The Dream Catcher - with video!

[CYMBOL]

The Dream Catcher by CYMBOL
The Dream Catcher is about a sackling's first day on the job watching the dream machine - things go wrong and he gets sucked into the Dream World and must find a way out. But beings in the Dream World have different plans. Features a very unique style and visuals that are not in any other levels I've seen.

Hello all,

My latest level was recently published and is on the Cool pages (5 now, may have slipped back to page 6). I worked very hard on created a very unique visual experience for the Dream World. Hope you guys take a chance and play it, since it only has a few more days on the Cool Pages.

I posted F4F because I know there are other creators just like me who just want others to experience their level that they worked so long to create. I have no problem checking out other Creator's levels. If you play my level - leave a comment and put "LBPC" next to it and I'll try one of your levels out.

Thanks everyone!

[Chump]

:O looks really good! I'll go play it ASAP!

[AbstractSam]

Great level. The visuals were unique, and the overall level was very abstract (and if you couldn't tell I love abstract *ahem*). The platforming was simple and kind of hard, but the "effed upness" of the level kept it from being frustrating. I think the hints you gave were kind of useless, people aren't that stupid. xD I'd suggest taking off the hints. The story was also interesting, but you didn't give enough information on the story. I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a story level or not though. :o A lot of times the visuals were awe-inspiring and made me wonder how you did it. Some, however, (specificly the end) were bland and I could see some dark matter a few times. Overall though, I liked it. The abstractness won me over.

and a heart. Great job.

Can you leave feedback on Cemetery Drive by AbstractSam? Thanks.

[CYMBOL]

Great level. The visuals were unique, and the overall level was very abstract (and if you couldn't tell I love abstract *ahem*). The platforming was simple and kind of hard, but the "effed upness" of the level kept it from being frustrating. I think the hints you gave were kind of useless, people aren't that stupid. xD I'd suggest taking off the hints. The story was also interesting, but you didn't give enough information on the story. I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a story level or not though. :o A lot of times the visuals were awe-inspiring and made me wonder how you did it. Some, however, (specificly the end) were bland and I could see some dark matter a few times. Overall though, I liked it. The abstractness won me over.

and a heart. Great job.

Can you leave feedback on Cemetery Drive by AbstractSam? Thanks.

Thank you very much for trying the level and your feedback.

As for the ending - my level overheated and glitched on me. Took me weeks to get a workable ending. Anything I added would not work (no new mouths, further explaining the story, etc) - the ending was COMPLETELY watered down. I planned on ending it with a bang - there were supposed to be earthquakes, and the world breaking apart - but no matter what, my level got FUBAR'd from the glitch and tons had to be deleted. Very sad for me.

I ended it as best I could and yes, it is a story that I hope to clarify in the next installment - but no new mouths could be added. I have obviously learned my lesson about backups. I gave the hints because for some reason - people I beta tested with got confused. So, based on the beta testing, I added hints/arrows.

Again, thanks for taking the time to play and posting your feedback.

(I'll play your level tonight).

[julesyjules]

Hey Cymbol

I played the level last night while flicking thru the Cool Pages, kudos on the amount of madness, some really bizarre and cool effects in there!

[CYMBOL]

Hey Cymbol

I played the level last night while flicking thru the Cool Pages, kudos on the amount of madness, some really bizarre and cool effects in there!

I think I remember your name - maybe you took a pic, or left a comment - or maybe I just saw your name on the scoreboard or something.

Anyway, thanks for playing and the comments. So glad to hear you enjoyed it.

[qrtda235566]

The name just seems cool to me. I'll check this out later today.

[CYMBOL]

Cool - I'll try WaffleWorld 2 - read that thread and it looks like a fun level. Hope to hear back what you thought about the Dream Catcher.

Darn thing won't seem to move up to page four on the Cool Pages.

[TheCountessZ•]

Very cool level. It was very surreal and your effects were really good. It really was like a dream world. One thing I have trouble with is some of your cameras. Most people who play with me know I get a little motion sick at times. I may be more sensitive than others, but I did find myself a bit dizzy at the beginning of the level.

Hearted your level and I hope you continue this story. Nice job.

[Grunge]

great level the few glitches accented the level nicelly and a heart

[Nanluin]

Greetings Symbol;

Below is my review of your level. Please take these comments as constructive suggestions only:

General comments::

-- I think that your level is one of the most visually stunning and impressive I have yet played: I gave you a Heart based upon the visual and special effects alone. Well done! I also loved the "epic journey" feel to it.

-- Like many movies in which a huge amount of effort and budget has gone into special effects, the visuals weren't *balanced* by story -- the plot was a bit lacking, particularly the "apologetic" ending ("I ran out of thermo...sorry"). On the up-side, I believe that the story and dialogue could be greatly improved and reworked without making any physical changes to the level at all, just by changing the contents of the speech bubbles.

Specific comments:

-- The "first day on the job" section of the level shifted from camera-zone to camera-zone too frequently and too abruptly...it "stuttered" from bit to bit, rather than flowing smoothly, and was somewhat uncomfortable to watch.

-- The dialogue from the first few characters became quickly monotonous: the "so, you're the new Dream Catcher, eh? I hope you do better than the last one..." bit. Rather than repeating the same thing multiple times, you might try having each new character build upon what the last one said....leading up to the danger of the job about to be embarked upon (the "fine print" they didn't tell you about when you hired on).

-- The entry into the Dream World was well done, and felt very much like the introduction scene to the old Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone, especially with the cut to black-and-white visuals.

-- I generally don't like long sections where your character completely disappears, but you are still expected to move around and navigate. There were a few places in the level where the player was so immersed in visual effects, that he/she became non-vislble but had to move about, nonetheless.

-- Since the level was not able to include the "Dream Tree", I would cut it out of story completely: as it stands now, the player is told that they will be going on a specific quest for a fruit...only to be told later on that "due to technical difficulties, it ain't gonna happen." The journey-through-hell portion at the end is a nice climax to the level, really, so let it stand as the end (for this installment). Don't apologize at all (you've done a marvelous job!). Just change the story to match what the player will *actually do*, as opposed to what you originally wanted them to do. You've set up an epic battle between good and evil, with Sackboy caught in the middle as a pawn -- run with that ball with no apologies!

-- The "many decorations stuck on a rotating gadget" effect did start to feel a bit overdone, by the end. You could actually cut a few of these out (such as the little one at the very beginning), and make the remaining ones more special.

-- The "choose Yes (bubbles!) or No (squish!) bit" was funny, but felt out of place and unnecessary. I'm here. I'm halfway through your level: of course I'm going to continue on! If not, I'd 'Return to Pod' now! You could get rid of that part, get a little Thermo back, and keep the level-journey's flow smooth.

-- The last jump at the end was evil, pure EVIL. My wife was busting up on the couch watching me try to do it, and watching my points drop and drop and I died and died...I finally got it.

Again, an extremely impressive job! Balance the special effects with story and you have an epic tale here!

-- Nanluin

[obsoleteXeo]

Cymbol has been a PSN friend of mine for some time now, and I promised him I'd record his level and upload a video. For his level, I actually created a new series for my channel called the LittleBigShowcase, and I feel that this level deserves some recognition. If you enjoyed the video, please provide some feedback and play the level! It's well worth a play, and I hope that my new series achieves that effect upon people. So, please enjoy and watch the video!

The Dream Catcher by Cymbol

[qrtda235566]

I just got finished playing it, and this level is really amazing visually. The effects you put in here are awesome, and while some of the basic materials and things are sloppy at some parts, it's easily overshadowed by how amazing some of the effects are. You also have some decent platforming in here and a pretty interesting story. I did think some of the characters could have been better, but at the same time, their uncanniness kinda adds to the surreality of it all. If I could make one suggestion, it would be to make the long jump easier. Maybe add a swingy thing in between to grab onto or something, or make the platforms synchronized in a way that will always provide optimum momentum. The part after you talk to the Dream Queen or whatever, the grassy area and desert seem really empty, but I wasn't sure if you did that intentionally, as it's clearly supposed to be a montage of sorts. Anyway, this was a really fun level. I gave it 5 stars and a heart. I can't wait until the sequel.

[CYMBOL]

Greetings Symbol;

Below is my review of your level. Please take these comments as constructive suggestions only:

General comments::

-- I think that your level is one of the most visually stunning and impressive I have yet played: I gave you a Heart based upon the visual and special effects alone. Well done! I also loved the "epic journey" feel to it.

-- Like many movies in which a huge amount of effort and budget has gone into special effects, the visuals weren't *balanced* by story -- the plot was a bit lacking, particularly the "apologetic" ending ("I ran out of thermo...sorry"). On the up-side, I believe that the story and dialogue could be greatly improved and reworked without making any physical changes to the level at all, just by changing the contents of the speech bubbles.

Thank you very much for taking the time to play the level. As I mentioned earlier - my level glitched at the end. I was completely devastated. I was done and adding some final touches and it overheated and was never the same. Basically, things I made in Create Mode were not there or would not work properly in Play Mode. The earthquakes wouldn't work, new dialouge wouldn't show. . . I was COMPLETELY bummed out.

You actually found the Dreaming Tree at the end - but in Play Mode it was standing sideways in some weird glitch - showed upright in create.

I completely agree with all you guys about the dialouge needing tweaking - but I was afraid to edit it and have it completely be gone.

I really like the constructive critisism and agree with many of the issues you brought up - in most cases, I was simply stuck not being able to make the final tweaks.

-- The last jump at the end was evil, pure EVIL. My wife was busting up on the couch watching me try to do it, and watching my points drop and drop and I died and died...I finally got it.

Again, an extremely impressive job! Balance the special effects with story and you have an epic tale here!

Haha, yes, yes it is evil. But fun when you make it (in my opinion).

Thanks again for the lengthy review/feedback. I appreciate it.

[CYMBOL]

Cymbol has been a PSN friend of mine for some time now, and I promised him I'd record his level and upload a video. For his level, I actually created a new series for my channel called the LittleBigShowcase, and I feel that this level deserves some recognition. If you enjoyed the video, please provide some feedback and play the level! It's well worth a play, and I hope that my new series achieves that effect upon people. So, please enjoy and watch the video!

The Dream Catcher by Cymbol

Wow - thanks XEO. That is just fantastic. Thank you for taking the time to create and post the video!

[mistervista]

Sorry but I didn't like this at all. I played it because of the title, not realising it was a level full of really weird glitches. I just found it very nauseating and it made things difficult simply because of the strange effects. I can't remember which part I got to but I gave up eventually.

The worst thing though was that it messed up my pod. When I returned to the pod it was all glitchy with weird lines and lights flashing around all over the place. I tried resetting my pod several times but it wouldn't go away so I ended up switching the system off and I haven't put it back on since. I really hope this level hasn't screwed up my profile.

I think it would be a good idea to let people know the level has some crazy glitches in before they play it. If I'd known that I wouldn't have played it to start with.

[CYMBOL]

Sorry but I didn't like this at all. I played it because of the title, not realising it was a level full of really weird glitches. I just found it very nauseating and it made things difficult simply because of the strange effects. I can't remember which part I got to but I gave up eventually.

That's fine that you did not appreciate the design. The only glitch used is the 3D glitch and invisible ground. Sheesh! (I really don't understand your statement of "full of glitches"). Heck, I don't even use teleporting. All checkpoint switches were done manually.

The worst thing though was that it messed up my pod. When I returned to the pod it was all glitchy with weird lines and lights flashing around all over the place. I tried resetting my pod several times but it wouldn't go away so I ended up switching the system off and I haven't put it back on since. I really hope this level hasn't screwed up my profile.

Sorry, but my level did not mess up your POD. I've had many friends beta test and over 700 plays with no complaints. LBP glitches all the time - if there is a glitch in your POD, it has to do with the game itself - not a level. I had the same issue happen many months ago. Simply restart the game or your PS3. (Kind of like error 403 - just restart). The sky isn't falling.

I think it would be a good idea to let people know the level has some crazy glitches in before they play it. If I'd known that I wouldn't have played it to start with.

The level does not have "crazy glitches" and to say so is simply not factual. The only "glitch" employed is the 3D glitch and thin dark matter, which is used in MANY, MANY levels. Everything else used in my level is something that has been around in LBP since the beginning, only used in a different way.

There are ENTIRE levels dedicated to actual glitches. Mine uses 1 of them.

Sorry to hear your POD had some lines in it for a minute - but just restart you PS3 and you'll be fine.

[AbstractSam]

Sorry but I didn't like this at all. I played it because of the title, not realising it was a level full of really weird glitches. I just found it very nauseating and it made things difficult simply because of the strange effects. I can't remember which part I got to but I gave up eventually.

The worst thing though was that it messed up my pod. When I returned to the pod it was all glitchy with weird lines and lights flashing around all over the place. I tried resetting my pod several times but it wouldn't go away so I ended up switching the system off and I haven't put it back on since. I really hope this level hasn't screwed up my profile.

I think it would be a good idea to let people know the level has some crazy glitches in before they play it. If I'd known that I wouldn't have played it to start with.

Lol, there weren't any crazy glitches at all xD There were some pretty awkward effects that can make you think they were glitches, but certainly they weren't.

[obsoleteXeo]

Ya, I think the "glitches" he is referring to are the incredible effects. I have (besides this level) not seen any of the effects that Cymbol has showcased. However, that's not to say the level is without flaw; as mentioned, there are story issues, character issues, and level overheating crap that also impacted the level. But, despite those problems, the level is entirely original and creative as the effects blew me away the first time I witnessed them, and I still am impressed by how Cymbol manages to achieve some of the feats that he does with The Dream Catcher.

@mistervista: I think the issue with your pod has happened to many people on several occasions (myself included). So, I don't want to come across as attacking you, but think critically about the glitch that happened in your pod (your dissatisfaction with a level does not justify blame for issues with LBP), and hopefully you will determine that this issue is not related to his level.
Now, it's fine to feel that a level is poor, but placing that dissatisfaction on an unrelated issue is not very logical. So, hopefully, you realize that a simply PS3 restart will suffice, and you'll be good to go and play more LBP!


-xeo

[CYMBOL]

Hello all, I've updated my first post with the video review from ObsoleteXeo. Please check out the link to get an idea of the level and see what his series about.

The level is still currently on the Cool Pages (has til Tuesday night, I believe) - it hasn't done as well as I had hoped in numbers of plays, but the comments have been great and my Creator Hearts have gone up be over 20. So, it's great to see that people have enjoyed it.