16-Jul-2016, 3:05 PM
My thoughts on some of the levels (spoiler alert!). Lots of challenging candidates in this one.
#2 (Kinetic Aesthetic): I'm generally not a huge fan of close-quarters dodging levels, and this one leans a little on the repetitive side with all the back-and-forthing involved. But I do enjoy the look of the level, especially with how it takes the familiar, old "elemental quadrants" design trope and transplants it into a ball dodging map.
#5 (Space Station): There's a fine line when it comes to "gotcha!" moments in a game like CC. Some of them involve a clever solution and make you go, "Huh, that's pretty neat," while others bring out a feeling of "Was that really necessary?" Unfortunately, this level involved more of the latter when I played it, particularly with the key-swapping room and with what doors to open on the first trip there. Compounding the frustration was having to redo all the block-pushing and monster manipulation at the start each time. If we're going to have a handful of "gotcha" levels in CCLP4, I think a better candidate is already in this pack: Paradigm Shift (#40), which has little block-pushing and tedious tasks to perform on each go-around. That being said, I did enjoy this level's general aesthetic and inner-outer structure with the chip collection at the end that allows the player to see into all the rooms.
#6 (If I Ran the Zoo): I appreciate when mechanisms in CC can be simplified. Usually, monster manipulation in the game involves block-pushing or something else that ends up complicating everything. (See a level placed a few spots later in this pack, Cavern (#12), for an example.) Instead, this level spells out the objective at the start - direct all the monsters to the appropriate rooms - and gives you a simple partial posting mechanism that allows that to be done with minimal complexity. On top of that, it's a fabulous logic puzzle that can be figured out by process of elimination and gives you all the information you need without having to complete a series of linearly structured steps. A top candidate for CCLP4 in my book.
#17 (Electromagnetic Elevator): There's a term used in the board gaming world - "theme" - that's fairly analogous to what we typically call "aesthetics" in CC. Sometimes, games are decried for featuring a "pasted-on" theme, which isn't always a bad thing. Unfortunately, this level instead feels like it has a bunch of pasted-on elements around what is ultimately a very neat central thematic element (the elevator). None of the challenges felt connected to each other in any way, and a lot of them brought out some frustration (the ball / trap room) or just felt like a chore and didn't bring anything new to the table (the "Cloner's Maze" room).
#24 (Air Bubble): In his LP of Josh-CCLP4, Jeffrey (IHNN) referenced this level a few times as an example of an atypical maze. And for that reason, I love it. Not only is the design neat, but it complements the gameplay. There's a sense of panic that builds when the time limit is low, and you're zipping around finding completely pointless paths and areas that don't serve any function at all other than to get you lost. It's a welcome change from the "space-filling" CHIPMINEs of the world in which practically every other square is used for a path, and chips are located at each dead end. Definitely a top-tier blue wall maze and time crunch level for me.
#28 (Going): I like the general flow of this level, but it's a little too derivative of CCLP2's Creative One-Ways. The highlight was the chip room in the SW. I love completing a bunch of little challenges and then finding a large vault of chips as a reward.
#35 (Teknopathetic): I really appreciate when levels eliminate unnecessary rigidity. This level gives you two paths back to the start to complete in either order but also allows you to revisit most of the content in them if you miss a chip (which I did!). The little jaunts through the monster section at the start are also fun and keep you on your toes without going overboard and sending you into a panic over what to do.
#36 (Chip Leak Watermelon): Not quite sure what the title is supposed to reference, but this was a blast to play. Sometimes spreading a simple puzzle out over a large area makes a solution more difficult to map out. A while back, I made a level called Get the Ball Rolling which basically did this and was rather frustrating, but this is elegant, quick, and a lot of fun.
#39 (Reservoir Frogs): This is one of a handful of levels I made that I really hope make the final cut for CCLP4. Originally, I designed this hoping to create something that featured monsters on a hazard tile. Teeth / water were not only conducive to a navigation challenge in which you had to reach a certain spot in order to advance further, they also provided a neat color contrast. Sometimes, I step away from levels I made a while back and try them again after a long time has passed. Many of them, like some of the ones in late CCLP3, tend to evoke a reaction of "Why did I ever think that was fun?!" This one, though, still held up well on a recent playthrough and can be a fun addition to the introductory tier of CCLP4.
#41 (Malachite): This looks like a block-pushing level at first glance, and it certainly involves doing just that. But it's ultimately a logic puzzle at its core with a healthy dose of mapping dependencies and figuring out what the correct order to complete each task is. Very, very well designed - and a strong contender for a triple-digit CCLP4 level.
#44 (Salmon): I still think this level could be called "Reverse Rat Race." It's a crafty gauntlet with some really neat mechanisms - my only complaint is that the room in the SE feels a little long and disrupts the momentum built up over the previous challenges.
#48 (Transmutation): This is just plain frustrating. Still have yet to beat it.
Favorite level: If I Ran the Zoo
Least favorite level: Typical Hollywood Christmas
#2 (Kinetic Aesthetic): I'm generally not a huge fan of close-quarters dodging levels, and this one leans a little on the repetitive side with all the back-and-forthing involved. But I do enjoy the look of the level, especially with how it takes the familiar, old "elemental quadrants" design trope and transplants it into a ball dodging map.
#5 (Space Station): There's a fine line when it comes to "gotcha!" moments in a game like CC. Some of them involve a clever solution and make you go, "Huh, that's pretty neat," while others bring out a feeling of "Was that really necessary?" Unfortunately, this level involved more of the latter when I played it, particularly with the key-swapping room and with what doors to open on the first trip there. Compounding the frustration was having to redo all the block-pushing and monster manipulation at the start each time. If we're going to have a handful of "gotcha" levels in CCLP4, I think a better candidate is already in this pack: Paradigm Shift (#40), which has little block-pushing and tedious tasks to perform on each go-around. That being said, I did enjoy this level's general aesthetic and inner-outer structure with the chip collection at the end that allows the player to see into all the rooms.
#6 (If I Ran the Zoo): I appreciate when mechanisms in CC can be simplified. Usually, monster manipulation in the game involves block-pushing or something else that ends up complicating everything. (See a level placed a few spots later in this pack, Cavern (#12), for an example.) Instead, this level spells out the objective at the start - direct all the monsters to the appropriate rooms - and gives you a simple partial posting mechanism that allows that to be done with minimal complexity. On top of that, it's a fabulous logic puzzle that can be figured out by process of elimination and gives you all the information you need without having to complete a series of linearly structured steps. A top candidate for CCLP4 in my book.
#17 (Electromagnetic Elevator): There's a term used in the board gaming world - "theme" - that's fairly analogous to what we typically call "aesthetics" in CC. Sometimes, games are decried for featuring a "pasted-on" theme, which isn't always a bad thing. Unfortunately, this level instead feels like it has a bunch of pasted-on elements around what is ultimately a very neat central thematic element (the elevator). None of the challenges felt connected to each other in any way, and a lot of them brought out some frustration (the ball / trap room) or just felt like a chore and didn't bring anything new to the table (the "Cloner's Maze" room).
#24 (Air Bubble): In his LP of Josh-CCLP4, Jeffrey (IHNN) referenced this level a few times as an example of an atypical maze. And for that reason, I love it. Not only is the design neat, but it complements the gameplay. There's a sense of panic that builds when the time limit is low, and you're zipping around finding completely pointless paths and areas that don't serve any function at all other than to get you lost. It's a welcome change from the "space-filling" CHIPMINEs of the world in which practically every other square is used for a path, and chips are located at each dead end. Definitely a top-tier blue wall maze and time crunch level for me.
#28 (Going): I like the general flow of this level, but it's a little too derivative of CCLP2's Creative One-Ways. The highlight was the chip room in the SW. I love completing a bunch of little challenges and then finding a large vault of chips as a reward.
#35 (Teknopathetic): I really appreciate when levels eliminate unnecessary rigidity. This level gives you two paths back to the start to complete in either order but also allows you to revisit most of the content in them if you miss a chip (which I did!). The little jaunts through the monster section at the start are also fun and keep you on your toes without going overboard and sending you into a panic over what to do.
#36 (Chip Leak Watermelon): Not quite sure what the title is supposed to reference, but this was a blast to play. Sometimes spreading a simple puzzle out over a large area makes a solution more difficult to map out. A while back, I made a level called Get the Ball Rolling which basically did this and was rather frustrating, but this is elegant, quick, and a lot of fun.
#39 (Reservoir Frogs): This is one of a handful of levels I made that I really hope make the final cut for CCLP4. Originally, I designed this hoping to create something that featured monsters on a hazard tile. Teeth / water were not only conducive to a navigation challenge in which you had to reach a certain spot in order to advance further, they also provided a neat color contrast. Sometimes, I step away from levels I made a while back and try them again after a long time has passed. Many of them, like some of the ones in late CCLP3, tend to evoke a reaction of "Why did I ever think that was fun?!" This one, though, still held up well on a recent playthrough and can be a fun addition to the introductory tier of CCLP4.
#41 (Malachite): This looks like a block-pushing level at first glance, and it certainly involves doing just that. But it's ultimately a logic puzzle at its core with a healthy dose of mapping dependencies and figuring out what the correct order to complete each task is. Very, very well designed - and a strong contender for a triple-digit CCLP4 level.
#44 (Salmon): I still think this level could be called "Reverse Rat Race." It's a crafty gauntlet with some really neat mechanisms - my only complaint is that the room in the SE feels a little long and disrupts the momentum built up over the previous challenges.
#48 (Transmutation): This is just plain frustrating. Still have yet to beat it.
Favorite level: If I Ran the Zoo
Least favorite level: Typical Hollywood Christmas