September 2012 Create Competition: The Setup

As summer is over for most of us, what better time to take part in a new create competition?

The task, should you accept it, is to create a new level with a puzzle that has two phases
. In the first phase, you are to set up something that then affects what happens in the next phase. The second phase then relies on what happened earlier, but with the key difference that whatever was set up earlier can't be changed any longer. Thus the level must contain decisions or elements in the first phase that may not be altered in the second.

So as a basic example, Chip might carve out a path in dirt, and then leave the area through a popup wall to press a trap button, which releases a monster that then travels along the cleared path and helps Chip in some way. The clearest example of such a level from CCLP3 is possibly Fireball Tourism.

Additional notes:


-the distinction between phases must be clear.

-there may be more than one phase, or groups of phases.

-the time limit may be at most 400.

-your best solution should be less than four minutes long.

-the level must be solvable.

-the level does not need to work in both ms and lynx.

-the level must be new; it must not have been released earlier.

-ask about other unclear situations.

Extra credit: if the puzzle is really good!


A good puzzle does not have a trivial solution, though it may have more than precisely one solution. It's goal is easy to grasp, yet it is interesting to solve. It is elegant and simple in design, and thus not too complex and convoluted. It is original and creative, though it may explore a previously known concept. Making an ideal puzzle is almost impossible, but keeping it straightforward and fun will go a long way.

Submissions are open as long as it is September where you live! Submissions will be judged in the beginning of October 2012. You may enter more than once, though similar entries may be disregarded. Points will be deducted from late entries, but will be accepted until a notice is posted in this thread. This competition is part of the Chip Cup 2012 (see other thread for more details).

In addition to the normal prizes (like the forum award), the winner (and possibly another randomly chosen entrant) will recieve a SURPRISE REWARD
which will be announced later!

Email and attach your submissions to valeosote at hotmail dot com
.

List your username and this competition in the subject. Keep it short and simple, something like: "September Create - Lessinath"

Everyone is welcome to join!

So the Chat here has been quite vacant over the summer, so I was thinking maybe we could assign a day of the week when people would log on there more? I propose that on Tuesdays, people sign in to chat at some point in the day and see who else is doing the same.

Any takers?

Edit: added poll as suggested below

Hi,

I have been looking into the Amsterdam bold recently. Ever since pieguy got 397 it has baffled me, and i have a question for anyone who's acheived it. My question is: Is the 397 route a variation on the 395 route, or is it a whole new route entirely?

I know that the 397 route is being kept secret, so if nobody wants to say anything i understand. I figured it would be at least worth asking.

-Camden

So, at the start of the year I wrote I few entries in a blog here just to test out the system (click on Blogs up top). I plan on writing more entries as the year progresses, but would be interested in knowing what you guys would want to read. You can pitch your ideas here, and I will post below for some of the ideas I already have, two or three at a time. Then, when I get around to writing about them, I'll see which of the topics has had the most "vote up"s and write about that.

While waiting for the first votes to come in, go and read what I wrote last time :-)

-Miika

List of topic suggestions:

A: How I got into CC
- posted


B: Some CCLP4 thoughts


C: Comments on CCLP3 levels (part I)


D: Common Design Mistakes


E: Thoughts on level optimization


F: Short review of CCLP2

To whomever reads this and has something to do with the development of WW:

Kudos! I love this clone!

I hope you're busily working on an iTunes update.



Here's my wish list:

* support for wifi keyboards (so I can use my arrow keys)

* ability to move .dat files from PC to WW app (much like many of the available word processor apps)

* built-in level editor... that might be asking too much

* a few bug fixes

CCLP2 level 30: fire square near the begining of level should be a quicksand tile (thief)

CCLP3 level 16: you should be allowed to force your way past a single square force floor.



Thanks so much

I'm a long time fan of this game and wrote a couple of walkthroughs, years ago, for Richard Field's website.

I'm now playing Will's World on my iPad I'm slower at solving than I used to be

Anyhow, I enjoy Will's World and have downloaded several levelsets from this site EASILY to my iPad app. However, I can't figure out how to get my LEGAL dat file of CC1 moved to my Will's World app. My dat file is stored on my computer and backed up on an external hard drive. But the download for WW must come from a URL.

Anyone?

Sherri

Hello everyone,

in my upcoming levelset, ZK1, included with 149 levels, one will be very special. Yep. It's Lounge Act II. It was started not too long ago -- 3 days ago from today! (August 24). Anyways, not much to say about Lounge Act II itself yet -- the design is already finished, however the teleporters and/or key and lock positions need to be fixed. Here's the current version (unsolvable, of course)



Anyways, hope you enjoy this level when you finally get to play it and yadadadada. ZK1 is set to release in mid-September or October, somewhere around there.

Guess I might as well start a MikeL2/MikeL2-fix thread, even though the set's 10 years old now...

I did do an update to it today though, adding a buried trap under the block at 6,12 to prevent a new record that wasn't possible in the original version. It's a minor change, but I didn't think it would be fair to the original optimizers to let the record be broken after all these years based not on a new discovery but a change to the level itself...

The sets can be downloaded at my site: http://www.pillowpc2001.net/MikeL2

So this week I worked on a level in CCLP3 and it seems I've just scored a new record! Now, before I report it, I'm giving you a chance to guess which level it is! Here are some hints:

-the solution works in ms and lynx, and is a record in both

-the time remaining has three digits, at least two of which are the same

-the first digit is not larger than the last digit

Now I don't want to give away too much, but maybe someone can still guess at least the level in question? And of course you should also take a guess at the time remaining as well! My birthday is coming up in about a week, so I'll reveal the answer then :-)

-Miika

This is not how this blog is supposed to go. I'm not surprised nor do I need to apologize for the long lapse in new entries, but just so you know that's not what I intended or intend from here on either.

So the natural thing to post about now is what I've been upto in the last half a year or so. The answer is not much and a lot at the same time.

I've played through some custom sets, most of which I have commented on in the forums. I have really enjoyed many of the levels that will likely see the light of day in CCLP1 as well. I do wish I had more time to explore some of the older classic sets that I never played.

I also took some time to release my first level set. It's called kidsfair.ccl and can be found in the download section. As with any designer, I would love to hear any feedback or experiences you have with those levels. (So is far I haven't really heard anything.) I do intend on updating a few of them, both for more enjoyable game play and better execution of some concept.

I bought a headset with a microphone, so I'm planning on filming some of my CC playing with comments and uploading it on Youtube. Stay tuned for more information as the year progresses :-) Any requests or suggestions regarding this?

I'm also looking to get some work done on a lynxified version of CCLP2, but for some reason that project has been stagnant for the time being. I'm sure it's time will come, but it's not here quite yet.

I also really want to get back to optimizing CCLP3. I've worked on a couple of the levels in the past week or so, but I still have like twenty levels left, most of them in the 100+ area. Those levels just take so much work, and in the end it's even likely that the public route is about the same was what I come up with. I'm going to try to do it anyway, and in both ms and lynx. That does take some extra effort, but I've come to like working on a level in two different rules and spotting the small differences they create. Maybe others are interested I could write something short opinions on each of the levels and their best routes, and stuff like that here as a continued feature. Would you read that?

-Miika

P.S. If this post gets three comments before my next entry, I'll write two entries within a week!