Pulluxx's Levelset Feedback Thread (CC2)

[_H_]

The new levels are all very well designed, and most are really tricky as well

01 I WAS A PRESCHOOL DROPOUT

A nice medium difficulty level. The bawling ball trap interactions killed me a bunch of times, but I guess that was just me being stupid

06 SOOTHSAYING

Somehow I really like the idea of the blue maze layer on top of the puzzle, which is really nice; however as well difficult enough so that there is no need to obfuscate it this way. Over all a really nice level.

08 A DAY AT THE POOL

Definitely harder without the bust B) . I really like the puzzle.

09 HAMSTER WHEEL

With a lot of time and finally looking at the level in the editor, I found out what works, and what to do. After some tries I pulled it off as well, however the time limit for each section is not really generous. I found this one extremely hard.

12 CLOCKWORK

An interesting concept and a nice level. I really liked the yellow tank room, the ball however room was a bit annoying, and the last part of the level, the finishing straight, way harder than I first thought.

13 GREED

A really interesting concept, which imo would work better in a smaller level or with smaller rooms where it is clear, how many chips you are allowed to take in each one. Without looking at the level in the editor, and counting the chips and planning the path, I wouldn't have finished it. I liked especially the interactions between the fire boxes and the blue tanks.

14 LAUNDRY DAY

Probably I will have to have a peek in the editor here as well, as of right now I don't have any real plan in this one.

[Pulluxx]

Thanks a lot again H! Your feedback is invaluable in letting me know about the flaws in my designs and the player experience. I think my next improvement should be making levels where you don't have to look at in the editor in order to beat .

09 HAMSTER WHEEL

I'm kind of assuming it wasn't extremely hard in a nice way. I also think I kind of have failed as a designer if you had to look in the editor in order to complete the level. I'm thinking of increasing the time limits for some sections, and maybe adding some more hints around the forcefield track. Was it some specific room that felt too hard?

12 CLOCKWORK

I'm assuming you mean the one with all the area control buttons? I was a bit worried this level would be too complex to figure out, so I'm glad you made it through

13 GREED

I wanted to steer the player a bit by making all rooms with less chips in them useful in completing the level. I kind of like this level and wouldn't want to can it. Maybe there needs to be a better hint and more obvious which paths are red herrings. I'm also a bit curious if you solved it using the path I planned for, I haven't really tried all paths myself. I do think it's a level that is functionally similar to a recessed walls-maze, so I don't know if I think it's that much of a difference from those experiences (although, I usually need to make maps for those levels myself, I'm not that good at memorizing paths).

14 LAUNDRY DAY

I don't know if there's that much more to be gained from looking at the level in the editor, since you see everything but the green teleportal room once you go for a lap around it. But maybe there's too much to take in on this level. This is one of my least favorites of my new ones, I think the other ones had better designs

[_H_]

What made hamster wheel such a hard level for me, was the pure amount of choices you can make. At the start already you can use the toggle door control no times, once or twice, depending on which you start, clone one fire box at the start, two or a crazy amount, before or after using the toggle control all the different paths you can take. E.g. one of my first approaches was to clone more dirt blocks from the outer ring, and more fire boxes for the upper left room, to redirect them to the bomb room, but ultimately you get stuck in this room if you do so. The tight time limits made their contribution as well, as I was just too slow when first trying the first path in the lower left room, so I thought, that can't be it, therefor it took me a while till I realized I have to start there and just be faster... A little bit less tight time limits for some sections would definitely help for the rest I would wait for more feedback.

In clockwork the most complex part was getting to the exit over the outer ring, but you now what you have to your disposal, and you know where to go, thus it felt a bit easier than some of the other levels, even if it wasn't obvious at all.

Greed is a really nice level, just a really hard one, and well, it has some potential to be frustrating, since on average you realize near the end, that you picked up too many chips, and have start again and optimize your path. Watching the replay, my way used the same general idea

[Pulluxx]

I've fixed a bit on Hamster Wheel. I put a thin wall around the fireball track as to limit the chances of analysis paralysis. I also did a very minor tweak for Greed as well. I've also added 5 new levels, most which are shorter and smaller, to try and balance out some of the heavier levels in the set. Hope you folks find them to your liking

[Pulluxx]

Updated the set with 5 new levels, some more experimental in nature.

[_H_]

09 HAMSTER WHEEL
The bust reported via pm still exists.

13 PLAYGROUND
A really nice and really tricky puzzle

15 CAKE EATER
Precision direction-changing with speed boots to direct the teeth while the monster isn't visible... Not to big of a fan of this concept, but a well made level.

16 LAUNDRY DAY
A new day, and this time, a bit more success. Quite some ways to get stuck and quite a bit to remember to get the ordering right. A nice, and surprisingly* difficult level (* don't really now why I had that much trouble with this one in the first place).

17 SUSPENDED IN TIME
A great level. Fun to play and not too hard

19 SOMETHING'S AFOOT
Was stuck till I opened it in the editor, and saw the hidden information, even though playing with sound would have probably helped (at least revealed that something more in this regard is going on)...

20 SKYSCRAPER ESCAPADES
Really like the concept. Finding the solution was not as easy as it first looked

21 THE MELINDA SEQUENCE
Haven't solved this one yet, but seems like mostly trial and error to find the right sequence...

22 GREAT EXPECTATIONS
Really nice and fun to play level

23 KEMIT-CAL REACTION
Really cool use of the yellow teleports. Still have to solve the level completely, but the first impression is really good

24 CARNIVAL
Nice level, not too hard, yet not easy.

25 SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT
Really nice concept and nice puzzle (even if it's mostly counting tiles).

[Pulluxx]

Thanks again _H_! It's very much appreciated (I really need to get on that Hamster Wheel bust, it's just more fun making new levels )

15 CAKE EATER
Both very valid points. Before I had speed bumps in the level you could use if you wanted, maybe I should put them back.

16 LAUNDRY DAY

I'm glad you stuck with it .

19 SOMETHING'S AFOOT

I really like the theme of this level and I want the player to find out how to solve it without looking in the editor, but it's a very fine balance to thread... I want this level to feel a bit "unbeatable" so that the player will do the things that exposes the trick. But I guess the hint wasn't of any help at all?

21 THE MELINDA SEQUENCE
It's too bad it feels that way. I was hoping that the fact that you can see all the rooms from the beginning would make it feel less like that, but the location of the flippers and the secret eye isn't visible. Think I'm gonna move them out so that they're also visible, I hope that will mitigate the trial-and-error feeling a bit.

Thanks on all the rest!

[Pulluxx]

Added 5 new levels. Also fixed a bust in Hamster Wheel (thanks _H_!) and tried to make Something's Afoot easier to figure out.