Dr. Dooley's Contraptical Obstacle Course

[RedSoakedSponge]

added to que! look forward to trying it.

[Aselrahc]

Terrific! I added a sponge to aid in some of the hard to reach bubbles. That way it still requires a lucky swing, but not a rediculously rare super lucky swing!

[mr_b_ram]

http://lbp.me/v/w3-c95

Hey all, I'm back in the swing with a new level! Dr. Dooley has created some music but it got away and it's angry. Navigate the obstacle course to find and defeat it and you might get the song as a prize!

A high energy level with challenging swings and bounces, lots of secret areas jammed with bubbles and a custom song.
Pictures to come....

First off, thanks for suggesting tweaking the glass settings on my level, that will help me alot. As for your level, I really enjoyed it. The only thing is, I think it is a little above my skill level on lbp. I keep dying at the part where you fall platform to platform dodging the spikes, I keep dying on the spikes. I'll try later to see if I can get through again. All in all a very nice looking level.

[agsrule]

Added to my queue! Will give feedback shortly

[Aselrahc]

I hope you are using the grappling hook to get down. As soon as you jump down, hit R1 to grab the orange sponge and let the grappling hook out. Jumping straight down is a big no-no, lol. If you are using it, then I would suggest just taking your time and making sure you are lined up with the safe spot before you let go.

[Dietomaha]

I would just like to say, this level is great, and deserves a 20th reply

[pickled-punk]

Hey Aselrahc. Very good level. Solid visual style, quirky humour, music that strings you along. Entertaining boss-fight.

The obstacles are original and very well done. I especially like the way your gameplay is integrated in your visuals, like the electrified blocks that switch on and off, and you have to wait on the red block while climbing up. Or pushing the orange block past the in-out movers.

Only thing I didn't like are the non-endless savepoints, but that's just me. (I hate having to start over because I'm clumsy sometimes. Yeah, I managed to terminate myself on the rotating plasmafied wheels with the bouncepads on them... don't ask me why, the spot is not that hard! )
Restarting was no punishment on this level though.

[midnight_heist]

- Had the same problem with lass on the first bit with the 3 way switch.
- Plasma blocks would be better with some sort of visual timer. The higher block is unnecessary, as the player can jump right from the first.
- First bounce pad (on grapple section) can shoot you back the way you came, and then activates the previous checkpoint.
- Bonus higher area the the end of the grapple section. Why does the gap on the right lead to death the player cannot see?
- Unpredictable death at the bottom of the grapple-down section too. I didn't know if this was a high bonus on this section, or the last layer of the secret from the next section.
If you have secrets in your level, there should be no leap of faith jumps into hazards.
You are meant to be rewarding the player to explore, not killing them for it.
+ Rotating plasma/bounce pads.
+ You fall quicky in the next section, and you give the player time to react.
- Cannot see last hazard (circle of plasma) in time, and the last bounce pad pushes you into it.
- Forced magic mouth interrupts bubble combo. Happens again at the end.
+ Story time explaining boss concept. (out of control, have to tame him, etc. This could be taken further gameplay wise.)
- Boss is -way- too easy. You can just spam R1 when you are close to him. Disappointing when compared to the rest of the level.
- Also throughout the level, you can miss the powerups if you are in a hurry after spawning. Which you don't notice as the camera is zoomed out a bit.
+ Music!

Nice visuals/secrets/risk-reward extras.
5 stars/heart if you iron out kinks.
I like the old star system..

[Aselrahc]

Thanks Midnight, that is the feedback I was looking for! I will be out of town this weekend, but when I return I'll look into all the things you mentioned! Good lookin' out!

[Aselrahc]

The plasma wheels are a bit difficult, aren't they? I was thinking of reworking them... hmmm...

[biorogue]

can't wait to get LBP2 so I can play this. adding to queue so don't forget

[Aselrahc]

So, I've spent several hours fixing several problems in the level. I've fixed the camera in the very beginning, took away the plasma blocks as they were more of an annoyance than a real obstacle, added a new secret area in the "big swing" section, made the bounce pad on the wall a bit bigger and enlarged the target area to reach the bubbles across the plasma field under the second arm, tweaked and added some cameras, made a way to return to the top after you swing off to the left to secure the bubbles left of the "vertical bounce" area, added danger signs near secret "leap of faith" areas, brought the plasma floor up into view in one of said areas, improved the boss fight by making him move faster, more frequently, and stay on fire longer, explained the fight better, enlarged the bounce pads on the plasma wheels, ate supper, and added some lighting in a few dark places. I probably did some other stuff too, but I can't remember what that might be.

Thanks to Midnight_heist for the great feedback. I tried to address all of your comments!

[Dietomaha]

Yay, an excuse to try it out again! :P

[RickTheRipper]

LBP2 finally arrived (hooray), and like I said, I tried this as soon as it started up, and boy am I glad. The first community level I played in LBP2 and it was a really good one. Visual wise, it's great. A nice blend of mechanical scenery with a fix shreds of plant life poking in. The music was pretty cool and I liked it (nd best of all, was never annoyed by it). The gameplay was really fun, and kept me on my toes. I think my favorite part was having to go down the holes while dodging the spike floors (felt like something from an actual game). I made it to the boss and really liked. The low gravity coupled with an angry metal ballad was a real blast. Unfortunately though, I died.

There really was nothing about this level I didn't like. Now I had no idea how to use the grappling hook (well, I knew very little. only used it in demo) and the power gloves caught me by surprise (took awhile to learn how to use those as well). But the obstacles weren't so dependent on pro-level skill that I was able to make it through with minimal problems.

Hearted and liked (that's the smiley face, right?)

[Aselrahc]

Thanks Ripper! Yes, liked is the Smiley Face. Glad you enjoyed the level. And don't worry, you'll get the hang of the grapple in no time!