Cybersmack I: Feedback & Discussion

[mmoraleta]

Not bad as your first level set. There were great levels in this set such as Exit Plan (42), Feng Shui (61), A Most Peculiar Encounter (91), and many more. I just recently completed the last level Medley (100), but not all levels are currently completed. I am at least 86% of the way through though. There are some levels that I don't get yet such as Salt and Pepper (80) and Frustration (99). There were some frustrating ones though, Asylum (86), Beetle Drive (92), and Menace (96). In my opinion I would at least change some of those levels. There seems to be way too many walkers in Asylum. It would be nice to add a little breathing room to Beetle Drive and Menace though to make it less nerve wracking. In conclusion Level 100 completed, but not all levels completed yet. I'll go back to them later.

[Sparkman]

Thoughts on the first 15 levels:

1 Block and Key-

A good introductory level for blocks and bombs

1/2

2 Braving the Elements-

It's an average element-themed level

1/2

3 Push the Button-

This would be a good level for introducing buttons

1/2

4 Delusion-

This is an interesting maze. I love the subversion.



5 Fast Travel-

This one is kinda average

1/2

6 Boxed In-

It's alright



7 Toggle Boggle-

This is a really cool toggle maze



8 Diggin' It-

It's alright. I like how it ends.



9 Ring of Fire-

Extremely tedious



10 Bolero-

Also very tedious

1/2

11 Patchwork-

This one is really annoying. I'm not a fan of walker dodging levels.

1/2

12 Toothache-

A nice teeth level

1/2

13 Unlucky for Some-

A very obnoxious invisible wall level



14 Bad Parking-

It's alright



15 Poly-Gone-

A great teleport and blue wall level.

I am glad this got into CCLP4

[Sparkman]

Thoughts on the next set of levels:

16 Attributes-

I'm sorry, but... ​O
R
D
​
​I
N
A
R
​Y



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​1/2


​

​17 Deep Blue Sea-


​I do not like this level at all. I can't stand "On the Rocks"-esque block pushing levels.




​18 Hoodwinked-


​I'm personally not that big of a fan of this one.


​It's alright, I just don't like it as much as everyone else does.




​19 System Overload-


​It's a solid and easy cloning level


1/2

20 Creepy Crawlies-

This one was interesting.

I liked finding ways to bridge the bugs and paramecia to the bombs.



21 Assembly-

This is a nice semi-non-linear campaign level.



22 Square Route-

Probably my favorite one so far.

I loved how you incorporated blue and appearing walls and gave a checkerboard design to it.

Easily one of the best mazes I have played.



23 Antarctica-

This maze however, I do not like.

I'm not a fan of the "I Slide" mazes that have you take long ice slides into dead ends.

At least "Ice in a Blender" from CCLP4 was small making it a bit easier to navigate.



24 Detour-

It's a solid, but nothing special partial post level



25 Chasing Chips-

I love how it's essentially Hunt from the original Chip's Challenge with mini chase sections in each corner.

I'm not too big on the "suction floor vaults" though. I got cornered by teeth a couple times, but it could have been laid out worse, so that's really just a minor nitpick.

1/2

[Sparkman]

Continuing on:

26 Freight Haul-

A simple and decent little Sokoban level

1/2

27 Blob Square-

This is probably my least favorite one so far.

I like the idea of an open version of Blobdance, but there are many details that make it badly executed here,

First off, the blobs outside of the squares.

They can be really annoying to get around, especially without how narrow the hallways are, and they can easily corner you if you are unlucky.

Secondly, the blobs can go inside and outside of the squares, making the squares and/or the hallways much more crowded.

And on top of all that, the time limit is too strict for this type of level.

I suggest making the hallways gravel, with blobs cemented in the gravel. And make the time limit a tad larger too.



28 Tank Island-

A cool and simple tank level.

The ending where you had to look for the hidden tank button was pretty neat.

1/2

29 Campaign-

That's quite the misnomer.

This "campaign" consists of an itemswapper where you constantly have to go through these rings of walkers on ice and it's SUPER annoying.

After that awful itemswapper, you're outrunning bugs and then going through teleports.

Not much of a campaign.

30 Quorom-

Compared to "Blob Square" and "Campaign", the randomness here is tolerable. Must make it hellish for optimizers though.

The invalid tiles gave me a bit of a shock.

It's an alright level overall



31 Stepping Stones-

I refuse.
​Please provide me with Level 32's password.

[Ihavenoname248]

30 Quorom-

Compared to "Blob Square" and "Campaign", the randomness here is tolerable. Must make it hellish for optimizers though.

The invalid tiles gave me a bit of a shock.

It's an alright level overall



31 Stepping Stones-

I refuse.

​Please provide me with Level 32's password.

AXRR, easily obtained by opening the set in an editor to take a look.

Also, fun fact: Quorum's randomness does not affect optimization, as the ice allows overriding the RFF every time. If it would push you in the direction of the override so that you don't boost off of it, you slide 3 tiles instead of 2 and recoup the lost half move with the spring slide after.

[Sparkman]

Thanks, Jeffrey.

I actually don't have the editor.

[Sparkman]

Thoughts on Levels 32-37:

32 Tricks of the Trade

It's just a bunch of MS-Only shenanigans.

Otherwise, it's nothing special



33 Panic Dots

This could have been fine if the appearing walls on the side of the ball paths weren't there.

It makes it a whole lot more guessworky than it needs to be.



34 Firewalking

Basically Scavenger Hunt with fire and water.

Pretty tedious going through this maze so many times, wherein the slightest misstep means starting the whole thing over again.

Having to traverse through a whole other maze with the flippers is pretty interesting though



35 Oscillations

This one was pretty cool with the tank and ball waves.



36 Four Corners

Why is this set suddenly full of MS-only stuff now?

That being said, I liked this one.

Even though you are grabbing chips and keys in squares that have one walker, teeth, and blob each, you are at least given enough room to dodge everything.

1/2

37 Standard Procedure

I think this one is unsolvable.

I can't find a way to get to the fireball room.

[Ihavenoname248]

http://www.tasksavvy.com/cc/ccld/

There's CCDesign, which is probably the best editor for just surveying a level. Seriously, though- even if you don't plan to make any levels, it's worth having an editor handy to look at existing levels!

Anyway- Standard Procedure is solvable. When in doubt, don't get a boot and the solution should become clear.