16-Jul-2016, 1:22 AM
A few thoughts on some of the levels:
#2 (Block and Key): This level reminds me a little bit, structurally speaking, of Construct-a-Maze from CCLP3. It's got a bit of the same "what do I need to do first?" challenge, but once that's out of the way, the entire thing pretty much solves itself. An elegant design complements the gameplay, making for a fairly strong candidate.
<i>#9 (Repair the Maze 2.0): </i>One of the standout qualities of the original Repair the Maze was not only the open nature, but also the scaling. The size of the maze felt reasonable and never overwhelming. This level builds on its predecessor by including different color keys and making all of them required, but the increased size and long, winding paths are one upgrade too many amidst the rest. It's a decent level - well-designed and tight, but not one of my top picks for CCLP4.
#22 (Pneumatic Diversity Vents): There's a certain "flow" in some of my favorite official levels that's hard to quantify. One of those levels is Automatic (Caution) Doors from CCLP1, which is a variety level / itemswapper built around a mechanism that opens up paths around the level without resorting to many cheap tricks that trap the player. This level almost feels like a spiritual successor to that one: it's got the same kind of linearly structured itemswapping and connects everything with a thematic bridge that just works. Instead of toggle door turnstiles, we get ice / force floor slides this time. I love how you can see other parts of the level while zipping around, and there really aren't many ways to cook the level. The secret hint is also a plus. Overall, a top candidate for CCLP4 in my book.
#23 (Toggle Path): I enjoy the idea of this level, but with all the counting needed to determine what the correct path is, I only wish the time limit were higher.
#26 (Non-Directional Override): This is a fun concept. Wouldn't mind seeing this and Non-Dimensional Layer as introductory toggle wall levels for CCLP4.
<i>#29 (Mansion): </i>I enjoy variety levels, but this one came across like a disconnected series of puzzles that didn't leave much of an impression. The tank area was definitely the highlight and helped this one stand out a bit, though.
#38 (Master Control Unit): What can I say? Amazing aesthetics and a fun theme combined with some nifty but never frustrating puzzles make for an incredible level.
#43 (Blox): This isn't a terribly difficult level, but it can unravel into a daunting challenge if you're not careful, which is really neat. I love the idea of the player ultimately setting the difficulty level (in a way) based on what actions are taken and just how much of the structure is disturbed. I'm predicting that this level will draw quite a few comparisons to Antidisruptive Caves, and honestly, I love them both - this one for the aforementioned reasons, and "Caves" for its escalating difficulty and room-by-room nature.
#47 (Snow Patrol): Aside from the voting itself, Chipster's earlier comments on ice mazes inspired me to think about what makes a great one. I believe a decent maze generally gets a player lost without making the solving process terribly frustrating. With ice mazes, you've got the added element of hurtling into walls, sometimes after taking long paths, which can be frustrating (see: I SLIDE from CC1). For comparison's sake, I'm going to put this level aside Ice Blister (#3 from this pack). Both levels are very strong aesthetically, but I feel like this one edges it out on quite a few counts: it's scaled reasonably, it doesn't have quite as many long paths or choices for the player to deal with, and it still manages to build a "lost" factor that works. This is one of my favorite ice mazes in voting, if not my favorite.
#48 (Minimalist Reminiscence): I'm not terribly fond of "throwback" levels like this that cram references to levels from CC1 without doing anything particularly new with them. Sorry.
#50 (Launch the Bacon): Definitely one of my favorite blob levels in voting so far. The aesthetic here is fresh and interesting, keeping the player alert when tracing the block's path.
Favorite level: Pneumatic Diversity Vents
Least favorite level: Wanted Dead or Alive!
#2 (Block and Key): This level reminds me a little bit, structurally speaking, of Construct-a-Maze from CCLP3. It's got a bit of the same "what do I need to do first?" challenge, but once that's out of the way, the entire thing pretty much solves itself. An elegant design complements the gameplay, making for a fairly strong candidate.
<i>#9 (Repair the Maze 2.0): </i>One of the standout qualities of the original Repair the Maze was not only the open nature, but also the scaling. The size of the maze felt reasonable and never overwhelming. This level builds on its predecessor by including different color keys and making all of them required, but the increased size and long, winding paths are one upgrade too many amidst the rest. It's a decent level - well-designed and tight, but not one of my top picks for CCLP4.
#22 (Pneumatic Diversity Vents): There's a certain "flow" in some of my favorite official levels that's hard to quantify. One of those levels is Automatic (Caution) Doors from CCLP1, which is a variety level / itemswapper built around a mechanism that opens up paths around the level without resorting to many cheap tricks that trap the player. This level almost feels like a spiritual successor to that one: it's got the same kind of linearly structured itemswapping and connects everything with a thematic bridge that just works. Instead of toggle door turnstiles, we get ice / force floor slides this time. I love how you can see other parts of the level while zipping around, and there really aren't many ways to cook the level. The secret hint is also a plus. Overall, a top candidate for CCLP4 in my book.
#23 (Toggle Path): I enjoy the idea of this level, but with all the counting needed to determine what the correct path is, I only wish the time limit were higher.
#26 (Non-Directional Override): This is a fun concept. Wouldn't mind seeing this and Non-Dimensional Layer as introductory toggle wall levels for CCLP4.
<i>#29 (Mansion): </i>I enjoy variety levels, but this one came across like a disconnected series of puzzles that didn't leave much of an impression. The tank area was definitely the highlight and helped this one stand out a bit, though.
#38 (Master Control Unit): What can I say? Amazing aesthetics and a fun theme combined with some nifty but never frustrating puzzles make for an incredible level.
#43 (Blox): This isn't a terribly difficult level, but it can unravel into a daunting challenge if you're not careful, which is really neat. I love the idea of the player ultimately setting the difficulty level (in a way) based on what actions are taken and just how much of the structure is disturbed. I'm predicting that this level will draw quite a few comparisons to Antidisruptive Caves, and honestly, I love them both - this one for the aforementioned reasons, and "Caves" for its escalating difficulty and room-by-room nature.
#47 (Snow Patrol): Aside from the voting itself, Chipster's earlier comments on ice mazes inspired me to think about what makes a great one. I believe a decent maze generally gets a player lost without making the solving process terribly frustrating. With ice mazes, you've got the added element of hurtling into walls, sometimes after taking long paths, which can be frustrating (see: I SLIDE from CC1). For comparison's sake, I'm going to put this level aside Ice Blister (#3 from this pack). Both levels are very strong aesthetically, but I feel like this one edges it out on quite a few counts: it's scaled reasonably, it doesn't have quite as many long paths or choices for the player to deal with, and it still manages to build a "lost" factor that works. This is one of my favorite ice mazes in voting, if not my favorite.
#48 (Minimalist Reminiscence): I'm not terribly fond of "throwback" levels like this that cram references to levels from CC1 without doing anything particularly new with them. Sorry.
#50 (Launch the Bacon): Definitely one of my favorite blob levels in voting so far. The aesthetic here is fresh and interesting, keeping the player alert when tracing the block's path.
Favorite level: Pneumatic Diversity Vents
Least favorite level: Wanted Dead or Alive!