01-Jul-2013, 1:49 PM
I go on holiday for a week and all these new packs get released!? Seems I have some catching up to do... Some of my thoughts on the Eggplant Pack first:
#4 (Sampler II) - Plenty of variety made this simple but non-trivial little level thoroughly enjoyable.
#7 (Subliminal) - An interesting item-swapper with again, plenty of variety and back-and-forth shuttling. The tank room in the NE was fun and is pitched at a great level for CCLP1. I am curious as to why the words "Go Die" are written in recessed walls below the exit though...
#14 (Route 101) - Absolute madness, especially pushing the block of the FF at the end whilst dodging tanks moving at 10m/s. Love it, but can understand why others might not be so inclined.
#19 (Reverberation (Doubt)) - I like the cut of this level's jib, so to speak. It's so arbitrary, from the name to the odd time limit of 234, and I love that. However, the bug room in the NE caught me out a few times, and I feel new players may struggle with the ice/teleport section in the NW given the (relatively) short time-limit. Otherwise, great level.
#20 (Tagliatele) - A great concept, but one that I feel overstayed it's welcome. I feel compelled to complete every level in each of these packs, no matter how trivial, repetitive or otherwise, but towards the end, this one wore me down a bit. At least there's no danger of running out of time!
#21 (Promise to Water the Flowers) - A great level let down somewhat only by the clone button shenanigans at the end. Knowing now how it works though, I could play this level over and over and not get tired of it.
#23 (Maze of Death) - As #7, plenty to do, and being untimed, plenty of time to think about it (very helpful for the block puzzle in the south in particular). Every section of this level presents a wholly different challenge from the next, but it doesn't at all feel contrived or disjointed, and I got a real sense of achievement when I managed to piece all the components together. Top class.
#24 (Whirlpool) - As #20. Very long and surprisingly easy to cook. Not a personal favourite.
#26 (Exhibit Rooms) - I was getting very annoyed with this level after several failed attempts. Shame on me that it took me ages to work out that the teeth were supposed to be drowned by using the ice path in the NE... My own failures aside, a very enjoyable level.
#27 (Broiled Quesedillas) - As #19; plenty of "What on Earth did I do that for?" moments that made me chuckle (:
#28 (Gridlock) - Plenty of ways to approach this alternately fast- and slow-paced "escape-the-teeth" maze. The recessed walls around the edges are a nice touch, bringing even further possibilities to the level. Great fun and plenty of replay value.
#31 (Memory Sokoban) - An interesting and well-implemented concept, but too difficult for CCLP1 in my opinion. I ran out of time twice, and solved it on my third attempt with 30s remaining, even with a time limit of over six minutes.
#33 (Wreak Havoc) - There's something wonderful about well-executed "get-your-revenge-on-the-monsters" levels, especially where the weapon of choice is more monsters! Immensely entertaining.
#36 (One Block) - A somewhat watered-down version of Cloner's Maze from CCLP2. Not too difficult or time-consuming to solve properly, although for those with less patience and a reckless streak, I found that about 80-90% of the chips can be collected by simply spamming the clone button and hoping for lucky deflections (:
#40 (Go Slow) - Exactly the kind of level I feel CCLP1 does not need. CC1's Totally Unfair was a nice gimmick, but I wouldn't want to see a level like this in CCLP1. Even from just the packs I've played so far, there are far more worthy candidates for the finished product than this.
#45 (Toxin Factory) - So. Many. Blobs... I have no issue with random elements in levels per se since I'm not really one for bold-seeking, but such a needless number of blobs can amass in this level that even the extra chips and long time limit cannot redeem it for me, I'm afraid. Waiting for enough of them to drown after toggling the doors to reach the exit is annoying too.
#46 (Over and Under) - A simple concept, but quite tricky to execute. I found it helpful to use the main diagonal (NW-SE) as a reference to work out the teeth's path. Very frustrating to get part-way through the toggle doors or tanks and find they've stopped switching with Chip stuck inside! At the moment, I'm unsure what to rate this based on it's difficulty to a beginner.
#49,50 (Chip Mania II, Graveyard) - CCLP1 doesn't need trivial levels like these.
#4 (Sampler II) - Plenty of variety made this simple but non-trivial little level thoroughly enjoyable.
#7 (Subliminal) - An interesting item-swapper with again, plenty of variety and back-and-forth shuttling. The tank room in the NE was fun and is pitched at a great level for CCLP1. I am curious as to why the words "Go Die" are written in recessed walls below the exit though...
#14 (Route 101) - Absolute madness, especially pushing the block of the FF at the end whilst dodging tanks moving at 10m/s. Love it, but can understand why others might not be so inclined.
#19 (Reverberation (Doubt)) - I like the cut of this level's jib, so to speak. It's so arbitrary, from the name to the odd time limit of 234, and I love that. However, the bug room in the NE caught me out a few times, and I feel new players may struggle with the ice/teleport section in the NW given the (relatively) short time-limit. Otherwise, great level.
#20 (Tagliatele) - A great concept, but one that I feel overstayed it's welcome. I feel compelled to complete every level in each of these packs, no matter how trivial, repetitive or otherwise, but towards the end, this one wore me down a bit. At least there's no danger of running out of time!
#21 (Promise to Water the Flowers) - A great level let down somewhat only by the clone button shenanigans at the end. Knowing now how it works though, I could play this level over and over and not get tired of it.
#23 (Maze of Death) - As #7, plenty to do, and being untimed, plenty of time to think about it (very helpful for the block puzzle in the south in particular). Every section of this level presents a wholly different challenge from the next, but it doesn't at all feel contrived or disjointed, and I got a real sense of achievement when I managed to piece all the components together. Top class.
#24 (Whirlpool) - As #20. Very long and surprisingly easy to cook. Not a personal favourite.
#26 (Exhibit Rooms) - I was getting very annoyed with this level after several failed attempts. Shame on me that it took me ages to work out that the teeth were supposed to be drowned by using the ice path in the NE... My own failures aside, a very enjoyable level.
#27 (Broiled Quesedillas) - As #19; plenty of "What on Earth did I do that for?" moments that made me chuckle (:
#28 (Gridlock) - Plenty of ways to approach this alternately fast- and slow-paced "escape-the-teeth" maze. The recessed walls around the edges are a nice touch, bringing even further possibilities to the level. Great fun and plenty of replay value.
#31 (Memory Sokoban) - An interesting and well-implemented concept, but too difficult for CCLP1 in my opinion. I ran out of time twice, and solved it on my third attempt with 30s remaining, even with a time limit of over six minutes.
#33 (Wreak Havoc) - There's something wonderful about well-executed "get-your-revenge-on-the-monsters" levels, especially where the weapon of choice is more monsters! Immensely entertaining.
#36 (One Block) - A somewhat watered-down version of Cloner's Maze from CCLP2. Not too difficult or time-consuming to solve properly, although for those with less patience and a reckless streak, I found that about 80-90% of the chips can be collected by simply spamming the clone button and hoping for lucky deflections (:
#40 (Go Slow) - Exactly the kind of level I feel CCLP1 does not need. CC1's Totally Unfair was a nice gimmick, but I wouldn't want to see a level like this in CCLP1. Even from just the packs I've played so far, there are far more worthy candidates for the finished product than this.
#45 (Toxin Factory) - So. Many. Blobs... I have no issue with random elements in levels per se since I'm not really one for bold-seeking, but such a needless number of blobs can amass in this level that even the extra chips and long time limit cannot redeem it for me, I'm afraid. Waiting for enough of them to drown after toggling the doors to reach the exit is annoying too.
#46 (Over and Under) - A simple concept, but quite tricky to execute. I found it helpful to use the main diagonal (NW-SE) as a reference to work out the teeth's path. Very frustrating to get part-way through the toggle doors or tanks and find they've stopped switching with Chip stuck inside! At the moment, I'm unsure what to rate this based on it's difficulty to a beginner.
#49,50 (Chip Mania II, Graveyard) - CCLP1 doesn't need trivial levels like these.
CC1: 5,954,550 (completed)
--- CCLP1: 5,989,110 (completed)
--- CCLP2: 5,936,410 (148 levels completed)
--- CCLP3: 1,223,887 (a few levels completed)
My levelset JRB_CCLP1.ccl
--- CCLP1: 5,989,110 (completed)
--- CCLP2: 5,936,410 (148 levels completed)
--- CCLP3: 1,223,887 (a few levels completed)
My levelset JRB_CCLP1.ccl