r_cosmicrift -A circuit map

[Chaobrother]

Hello fellow users I have been working on a level WAD for quite some time now. It is a circuit level called Cosmic Rift zone (It uses Map77). It takes place in space where you jump from meteor to meteor on a cosmic belt. There are stars and sector detail. Here are the screen shots and the download link is after the screen shots. Enjoy!
(Please note that the level had minor changes after these screen shots were taken.)







And here is the download link: http://www.sendspace.com/file/k5nu3g

 

[Fawfulfan]

Cosmic Rift Zone: 5/10
The visuals are great, but it's a really hard level. I kept dying on it.

 

[Jellybones]

The visuals are great, and the difficulty is excellent for race. It's not a total thokfest! Tails and Knux could actually better here. This would kill on lag, though.
The missing texture in the sky in software is annoying though.

 

[SonicX8000]

The missing texture in the sky in software is annoying though.

Part of the map is too big for Software Mode to handle, which leads to the HOM effect in some places, also it can do this in small areas too. (In Open GL it has a low chance of that happening, but it can happen.)

Anyway, you might want to make the rock platforms a little bigger, I kept on falling most of the time.

Also, I know about those pillars with the yellow/black lines on them, which insta-kills you if you try to pass them.

 

[Hunter_Orion]

Okay, I gave this a fair shot.

Let's start off by stating that this reminds me a lot of that digital circuit: too easy to die. You have insta-kill sectors to slow down cheaters, that one's reasonable. The excess in monitors...not so much, because it's very easy to bounce off a monitor into an insta-kill sector or a bottomless pit. Also set the music to 145, it seems to fit it better. Also add a dummy arrow at the top of that red spring so no one does what I did (I impulsively went straight instead of right and plummeted)

Overall, this needs some work. You know it's not good when I had to restock my lives 3 times 5/10

 

[Fawfulfan]

Tails and Knux could actually better here.

I played as Knux, and it was really hard.

 

[Scarbo the Black Sheep]

I found this level to be a pain. Race isn't meant to be that tedious.

 

[Fawfulfan]

There's something I'm wondering: how did you get screenshots at that angle?

 

[Chaobrother]

Yeah I can see how this level can be tedious with C-lag from net games. I played it and died a good bit of times in it, so during the editing process I expanded the plat forms. I wanted the level to have the illusion of hopping on a meteor belt and such platforming was for the sole intent to cripple Sonic's thokking ability. I personally don't like Sonic's ability because I mostly use knuckles.

@ Jellybones69: I normally test my levels in Opengl mode, forgeting the the software demographic and I may start testing in software mode to fix the visual bugs in this and future maps.

@fawfulfan: I got the screen shots at the angle by standing on top of the pillars, turning off the camera and flying up as tails. When I am in the air I quickly pause the game adjust the sight of view to where I want it (using mouse look) un-pause the game and quickly take the picture.

@Angelus_the_echidna: Over the red spring there is a fof dummy arrow a few spaces past where I need to put it. *references to first picture, it is in front of the gas station.*

 

[Hunter_Orion]

Ah, now I see. But what about the other issue I addressed?

 

[Scarbo the Black Sheep]

I wanted the level to have the illusion of hopping on a meteor belt and such platforming was for the sole intent to cripple Sonic's thokking ability.

While Heavenly Fountain isn't the greatest Circuit stage, I think it does a better job of effectively and reasonably stopping Sonic from thokking mindlessly than this map, which instead just makes the race tedious and unenjoyable.

 

[Chaobrother]

Ah, now I see. But what about the other issue I addressed?

No matter how much I would want tunes 145 to be in this circuit, it just does not set the correct mood. Tunes 145 is for chaotic, or just plain epic maps. Tunes 11 may have worked as well, but I felt that song made the level feel slower than it needed to be.

The monitors are scattered about like a basic circuit map (think Mario Kart). They were put in rows near checkpoints or put slightly off course to distract the player character from their main goal. The monitor thing near the end of the level was probably not the smartest thing to do. I thought you could use the monitors to spring you closer to your goal.

@: :SonicMaster: Any suggestions to make a level not a thok fest, yet non-frustrating?

 

[Hunter_Orion]

Ah, now I see. But what about the other issue I addressed?

No matter how much I would want tunes 145 to be in this circuit, it just does not set the correct mood. Tunes 145 is for chaotic, or just plain epic maps. Tunes 11 may have worked as well, but I felt that song made the level feel slower than it needed to be.

... *smacks self* I meant the excess in monitors.

 

[Scarbo the Black Sheep]

Ah, now I see. But what about the other issue I addressed?

No matter how much I would want tunes 145 to be in this circuit, it just does not set the correct mood. Tunes 145 is for chaotic, or just plain epic maps. Tunes 11 may have worked as well, but I felt that song made the level feel slower than it needed to be.

The monitors are scattered about like a basic circuit map (think Mario Kart). They were put in rows near checkpoints or put slightly off course to distract the player character from their main goal. The monitor thing near the end of the level was probably not the smartest thing to do. I thought you could use the monitors to spring you closer to your goal.

@: :SonicMaster: Any suggestions to make a level not a thok fest, yet non-frustrating?

Well, you can look at Heaven Pass Zone. You could also look at, as I said, my Heavenly Fountain Zone from the January/February 2009 Level Design Contest. Some people found Heavenly Fountain frustrating; some didn't, so yeah.

 

[Chaobrother]

Angelus_the_echidna, I explained the excess in monitors in this quote from my last post.

The monitors are scattered about like a basic circuit map (think Mario Kart). They were put in rows near checkpoints or put slightly off course to distract the player character from their main goal. The monitor thing near the end of the level was probably not the smartest thing to do. I thought you could use the monitors to spring you closer to your goal.

Summary: Boxes were placed like a Kart game map. The monitors near the end I thought would help you go faster by bouncing off of them. Maybe this was considered an excess in boxes because SRB2 =/= Mario Kart, and bouncing from box to box could be annoying.

These problems should be fixed if I knew whether or not you could post updates for your levels if they are already in the releases section.

EDIT: The project should be revised soon. This map has merit, and I am not leaving it in its current condition, there are simple problems that will be able to be fixed awful quick.
[spoiler:f69022b3e5]There are things that I know that need fixing which includes:

• 
  The excess in monitors.
  The excessive platforming.
  Lack of direction in the map.
  The placement of said monitors.

that is all I can think of, but please list other problems with the level in your posts[/spoiler:f69022b3e5]

 

[Sergeant Brown]

It's not bad, it's quite a challenge, although the boxes kinda ruin that one, for such a little place to run (BTW, it's not like you have a chance to run in this map). But it could problably have more routes. Overall I give an 6,5/10. The challenge is great, but you'll definitively die alot. The overuse of the boxes is also a bad idea. Finally, for me, it misses alternative routes, which it could be a good idea, even though it's not a straight-forward stage.

 

[Monochrome]

Nice map, BUUT of course, there are a few problems:

a) It's too easy to monitorhop into the deathpit.
c) At one point, there's an arrow I ALWAYS mistake for a platform, which I end up barely managing to jump on top of, then seeing the other side of the track. Grrrr...
d) One platform is too thin for a checkpoint. Every time I respawn on it, I fall if I don't go forward as I respawn. Otherwise it's waaaah-KERSPLAT. Put the check a little further, or make the FOF wider. PLEASE. It's anoyying. EDIT: It's useless, too. I mean, there's another checkpoint nearby too, so why bother?
e) Like Angelus said, it's like DGZ in terms of difficulty. It's fun when you get practice, but some people hate platforming in SRB2. Like me. DGZ wasn't all platforming, but there's a bit where you have to platform up through a room, avoiding the death gates. Here, not only does it have the anti-shortcut death-walls, but I mean, this is constant platforming, except for the so-called "pit stop".
f) I had to freaking use startlives, like in DGZ.
g) Most barriers are absolutely useless, considering there's nothing whatsoever to hurt you. The only one useful is the Whirlwind barrier.
h) WHY MUST THE METEOR SHORTCUT HAVE AN ICE EFFECT!? It's anoyying, and unrealistic. It's rock, duh. If it's supposed to have a layer of ice, you COULD add a thin-ish layer of an extra wall with the glass texture, at least.

Okay, I've been doing runs for all characters this time:

Sonic:
1st run: Hard as heck. It's a constant platformer.
2nd run: A little better, but I had to restart because I KEPT FALLING AT THAT CHECKPOINT! Also, I noticed your alternate route through the big meteor. Nice, but WHY does it have to have the Ice effect? It's ROCK, for heck's sake! Although the Zoomtube to avoid bad drops is a good idea, but make it go a bit faster, a'ight? I didn't restock this time, I think.

Tails:
1st run: Not too hard, but I still had to restock. Too easy to spinfly, making players get an advantage over others.
2nd run: Better, this time with the shortcut. But the Ice effect on the shortcut anoyys me to heck and back.

KTE:
1st run: F YEAH!! The trick is when to stop gliding and land. I didn't fall even once!
2nd run: Speedrun. That's what it was. A speedrun.

Good things about the design:

1) Non-thokfest, yay.
2) Whirlwind shields are useful here.
3) Prevents too many people from using Tails always, because one wrong landing and they drop, usually. I saved myself from falling once in ball form because I could fly, but it sure delayed me.
4) Good decors, at least.