Space Sack's Adventures: The Blue Planet

[RangerZero]

I personally don't like them very much when I'm forced to collect community stickers, I once saw a better use of them in an rpg style level (I don't remember the name, but it's quite old) that used common decorations to do the trick, but the switches were active only after you collected the 'fake' prize bubble (a system similar to the power up system I used in Legend of a Hero 3, if not identical). It's very easy to implement, it's only a perm switch, but you replace the dissolve material with a prize bubble with the mag key attached to it, plain and simple, but effective. Unlikely from yours, this system force the player to collect the 'prizes' again during replays.
(Now I'm assuming this because I played just once, so forgive me if I'm wrong)

I thought about actually using some generic decoration of stickers for my power-ups but there's 2 reasons why I chose to make mine:
- I like as much custom stuff as possible.
- I wanted to avoid the possibility a player doesn't have the sticker. I prefer to be absolutely 100% sure of what I am doing with the player.

However, I didn't think your way to not cheat the power-ups on replay. I might just do it in some of my future works. But since LBP players are soooo short fused and don't replay levels much, I don't mind them "cheating" the second playthrough because they already have my stickers. Especially in a level of this nature, you might not want to go through all the steps again in a replay.

THIS caused me to break the level and prevented me to continue my play after all the (cool) secret areas.
See the thumbnail attached for a better picture (lol) and keep in mind that the game camera do not shoot at gas (and flames), but I was gadding around carrying the 3rd key while I stumbled into gas and, in the failed attempt to avoid death, I definately lost the key forever (ended in the middle of a gas field).
For this I woul'd have preferred invisible walls a tad before the gas to stop my flight without killing me and without letting see the void.

Actually you know what? I thought I did put a wall there so the key can't fall on the left. There's a bug where something you load up your level and your invisible dark matter disappeared. It must have happened there. I might fix it if I am bored. :P

Some hidden bubbles (the ones placed in the hole, at the beginning) are a little deceiving, I have jumped down with no trepidation eager to raise my score, only to realize there was no turning back... alive I mean...

Take this as a lesson on yourself lol. You've been deceived by your greed. Those bubbles are for the jetpack. :P

[Powershifter]

Yeah well, 3 stars is what you get nowadays as soon as your level makes the player use their brain even so lightly or when there's a even just a tiny little bit of challenge in your gameplay. :/

So true.. so true

Yeah well, I don't like stories in platformer games. I always give a goal and mini-background but that's pretty much it. I love stories in games but in the genres of games where it belongs. I like how Mario Bros is basically "someone is kidnapped and you have save them". It's extremely basic and non-intrusive. I might try a level with a style where I would put more story in it though. I have alot of different levels sleeping in the back of my mind.

See I have to respectfully disagree (unless I'm reading your post wrong - which is entirely possible). LBP is all about creating whatever you want to create - whether that be platforming levels, story levels, puzzle levels, technical showcases, bomb survivals (ugh), etc. So I wouldn't classify LBP as only a platformer game. In fact I think it has been classified as a new genre called "play, create, share." (mod nation racers is built on this genre as well).

It is easily in my top 10 probably 5... That this level is 3 stars only proves my point... that as a community we dont overly go out of our way to help our friends and neighbors, really makes me feel like I've been earning those three stars lately...

Sometimes I feel like people (kids, more than likely) give lower ratings because your level is better than any of theirs. I played a couple 4-star levels on the first Cool Page and I couldn't believe the lack of creative talent that was getting thousands of plays and hearts and 4 - 5 stars. I almost asked the one creator if it took him more than a day to create his level .. then decided I better not because he'll just come and give all my levels a 1 star rating

I appreciate your frustration with those who rate low simply because they can’t work everything out in the first two minutes but I hope it doesn’t put you off making more levels with this sort of challenge in them. The level really was outstanding and I am looking forward to having another go at it, as there are still a couple of secrets I missed.

I second that. I've come to realize that I create levels for myself, and for the people here at LBPC. Shropshirelass also commented on my level as well, and she's the type of player that I like to create for. Don't bend over backwards and make sacrifices that you don't want to make for people who need a little help. I say make the level exactly as you want it, and then provide help through a strategy guide or PM's if they need it.

Only 80 people out of like 2,000 finished your level, so it's too hard for the mainstream apparently... Nothing to really do about that except practically remove the puzzle elements, which isn't really an option.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's 2000 'plays', not 'people'.. and 80 'completions', not 'people'.

Well, my levels are never really "mainstream" anyways. I care more for some more hardcore gamers like the people on this forum for instance.

Exactly.

As for not holding the players hand...you kinda did, That's what I didn't like.

That sticker irks me too but I did put in on feedback. At some point I had to make the level a bit more friendly.

I'm torn at the feeling that if I make it more evident I will simply give it away. Which goes against the level goal which is to make the player think, remember, explore.

I'd say don't go against that goal. It's your level and as long as you like it, that's what matters

And after all that, I haven't played your level yet but it definitely looks like something I will enjoy. I'll leave feedback shortly after I give it a try

[RangerZero]

And after all that, I haven't played your level yet but it definitely looks like something I will enjoy. I'll leave feedback shortly after I give it a try

LOL LOL I am dying here dude. :P

I hope you'll like it after defending it so much! Try to find all the secrets :P

[mistervista]

Sorry I can't give full feedback as I couldn't finish it. I'll give my very few pros and cons so far and then tell you why.

+ Clever puzzles and use of blocks
+ Good design ( albeit the temple section being a bit blocky but I haven't got far in that yet )

- Sticker collection
- Spikes on a ledge where a wheel throws you up. That's a bit evil because you've no way of knowing they are there until you land on them.
- The reason I couldn't finish : After blowing the wall up and walking through to the part with the Tutankhamun object and 2 vases nothing happened. I tried moving everything and slapping stickers down everywhere but it was still just a dead end. I could see a gap in the roof and when I was higher up in the previous section it looked like there was a round sponge up there but I had no way to get up there. I can only assume something went wrong.

A shame because I like puzzles and think of myself as very good at them and was looking forward to the rest but I must have spent at least 30 minutes there before finally admitting defeat.

[RangerZero]

You have to blow up the bridge.
People aren't observant. There's a crack sound when you walk on it, the camera pans out + there's a sign pointing down under. I mean, I can't really blame you but the goal was to explore a little bit. Looks like this bridge is too obscure for most people!

It makes me feel this level is a fail because I don't want the bridge to me more apparent, I want the player to remember and explore, I don't want it a straight forward level but a level for the players that like to figure stuff out.
I added bubbles under the bridge though in order to titillate people a bit more but that was yesterday and I didn't publish that version yet...

:/

[Powershifter]

Finally finished it! Here's what I thought:

Pros:
- Loved the puzzles .. some were so obvious and I kicked myself for not seeing it right away
- The secret areas were fun to find
- Great custom background!
- The level design is brilliant (ex: most of the platforming is done in the middle layer.. I won't say why, but it was a great idea)
- I loved all the moving parts - it made the planet feel alive

Suggestions:
[Spoiler]This doesn't quite make sense: "Now with this jetpack it's clear I'll be able to reach back my ship." I think you meant, "Now with this jetpack it's clear I'll be able to get back to my ship."[/Spoiler]
[Spoiler]In the underwater part (temple area), if you go down there a second or third time to explore (which I did), the water doesn't drain out. This forces the player to use some tricky moves with the elevator so they can get back up.[/Spoiler]
- Small nit pick, but the level is called "The Blue Planet." Unless I missed something, I'm not sure why it was called the blue planet?
- I'm not a fan of gas walls, but this is just personal opinion.

Also:
[Spoiler]I found 8 out of the 9 secrets. I just couldn't find the secret that lights up the bottom middle on the secret board!! In fact, I was in 4th place until I died a bunch of times just trying to find that last one. I have 3 theories: The first is that I just simply over looked it. The second is that the light just isn't working. And the third is that I spotted something - while in the temple area, to the right of the room with the secret log with a light (1 of 3), it looks like there is another area but I couldn't figure out how to get to it. That could just be the level design and you might want to fix the camera angle or something to avoid further confusion.[/Spoiler]

Overall:
I thought this was a great level! It's perfect for the player like me who likes to explore everywhere and actually use his brain I gave it 5's and a heart!

F4F: When you get the chance, please try my latest level, Celestia (see my signature for the showcase link). It's an exploration/puzzle level as well, however one thing you might not like is that it has a deep story to it. But if you play it, I just encourage you to take your time and explore everywhere .. and if the story interests you, I give the full background of Celestia in my showcase thread. Thanks!

[RangerZero]

Nice finds Powershifter! I will look into the water problem. I've been fixing stuff without republishing yesterday so it's exactly a great time to fix things even more. I obviously wanted to water to go back down again so I clearly made a mistake. However, the lights for secret are all working fine. You must have missed one.

Here's the 9 secrets if you want to know about them. Otherwise, don't check the spoiler.

[RangerZero]

UPDATE:

- Added bubbles under the bridge to make it more apparent you'll eventually have to go there.
- Added a blocking wall so you don't push/drop the coin in the gaz by accident.
- Water now rise back down again if you go down there a second time.
- Removed some keys at the scoreboard.
- Corrected some english errors.

[DrunkenFist_Lee]

Loved your level! One of the things that really stands out is how much everything is moving around. Motion is good! You can never have too much of that. The visual design was great; especially the outdoor natural environment. The puzzle elements were great, although there were times I wasn't sure which way I was supposed to go. Stuck with it, though, and found all the secrets too! Heart!

[mistervista]

You have to blow up the bridge.
People aren't observant. There's a crack sound when you walk on it, the camera pans out + there's a sign pointing down under. I mean, I can't really blame you but the goal was to explore a little bit. Looks like this bridge is too obscure for most people!

It makes me feel this level is a fail because I don't want the bridge to me more apparent, I want the player to remember and explore, I don't want it a straight forward level but a level for the players that like to figure stuff out.
I added bubbles under the bridge though in order to titillate people a bit more but that was yesterday and I didn't publish that version yet...

Oh ! Do you mean the bridge way back in the first area, the forest or jungle type setting or whatever it's meant to be?

If so then that's why it's causing such confusion for people. That's in a totally different area. Usually in most video games when you've moved to a new area the previous one is over and done with and you can't return there again so I naturally assumed that I needed to find a way down there while in that area but I had missed it. When I got stuck in the temple I did consider very briefly trying to return to that area but when I went back to the big ledge you have to get up I just thought it was too treacherous to go back as there are some evil traps along the way and I just thought to myself "No don't be stupid, what's the point going back to an area you've already finished and was torture to get through only to die a load more times and realise it's something in the temple I'm missing". Therefore I naturally returned to the temple and continued to look for 30 minutes for something that wasn't there.

I'm sure lots of other players have done exactly the same thing. I'm very good at puzzles but the problem here isn't solving a puzzle it's just human nature ( or rather video game player's nature ) to breathe a sigh of relief after getting through one area and to then forget that one and concentrate solely on the next area. It wouldn't hurt to let players know they must bactrack at that point because you wouldn't naturally assume that having just got a bomb sticker and blowing the wall out that was obstructing your progress that you would then have to immediately turn around and go back to 'continue'. You would think as I did that the blowing up of the wall was the thing that you had to do to continue.

[RangerZero]

Oh ! Do you mean the bridge way back in the first area, the forest or jungle type setting or whatever it's meant to be?

If so then that's why it's causing such confusion for people. That's in a totally different area. Usually in most video games when you've moved to a new area the previous one is over and done with and you can't return there again so I naturally assumed that I needed to find a way down there while in that area but I had missed it. When I got stuck in the temple I did consider very briefly trying to return to that area but when I went back to the big ledge you have to get up I just thought it was too treacherous to go back as there are some evil traps along the way and I just thought to myself "No don't be stupid, what's the point going back to an area you've already finished and was torture to get through only to die a load more times and realise it's something in the temple I'm missing". Therefore I naturally returned to the temple and continued to look for 30 minutes for something that wasn't there.

I'm sure lots of other players have done exactly the same thing. I'm very god at puzzles but the problem here isn't solving a puzzle it's just human nature ( or rather video game player's nature ) to breathe a sigh of relief after getting through one area and to then forget that one and concentrate solely on the next area. It wouldn't hurt to let players know they must bactrack at that point because you wouldn't naturally assume that having just got a bomb sticker and blowing the wall out that was obstructing your progress that you would then have to immediately turn around and go back to 'continue'. You would think as I did that the blowing up of the wall was the thing that you had to do to continue.

I think the problem is even deeper than that. If it was just a case of human nature not returning to a previous and different looking area, people would always get stuck in Metroid games afterall. I think the problem is that I couldn't make that part of the forest feel like a "central part" of the level, an intersection if you like. Something you remember and will want to go back to. Also, it seems particularly hard in LBP to trigger that exploration switch in people's mind without giving everything away. Maybe I gave myself a big challenge tackling this. But I am not done yet. I have other "metroid" levels dancing in my mind.

I also think it's a matter of people not use to explore in the 4 directions (up, down, left, right). Having a level more horizontal will always be easier for people. Hence probably why people didn't give me the impression to get stuck this much in Sack's In the City and Sack's On The Beach per example.

[mistervista]

Sorry I can't comment on the 'metroid' reference as I know nothing at all about that. Is that what the level is based on and would playing that have given me a better understanding of your level ?

[RangerZero]

Sorry I can't comment on the 'metroid' reference as I know nothing at all about that. Is that what the level is based on and would playing that have given me a better understanding of your level ?

Well, it's not based on it but one knowing Metroid games could see a similarily in the level's nature. Metroid games are games where the abilities you gradually learn/collect lets you explore further into the game's world but also make you go back into previous areas. It was linear games that appeared non-linear because of this. The portable Castlevanias also took that level design style and also Batman Arkham a little.

[G_GEORGE_N]

Hey, haven't played your level yet, will do when i get the chance.
By the comments it sounds good and 5 stars. Can't wait!
By the sound of it you're a good creator, so keep it up !

* By the way the picture failed to load up

Keep creating !