Dream Or Reality? by Arrestor (New Version available: "Dream or Reality? 2.03")

[Arrestor]

Hi together!

I had to publish a fixed Version. Its called: "Dream or Reality? 2.03"

This level has been featured on "Sack it to me" ! (Playstation blog)

After LittleBigVolcano I now proudly present my second level which is called "Dream Or Reality?". In this one Sackboy discovers a colourful little world somewhere between imagination, dreams and thoughts. Of course he is there for a reason, but find that out by yourself.

This level was hard work and the thermo nearly burned a hole into my psp.
I really (really, really...) hope you all like it and have fun while playing it.
As always i am hungry for feedback!

Youtube Video

Also see the attached screenshots (in crappy quality).

Greetings!

Arrestor (PSN: Maboe84)

[Fastbro]

Just finished your level and I really enjoyed it. and a heart!

[jeffcu28•]

Arrestor!

This level had me smiling in awe from start to finish. Not only have I not seen a beautifully ethereal environment successfully implemented on the PSP yet, but some of the gameplay and technicalities have their own achievements in originality.

I really liked the spinning spiral maze at the beginning as it was both fun, wonderfully designed, and set the theme and mood by disorientating the player a bit into a trance. I also enjoyed the rocket powered vehicle proceeding it...it felt like you were going deeper into the subconscious. My only gripe about the introduction was that one could see the generic walls and floor of the level, which took away from the experience a bit.

The dream chamber was also mesmerizing and had its technical merits, but I was confused about some of the hazards in the section. I know this might be random, but I loved the wavy yellow thing that moved in the background...that had me scratching my head a bit until I figured out how you did it. Brilliant! I also liked the concept of trial and error of finding out the right "thought," but I got confused when spikes slightly protruded out of the ceilings and constantly killed my sackboy. Was that intentional? I think grabbing the sponges and having a surprise result is much more fun gameplay-wise.

I thought you did a fantastic job of capturing surreal-ness with the floating beds and amazing character designs, particularly the yellow one you have pictured. I loved the idea of incorporating the character within the platforming architecture itself. The boss was also amazing. I thought it had the appropriate level of difficulty, and I liked how he stood in contrast with the rest of the level as a dreary colored nightmare figure, but still with an adorable cartooniness about him. I also liked how his smoldering shoes got left behind...nice touch!

All in all, this level is teeming with both technical and artistic merits, and I have no doubt that this will float up to the highest rated pages in no time.

, level heart, and I've hearted you already!

Blissfully lost in a dream,
jeffcu28

[amazingflyingpoo]

Hidy Ho Arrestor! I got a chance to play your level today so here is that feedback that you said you are hungry for

I loved the colors in the level, and the scenery was pretty much spot on for what you were doing in the level. To top all of that off, I really liked the dialog that went with the level. You had some very unique ideas, and that really helped the experience.

As for things that could be tweaked if you happen to republish, at the very start of the level, if you jump you can see outside the intro, which isn't a big deal. Also, you built the level at the very bottom of the create section, so you can see the white border of the level. This is certainly not something that you can fix with this level, but I think it would help the look to be perfect if on your next level you build away from the walls of the create section, so that there is none of that unwanted scenery. Like I said, it's not a big deal, but I think it would make a very polished level like this one look even more polished Lastly, I had a bit of an issue with the wheel at the start. My wife and I were looking at everything in the level and I just ran to the right without jumping into the wheel, and this made the wheel spin some without me being in it, and once I realized that I should be in it, the opening was not there, so it was confusing. Since there was an arrow, we figured out that we needed to get into the wheel there and that we just messed up, so we restarted. I think that if you made the proximity region a bit smaller then that might fix the problem. I wouldn't say that it is an issue that is worthy of republishing, but if you do republish, it would be something that you could fix.

I gave a lot of constructive criticism, but that by no way means the level is bad. I loved the level, and you did an excellent job with it. I just figured that I would pass some of my thoughts your way since that is what you asked for

Great job!

[Arrestor]

Hi!

My only gripe about the introduction was that one could see the generic walls and floor of the level, which took away from the experience a bit.

Yes i know. Actually at the start i just fooled around in the editor. When i later realized that this would be a real level, it was to late to change that. My fault and i will definitely learn from this

... but I got confused when spikes slightly protruded out of the ceilings and constantly killed my sackboy. Was that intentional?

Yes its intentional cause its no trial and error area The puzzle is attached to the Chamber Of Thoughts and u have to closely look on the appearing pictures to know which one u have to pick at the grab switches. So the spikes are one result of a failure. I hope you can understand what i am trying to say...

I just ran to the right without jumping into the wheel, and this made the wheel spin some without me being in it, and once I realized that I should be in it, the opening was not there, so it was confusing. Since there was an arrow, we figured out that we needed to get into the wheel there and that we just messed up, so we restarted. I think that if you made the proximity region a bit smaller then that might fix the problem.

Yes i noticed that too. But if i make the region smaller the end of the spiral would be really boring cause it would turn that slowly. You could have waited for the entrance to come back to you, but can i understand your restart

I really am thankful for the feedback and the kind words given here!

I was really scared that the players would not understand my intentions or that my english would be so bad that the story wont come through...

Once again thanks a lot!

btw: "excellent job" and "highest rated pages" sounds really nice!!!

[Arrestor]

Hey where have all the reviewers gone?

[Taffey]

I'm here!

Just played this and enjoyed it. There's a lot of good and a little bad... but first the good. First and most importantly, you took a lot of risks with this level and I really like that. You had a crazy idea, went with it, and it really works! You spent an amazing amount of time creating a weird, ethereal dreamscape. Your use of colors, stickers, and funky shapes all fit together quite nicely. I thought your transition from one area to another was well done, and each area has its own distinct look and feel. There's a lot of deep messages in this level as well, and I also really enjoyed that. From avoiding nightmares to trying to come up with a new idea to facing your fears, the story behind everything is great. I'm sure the younger crowd out there won't have any idea what all that is supposed to mean, but they can just enjoy the platforming instead.

Speaking of the platforming, you have a number of ingenious mechanics incorporated into this level. I was truly amazed by the giant spiral and can only imagine how long it took you to create that and have it actually work. Varying the speed of the motor bolt as you get close to the center is a very nice touch indeed. The squiggly line thing that jeffcu28 likes so much also took me by surprise - very innovative and well executed. Loved that. The boss fight was done well too, and I like the projectiles guided by the different "tracks".

Ok, so now the bad part. You can see the sides of the level, but since others have pointed that out I don't need to say much else. It's a minor thing, so just look out for it on your next creation. Although your gameplay ideas are very good, there's a little trouble with the execution here and there. On the spiral, I had the same trouble that poo had with it. I didn't realize that there was a little hole to jump into until I had already caused the wheel to rotate, so I had to restart. Block the front layer against the wheel with some material so players can't make this same mistake. Once inside the spiral, it took me quite a long time to figure out that the two layers are separated with glass. I thought you were supposed to jump through the hole in the middle to a flat platform in the back, and it wasn't until several minutes later did I realize what the puzzle was all about. Once I finally did find the exit hole, I jumped out on the wrong side and had to restart again. I'd say instead of the clear glass you should use "blue glass" or perhaps one of the ice options that is translucent rather than transparent. This will make it obvious to the player when they have jumped to the front layer and successfully solved the obstacle.

I had a ton of problems with the idea selecting area. I got stuck there for what seemed like forever, and I died about 20 times. Random deaths are fine, but you have to be careful with them not to annoy players. If you're going to have random deaths, make them happen only once per failed selection and never again after that. Attach sounds to them as well to round out the experience. I didn't even know I had the correct selection once I finally got it. Through random trial and error, I found the answer but the key didn't spawn until I held the sponge for several seconds. Again, add a "task complete" sound here to reinforce the correct choice to the player. Getting it back through the spikes was not a lot of fun. I understand the excellent concept here, but it needs some fine tuning to make it less randomly difficult and more entertaining. The only other area I had trouble with was the dodging the nightmare part. It's fun and well made, but you should probably put a life checkpoint on the rising platform. Getting most of the way to the top and dying means you have to sit around and wait for the almost-invisible platform to come all the way back down, potentially getting yourself trapped and/or squished underneath it if you're waiting in the wrong spot.

I know I had a lot of issues to complain about, but let me be clear and say that I really like this level. It is brilliant and innovative, and is everything a LBP level should be... but needs a few minor adjustments. I rated it 4.5 stars (which rounds to 5 in game) and gave it a heart. You've got a creator heart already... No soup for you! Nice work and I look forward to your next.

[PaddyJ]

redo the idea section. Its too frustrating. Id repalce it with a less frustrating puzzle(idea sorting? i dunno). Id also make it so the wheel you jump in is activated by a sensor switch so you can't break it

[Arrestor]

Hi Taffey!

I had a ton of problems with the idea selecting area. I got stuck there for what seemed like forever, and I died about 20 times. Random deaths are fine, but you have to be careful with them not to annoy players. If you're going to have random deaths, make them happen only once per failed selection and never again after that. Attach sounds to them as well to round out the experience. I didn't even know I had the correct selection once I finally got it. Through random trial and error, I found the answer but the key didn't spawn until I held the sponge for several seconds. Again, add a "task complete" sound here to reinforce the correct choice to the player. Getting it back through the spikes was not a lot of fun. I understand the excellent concept here, but it needs some fine tuning to make it less randomly difficult and more entertaining. The only other area I had trouble with was the dodging the nightmare part. It's fun and well made, but you should probably put a life checkpoint on the rising platform. Getting most of the way to the top and dying means you have to sit around and wait for the almost-invisible platform to come all the way back down, potentially getting yourself trapped and/or squished underneath it if you're waiting in the wrong spot.

I understand your complaints. Its my first puzzle and i just didnt think of the sounds... (i now wonder myself cause i played many puzzles and there were often sounds in it *scratch head*)

Yes i thought of a moving checkpoint at the dream area, too. But i didnt really know where to put it cause i didnt want the player to respawn and then stand right in an obstacle and die again.

Anyway your feedback (and every other) is very welcome and i will really try to improve my creating abilities with all this!

Greetings!

[Domik12]

Arrestor, level is fantastic! You contrive many interesting things and ideas! Thanks, I had mush pleasure while playing your level! 5 stars!

[Lleonard Pler]

I've just played it before going to bed, and had to turn on the PC again to praise this great level. It may need some minor adjustments (already mentioned by other posters here), but it's one of the most original levels I played in LBP PSP, full of surprises and innovations. The aesthetics are quirky in a good way, they really work in the context of the level and actually make it more enjoyable and cohesive. I loved that spiral in the beginning, it's so cool that you should have kept it for later in the level (pacing is important). It must have taken ages to design it and make it work. Anyway, congratulations for the good work.

[fabioisonfire]

This was a great level. I haven't been creating levels for long, but I can tell that this was very well made. The part where you need to think of a new idea was really screwing me, though. (It was a bit too hard.) But I have no other complaints. I gave you 5 stars, man. Great work, and keep it up. I'd love to see more.

[Arrestor]

Thanks! And there already is more: http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?19799-[LBPC]_LittleBigVolcano

[euska9]

great thanks

[Barzano]

I absolutely love this Level!
Its creative, challenging, visually great...
5 Stars and Fav for sure!

(And i´ve got the Highscore together with Arrestor :P )

Looking forward to your next Level!