J.B.'s CC2 Levelset Feedback Thread ("Centennium II" Under Construction!)

[jblewis]

I've decided to start a new thread dedicated to levels created for CC2!

My first set is called Centennium - it contains 100 of my favorite levels that I created originally for CC1 and have adapted to the CC2 ruleset. Almost none of these levels required any change at all, as I had taken care to use pedantic Lynx-compatible button connections from the beginning. But I wanted to add a bit to spice things up, so I adjusted the aesthetics a tad and added some custom floors / walls and bonus flags. Every level actually has bonus flags, which vary in difficulty to collect. Other than that, I have added no other elements from CC2 in order to maintain the integrity of the original designs. The "CC1 boot rule" is also in effect for these levels.

I'll be designing a second 100-level set specifically for CC2 with all the new stuff, so stay tuned to this thread for more information!

Feedback and comments are always appreciated.

http://cczone.invisionzone.com/index.php?/files/file/489-%7B?%7D/

[_H_]

What a nice surprise, a level set which starts easy. I like it, and hope it will be similar for your pure cc2 set.
I really like most of the bonuses and special floors as well as walls.

I haven't finished all 100 levels yet decided to split the feedback up (since I might not have to much time in the coming weeks). Here is the first part, up to level 42:

01: Nice tutorial level. Perhaps a bit too simple.
02: Nice tutorial level.
03: Nice tutorial level.
04: Nice tutorial level.
05: The first level where you can explore the world a bit, really nice easy level.
06: Nice tutorial level.
07: Nice tutorial level.
08: Nice tutorial level.
09: Nice tutorial level.
10: The first level where you have to think a bit. I like the level overall.
11: Nice tutorial level.
12: Nice introduction to clone machines and traps (for the hint see pm).
13: Nice tutorial level.
14: Nice tutorial level.
15: Nice tutorial level.
16: A nice easy level to show different mechanics from the tutorial combined.
17: Some good easy puzzles. I like this introduction to different uses of blocks.
18: In a way an extension to the last level, with less variety. A nice easy level.
19: The first maze. It's an easy one, and a nice exploration type level.
20: Feels more like the pure tutorial levels earlier, than the last few levels. But again, a nice tutorial level.
21: The first real monster dodging level. Even if it looks really simple, it's long enough to randomly screw up...
22: I liked this one. Together with the last a step up in difficulty compared to the first 20 levels. In the ice maze you really have to think a bit.
23: A nice maze. It is a fun to play level.
24: The first somewhat tricky puzzle. I really liked this level
25: Straight forward, just push all the blocks. Nothing too exciting though.
26: An easy ice maze. Nothing too special, but fun to play.
27: For the ant in the lower right part the timing has to be quite accurate, but over all not too difficult.
28: If there should be a system, some kind of hint towards the right direction, I didn't get it. Therefor it was just pure trial and error. Didn't like it too much.
29: Nice concept, nice level, and fun to play
30: This one gets really crazy towards the end, just random monster movement everywhere. Not my type of level.
31: A nice design, a fine easy puzzle, I like this one.
32: Quite hard to get the block through the two monster rooms in the middle. I'm not too big of a fan of this level for that reason.
33: A good linear exploration style level.
34: The custom floors make it really hard to see the fire boxes, and after 20 or 30 seconds this becomes really a problem. I would use normal floors here.
35: A nice blue maze. Easy and fun to play.
36: Getting all the chips from the circling ant is the tricky part, but the rest is a nice open level.
37: Even if not my favorite type of level, not too tricky, a bit long if you screw up later, but somewhat fun to play.
38: The maze is easy and the shortcuts through the force floors fun, but this green starts to hurt after a while, especially since these tones don't fit together. If it must be green in green, and I'm not convinced that this has to be, I would use pop down walls, than the green tones fit together a bit better at least.
39: I really like the first room the second one however is quite tricky. Random monster movement dodging while you have to stand almost directly within them, that's not my thing.
40: A good well designed concept and an easy fun level
41: Good idea, I like this level, it's fun to play.
42: Ice maze times four. The teleport one is a bit confusing, so I ended up with a simple trial and error approach instead of thinking where I'll end (and there is no way to die or get stuck, which is positive), but all four parts are fun to play

[jblewis]

Thanks for the feedback, H! Centennium has been updated with a few minor changes:

• #11 (GYM CLASS): Added custom walls to divide the "gym" in half.
  
• #12 (GENETIC EXPERIMENTS): Updated hint to reflect new trap graphics.
  
• #34 (SUNDANCE): Changed custom floors to blue to provide contrast.
  
• #38 (JUNGLE FEVER): Replaced custom floors with dirt to provide contrast.
  
• #47 (QUAD): Moved Chip's starting position to a spot other than a force floor.
  

I've also been starting to design new levels for Centennium 2 (working title). Here's a preview of one:

[Alan Redgown]

Just starting this set. It makes me sad that no music files are set for the levels. I think I'll use a script to modify my copy of the c2g to cycle through the tracks.


Also, level 38, Jungle Fever, doesn't have Chip in it, which causes the game to crash. Easy enough fix.


Anyway, this seems mainly like a condensed version of J.B.'s absolutely fantastic JBLP1, with the noted additions of bonus flags and decorative tiles. As far as I can tell, the only levels here that weren't in JBLP1 are 1-6, 8, and 10 (tutorial levels), as well as 66 and 95 (normal levels). The latter two were fun, but anyone who's already played JBLP1 that doesn't want to replay levels is only going to have 2 real challenges. I look forward to Centennium 2 with great enthusiasm!

[Pulluxx]

I've played through quite a bit of your set, I'm enjoying it so far. Your levels are very elegantly designed and straight forward, this makes playing through them a breeze. I seldom feel like the solution is out of sight when playing, which is nice for a change. I'm looking forward to getting to the harder levels. Even though I feel like your set is one where the sum of the parts is what makes it great, I'm gonna give a level-by-level review of (most of) the ones I've played through so far:

1-9: Simple, nice lesson levels, I like the inclusion of teaching the player that certain things needs to be performed before others.

10: A good threshold between the lessons and the real levels

11-15: More lesson levels, I like how thorough your set is with this, so that new players can go into your set as well.

16: Nice examination level.

17: Very elegant and neatly designed lesson. I quite liked this one.

18: A good level teaching you further block-pushing principles. I liked the layout of it.

19: Ok level, a bit long with some repetitive sections (this is not because of my stupid failure on it )

20: Again, I really like how thorough the lessons are in teaching about more general principles you need to learn.

21: A lot of monster dodging which really requires you to learn their patterns, which does it's job but not too fun in practice.

22: Really nice map which tests your knowledge of the more advanced lessons. The difficulty curve is very evenly increased, which is nice.

23: An ok map, but I didn't really do the namesake of the level, I just rushed through it.

24: Short and compact level that introduces more complex principles regarding buttons. Very nicely designed.

25: A flavorful excursion to the other levels. Which in itself is nice, even though the level was merely ok.

26: Not a big fan of ice mazes.

27: I like how compact and clean these lesson levels are, they're a breeze to play through.

28: I too, did not get the hint. So it felt a bit trial and error. Never been a fan of pop-up wall mazes though.

29: I slightly harder and more esoteric in design compared to previous levels. It provides a nice change of pace.

30: Given that I normally do not like pure monster-dodging levels, I was pleasantly surprised with this one. Good level of effort needed, and again, very neatly designed.

31: Nice, short level.

32: Seems a bit like an extension of the previous level, even though it has a clean design I didn't find it all to interesting or fun.

33: Great level with some new interactions not seen so far in the set. Fun to play.

34: This one is a bit of a mess to look at. Not a big fan (I played the one with custom floors though).

35: Not really doing much for me. Feels a bit aimless.

36: Cute level which requires some thought. Force field sections feels a bit unnecessary.

37: Pun title is a plus, and the sandbox game play coupled with the performance effort required made it challenging and rewarding.

Again, I really like the approach of your level set and the very even difficulty curve, which really eases you into the set.

That CC2 level looks really cool too, btw

[jblewis]

Hi everyone! I've just made a huge update to this set that corrects a number of issues, many of which IHNN (Jeffrey) found while playing through the set. The changes include:

<ul class="">
[*]#11 (GYM CLASS): Added thin walls to walker area to make navigation and dodging easier.


[*]#23 (FORWARD THINKER): Changed suction shoes to fire boots and sealed off bonus to make it collectible only at the end.


[*]#35 (JUXTAPOSITION): Removed new outer area and inserted bonuses into the central maze.


[*]#40 (MINI PYRAMID): Removed exit from block with bonus under it.


[*]#45 (CRITTER CRAZY): Added bonuses to outer area.


[*]#57 (ROGUELIKE): Moved some bonuses to make blob movement in southwest room less bothersome.


[*]#58 (UNDER CONSTRUCTION): Added new bonus area.


[*]#63 (WOOF): Added new bonus area.


[*]#65 (FLAME WAR): Added additional bonuses.


[*]#66 (CHILLED TO THE BONE): Removed custom floor and added additional custom walls.


[*]#67 (EXHIBIT HALL): Removed bonus from teeth room and added two new bonus areas.


[*]#71 (SLIME SLIDER): Added bonuses.


[*]#81 (BLUE TOOTH): Removed one bonus from exit area to make exiting much less painful.


[*]#83 (SISYPHUS): Moved hint to make bonus accessible.


[*]#84 (ETHICAL CLONING): Added sockets near walker cloners.


[*]#85 (WHIRLPOOL): Removed thin wall that made level unsolvable.


[*]#86 (HURRICANE MELINDA): Moved bonus to avoid border touching.


[*]#100 (JAPANESE GAME SHOW): Added new bonuses and shortened ball room in northwest.


</ul>


Happy chipping!

[_H_]

I reported BLUE TOOTH as well as <span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">WHIRLPOOL a while ago as unsolvable to you.

In your last post you imply that #81 was solvable, so I'm curious what was the intended solution

[jblewis]

It was technically solvable with super-precise timing, but it wasn't intended.

[jblewis]

All right! A couple of things: first, I've updated Centennium with a fix for #38 (JUNGLE FEVER) that places Chip on the map. I totally overlooked this when redoing the design for the maze, but thankfully, it's solvable now.

But the more exciting news is that Centennium II has reached 10 levels! I've gone ahead and uploaded an initial version for feedback in the downloads section. I'd like for others to feel free to contribute to the production of the set while it's in development rather than waiting until the 100-level mark has been achieved. I plan to update the set whenever it hits subsequent multiples of 5 levels and post here to see what everyone else thinks of the new material. Some of it may be removed from the set if the feedback is negative, and there isn't much that can be done to adjust a level without practically destroying it. Here are my notes for these initial levels. Please let me know what you think!

http://cczone.invisionzone.com/index.php?/files/file/498-%7B?%7D/

#1 (WARM UP): The title is a reference to my "review" level from the long lost set I created when I was about 9 or 10 years old. I created another version of this one with 3x3 rooms in the style of ArchieP1's IN A NUTSHELL, but it felt far too claustrophobic. The bonus can be achieved only by item dropping, which I do not plan on teaching until a tutorial level, which will probably be level 2. Like the original Centennium, I intend on including a set of tutorials to introduce the new elements and abilities, but they will play like normal, albeit easy, levels. Speaking of which...

#2 (CHRISTMAS TREE): ...this level is one of those tutorials! In the final, 100-level version of the set, I hope to place it after separate tutorials that introduce green walls, bowling balls, and differently colored teleports. The idea and general aesthetic were inspired by an Escape level I had created several years ago with a similar look but also a more puzzle-oriented task to complete. Here, the challenge is meant to be simple. There are a few ways to solve it, but there should be only one way to collect all the bonuses.

#3 (ROUND TRIP): Another tutorial, this time teaching blue teeth behavior. It will be placed after a yet-to-be-made level introducing Melinda. I hoped to make at least a few 10x10 levels, as well as a level that involved leading a teeth around while switching characters. The maze was going to be bigger, but after a while, I decided to go the smaller, time-crunching route. Shouldn't be too difficult.

#4 (SPLITSVILLE): This was actually the first level I made specifically for CC2! It's a CC-ified version of a puzzle from Nancy Drew: Sea of Darkness. (If you haven't watched my LP of it on YouTube, what are you waiting for? Go check it out! /shameless plug) For anyone who may be wondering, I tried to have no space between the middle switches and the diverging tracks above and below. Unfortunately, I discovered that on/off switches affect objects immediately above or below them, including railroad switches. So I ended up opting for an extra row of track to prevent any changes not brought about by fireballs traveling through.

#5 (PANDEMIC): Ever since the spread of slime was known as a blob ability in CC2, I wanted to make a large level where Chip would have to face expanding seas of the stuff. Originally, I had only the blobs in the larger pools, but the level was far too easy. Adding more blobs and some isolated slime spaces hopefully makes it a bit more challenging without being too obnoxious.

#6 (SOKOBOMB): I didn't include UNSTOPPABLE from JBLP1 as a level in Centennium because I wanted to make a different level based on the same general concept. The result was this. Since getting by with four blocks is rather trivial, I'm debating whether or not to force the player to use only three dynamites to destroy all the blocks and relocate the bonus. What do you think?

#7 (TRAIN OF THOUGHT): I played the Lumosity game of the same name a short while after CC2 was released and began wondering what the idea would look like in the world of CC, particularly since there were now literal railroad tracks and switches. This is arguably the level that I've gone back and forth with designing the most. At first, the entire thing was about half the length, with an extra switch at the end of the ball path separating the bombs there into two groups. After a while, it became obvious that I needed to compensate for the limited viewing space in the game and the need to walk between switches, so I spaced out the monsters more and made the central "viewport" 5x5 instead of the original measly 3x3. I don't know if this level is going to be the most well-received idea ever, but I thought I'd include it for now. Perhaps instead of enforcing perfection, I could include more bonuses as rewards for perfection and require only three bombs along each monster path to be destroyed for the chips. Let me know what you think.

#8 (AXIS): One of the concepts I had thought of during my initial idea rush was a level called DON'T LOOK UP (which I still plan to make). Basically, the player would be forced to go every direction but up, as there would be a mimic near the start blocked in every direction but up, where some button would spell the player's doom whenever pressed. Then, I thought - why not try this same idea, but with both Chip and Melinda stuck along straight lines?

#9 (NOW YOU SWITCH IT): Ah, the other potentially irritating level. After playing through several levels in Joshua Bone's Walls of CC1 set, I felt inspired to make a few of my own. This is the only one I've finished so far! The original inspiration came from a maze idea I had that involved going through different sections and pressing gray buttons in separate areas adjacent to a specific cluster of toggle walls to open only the doors necessary to gain access to the awaiting chips. Initially, I was hoping to build a pretty large maze, but it became evident that the gameplay would be really tedious, with plenty of backtracking. So, I decided to use a CC1 level and build on it instead, with a lot less puzzle-solving involved. The layout for this level comes from NOW YOU SEE IT, with the original chips marked by green ones, and the blue walls within the borders replaced by toggle walls. The open toggle doors even correspond with the fake blue walls (and the closed ones with the real blue walls). Surprisingly enough, there were only 10 chips I couldn't reach before the socket.

#10 (MANIFEST DESTINY): I guess you could call this level the dirt version of Tyler's CHIP AND MELINDA GO ICE SKATING. It's also meant to be one of the "holy grail" levels in the set with respect to collecting bonus flags. I haven't been able to verify all of them yet.

[random 8]

Unfortunately, I discovered that on/off switches affect objects immediately above or below them, including railroad switches.

Only because you have wires sticking out the top and bottom of those switches. If you re-place and rewire them, that shouldn't happen.

TRAIN OF THOUGHT: The last six or seven are ridiculous—took me at least a couple dozen tries, and mostly because i couldn't reach the buttons in time. Maybe if the buttons were closer together and/or i had speed boots....

#10 (MANIFEST DESTINY): I guess you could call this level the dirt version of Tyler's CHIP AND MELINDA GO ICE SKATING. It's also meant to be one of the "holy grail" levels in the set with respect to collecting bonus flags. I haven't been able to verify all of them yet.

I was able to get all the bonus flags, but i think i busted the level since i didn't use the transmogrifier.

EDIT: I don't know if you saw my PM in Skype, but Sokobomb is still busted--just use bombs instead of blocks.