Tscott
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 382
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File: The Killing Jar.hold (5.7 KB)
Downloaded 117 times.
License: Other
From: Unspecified

Here's my third attempt at a hold. Just like my other two holds(Impossible Cubes and Happy House) this is a single level hold of 15 or more rooms. However, as the hold's name implies, this hold focuses a lot on bug killing, and less on puzzles (although there are a couple of those, too).

My original goal in making this was to create an interesting level for novice to moderate DROD players using only roaches, queens and a few brains- although after replaying the entire hold before uploading, I'm not sure if I succeeded (i.e. some rooms may be tougher than I thought). Anyway, let me know if you think anything can be improved (checkpoints, puzzles, etc.).

____________________________
And I can recall our caravel: a little wicker beetle shell with four fine maste and lateen sails,
its bearings on Cair Paravel. O my love, O it was a funny little thing to be the ones to've seen.
-Joanna Newsom "Bridges and Balloons"

Oneiromancer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

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Without playing it yet, I will suggest that if you are aiming at the novice to moderate DROD player you might not want to include brains. You may want to attempt what Noah was also trying to do: make a hold that players who are frustrated with Dugan's will want to play. Of course then it shouldn't be too much harder than Dugan's.

More comments after I try it out...

Game on,

____________________________
"He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder." -- Tad Williams

Scott
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That was fun. Moderate difficulty. The hardest room was 1N1W. This is probably too hard for any novice to do. The entrance is also tricky. I don't think theres any need for more checkpoints.

Oneiromancer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

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Whew! Okay, finished your hold. Here are my comments:

First of all, the style of the hold is very nice. I like it! <Stamp of approval> Not too many new ideas, but that's okay, it was a good fun diversion.

1E: as far as I was able to tell, you have to move quickly and efficiently in order to avoid a bottleneck in the lower right hand chamber. Is this intentional? I didn't see any other way to get in there safely once a roach got stuck in the bottom alcove.

1W: this room gave me the most trouble out of all the rooms, believe it or not. (And yes, I do mean all the rooms.) I don't know why, but it took a while for my paradigm to shift out of drive and into...um...perpendicular.

3W: I liked this room, I felt it was kind of unique in its puzzle.

1S 2W: I thought about killing all the roaches without going all the way to the bottom, and then I thought, "why make it harder on myself?" Then I saw the scroll and I had to go back and do it just to prove I could.

1N 1W: the room that gave me the second most trouble. Still a good puzzle, just thought I'd mention because I wasn't sure of the difficulty.

2N 1W: if I had to pick a room that gave me the third most trouble, I guess this would be it. Several times I underestimated how easily the roaches could get around the "pitcher's mound". Usually I could recover.

I think this is a good hold. In terms of difficulty, most of it just comes from making stupid mistakes while fighting off the hordes. The four-square of rooms was innovative in design but the puzzles were generally not so unique. They were still good, just not completely interesting. Actually, 1N 1E was rather annoying but an annoying room once in a while is okay.

Game on,

____________________________
"He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder." -- Tad Williams

Scott
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About 1E. I wasn't really looking at the room before starting. Ended up with the bottom right full of roaches. However it is possible to get in when its full. There you go Oneiro something else to try.

Oneiromancer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

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Yeah, as soon as you said that I looked, saw the solution, and went and did it. I could have sworn that path wasn't long enough...oh, well.

Game on,

____________________________
"He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder." -- Tad Williams

eytanz
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2708
Registered: 02-05-2003
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Just completed the hold - I really liked it. The only room which I didn't enjoy was 2W, which was rather pointless - it's mostly "walk Beethro in a spiral" except for a very brief section in the middle which is an easier version of puzzles found elsewhere in this hold.



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I got my avatar back! Yay!

Tscott
Level: Smiter

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Thanks for the comments everyone.

I hope no one got too annoyed in 1N 1W when I had you traverse the entire room once before releasing the queens. In doing that it 'primes' the brain to direct the monsters to use the force arrow pathways. (With a couple minor changes you can try this room out in the editor without the preloop to see the behavior change.)

The only room which I didn't enjoy was 2W, which was rather pointless - it's mostly "walk Beethro in a spiral"

I guess I enjoy holding down a single key and watching Beethro mow down an entire line of roaches at once a bit more than you. At least it's the only room like it here.

Click here to view the secret text

×I liked the secret room and found it easier than 1N1W.

____________________________
And I can recall our caravel: a little wicker beetle shell with four fine maste and lateen sails,
its bearings on Cair Paravel. O my love, O it was a funny little thing to be the ones to've seen.
-Joanna Newsom "Bridges and Balloons"

zex20913
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1723
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I absolutely loved the entrance. The rest of the hold was enjoyable as well, but the entrance for me was the highlight.

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eytanz
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2708
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You know, I've got to ask - why is this hold named the killing jar?

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I got my avatar back! Yay!

Tscott
Level: Smiter

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Registered: 02-10-2003
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It's pretty simple. Killing Jars kill insects.



____________________________
And I can recall our caravel: a little wicker beetle shell with four fine maste and lateen sails,
its bearings on Cair Paravel. O my love, O it was a funny little thing to be the ones to've seen.
-Joanna Newsom "Bridges and Balloons"

krammer
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 904
Registered: 02-12-2003
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Whew. The first of your holds I have completed. Go me.

Just one thing that's bugging me...


Good work overall though, no criticisms except that some bits were a little samey. But I think that's what you intended, so no big deal.

I need more of these holds that I can complete.

____________________________
+++ Divide by Cucumber Error +++ Please Reinstall Universe and Reboot +++

"Oook!"

Oneiromancer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

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krammer wrote:

Click here to view the secret text

×What is the point of the red door on the southern path in 1N? It accomplishes nothing.

Perhaps it is aesthetic?

Game on,

____________________________
"He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder." -- Tad Williams

The_Red_Hawk
Level: Smitemaster
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Why don't you put Impossible Cubes and Happy House (and this one if you think you should) on the Holds forum? As far as I know, they've been completed.

____________________________
Slashing, whirling, diving, twirling,
Snapping, turning, rising, swirling,
Screeching, flipping, gliding, sliding,
The red hawk's dance of death.

.....the king of the skies.....

Tscott
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 382
Registered: 02-10-2003
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The_Red_Hawk wrote:
Why don't you put Impossible Cubes and Happy House (and this one if you think you should) on the Holds forum? As far as I know, they've been completed.

I'm getting around to it. I've got stuff I need to get done tomorrow but hopefully I'll get around to uploading all three (unless anyone has any major concerns about this one) sometime next week.


BTW, I just played The Killing Jar again myself, just to see if I could find any problems I might have overlooked, and when I exited the level it took me back to the beginning of the level. I'm possitive it finished normally before when I tested it. Did it exit normally for everyone who downloaded it here, or did it restart like it did on my PC?

____________________________
And I can recall our caravel: a little wicker beetle shell with four fine maste and lateen sails,
its bearings on Cair Paravel. O my love, O it was a funny little thing to be the ones to've seen.
-Joanna Newsom "Bridges and Balloons"

Oneiromancer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2936
Registered: 03-29-2003
IP: Logged

I've been having problems like this with playing my own hold as well as Smallsome Swicks. Like you, I was positive I set the exit correctly. And obviously I couldn't modify Erik's hold, so I don't know what happened there. It's apparently a bug that we can't really pin down because we don't know it has struck until we get to the end of a hold. Probably need to make some throwaway holds with stairs to see if we can duplicate the bug somehow. I might do that tonight, I need something to do to get my mind off the speeding ticket I just picked up...

Game on,

[Edited by Oneiromancer on 11-30-2003 at 07:36 AM GMT]

____________________________
"He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder." -- Tad Williams

krammer
Level: Smitemaster

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I have this hold amrked with a star, so it must have worked when I first played it.

____________________________
+++ Divide by Cucumber Error +++ Please Reinstall Universe and Reboot +++

"Oook!"

Oneiromancer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

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Mine too, actually...it has a star but the stairs now return me to the beginning of the level, upon restoring to the final room.

Game on,

____________________________
"He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder." -- Tad Williams

Scott
Level: Smitemaster
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That happens to me too return to the start of the hold even though it has a star.

mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

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Woah, so you guys are saying that the stairs have changed on an imported hold that you haven't even edited? Major bizarro.

____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.

Scott
Level: Smitemaster
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Yes I have never edited that hold and the stairs have changed.

krammer
Level: Smitemaster

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Mine still ends the hold... maybe:


I dunno really, just trying to help...

____________________________
+++ Divide by Cucumber Error +++ Please Reinstall Universe and Reboot +++

"Oook!"

Oneiromancer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

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No, it's probably something like some of us have corrupted .dat files which affects all the holds we have...something cheerful like that.

Game on,

____________________________
"He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder." -- Tad Williams

swann_88
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 87
Registered: 06-29-2003
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I liked this hold

most of the rooms took a few tries to figure out
none were impossible
in the baseball room I never hid behind the pitchers mound so I didn't have to worry how the roaches went around it
the secret room was probably the easiest for me

I liked the 4 rooms making one room

1 west was the hardest
I spent way too much time trying to get to the wrong place

3 west you should move the check point


[Edited by swann_88 on 12-10-2003 at 01:19 AM GMT: more ideas]