tokyokid
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 453
Registered: 05-06-2006
IP: Logged

Thanks, guys.
The Cave of Time was only meant as a filler, or a break, until the harder levels came in. It is probobly one of the low points of the hold. Glad you enjoyed the trapdoor puzzels!

zex20913
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1723
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

As a suggestion, if you know it's filler....why keep it in? I don't think holds need filler, as people can step away to put in filler of their own at any time. Like eating, sleeping, or taking care of little babies.

If a room is inherently not interesting, even to the architect, then I think the architect should remove it. Note: a not-interesting room can be interesting in relation to other rooms, as you do a couple of times (NW corner of Roach Pit I, for example.)

I, for one, really liked the Cave of Time...except for the roaches that disappeared on various entrances. That was strange and unpredictable.

I dug the hold...except for some unpredictable scripting.

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eytanz
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2708
Registered: 02-05-2003
IP: Logged

So, I've mastered this hold, and I must say I have very mixed feelings about it, for reasons already mentioned by others.

There is a lot I like about this hold. There are quite a few fun, interesting rooms. There are several rooms which I consider excellent. Especially, the trapdoor mazes stand out (except for the scripted monsters in some of them) - Tokyokid really managed to make interesting variants of a generally tired puzzle, and I really appreciated that.

But there's an equal amount of bad. There are a lot of "filler" rooms, rooms which are not interesting to anyone. There are even more rooms which would work fine as part of a hold designed to be very easy, but just don't fit in between medium level rooms which are found all over the place.

And the scripting abuses - well, they were just ugly and didn't add anything.

I think that if Tokyokid, instead of trying to create a huge hold, chose only the interesting rooms, and got rid of all the "fillers" - and not used the stupid scripting tricks - it would have been an excellent hold. I could have easily given it an 8, maybe a 9. Now, I give the hold 4 brains and an overall score of 5, since half the rooms in the hold deserve an 8 and the other half deserves a 2, so that's the average.

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I got my avatar back! Yay!

Remlin
Level: Master Delver
Rank Points: 181
Registered: 04-28-2005
IP: Logged

I just finished the hold, and I was going to post feedback, but instead I'll just point up at eytanz' post since that says everything I wanted to.

I don't know why you seem to feel obligated to make all of your holds gigantic, tokyokid. Cut out the really boring rooms and the really trivial rooms, resist all temptations to make any scripting other than characters talking, and you'd have a great (and still pretty big) hold.

That said, this is by far the best tokyokid hold I've played. I was pleasantly surprised.

tokyokid
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 453
Registered: 05-06-2006
IP: Logged

Okay, yeah, now I really regreat leaving in the bad rooms. I'll remember that in my next hold, and it won't be super-big, either.

bandit1200
Level: Master Delver
Rank Points: 290
Registered: 10-29-2003
IP: Logged

Played it and finished it last night, and yep, it's all been said. The trapdoors were the highlight and the monsters that appeared out of nowhere were the lowlife.

tokyokid
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 453
Registered: 05-06-2006
IP: Logged

Wow, I'm really surprised that you guys liked the trapdoor puzzles the best! I didn't think that I was that good at making them... thanks anyway!

Syntax
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1218
Registered: 05-12-2005
IP: Logged

Well, just completed it (80% secrets) and I gotta say what a great job. You've come some way in architecture!

I personally prefer long holds and can only think of 1 room with dodgy scripting (the snake and bomb room) so have little negative thoughts on this hold.

As I've said before, the trapdoor puzzles were the highlight.

Keep up the good work!

Overall 8 with 3.5 difficulty.

Ezlo
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1214
Registered: 01-08-2006
IP: Logged

After playing through this again after forgetting everything from the Beta Board, I still give it a 4B/7R. But it is a bit funny to hear the new Finale music playing while fighting the last boss.