Microwave Pack - Discussion

[Ihavenoname248]

Whitepoint (#2): This is just a blast to play.

Maze Maker (#5): I used to really like this level, and then I got better at optimizing... I quickly realized that you could clear a lot more than the 'maze' path by making a path with a lot of turns near the start, and that was it for the level. Then it just became picking up chips for almost a minute- nothing too interesting there. I think the beginning of Shemozzle does the concept better.

Windowsill Tears (#7): 0 chips on the counter, chips everywhere, and every chip must be picked up to solve. I don't know if that was intentional, but if it was that's an amazing design decision that actually complements the Shattered-esque gameplay. Unsurprisingly, it was designed by the same person.

Bomber's Maze (#13): Honestly... I don't know what I was thinking with this. There's some heavy guesswork and planning required to be able to reach the flippers, at which point the level kind of unravels. It's pretty good for the process, but unfortunately that means it's merely "okay".

#22 (Wastelands of Tabora): there aren't too many places in which dirt has to be cleared a specific way, other than one close to the start.

Fun fact: there's actually zero places where clearing a specific dirt tile cooks the level. You still have a block that can replace the "critical" dirt for the teeth section! And if that's referring to the "must clear the starting room" part...well, the blocks do somewhat hint towards that.

Another fun fact: Tabora is the name of the desert planet in the second Ratchet and Clank game- and it has a huge open desert with lots of crystals to collect, and a really neat side area that weaves back through this open area. Of course, that similarity is coincidental as I went to design a dirt level and then named it afterwards!

My only real regret with the design is that I didn't decide to avoid walls as much as possible until about a third of the way through the process, and I couldn't remove the walls from the starting areas...

Hairline Fracture (#25): It's a Stress Fracture ripoff! The only cleverness here is the partial post, which... is okay I guess? Stress Fracture had such a neat concept that I think another level in its style would be a good fit, but I don't think that level is this one, or even exists yet. Can't wait to see a CC2 element Stress Fracture though, J.B.

Fragmentary Airmail (#34): Not a fan of the first fireball room- after needing to get two blocks in position twice, you're given two blocks and a bomb. The correct answer is not the obvious "blow up the bomb with the fireball" but instead "use a block and then get the fireball through everything". The rest of the level isn't terribly interesting either, just setting up more easy partial posts and no real connecting aesthetics.

Grudge (#35): Oh man, this is a tough melee level. There's some nice puzzle elements of thinking ahead here too that make it quite fun to play.

Favorite level: Wastelands of Tabora (#22)

Favorite level, not designed by me: Japanese Game Show (#49)

Least favorite: Extraction (#41) (I did not enjoy playing this level. It's well designed, but I just do not like it.)