Zephyr Pack - Discussion

[Green Kitten]

Hmm... I'm going to join in you guys and help with the voting (just make sure level 121 has teeth. ) So, without further ado... Zephyr.

1. Blockage. This one confused me so bad. I haven't a bloody clue how this level works, even looking at it in the editor. Is it even possible? Uh, it is Jacques, because it's in the pack. But whatever it is, I cannot complete it. This pack is aimed at players like me, who aren't very good at the game. I had no idea and was totally lost, so this level does not belong anywhere near the pack. All in all, not a great start for Zephyr.

2. Shoes Wanted. Not too bad. A little too easy... but you can never have it too easy. Would be good as a level in the 10s. Stupidly, I attempted to do the teeth section first, because I'm just stupid like that. Turns out the yellow key was useless anyway. The level is untimed for some reason... but I completed it in 70 seconds, including the exploring since I wasn't sure what to do. Not too bad.

3. Slide Labyrinth. Very fun! The ball rooms aren't too hard either. I enjoyed this. My only complaint is that the time limit is too low. Raising it would be perfect for beginners like me. I ran out of time after collecting 7 chips.

4. Making a Difference. Very easy level, though the fireball room was pretty fun - that was the highlight of the level.

5. Stairway Mazers. I liked this. The bug at the start was fun to move around against. No dirty tricks, just mazey fun. But when you see a thief and a stairway made of force floors? GO ON THE FORCE FLOORS AS SOON AS YOU SEE THEM! I completed the water and ice part before doing the force floors bit... and I thought "if I make another block, I wouldn't be able to advance to the corridor of fireballs. So I left out that chip and went towards the exit without it. The rest of the level was very fun though.

6. Treasure Island. I did this level quite aimlessly. Still pretty fun though - there are some islands that you'll need to use the blocks on other islands to get to.

7. Criss Cross. This one sure was confusing, but I got the hang of it, after a few deaths. No, I'm not doing that on purpose, you stupid game. A bit repetitive, I must say...

8. Holy Chip. Aah... collecting lots of chips level. Coming from the guy that subjected people to filling a room with Computer Chips under Computer Chips, and calling it a level, seen in Jacques.dat like 30 times, I found it never unbearable, and the designer kept it interesting. A bit scary with that ball on the ice, and going back and forth to deal with the blocks and traps was a bit boring, but you only had to do it 5 times. Really good stuff. Easy, but never unbearable. Speaking of collecting lots of chips, is my stupid level BuggyChip in one of those packs? It made it into the final stages of CCLP3 voting for some reason I cannot explain.

9. Occupied. Fun concept, and not too tricky. A few switches were hard to get to when pink balls were released, but all in all it was fine.

10. Slow Melting. AAUGH! ICEDEATH LEVEL! Oh wait, Ice Skates. Phew. Kinda meh, really, but there's always that one chip you forget to get. Always.

11. Parody Bit. Pretty fun. Short but sweet. Definitely reminds me of something I would make, especially the toggle room with monsters, which is a staple in many of my levels. W-wait, was Mr. Designer parodying me? Thanks, Mr. Designer!

12. Paid in Full. It took a little while to realise what the hell I was doing, but this turned out to be a fun and straight-forward little level. Could have added a bit of challenge, but it's alright. What's up with the name?

13. Four Ants. This level was just annoying... and you had to use some of the blocks to go to the exit. It got old after the fifth time being killed after an ant.

14. Cakewalk. I enjoy these kind of levels very much. This one was really fun, and it was a bit of a rush for me (though leave the time limit alone - it encourages you to move quick but not too frantically.) I ran out of time first time, but that enticed me to try again! The block section was a bit scary... but we all need those scary sections otherwise Chip's Challenge would get boring. My only complaint is that the panels could look a bit neater - levels built with panels do have a tendency to look messy in the MS graphics. The top-left with the alternating north and south panels could be edited to look a bit better, but a good level.

15. Center Priority. Easy stuff. I missed my exit on the paramecium section so I had to do it twice. It did not make me a happy bunny. And the SE Panel... use it! (There was a point where it could have been used neatly but the designer opted for separate N and W panels. I'm really stingy about panels...) Not particularly fun.

16. Taking. This level would either be evil (the bugs/paramecia would circle a 2*2 square after a chip was collected so timing was key) or dull (the bugs/paramecia would continue the 3*3 circle). Indifferently surprised, it took the dull option.

17. The Maze That Turned On And Off. Really, really fun! This could be a contender for level 121 - as level 121 must have teeth. You'll find yourself praying for that pink ball to hit the button quite a lot, but this was an exciting, fun level. 5'd.

18. Confounded. I kinda got bored of this one fast. There weren't any moving tanks by the point I got bored. A bit annoying too, really, I was going round in circles at some points.

19. Fresh. Nothing fresh about this level, which was essentially a Jumping Swarm, just with some gravel here and there. Well, at least it wasn't a 900s Jacques.dat Jumping Swarm, because that would get a 1/5.

20. Protect Your Fortress. Very, very fun. Took me a little while to realise what to do, because somebody didn't read the hint. Not hard, and very fun. 5'd.

21. Enough Lessons. Fun enough. Very straightforward and no challenge whatsoever... would be perfect as a very early level. Nothing much else to say.

22. Synchronisation. Just... really frustrating. I ran out of time before that BLASTED PINK BALL created the second block so I could detonate the bomb AAAAAURGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

23. Into the Vortex. Easy, but fun stuff. What was the point of the pair of suction shoes?

24. Boa, Boa, Boa. What a silly name, I first thought whilst playing this bizarre level. However... it was exciting, exciting stuff. And soon enough after playing, I understand why the designer gave it such a name. The boa constrictors are very numerous and I made a mess of it a lot of times. A very exciting, and fun level. I think I will... Yeah, 5'd.

25. Spirals. It's alright, a bit repetitive though. The odd sliding that monsters tend to have didn't bother me once here.

26. Backfire. "Moving blocks are dangerous, try not to get squashed by them". Well duh. Basic stuff here, executed quite nicely here. Would be fun as an earlier level.

27. Renewable Swarm. Exciting stuff, and lots of frogs! Could be a contender for level 121, but I'd prefer level 121 to be a full level which uses the entire space of the 32*32 map. The rhythm of the button pushing by the enemies was easy to get into. Click, click-click, click, click.

28. Fireball. What a mess! How the hell do you get past the tanks? The beginning with the fireballs was hella hectic too. Harumph. We'll swiftly skip this one.

29. Ballroom Blitz. Nice concept. Could have been a bit harder, but I liked it, random as it was. Ballroom dancing with pink balls.

30. Start Off. Just hideously dull, really. We want to entertain our beginner Chipsters, not bore them!

31. And The Buttons Were Gone. Fun. Though it involves the killing of those cute widdle fwoggies. Oh well, it proved to be a fun level. You may need to think before quickly trapping the frogs, warning from Jacques.

32. Guarded Hallways. Perfect difficulty... oh rats, that fireball room. It made it so confusing with the fire under the fireballs - everything was hard to see. It might look better in Lynx... but I never liked Lynx graphics, I'll stick with MS, however 'crappy' it looks, because Chip to me will always be the guy with green trousers and a teal blue shirt, not some random guy with a backpack who's so ugly you can't see his face! Oh, what am I even talking about? This was pretty good, not 5 quality stuff, but fun nonetheless.

33. Ratchet. My lucky jersey number. Yeah, it would be 121, but that's too big to fit on a baseball jersey. Jacques, stop rambling. A great concept. The first time I tried it, of course I let the fireball through, but yeah, I can kill all those frogs quite easily. I then realised what was going on, and thought "this concept is great but... could have been used better". Then I saw the trap, and quickly rethought. Interesting concept, used well, in the end. All in all, a good map. 5'd.

34. Route 66. More cruel than it should have been because my left and right arrow keys were playing up, so the glider and fireball rooms, and the 2*2 squares with enemies were a nightmare when they really shouldn't be. Not at any fault of the map, that is, which is a fun romp. with nothing too tricky. Damn arrow keys. I will 5 this, whatever.

35. Teleporter Action. A short boring level on partial posting. That is all I really have to say.

36. 4 Ways to Win. I did it... the bomb way. I don't see any other way to do it, but there you go. GreenKitten, everyone. A fun little puzzle which was satisfying to solve. I enjoyed this level.

37. Mega Blocks. I can easily see this level in CCLP1. It's just jam-packed with little block puzzles which are never boring, and not too hard, but with a bit of thinking ahead involved. Nicely built and always entertaining, this level is 5'd.

38. Kill Blob. Aah... my kind of level - killing those disgusting green objects. That was about 5% of the level... the rest of the level was a scavenger hunt - which did entertain me - it wasn't too long and irritating a-la CC1 #32. I was thinking the scavenger hunt to be a while-u-wait for the blobs to drown, but you had to get the blobs killed and the chips collected before you could enter the scavenger hunt. Not the way I would do it, but who cares? And this level gives us a chance... to kill blobs!

39. Peek-A-Boo. Ooh, another scavenger hunt. Unlike Zommy08 I found the item-swapping here to be more interesting than the previous level - you have to do a bit more thinking here. But there's no blob-killing... this level sure could use some blob killing.

40. The Perks of Dodging A Block. Annoying timing needed here - once you get all the chips and pass the socket, the level is reminiscent of the block nightmares of Blockbuster I... and II. That's not a good thing - and especially after you've gotten all the chips, it just makes it a bit annoying, really.

41. Novice Hall. No animals were touched in the completion of this level. Which is just as well. Nothing special really... the only danger is if you make a misstep into the frog cage - which is almost certain death. Basic... but is it too basic?



I shall continue later, and I'll do all the voting once I've finished the set.

[Zommy08]

About Zephyr:

Lvl 1 (Blockage) - wut. i'm so lost. Is this unsolvable or is there some dirty trick?

Lvl 2 (Shoes Wanted!) - Seems very incomplete - you can get the yellow key without the suction boots but there isn't a yellow door. It also looks æsthetically empty.

Lvl 3 (Slide Labyrinth) - Finally a decent level. An ice maze with a twist. I've generously given it 4/5.

Lvl 4 (Making a Difference) - A generic itemswapper, but this is CCLP1, so generic doesn't mean bad.

Lvl 5 (Stairway Mazers) - Good level which lost one point due to minor dodging.

Lvl 6 (Treasure Island) - Dirty trick at the end. 3/5.

Lvl 7 (Criss Cross) - Just one of those COLONY-style levels where you have to do the same thing over and over. 1/5.

Lvl 8 (Holy Chip!) - Basically a remake of CHCHCHIPS, but still good. Shite name though.

Lvl 9 (Occupied) - Nice and easy level with an original theme.

Lvl 10 (Slow Melting) - That's just cruel to people playing with the original tileset. I kid. It's really just boring.

Lvl 11 (Parody Bit) - Not sure how to react to that. 3/5.

Lvl 12 (Paid in Full) - Great level, but the red button is useless. I've still given it 5/5.

Lvl 13 (Four Ants) - Ew. Cruel.

Lvl 14 (Cakewalk) - Lost 2 points because of the ice block dodging.

Lvl 15 (Centre Priority) - "Walk in a line for a bit then turn. Repeat." Boring.

Lvl 16 (Taking) - See Lvl 7. This is even more COLONY-esque.

Lvl 17 (The Maze That Turned On and Off) - Good idea, but the teeth is a bit too much for CCLP1. 3/5.

Lvl 18 (Confounded) - Not sure how to describe this. Meh.

Lvl 19 (Fresh) - Don't think that just adding occasional gravel to JUMPING SWARM makes it better. 1/5.

Lvl 20 (Protect Your Fortress) - Amazing level, and slide delay is amusing.

Lvl 21 (Enough Lessons) - One of the best NUTS AND BOLTS-style levels I've seen. I particularly like the reference to SPOOKS. 5/5.

Lvl 22 (Synchronisation) - Another meh level. An interesting concept executed too difficultly produces meh.

Lvl 23 (Into the Vortex) - Nice introduction to block manipulation on ice.

Lvl 24 (Boa Boa Boa) - Basically SOCIALIST ACTION. Boring.

Lvl 25 (Spirals) - Yet again, it's just doing the same thing over and over.

Lvl 26 (Backfire) - See Lvl 23, this is the same except it covers a different area of block manipulation.

Lvl 27 (Renewable Storm) - Nice introduction of teeth mechanics. And it sounds funny in Lynx.

Lvl 28 (Fireball) - That beginning, lolwut. Actually turned out to be a nice level.

Lvl 29 (Ballroom Blitz) - Meh.

Lvl 30 (Start Off) - Another Lesson 1 "Get chips" level. They're all the same.

Lvl 31 (And the Buttons Were Gone) - Meh. You can see I'm getting lazy.

Lvl 32 (Guarded Hallways) - Good level. Maybe a bit too difficult.

Lvl 33 (Ratchet) - Very nice idea that I've never seen before. Maybe add a hint to make sure players know not to let the fireball through - it's possible they might that letting it through is the intention.

Lvl 34 (Route 66) - Wow. Amazing æsthetics and great level. 5/5.

Lvl 35 (Teleporter Action) - Great introduction to teleports and partial posting.

Lvl 36 (4 Ways to Win) - Nice puzzle-solving level.

Lvl 37 (Mega Blocks) - Great level with one major theme and many minor themes of each part.

Lvl 38 (Kill Blob) - Well there's an interesting itemswapper.

Lvl 39 (Peek-A-Boo) - Well there's a not-so-interesting itemswapper.

Lvl 40 (The Perks of Dodging a Block) - The first part's fine. Then you get into the succeed-or-die part of the block slide and then the BLOCKBUSTER part and the level is kinda ruined.

Lvl 41 (Novice Hall) - Nice, basic level with good æsthetics.

Lvl 42 (Then She Dropped the Bomb) - Good. That's all I can say.

Lvl 43 (Snowflake) - An ice maze, what fun. [/sarcasm]

Lvl 44 (Changing Lanes II) - Basically Changing Lanes, just annoying. Keep the original in, not this.

Lvl 45 (Boingy Bouncers) - There are too many levels so similar to this to judge it a lot. The name, however...you can finish that sentence for me.

Lvl 46 (Broken Portal) - Well, the hint abuse doesn't work in MS, and the block above it is rendered useless in Lynx...just based on that I'm not trying the level.

Lvl 47 (The Cask of Amontillado) - Holy shit that's difficult.

Lvl 48 (Be Forceful) - Not hard, but annoying.

Lvl 49 (Flames and Ashes) - Nice idea that beginners won't ever have seen before.

Lvl 50 (Chip Away) - icwutudidthar@title. Complex level with no real theme. I like it.

[Aldeniro Arief Bawono]

do you mind giving me the passwords?

I can't even pass level 1

[Reynaldi]

If you are using MSCC, press Ctrl+K, it will open all levels.

Or you can try to look password in the editor (such as CCEdit, CCDesign) for that level.

[jbdude55]

Playing 550 levels in six weeks can really take its toll on a person, as is evident by me not completing a pack every day as I did at the start of voting! I'm going to be away for another week or so, so I thought I'd finish up one more pack before then. Here are my thoughts and comments on the Zephyr Pack:


#1 (Blockage) - Challenging, takes the concept a good distance without resorting to (excessively) dirty trickery. I'd perhaps like to see a slightly more generous time limit as a fair bit of thinking is required. Good level.


#5 (Stairway Mazers) - Great fun to play, not so great to reach the exit and realize you missed a chip five minutes ago that you now can't get back to.


#13 (Four Ants) - Frenetic and kind of fun in a weird way, but not sure it's the right fit for CCLP1.


#17 (The Maze that Turned On and Off) - Great concept that reminded me of SLO MO, but much more exciting. I struggled at first, but with a keen strategy it's possible to give the teeth monsters the run around all day long. Just the right size, as I feel the intensity would be diluted were the level any bigger. Good stuff.


#18 (Confounded) - Great level, although even with a +10min time limit I still only had 9s left when I completed it. The itemswapper section at the end was one heck of a hurry, and even though it was so simple, the speed meant I didn't really notice it. I imagine quicker routes might have to watch out for the tank, as I never saw it once I'd pressed the brown button.


#19 (Fresh) - Basically a JUMPING SWARM rehash, so I loved it. Saying that, I think a lot more could have been done with this level, such as spicing it up with some obstacles (fire and blocks would be the best choices since they won't kill the walkers), but not overdoing it so that the level feels messy and crowded.


#20 (Protect Your Fortress) - Made an educated guess which turned out to be correct. I must admit, watching all that junk pour into the circular FF room is amazing, even if the slide delay in MS is ludicrous.


#23 (Into the Vortex) - I completed it without using the suction boots a la Bouncing Blocks. Good, simple block pushing level.


#26 (Backfire) - Most useful hint in Chip's Challenge history. Loved it (:


#28 (Fireball) - This was one of the weirdest levels I've seen yet, I had to restart so many times since I had no idea what was going on and I was dead by the time I'd worked it out. The repeated quick-stepping out of traps required later in the level would probably defeat a lot of new players, as you can't simply hold the direction you want to go in or you'll get trampled every time (I'm sure everyone can relate to the pink ball/trap mechanism in CC1's PLAYTIME, no?). See the "Stupid deaths" thread for an example of this


#32 (Guarded Hallways) - I found that following the advice of the hint cooks the level, since going to the corner rooms first frees the teeth from the north central room, blocking the entrance. I would either change the hint wording to tackle this room first, or remove the teeth altogether, since it can easily be drowned anyway and only adds a minor dodging challenge.


#33 (Ratchet) - Very clever design and lots of fun to play, always wondering if the next blue button press will be your last... (:


#36 (4 Ways to Win) - Filled to the brim with shenanigans, but I'll forgive it since it's short and sweet. Finding all the solutions will keep most people busy long after the first has been found. Good level.


#40 (The Perks of Dodging a Block) - Who wants to see a level in CCLP1 that ends with slide delay hell like BLOCKBUSTER? I'm guessing no-one. The shortness of the level redeems it slightly, however, since it doesn't take too much effort to retry.


#41 (Novice Hall) - Rather simple, but not trivial, and does include nearly all the tiles in the game, so might work well in the early part of the set as a review level of sorts.


#43 (Snowflake) - A well designed ice maze that's not too taxing. I liked the room in the SE with the thin walls, and thought the rest of the level could have done with a little bit more variety like this room. Also, perhaps a slightly higher time limit?


#44 (Changing Lanes II) - Slightly trickier than the original, which I prefer. This isn't a bad level by any stretch, but avoiding the tanks (especially the one in the south) can get a tad annoying with a blob in control of the blue button.


#46 (Broken Portal) - After the Rainstorm in CCLP2 stumped many people with the requirement of the ram, so how is including it in CCLP1 (see below) in any way fair? Under the block in this picture is a thin wall S, which keeps the block on the N force floor (where the teeth is in this picture). But once Chip step on the thin wall S tile, the block gets dumped on his head, with no explanation why...



Also, as has already been pointed out, the "hint" does not serve its purpose in MS. Lastly, the NW room with the chips and gliders is incredibly annoying, exacerbated by the fact that it's right at the end of the level.


#50 (Chip Away) - The hint is somewhat misleading, as if you unlock the first yellow door you see at the end, you have no green keys and the level is cooked - but this is a moot point since you can see this from behind the yellow door. A great level that requires patience and consideration.

[pillowpc2001]

#32 (Guarded Hallways) - I found that following the advice of the hint cooks the level, since going to the corner rooms first frees the teeth from the north central room, blocking the entrance. I would either change the hint wording to tackle this room first, or remove the teeth altogether, since it can easily be drowned anyway and only adds a minor dodging challenge.

I was actually including the teeth room as one of the corner rooms (the "corners" being in relation to the hallways you take once you're out of the toggle room). But you're right - if the player goes counter-clockwise through the corners instead of clockwise and does the ball room before the teeth room, that wouldn't be good... Actually, putting a chip at 21,2 seems like a good way to keep the teeth there, but not make it mandatory to do that room first (or second, since you can safely do the fireball room first).

[Bowman]

Okay, so I just finished the Zephyr pack. Yeah, I'm behind. But I'll get there someday. Here are some of my thoughts:

Level 1: Blockage - What is with all the hate for this level? The concept is not too hard, although it does require beginners to think. And it's so well done. When I figured it out, I was still new to CC and when I did, it was so satisfying and became one of my favorites. This one screams CCLP1 with its aesthetics and overall feel. Of course, as I've said before, it does need A LOT more time or perhaps to be untimed, but that can be fixed later. 5 stars.

Level 2: Shoes Wanted! - The pointless yellow key was a little disappointing for me. If it wasn't for that, it wouldn't be too bad.

Level 31: And the Buttons Were Gone - I really like the concept for CCLP1. The only downside are the two traps beside the walls, particularly the left one, as you need to have at least two teeth running behind you to pull it off. That may be hard to figure out if you were doing it one teeth at a time like I was.

Level 33: Ratchet - I really liked this one, but I think it may be a bit too rigid for CCLP1. Having to find the shortest route and optimizing your passes through the buttons doesn't come easy to a beginner. Very well made, but better suited for a future CCLP.

Level 37: Mega Blocks - The length was the only downside of this one for me. Also, there's an extra chip? That made the last part with the sokoban pointless.

Level 47: The Cask of Amontillado - The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could. Didn't get the point of the fireball cloner, but a nice simple level nonetheless. Would like it better if it were *Casque.

~Bowman

[quiznos00]

Level 31: And the Buttons Were Gone - I really like the concept for CCLP1. The only downside are the two traps beside the walls, particularly the left one, as you need to have at least two teeth running behind you to pull it off. That may be hard to figure out if you were doing it one teeth at a time like I was.

In 31, you can use a glider for the trap beside the left wall and use a teeth for one of the bombs at the top, but that's not exactly beginner friendly either.

[Ida]

We could make an edit to make it more CCLP1-ish...

[Ida]

We could make an edit to make it more CCLP1-ish...