CC1 VS CCLP2 VS CCLP3

[rockdet]

Go ahead, I'll not even debate to begin with. Let's just mention CCLP2 is currently my favorite of them three.

...which is certainly not the popular opinion.

[AdrenalinDragon]

The original by far! CCLP2 is the worst of the 3 though as I didn't like the invalid tile placements. No poll, by the way?

[rockdet]

Nope, that feels derpy. Those can't be compared as quality and fun are abstract concepts relying only on personal tastes and gamer's preferences, so putting them in perspective that way can make the best come out of all three and the worst be likely avoided in the future.

(here's a hint: That's exactly the philosophy I have regarding CCLP1 and CCLP4, but shhhh don't tell anyone)

[BigOto2]

Overall I think CCLP3 takes the top prize for me here, because of it's great ideas and original concepts. CCLP2 had obvious issues with MS-only mechanics such as invalid tiles, which I'm fine with except that it gave rise to weird combinations such as items underneath floor and bombs under water which need to be erased via monster transparency. And CC1 was great but of course it was first and didn't have nearly as much exploration of puzzle concepts. I have a feeling when CCLP1 comes out it will qualify for the top of the pole for me, because what I hear of it sounds really fun.

[quiznos00]

I like CCLP3 the best but CC1 comes in a close second. In terms of peak quality, I would say they are all about the same and they all have their fair share of good concepts. CC1 takes some concepts to the extreme which hurts it (Pain, Icedeath). CCLP2 is filled with a lot of garbage and the quality only really comes from two designers (Eric Schmidt and Tyrethali Ansrath).

[Hornlitz]

CCLP3 Definitely. There were so many genius levels in it (mainly by Madhav and Pieguy) and I just loved playing it.

CC1 comes in second due to it's nostalgia, fun, and creative levels.

CCLP2 is in last because of invalid tile placements, and annoying traps.

All 3 were amazing still, and I love all 3 sets.

[James]

I think Ben's post summed it up really nicely for me. I have nothing against invalid tile combos, but I don't think they were used that well in many CCLP2 levels. I also feel that CCLP2's overall level quality is lower relative to the other two packs...the quality is still high, mind you, just not as high (despite the fun/amazing levels that CCLP2 does house).

[jblewis]

CC1 (4/5): Still my favorite. The design quality is top-notch, with some levels based on concepts that would normally be considered uninteresting or flat made much better by aesthetically pleasing design choices (such as many of the ice mazes). It also has the best difficulty curve of the three sets, though it misses an opportunity to provide a few true capstone challenges in its final stages. A few of the levels can be quite artificially difficult due to length, but most of them still manage to hit the mark and provide an interesting change of pace.

CCLP2 (3/5): It's hard for me to judge this set because it's the first (released) sequel to the game, and as such, it will always hold a special place in my heart. I don't think a small pool of levels bode well for quality design, but the designers featured most prominently - Eric Schmidt and Tyrethali Ansrath - showcased some truly stellar entries. CCLP2 also seemed to represent the collective shift in design tactics away from the one-note designs featured in the original game to levels that incorporated several concepts, clever applications of certain tiles, and new and inventive tile combinations that were not feasible in the original game. Some of these worked, while others did not, but for the most part, CCLP2 provided what its audience hoped to see: a new set to play that was fresh and different.

CCLP3 (4/5): It's especially hard for me to judge this set because I spearheaded its production, and as such, my opinion is probably not the most objective. But I can say that I don't believe it to be perfect in any way. The level design is probably the best among the three official sets, mainly due to the larger pool of levels and a longer submission period that allowed designers to become more seasoned. And yet, these two factors also proved to be the set's curse. It's pretty evident that the levels favored the most in this set's voting were the many that were the most well-designed, clever, or optimization-friendly, which typically translated into a large amount of difficult puzzles. The good news is that for the patient player who is willing to spread out the journey through CCLP3 across a long period of time, these levels and their challenges are fair for the most part. The somewhat bad news is that CCLP3 arrived almost exactly at the turning point when the community began to experience a major paradigm shift from optimization-centric playing to casual playing, the merits of both of which I can completely understand. But this set is definitely not for those who seek instant gratification.

[M11k4]

CC1 is great, but it was created a long time ago for a very different enivironment than the custom made sets. Many of the long levels just wouldn't be voted into a set these days, but back then they gave the game a longer life span so I can't hold it against the set. As that's the only negative thing I can think of, I have to give the set 5/5 stars. JB had some good points too on the positive side.

CCLP2 is great, since it brought me to the community, though it took a few years. It was the first custom set I played, so I found the invalid tiles as a new twist and not too as annoying as I might think of them now. There are some memorable levels, but some forgettable ones as well. I'll give it 3/5 for now, which is lower than I felt when first playing it, but more accurate when comparing to other sets.

CCLP3 gets 4/5 stars even though it is my favorite! I think the set is slightly too hard, but understand how this is the result of the long incubation period. Still I like it the most, as I was around when it came out! The individual levels are all really great, too! Hopefully we can create a very exciting CCLP1 for newer players who gradually then graduate to CCLP3 :-)

-Miika

[Flareon350]

CC1 - As I am currently playing this one again, I have to admit it does being back a lot of memories from when I was younger and first started playing the game and getting used to the mechanics and such. Now as I play through it again, the lack of puzzling puzzles that I have gotten so used to from many custom sets has lowered my rating to this one sadly. But it will always remain fun to me, and the 149 levels of it will always be some of the greatest ones, both in MS and Lynx

CCLP2 - Being that since I finished LPing it back in November as my very first time playing this set, I'm happy to agree with Rock that this one is my favorite official set as of now. Some of the levels might of been just random crap thrown in the editor, some of the levels were guessing games, and for the most part, some just had really dirty tricks and invalid combinations, but that was the fun of the set for me. I really did love the sokoban puzzles in this set, as obviously Oracle II (2.141) is my favorite CCLP2 level, and the some of the designs and concepts I just absolutely loved and was really impressed by. Overall, CCLP2 definitely gets a 5/5 star rating in my book

CCLP3 - Wow. So much to say about this one though I shouldn't really explain it in words as I just started my LP of this one. I really liked the puzzles and new creative concepts of this set. This set also got me into learning about the Lynx ruleset more and get used to designing my own levels for it as well. Most of the concepts used in this set I also used and recreated into my own for JoshL2, which might explain why its the best of my 3 sets so far. I will go more in depth about my opinions on the levels in CCLP3 in my LP and I don't want to spoil the ratings yet if you really wanna know my opinions on the levels, be sure to watch my LP of it and you'll get what you hear which won't be nothing too harsh!