Contest Discussion Topic (2.0.X)

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Arid Ruins, but that's all I know.

However, the level doesn't look too bad. The idea of platforming above a bottomless pit combined with a desert setting just seems a bit strange, however.
 
...Arid name rant...

Geez... So worked up over a level name? So what if a level name is something with "Arid" in it? Its not hurting you or anything. And in no way should a level name effect a level's score in this contest.
 
I'm going to create a zone called Arid Arid, and it will feature sand followed by more sand.
 
I submitted Water Works Zone to the Contest.
I'm not really happy with the way it turned out, but at least I can get some criticism to improve my skills.
 
Geez, ANOTHER thing with Arid in it's name? Why does everyone and their mother name their Dry levels Arid? I know "Arid" basically means "dry place with little to no water", but come on, the term loses all uniqueness if eVERYONE names their desert/canyon levels Arid. Arid Canyon, Arid Desert, Arid Jungle, and now Arid Night, and probably a few others I missed. Ugh.

Well, I can suck at level names from time to time, how do theese sound?:
Quicksand Night Zone
Twilight Ruins Zone
Rush Ruins Zone

If I don't get enough opinions on this, I'll just use TRZ.
 
For anyone interested in playing an early alpha of Darkvile Castle 2, there's a link in my signature.
 
That level was just plain boring.
The scenery felt pretty repetitive and lacked in some areas. The entrances to the castle seemed pretty ugly (it's surrounded by sky; make walls).
The gimmicks you used didn't feel set to any particular theme. Shrinking just felt totally unnecessary. The 2D area was lame because it boils down to a long, boring Thokfest in slime (which is very boring, and it's far too long), and because the ceiling lowers when you get out, the camera gets stuck outside of the level and disables your vision. The crushers were too easy to avoid (due to Thokking through it all), the flame jets were hardly notable, rising platforms that crush you could be skipped by Thokking, too. The cannons were too easy, too.
There were only two paths, and I didn't find many bonuses along the way. The quicksand was too short, and I don't like the Zoom Tubes because they didn't fit.
It felt sorta cramped in some areas (the garden and the beginning area, mostly)
4.8/10
 
Well, my stage is at least playable now. Not exactly the prettiest stage on the planet, but it seems to play pretty well.

Some (rather ugly) screenshots:

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Hopefully we can get a lot more playable stages this time. I encourage everyone to enter so we can actually make a contest to remember.
 
Update on Moss Flower Zone 1's status.

It won't be done in time for the next contest, but my level's nearing completion. I've still got to work out a few kinks with the framerate, take care of some missing textures in the new areas, and add the ending. Overall though, its coming along better than I'd expected, provided I can polish the first half properly.

Here are some more screenshots showing the second half of the level. Once you're above water, things are a little easier as you're nearing the end. Watch out for the tall grass, you don't know what might be lurking underneath. The new textures for the tall grass are almost directly inspired from the tall grass of the N64 Zelda games.

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Also, SonicMaster's been kind enough turn my crummy remix/composition into something worth listening to.. Whether or not I can have it in ogg format depends on how much time I have to devote to figuring it all out.

As its the first level of my planned level pack, expect it to be generous with the rings, and fairly easy to go from start-to-finish. Central gimmicks are quicksand, air pockets, and tall grass.

Assuming the Christmas Season and School don't get in the way, I should have it read to test by the end of January.

EDIT: In case you have to ask, no the areas in the screenshots are NOT the major offenders in framerate, and actually flow very smoothly. The framerate is mostly a problem in the marshy region... because unfortunately, the game has to draw both above-water and below-water junk at the same time. There is some HOM due to the massive size of the room in the first screenshot... so I may have to do some funny stuff to it to get it to look right.
 
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JEV3, that level looks really beautiful. However, for a single-player stage, it's too wide.
Some waterfalls here and there, and areas with light shining through would be nice touches. Maybe little fenced-in gardens or something, too.
 
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