the light very well in the level, there are a few levels that have played with it, but I don't think any were this well done.

The ruins falling apart during the boss was definitely welcomed, and the boss in general was definitely original. It's nice to see a boss that doesn't include spamming it with a paintinator while jumping over plasma balls...

I didn't encounter any glitches in it while playing, so I really can't complain there. Very nice level, it was fun to play!

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Originally Posted by Shredator

I thought your use of black gas, just in general, was pretty awesome and well done. There was some gas in a few places there didn't need to be though, I got killed by little pockets in corners that weren't visible a few times through the level.

One thing I felt lacking was the hero's incentive to drive away the dark. Sure they're dumped on some strange island and really have nothing else to do, but isn't there someone to save, some threat by the darkness? The darkness is inhabiting a seemingly uninhabited land minding it's own business, not even bothering you to begin with. If there are inhabitants that you're working to save, I'd like to meet them, or at least know that they exist.

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Thank you for the play on the level Shredator and your feedback.
I’ve gotten some other comments similar to yours in terms of meeting or freeing the inhabitants of the place and I agree that the Hero’s motivation isn’t overly well argued in the level.

I think that the Hero’s incentive to drive away the dark, besides being the cliché ‘right thing to do’ can also be looked at this way. The Hero wakes up stranded on a beach and there is a bad monster thing that wants to kill them if they leave the beach. Well the Hero can stay on the beach forever, maybe try to swim away or venture inland, through the bad guy, to see if they can find food or a way out of the land.

I don’t express these things explicitly in the level and I’m looking to the player to fill in some of this from their own perspective.

Also the story that I’ve set up for this level wouldn’t work out with having people living but trapped for the Hero to either meet or to save. I want this level to focus on the interaction between the Hero and Nemesis as well as the relationship that Nemesis has with the land.

Nemesis has devoured the land so long ago and stripped it of life that it no longer has a reason for existing yet has been in the land so long that it can no longer move on. Nemesis is a being who’s purpose, to extinguish life, has been taken away by his own nature and it has been alone in the dead land for such a long time that it yearns for release even if that means its own death.

The Hero is the key to Nemesis’ release yet by its own nature it can’t help but try to destroy the Hero thus re-enforcing its own entrapment. (How many other Hero’s have come to the land and failed prior?)

Again parts of this are revealed through careful exploration of the level and through Nemesis’ words and actions while other parts I leave up to interpretation by the player.

We have the Hero who may not eliminate the evil out of any ‘goodness’ but rather out of selfish preservation and the Nemesis who tries to kill the Hero not out of any desire to but rather because it is a creature trapped by its nature. It is an interesting dynamic and, I’m hoping, moves away of many over-used plot points.

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Originally Posted by OmegaSlayer

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ZipCity

I meant I got the three prisms in the right order, with all 3 blue lights on, but for whatever reason, they didn't merge and reflect the light. When I restarted the level and did the exact same thing, it worked

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That's what's happened to me twice.
The first time while rotating the prysm I had the blue one hitting the red one and twisting it a bit out of his place.
The second time it didn't just work.

I suppose it has to make disappear the darkness on the upper floor...

Anyway I didn't have the time to play it a third time, but the artstyle is very particular and the concept is cool even if not 100% original.
The coolest stuff is the gas/darkness that has form of claws and really moves in an awesome way.

Visually it's a lot better than your previous levels, that perhaps were more fun platforming wise.

You must wait until I play it again, for now I rated it 4 stars, 2 times and no tag...I'm sorry.

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I’m sorry that this puzzle didn’t work properly for both of you. I’ve looked into it and haven’t found a cause yet. When all three blue lights are lit up it should activate the next sequence regardless of whether the prisms were knocked about during rotation. (I did fix that part.)

I’m hoping this isn’t a matter of objects randomly breaking themselves after an extended period of time due to some wonky phsyics of LBP. I’ll keep looking into this to see what I can find.

I’m hoping that things work out well for you should you decide to try the level again. My apologies.

Don't worry man, I'm trying to release a beta, and a certain part that syncronization based, always goes out of sync when I republish the level.
The glitches are killing this game.

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Originally Posted by OmegaSlayer

Don't worry man, I'm trying to release a beta, and a certain part that syncronization based, always goes out of sync when I republish the level.
The glitches are killing this game.

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I made a copy of this level last night, tore out apart and moved this puzzle spot so that it was in front of the logic, set the start checkpoint at this spot and then played the level.

Everything works fine when played unless I sat there for about 8 to 10 minutes. (Sometimes longer)

After a certain point in time there was a piston that would only extend about halfway when activated and as such it wasn't registering the completed puzzle. (Nothing obstructing it at all.) Things do sometimes start mis-behaving when the thermometer is full and this may just be one of those things.

I built a whole new mechanism and even set it up so that should a piston not extend the full distance that the sensors will still pick it up.

All tests after that change have worked out fine regardless of how long I waited.

My hope is that this is no longer a problem for anyone playing the level.