Eggplant Pack - Discussion
#1
My notes for the Eggplant pack:

Note that I comment on time limits being too short in a lot of the levels. This does not cause me to remove points from my votes as I know the CCLP1 staff will address these issues. As such I add this feedback to help them judge how much time should be fair IF the specific level is included.

1 - Fisherman's Maze I - Simple maze level with chips, land, and water. Borders were touchable which gives the sense that the level takes place outside, but aesthetically it might be sensible to add proper borders in the "land" area. The extra chips were a nice touch but it felt kind of monotonous with the large walking areas.

2 - Lakeside - While it seems like an easy dodging challenge to the experienced player, a new player might find it intimidating with the tendency of gliders to get stuck in specific loops caused by the thieves. This concept might work better if the gliders were routed by the theives to not get stuck.

3 - Dynamite - A very nice block-bombing level. Maybe some gravel would make it look even more interesting. The block pushing felt a bit excessive with the number of buttons involved, and it could use a higher time limit for beginners who aren't in practice with the arrow keys.

4 - Sampler II - The elemental rooms here worked very well and this is the sort of thing that seems spot-on. The "power button" concept was also amazing. My only concern would be that the fireball room may be hard for a beginner to follow with untrained eyes.

5 - Chip's Goal - Nice aesthetically pleasing lesson level. The text in the title and hint seems a bit cheesy, however, and could sound a bit more elegant?

6 - Chain Reaction - It is worth noting that I ran out of time searching for the last chip here. In my opinion it should be possible to take this level at a slow and steady pace (easier for beginners to get the hang of) as the teeth are not exponentially cloning.

7 - Subliminal - Not sure how I feel about the removing dirt from the fireball room. Even with trained eyes it took me a few attempts to get right, and as Ajmiam mentioned, that kind of monster timing is actually quite annoying. The tank trick was also a bit tricky and had me stumped. Besides those things I really enjoyed the elemental straightforward nature of this one too. We definitely need a lot more time here, as I screwed myself in the last block pushing section due to time pressure with less than 30 seconds left on the clock.

8 - Crescent ISland - A bit difficult, but a very creative but simple (and aesthetically interesting) block-pushing strategic level. It would fit well toward the end of the set where manually making a map would be encouraged by beginners who are less likely to naturally look in the editor to quickly find a solution.

9 - Five Twelve - Very straightforward. Reminiscent of a JoshL2 level but much easier and simpler. I didn't quite understand the hint or title but this won't affect my scoring of course.

10 - Blocking - Nice idea with the block placement to move the tanks out of the corridors. The last into-exit timing may be a bit of an obstacle for a beginner so some redundancy with a bomb to kill the tanks might help.

11 - Cruise - What is great about this level is that it requires the player to actually think about their next move. It is not just a mindless itemswapper, but a puzzle that involves proper management of the available resources (blocks, teeth, etc.) to accomplish the needed tasks, and this does a good job of capturing some of the techniques from CC1.

12 - Chain Capturing - I have never played this level before, but I can tell with almost total certainty that it is a Josh level, knowing his style really well (I was informed after the fact that this is actually not a Josh level). The double-button cloner is really intuitive. I didn't have to wait at the end (like the hint said) as the water was already filled in to dirt. The tank-button block pushing section was a bit tedious and it might be a bit confusing to beginners as there were no tanks visible (might be better to use a straightforward clone button here).

13 - Lesson the 8th - This lesson level combines the ideas of extra chips, bombs, and blocks together really well. I don't think it is a good idea to introduce partial posts this early into a beginner's game, especially seeing as many original players from CC1 were confused even at level 138, and so unfortunately I cannot rate this level highly unless it were to be removed. Not that partial posts shouldn't be in the game, but that if we want to make a good challenge out of them we should introduce them in the mid-late level range like CC1 did.

14 - Route 101 - Getting ridiculously plomped by the block, of all things, on the last slide, is hilariously annoying. However, my big issue is the fact that you have to block-slide it, as that does not seem like a concept that should be forced of a beginner (especially early on). It seems very possible that it would simply escape their minds, unless a hint or some direct reference from a previous level were given (many people learned about it from the CCLP2 level BlockSlide). I would love to give this level a 5 for the awesome tank slide but I must rate in favor of beginner accessibility.

15 - Cube and Square - This level does a very good job of capturing the spirit of beginner play, starting with a simple but intuitive maze, followed by some easy block pushing and a simple invisimaze. Returing to the start at the end was also a really nice addition of exploration. This is one of my favorites up to this point in the set.

16 - Super Swap Meet - The hint says "just take your time" but it seems quite easy to blaze right through as an experienced player! Not much mental power is needed here so if anything it would be a very early level.

17 - Generic Ice Level - Some chips are readily available, while others are faster to obtain via block in bomb, and others are required for a block to be pushed into a bomb. I wouldn't call this generic, but actually very unique and fun!

18 - Lesson 6 - While this is more elaborate than its CC1 predecessor, mirroring CC1 too closely feels boring to me.

19 - Reverbation (Doubt) - I love the random name and everything besides that pesky bee room which could be a bit of a frustration.

20 - Tagliatele - The structure of the appearing wall/real wall maze here is executed very well, but it got a bit tedious across the entire level, although the abundance of chips certainly made it quite fun. Also, we are definitely not short on time here!

21 - Promise To Water The Flowers - Although there is not much wiggle room in between monsters, the concept was great. However, the fireball cloning part at the very end caused me to die, and I don't think a beginner would know what is going on until they die because of it. As you guys all know I think deathtraps right at the end only remove from the fun of a long level such as this one. For now I will not take points off for it with the assumption that the trap will be removed with designer permission.

22 - Hampton Palace - with Ghosts!! - The blind ice slides with water and blocks lost me on this one.

23 - Maze of Death - The only part that I felt a bit uneasy about was the block and force floor section which might be a bit too flashy for untrained eyes, but it was really well-crafted so that avoiding being squashed by a block is easy. The title fits the level perfectly and I like the way it all circles back to the middle.

24 - Whirlpool - The deathtrap in the lower right corner (because of the socket) was annoying. Otherwise, nice concept with having to push blocks in the corner but also making good use of them to figure out where to go.

25 - Puzzlerama - Another deathtrap in the toggle and tank section, where I got stuck between two tanks. One of the important things that I think we should see in CCLP1 is less things in a level that could cause a player to have to restart with no way out, as most CC1 levels were "recoverable" after a mistake unless it somehow defined the level (such as Cellblocked). I really liked its linear nature and the ending with the green key was nice.

26 - Exhibit Rooms - The tank only screwed me over twice, and I don't think it would hurt to not have it there. The teeth room didn't help either.

27 - Broiled Quesadillas - The first part of this level was originally from PB Gourami and could use some cleanup (I don't know why I didn't do so myself before voting, I guess I was just lazy with this one). However, the itemswapper and teleportation is very creative.

28 - Gridlock - A very unique dodging challenge, and makes good strategic use of pop-up walls. Of COURSE I died trying to get the last chip because I was trapped in by two teeth, but I blame this on my not using the pop-up walls enough (and it certainly won't lose points just because I failed).

29 - Compaction - This concept works surprisingly well even though the blobs do not express proper squishy qualities. The concept is also very unique and it is hard to screw which makes it ideal.

30 - Lesson 1 - Chips - Is this supposed to be a ghost from PacMan or something, or just a random shape?

31 - Sokoban Memory - As cool as it is to combine concepts from two levels, I feel like the way these are combined comes out quite tedious, and it seems quite intimidating. Of course it could always be a late-in-the-set candidate.

32 - Frozen Pipelines - An interesting spin on a typical ice level.

33 - Wreak Havoc - These Lemmings-style levels are always fun. I would really like to see a fair number of these in CCLP1, where lots of orderly guarding monsters must be disrupted and disposed of in order to accomplish a goal.

34 - Two-by-Two - The concept here was unique, but the block pushing part was boring. It could use some fleshing out of concept.

35 - Slime Slider - Nice blob-dodging level. Not too hard but not boringly easy, so I can easily see this making it in. On a slightly unrelated note, I hate how blobs always seem to kill you when you are right next to them even if they have 3 other squares that they can go to.

36 - One Block - Very cool, levels that require one to take it slow and think about how to achieve each goal are great for the later section of the set. The only annoying thing is only having 9x9 view area which restricts open-spaced levels like these, but of course that won't lose points.

37 - Forced To The Rear - While it certainly requires more than one attempt to know where all the bombs are, it works out perfectly here especially with the room for error with the extra chips. It is also great when you can see the safe squares below and can strategize.

38 - Flyers - The gliders and pop-up walls made for an enjoyable strategic dodging challenge. The key swapping felt a little bit like artificial difficulty, however, and I'm not sure a beginner would notice it right away which might cause frustration.

39 - Chiptropolis - The open-exploration city style works very well here and is very enjoyable. As you (Tom) foresaw, the fireball room is in my opinion too tricky without any hint or direction. The level could also benefit from a LOT more time (like 300 seconds or more) as I was running to push the last blocks in the water and get the exit with less than 40 seconds on the clock.

40 - Go Slow - As creative as this idea is, the inability to see the teeth while going through the spiral makes it really confusing. The hint is also completely misleading as it makes it seem like you must wait there for a while to hear a boom, when in reality you must wait for a few seconds and then return. I'm afraid this one doesn't make the cut for me seeing as the playing window is just too small to see things happen which would make it more fun.

41 - Animal Farm - Very cool but simple dodging concept where you must go to the middle after releasing all of the monsters.

42 - Hornet's Nest - Another nice dodging concept which involves exponential growth. The aesthetics match perfectly too. Definitely a high rater.

43 - Moving Sidewalks - Nice but overly simple with a lot of waiting. Could be useful to introduce the concept, if a hint were added.

44 - Who's The Boss? - Very intuitive teeth-outsmarting action here.

45 - Toxin Factory - Nice aesthetics and dodging challenge. I'm not sure if I approve of the finish as it might be a bit too hard (yes, I said it, deal with it). What would make it better IMO is a little bit of gravel but a way for the blobs to go in the water and die. I am all for something like this otherwise!

46 - Over and Under - This one frustrated me a bit as it is impossible to see the movements of the teeth while in the other room, which a beginner would have a really hard time with anyway.

47 - Lesson 3 - Footwear - Typical lesson level.

48 - Icefail - The tricky secret here had me stumped. Not sure whether it would be an asset or an annoyance to CCLP1 if it were included, as such things can be fun but also take forever to figure out.

49 - Chip Mania II - While collecting tons and tons of chips can be fun, it kind of bores us experienced players (not that it would do the same for a beginner). I think it would be better to have these on a smaller-scale. The weird open area in the upper right along with the lack of proper borders made the levels seem just a tad bit rushed.

50 - Graveyard - A simple and unique task with a background story which helps make it more interesting, although tedious to try every wall which can be boring and not the most memorable for a player.

The levels that I gave 5 stars to in voting are: Cruise, Cube and Square, Generic Ice Level, Gridlock, Wreak Havoc, and Hornet's Nest.


Messages In This Thread
Eggplant Pack - Discussion - by BigOto2 - 21-Jun-2013, 10:55 PM
Eggplant Pack - Discussion - by Syzygy - 22-Jun-2013, 9:12 AM
Eggplant Pack - Discussion - by The Architect - 22-Jun-2013, 2:05 PM
Eggplant Pack - Discussion - by jbdude55 - 01-Jul-2013, 1:49 PM
Eggplant Pack - Discussion - by Lessinath - 01-Jul-2013, 2:42 PM
Eggplant Pack - Discussion - by jblewis - 01-Jul-2013, 3:11 PM
Eggplant Pack - Discussion - by BillR - 15-Jul-2013, 1:26 PM

Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)