Razhotep's Tomb (images & video)

[aer0blue]

Deep within the sand tides of Egyptia rests a royal pyramid, hosting the tomb of the late pharoah Razhotep. Many thieves have tried to take advantage of this, attempting to steal the Royal Treasure for themselves. However, doom has befallen any one that ever dared grace the steps of the tomb. It is said Razhotep himself still roams the walls of his royal grave, along with a nasty curse said to haunt any mortal unlucky enough to escape the dreadful place...

Features:

• Platforming
• Puzzles
• Enemies
• Boss Battle
• Branching Path
• Extra 4-Player Puzzle
• Hidden Items
• ...and more!

Hey guys! It's finally out. Level took me quite a bit to make... About four weeks, I'd say. A lot of hard, hard work went into this, so I can only hope you guys enjoy it, at least a little bit. Unlike Tekno Fortress (for anyone who played it), the level features a more structured storyline, more balanced platforming and a few more puzzles, too!

I decided to add a branching path again, but I gave it a little twist this time around. Now, Path A is accessible to any amount of players in the level, while Path B is only accessible to 2 players or more. Path B is a little bit longer since it may take a bit of coordination between to two(or more) players, but I find the overall experience on that one to be more satisfying. Of course, each path has their own set of goodies. You'll also get to fight plenty of enemies while avoiding deadly traps and obstacles, only to find yourself in a boss battle at the end (which, I'm quite happy with, might I add)! I tried to not make it so long, but...yeah. It's as long as Tekno Fortress, I'd say. More or less. I did focus more on the presentation this time around. I'm pretty happy with it overall, even if I wasn't able to execute some ideas. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it at least a little bit. Let me know what you think! ^^; I might go into a long Creator break depending on how it goes.

Oh, and, one more thing... Thank you to all of the people that helped me make the level, even if it was just testing it or giving advice. You know who you are! I seriously can't thank you enough. I'm very grateful to have gotten your feedback, even though all of it may have not been applied. I would also like to thank Linque for showing us how to do the "floating platforms" illusion. Credit also goes to Gilgamesh for his "password" mechanism I imitated with the Beta version of the level. OCK, thanks to you too, pal! You taught me that amazing "texture sticker" technique. I actually got the sponge material to look like sand thanks to you! Last, and surely not least, thanks to my good friend Daniel who drew me Raz!

[docpac]

Bookmarked for play. Looks like fun.

Edit:

Wow. Great level. I really liked your mummies and all the hidden and multipath areas. 5 star and hearted. Keep them coming.

[jessjan]

Is it just me, or does that one room totally look like he has like 6 layers instead of 3!?? :P

[BassDeluxe]

Finished already?

I'm going to go play it now. Will edit in my review of it momentarily.

Edit: Woo gots me teh #1 high score, you know, out of two people who finished it. Anyways...

Pros

• The level design and feel is amazing. This level is as good to look at as it is to play.
  
• There are both a x2 and a x4 area. I was alone, so I didn't get to do these, but it's always good for a level to have these.
  
• There is a boss near the end.
  
• Traps littered throughout will keep you on your toes, but(alone) will not make it hard or impossible to ace.
  
• All of the obstacles feel quite original.

Cons

• The boss is almost boring, and it is not a challenge at all. As far as I could tell, the only way to die was to fal in the bits of fire at the bottom, as the boss itself launches no attacks.
  
• I personally preferred the old part at the Great Scarab more than the new one. The new one is almost a joke, really. Perhaps if you removed the danger from the old one, but you still had to cross on the barrel or w/e, it'd keep everyone happy.
  
• The part after the Great Scarab, where you have to cross the spinning square blocks, the blocks move incredibly slow, I understand why you did that, but it's still kinda annoying having to wait for the next one.

That's all I can think of to nitpick at for now.

[accordion]

Looks great, ill play it when i get time.

[Whalio Cappuccino]

Wow that level was amazing, I only have one question, do you plan what your going to do next, because whenever I'm creating my level, I always screw up and use too many layers and such, do you plan before you create?

Btw, level was great, all the detail was amazing, I didn't get to finish but watching the video I notice I didn't miss much, I had to go out, I'll probably play it again.

Now if only they added the song you used for the soundtrack, I don't know why but I really liked it

One thing I suggest though, and BassDeluxe seems to have suggested it as well, you made the boss a bit too easy, players should be awarded with something amazing, but you might of ran out of room which I can understand, I would still add maybe some more hazards if you could like falling rocks or something.

[OCK]

Ahhh, the moment I have been waiting for lol. I will check this out tonight aer0, looking forward to it.

[aer0blue]

Thanks, BassDeluxe! I agree on the boss... I don't know. I wanted to keep it simple, at least this time around, mainly because the level turned out rather long. I don't want people to just die at the boss, knowing it's near the end... Having to start over and stuff. x_x I was tempted on adding more obstacles, but meh. Not to mention I have NO SPACE in the thermometer. Well, maybe I can place one block of stone there...but not much else than that. >_< Something to consider again in the future. Quality over Quantity... Gotta make it shorter and improve the overall experience.

I also agree with the new Scarab room, but it was either that, make the Mummy Eyes move/swing (which would've made it way too hard then since the platform you stand on is so small, the old one (which turned out to be too hard for many), or just delete it and start anew...which I didn't feel like doing. xD

Oh, and a note to aer0blue: If the level does count players before the boss like I thought, you'll probably want another checkpoint at the spot where they would fall to prevent them from commiting sackicide and screwing the rest of the level up.

Could you explain a little? I didn't quite understand.

Again, thanks! Do try the 2p area whenever you can, so you can tell me what you think about that, too. :]

docpac, thanks for the heart and rating!

Whaaaaale, thank you! Try the level with a friend if you can, for the 2p part! Umm, I would have added rocks, but the problem about adding one-layer objects in that area is that they might get crushed by the moving platforms or cause other complications. It would have to have been a thin layer on the foreground with gas behind it (like the Mummy Eyes)... But not much space for that. x_x Although, I could add a little something simple, like a swinging Mummy Eye... Anyway, to be honest with you, I don't really plan that much, I just improvise in the moment. I mean, I do get general ideas of what I want to do, like "oh, this would make a cool obstacle", but I pretty much make them as I go... Which leads me to the problem mentioned before... Making it too long and running out of thermo space. ...

Thanks, OCK. Let me know what you think, especially what you think could have been done better. :]

[BassDeluxe]

Could you explain a little? I didn't quite understand.

Thought I might have to, didn't explain it very well up there.

What I meant was this: right before the boss, there's a short drop with a checkpoint at the top. Immediately after is another checkpoint, and then you begin the boss. Now, I'm assuming the reason for the first checkpoint is because you are counting how many players are in the party right there, am I correct? If not, none of this matters, but if so, I recommend adding one more checkpoint immediately at the bottom of the fall. That way, they would fall, be counted, and if they decide to kill themselves before the boss' checkpoint, they will not be counted as yet another player. Does that explain it? If you like I can draw up a diagram.

[aer0blue]

Thought I might have to, didn't explain it very well up there.

What I meant was this: right before the boss, there's a short drop with a checkpoint at the top. Immediately after is another checkpoint, and then you begin the boss. Now, I'm assuming the reason for the first checkpoint is because you are counting how many players are in the party right there, am I correct? If not, none of this matters, but if so, I recommend adding one more checkpoint immediately at the bottom of the fall. That way, they would fall, be counted, and if they decide to kill themselves before the boss' checkpoint, they will not be counted as yet another player. Does that explain it? If you like I can draw up a diagram.

Ah, makes sense now! I get what you mean, but nope, the players aren't counted. When the players drop and activate the actual boss checkpoint, a wall closes in behind them and black gas is emitted (...by an emitter) around the area before that, so if they were left behind for X or Y reason, they get auto-killed so they respawn on the boss checkpoint. Now, did I make sense? Anyway, Mm did this on The Collector, and I copied it off (where the elevator begins to go down).

[BassDeluxe]

Ah, I see. Well, nevermind then.

[OCK]

I just finished it and have the number 1 score Here are my thoughts:


- As far as level design goes this is a masterwork. The structure, puzzle placement, variety is all top notch and there is definitely inspiration to be found here for ALL creators.

- The puzzles are very clever and original. Nothing is rehashed and it is really refreshing to see such variety. I hope people appreciate the thought that has to go into making all of this stuff, it is a lot of hard work.

- I love the visuals/theme you went with on this one and I have not really seen it done before (or at least not to this standard). The custom stickers you used to decorate worked great and I wish more people would add them to their levels.

- There are so many small details here that are very cool. When on the moving platform the little piece of glass that moves the checkpoint is ingenious. When activating the TNT the way the stone collapses to form a bridge is great (btw I remember during playtesting the TNT box was not colored so when I got to this section I was pleasantly surprised to see that you had done so, this is VERY rarely seen). There is just so much more that I don't want to spoil but the fact is that there is a lot to appreciate here.

- Doble-life checkpoints scattered liberally, wish more people did this.

Suggestions:

- I agree with what has been said about the boss but at the same time I understand thermometer complications. Still, you could do more to make it a little more challenging.

-

I personally preferred the old part at the Great Scarab more than the new one. The new one is almost a joke, really. Perhaps if you removed the danger from the old one, but you still had to cross on the barrel or w/e, it'd keep everyone happy.

I have mixed feelings here. On one hand the barrels were very challenging I think some people would be put off by that (not me though, love a challenge lol). The new carts are more accessible but the challenge has been drastically reduced. Well, something to think about.

- Just before the 2x section you have the arrows with the A and B. I would not mid if you made this lettering custom to better fit your overall look (I say this a lot, I guess I really pay attention to even the smallest details).

It was a pleasure playtesting this and I am very satisifed with the end result. I am happy you used my suggestion to change the look of your sand　（I have been meaning to create a thread in the HELP section called "Texture and Material manipulation 101" but have not found the time yet lol）. I encourage everyone to check this level out and let aer0 know what you think. 5 stars and hearted, thank you for another great level.

[Voltiare]

Amazing level. Everyone must play. Seriously, it is pretty much Mm quality. Not quite, but close enough. 5 STARS AND HEARTED.

[muttjones]

this has been my favourite user level so far! fantastic work!

[ryryryan•]

I played this yesterday, and i have to say it is amazing. When i got to the 2 player section, i just used two controllers so i could check out the area lol. Was a bit tricky using 2 at once but i did it! And i thoroughly enjoyed the whole level
I do agree with the boss... even if he just chucked a bit of fire at you or something to make it more lively. He just seems a bit boring sat there watching you kill him lol.
Bar that though, as i said it's a great level. 5 Stars and Hearted - which i don't do often!