The House of 1000 Skulls (remastered for LBP 2)

[xiSiCx]

Thank you hellfire for taking the time to play my level and for leaving very detailed feedback. I appreciate it!

I am sorry you did not enjoy the level that much and I appreciate your honesty about what you didn't like. I like all feedback and definitely want to hear what people like or don't like about my levels. That is what helps me get better and again, I appreciate it!

As for the 3 colored skull boxes, I'm not sure how you got it stuck, because you are supposed to drop them in between the tables. That puzzle is kind of like the "chicken, wolf, grain with 1 boat" riddle. It is designed so that if a Skull Box is on one of the tables, you can't get another one past it, therefore you must drop them in between the tables so that the others can be moved. The length of the tethered jetpacks are specifically the length that they are so that the player can only move 2 skull boxes with one jetpack. I know some people get frustrated with the jetpack's chain length, but that is part of the puzzle. A longer chain also causes issues when a player is able to ride the elevator or go back up the vent with the jetpack on. I know it's not ideal, but it was a 2009 designed puzzle so I'm just gonna blame it on that! LOL!

As for the Body ID # room, it is actually a really easy room so I definitely need to do something there to make it easier for the player to understand how it is to be used. I get a lot of complaints about this and you are right, it's easy for me but hard for others. Thing is if I were to show you once, how to use that machine, you would see really how easy it is. First there is a grabbinator in the room that you'll need. Once you have the grabbinator, then get in the middle layer without jumping onto the back layer, walk in front of what number you want, then just jump and you will automatically be pushed to the back layer and on top of the number you have picked. Grab the number with the grabbinator and then without moving, return to the middle layer. Walk with the number in hand to the front of the ID# machine. You will see 2 flat spots or platforms on top of the machine that are in between the slots for the numbers. Be sure to stand in front of one of those flat spots and face which ever slot you intend to put the number in and then simply jump up to be automatically pushed to the back layer and you will be standing on one of those flat spots. Then just let go (don't throw) the number and it will slide right into place without you ever having to "walk" on the machine. Just repeat this technique with the rest of the numbers.

When it comes to the numbers or correct code, the machine lights up when you have the right numbers on it, but will only release the key if they are in the right order. The Body ID numbers can be found on 3 bodies that are present throughout the house before reaching this room. Each body has a number attached to it and the correct order is the order in which the bodies are found.

Maybe I need to do a movie cutscene with a sackbot using the machine properly so that people don't get confused and see how easy it is to use.

I understand what you mean about direction and I often get frustrated with levels that have no direction as well. Usually I get frustrated with linear platforming levels that have no direction, but I am a little more understanding with lack of direction in open world puzzle levels. I did think about direction when updating this and have actually added a lot of direction. (you would really hate the LBP 1 version if you think this one lacks direction... LOL) I tried to add some clues to give a little more direction in this one, like the clue inside the vent or the clue for the hole in the wall. I even made some clues with magic mouths that can be read over and over again instead of letting the player see it just once. I also added glowing lights coming from where the trophies are so they had a bit of a clue as to where they are located. I tried to make the movie cameras show the player some clues for a sense of direction. With that said, I just don't want to give everything away. I want the player to feel a real sense of accomplishment and reward when they have figured out what they were supposed to do.

Like I said before, Mnnska tested this for me when I was updating it and he said he felt like I was holding the players hand too much and that I am taking all the fun out of it by pretty much telling the player what to do and making it too easy. I have not changed any of the clues since then and just told him that I was gonna leave it that way so people would be able to finish it. Then the community tells me it's too hard to figure out, LOL, go figure! Too easy for Mnniska and too hard for the community! LOL! Another thing that makes me scratch my head is that the much MUCH harder and not so polished LBP 1 version has 1751 plays with 87 hearts, and the much easier and updated LBP 2 version has only 41 plays and 6 hearts and I have done WAY more to promote the LBP 2 version.

I really really REALLY appreciate your feedback and I will try to make some improvements based on what you and others have suggested, but I am not sure how many changes can be made because my thermo is completely maxed out and it will blow up if I even add one little sticker.

I am sorry if this level is frustrating, but that is kind of what I was going for. I am a professional video game tester and I have tested this thing over and over and over some more and I can assure you that it all works, it's just hard. This level might be hard, but it's mentally hard not physically hard. Levels like Mnnska's "Mission ImPAWssible!" are much harder and much more frustrating than this level, but they are hard and frustrating because they are physically hard not mentally hard. If you are familiar with games like Resident Evil or Metroid, then you should have a pretty good idea of how to play this level.

Think of it this way, a level like "Mission ImPAWssible!" makes you throw your controller and curse, and a level like "The House of 1000 Skulls" makes you drop your controller and think!

I know this level is not everybody's cup of tea, but I do appreciate everyone who has givin' it a go and left feedback whether you liked it or not! Thank you all!

[hellfire]

Well, ok, but just to let you know you I broke the skull puzzle, I dropped the red box sideways between the tables and jumped on it, making it lodged forever between them. Might want to make the boxes just a bit smaller so you have a chance of getting it back out.

Also, it's easy when the numbers are all in the slots, but take the grabinator and throw them all into one huge pile on the side of the room. Then you'll have the situation I was in. It impossible to get the correct number without knocking others away.

Maybe just try reworking those small bits?

[xiSiCx]

Well, ok, but just to let you know you I broke the skull puzzle, I dropped the red box sideways between the tables and jumped on it, making it lodged forever between them. Might want to make the boxes just a bit smaller so you have a chance of getting it back out.

Also, it's easy when the numbers are all in the slots, but take the grabinator and throw them all into one huge pile on the side of the room. Then you'll have the situation I was in. It impossible to get the correct number without knocking others away.

Maybe just try reworking those small bits?

I will see what I can do and I'll be back with an update! Thanks again!

UPDATE:
Ok hellfire, I took some of your feedback and made some changes based on it.

First and foremost, you were right, you can break the skull puzzle the way you mentioned. I had it so that you could respawn new ones by pulling the lever downstairs again, but my emitters were apparently set to 1. Anyway, that isn't a good way to solve that issue so I just made them smaller like you suggested and it works fine now. I even tested to see if they could fit under the tables on their sides, but they can't. This does have a side affect and that is to sacrifice the "wolf, chicken, grain" part of the puzzle because you can now carry the skull boxes over another one if it's on the table. Not a big one, but a sacrifice non the less. In the end I do think it is a worthy trade off and I feel it makes the experience more enjoyable.

Second, I "think" I made the ID room a little more understandable without having to do a sackbot cutscene. I say "think" because it seems obvious to me, but others might struggle like you stated before. With that said I do believe that my fix will help a little with this room. Essentially I just put a glass enclosure over the entire machine and only left openings where the 2 platforms are. This will at least eliminate most cases of the player accidentally getting on the slippery machine or accidentally throwing numbers on the machine. The player will have to actually carry the number "into" the machine if it wants to place it in a slot. Also, the machine makes a sound when the proper number is in the correct spot. So once you have determined the 3 correct numbers (either by finding the bodies or finding out which ones light up the machine) the sound will help determine the correct order. This was not an update, but a feature I forgot to mention in my earlier post.

Last, I was getting complaints about the length of the movie camera that is triggered in the Skull Shrine Courtyard. Well since that camera is your only look at the trophy room before actually going there, I wanted people to look as long as they wanted so I made it a "hold infinitely" camera, but I made it skippable so that the player could determine the duration of the camera. So from the complaints I am guessing that people did not assume to check if it was skippable and let it sit for a very long time, hence the rage over how incredibly long the camera was. So I decided to eliminate that confusion and just make the length 5 seconds like the rest of the movie cameras in the level.

Thanks again for all the feedback and I hope some of you play it again and see if the changes make the experience better for you.

[DreJ1212]

Just played through the level.

As a few people have said, the body ID room took WAY too long at the end. I do have plenty of patience though, so I ended up finishing the level. Everything I have to say about that puzzle has already been said. I really liked the whole free roam exploration with plenty of rooms theme you had going on. The visuals were pretty nice, and puzzles were pretty fun. Great level overall, just didn't like the puzzle at the end. I probably would have enjoyed this even more if I played it in lbp1 though.

[Mnniska]

I haven't been able to play the LBP2 verision of this level just yet, however I remember playing it in LBP1 a few years ago and it was a rather enjoyable experience back then. The level houses a good deal of tricky puzzles, the design is also well thought out and more then one time you will need to backtrack or find a alternative path in order to advance. To this comes a nice creepy atmosphere and even a few trophies thrown in for even more replay value!

As said, I haven't played it in LBP2 yet but from what I remember this is a solid puzzle level that dares to think outside the box set up by a community that want to run, press a button, avoid a shark and finish their average level in five minutes. Play it!

[xiSiCx]

Thanks for the kind words Mnniska!

[Deurklink1]

I didn't really like it.. After i couldn't figure out what to do in the x-ray room i quit. But it's more because i'm a pretty lazy gamer. I'm the kind of player who needs obvious directions Hope other people enjoy it!

[Sackpapoi]

Boop. Got it queued . I'll get the results to you in a jiffy.
This is F4F right? Well, if it is, then here's my request to you. http://lbp.me/v/9mxt5y

[xiSiCx]

Thanks guys for the feedback! I will be sure to get some feedback on your levels as soon as I get off work!

[Sackpapoi]

I liked it! It was puzzling and difficult, but not too much to render it unenjoyable. I liked the way the stage connected to various areas, and that shortcuts appeared rather than having to go around. The scenery was great, even if I didn't play the LBP1 version, I can tell it was re-mastered in some way. The thing I liked most about it was the gameplay. It was a nice puzzler that kept me going around the stage and finding things. It also required some memory, which is always a nice twist. The way you had to solve the puzzles to progress was especially challenging, but again, not too challenging so that it's not fun.
The only problems I really had with this were the switches and some slight annoyances. The majority of the puzzles required you to pull some switch somewhere, and that got a bit old. However, getting to the switch was the challenge, and that prevented it from becoming too repetitive. The cameras were no problem, except for when it said "KEY" every time you got a key. Also, some areas have pits that you don't see until you nearly fall into them (due to the camera), but that was really only a problem once or twice. Like at the lift part, where the checkpoint is above the lift. I didn't see the pit, and fell in. I didn't activate the checkpoint, so I popped and respawned on the other end of the level. Finally, at the very end of the level, I didn't know you had to choose your path. I jumped, and then I was suddenly trapped in the wrong path. It was a bit hard to see. Either that, or I was just being dumb.
Other than those little problems, it was great. It was the first good puzzler I've played in a while. The atmosphere was cool, but it could be a biiiit darker. It was really original and creative, I can really see that it took time. It was organized and had nice flow. Good job .

[xiSiCx]

Thanks for the kind words Sackpapoi, I am glad you liked it! I appreciate your feedback!

[grayspence]

I played it a few days ago, and I loved it. LBP1 levels that have been redone in LBP2 still have that "Feeling" That I can't put my finger on. The puzzles were great and the Very creepy atmosphere made the visuals look good, even if they were dated.
However, some parts got rocky, such as the well area. I needed to pop myself untill the checkpoint ran out of lives because I kept falling out of the bucket when I needed to get down the well again. I looked for a bit but I couldnt find an alternate way to get up. Sorry if I missed it!

Another thing! I was able to shove the crate that gets lifted by the winch to access the little room on the right away and get into the room prematurely by jumping on the block and running up against the wall. Might want to ammend that with an invisible piston to keep things from moving!
Overall a fantastic level that I regret letting slip under my radar. Gave it a Yay! Great work!

[biorogue]

you're not going to believe it. I finally got to revisit it and I finished it! I love it. Leave it alone. I love the LBP1ness of it and dragging the keys to open doors is great. I loved the design of the level, the puzzles were good and having to backtrack everywhere was great. I only have 2 problems with it. The well section. I too fell down here, several times in fact, and think this area needs either a switch to make stairs slide out something so that I don't have to "pop" myself. The last puzzle with the body identifier. That dang slippery surface had me frustrated. I'd get one or two boxes in place and then myself sliding everywhere would knock them out of spot. Other than that, great level and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[xiSiCx]

Thanks Grayspence and biorogue for taking the time to play my level and I am really glad you guys enjoyed it!

I'm at work so I will have to check when I get home, but I think that the last time I edited the level I forgot to raise the water level back up before I republished it. The well area is supposed to have water in it filled up to the where the bucket sits. If that is the case, my fault guys!

Thanks again for the feedback, it is much appreciated and very helpful! I will try to work out the kinks.

UPDATE: Yep, I must have forgot to raise the water back up before republishing it last time. I usually have the water level set at 10 and it was at 6. Thanks for the heads up!

[xiSiCx]

Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you guys know that I have added a new special "Uranium Skull Trophy" that can only be obtained if you find all the other "Skull Trophies" throughout the House. I hope this adds a little more replay value or at least just another cool collectible. Enjoy!