February 2021 Create Competition - GliderBot hates me for this (10×100 levels)

[Calica]

A Create Competition is a level design contest where anyone can make a level or levels from a given prompt or theme, which are then judged and ranked, with feedback. Whether you're a veteran designer with hundreds of levels or have never made a level before in your life, your submission is welcome here!

The theme for this competition is to push the dimension features of CC2's map format to their absolute (imposed by CC2) limits--make a level where one dimension is the maximum 100 tiles, and one dimension is the minimum 10 tiles.  There are levels that run close to, but not exactly, at 100×10, like Archival Footage or Eastbound, if you want some design insipiration.

Administrivia:

• Submit the levels to me, calica#0464 on Discord or through PM here, by 11:59 PM Pacific Time on February 28, 2021.  Extensions will be granted for a week if someone tells me you're working on something.
  
• You may submit up to 3 levels to the competition; if you submit more, only the most recent 3, or whichever 3 you tell me to judge, will be judged.
  
• Levels should be solvable and replays are strongly recommended.  If I can't solve the level in my stream and it doesn't have a replay, I won't be inclined to give it a good placement.
  
• You can have a map bigger than 10x100, within reason (let's say, don't go past 20 or so?), if logic/mechanisms require it, though as Ida says it'll be a bit disappointing to have the viewport shift that way (though in Lexy's Labyrinth you can set bounding boxes).  You can't extend the 100 though, because that won't be playable on CC2, though it actually will be playable in LL.
  
• If you have a 10x100 map where part of it is inaccessible to the player due to containing logic, again within reason (maybe no more than 1/3 of the map?); though if it's possible, I suggest making it possible to see such a mechanism after completion, a la Difficulty Switch or Strict Process.
  
• I'll probably stream the levels on Discord in early March and judge afterwards.
  
• If you have any additional questions, don't hesitate to ask either directly or in this thread.
  

[Ida]

If the playing area is 10x100, can the map be bigger to allow for logic/mechanisms outside of that area?
Or, alternatively, can the map be totally 10x100 but part of it is inaccessible to the player due to only containing logic and related mechanisms...
You could disallow both of the above or allow both but let it affect your grading of the level or whatever :)

Edit: Actually, I’m taking the question back because I want to stick to the 10x100, both because of the challenge and because if you have a wider map the viewport will not be the same which is kinda uncool.

[Calica]

If the playing area is 10x100, can the map be bigger to allow for logic/mechanisms outside of that area?
Or, alternatively, can the map be totally 10x100 but part of it is inaccessible to the player due to only containing logic and related mechanisms...
You could disallow both of the above or allow both but let it affect your grading of the level or whatever :)

Edit: Actually, I’m taking the question back because I want to stick to the 10x100, both because of the challenge and because if you have a wider map the viewport will not be the same which is kinda uncool.

You don't plan on using the results but I'll answer in case anyone else has the some questions:

You can have a map bigger than 10x100, within reason (let's say, don't go past 20 or so?), if logic/mechanisms require it, though as Ida says it'll be a bit disappointing to have the viewport shift that way (though in Lexy's Labyrinth you can set bounding boxes).  You can't extend the 100 though, because that won't be playable on CC2, though it actually will be playable in LL.

If you have a 10x100 map where part of it is inaccessible to the player due to containing logic, again within reason (maybe no more than 1/3 of the map?); though if it's possible, I suggest making it possible to see such a mechanism after completion, a la Difficulty Switch or Strict Process.

[Ida]

You can have a map bigger than 10x100, within reason (let's say, don't go past 20 or so?), if logic/mechanisms require it, though as Ida says it'll be a bit disappointing to have the viewport shift that way (though in Lexy's Labyrinth you can set bounding boxes).  You can't extend the 100 though, because that won't be playable on CC2, though it actually will be playable in LL.

If you have a 10x100 map where part of it is inaccessible to the player due to containing logic, again within reason (maybe no more than 1/3 of the map?); though if it's possible, I suggest making it possible to see such a mechanism after completion, a la Difficulty Switch or Strict Process.

Sounds perfect
Thanks!

[Calica]

I've now completed a stream of the levels. A very nice set of levels! Results coming soon...

[Calica]

Without further ado...

6th place [Click to Show Content]

A Sickly Silver Moon - (youtube link to MARIO SCREAMING 4: SCREAMSHINE)

Congratulations, Sickly, you managed to frustrate me! Of course, I managed to frustrate you just as much by not noticing the teleports.  Honestly, it was mildly enjoyable for a bit, but not really 10x100 worth of enjoyable.  I think I'd still put it above frogs in hell.

5th place [Click to Show Content]

Chipster1059 - Evil Mirror Universe
Also submitted: Quiz Time!

Several people submitted variety levels with a number of different puzzles arranged next to each other.  As such a level, the individual parts were pretty good, but as a combination they were frustrating enough to not feel worth it.

Quiz Time! was kind of fun to go through once, but enough of the questions felt unfair that I didn't get it the first time, and the conceit as a whole only kind of works once.  Also, the fact that you can't know whether you got an individual question right or not (except by going down and up again, which cuts your margin of error in half) isn't great.

4th place [Click to Show Content]

Dave Varberg - The Long Ness Monster
Also submitted: Frogs In Hell

The multiple stages of deductions in this level were fun to figure out; especially going between the red and blue teleports and figuring out which ones were which, as well as the yellow teleport bit.  Unfortunately, if I see myself trying to explain the coupon collector's problem during a stream that doesn't say good things about the amount of time I'm having to wait during a level.  I'd strongly suggest not requiring all 9 keys to get out of the first area.

Frogs In Hell... is the same thing 24 times.  I'm admittedly going on faith for the exact number, but that's not one I'm going to revisit.

3rd place [Click to Show Content]

Tyler Sontag - Hallway of Justice

This definitely earned its completely arbitrary place as the last level in the pack; a solid set of puzzles, some of them with pretty tight time constraints, that also worked out as pretty tough.  I liked figuring out each of the sections I got to.  I'm not sure I would've been able to get past that block section but even so, it's impressive as a puzzle.

2nd place [Click to Show Content]

Jeffrey Bardon - Serpents' Tower

A solid set of Snake puzzles.  I really enjoyed solving them, well, at least the ones I actually solved.  The other two I'm sure I'll enjoy solving on puzz.link or penpa if/when that happens   I also liked the theming, and the dramatic serpent-themed hints.  

1st place [Click to Show Content]

Ida - 8 Bit Puzzle
Also submitted: Ice Climber CC Style, Fido

Congratulations, Ida! Several people submitted variety levels arranged next to each other, but I think this is the one I actually enjoyed the most.  I was about to say "I especially liked the" followed by the puzzles I like, but then I realized that might just be "all of them but the rovers ".  I also like the letter system meaning that you didn't have to do the whole thing in a loop when you start over, which is really nice during a stream or in casual play. (Though I might make the bonuses under the ice blocks 1Ks to make them more worthwhile for optimizers)

Ice Climber CC Style was a nice homage to a game I've never played, though I did look up the bonus level after the stream.  It was a nice race against time with a difficulty slider.  Fido was also a decent variety level, though the first few sections were way more frustrating and it sucked getting Fido mixed up with the other two.  Sad ending

Congratulations to all of you!  I enjoyed playing through these levels, and I'm thankful to everyone who submitted a level, even Sickly!  Even the levels I disliked had some strong ideas in them, even if there was some bits that struggled (though that might also be the constraint's fault to some degree).

The unlisted video will be posted here when it finishes processing.

[MilkyWayWishes]

Ida wins again, she can not be stopped at this point. Nice to see my level "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9Fr9-SUWHk" accomplished one of its two goals, and congrats to everyone who took the time to design and submit a level. Thanks for hosting Calica, hope to possibly see you host some more contests in future.

[geodave]

Nice job, Ida! This was a fun competition.

[Calica]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcRlvS553jU

And here's the stream.